Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī
Chapter, Sreela Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī served Their Lordships for more than 22 hours a day, sleeping only an hour and a half, if at all. It is said of Raghunath Das Gosvāmī’s ascetic vows were like lines drawn in stone. He only ate enough to maintain his body. He allowed no delicious foods to ever touch his tongue, and wore only torn cloth.
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dāsa-śrī-raghunāthasya pūrvākhyā rasa-mañjarī
amuṁ kecit prabhāṣante śrīmatīṁ rati-mañjarīm
bhānumaty-ākhyayā kecit āhus taṁ nāma-bhedataḥThree different names are ascribed to Raghunātha Dāsa from his previous identity in Kṛṣṇa-līlā: Some say he was Rasa-mañjarī, others Rati-mañjarī, and yet others Bhānumatī, a female messenger of the sakhīs. (Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 186)
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Raghunātha Dāsa’s Childhood
Raghunātha Dāsa appeared in around 1495 AD in the village of Krishnapur, which is not far south of the current railway station named Adi Saptagram on the eastern bank of the ancient Sarasvati River. Krishnapur is about a mile from the Adi Saptagram station and approximately 1.5 miles from Trish Bigha station.1
Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was the son of Govardhana Majumadāra. His mother’s name is not known. Govardhana’s elder brother Hiraṇya was childless. The two brothers belonged to the kāyastha caste and were the primary landholders in Saptagram. In those days, the borders of Saptagram stretched from the Jessore Bhairav creek almost up to the Rūpa Nārāyaṇa River. Raghunātha Dāsa lived in Saptagram Krishnapur, his uncle Kāli Dāsa, who was also Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotee, lived in Shankhanagar. Raghunātha Dāsa’s family priest, Balarāma Ācārya and his guru, Yadunandana Ācārya, lived in the town of Chandpur. Yadunandana Ācārya was an intimate disciple of Advaita Ācārya and a dedicated devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu who had also received the special blessings of Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura.
After delivering the prostitute sent to tempt him by Rāmacandra Khān, Haridāsa Ṭhākura left Benapole and came to Chandpur where he stayed with Balarāma Ācārya. Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was just a young boy at this time, but he had the opportunity to see Haridāsa Ṭhākura and receive his blessings. These blessings were the cause of Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s later being able to attain the association of Mahāprabhu.
Raghunātha Dāsa was just a young boy engaged in studies when he had the darśana of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa was merciful to him and this mercy was the reason that he later was able to attain the company of Lord Caitanya. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.3.168-9)
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Raghunātha Dāsa’s Desire to Join The Lord
Hiraṇya and Govardhana Majumadāra had an annual income of 800,000 coins. At that time, a coin could buy about 650 pounds of rice, which means it had several hundred times the value of a rupee today. Even though Raghunātha Dāsa was the only heir to this great fortune, he was indifferent to riches from his childhood. He had his first opportunity to see Mahāprabhu when the Lord came to Śāntipura after taking sannyāsa. As soon as he saw the Lord, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī fell at His feet in a transport of divine love. Raghunātha Dāsa’s father, Govardhana Majumadāra, always served Advaita Ācārya with faith and devotion, and thus Advaita Prabhu was predisposed to show kindness to the young Raghunātha Dāsa. He thus made sure that Raghunātha Dāsa received the Lord’s remnants for as long as He remained in Śāntipura.
When the Lord departed for Purī, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī returned to his home in Saptagram but was constantly feeling intense separation from the Lord. Seeing him in this condition, his father surrounded him by eleven guards, including two brāhmaṇas, four servants and five guards. Even so, Raghunātha tried on several occasions to run away in order to join the Lord, but each time was caught and brought back before realizing his objectives. He became dejected as a result of this situation. Seeing their son in such a state, his parents were not at all at peace.
When the Lord returned from Kanair Natshala to Śāntipura during His attempt to visit Vṛndāvana, He again stayed there for a short period of time. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī wanted to see the Lord and this time begged his father to give him permission. Govardhana was worried about the state of his son’s mind and finally decided to let him go on condition that he would return quickly. He also sent a large entourage of guards to accompany him.
When Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī saw the Lord, it was as though he got a new life. He told the Lord of his intolerable situation and prayed to Him to tell him how he could break free from his material bondage. The all-knowing Lord could understand the depth of Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s feelings and yet He tried to pacify him with the following instruction:
“Calm yourself and return home. Don’t be foolish. It takes time to cross the ocean of material suffering. Don’t make a show of markaṭa-vairāgya (“monkey renunciation”) simply for public display. Accept whatever is required for the body in the worldly life without being attached. Be fixed on Kṛṣṇa internally while externally dealing with the world in the appropriate fashion. It will not be long before Kṛṣṇa delivers you.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 2.16.237-9)
Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura has made the following comments on the word markaṭa-vairāgya: “To a superficial eye, monkeys are engaged in renunciation because they live naked in the forest without any fixed home. In fact, they are only interested in their own sensual enjoyment and have never given it up. Such show-bottle renunciation is called markaṭa-vairāgya, ‘monkey-renunciation’. Real renunciation comes as a side effect of pure devotion and is long lasting, and other types of renunciation which arise out of frustration with material pleasures or desires cannot last throughout one’s life. Because of its temporary character, such renunciation is therefore called phalgu, or false. Such temporary renunciation, or monkey renunciation, is also known as śmaśāna-vairāgya, ‘the temporary feeling of renunciation that arouses in one’s mind after cremating one’s dear one in the cremation ground.’
“One may accept things which are absolutely necessary in order to serve Kṛṣṇa without becoming absorbed in them or attached to them. If one lives in this way, he will not be under the influence of the karmic reactions. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.108), it is said:
yāvatā syāt svanirvāhaḥ
svīkuryāt tāvad arthavit
ādhikye nyūnatāyāṁ ca
cyavate paramārthataḥOne who knows his purpose should accept only as much as he needs to maintain his existence. If he accepts more or less than that, he will fall from the supreme objective.
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī examines the word sva-nirvāhaḥ in his Durgama-saṅgamanī commentary with the words sva-sva-bhakti-nirvāhaḥ, i.e., a devotee should accept only those material things that will help him render service to the Lord, according to his own individual needs. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.256), markaṭa-vairāgya, or phalgu-vairāgya, has been more clearly explained as follows:
prāpañcikatayā buddhyā
hari sambandhi vastunaḥ
mumukṣubhi parityāgo
vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyatePhalgu-vairāgya is defined as the rejection of something that is related to the Lord in the understanding that it is something material. The seekers of liberation are engaged in such renunciation.
In other words, it is a mistake to renounce something that is favourable to the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, thinking it to be an ordinary material sense object.
anāsaktasya viṣayān
yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇasambandhe
yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyateYukta-vairāgya is defined as the attitude of one who is detached from the sense objects but uses them only in as much as they have utility in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Hence, devoid of selfish attachment, one should be endowed with the ability to see all the objects in relation to Lord Mādhava Himself. Taking Mahāprabhu’s instruction to heart, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī returned home and gave up his desire to renounce material life in madness and instead engaged in his various duties with a sense of detachment. When his parents saw him abandon all the external signs of renunciation, they were delighted and they began to think that there was no necessity for such a tight guard around their son.
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Hiraṇya Majumadāra’s Tax Problems
In those days, there was an officer of the king with the title Caudhurī or the present day nāyeb who acted as an intermediary between the king and the zamindars. He collected taxes from the landowners and received a commission of 25% on them. Hiraṇya Majumadāra, however, paid his taxes directly to the Shah, with whom he had a special agreement and thus cut out the middle man. On an income of 2,000,000 rupees, Hiraṇya was paying only 1,200,000 rather than 1,500,000. Since the Caudhurī was losing a large amount of commission, he became an enemy to the Majumadāras.
Ever since returning from his meeting with Mahāprabhu, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was practising yukta-vairāgya in accordance with the Lord’s instructions. However, when he heard that Mahāprabhu had returned from Vṛndāvana, he started making preparations to join Him in Purī. At that time, the Muslim Caudhurī had started making complaints to the Shah about Hiraṇya Majumadāra out of anger at being cheated of his percentage of the tax revenue. Fearful of arrest, Hiraṇya and Govardhana Majumadāras went into hiding.
When the minister came to investigate the Caudhurī’s complaints, he arrested Raghunātha Dāsa, since his father and uncle were not present. The Caudhurī came daily to rebuke and threaten Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, asking him to reveal their whereabouts. Finally, he decided to have Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī beaten, but when he saw his calm, lotus-like face, he was unable to continue. In fact, though he verbally chastised him, the Caudhurī was afraid to cause him any real harm because Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī belonged to an influential family of the kāyastha class. He knew that the kāyasthas are intelligent and could plot against him, causing him worse problems.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī himself was looking for a way to extricate himself from the situation, and spoke to the Caudhurī in a sweet voice: “My father and uncle are like your brothers. The behaviour of brothers is difficult to understand—sometimes they fight amongst themselves, sometimes they are loving to each other. Today you are arguing, but tomorrow, I am sure that you will be reconciled with each other. I am your son as much as I am my father’s and therefore you are my protector. It is not right for one such as yourself to punish his dependent. I need say no more, for you know the scriptures and are practically a living saint, a pir.”
The Caudhurī was affected by Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s sweet words and began to cry as he was overcome by affection for him. He said, “From now on, I consider you to be my son. I will find an excuse to have you freed today. Have your uncle meet with me and make arrangements so that I can get my share of the revenues.”
Thus Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was able to appease the Caudhurī by his sweet and diplomatic behaviour and bring the dispute between him and his uncle to an end. In the meantime, his father was making arrangements for his marriage to an extremely beautiful girl in order to ensure his commitment to the family.
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The Daṇḍa Mahotsava
A year later, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī once again became anxious to see Mahāprabhu and repeatedly ran away from home in an effort to go to Purī. Each time, he was caught by his father and returned home. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s mother thought that her son was going mad and told her husband to bind him with ropes. Govardhana responded in a tone of defeat:
“He has as much wealth as Indra, the king of the gods, and his wife is as beautiful as the heavenly courtesans. If these things have not been able to capture his mind, then how will mere ropes be able to do so? The father who gives life to a child cannot interfere with the effects of his previous lives’ actions. Śrī Caitanya Candra has given His blessings to this boy. Who can arrest the one who was been made mad by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu?” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.39-41)
While Raghunātha Dāsa was devising a plan for how he would be delivered from his entanglements, he heard that Nityānanda Prabhu had made an auspicious appearance in the town of Panihati. Thinking that Nityānanda Prabhu was the deliverer of the most fallen and that by His mercy he would surely be able to find his freedom, he went across the Ganges to Panihati where he found the Lord sitting under a tree on an elevated seat, surrounded by His associates. As soon as Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī saw Him from a distance, he fell down like a stick. The merciful Lord Nityānanda immediately had him brought close to Him and placed His feet on his head. Understanding the deep-rooted desires in Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s heart, arranged for him to perform a service to the Vaiṣṇavas so that he could realize his cherished objective.
“Like a thief, you don’t come near Me, but simply try to run away. Now that I have caught you, I shall punish you. I want you to feed all My followers chipped rice and yoghurt.” When he heard Nityānanda Prabhu’s command, Raghunātha’s mind was filled with joy. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.50-1)
The festival that Nityānanda Prabhu ordered Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī to sponsor, is still celebrated as the Panihati ciḍā-dadhi mahotsava. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself and His non-different manifestation Nityānanda Prabhu celebrated the festival along with Their associates, eating on the banks of the Ganges just as though They were cowherd boys on the banks of the Yamunā River. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Their associates, numerous brāhmaṇas and countless men and women enjoyed a feast of chipped rice with milk and yoghurt. The opportunity to serve the Lord and His devotees in this way was something that could not come about except for some great fortune.
On the following day, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī distressfully asked Nityānanda Prabhu through Rāghava Paṇḍita how he could possibly gain freedom from his material entanglements and find the association of Mahāprabhu. Like an ocean of mercy, Nityānanda Prabhu placed His feet on Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s head and said,
“You arranged this feast on the banks of the river and Mahāprabhu was merciful to you and came here Himself to enjoy it. He blessed you by accepting the offering of chipped rice and yoghurt. Then, after watching the devotees’ dancing, He took prasāda in the evening. Lord Gaurāṅga came here just to deliver you and now He has removed any impediments, which remained. He will turn you over to Svarūpa Dāmodara and making you His confidential servant, He will keep you by His side. Go home now and forget your worries. You will soon be able to go to the Lord without any difficulties.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.139-143)
After discussing with Rāghava Paṇḍita, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī gave a large sum of money as dakṣiṇā (“honorarium”) to be paid to Nityānanda Prabhu and His associates. He himself felt as though his life had been fulfilled after receiving Nityānanda Prabhu’s blessings. Upon returning to his house, he never again entered the inner quarters but remained outside where he slept in the Dūrgā Maṇḍapa. Nevertheless, there were always guards posted near him to prevent him from running away.
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Raghunātha Dāsa Escapes
Though Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī knew that the devotees from Bengal were preparing their annual trip to Purī, he was afraid of joining them because he knew that he would easily be caught. Early one morning, Yadunandana Ācārya came to him and told him that his disciple who performed the pūjā had abandoned his service and needed to be persuaded to take it up again as there was no replacement.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī accompanied his guru while all the guards were still sleeping. After walking away with Yadunandana Ācārya, however, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī told him to return to his home, saying that he would go alone to the disciple’s house and convince him to come and resume his duties. He told him not to worry and bid him goodbye. With no guards or servants around him, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī realized that he had a golden opportunity to make his escape.
Meditating on Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet, he started to walk toward the east. He avoided the main roads for fear of being caught and even the smaller ones that ran through the villages. Despite the difficult route through the jungle, he walked thirty miles on the very first day, finally taking rest in a milkman’s cowshed that evening. The milkman saw that he had not eaten for the entire day and gave him some milk.
When Govardhana Majumadāra heard that his son had run away, he immediately sent a group of ten servants with a letter for Śivānanda Sena who was already on his way to Purī with the devotees, telling him to send Raghunātha back. They caught up with the group of pilgrims but were disappointed to find that Raghunātha was not with them. Meanwhile, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was walking at great speed towards Purī, completely oblivious to his own fatigue and hunger.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī arrived in Purī after only twelve days, having stopped to eat only three times along the way and resting only infrequently. He came upon Mahāprabhu, Who was sitting with Svarūpa Dāmodara, and paid his obeisances to the Lord from a distance. Mukunda Datta informed the Lord that Raghunātha had arrived and was paying his obeisances. The Lord told him to come forward and Raghunātha Dāsa fell at His feet. The Lord embraced him, His heart melting with compassion for the exhausted young man. He said, “Nothing is more powerful than Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. It has dragged you out of the deep latrine pit of sense gratification.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.193)
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī answered the Lord mentally, thinking, “I know nothing about Kṛṣṇa. I believe that it was You who pulled me out of that hole.”
Mahāprabhu’s maternal grandfather, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, knew Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s father and uncle and used to call them bhāiyā because they were younger to him. They too called him dādā (older brother) because he was their elder and a brāhmaṇa. Knowing that this relationship existed between them, Mahāprabhu joked with Raghunātha, saying:
“Your father and uncle are like worms in the latrine pit of sense gratification. They think that the suffering that comes from sense gratification is happiness. Even though they believe in brāhmaṇaical culture and contribute to it, they are not pure Vaiṣṇavas, only imitation Vaiṣṇavas. The nature of the sense objects is that they make one blind, inducing to one engage in activities that result in material bondage. It is not possible to properly describe Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, which has delivered you from such bondage.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.197-200)
Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura has written the following about Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and the suffering caused by the poison of sense gratification: “Kṛṣṇa’s mercy is more powerful than the results of one’s previous activities. It was this powerful compassion of the Lord that pulled Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī out of the latrine hole of sensual existence. A living entity who is attached to sense gratification does not have the strength to give it up. For the living being who has become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, however, sense enjoyments are like a ditch of stool. Mahāprabhu knew that Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was completely free from any attachment to sense gratification. Nevertheless, He said this to him as a teaching to the conditioned souls.” (Anubhāṣya t Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.193)
“Sense objects bring great distress to their so-called enjoyer. Even so, those whose brains are completely immersed in the objects of sense gratification and are entangled in the whirlpool of material existence consider these sources of distress to be happiness. The objects of material sense gratification should be discarded in the same way that one abandons an outhouse, and one whose mind is possessed by the desire for these objects of gratification is like a maggot who feeds off the stools in the latrine. This is how the transcendentalist sees the materialistic person who is trying to extract pleasure from inert matter. He has nothing but disdain for materialistic pleasures, which he sees being exactly like the pleasure a maggot extracts from the taste of rotting excrement.” (Anubhāṣya to Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.197)
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Raghunātha Dāsa’s Renunciation
Mahāprabhu noticed that Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was extremely weak and so, after accepting him as His own son and servant, entrusted him to Svarūpa Dāmodara, telling him to take responsibility for him and to see to his well-being. From that time on, he was known as ‘Svarūpa’s Raghu’ to distinguish him from Raghunātha Vaidya and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa. The Lord also directed Govinda to take care of Raghunātha with great affection. He then told him to go and take his bath in the ocean and go to see Lord Jagannātha, after which he was to join Him for lunch. When Govinda gave Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī the remnants of the Lord’s plate to eat, Raghunātha was overjoyed.
Things went on like this for five days, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī taking the Lord’s remnants each day, but on the sixth day, he stopped taking the Lord’s mahā-prasāda. From that day on, he went to the Jagannātha temple and took darśana of the Lord’s flower offering at night, after which he would stand at the Lion Gate and beg mahā-prasāda. At night, after they had finished their duties, Lord Jagannātha’s servants would pass by on their way home and would customarily give prasāda to the hungry Vaiṣṇavas who waited there. In this way, renounced Vaiṣṇavas would maintain their lives. This type of renounced attitude was particularly noticeable amongst Mahāprabhu’s devotees.
When the Lord asked about Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī and learnt that he was no longer taking prasāda in the same way as before, but begging by the Siṁhadvāra, He was satisfied to see that he was taking the renounced way of life so seriously. He said, “That’s very good. He is taking the life of a renunciate seriously. A renunciate should always be engaged in repeating the Names of the Lord and should maintain his life through begging. Anyone who takes the renounced order and then becomes dependent on others cannot achieve his ends and Kṛṣṇa will ignore him. One who becomes a renunciate and then lusts for tasty foods will never attain his spiritual goal and will simply become the slave of his taste buds. A renunciate’s duty is to always chant the Names of Lord Kṛṣṇa and fill his belly with leaves, fruits and roots. One who runs here and there looking for good things to eat becomes attached to his sex organs and his belly and will never attain Kṛṣṇa.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.222-7)
Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura has underscored that Mahāprabhu’s associates are extremely detached from material objects and that to chant the Names of the Lord is the only duty of such renunciates: “Examining them impartially, both materialistic non-devotees and pure Vaiṣṇavas can see that Mahāprabhu’s associates are not attached to the gratification of their material senses. They are indifferent to anything that cannot be used in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Their renunciation for the transcendental service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which is unmotivated and uninterrupted, is incomprehensible to the ordinary materialistic person. When Lord Gaurasundara sees a devotee’s ingenuity to engage in this kind of devotional service, completely indifferent to sense objects that are outside the scope of his service needs, He feels great love for him.
“The various rituals described in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa are meant for the wealthy householder Vaiṣṇavas who are imperfect but not for those who have renounced everything to take exclusive shelter of the Holy Name. One who chants the Holy Names in the morning, in the middle of the night, in the midday and at sunset, in other words throughout the day and night, is certain to cross over the ocean of material existence. Those pure devotees who are fixed exclusively on the devotional service of the Lord and chant His Names and remember Him with love have no duty to perform other than kīrtana and smaraṇa.” (Anubhāṣya to Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.223, translation of Hari-bhakti-vilasa 20.366, 379, 382).
Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī would never speak to the Lord directly but asked Govinda or Svarūpa Dāmodara to submit any question or request to the Lord on his behalf. One day he asked the Lord through Svarūpa Dāmodara to instruct him personally on his duties. When the Lord heard this, He told Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī that Svarūpa Dāmodara knew far more than He did and that he should take instruction from him about the goal of life and how to attain it. When Raghunātha Dāsa’s eagerness to hear from Him directly did not abate, the Lord said, “If he has faith in My words, then let him follow these instructions:
“Do not listen to gossip nor engage in gossip yourself. You should not eat very palatable food, nor should you dress very nicely. Always chant the Holy Name of Lord Kṛṣṇa without any expectation of honour, offering all respect to others. Mentally render service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.236-7)
The Bengali devotees arrived in Purī for Ratha-yātrā and met Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, who was particularly fortunate to receive Advaita Prabhu’s blessings. Śivānanda Sena told him that his father had been looking for him. After staying four months in Purī, the devotees returned to Bengal and Śivānanda gave news of Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī to Govardhana Majumadāra, telling him of his determined ascetic spiritual practices. His parents were distressed to hear of his lifestyle and sent a brāhmaṇa, two servants and four hundred rupees to Śivānanda for Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī. The following year, Śivānanda took these servants and the money to Purī with him and informed Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī that his father had sent them. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī would not accept them, but thinking of his father’s benefit, he took some of the money and used it to pay for Mahāprabhu’s meals twice a month. After doing this for two years, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī abandoned this practice also. In response to Mahāprabhu’s question about why Raghunātha had stopped inviting Him, Svarūpa Dāmodara said that Raghunātha had decided that since his father was a materialistic man, Mahāprabhu was not really pleased to eat the food purchased with his money. By such invitations, his only gain was some fame and status. Furthermore, he thought that Mahāprabhu was only accepting his invitations out of kindness because he was so foolish that he would be unhappy if He refused, but that in fact, He was secretly not very pleased by it. Mahāprabhu was greatly satisfied to hear this conclusion and said;
“When one eats food offered by a materialistic person, one’s mind becomes contaminated. If the mind is contaminated, one is unable to remember Kṛṣṇa. The food of a materialistic person is infected by the mode of passion and both the person who offers it and the one who accepts it are mentally contaminated. I accepted his invitation for many days fearing his displeasure. I am glad that he has realized all this and has given up this practice on his own initiative.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.278-80)
Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura has commented on the above subject matter as follows: “People who are egotistical and possessive are generally materialistic persons who try to enjoy the world for their own sense gratification. Such persons see their money as a tool for achieving such sense gratification. If they attempt to serve the Lord, the guru or the Vaiṣṇavas, who are beyond the material energy and are transcendental, their only gain will be an increase in material prestige and not the true benefits of such service. One who seeks true auspiciousness should, therefore, with full surrender, engage whatever money one has honestly earned in the spiritual service of Kṛṣṇa, the spiritual master and the Vaiṣṇavas, using his body, mind, words and heart.” (Anubhāṣya to Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.275)
“Certain materialistic persons who are intoxicated by high birth, riches, learning or physical beauty, may make a show of deity worship, and offer the prasāda from that worship to Vaiṣṇavas. Due to their ignorance, they are not aware that because they lack devotion, the Lord Who is beyond sensory perception does not accept their offerings. Because of the taint of the sense enjoyer’s false pride that contaminates such offerings, it is often seen that the pure Vaiṣṇava is indifferent to such apparent service to the deity. In other words, a pure Vaiṣṇava who has renounced the life of sense enjoyment does not accept such service. By that, the rich materialistic sense gratifiers, who are so foolish because of their sense of identification with the body and mind, become angry with the Vaiṣṇavas and are offended. (Anubhāṣya to Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.276)
“Non-devotees and prākṛta-sahajiyās are considered to be materialistic. Because they offer food without devotion, an aspiring devotee will be contaminated by their association through eating their food. As a result of such bad association (saṅga-doṣa), one will develop the same mentality as they. If one engages in even minimal association with materialists or sahajiyās, who are materialists in the guise of Vaiṣṇavas, through any of the six kinds of association (exchanging gifts, food or confidences), with even a drop of hidden affection, the result will be that the transcendental devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa is transformed into sense gratification, and this will cause the aspiring devotee’s fall down. The conclusion is that one whose mind is fixed on the pleasures of the bodily senses and contaminated by the sense objects is too impure to be able to serve Kṛṣṇa through the processes of transcendental remembrance, etc.” (Anubhāṣya to Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.278)
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has also written about the rājasika character of a materialistic person’s dinner invitations. He says, “Invitations to dinner are of three kinds, sāttvika, rājasika and tāmasika. The invitation of a pure devotee is in the mode of goodness, that of a pious materialistic person is in the mode of passion, while the invitation of a very sinful person is in the mode of darkness.” (Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya to Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.279)
Raghunātha Gosvāmī’s asceticism grew stronger with each passing day. He stopped begging at the Lion Gate and started going instead to an almshouse. When Mahāprabhu heard this news from Govinda, He asked Svarūpa Dāmodara what the cause was for the change. Svarūpa Dāmodara answered that Raghunātha was finding that a lot of time was being wasted standing in front of the Siṁhadvāra and was going to the almshouse every day at noon instead. Mahāprabhu praised Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s decision, saying, “Begging by the Siṁhadvāra resembles the behaviour of a prostitute.”
A prostitute stands around and waits for some man to come and give her some business, a beggar cannot remain indifferent as he waits for someone to be kind to him. Going for handouts at the almshouse does not present the same kind of problem. One simply has to go at the proper time and one receives enough to keep his body alive. This is useful if one wishes to use one’s time in chanting the Holy Names.
The sannyāsī Śaṅkarānanda Sarasvatī sent Mahāprabhu a guñjā-mālā and a govardhana-śilā from Vṛndāvana. Mahāprabhu cherished the two objects, taking the necklace of guñjā beads to be identical to Rādhārāṇī and the govardhana-śilā to be identical to Kṛṣṇa. Mahāprabhu would hold the govardhana-śilā to His head, to His eyes and to His heart, and this would bring Him great pleasure. After worshipping the necklace and the śilā for three years, He gifted Them to Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī as a sign of His satisfaction with his devotion. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī felt honoured and delighted by the Lord’s gift, and taking Them to be the direct representations of Śrī Śrī Gāndhārvikā-Giridhārī, he worshipped Them with water and tulasī leaves. When engaged in such loving service, he would go into a devotional trance. After his disappearance, the govardhana-śilā was placed in the Gokulānanda Temple where this is still being served.
It is said of Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s ascetic vows that they were like lines drawn in stone. He spent 22 plus hours a day engaged in chanting Kṛṣṇa’s Names and in smaraṇa, only about one and a half hours for sleep and food. He only ate enough to maintain his body. He allowed no delicious foods to ever touch his tongue and wore only torn cloth.
Finally, he started going at night to gather the prasāda which the vendors outside the temple threw away near the Siṁhadvāra after it started to go so bad that even the tailaṅgī cows would not eat it. He would wash it to take out the dirt with which it had become mixed until he reached the hard core of the grains that had not cooked. This is what he would eat, only adding a little salt. One day, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī saw Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī doing this and asked him for some of this prasāda, comparing it to the nectar of the gods. Even Mahāprabhu, when He heard about it from Govinda, came and took a handful of Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s prasāda, though Svarūpa Dāmodara prevented Him from taking a second.
“What is this all about? You are eating such nice things and not giving any to Me?” Saying this, the Lord snatched a morsel from Raghunātha and ate it. As He was about to take another Svarūpa Dāmodara caught Him by the hand and said, “It is not fit for You,” and took it away from Him. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 3.6.322-3)
Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī has himself summarized Mahāprabhu’s mercy on him in his verses called Caitanya-stava-kalpa-vṛkṣa (“The Desire Tree of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Glories”) which can be found in the collection called Stavāvalī, verse 11.
mahāsampaddāvād api patitam uddhṛtya kṛpayā
svarūpe yaḥ svīye kujanam api māṁ nyasya muditaḥ
uroguṣjāhāraṁ priyam api ca govardhanaśilāṁ
dadau me gaurāṅgo hṛdaya udayan māṁ madayatiEven though I am a fallen soul, the lowest of men, Śrī Gaurāṅga, by His mercy, delivered me from the blazing forest fire of great material opulence and entrusted me to His personal associate, Svarūpa Dāmodara. He gave me the cherished guñjā garland that He wore on his chest as well as His govardhana-śilā. He awakens within my heart and makes me mad after Him.
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Raghunātha Gosvāmī Goes to Vṛndāvana
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī remained under Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī’s tutelage in Purī, thus gaining direct access to Mahāprabhu’s confidential service and association. In all, he remained there for sixteen years until the Lord and Svarūpa Dāmodara Prabhu disappeared to the eyes of this world.
When this event took place, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī felt that he could no longer live in their absence and decided to go to Vṛndāvana to commit suicide by jumping from Govardhana Hill. When he arrived in Vraja, he met Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs. They persuaded him not to put an end to his life, adopted him as their third brother and kept him with them. Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī were enriched by hearing the nectarean pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu from Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s separation from Mahāprabhu and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa became so intense that he gave up eating solid food altogether, only drinking a little buttermilk to sustain himself. He would pay a thousand prostrated obeisances, chant 100,000 Holy Names, serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa mentally both day and night, recount the glorious pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and bathe three times a day without fail in Rādhā-kuṇḍa. This was the exemplary standard of bhajana set by Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī in which he served Their Lordships for more than 22 hours a day, sleeping only an hour and a half, if at all.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s renunciation may superficially be compared to that of the Buddha, but when examined more closely it will be observed that there are some unique characteristics in Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s asceticism. The external meaning of renunciation is detachment from sense gratification, but its true meaning is an intense attachment to the Supreme Person. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s strong attachment to the lotus feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa meant that he was completely and naturally detached from anything not connected to his worshipable Lords. This kind of renunciation is actual.
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Rādhā-kuṇḍa
Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī lived a long life. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya had the chance to receive his blessings before leaving Vṛndāvana to return to the East with the Gosvāmīs’ books. He was astounded by Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s powerful asceticism and deep absorption in love. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī wrote three books: Stavāvalī, Śrī Dāna-carita (Dāna-keli-cintāmaṇi) and Muktā-carita.
He lived in Rādhā-kuṇḍa where he engaged in his most intense devotional practices. He was blessed there by Nityānanda Prabhu’s potency, Jāhnavā Devī when she visited Rādhā-kuṇḍa.
Earlier when Mahāprabhu Himself visited the village of Aarit, He displayed the pastime of bathing in a rice field, by which He indicated the presence of Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa. Until then, the two ponds had still not been excavated, nor was there a proper bank. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī thought it would be a good idea to have this work done, but the next moment he became indignant for having desired such. However, one day, a rich merchant was on a pilgrimage to Badrī Nārāyaṇa with the intention of donating a large sum of money to the temple there. Badrī Nārāyaṇa appeared to him in a dream and told him to fund Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s vision to restore Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa. The merchant came back to Vraja and found Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī in the village of Aarit and recounted the story of the dream to him. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī thus supervised the excavation of the ponds and the subsequent building of stone steps and walkways.
Five trees stood on the banks of Śyāma-kuṇḍa, which are said to be the five Pāṇḍavas. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī had the intention of cutting down these trees so that Śyāma-kuṇḍa could be made perfectly rectangular. Before this could happen, however, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī had a dream in which Yudhiṣṭhīra appeared to him and told him that the five Pāṇḍavas were present in Rādhā-kuṇḍa in the form of these trees. He immediately stopped the workers from cutting them down. This is why Śyāma-kuṇḍa was not built as a perfect rectangle.
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Other Legends About Raghunātha in Vraja
Another story is told about Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī. It is said that when he read Rūpa Gosvāmī’s play, Lalita-mādhava, he was submerged in an ocean of separation. Though he was permanently in Rādhārāṇī’s association at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, he was always restless, being unable to tolerate even a moment’s separation. When he read the Lalita-mādhava, which has separation from Kṛṣṇa as its primary subject matter, this mood became so strong that his survival became even more difficult. When Rūpa Gosvāmī saw Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s response to his play, he gave him the book Dāna-keli-kaumudī, which is full of humour and amusing banter, and took back his copy of Lalita-mādhava. Upon reading Dāna-keli-kaumudī, Raghunātha’ feelings of separation vanished.
At first, when staying by Rādhā-kuṇḍa Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī had no fixed shelter. He occasionally stayed with Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, whose cottage was situated on the banks of the Mānasa-Gaṅgā in Govardhana. One day he took bath in the Mānasa-Gaṅgā and then went to sit under a tree surrounded by unkept thickets and began to worship the Lord in a devotional trance. While he was meditating, a tiger came there to drink water. Sanātana Gosvāmī was also present there at the time and observed Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī as he remained unmoved even though exposed to such danger. He instructed Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī to build a cottage in which to live and engage in his devotional activities.
Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī had a special affection for a certain Vrajavāsī whose name was Dāsa. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s daily nourishment consisted of only a leaf bowl of buttermilk. This Vrajavāsī was distressed to learn that Raghunātha Dāsa ate so little, thinking that it was impossible for him to stay alive on such a small amount. One day at Sakhī Sthalī, he was overjoyed to see a Palash tree with huge leaves. He had a bigger sized bowl made with these leaves in which he put buttermilk for Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī and then brought it to him.
Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was quite astonished to see such a large leaf-bowl and asked him where he got it. When he heard the name of Sakhī Sthalī, he immediately threw down the bowl. Sakhī Sthalī is the home of Candrāvalī, Rādhārāṇī’s primary rival for Kṛṣṇa’s love. Candrāvalī’s sakhīs like Śaibya are constantly looking for ways to take Kṛṣṇa away from Rādhā’s bower and bring Him to their girlfriend. Just as Rādhārāṇī is distressed by these actions, so are Her girlfriends. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was a member of Rādhārāṇī’s entourage and so it was his role to constantly think of how to bring happiness to Her and Her girlfriends. As soon as he heard the name Sakhī Sthalī, he was transported by anger. This mood is the ultimate stage of love, which envious people who are burdened by material lust can never understand. In the Bhakti-ratnākara, it is written:
After calming down, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī said to Dāsa, “That is Candrāvalī’s place. You shouldn’t ever go there.” The Vrajavāsī Dāsa calmed down and recognized that these were the symptoms of spiritual perfection in what was apparently a spiritual aspirant. All these devotees are eternally perfected souls. Ignorant fools cannot understand this. (Bhakti-ratnākara 5.572-4)
There is one other extraordinary legend about Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī recounted in the Bhakti-ratnākara. One day he was exhibiting pastimes of suffering from indigestion. Vitthala-nath came with two doctors from Ballabhpur to cure Raghunātha Dāsa. After examining him, the doctors said that the indigestion had been caused by eating rice and milk. Vitthala-nath was astonished to hear this diagnosis and said, “This is impossible. This man never eats anything but buttermilk.” Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī then spoke up, saying that he had indeed eaten sweet rice in the course of his meditation on the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī left his body on the banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa where his samādhi stands. This took place on the śuklā dvādaśī tithi of the month of Āśvina.
1 Saptagram consisted of seven villages: Saptagram, Bangshibati, Shibpur, Vasudevpur, Krishnapur, Nityanandapur and Shankhanagar.
Excerpt from "Sri Chaitanya: His Life and Associates" by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya
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