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Rupa Goswami:
Meeting Mahaprabhu

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, Samadhi-mandir class
14 June 2015

 

[His Divine Grace is reading from Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, chapter 19:]

sanatana kahe,—tumi svatantra gaudesvara
ye yei dosa kare, deha' tara phala

Sanatan Goswami said [to the Nawab Hussain Shah], "You are the supreme ruler of Bengal and are completely independent. Whenever someone commits a fault, you punish him accordingly." [26]

eta suni' gaudesvara uthi' ghare gela
palaiba bali' sanatanere bandhila

Hearing this, the Nawab of Bengal stood up and returned to his home. He ordered the arrest of Sanatan Goswami so that he would not be able to leave. [27]

anupama mallika, tanra nama—'sri-vallabha'
rupa-gosanira chhota-bhai—parama-vaisnava

Rupa Goswami's younger brother was a great devotee whose actual name was Sri Vallabha, but he was given the name Anupama Mallika. [36]

tanha lana rupa-gosani prayage aila
mahaprabhu tahan suni' anandita haila

Sri Rupa Goswami and Anupama Mallika went to Prayag, and they were very pleased to hear the news that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was there. [37]

prabhu chaliyachhena bindu-madhava-darasane
laksa laksa loka aise prabhura milane

At Prayag, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to see the temple of Bindu Madhava, and many hundreds of thousands of people followed Him just to meet Him. [38]

keha kande, keha hase, keha nache, gaya
'krsna' 'krsna' bali' keha gadagadi yaya

Some of the people following the Lord were crying. Some were laughing, some dancing and some chanting, some of them were rolling on the ground, exclaiming "Krishna! Krishna!" [39]

ganga-yamuna prayaga narila dubaite
prabhu dubaila krsna-premera vanyate

Prayag is located at the confluence of two rivers—the Ganges and the Yamuna. These rivers were not able to flood Prayag with their waters, but Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu inundated the whole area with waves of ecstatic love for Krishna. [40]

tabe mahaprabhu tanre nikate vasaila
'sanatanera varta kaha'—tanhare puchhila

After this, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sat them down by His side and asked them, "What news do you have of Sanatan?" [55]

Rupa Goswami came to Mahaprabhu first, and Mahaprabhu asked him, "What happened to Sanatan Goswami?" Rupa Goswami explained that the emperor had put him into jail.

rupa kahena,—tenho bandi haya raja-ghare
tumi yadi uddhara', tabe ha-ibe uddhare

Rupa Goswami replied, "Sanatan has now been arrested by the government of Hussain Shah. If You kindly save him, he can be liberated from that entanglement." [56]

Rupa Goswami said, "Prabhu, if You rescue him, then he will be able to come out of jail. Please rescue him from that place."

prabhu kahe,—sanatanera hanachhe mochana
achirat ama-saha ha-ibe milana

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu immediately replied, "Sanatan has already been released from his confinement, and he will very soon meet with Me." [57]

Mahaprabhu replied, "Yes, I know that Sanatan will come to Me soon."

achirat ama-saha ha-ibe milana

madhyahna karite vipra prabhure kahila
rupa-gosani se-divasa tathani rahila

A brahman then requested Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to accept lunch. Rupa Goswami also remained there that day. [58]

bhattacharya dui bhaiye nimantrana kaila
prabhura sesa prasada-patra dui-bhai paila

Balabhadra Bhattacharya invited the two brothers to take lunch also. The remnants of food from the plate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were offered to them. [59]

triveni-upara prabhura vasa-ghara sthana
dui bhai vasa kaila prabhu-sannidhana

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chose to stay at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna, in a place called Triveni. The two brothers—Rupa Goswami and Anupama—sat near the Lord. [60]

se-kale vallabha-bhatta rahe adaila-grame
mahaprabhu aila suni' aila tanra sthane

At that time, Sri Vallabha Bhatta was staying at Adaila-grama, and when he heard that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had arrived, he went to His place to see Him. [61]

tenho dandavat kaila, prabhu kaila alingana
dui jane krsna-katha haila kata-ksana

Vallabha Bhattacharya offered Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu his obeisances, and the Lord embraced him. After that, they discussed topics about Krishna for some time. [62]

krsna-kathaya prabhura maha-prema uthalila
bhattera sankoche prabhu samvarana kaila

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt great ecstatic love when they began discussing Krishna, but the Lord checked His feelings because He felt shy before Vallabha Bhatta. [63]

antare gara-gara prema, nahe samvarana
dekhi' chamatkara haila vallabha-bhattera mana

Although the Lord restrained Himself externally, ecstatic love raged within. There was no checking that. Vallabha Bhatta was astonished to detect this. [64]

tabe bhatta mahaprabhure nimantrana kaila
mahaprabhu dui-bhai tanhare milaila

Then Vallabha Bhatta invited Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for lunch, and the Lord introduced the brothers Rupa and Anupama to him. [65]

dui-bhai dura haite bhumite padiya
bhatte dandavat kaila ati dina hana

From a distance, the brothers Rupa Goswami and Anupama fell on the ground and offered obeisances to Vallabha Bhatta with great humility. [66]

bhatta milibare yaya, dunhe palaya dure
'asprsya pamara muni, na chhuniha more'

When Vallabha Bhattacharya walked toward them, they ran away to a more distant place. Rupa Goswami said, "I am untouchable and most sinful. Please do not touch me." [67]

bhattera vismaya haila, prabhura harsa mana
bhattere kahila prabhu tanra vivarana

Vallabha Bhattacharya was very much surprised. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, however, was very pleased, and described Rupa Goswami to him. [68]

'inho na sparsiha, inho jati ati-hina!
vaidika, yajnika tumi kulina pravina!'

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Do not touch him, for he belongs to a very low caste. You are a follower of Vedic principles and are a well experienced performer of many sacrifices. You also belong to the aristocracy." [69]

dunhara mukhe nirantara krsna-nama suni'
bhatta kahe, prabhura kichhu ingita-bhangi jani'

Hearing the Holy Name constantly vibrated by the two brothers, Vallabha Bhattacharya could understand the hints of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. [70]

'dunhara mukhe krsna-nama karichhe nartana
ei-dui 'adhama' nahe, haya 'sarvottama'

Vallabha Bhattacharya said, "Since these two are constantly chanting the Holy Name of Krishna, how can they be untouchable? On the contrary, they are most exalted." [71]

"They are not the lowest—they are highly qualified!"

suni' mahaprabhu tanre bahu prasamsila
premavista hana sloka padite lagila

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased to hear Vallabha Bhatta quoting from sastra about the position of a devotee. The Lord praised him personally, and, feeling ecstatic love of Godhead, began to quote many verses from sastra. [73]

prabhura premavesa, ara prabhava bhakti-sara
saundaryadi dekhi' bhattera haila chamatkara

Seeing the Lord's ecstatic love, Vallabha Bhattacharya was even more astonished. He was also astonished by the Lord's knowledge of the essence of devotional service, as well as by His personal beauty and influence. [76]

sagane prabhure bhatta naukate chadana
bhiksa dite nija-ghare chalila lana

Vallabha Bhattacharya then put Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates aboard a boat and took them to his own place to offer them lunch. [77]

yamunara jala dekhi' chikkana syamala
premavese mahaprabhu ha-ila vihvala

While crossing the river Yamuna, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw the glossy black water and was immediately bewildered with ecstatic love. [78]

hunkara kari' yamunara jale dila jhanpa
prabhu dekhi' sabara mane haila bhaya-kanpa

Indeed, as soon as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw the river Yamuna, He immediately made a great sound and jumped into the water. Everyone was filled with fear and trembled to see this. [79]

aste-vyaste sabe dhari' prabhure uthaila
naukara upare prabhu nachite lagila

Everyone quickly caught the Lord and pulled Him into the boat, where He then began to dance. [80]

On His way, when Mahaprabhu was crossing the Yamuna in a boat, He jumped off into the river.

desa-patra dekhi' mahaprabhu dhairya ha-ila
adailera ghate nauka asi' uttarila

Seeing the circumstances, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu finally became calm so that the boat was able to reach the shore of Adaila and stop there. [83]

bhaye bhatta sange rahe, madhyahna karana
nija-grhe anila prabhure sangete lana

Fearing for the Lord's welfare, Vallabha Bhattacharya stayed in His association. After arranging for His bath, he took the Lord to his own house. [84]

Mahaprabhu stayed at first with Rupa Goswami Prabhu, Sanatan Goswami joined them later (it is described in the next chapter).

syamam eva param rupam puri madhu-puri vara
vayah kaisorakam dhyeyam adya eva paro rasah

'The form of Syamasundara is the supreme form, the city of Mathura is the supreme abode, Lord Krishna's fresh youth should always be meditated upon, and the mellow of conjugal love is the supreme mellow.' [106]

premavese prabhu tanre kaila alingana
prema matta hana tenho karena nartana

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then embraced Raghupati Upadhyaya in ecstatic love. Raghupati Upadhyaya also was overwhelmed by love, and he began to dance. [107]

dekhi' vallabha-bhatta mane chamatkara haila
dui putra ani' prabhura charane padila

Vallabha Bhattacharya was struck with wonder seeing it. He brought forward his two sons and made them fall down at the Lord's lotus feet. [108]

prabhu dekhibare gramera saba-loka aila
prabhu-darasane sabe 'krsna-bhakta' ha-ila

All villagers came to see Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and simply by seeing Him, they all became devotees of Krishna. [109]

ganga-pathe mahaprabhure naukate vasana
prayage aila bhatta gosanire lana

Vallabha Bhattacharya put the Lord on a boat in the Ganges and took Him to Prayag. [113]

loka-bhida-bhaye prabhu 'dasasvamedhe' yana
rupa-gosanire siksa kara'na sakti sanchariya

There were big crowds in Prayag and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to a place called Dasasvamedha ghat. It was there that the Lord instructed and empowered Sri Rupa Goswami. [114]

When He was in Benares, Mahaprabhu went to the Dasasvamedha ghat on the bank of the Ganges, and we too always bathe there. This is where Mahaprabhu taught Rupa Goswami, gave "Rupa-siksa":

sri-rupa-hrdaye prabhu sakti sancharila
sarva-tattva-nirupane 'pravina' karila

By entering the heart of Rupa Goswami, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu empowered him to understand the conclusions of all truths. He made him an expert. [117]

Mahaprabhu gave some power to Rupa Goswami and within ten days he learned everything.

sivananda-senera putra 'kavi-karnapura'
'rupera milana' sva-granthe likhiyachhena prachura

In his book Chaitanya-chandrodaya, Kavi Karnapur, the son of Sivananda Sena, has elaborately described the meeting between Sri Rupa Goswami and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. [118]

Kavi Karnapur was the youngest son of Sivananda Sen. He was a great devotee from seven years old. Their house is not far from Nabadwip, in the Burdwan district of Bengal. Mahaprabhu called this family "Pandav's family" because Sivananda Sen had five sons and the Pandavs were also five brothers.

One time Mahaprabhu, Haridas Thakur, and Ramananda Ray came to Sivananda Sen's house, and Mahaprabhu asked Puri Das (Kavi Karnapur's previous name was Puri Das), "Chant Hare Krishna! Say 'Hare Krishna'!" but the boy did not say anything. Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Ray,

"What is wrong? When I went through the jungle in Jharikhand, all tigers and deer chanted Hare Krishna maha-mantra, but this boy is not chanting. Why?"

"Prabhu, he has become Your disciple—he has already heard the mantra from You—that is why he will not chant it in front of You."

"How do you know he became My disciple?"

"I know it."

"I will test him! Let him recite some sloka from Bhagavatam."

Puri Das started reciting a sloka from Bhagavatam and Ramananda Ray said to Mahaprabhu, "Do You see now, Prabhu? You did not believe me that he became Your disciple... but now You see that he did—he forcefully took initiation from You."

sivananda-senera putra 'kavi-karnapura'
'rupera milana' sva-granthe likhiyachhena prachura

In his book Chaitanya-chandrodaya, Kavi Karnapur, the son of Sivananda Sena, has elaborately described the meeting between Sri Rupa Goswami and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. [118]

That same Kavi Karnapur composed a book where he wrote in detail and properly how Mahaprabhu met with Rupa Goswami...

 

 

 

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Rupa and Sanatan
First Encounter
Running Away
On the way to
Mahaprabhu

Finishing Visaya

Rupa-siksa:
Meeting Mahaprabhu
Empowering Srila Rupa Goswami
Rare, Rarer, the Rarest
The Ultimate Gardening Guide
Pure Devotion

Santan-sikha:
Sambandha:
Supreme Personality of Godhead
The Three Worlds
Brahmas' Realm
Krishna's Beauty
Abhidheya:
Maya's Family
The Cry of a Surrendered Soul
Breaking Free
Delusion of Liberation
Leaving Ulterior Motive
When Krishna Gives Mercy
Awakening Taste for Service
Full Faith
Power Transmission
Surrender in Good Association
Six Limbs of Surrender
Sixty-Four Devotional Practices
Spontaneous Loving Devotion
Prayojan:
The Path to the Supreme Goal
Hero and Heroine
"You Are Mine!"
The All-Attractive Lord

 


 

Heartfelt and Fervent
'Even two trees can get Your lotus feet, can get mercy from You, Prabhu! But I am even lower than that, I have no devotion, but You can rescue me..'

 

Gurudev! krpa-bindu diya
'Gurudev, give this servant a drop of your mercy, and make me more humble than a blade of grass.'
গুরুদেব! কৃপাবিন্দু দিয়া

If one does not faithfully follow Sri Gurudev and his followers, one only commits, in essence, the offence of worshipping one's own self.

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