SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA

(36) Srila Raghunath Das Goswami’s Arrival and Life in Sri Puri Dham

One time, when everybody was travelling from Nabadwip to Sri Puri Dham, Sivananda Sen was a little late, and Nityananda Prabhu became angry – He said, ‘May his two sons die!’ When Sivananda Sen arrived, his wife cried, ‘The sadhu has cursed our two sons to die!’ But, hearing this, Sivananda Sen began to dance! He said, ‘You do not understand it. It is a blessing – it is not a curse at all! When your sons die, they will attain supreme benefit.’ We cannot understand how great Vaishnavs bestow their mercy.

You must have certainly heard about Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. When he heard the news that Mahaprabhu had taken sannyas and come from Katwa to Shantipur, he hurried to meet with Him there. He had been trying to come to Mahaprabhu from a very young age; not only one, two or ten times – again and again, he kept coming to Mahaprabhu, but each time Mahaprabhu sent him back, saying, ‘Do not show monkey renunciation! Go back home, do not be crazy.’

markata-vairagya na kara loka dekhana
yatha-yogya visaya bhunja’ anasakta hana

‘Do not show your false renunciation to impress people. Use whatever material things you require, but without attachment.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.16.238)

‘It is not necessary to show, like a monkey, renunciation just to impress others! Go back to your home!’ Frustrated, one time Srila Raghunath Das Goswami asked Mahaprabhu, ‘Prabhu, how will I then come to Your holy feet? My father has kept eleven bodyguards at home – how will I run away from them?’ Mahaprabhu instructed him,

se chhala se-kale krsna sphurabe tomare
krsna-krpa yanre, tanre ke rakhite pare

‘When time comes, Krishna will reveal to you the clever way how you can come to Him. Who can stop you if you have received Krishna’s mercy?’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.16.241)

Frustrated, he went back home. But then one day he heard that Sri Nityananda Prabhu had come together with all the devotees to Panihati. As soon as he heard it, he took his father’s permission and came there.

At Panihati, Sri Nityananda Prabhu was sitting and resting together with the devotees beneath a tree when the devotees suddenly saw Raghunath Das Goswami approaching from far (everybody knew his father because he was a famous landowner, so they could easily recognise Raghunath Das Goswami as well). They told Nityananda Prabhu, ‘Prabhu, look, Raghunath has come!’

When Raghunath Das Goswami got off his horse and, coming near, offered his obeisances, Sri Nityananda Prabhu looked at him and said, ‘Come here, thief! Come! I am going to punish you today!’

Why did He call him a ‘thief’? Raghunath Das Goswami did not do anything, then how was he a thief? ‘Thief’ means that he had tried to come to Mahaprabhu bypassing Nityananda Prabhu – how is possible to come to Gauranga bypassing the guru? Nityananda Prabhu is guru-tattva.

‘What will be my punishment, Prabhu?’ Raghunath Das Goswami asked.

‘You see all the devotees who have come here? You must feed them rice and yoghurt.’

‘Oh, this is not punishment – it is a blessing! No problem, Prabhu. I will arrange everything.’

Rejoicing, he took out whatever money he had in his pocket and went to the shop. He bought everything he saw there. So many people came that day – many even took prasad standing up to their necks in the Ganges!

After everybody took prasad, Nityananda Prabhu was very pleased. When Srila Raghunath Das Goswami came and offered his obeisance to the Lord, praying, ‘Prabhu, please save me!’ then Nityananda Prabhu put His feet on his head and said, ‘Go. Now you can go. Now you are free from your material bondage! You have done this vaishnav-seva, and all your bondage is now gone. Go to the Lord now.’

Raghunath Das Goswami ran away from home, leaving everything behind.

Just look at the play of Maya! His father kept guards to watch him day and night, but then one day a family priest came and said, ‘Raghunath, please come with me, I need your help.’ His father knew the priest well, so he did not even think anything – he let him go with him. But having done with the priest wanted him to do, Raghunath Das Goswami said, ‘Prabhu, go home now, I am coming a little later.’

But actually he fled. He started walking to Puri and made a two-month journey in just twelve days. On his way, he ate only three times (a few times, he also took some milk at milkmen’s houses). This is how, immersed in the thoughts of Mahaprabhu, he came to Sri Puri Dham.

This time Mahaprabhu accepted him. By whose mercy did it happen? By Sriman Nityananda Prabhu’s mercy. That is why we give more attention to the guru than even to the Lord – we take shelter in our guru. We must always think about our guru, ‘What makes my guru happy?’

tirtha-yatra-parisrama, kevala manera bhrama,
sarva-siddhi govinda-charana

‘The trouble of travelling to holy places is simply a delusion because all possible perfection is at Lord Govinda’s feet.’

One day, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami asked Sri Svarup Damodar (he did not usually say anything to Mahaprabhu directly; instead, he would always speak to the Lord through His servitors), ‘I left everything and surrendered at the holy feet of the Lord – what is my duty now?’ Svarup Damodar came to Mahaprabhu and relayed Srila Raghunath Das Goswami’s question. In reply, Mahaprabhu gave the following advice:

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la’be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

‘Do not listen to village talks, do not speak about village news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour from others, give all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krishna and serve Radha-Krishna in your mind.’

trnad api sunichena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

‘Those who are humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, who give honour to others without desiring any honour for themselves can always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.236–237, 239)

After that, Mahaprabhu handed Srila Raghunath Das Goswami over to the hands of His intimate servitor Svarup Damodar, and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami stayed in Sri Puri Dham and served Mahaprabhu in a very intimate way during sixteen years.

Srila Raghunath Das Goswami was a son of a very big and rich landowner. When his father understood that his son would not come back, he started sending him four hundred rupees each month, which was a lot of money at the time. At first, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami took that money and arranged vaishnav-seva festivals two–three times a month, inviting and feeding all the Vaishnavs.

About two years passed in this way. Gradually, he came to realise that Mahaprabhu saw what he was doing and did not like it because those festivals brought him name and fame. Everybody talked, ‘Have you heard? Raghunath has become such a great Vaishnav! Everybody comes to his festivals, and everybody treats him with much respect and affection!’ When Srila Raghunath Das Goswami realised this, he sent back his father’s money and wrote him a letter saying, ‘No need to send any money, I will not accept anything again.’ After that, he stopped hosting all those festivals.

One day, Mahaprabhu asked Svarup Damodar, ‘Svarup, what has happened? I hear Raghunath has stopped his vaishnav-seva? How come? Why is he not inviting anybody anymore?’ Svarup Damodar explained to Mahaprabhu that because Srila Raghunath Das Goswami felt that he only got name and fame through those festivals, he had stopped arranging them. Mahaprabhu was very pleased to hear it, but He did not say anything to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami.

In the meantime, how did Srila Raghunath Das Goswami start living? At first, Svarup Damodar would give him some prasad that was left over after Mahaprabhu ate, or when somebody arranged a vaishnav-seva, he would come there and take some prasad. But one day, he realised, ‘It is not right. Better I go and stand in front of Lord Jagannath’s temple and beg. In the evening, they come out with some prasad, so seeing me, surely somebody should take pity on me and give me some prasad.’ He did that, but after a few days, he thought again, ‘I am standing here, at the Simha-dvara gate, like a prostitute! Whenever somebody comes out, I look at them with some expectation, just like a prostitute. I wait for somebody to give me prasad, and if somebody comes out and does not give me anything, I get annoyed. It is not right! Vaishnavs never expect anything from anybody.’ He stopped doing it and did not beg again.

Then, he showed utmost renunciation. Near Lord Jagannath’s temple there is a place where all shops threw away prasad that they had not been able to sell for a few days, and it would lie there rotting – even cows did not come to eat it. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami would come there in the evening, find some rice and, washing it with water, take it with some salt.

One time, seeing what Srila Raghunath Das Goswami was eating, Svarup Damodar laughed, ‘What are you eating? Why are you not sharing?’ Then, he forcefully took a little and tasted it. He was surprised, ‘Oh, you are eating this nectar every day, but you are not sharing with me! What kind of man are you?’

Then, when Mahaprabhu heard from Svarup Damodar what Srila Raghunath Das Goswami ate, He also came to him the next day and said, ‘Hey, how come you are eating everything yourself and not sharing with Me?’ Then, He, too, tasted a handful of that rice, and when He was about to take another handful, Svarup Damodar stopped Him, ‘Stop it, Prabhu, this food is not fit for You.’ Mahaprabhu was surprised though, ‘I take prasad every day, but I have never tasted anything like this!’

Before that, when Mahaprabhu heard that Srila Raghunath Das Goswami had stopped begging (and why he had stopped begging), He was extremely pleased and gave him His dearest Govardhan-sila and gunja-mala. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami worshipped this sila and gunja-mala every day with utmost sincerity and love.

His extreme renunciation, behaviour, strict spiritual life and sincerity are unparalleled. He engaged himself in chanting the Holy Name during twenty-two and a half hours and when he had some spare time, he would spend half an hour on bathing, resting and taking prasad. This is how he served in Sri Puri Dham during ten years. When Mahaprabhu disappeared, he became so distressed that he decided to go to Vrindavan to take his life, but when he came there he got the association of Sri Rupa Goswami and Sri Sanatan Goswami and got a new life…

Jay Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu ki jay.

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