Rupa Goswami ( sa, रूप गोस्वामी, bn, রূপ গোস্বামী, ; 1489–1564) was a devotional teacher (

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

), poet, and philosopher of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. With his brother

Sanatana Goswami Sanatana Goswami ( sa, सनातन गोस्वामी, ; bn, সনাতন গোস্বামী; 1488–1558) was a principal follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana wrote a number of important works in the bhakti tradition ...

, he is considered the most senior of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan associated with

Caitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...

, a hidden avatar (incarnation) of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

in Kali Yuga.

Biography

Genealogy

His family lineage can be traced to

Indian State India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

and Naihati in the district of North 24 Parganas in present-day

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The former generations according to ''Bhakti-ratnakara'': Sarvajna Jagatguru was a famous brahmana, great scholar in all

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

, respected Yajur-vedi of the Baradvaja caste, and king of

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

, adored by all other contemporary kings. Sarvajna's son, Aniruddha, was spirited, famous, a proficient scholar of the Vedas, and a favorite of the reigning kings at the time. Aniruddha's sons, Rupesvara (eldest) and Harihara, were well respected due to their virtuous qualities. Rupesvara was famed as a scholar of the scriptures, while Harihara became a master in the art and science of weapons. Both brothers inherited the administration of the state after their father died, but Harihara soon snatched all the power, causing Rupesvara and his wife to travel to Paulastha-desa, where Sikharesvara befriended him and convinced him to settle there. Rupesvara's son, Padmanabha, was a genius and easily learned the four Vedas making him famous. He had impeccable character and was genuinely absorbed in love of

Lord Jagannatha Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

. He left Sikharabhumi and settled on the bank of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

in the village Navahatta (present-day Naihati,

Mitra, Satishchandra (1914), ''Jashohar- Khulnar Itihas Vol.1'', p 351), where he had eighteen daughters and five sons. His five sons were Purusottama (eldest), Jagannatha, Narayana, Murari, and Mukunda (youngest), where Purusottama and Mukunda were the best in experience and character. Mukunda's son, Kumara, was a great brahmana and highly virtuous. He privately engaged in oblations and purificatory penances. Becoming very disturbed by family difficulties, he left the village Navahatta with his followers and settled in the village Bakla Chandradvipa in

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

). He built a house in the village Fateyabad in

Jessore Jessore ( bn, যশোর, jôshor, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District situated in Khulna Division. It is situated in the south-western part of Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre (headquarter) of the eponymous district ...

for the convenience of communications with devotees and traveling

Vaishnavas Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

. Among Kumara's many sons, Sanatana (eldest), Rupa (middle), and Vallabha (youngest) were the life of the Vaishnava community and great devotees, all three becoming well known for their academic genius and devotion, and eventually settling in the village Ramakeli in Gauda (present-day Maldah,

Ray, Shankarnath (1958), ''Bharater Sadhak Vol. 11'', p 72). The brothers were greatly inspired by

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krish ...

, who lived in

Nadia Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: ...

(a district of present-day

) at the time. Sanatana and Rupa eventually resigned from their ministerial (royal) posts and retired to help Chaitanya in his mission, eventually relocating to Vrindavana. Vallabha, who was always happy in service, was initiated by Chaitanya and given the name Anupama, and was known for his stoicism and neutrality in his detachment from worldly affairs. Alternatively, it is said that his ancestors migrated from

to Gauda and lived in the village Ramkeli, near Gauda for generations.

Birth

He was born in around 1489 CE. There seems to be some controversy amongst biographers about Rupa Goswami's birthplace. Some opine that he was born in Naihati,

while others believe that he was born in Bakla Chandradvipa or in Fateyabad Pargana,

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

(now Bangladesh).Bidyabhushan,Rasik Mohan, (1927), ''Shrimath Rup-Sanatan Vol. 1'', p 9 Some biographers believe that he was born in Ramakeli in the district of Maldah,

Early life

According to ''Bhakti-ratnakara'', Mukund's son, Kumaradeva, moved to Jessore from his birthplace Naihati. His sons were Santosha Bhatta (Rupa), Amara Bhatta ( Sanatana) and Vallabha (Anupama). They were Telugu speaking Brahmins from Telang Desh from the Bhatt clan. On the demise of Kumaradeva, the three sons moved to Sakurma, near to the capital of Gaudadesa (present-day Maldah,

) where they continued their studies. They lived for the rest of their lives with their new monastic names and forsake their birth names. The three brothers studied the Nyaya-sastras (treatise on justice) from the famous logician Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and his brother Madhusudana Vidyavacaspati. They also studied

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. Due to their noble characters and academic proficiency, Rupa and his elder brother Sanatana were later forced into government service by the sultan of Bengal,

Alauddin Husain Shah Ala-ud-din Husain Shah ( bn, আলাউদ্দিন হোসেন শাহ (1494–1519)Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.215-20 was an independent late medieval Sultan of Bengal, who ...

(1493–1519 CE) which led to their excommunication from

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

society by the orthodox caste brahmanas of Gauda. Rupa became the Sultan's chief secretary (Dabir Khas), while Sanatana became the state revenue minister (Sakara Mallik).The Biographies of Sankaradeva of Assam too mention Rupa Goswami ; According to Sankar Charita (written by Ramacharan Thakur),Rupa gosvami and his wife met Sankardeva and accompanied him to Sitakunda.

First meeting with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Rupa and his brothers were residents of Ramakeli ( in present-day Maldah,

) and it was here, in 1514 CE, that they first met

. The meeting changed their lives. After meeting them, Chaitanya gave them the names Rupa, Sanatana and Anupama. Sanatana advised Mahaprabhu,

Second meeting with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

After visiting Vrindavana, Chaitanya stopped at the holy city of

Prayaga Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the admini ...

(modern day Prayagaraj in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

). It was here that Rupa and Anupama met him for the second time. At the Dasasvamedha Ghat (a famous bathing area on the banks of the River Ganges), Chaitanya imparted instructions to Rupa Goswami and explained all the intricacies of the doctrine of

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meani ...

. Rupa Goswami was specifically commanded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to carry out two tasks: to re-locate and preserve the lost holy places of Vrindavana, and to write and preach Gaudiya Vaisnava theology. He then sent Rupa Goswami to Vrindavana to carry out these orders.

Namo Mahavadanyaya Verse

During the time of the annual

Rath Yatra Ratha Yatra (), or Chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. The term particularly refers to the annual Ratha Yatra in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other East Indian states, particularly the Odia festival that involve a ...

festival, Rupa Goswami composed one

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

verse that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu requested him to read to his most intimate associates. Upon hearing this verse, all the assembled Vaishnavas praised Rupa Goswami for his outstanding composition that was filled with deep

devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

for the Naths. Due to this, it was proclaimed that Rupa Goswami was the very embodiment of Chaitanya' Mahaprabhu's esoteric teachings of rasa (divine mellows). Because of this, Rupa Goswami is considered by the gaudiya vaisnavas to be the foremost follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and those that strictly follow in his preceptoral line are known as Rupanugas (followers of Rupa).

Vrindavana

Rupa and Sanatana remained in Vrindavana for the remainder of their lives. Their mood of renunciation and devotion was exemplary. Rupa uncovered various holy places associated with the pastimes of

and rediscovered the famous deity of Govindadeva, which was originally installed and worshipped by Krishna's great-grandson, Maharaja Vajranabha. Rupa and Sanatana were intimately connected with other Vaishnava saints in Vrindavana such as Lokanatha Goswami, Bhugarbha Goswami,

Gopala Bhatta Goswami Gopala Bhatta Goswami (1503–1578) is one of the foremost disciples of the Vaishnava saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and a leading historical figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Hinduism. He was part of a group of Vaishnava devotees known ...

, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. Shortly after, they were also joined by their nephew Jiva Goswami who was given initiation by Rupa and personally trained by him in the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Rupa Goswami departed from this world in 1564 CE and his samadhi (tomb) is located in the courtyard of th
Radha-Damodara
temple in Vrindavana. In Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, Rupa Goswami is considered to be the incarnation of Rupa Manjuri, the foremost junior cowherd damsel who eternally serves Radha-Krishna under the guidance of Lalita.

Works

* ''Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu'' (''The Ocean of Nectar of Divine Love''): ''Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu'' can be considered to be one of the most important books in Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It elaborately describes gradations of bhakti from its lowest stage of sraddha (

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

) up to its highest stage of maha-bhava (ultimate ecstasy in love of Godhead). * ''Ujjvala-nilamani'' (''The Sapphire of Divine Love''): This work exclusively explains the conception of madhurya-rasa (divine conjugal love). ''Ujjvala-nilamani'' is considered to be a sequel to the ''Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu''. * ''Laghu-bhagavatamrta'' (''A Summary of Nectar about Godhead''): It is a summary of Sanatana Goswami's book ''Brhat-bhagavatamrta''. It begins by explaining the intrinsic nature of Krishna and his

incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...

s and subsequently deals with devotees of Krishna. * ''Vidagdhamadhava'' (1524) & ''Lalitamadhava'' (1529): Rupa originally began to write these two dramas as one in 1516 but he completed them as two separate plays in

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...

1581 (1524) and

Saka era The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. Hist ...

1451 (1529) respectively.Sen, Sukumar (1991, reprint 2007). ''Bangala Sahityer Itihas'', Vol.I, , Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, , p.239 It is said that Rupa had a vision of Satyabhama, one of Krishna's queens in Dvaraka, who told him to divide the book into two separate dramas. Thus, ''Lalitamadhava'' deals with Krishna's pastimes in Dvaraka, and ''Vidagdhamadhava'' narrates Krishna's pastimes in Vrindavana. * ''Stavamala'' (''The Flower Garland of Prayers''): This is a compilation of short works, some of which are often published as separate books. * ''Danakelikaumudi'' (''The Lotus-like Tax-collecting Pastimes'') (1549): This ''Bhāṇikā'' (one-act play) was written in

1471 (1549) and narrates the ''danakeli'' (tax-collecting pastime) between Krishna and the Gopis of Vrindavana. * ''Sri Radha-krsna-ganoddesa-dipika'' (''A Lamp to See the Associates of Radha-Krsna'') (1550): In this book, Rupa Goswami lists the associates of Radha and Krishna and describes their characteristics. * ''Mathura-mahatmya'' (''The Glories of Mathura''): This book tells the glories of Mathura, in the form of a conversation between

Varaha Varaha ( sa, वराह, , "boar") is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu. Varaha is most commonly associated with the leg ...

(the boar incarnation of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

) and the Earth Goddess. Rupa Goswami explains various processes of devotional service by quoting statements from various

scriptures and establishes that Mathura vanquishes all one's sinful reactions and awards piety and liberation. * ''Uddhava-sandesa'' (''News of Uddhava''): In this work, Rupa Goswami narrates the story from the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

of Krishna requesting his friend

Uddhava Uddhava () is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, described to be the friend and counsellor of Krishna. He plays a significant role in the Bhagavata Purana, being taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna. The principl ...

to go to Vrindavana and pacify his friends and relations by reminding them of their pastimes with him. * '' Hamsa-dutam'' (''The Swan Messenger''): This text tells the story how Lalita, the confident of Radha, sends a messenger in the form of a swan to Krishna in

Dwaraka Dvaraka, Dwaraka, Dwarka may refer to: Places India * Dvārakā, ancient city in Gujarat, the capital of the Yadus in the Mahabharata :* Dvārakā–Kamboja route, an ancient trade-route and a branch of the Silk Road * Dwarka, Gujarat, also k ...

. * ''Sri Krsna-janma-tithi-vidhi'': This short work is a paddhati (manual on ritual worship) explaining the process of worshiping the deity of Krishna during the festival of Janmastami, the birthday of Krishna celebrated by

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

s in August/September. * ''Nataka-candrika'' (''The Illuminating Moon of Dramatics'') This book explains the rules of Gaudiya Vaisnava dramaturgy. * '' Upadesamrta'' (''The Nectar of Instruction''): This short work contains eleven verses of instructions to aspirants on the path of devotion to Krishna. The ''Upadesamrta'' was originally a part of the ''Stavamala''.

References

Bibliography

* Tirtha, Swami B.B., Sri Caitanya and His Associates, 2002
Mandala Publishing
San Francisco. * Mahayogi, Swami B.V., Lives of the Saints, translated from Gaura Parsada Caritavali, unpublished work. * Gaudiya Vaisnava Abhidhana (Bengali), Compiled by Haridasa Dasa, Haribol Kutir, Navadvipa, W. Bengal, 1957. * Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, A.C., The Nectar of Devotion, 1970, Los Angeles: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. (A summary study of '' Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.'') * Swami, Dhanurdhara
Waves of Devotion
2000, Bhagavat Books . (A study guide to ''The Nectar of Devotion.'')

External links

Rupa Goswami - Gaudiya History

Upadesamrta (The Nectar of Instruction)
– English translation by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
– A summary study of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Website On Krishna
(krishna.com)
Online study of Rupa Goswami's Nectar of Devotion
(bhakti-sastri.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Goswami, Rupa 1489 births 1564 deaths Bengali Hindus 16th-century Bengalis Gaudiya religious leaders 16th-century Indian philosophers Devotees of Krishna Bengali philosophers 16th-century Indian poets People from Jessore District Bengali Hindu saints Bengal Sultanate officers Poets from West Bengal