Rupa Goswami Rupa Goswami (, , ; 1489–1564) was a devotional teacher (

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

), poet, and philosopher of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. With his brother Sanatana Goswami, he is considered the most senior of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan associated with

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

, a avatar (incarnation) of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

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, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

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

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The former generations according to ''Bhakti-ratnakara'': Sarvajna Jagatguru was a famous

brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedas, Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rigveda, Rig, Samaveda, Sama, Yajurveda, Yajur, and Athar ...

, scholar in all

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

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

in South India, adored by all other contemporary kings. Sarvajna's son, Aniruddha, was spirited, proficient scholar of the Vedas and a favorite of the reigning kings at the time. Aniruddha's sons, Rupesvara (eldest) and Harihara, were respected due to their virtuous qualities. Rupesvara was known 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 learned the four Vedas making him famous. He had impeccable character and was absorbed in love of Lord Jagannatha. 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 which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

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 brahmana and virtuous. He privately engaged in oblations and purificatory penances. Becoming disturbed by family difficulties, he left the village Navahatta with his followers and settled in the village Bakla Chandradvipa in

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

). He built a house in the village Fateyabad in

Jessore Jessore (, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District in Khulna Division. It lies in southwestern Bangladesh. It is home to the first flight training school of the Bangladeshi Air Force, established in 1971. Jessore city consists of 9 wa ...

for the convenience of communications with devotees and traveling Vaishnavas. 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 known for their academic abilities 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

, who lived in Nadia (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

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

a. Vallabha, who was 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,

(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 (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and Persian. Due to their noble character and academic proficiency, Rupa and his elder brother Sanatana were later forced into government service by the sultan of Bengal, Alauddin Husain Shah(1493–1519 CE) which led to their excommunication from

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

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 (modern day Prayagaraj in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

). 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 Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...

. Rupa Goswami was 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 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 ...

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 composition that was filled with devotion for the Naths. Due to this, it was proclaimed that Rupa Goswami was the 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 lived in Vrindavana for rest of their lives. Their mood of renunciation and devotion was notable. Rupa uncovered various holy places associated with the pastimes of

and rediscovered the deity of Govindadeva, which was originally installed and worshipped by Krishna's great-grandson, Maharaja Vajranabha. Rupa and Sanatana were connected with other Vaishnava saints in Vrindavana such as Lokanatha Goswami, Bhugarbha Goswami, Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. Shortly after, they were also joined by their nephew

Jiva Goswami Jiva Goswami (; ) was an Indian philosopher and saint from the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Vedanta tradition, producing a great number of philosophical works on the theology and practice of Bhakti yoga, Vaishnava Vedanta and associated discip ...

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 Manjari, 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 is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

) 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 is the Conception (biology), conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used t ...

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 1581 (1524) and Saka era 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 Saka era 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 (, , "boar") is the avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a wild boar, boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu. In legend, when the demon Hiranyaksha steals ...

(the boar incarnation of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

) 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'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...

of Krishna requesting his friend Uddhava 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. * ''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 Vaishnavas 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 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu