Empowering Srila Rupa Goswami

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:]

Kavi Karnapur wrote in his book that all places of Radha-Krishna's Pastimes had been lost and Mahaprabhu sent Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami to discover these places:

Krishna left everything, left all gopis, and went to Dvaraka, and even there He was not attached to the family life. So, when Mahaprabhu saw Rupa Goswami and Anupam Goswami, He gave them some service—He sent them to discover all those lost places. Actually, Mahaprabhu gave some mercy to Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami and through them He discovered all the lost places Himself.

priya-svarupe dayita-svarupe
prema-svarupe sahajabhirupe
nijanurupe prabhur eka-rupe
tatana rupe sva-vilasa-rupe

"Whatever Mahaprabhu had, whatever ecstasy He had (nijer priya svarupa, nijer prema svarupa, dayita svarupa) He gave everything to Rupa Goswami—Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord Himself, manifested everything through Rupa Goswami." [121]

"There were so many great devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and they all gave mercy to Rupa and Sanatan."

Whenever somebody went to Vrindavan, devotees would then ask them, "Did you see Sanatan Goswami? Did you see Rupa Goswami? How are they? What are they doing? What kind of prasadam are they taking? How are they doing their bhajan? Did you meet them?" Mahaprabhu and the devotees would ask them about everything.

Devotees would praise and glorify Rupa and Sanatan to Mahaprabhu so much—they would tell how renounced Rupa and Sanatan are, how much austerity they undergo, and how much they sacrifice for the service to the Lord. Rupa and Sanatan always, twenty-four hours a day (asta-prahar), did service.

There are so many trees in Vrindavan and Rupa and Sanatan stayed one night under one tree, another night under another tree. This is how they lived and spent their life—they did not think about A/C...

Sometimes they would take prasadam at some house, sometimes they went collecting, begging for some rice and dahl, and sometimes they would take dry chapati and chana (chickpea). This is what they ate.

They carried a kamandal (a waterpot), wore a torn quilt (kantha) and torn clothes (bahirvas), and always spoke Krishna-katha, always chanted Krishna Nam. They were always very happy; they spent all their time doing Krishna bhajan only. In their life, they slept only for one and a half hours (chadi danda). Nama-sankirtane seha nahe kona dine: a day did not pass in their life without chanting the Holy Name.

They also composed books, the sastra (scriptures), composed slokas. They did not listen to any gossiping, only always listened to Chaitanya-katha; and they always thought about Chaitanya.

ei-katha suni' mahantera maha-sukha haya
chaitanyera krpa yanhe, tanhe ki vismaya? [132]

Devotees would tell all this about Rupa and Sanatan to Mahaprabhu, and Mahaprabhu was very happy to hear it. How is it possible for a human body to live like this? It is actually not surprising. Chaitanyera krpa yanhe: it is possible because they have got mercy from Chaitanya; without mercy from Chaitanya it is impossible to be like this.

Rupa Goswami composed Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. This book is impossible for a human body, a conditioned jiva soul to compose. How did it become possible for Rupa Goswami to write it? Because he got mercy from Chaitanya!

Rupa Goswami told,

"I am a kandal (কাঙ্গাল), a pauper and a beggar." What did he beg for? He did not beg for money! He said, "I am a beggar for mercy. I am a beggar for mercy of Krishna: আমি কৃষ্ণ-প্রেমের ভিখারি, কৃষ্ণ-প্রেমের কাঙ্গালী, ami Krsna-premer bhikhari, Krsna-premer kangali—I am worshipping His lotus feet and begging for His feet dust. I am a kandal, a pauper, yet I am trying to compose this book—it is impossible to do it without mercy of Mahaprabhu, that is why I am always praying to His lotus feet and begging for the feet dust of His lotus feet." Rupa Goswami wrote this sloka...

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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