Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Sochaka

By Sri Radha Vallabha Prabhu

When Raghunath Das heard that Rupa and Sanatan had gone to Vrindavan, he gave up all rights to his estate and the comforts of a life like that of Indra, and went to Mahaprabhu.

He woke up in the middle of the night and in the dead of night left through the back door not to wake the guards up. He left the road and walked without following any road. He felt no hunger, no thirst—he only kept on walking anxiously, always thinking of the lotus feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

One day at noon time he came to a cow shed in some village and sat there, saying again and again, "O Chaitanya!" A cowherd brought him some milk. Raghunath drank it and took some rest. He spent the night there.

He whose body had never rested on anything except a luxury bed, had never lain on the ground, is now lying splayed out in a cowshed. The feet of he who has never known the touch of the ground and always ridden a horse, are full of thorns now after the long walk.

He who was used to bathing in specially kept for him water for four dandas (one danda is twenty-four minutes), who enjoyed preparations of six different tastes (sweet, astringent, sour, salty, pungent, and bitter), now ate something at noon if he got anything, and if not, went to sleep without any food.

He had walked like this for twelve days, and during this time he ate only three times at noon time, when he finally entered the City of Nilachal (Puri). Seeing the Jagannath temple, tears rolled from his eyes and he cried, "O Chaitanya!"

This Radha Vallabha Das only hankers in his heart to know, "Where is my Radhunath Das?" Just by mentioning him, his body is thrilled with rapture; the dust of the lotus feet of this Raghunath Das is all he prays for.

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Sung at Sri Panihati Festival and on appearance and disappearance days of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu.

• Sung by Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
Download (2 Mb, year 1988)

• Bengali

Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali (English)
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