Śrīla Gopāla-Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī
By Ācārya-keśarī Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa is one of the Six Gosvāmīs, who were associates of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The author of Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara has written the following in regard to him:
śrīmad gaura-padāravinda-mudhupa śrī-bhaṭṭa-gopāla he
māyāvāda-tamaḥ-prabhākara-kṛpā-sindho dvijendra-prabho |
śrīmad vyeṅkaṭa-bhaṭṭa-nandana mahā-sad-bhakti-bhūṣāḍhya he
saṁsāra-bhaya-mardana-praṇata-hṛn-moda-prada trāhi mām ||
Śrī Gopāla-Bhaṭṭa Prabho! O you who are a honeybee at the lotus feet of Śrīmad Gaura! You are the sun destroying the darkness of māyāvāda. You are an ocean of mercy and best of brāhmaṇas. You are the son of Śrīmad Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa and adorned with exalted prema-bhakti. You destroy the disease of material existence and grant bliss to the hearts of the surrendered. Kindly deliver me.
On the pretext of pilgrimage, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya-candra went to South India and spent Cāturmāsya in the home of Śrī Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa. At that time, Śrī Gopāla was only a boy. Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, a ‘Śrī’-sampradāyī Vaiṣṇava, invited Śrīman Mahāprabhu to his home. When Śrī Caitanya-deva made His śubha-vijaya (auspicious arrival) at Vyeṅkaṭa’s home, Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa washed Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s śrī-pāda-padma (lotus feet) and drank of that śrī caraṇāmṛta along with his whole family.
The moment the boy Gopāla drank that śrī-caraṇa vāri (“foot water”), he became intoxicated with prema. He could not be calmed despite many efforts. That incident has been described as follows in the first Taraṅga of Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara:
anyatra vyakta gopāla vyeṅkaṭa-tanaya |
prabhu pādodaka pāne hailo premodaya ||
[Elsewhere manifest, Gopāla, the son of Vyeṅkaṭa
Experienced the awakening of prema from drinking the Lord’s foot water]
karaye jatana kato sthira haite nāre |
vipula pulaka aṅge jhalamala kare ||
[Despite many efforts, he could not be pacified
Thorough horripilation shone all over his limbs]
kibā gopālera śobhā sarvāṅga sundara |
jiniyā campaka cāru varṇa manohara ||
[What splendor Gopāla had! Beautiful in every respect
His complexion was enchanting, like that of a champak flower]
kibā mukha-padma dīrgha nayana-yugala |
kibā bhuru bhāla nāsā tilaka ujjvala ||
[What a beautiful lotus face, with two elongated eyes
What a brow, forehead, and nose, shining with tilaka]
nija-gṛhe śrī-gopāla prāṇanāthe pāĩyā |
pitāra ājñāya seve mahā-hṛṣṭa haiyā ||
[Finding the Lord of his life in his home, Śrī Gopāla
Served Him on his father’s order with great pleasure]
Śrī Gopāla derived great pleasure from serving Prabhu, but he felt great pain in his heart upon seeing Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s sannyāsa form, so in his mind, he would address the Creator:
vidhātāra prati kahe gadagada bhāṣe |
ore vidhi kene janmāili dūra-deśe ||
[Addressing the Creator, he would say, in a choked voice:
O Vidhi! Why did you give me birth in such a distant land]
nadiyā-vihāra-sukhe kariyā vañcita |
dekhāili prabhura e-veśa viparīta ||
[You cheated me of the playful pastimes in Nadiyā
And have shown me this opposite attire of the Lord]
vrajendra-nandana prāṇanātha rādhikāra |
karāili tā̃hāre sannyāsa-aṅgīkāra ||
[The son of the king of Vraja, the Lord of Rādhikā’s life
You made Him take sannyāsa]
eto kahi bhāse dui netrera dhārāya |
tyajaye niḥśvāsa dīrgha agniśikhā prāya ||
[Saying this, he would become drenched in two streams from his eyes
And heave long sighs that were almost like flames]
punaḥ kahe vidhire, karibo kibā roṣa |
jāninu kevala e āpana karma-doṣa ||
[Again he would say to the Creator, why should I be angry?
I know this is only the fault of my own karma]
(Bhakti-ratnākara, 1st Taraṅga)
Deprived of beholding Rasika-śekhara Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra’s pastimes in Navadvīpa in the form of Śacīnandana and, on top of that, seeing Him in sannyāsa garb, Gopāla’s heart was not happy. Knowing this, the omniscient Śrī Gaurasundara showed him some special mercy. In sleep, He drew Gopāla to Navadvīpa-dhāma in his dreams and showed him that place. As he beheld the Lord’s wondrous pastimes in Navadvīpa and obtained the merciful embraces of the two Prabhus, Śrī Śrīman Nityānanda and Śrīmad Advaita, his sleep broke. Distressed at waking so suddenly, he approached the feet of Śrī Caitanya-candra to have His direct darśana. Noting Gopāla’s eagerness, He manifested His form as a cowherd boy, as Śyāmasundara, which was hidden within Him.
bhuvana mohaye se nā rūpera chaṭāya |
cā̃cara keśera jhũṭā piṭhete loṭāya ||
[The splendor of that form charms the world
Curly locks of hair falling down His shoulders]
candana tilaka bhāle bhuru kāma-phaṇi |
satī-mana hare dīrgha nayana-cāhani ||
[Tilaka of sandalwood on His forehead, eyebrows like snakes of lust
He steals the minds of chaste women with glances from His elongated eyes]
kato śata śarat cāndera mada nāśe |
ki nava bhaṅgīte hāsi amiyā variṣe ||
[He destroys the pride of how many hundreds of autumn moons
With what fresh style He laughs, showering nectar]
paridheya trikaccha vasana anupama |
bhūṣaṇe bhūṣita aṅga-bhaṅgī manorama ||
[He wears a matchless garment in threefold style*
The posture of His limbs adorned with ornaments is enchanting]
mālatīra mālā gale dole anibāra |
dekhi gopālera mane hailo camatkāra ||
[A garland of jasmine swings incessantly upon His neck
Seeing all this, Gopāla’s mind was struck with wonder]
(Bhakti-ratnākara, 1st Taraṅga)
Having darśana of such a form, Gopāla fell to the ground at Mahāprabhu’s holy feet, offering daṇḍavat-praṇāma. When he got up, he once again saw the Lord in His sannyāsī garb, His complexion changed back to golden. At that time, the Lord conveyed the following to Gopāla: “You will very soon go to Vṛndāvana and gain the very rare company of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana, and together, you will all establish the innermost desires of My heart.”
Seeing Śrī Gopāla’s gaura-sevā (service to Śrī Gaurahari), his father was specially delighted and offered his son at Śrī Caitanya’s feet. The whole family spent those four months in supreme bliss, serving the Lord’s feet. At the end of Cāturmāsya, when bidding farewell to Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa and his whole family experienced great sadness:
trimalla, vyeṅkaṭa, śrī prabodhānanda tine |
vicāraye prabhu binā rahibo kemone ||
[Trimalla, Vyeṅkaṭa and Śrī Prabodhānanda—all three
Thought: “How will we live without the Lord?”]
mo sabāra saṅge parihāsa ke karibe |
kāverī-snānete saṅge kebā laiyā jābe ||
[“Who will laugh and joke with all of us?
“Whom will we take with us to go for bath in the Kāverī?”]
raṅganāthe kebā vā karibe saṅkīrtana |
ke dibe adhame se durlabha bhakti-dhana ||
[“Who will perform saṅkīrtana in Raṅganātha temple?
“Who will give that rare treasure of bhakti to the fallen?”]
āsibe asaṅkhya loka kāhāra darśane |
e-saba bhavana śūnya habe prabhu bine ||
[“To see whom will countless persons flock?
“This whole home will seem empty without the Lord.”]
(Bhakti-ratnākara, 1st Taraṅga)
Trimalla, Vyeṅkaṭa and Śrī Prabodhānanda—these three brothers spent the remainder of their time together in separation from Śrī Caitanya-candra.
While living in Śrī Raṅga-kṣetra in the Bhaṭṭa household, Śrīmad Gaurasundara had explained the tattva of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Nārāyaṇa by way of joking:
prabhu kahe —bhaṭṭa, tomār lakṣmī ṭhākurāṇī |
kānta-vakṣaḥ-sthitā, pativratā-śiromaṇi ||
[The Lord said, “Bhaṭṭa, your mistress Lakṣmī
Is situated upon the chest of her beloved and is the crest jewel of chaste ladies.”]
āmāra ṭhākura kṛṣṇa—gopa, go-cāraka |
sādhvī haiyā kene cāhe tā̃hāra saṅgama ||
[“My master Kṛṣṇa is a cowherd boy, He grazes cows.
“Why does such a chaste lady wish for His company?”]
ei lāgi’ sukha-bhoga chāḓi’ cira-kāla |
vrata-niyama kari’ tapa karilo apāra ||
[“To this end, she has given up all pleasures for all eternity
“Taking strict vows, she has performed endless austerities.”]
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya, 9.111–113)
Lakṣmī-devī performs austerities in Śrīvana for a lengthy period of time in hopes of attaining the service of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Śrī-sampradāyī Vaiṣṇavas are worshippers of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to convey the supremacy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s tattva in a roundabout way, so He posed this question in this manner. Bhaṭṭa responded: “Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa are one in svarūpa. Therefore, Lakṣmī-devī’s pātivratya-dharma, or chastity, will not be ruined by serving Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Kṛṣṇa has more engaging pastimes and ‘she will gain access to pastimes like the Rāsa dance’—understanding this, Lakṣmī-devī longs for Kṛṣṇa’s association.”
Śrī Gaurasundara said: “Desiring Kṛṣṇa’s association does not give rise to flaw; that I know, but why does Lakṣmī Ṭhākurāṇī not attain access to Rāsa? Why is Lakṣmī-devī deprived when the Śrutis attained access to Rāsa as a result of their austerities?”
Bhaṭṭa said: “I am a tiny jīva. I do not have the qualification to enter into Īśvara’s pastimes, which are as profound as an ocean. You Yourself are Kṛṣṇacandra. You alone know the purposes of Your pastimes. Only those to whom You show Your mercy can have the fortune to become acquainted with such matters. Seeing Bhaṭṭa in a state of surrender, Śrīman Mahāprabhu began instructing Him regarding tattva:
“prabhu kahe,—kṛṣṇer eka sajīva lakṣaṇa |
sva-mādhurye sarve-citta kare ākarṣaṇa ||
[The Lord said: “Kṛṣṇa has one unique characteristic.
“He attracts the hearts of all by His sweetness.”]
vraja-loker bhāve pāiye tā̃hāra caraṇa |
tā̃re īśvara kari’ nāhi jāne vraja-jana ||
[“His feet are attained through the moods of the inhabitants of Vraja.
“The people of Vraja do not know Him as God.”]
keho tā̃re putra-jñāne udukhale bāndhe |
keho sakhā-jñāne jini’ caḓe tā̃ra kāndhe ||
[“Some think of Him as their son and bind Him to a grinding mortar.
“Some see Him as their friend and climb on His shoulders.”]
‘vrajendra-nandana’ boli’ tā̃re jāne vraja-jana |
aiśvarya-jñāne nāhi kona sambandha-mānana ||
[“The people of Vraja know Him as the son of the king of Vraja.
“They do not pay heed to any connection with Him based on knowledge of His opulence.”]
vraja-loker bhāve jei karaye bhajana |
sei vraje pāya śuddha vrajendra-nandana ||
[“Those who perform bhajana in the mood of the Vraja residents
“Attain the real Vrajendra-nandana in Vraja”]
śruti-gaṇa gopī-gaṇer anugata haiyā |
vrajeśvarī-sūta bhaje gopī-bhāva laiyā ||
[“The Śrutis became followers of the gopīs
“And worshipped the son of Yaśodā in the mood of the gopīs”]
bāhyāntare gopī-deha vraje jabe pāilo |
sei dehe kṛṣṇa-saṅge rāsa-krīḓā kailo ||
[“When, internally and externally, they attained the bodies of gopīs in Vraja
“They performed the pastimes of Rāsa in those bodies in the company of Kṛṣṇa”]
gopa-jāti kṛṣṇa, gopī preyasī tā̃hāra |
devī vā anya-strī kṛṣṇa nā kare aṅgīkāra ||
[“Kṛṣṇa belongs the cowherder caste; the gopīs are His beloveds
“Kṛṣṇa does not accept demigoddesses or women of other castes”]
lakṣmī cāhe sei dehe kṛṣṇera saṅgama |
gopī-rāgānugā haiyā nā kailo bhajana ||
[“Lakṣmī wants Kṛṣṇa’s association in that same body of hers
“She has not performed bhajana following in the footsteps of the gopīs’ love”]
anya dehe nā pāiye rāsa-vilāsa |
ataeva ‘nāyaṁ’ śloka kahe veda-vyāsa ||
[“The pastimes of Rāsa cannot be obtained in another body
“This is why Veda-vyāsa has spoken the ‘nāyaṁ’ verse”]
nāyaṁ sukhāpo bhagavān dehināṁ gopikā-sutaḥ |
jñānināṁ cātma-bhūtānāṁ yathā bhakti-matām iha ||”
[The Supreme Lord, the son of mother Yaśodā, is easily available to those who engage in loving devotion, but not to those who see the body as the self, to those who rely on dry knowledge, or to those who seek self-realization through penance and austerity.]
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya, 9.127–131, 133–137, 132)
“The Vrajavāsīs know Kṛṣṇa as ‘Nanda-nandana’. They do not accept that they have any other relationship with the supremely opulent ‘Parameśvara’. Those who adopt one of the Vrajavāsīs’ four types of moods—dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, and madhura—and worship the Supreme Being thus attain Vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa in pure form in the abode of Vraja upon attaining the ultimate state of perfection.
“When the Śrutis tried to enter Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Rāsa-maṇḍala, but were not successful, and when they could not enter that realm when they had the mood of the gopīs only in their hearts, then they adopted the bodies of gopīs externally and the moods of the gopīs internally. Becoming followers of the gopīs, they entered Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Rāsa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is of the gopa caste. Only gopīs are His beloveds. Therefore, one cannot attain the company of Kṛṣṇa in the form of an opulent devī or other kind of woman. Lakṣmī-devī prayed to attain Kṛṣṇa’s company in her own deva-deha (celestial body), but would not perform bhajana under the guidance of the gopīs and their spontaneous mood of anurāga. Therefore she could not attain the pastimes of Rāsa in a body different from that of the gopīs. This is why Vyāsadeva wrote this “nāyaṁ sukhāpo bhagavān” verse. (The meaning of that verse is: ‘The son of Yaśodā, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not so easily available to self-realized jñānīs as He is to embodied souls who possess bhakti.’) Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa had in his mind a sort of ego that the Nārāyaṇa situated in Paravyoma is Svayaṁ Bhagavān and His worship alone is the topmost level of spiritual practice, so the bhajana of the Śrī-sampradāyī Vaiṣṇavas is topmost. Mahāprabhu brought up this debate by means of humor in order to break down this futile sense of pride.” (Amṛta-pravāha Bhāṣya)
Enlightening Gopāla along with those three brothers, Śrī Caitanya-candra travelled South India and returned to Nīlācala. Gopāla, however, was very distressed at being separated from the Lord. His one and only hope was that the Lord had said as He left: “Gopāla! Your desires will soon be fulfilled.” Nurturing this hope with which his heart was bound, Gopāla, maddened in gaura-prema, remained immersed in kīrtana of Gaura’s transcendental qualities. When educated persons saw Gopāla’s natural scholarly expertise in refuting māyāvāda, they would wonder, “Where did such erudition come from at such a young age?” Some would say, “Gopāla’s uncle, Śrī Prabodhānanda, has taught Gopāla and made him expert in all the scriptures.” The fact that Gopāla is the recipient of Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatipāda’s mercy has been described in the second verse of the first Vilāsa of Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.
bhakter-vilāsāṁś-cinute prabodhānandasya śiṣyo bhagavat-priyasya |
gopāla-bhaṭṭo raghunātha-dāsaṁ santoṣayan rūpa-sanātanau ca ||
Gopāla Bhaṭṭa is the disciple of Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Gaurasundara’s beloved Śrīla Prabodhānanda. Bringing great satisfaction to Raghunātha and Rūpa-Sanātana Prabhus, he has compiled this book entitled Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.
After some time, Gopāla’s mother and father granted Gopāla permission to go to Vṛndāvana and departed this Earth. With supreme delight, Gopāla went to Vṛndāvana and met with Rūpa and Sanātana.
Meanwhile, the omniscient Śrī Gaurasundara was aware of this fact and said to the devotees:
“bahu-dina vrajera saṁvāda nā pāiyā |
nā jāniye āmāra kemona kare hiyā ||
[“I have not received word of Vraja for many days
“How am I to bear not knowing?”]
Just at that moment, a messenger arrived from Vraja bearing news of Gopāla’s arrival in Vṛndāvana. The Lord then narrated the story of Gopāla to the devotees with great delight:
dakṣiṇa-bhramaṇe ati ānanda antare |
cāri-māsa rahinu vyeṅkaṭa-bhaṭṭa-ghare ||
[During My travels in the south, I was delighted at heart
To spend four months at the home of Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa]
gopāla-bhaṭṭa vyeṅkaṭa-bhaṭṭera nandana |
alpa-kāle sakala śāstrete vicakṣaṇa |
[Gopāla Bhaṭṭa is Vyeṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa’s son
At a very young age, he was expert in all scriptures]
pāiyā pitāra ājñā gopāla ullāse |
karilo āmāra sevā aśeṣa viśeṣe ||
[With his father’s permission, Gopāla has, with great delight,
Performed endless special service for Me]
parama dayālu kṛṣṇa tāre kṛpā kailā |
sei e gopāla-bhaṭṭa vṛndāvane āilā ||
[The supremely merciful Kṛṣṇa has shown mercy to him
Whereby this Gopāla Bhaṭṭa has arrived in Vṛndāvana]
prāṇera samāna mora rūpa-sanātana |
tāhāra gamana-mātra likhinā likhana ||
[Rūpa and Sanātana, who are like My very life
Have written as soon as he arrived]
(Bhakti-ratnākara, 1st Taraṅga)
Immersed in thoughts of Rūpa and Sanātana’s extraordinary qualities, Prabhu again spoke:
pāilo ānanda gopālera āgamane ||
[Delighted by Gopāla’s arrival]
nija bhrātā-sama bhaṭṭa-gopāle jānibe |
madhye madhye śubha samācāra pāṭhāibe ||
[They will accept Bhaṭṭa Gopāla like their own brother
From time to time, they will send good news]
je je grantha varṇilā, varṇibā jato āra |
acire se-saba ha’be sarvatra pracāra ||
[Whichever books they have written, whichever they will write
Will soon be propagated everywhere.]
(Bhakti-ratnākara, 1st Taraṅga)
Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana developed a wondrous love with Gopāla. Because he [Gopāla] had the desire to compile a Vaiṣṇava Smṛti, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī Prabhu manifested Hari-bhakti-vilāsa in Gopāla’s name.
When Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī desired to manifest the service of śrī vigraha, Śrī Rūpa’s prāṇadhana (life-treasure), Śrī Govinda-deva, gave orders to Śrī Rūpa in a dream and manifested the service of Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa. Gopāla was always absorbed in the service of Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa and would become flooded with bliss as he sang the glories of Śrī Gaurāṅga in the company of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana.
Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Prabhu forbade the author of Śrī Caitanya-candra’s pastimes, Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī Prabhu, from relating his story. Therefore, only his name is mentioned in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Nothing else was written. The nectar of his story has been revealed in the sacred text of Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara by Śrī Ghanaśyāma Dāsa.
After some time, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya Prabhu obtained the mercy of Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and propagated the gems of the devotional texts manifested by the Gosvāmīs.
—Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā, 2nd Year, 7th Issue
* ENDNOTE: “When the left end of a dhoti is taken between the legs and tucked in at the back it is called kachā. When the other end is tucked in at the navel it is called kõca. When the other end of this kõca is also tucked in at the navel it is called trikaccha.”(Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata 1.8.187, Gauḍīya Bhāṣya)