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Sri Gopal Bhatta
Goswami
After Mahaprabhu’s kirtana, Vyenkata Bhatta invited Him to his house. There he requested Mahaprabhu to stay during the four months of Caturmasya, which was soon to start. Mahaprabhu, as a sannyasi, accepted his request.
Vyenkata Bhatta directed his son, Gopal Bhatta, to render all services to Mahaprabhu during this period, and Gopal Bhatta with great sincerity took care of Sri Mahaprabhu’s every need. As a result he received great benefit by Mahaprabhu’s association. Being pleased with Gopal Bhatta’s devotional affection, Mahaprabhu gave him initiation and ordered him that after the disappearance (death) of his parents he should go to Vrindavan to live there, performing bhajan, devotional service, and writing books.
At the age of thirty, after his parents disappeared, Gopal Bhatta went to Vrindavan. When he reached there, he heard that Mahaprabhu had already visited Vrindavan and had returned to Puri. Hearing this, Gopal Bhatta was disappointed, thinking that Mahaprabhu had never ordered him to visit Him in Puri. Mahaprabhu, however, through Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami, sent Gopal Bhatta His personal asana (seat) and cloth as signs of His blessings.
Later, when Gopal Bhatta heard of the disappearance of Mahaprabhu, he felt great separation from the Lord. But in a dream Mahaprabhu instructed him, "if you want My darshan, if you want to see Me, make a pilgrimage to Nepal."
In Nepal, Gopal Bhatta visited the Gandaki River and took his bath there. After his bath, he filled his water pot, but was surprised to see that some salagrama-silas had entered it. He empties them back into the river and refilled his water pot, but again he saw that some salagrama-silas had entered his water pot. He emptied his waterpot one more time, and upon filling it a third time, he saw that now twelve salagrama-silas were there. Thinking that this must be some mercy of the Lord, he decided to bring all the salagrama-silas to Vrindavan.
Gopal Bhatta gave initiation to Gopinath Das, a bramacari who lived with him and rendered him all services.
One day a wealthy man came to Vrindavan and offered Gopal Bhatta all kinds of dresses and ornaments for his salagramas. Gopal Bhatta, however, told him to give them to somebody else, since his salagramas were of a round shape and therefore the dresses and ornaments could not be used.
This incident made Gopal Bhatta think deeply. It was Nrsimha Caturdasi, the appearance day of Lord Nrsimha deva, and Gopal Bhatta remembered how Lord Nrsimha, in his form as half-lion, half man, had come out of a pillar. Gopal Bhatta prayed to the Lord, "O Lord, You are very merciful. You fulfill all the desires of Your devotees. I wish to serve You in Your full form." He read the pastime of Lord Nrsimha deva in the Srimad-Bhagawatam, and after chanting in ecstasy he fell unconscious. The next morning he awoke to find that one of the twelve salagramas, the Damodara sila, had manifested as Sri Radha Raman. He informed Sanatana Goswami and Rupa Goswami.
Gopal Bhatta started serving Sri Radha Ramanji. After some years, however, he became concerned: after his disappearance, who would continue the service of Sri Radha Ramanji? He asked Gopinath Das, his bramacari disciple, to get married and take the service of Sri Radha Ramanji as a hereditary duty. Gopinath Das did not want to marry but suggested his younger brother, who was maried. Gopal Bhatta agreed and initiated him.
After the disappearance of Sri Gopal Bhatta Goswami, this disciple, known as Damodara Das Goswami, continued the worship of Sri Radha Ramanji. Since then the Goswami families descended from Damodar Das Goswami and, spiritually, from Gopal Bhatta Goswami have continued the worship of Sri Radha Raman very nicely in Vrindavan to this very day.
From upcoming site: sriradharaman.com
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