Samadhis of Srinivasa Acarya, Ramacandra Kaviraja, and Hemalata Thakurani
A Comprehensive Guide to Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma
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Overview
Srinivasa Acarya Samadhi
Srinivasa Acarya was the son of Padmanabha Bhattacarya, a class friend of Nimai Pandita. His home was in the Nadia district. Padmanabha was from a Brahmana family. He was a pandit, and he married in Jajigram near Katwa. One day, Pradyumna Bhattacarya was going home from his father-in-law's house when he heard that Nimai Pandit had come to Katwa to take sannyasa. Padmanabha knew Nimai Pandita as a great scholar and a charming figure in all respects. He went to see.
Kesava Bharati, a sannyasi of the Shankara school, had a big ashram there in Katwa. The people had gathered to see Mahaprabhu, and they were mad. Pradyumna Bhattacarya went to see what was going on.
He thought, "Nimai Pandit is taking sannyasa? What is this? He is an inconceivable scholar and he has an exclusively beautiful figure. He has an all-capturing, commanding presence and he has come to take sannyasa? We cannot conceive of life without him. And how his mother will feel...and he is even leaving his young wife… to take sannyasa...!" With this feeling he went to see the sannyasa of Nimai Pandit.
He was struck dumb to find what was going on there. There were two parties. One party, under the direction of Mahaprabhu, was requesting Bharati to do the function as soon as possible. Another party stood there saying "No! This young boy can never be given such a sannyasa life! You Bharati, we won't allow you to give sannyasa to this boy. You have come to spoil our society. It can never occur!" In this way it went on. Padmanabha was watching what went on there. Finally, Mahaprabhu's will prevailed. Everything subsided in the afternoon and the sannyasa began. And it was done.
Mahaprabhu told Bharati "I have got this mantram of sannyasa in a dream. Please see whether it is the real mantram or not." He spoke it into the ear of Bharati. Bharati said, "Yes it is all right. This is it. Take it." In his way he took sannyasa. And then it was time to give the sannyasa name. Kesava Bharati was thinking, "What name should be given?" At that time there was some sound from above. "Sri Krishna Chaitanya!" Bharati took that name and the name was given. Padmanabha had waited so much. So far. And Mahaprabhu started towards Vrndavan chanting the name of Krishna and the sloka of Bhagavatam, tridandi bhiksu. Evam samasthaya paratma nishta upasidham purva tamai mahadbhir aham tarisyami duranta param...
Mahaprabhu went off towards Vrndavan and Padmanabha returned to his village half-mad, always saying, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya" Whatever anyone would say anything to him, he would reply, "Sri Krishna Chaitanya." No other word would come out of his lips. Only "Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Chaitanya, Chaitanya." Then his name was given by the public as Chaitanya Das. Afterwards he was known as Chaitanya Das in the society. Of course, he recovered somewhat.
Mahaprabhu Gives Name
Then, when Mahaprabhu was in Puri, Padmanabha went to see him with his wife. Mahaprabhu told him, "You have got a very good son as a devotee, and his name will be Srinivasa". And when Padmanabha came back Srinivasa was born in his house. He was very beautiful and a born scholar. Padmanabha left home when Srinivasa was very young.
Automatically Sri Chaitanyadeva and Nityananda came in the mind of Srinivasa and their lila was surcharged within him. He had no other tendency. When he was about fifteen, he came out to see the birthplace of Sri Gauranga in Nabadwip. He sat near the house of Mahaprabhu, and the bathing ghat on the banks of the Ganges. He sat there. A boy of fifteen. He did not know anything, or even himself. He doesn't know himself. In this way, Visnupriya devi had pity and took the boy in her home. Then she fed the boy.
Srinivasa went to meet Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri. But after going about three fourths of the distance he heard that Chaitanyadeva has left the world. What to do?
Tota Gopinatha Temple
When Srinivasa arrived in Puri, Gadadhara Pandit was there. They met in the Tota Gopinatha temple. Gadadhara Pandit embraced Srinivasa and told him, "I am waiting for you Srinivasa. My Lord has ordered me to teach you the Srimad Bhagavatam. You will explain the Bhagavatam to the whole of Bengal. You will be an unprecedented lecturer on the Bhagavatam. But still you won't be able to read my book because the letters are half-washed away by the tears. So, get a fresh book. Go to Srikhanda, and take my name, and try to secure a copy of the Bhagavatam, and I shall teach it to you".
Srinivasa Acarya returned to Srikhanda in Bengal and secured a copy and again started for Puri. But when he reached there he heard that Gadadhara Pandit had already left this world. Srinivasa was disappointed. He thought, "I am such a distressed soul. Wherever I am going, the object has just been removed a little before." First Mahaprabhu disappeared, and now Gadadhara Pandit who gave me some hope that he would teach me the Srimad Bhagavatam. What ill fate I have got."
Then what to do? He went away, but Gadadhara Pandita's will was there. When Srinivasa went to read the Bhagavatam he found that everything is rushing to him. The understanding.
Darshan of Gosvamis
Then Srinivasa, Narottama and Syamananda started for Vrndavan to have darshan of Rupa, Sanatana, Gopala Bhatta and others. Raghunatha Bhatta was also there in Vraja dham. Srinivasa, Narottama, and Syamananda started from Bengal and when they were only a few miles away from Mathura they heard that Sanatana Goswami had passed away. The people were saying that that great Sanatana Goswami, who was the prime minister, and who had captured the whole of Vrndavan within his heart, that Sanatana has passed away. This is a great disaster for the country. Then what to do?
Still, Rupa and Raghunatha, Sri Jiva and Gopala Bhatta, were living. Somehow, Srinivasa, Narottama and Syamananda dragged on and when they reached Mathura they heard that last night Rupa Goswami left this world. So, what hopeless and cursed souls we are! Coming so near and yet we could not see those two generals of Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu sent two of his generals to Vrndavan to carry out his orders and to establish the kingdom of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas there.
Then, somehow they dragged their bodies to Vrndavan and they found in the Govinda Mandir that sundara arotik is going on in a very great splendor. A great crowd was there. Rupa Goswami had just passed away so with that feeling of mad bereavement. Madly they were chanting his name and the arotik is going on in this way. Srinivasa could not stand that sort of wave of sentiment. He fainted on one side. When he awoke out of his faint and regained his consciousness he found Jiva Goswami engaged in discussion with some of his followers. Anyway, Srinivasa woke up and did what was necessary and proper at that time. And so Srinivasa, Narottama and Syamananda lived in Vrndavan.
Takes Initation
Srinivasa Acarya took initiation from Gopala Bhatta. Narottama Thakura from Lokanatha Goswami. And Syamananda from Jiva Goswami. There were many incidents in the meantime, but Jiva Goswami was there and he was in charge of all the books written by Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami themselves. Then after a time, when Srinivasa, Narottama and Syamananda were going to return to Bengal, the books were placed in a wooden casket and given to the charge of Srinivasa Acarya. He was fond to be of more education and shastric knowledge so the books were given in his charge. Jiva Goswami instructed him, "Take the books and copy them and preach in Bengal. We shall see to the preaching in this side of the country, but in the land of Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu the books will have good circulation, so you may take the books there." Srinivasa took the books and the three departed on two bullock carts.
The big casket was loaded on one cart and they came by the main road. That Grand Trunk road passed near to Visnupura in the district of Bakura, near Menapura. The carts were on the road and Srinivasa, Narottama and Syamananda were sleeping nearby somewhere, but in the night the book box was removed. In the morning, when they woke up they found the cart was empty. The big wooden box with the books was gone. Then they were horrified and those three tried their best to search nearby but they could not find any clue. Then what to do?
Syamananda and Narottama, feeling disappointed, left the place for their own home, but Srinivasa Acarya could not do so. "I was especially selected and given the charge of these higher sastras, and I cannot go back home without doing anything to get the sastras back. How can I do it?
He was wandering like a madman here and there, this beautiful young boy. People thought that this young boy, his head is cracked. Here and there he was wandering.
There was a zamindar, a chief, of the aborigines. His name was Birhambir. He was a chief of that locality and he had some attraction for devotion and the Bhagavatam. Every day he held a class on the Bhagavatam regularly in his house in the afternoon. His guru was someone by the name of Vyasa. He used to explain the Bhagavatam and so many devotees used to hear Bhagavatam from him. Srinivasa was passing his days like a madman here and there, but anyhow he heard about the lectures and went there to hear the Bhagavatam. He was eager not to express himself but he knew he was an educated man, a good scholar, especially of the Bhagavatam. But no one else knew. And he also did not give any vent to that. Then one day Vyasa was explaining something wrong and, unconsciously, Srinivasa could not check himself, he pointed out the mistake. "You are explaining in this way, but the proper meaning will be that." Then the attention of all the devotees present, including the king, fell on that boy.
Who is he? Vyasa, who was explaining Bhagavatam, was also charmed. "We all took him to be a madcap but he is pointing out such fine points. Who are you?"
The questions became very intense and Srinivasa had to admit that "I am a wretched soul. This Bhagavatam, and so many other very high level Vaisnava scriptures, I was taking from Vrndavan, in a big box. A box filled up with those Vaisnava scriptures. They stole them from here about a year or so ago and I am wandering in search of those."
Astrologer Reveals
"Oh!" then they knew. Birhambir had one astrologer and the astrologer used to predict what is what, and where. When that box filled up with scriptures was nearby to his capital he called the astrologer and asked him, "What is there?" Those chiefs were all looting princes, robbers. The astrologer told the king, "There are very highly valued jewels in that box". Then Birhambir managed by his own men to steal the box and he kept it there in his house. Birhambir opened it and found many holy books. He closed the box and kept it hidden. After hearing from Srinivasa, he said, "Oh, you have lost those books, you are an owner of that? That casket is here. We have taken it. My astrologer told me that many valuable jewels were contained in there and so, misguided, we took them."
Then Srinivasa came back in his light again. He went and fell prostrate there and asked them to get some articles of arotik and began to offer arotik to the books, the shastra, the representation of Krishna and His devotees. He began worshipping and after arotik he opened the trunk. Then he sent information to Narottama and Syamananda. They all came back. And this chief Birhambir and many of the place became Srinivasa's disciples.
Birhambir, after then, he did much service for the Gaudiya Vaisnavas there. Visnupura was his capital and gradually Visnupura developed so many temples. A profuse number of temples were established in that place that are still standing today. They had very strong rulers from that time: they force their subjects, "You must take the Harinam mantra, chant Hare Krishna, or otherwise we will banish you from here." So much so that if there even an ordinary cultivator then after finishing his duties, before going to bed, he would think, "Oh, I must take that mallika, I must obey that King Gopala Singh's order to chant Hare Krishna." In this way everyone would chant Hare Krishna. Otherwise, if there was information that someone did not take the Name, then he would be banished from the kingdom. The whole line of kings after that were Vaisnavas and many things are told by them, from their line.
Begins Book Distribution
Srinivasa Acarya went from Visnupura to Yajigram near Katva and with the help of Narottama, Syamananda and Virbadhra, the son of Nityananda Prabhu and Jahnava devi, and the sons of Adwaita Prabhu, Srinivasa Acarya began extensively preaching the Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy. They preached the Srimad Bhagavatam here in Bengal. Bhagavata Dharma. And in parts of Bihar and Orissa also. The transcendental flow, the inundation came, by this trinity, by the combination of these three devotees who came after Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. These three who held up the torch of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas.
Narottama Thakur went to the Manipur side, in Assam, and almost the whole of Manipur was captured by him, including the king. So in Manipur we generally see that the Manipuris are mainly disciples of Narottama Thakura. He has done such extensive preaching in that side. And in Bengal, Sri Adwaita Prabhu and Nityananda Prabhu and Srinivasa Prabhu preached very extensively. While in Orissa, especially, Syamananda Prabhu preached extensively.
Sri Sri Sad-Gosvami-astaka
by Srinivasa Acarya
Verse One
krsnotkirttana-gana-nartana-parau premamrtambho-nidhi dhiradhira-janapriyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pujitau sri-caitanya-krpa-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bharavahantarakau vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Goswamis, namely Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatana Goswami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who are always engaged in chanting the Holy Name of Krsna and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Chaitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.
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