Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura Mahasaya has sung: "O Acharya Prabhu (Shrinivasa), please bestow your mercy upon me. I pray that I might also have the association of Ramachandra." (In the image: Shrila Ramachandra Kaviraja).
Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura Mahasaya has sung: "O Acharya Prabhu (Shrinivasa), please bestow your mercy upon me. I pray that I might also have the association of Ramachandra."
Shri Ramachandra Kaviraja was the disciple of Shrinivasa Acharya Prabhu and the very intimate friend of Narottama dasa Thakura. His father was Chiranjiva Sena and mother Shri Sunanda. Chiranjiva was originally an inhabitant of Kumara nagar but after marrying the daughter of Shri Damodara Kavi he moved to Shri Khanda.
"Chiranjiva Sena was a pure Devotee very much loved by Narahari Sarkar and the other residents of Shri Khanda. He was extremely learned in all matters and his wife was very chaste and gentle. Her activities were completely transcendental." [C.C Mad. 11/92]
Shri Mukunda, Narahari, Raghunandana and Chiranjiva, who were all residents of Shri Khanda, were of one mind and one purpose. Every year they would come to Nilachala to have darshan of Mahaprabhu and to chant and dance in front of Lord Jagannatha during Ratha Yatra. Chiranjiva was from a family of physicians. His two jewel-like sons were Ramachandra and Govinda. Later they both became disciples of Acharya Prabhu and came to reside at Teliya Bhudari-gram in Murshidabad.
Ramacandra was very handsome, intelligent and perseverent. His maternal grandfather, Shri Damodara Kaviraja, was a well-known poet who was a worshiper of Krishna's energy (shakti) and was initiated in this cult. After their father passed away, the two brothers Ramachandra and Govinda came to live with their grandfather, who practiced the Shakta religion. Being influenced by him, both became inclined to worship the various personified forms of maya, Krishna's external deluding potency.
At this time Ramachandra practiced medicine and was also quite well known as an accomplished poet.
After his marriage, Ramchandra was carried in a palanquin with his new bride to his home at Kumaranagara. As the procession passed Shrinivasa Acharya Prabhu's house at Jajigram, he saw the Acharya seated on the verandah of his house, discussing Krishna-katha with some of his disciples. Simply upon seeing the Acharya he felt a strange new emotion dawn in his heart. It was as though he was seeing a very dear friend after long time of separation. Similarly, Acharya Prabhu, upon seeing Ramachandra seated in the palanquin, immediately inquired from those who were present with him, "Who is that? What is his name? Which varna (caste) he belong to? And where does he reside?" [B.R. 8/530] His associates replied, "He is great scholar of the name Ramachandra. He is very excellent poet as well as a physician and resides at Kumaranagara." Hearing this, Acharya Prabhu simply smiled.
His associates replied, "He is great scholar of the name Ramachandra. He is very excellent poet as well as a physician and resides at Kumaranagara." Hearing this, Acharya Prabhu simply smiled. (In the wallpaper: in top right Shrinivas Acharya, in the left Ramachandra Kaviraja, background photo of a marriage).”]
Ramachandra Sena, still seated within the palanquin, after seeing Shrinivasa Acharya and hearing his sweet voice, became extremely anxious to meet him. After a short time the procession reached the house where much pomp and celebration took place. Everyone was overjoyed to see the new bride, Ratna Mala, and a great din and bustle ensued in welcoming her and her bridegroom into their new home. Ramachandra's mind however was still back at Jagigram where he had seen that divine personage. With great difficulty he somehow or other passed the day there, but with the fall of night he returned to Gajigram, where he passed the night in the house of one brahman.
With the approach of morning he came to Shrinivasa Acharya's house and fell down at the Acharya's feet to offer his prostrated obeisances. Shrinivasa Acharya Prabhu had similarly been continuously thinking of Ramachandra ever since he'd seen him the day before. Upon seeing Ramachandra again, prostrated before him, he picked him up and embraced him in deep ecstasy. Then he told him, "Birth after birth, you are my most dear friend. In the same way that the Lord caused my meeting with Shri Narottama dasa Thakura at Vrindavana, He has also re-united me with another dear friend."
Ramachandra stayed with Acharya Prabhu and studied the literature’s of the six Goswamis under his tutorship. Acharya Prabhu was extremely pleased to see his gentle and polite behavior and his deeply spiritual nature. On the next auspicious day he initiated Ramachandra with Radha-Krishna mantra.
After some time, Ramachandra returned to his house. When the Shaktas saw he had been initiated into Vaishnava religion they became very upset. Ramachandra, however, was undaunted. With tilaka on his body in twelve places and a japa mala in his hand, he sat down in front of them and began to chant the Holy Names. One day, as Ramachandra was proceeding to his house after having taken his bath, his Shakta neighbours called him.
"Kaviraja, without worshipping Lord Shiva, how is it that you are going home? Your grandfather was a great Devotee of Lord Shiva. Have you given up Lord Shiva's worship?"
Ramachandra replied, "Lord Shiva and Brahma are incarnations of two of the material modes created by Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna Himself is the source of all incarnations. Therefore, by worshipping Lord Krishna everyone's worship is performed, just as by watering the roots of a tree all the leaves and branches become nourished. Prahlad, Dhruva, Vibhishana and others were dear Devotees of Shri Krishna. Therefore Lord Shiva and Brahma were naturally favorably disposed to them, whereas Ravana, Kumbakarna, Banasura and other demons were only devotees of Lord Shiva and not Devotees of Lord Krishna. Thus their ultimate end was to simply be destroyed.
Lord Shiva and Brahma are incarnations of two of the material modes created by Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna Himself is the source of all incarnations. Therefore, by worshipping Lord Krishna everyone's worship is performed, just as by watering the roots of a tree all the leaves and branches become nourished. Prahlad, Dhruva, Vibhishana and others were dear Devotees of Shri Krishna. Therefore Lord Shiva and Brahma were naturally favorably disposed to them... (In the wallpaper: Shri Krishna in the middle, from left to right Lord Shiva, Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja, Lord Brahma).
"The shastras say that Lord Brahma was able to create this world due to having successfully worshipped Shri Vishnu. Similarly, Lord Shiva has become qualified to invoke auspiciousness in this world due to having received the foot wash water of Lord Vishnu (Ganges) on his head." Having heard these various statements from the shastras, those scholars remained speechless.
Ramachandra became very anxious to have darshana of Shri Vrindavana and the Goswamis there. He petitioned Shri Raghunandana and various other Vaishnavas for their permission which they readily gave. Thus on the next day he set out for Shri Vrindavana Dhama. After passing through Gaya, Kashi and Prayaga, he finally arrived at Mathura. There he took bath and some rest at Vishrama ghat. After taking darshana of the Adi Keshava Temple, he started for Vrindavana.
At this time his guru, Shrinivasa Acharya, was present at Vrindavana. Ramachandra offered his prostrated obeisances at the lotus feet of his guru and Shri Jiva Goswami and conveyed the good news of the Devotees from Gaudadesha.
As ordered by Shri Jiva Goswami, Ramachandra took darshana of Shri Govinda, Shri Gopinatha, Shri Madanamohana and Shri Sanatana Goswami's samadhi. Then he offered his respects to Shri Gopala Bhatta, Shri Lokanatha and Shri Bhugarbha Goswami, who were very pleased with him and who offered him their benediction. Hearing some samples of his great poetic ability, everyone decided to present him with the title 'Kaviraja.' (B.R.9/214)
After remaining in the Goswami's association for some days, they finally instructed him to return to Gaudadesha. And so he returned, visiting Shri Khanda, Jajigram, Khandaha and Kalna on the way. Finally he came to Shri Mayapura, where he received the blessings of Shri Ishana Thakur.
One time, some smarta brahmanas made a conspiracy to defame the name of Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura Mahasaya. They were very upset that though he was only a kayastha by caste, he accepted those born in brahmana families as his disciples. They enlisted Raja Narasimha and the conquering pandita Shri Rupanarayana in a crusade to somehow expose Narottama dasa as a fraud. In a large party they made their way to Kheturi, where Shrila Narottama had his headquarters.
Coming to know of this conspiracy, Shri Ramachandra and Shri Ganga Narayana Chakravarti came forward to meet their challenge. They journeyed to Kumarapura where they each set up two small shops in the market; one a pan and betel nut shop and the other a store selling clay pots.
When the party of smarta brahmanas arrived at Kumarapura and sent their disciples out to purchase wares for cooking their meals, the students came to those shops. The 'shopkeepers' (actually Ramachandra and Ganga Narayana in disguise) spoke to them in Sanskrit and began to raise a philosophical dispute with them. Seeing the profound learning of those two shopkeepers, the students were dumbfounded, but nevertheless took up the challenge. After a short time, however, it became obvious that they were no match for these 'shopkeepers.' They called for their gurus, who arrived on the scene with Raja Narasimha and Rupanarayana. Rupanarayana himself was drawn into the debate and was defeated by the Bhagavata-based arguments of Ramachandra and Ganga Narayana.
When the king requested their introduction, those two shop keepers informed him that they were two extremely insignificant disciples of Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura Mahasaya. Having met defeat in this village marketplace, Rupanarayana and the smarta brahmanas were no longer interested in proceeding onward to Kheturi. Their crusade evaporated as they all decided to return immediately to their respective homes.
That night, after Raja Narasimha had returned to his house, he had a dream in which Durgadevi told him, "Narasimha! You have committed a great offense at the feet of Narottama dasa Thakura. As a result of this Vaishnav aparadha, I will have to cut you all to pieces with this chopper. If you want to save yourself, then you had better immediately go and take shelter at Narottama dasa Thakura's lotus feet."
When his sleep broke the king quickly took his bath and set out for Kheturi. Rupanarayana had a similar dream and was also proceeding towards Kheturi at the same time. They met upon their arrival there and approached the Temple of Shri Gauranga in order to meet Narottama Thakura. Thakur Mahasaya was absorbed in his bhajana, but when a disciple informed him of the arrival of the two guests, he came out to meet them. Simply by seeing his transcendental form, imbued with Krishna-prema, the two offenders became purified and fell down to offer their obeisances at Thakura Mahasaya's feet. Thakura Mahasaya very humbly presented himself as being a fallen soul. Finally he initiated them with Radha-Krishna mantra.
Many sinful atheists were delivered by Shri Ramachandra Kaviraja. He was present at the Kheturi festival. He came to Vrindavana a second time on the order of Shrinivasa and Narottama, but this time he couldn't have darshana of the Goswamis as they had all departed this world for Goloka Vrindavana. Feeling separation from them, he was very distressed at heart. Unable to tolerate that pain, he joined them in their eternal pastimes there in Vrindavana. In Vraja-lila his name is Karuna-manjari. His disappearance is on the third day of the dark fortnight in the month of Pausha. His principal disciple was Harirama Acharya.
The Deities worshipped by Ramchandra and Govinda Kaviraja have been brought from Jeliya-Bhudargram to Bhagavan Gola where they are at present being worshipped by the followers of Rama dasa Babaji. There is a station at Bhagavan Gola on the Sealdah-Lal Gola rail line.
As ordered by Shri Jiva Goswami, Ramachandra took darshana of Shri Govinda, Shri Gopinatha, Shri Madanamohana and Shri Sanatana Goswami's samadhi. Then he offered his respects to Shri Gopala Bhatta, Shri Lokanatha and Shri Bhugarbha Goswami, who were very pleased with him and who offered him their benediction. Hearing some samples of his great poetic ability, everyone decided to present him with the title 'Kaviraja.' (B.R.9/214) (In the wallpaper: from left to right Shri Shri Radha Gopinath, Shri Shri Radha Govinda, Shri Madan Mohan, Jipur and samadhi of Sanatana Goswami).
