Sri Gopala Guru Goswami – Biography

Gopala Guru Goswami

According to some, Gopal Guru Goswami was the gopi known as Tungavidya Sakhi. (In the image: Tungavidya Sakhi-one of 8 Sakhis of Shrimati Radharani).

   Shri Gopala Guru Goswami was a disciple of Shri Vakreshwara Pandit. He was a brahmana from Utkala. From early childhood, he stayed with Vakreshwara Pandit and remained under his care and guidance. Shriman Mahaprabhu was always very affectionate towards him and played many jokes on him. Out of affection, the Lord would jokingly call him "guru" and so he became known as Gopal Guru Goswami.
 
   Under the authority of Shri Svarupa Damodara and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, he was instructed in the system of rasa and attained expertise in the rasik principles. At the place where Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at the house of Kashi Mishra, Vakreshwara Pandita later stayed. After Shri Vakreshwara Pandit passed away, Gopal Guru Goswami stayed at that place, where he installed the Deities Shri Shri Radha-Kanta.
 
   Shri Gopal Guru Goswami composed a book called Smarana-paddhati, or "The System for Remembering the Lord". This book has twenty-six chapters. Shri Dhayanachandra Goswami was a disciple of Shri Gopal Guru Goswami and an important acharya in the Gaudiya Sampradaya. He wrote a book called the Dhyana Chandra Paddhati.
 
   Shrila Narottama Dasa Thakura visited the house of Kashi Misrha when he went to Jagannatha Puri. There he met Gopal Guru Goswami. (B.R.8.382) According to some, Gopal Guru Goswami was the gopi known as Tungavidya Sakhi. 
 
   On the ninth day of the full moon in the month of Karttika he entered into the unmanifest pastimes of the Lord.