Gopal Guru Goswami was born in an Orissan Brahmin family. His father’s name was Murari Pandit. His mother’s name is unknown. While still a child, he had the opportunity to serve Mahaprabhu through Govinda, the Lord’s servant. His original name was Makaradhvaja Pandit, but Mahaprabhu used to affectionately call him Gopal. His name is found in neither the Chaitanya Charitamrita nor the Chaitanya Bhagavat.

 

   He was initiated by Vakreshvara Pandit, one of the Lord’s close associates living in Jagannath Puri. [FN. See vol. 1, chapter 16] This is confirmed in the book Vakreshvara-carita, where the following passage is found:

 

   There are five branches in the lineage descending from Vakreshvara Pandit–those coming from Chandrashekhara, Shankararanya Acharya, Govindananda, Devananda and Gopal Guru, whose qualities are beyond description.

 

   From the book Guru-pranai, which is published by the Radhakanta Math, we learn that Gopal Guru Goswami’s identity in Vraja-lila was as the sakhi Manjumedha.

 

How He Got the Name Gopal Guru

 

   There is a legend surrounding the addition of the word guru to his name. There was once a Devotee in Puri who was particularly attached to the chanting of the Holy Names. As a matter of fact, the chanting had become automatic for him, so that his tongue muttered the names incessantly. One day Gopal Guru saw this Devotee on his way to the toilet, holding his tongue between his fingers because he did not wish to chant the Holy Name while engaged in an impure act. Gopal Guru was just a lad, but he was able to understand why the Devotee was doing this and he said to him, “What are you doing? Don’t you know that there are no regulations governing the time and place for chanting the Holy Name? One should chant the Name in all times and circumstances, pure or impure. If you were not able to chant while defecating, how would you be able to have an auspicious death, should death suddenly come upon him at that time?” 

 

   Mahaprabhu overheard Gopal sharing this wisdom with the Vaishnava and was very impressed and He announced to all His Devotees that Gopal was doing the work of a guru. From that day on, the young Makaradhvaja Pandit was known as Gopal Guru. Because he both preached and practiced, he was factually acting as an acharya or guru. 

 

   It did not take long for his fame to spread through the Vaishnava world. Abhiram Thakur had the reputation of being able to verify whether a stone was a real Vishnushila or Shalagrama shila by paying his obeisances to it. If not real, it would crack or turn into dust. Only a pure Vaishnava would be able to tolerate his obeisances, otherwise they could prove fatal. When the Vaishnavas heard that Abhiram Thakur had come to Puri to test Gopal Guru, they were anxious for the boy due to their affection for him. Mahaprabhu realized that everyone was troubled and so he placed his foot on Gopal’s forehead, thus creating the distinctive tilaka marking which is used by those in Gopal Guru’s spiritual lineage. Gopal was still frightened and sat in the Lord’s lap for protection. Thus Abhiram’s obeisances did him no harm.

 

The Service of Radhakanta Deva

 

   Maharaj Prataparudra’s father Purushottam Deva brought several Deities back from Kanci with him after defeating that city’s king. Among these Deities was the murti of Radhakanta. This Deity was first placed in a small Temple on the north-western corner of Jagannath’s Chatrabhoga Temple, but later, Prataparudra’s guru Kashi Mishra asked to be given the Deity for his personal service. Kashi Mishra had bequeathed everything he possessed to Mahaprabhu as he had no children of his own. Mahaprabhu then gave the service of Radhakanta, his Temple and the surrounding gardens, etc., to Gopal Guru. His guru, Vakreshvara Pandit, himself never sat on the gadi, i.e., never acted as acharya, at Radhakanta Math. Rather, he stayed absorbed in kirtan and dancing in the company of Mahaprabhu. 

 

   The tithi marking Mahaprabhu’s bestowal of Radhakanta’s service on Gopal Guru is celebrated on the Shukla Dvadashi of Magh. On this day, he also gave him the post of first acharya of the Radhakanta Math and the occasion is marked annually by an abhishek of the present-day abbot of the Math.

 

   Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur has written the following about Gopal Guru Goswami: “Vakreshvara Pandit’s disciple Gopal Guru Goswami is currently abbot of Mahaprabhu’s own math in the house of Kashi Mishra in Purushottam. He has completely memorized the teachings of Shri Svarupa Damodar Goswami.” (Jaiva Dharma)

 

   Svarupa Damodar’s method of worshiping in the madhura-rasa was spread through the world through two different lines: one through Raghunath Das Goswami which was carried through Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, the other through Vakreshvara Pandit and Gopal Guru Goswami. Gopal Guru wrote two books on the subject, Smarana-krama-paddhati (“A guidebook to the steps to remembering”) or Seva-smarana-paddhati (“A guidebook to remembering and service”) and Gaura-govindarcana-paddhati (“A guidebook to Gaura-Govinda’s Deity worship”).

 

   From the time of Gopal Guru, Kashi Mishra’s house was known as Radhakanta Math. During Kashi Mishra’s lifetime, there was only a single Deity of Krishna. From the time of Gopal Guru, a Deity of Radha was placed at Radhakanta’s left side and a Deity of Lalita on his right. Deities of Gauranga and Nityananda were also installed. The Temple buildings were repaired and enlarged during this time, between 1538 and 1548 AD. 

 

   In the Orissan language a small separate room situated on Temple grounds is given the name gambhira. Bhaktivinoda Thakur has written, “In the customary architecture of a Temple in Orissa, the Deity room itself has a verandah (alinda) facing it. Facing the verandah is a paved and covered area known as the dalana. A small room within this area is given the name gambhira.” The Gambhira at Kashi Mishra’s house marks the place where Mahaprabhu performed his meditation and where he slept. From the time of Gopal Guru, Mahaprabhu’s wooden shoes and a quilt which was made either by Svarupa Damodar Goswami or Jagadananda Pandit are kept and worshiped in the Gambhira. There is also a waterpot made of clay from the Vraja area which was formerly used by Mahaprabhu. There is also a wooden waterpot which was put there in later times.

 

   From Bhakti-ratnakara we learn that Narottama Das Thakur met Gopal Guru when he visited Puri.

 

   Narottama visited the house of Kashi Mishra where he met Gopal Guru… Gopal Guru became emotional and embraced Narottama Das.

   (Bhakti-ratnakara 8.382, 389)

 

Miraculous Events at Gopal Guru’s Death

 

   A few legends of miraculous events are told about Gopal Guru. When he started to grow old, he turned the responsibility for the Radhakanta Math over to his disciple Dhyanachandra. When Gopal Guru died not long after, his successor was overcome with grief. He took his guru’s body to the Svarga-dvara (“The gate to heaven”) on the seafront. In the meantime, some representatives of a government department blocked off the Temple, claiming that the transferal had been done without ministerial sanction. When Dhyanachandra heard that this was going on, he fell at the lotus feet of his guru’s body, tears flowing from his eyes. Though Gopal Guru’s body was on the funeral pyre, the prayers of his dear disciple reached him and he was resuscitated, chanting the Holy Names in sankirtan.

As soon as the government representatives heard of this event, they became fearful and abandoned their effort to take over the Temple. Gopal Guru returned to the Temple and make a properly legal transfer of ownership to his disciple and disappeared some time later on the Karttik Shukla Navami.

 

   A year after Gopal Guru disappeared, when some Devotees who had made the trip to Puri for the Rathayatra returned to Vraja, they were amazed to see Gopal Guru sitting chanting japa under a Pakuria tree in Vamshi-bata. They sent the message to Dhyanachandra in Puri and he immediately hurried to Vrindavan to see his guru. He fell down at his feet and begged to be allowed to stay in Vraja, even though Gopal Guru told him to go back to Puri and take care of his responsibilities. Finally Gopal told Dhyanachandra, “If you feel such separation from me that you are unable to tolerate it, then have an image of me made out of a neem tree and place it in front of the altar room of the Temple and worship it.” This is what was done and the statue of Gopal Guru Goswami is worshiped at the Radhakanta Math to this day.

 

Gopal Guru Goswami’s Suchaka Kirtan 

 

   The following kirtan is sung on Gopal Guru’s disappearance day.

 

are mora gopala guru bhakati kalapa taru

makaradhvaja nama janhara

shri krishna caitanya janke gopala baliye dake

dekhi shishu caritra udara

 

gaurangera seva-rase sadai anande bhase

gora binu nahi jane an

tileka na dekhi janre dhairaja dharite nare

gora jena gopalera pran

 

gopala shishura prati shiksa dila eka riti

prabhu premaveshe dhuli dhuli

kahe sabe are are aji haite gopalere

dakiba gopala guru bali

 

gopale karuna dekhi sabara sajala ankhi

sukhera samudra uchalila

sabe kahe anupama shri gopala guru nama

prabhu datta jagate vyapila

 

gopalera guru-bhakti kahite nahika shakti

sadai prasanna vakreshvara

mahamatta nija-gite nahika upama dite

sarva cittakarsha kalevara

 

dekhila sakala thani emana dayalu nai

keba na jagate yasha ghoshe

sabe kaila prema-patra haila vaïcita matra

narahari nija karma doshe

 

 

   1. Oh Gopal Guru, you are my devotional desire tree. Your name was previously Makaradhvaja, but Shri Krishna Chaitanya called you Gopal because your behavior as a child reminded him of Gopal Krishna.

 

   2. You were always absorbed in the joy of serving Gauranga; indeed you knew nothing other than Him. You could not tolerate being separated from the Lord for even a moment; it was as if Gora was Gopal’s very life.

 

   3. One day, Gopal taught some devotional practices to a child. The Lord was so ecstatic that he said to everyone, from today on, I will call Gopal, “guru”.

 

   4. Tears filled the Devotees’ eyes when they saw how merciful the Lord was to Gopal; it was as though the ocean of joy was overflowing. Everyone said that the name Gopal Guru was extraordinary, and as it was given by the Lord, it soon spread throughout the world.

 

   5. I am incapable of describing Gopal’s devotion to his guru, Vakreshvara, who was always satisfied with him. No one can compare to Gopal Guru who was always intoxicated in singing his own devotional songs and whose appearance was attractive to everyone.

 

   6. Everyone recognized that there was no one as merciful as he. Who in the world did not sing his glories? He made everyone worthy of loving ecstasy, only I, Narahari, have been deprived because of my own misdeeds.

 

   [Excerpted from “Shri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates” by Shrila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj]

Chandrashekhar and Shankararanya Acharya, these two along with Govindananda and Devananda, and Gopal Guru Goswami, are the five branches of the tree of Srila Vakreshwar Pandit.  Wonderful indeed are their qualities.

 

Sri Gopala Guru Goswami was a disciple of Sri Vakreshwara Pandit.  From early childhood, he stayed with Vakreshwara Pandit and remained under his care and guidance. Sriman Mahaprabhu was always very affectionate towards him and played many jokes on him. Under the authority of Sri Svarupa Damodara and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, he was instructed in the theology of rasa and attained expertise in the rasikprinciples.

 

Srila Gopal Guru was born in a family of Oriya  brahmins. His father’s name was Murari Pandit. His parents  named him Makaradhvaja Pandit. It is said that by the mercy of Mahaprabhu’s servant Govinda, Makaradhvaja was able to render personal service to Mahaprabhu.

 

Mahaprabhu used to affectionately call the boy “Gopal”. How he became known as Gopal Guru is an interesting story.  

 

From his childhood, Gopal served Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is said that once, prior to Mahaprabhu’s departure from Puri, Gopal happened to notice that while the Lord was going to answer a call of nature that he held his tongue between his teeth. 

 

When asked by the boy about this behavior, Mahaprabhu said that his tongue couldn’t stop chanting, but it was improper while he was engaged in a call of nature.  Gopal remarked, “Prabhu, you are the Supreme Lord and everyone follows you. What if someone while relieving themselves left his body, what would be his destination if he were not chanting?” Mahaprabhu became pleased and said, “You have spoken correctly. From today you shall be known as ‘guru’.” 

 

Devotees far and wide spoke about this incident and the glories of the young boy whom Sri Chaitanya titled, “guru”. When Abhiram Thakur heard about it, he decided to come to Puri to test Gopal.  Abhiram Thakur was a powerful associate of Lord Nityananda.  It was said whenever he offered obeisance to a deity that was not genuine the deity’s head would shatter into pieces.  In this way, by the strength of his obeisance, Abhiram had previously eliminated all of the offspring of Lord Nityananda except Ganga Devi and Virabhadra Prabhu.

 

When Gopal heard that Abhiram was on his way to meet him, he became frightened and ran and took shelter in the lap of Mahaprabhu. The Lord placed his foot on Gopal’s head, thereby marking a tilaka mark on the boy’s forehead depicting the foot­print of the Lord. By the strength of that blessing, when Abhiram Thakur offered his obeisance to him, Gopal was unaffected.

 

According to some, Gopal Guru Goswami was the gopi known as Tungavidya Sakhi, one of the ashta-sakhis in Goloka.

 

According to a local tradition at the Gambhira in Puri, a deity of Sri Sri Radhakant installed there had been captured from a South Indian king during one of the military campaigns of Maharaja  Purushottam Dev, the father of Prataparudra.  

 

Raja Purushottam Dev gifted the deities to his family priest, the father of Kashi Mishra.

The worship was later passed on to Kashi Mishra, who served as the priest of Maharaja Prataparudra.

 

After the disappearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Vakreshwar Pandit took up residence in the Gambhira and received the service of Sri Sri Radhakant from Kashi Mishra. Before Vakreshwar Pandit’s departure, he turned over the service to his dear disciple Gopal Guru Goswami.

 

From 1538 to 1548 AD, Gopal was in charge of the service of Sri Radhakanta. During that period the temple was thoroughly renovated. Under the order of Gopal Guru, four additional deities — of Sri Radha, Lalita, Nityananda Prabhu, and Lord Gauranga were also installed there.

 

A festival is held every year at the temple on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Magh. This is the day Gopal Guru became the mahant and took over the service of the deities. It is believed that on this day Gopal Guru appears for a short time on one side of Mahaprabhu’s seat.

 

In his old age Gopal Guru became concerned about who continue the service for Sri Radhakant after his disappearance. One night he had a dream in which Lord Krishna told him, “Don’t worry.  I’ve arranged for a sevak to continue the service. He will be the first person you meet tomorrow”.

 

That morning, Gopal Guru woke up and after performing his morning duties went outside. There he found an effulgent young brahmin who had been waiting at his doorstep to see him. Gopal Guru gave him mantra initiation and the name Sri Dhyanachandra and designated him to take over the deity service upon Gopal Guru’s departure from this world.  

 

According to the local tradition, the king of Puri was annoyed that the service of Radhakant was to be transferred without his approval. So when the news reached him that Gopal Guru had passed away, he sent soldiers to take over the temple. 

Meanwhile, Dhyanachandra was escorting the body of his guru to the funeral pyre at Swargadwar in Puri.  

 

When he heard about the king’s action, he grabbed his guru maharaja’s feet and began crying and pleading for Gopal Guru’s help. Suddenly, Gopal Guru rose up from the palanquin and led a sankirtan procession of ecstatic devotees back to the Gambhira, where he reclaimed the service of Sri Radhakant.

 

After this, Gopal Guru is said to have remained at the Gambhira during the reign of the next three kings. Then he again turned over the service of Radhakant to Dhyanachandra Goswami and left his body on the ninth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Kartika.

 

The next year when a group of devotees came from Vraja to attend the Puri Ratha yatra, they told Dhyanachandra — “Gopal Guru is doing his bhajan near Vamsivat in Vrindavan.” Astonished to hear this news, Dhyanachandra went the entire distance to Vraja on foot.

 

Upon arrival, he found his guru sitting under a tree chanting japa. “Guru Maharaja, how is it possible?” Dhyanachandra asked. “You left your body in Puri!” Gopal Guru looked at his disciple and lightly rebuked him, “Don’t you understand the transcendental nature of Vrindavan Dham?” Dhyanachandra began to weep in simultaneous happiness and distress, “Baba, we can’t tolerate your separation. Please come back.” Gopal Guru told him, “I will not return this time. But when you arrive back in Puri, go to Siddha Bakul where Haridas Thakur did his bhajan. There you will find an old neem tree. Have a deity made of me from that tree. When you offer bhoga to Radhakant, place that deity in front of the Lord. Through that deity you will continue to have my darshan”.

 

To this day that deity of Gopal Guru can be seen sitting on an asana near the doorway of the temple of Sri Radhakant.

 

Gopal Guru Goswami and his disciple Dhyanachandra both wrote books named Sri Gaura-govinda-archana-smaran-paddhati. Therein they have outlined the particular style of worship established by Gopal Guru Goswami. Later, these books were combined together and provide the basis for the worship conducted by some of the followers of Sri Chaitanya.

 

 

http://www.srigaurangashram.in

   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.