SB 3.28.37 – Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami’s Disappearance Day

Giriraj Swami: Reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Twenty-Eight, Kapila’s Instructions on Devotional Service, Text Thirty-Seven.

TEXT 37

Because he has achieved his real identity, the perfectly realized soul has no conception of how the material body is moving or acting, just as an intoxicated person cannot understand whether or not he has clothing on his body.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This stage of life is explained by Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. A person whose mind is completely dovetailed with the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and who engages one hundred percent in the service of the Lord, forgets his material bodily demands. 

COMMENT

So, the liberated soul is defined by Srila Rupa Gosvami in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, karmaṇā manasā girā, one whose body, mind, and words are engaged in the service of the Lord, jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate, he is considered liberated even while within the material body. Although he is within the body, he does not identify with the body; he identifies with the service of the Lord. And he has no other engagement but devotional service. Being absorbed in his eternal relationship with Krishna, he does not care much for the demands of the body. But the activities of the body are maintained by the grace of the Lord.

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is an excellent example of a liberated soul, fully absorbed in his eternal relationship with Krishna. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was born in a wealthy family in Bengal. His father and uncle, Govardhana and Hiranya Majumdar, were great landlords or zamindars in Bengal, and in wealth and influence, they were practically like kings. They were devotees, and they maintained the entire Vaishnava community in Bengal through charity. But Raghunatha dasa was not attracted by the material opulence; he was more attracted to the service of the Lord.

And once, he left home to try to join Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. But Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sent him back home. He told him, “Do not act like a crazy fellow. You should go back home to your father and mother and wife, and you should work just like an expert business manager externally, and internally, you should be fixed in your devotion to Krishna.” So, on the order of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Raghunatha dasa returned home, and he managed the affairs of his father and uncle in the way directed by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In his heart, his desire to join Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became stronger and stronger.

One day, he heard that Nityananda Prabhu was nearby in a place called Panihati, on the banks of the Ganges. So, Raghunatha dasa took the opportunity to go and meet Him. When Raghunatha saw the Lord, He was sitting on a raised platform beneath a tree by the banks of the Ganges. So, from a distance, Raghunatha dasa offered respect. One of Nityananda Prabhu’s associates told Him, “Look, there is Raghunatha dasa, offering obeisances from a distance.” So, Nityananda Prabhu immediately caught hold of Raghunatha dasa and He said, “You are just like a thief offering obeisances from a distance, but now I have caught you, and I will punish you. The punishment is that you’ll have to feed Me and all of My associates. You’ll have to make a feast of flat rice and yogurt.” With great pleasure, Raghunatha dasa accepted the order of Nityananda Prabhu. Thus, the chipped rice festival was celebrated on the banks of the Ganges.

At the end, Raghunatha dasa asked for the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. Lord Nityananda blessed him, “Very soon, you will become free from the shackles of family life, and you will be able to join Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and become one of His confidential servants.” So, Raghunatha dasa returned home, and he stayed in the mandapa in the exterior of the compound. He didn’t stay in the interior portion of the house. Very often, Raghunatha dasa would try to escape from home, so his parents kept guards to watch him. One night, the spiritual master of Raghunatha dasa came to meet him. [audio cut] Thus, one of the disciples was refusing to do the Deity worship. [audio cut] Raghunatha dasa convinced the disciple to take up his duties again. [audio cut]

So, in the middle of the night, Raghunatha dasa left with his spiritual master. But after some steps, he told his spiritual master, “There is no need for you to accompany me. I will speak to the disciple and send him for the service. You may go and take rest.” Thus, Raghunatha dasa proceeded by foot to Jagannatha Puri, taking the interior road, so that he would not be seen. When the parents of Raghunatha dasa awoke, they saw that Raghunatha dasa was gone, and they cried, “Alas! Alas! Raghunatha dasa has gone!” And they sent their men everywhere to search and find him back.

Meanwhile, for twelve days continuously, Raghunatha dasa walked on foot to Jagannatha Puri. Sometimes he got food to eat, and sometimes he did not. Sometimes he would chew some dried chickpeas or drink some milk. But for seven of the twelve days, he had no food to eat at all. Finally, he reached Jagannatha Puri, and he came to the place of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. There, Lord Chaitanya was sitting with His confidential associates. One of the devotees named Mukunda said, “Look, there is Raghunatha dasa!” So, Lord Chaitanya, out of His extreme mercy, got up and went to embrace Raghunatha dasa. Raghunatha dasa was so humble, he stayed at a distance from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was so merciful to Raghunatha dasa that He Himself went to Raghunatha dasa and embraced him.

He addressed Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, “I am placing Raghunatha dasa in your care. You take care of him as your son or your servant. You train him in Krishna consciousness and engage him in service.” Thus, Raghunatha dasa became the assistant of Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. Svarupa Damodara was the personal secretary of Lord Chaitanya. So, Raghunatha dasa became the assistant, personal secretary, or servant of Lord Chaitanya. Thus, for many years, Raghunatha served Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri, and he set the highest standard for the renounced order of life.

Lord Chaitanya gave different instructions to different disciples. To Raghunatha dasa, He gave the instruction to follow strictly the principles of renounced life. Lord Chaitanya instructed him that he should not eat very rich food or dress very luxuriously. It is said that Raghunatha dasa’s execution of devotional service was so strict that it was just like lines on a stone. As lines on a stone cannot be erased at any time, so Raghunatha dasa’s spiritual practices could not be erased.

Thus, Raghunatha dasa enjoyed life in Jagannatha Puri, an example of extreme humility and austerity. Eventually, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left this world, and all of the devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were plunged in the ocean of grief in separation. But eventually, Svarupa Damodara, in separation from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, also left this world [audio cut] until Gadadhara Pandit left this world in separation from Chaitanya. Then, Raghunatha dasa considered, “There is nothing left for me in this world. I will give up my body.”

Earlier, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had given Raghunatha dasa govardhana-śilā and guñjā-mālā to worship. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had kept the govardhana-śilā with Him for some time, and He felt so much love for the śilā that sometimes He would keep it on His head, sometimes in His eyes, sometimes on His heart. Sometimes, He wouldn’t know what to do with it, because He saw the śilā as directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, and the guñjā-mālā represented Srimati Radharani.

So, Raghunatha dasa received the transcendental gift from the hand of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He thought, By giving me the govardhana-śilā, Lord Chaitanya has given me residence at Govardhana or is giving me residence at Govardhana. And by giving me the guñjā-mālā, He is giving me the service of Srimati Radharani. Raghunatha dasa decided to give up his body in Vrindavan. He thought he would jump from Govardhana Hill, and thinking of Govardhana Hill at the time of death, he will get residence at Govardhana in the next life.

Thus, Raghunatha dasa proceeded to Vrindavan. But before he would give up his life, he wanted to offer his respects to Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami. So, he went to meet them. But they requested him, “Please, do not give up your life. You had so much association with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri. You should remain with us and tell us about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes.”

Sanatana Gosvami may have said, “I also had the same idea to give up my life under the wheels of the chariot of Lord Jagannatha, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did not approve. He asked me, ‘Is it proper when you have given something to someone else to take it back or to destroy it?’ Of course, the answer is no. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, ‘You have already given your body to Me. You dedicated your body to My service. How can you take it back or destroy it?’

Then, Lord Chaitanya said, ‘If I could attain Krishna by giving up My body, I would give up thousands and millions of bodies. But one cannot achieve Krishna by such means. One can achieve Krishna only by devotional service. So, you should remain in the body and engage in devotional service. You will attain Krishna.’ So, do not entertain ideas of suicide. Ideas are produced by the mode of ignorance. And Lord Chaitanya said, ‘I have many things to execute. I have many works to perform. But I cannot perform them directly because I have given word to My mother that I will remain in Jagannatha Puri. So, I have many works to perform through your body, which I cannot perform Myself. I want you to go to Vrindavan and excavate the lost places of Krishna’s pastimes. I want you to write books on the philosophy and practice of Vaishnavas. I have so many things to accomplish through your body. How can you destroy it?’”

So, Sanatana Gosvami advised Raghunatha dasa, “You also should remain in your body and stay with us and tell us about your experiences with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”

Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

So, regularly, they all used to meet to discuss the qualities and pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Krishna. Raghunatha dasa was a self-realized soul, just like the yogi mentioned in the verse here,

TEXT 37

Because he has achieved his real identity, the perfectly realized soul has no conception of how the material body is moving or acting, just as an intoxicated person cannot understand whether or not he has clothing on his body. 

COMMENT

Raghunatha dasa would chant the holy names of Krishna 200,000 times daily, he would offer obeisances to Vaishnavas one thousand times daily, he would completely forget his body and become absorbed in chanting and meditation on the pastimes of Radha and Krishna. And for hours, he would remain absorbed in internal consciousness, partially external. So, sometimes Raghunatha dasa would go into internal consciousness and be absorbed in the pastimes of Radha and Krishna as one of the maidservants of Srimati Radharani. Then, gradually, he would come to partially external consciousness and write about his realizations and experiences. And then, eventually, he would come to external consciousness and feel so much separation.

Actually, at most, he would sleep one or two hours, and sometimes even that was not possible. And every two or three days, he would just drink one cup of buttermilk, and the rest of the time, he would chant Hare Krishna, remember the pastimes of Krishna, and serve Krishna. One day, Raghunatha dasa fell sick, and one or two days passed, three, maybe four days passed, and he still did not get better. So, one of Raghunatha dasa’s followers or admirers called a doctor from Mathura. So, the doctor took the pulse of Raghunatha dasa and declared that Raghunatha dasa was suffering from overeating. All the devotees protested that he only drinks a small leaf cup of buttermilk every two or three days. How could he be suffering from overeating? Raghunatha dasa said, “No, it is true because the other night, there was a big festival in the spiritual world. I ate too much sweet rice.”

Raghunatha dasa didn’t care for any shelter. But he would simply remain absorbed in chanting the holy names of Krishna. Sometimes the sun would be beating so hard on the head and body of Raghunatha dasa. Then, Srimati Radharani Herself came and held out Her cloth over the head of Raghunatha dasa to give him shelter from the sun. Another time, Raghunatha dasa went to take water from Radha-kunda, and meanwhile, a fierce tiger also came. He could have pounced upon Raghunatha dasa at any moment, but Lord Krishna personally came and gave protection to Raghunatha dasa.

So, Sanatana Gosvami saw these incidents, and he thought, Although Raghunatha dasa is completely renounced, it is not proper that he should be so exposed to danger. So, he personally constructed a small hut for Raghunatha dasa, and thus, the system of having bhajana-kuṭiras in Vraja began. Gosvamis used to just sleep under the trees. They had no residence or protection whatsoever. So, for many years, Raghunatha dasa lived on the banks of Radha-kunda. There he gave blessing to Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami to write Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. In fact, Caitanya-caritāmṛta is based on the notes taken by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. And at Radha-kunda, the bhajana-kuṭira of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, where he wrote Caitanya-caritāmṛta, is just near the bhajana-kuṭira of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.

So, three great personalities; Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, all disappeared on the same date, which we are commemorating today. In fact, at Radha-kunda, there is one place called Teen Samadhi, where the samadhis of all three are commemorated; Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

So today, we should pray for their mercy that we can serve them and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and ultimately, Radha and Krishna through their mercy and their followers in disciplic succession, and Srila Prabhupada. And they should give us their mercy that we should become free from all material attachments and entanglements and fully engage in the service of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu according to the regulative principles and instructions He has for us. And we also pray to them to give their mercy upon all fallen souls, that they also may be reestablished in their constitutional positions as eternal servants of Krishna.

Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami ki jaya! Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami ki jaya! Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami ki jaya! Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!

Are there any questions or comments? So, we can sing the song to the departed Vaishnavas from the songbook.