Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami (the son of a Vyenkata Bhatta, a Sri Vaisnava brahmana) appeared in Sri Rangam, South India. Lord Caitanya once stayed four months in his home, and converted the family to Gaudiya Vaisnavism. A mere boy at this time, Gopala personally served the Lord. Sri Caitanya treated him affectionately giving His remnants and blessings to become an acarya.
During His four month stay, Lord Caitanya developed a close friendship with Vyenkata Bhatta, which Krsna Dasa Kaviraja describes as “sakhya rasa.” Freely conversing with each other, they would often laugh and joke together. One day in a humorous mood Lord Caitanya asked Vyenkata:
“Why does your worshipable goddess of fortune, Sri Laksmidevi, abandon the happiness of Vaikuntha and her service to Her Lord Narayana? Why does she go to Vrndavana and perform severe austerities to attain the association of My Lord Gopala, the cowherd boy of Vraja?”
“I can’t understand these mysteries,” said Vyenkata, “but You, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, can surely enlighten me.”
“Lord Krsna has one unique quality,” said Lord Gauranga, “He attracts the hearts of everyone with His personal conjugal love (madhurya). Lord Narayana only has sixty transcendental qualities but Sri Krsna has sixty four. And all of them are saturated with His unique quality of madhurya (honey sweetness). The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, attracts the mind of Laksmidevi. But Lord Narayana can never attract the minds of the Vraja gopis.
“In Vraja lila, Krsna, disguised as Lord Narayana, once appeared before the gopis who were searching for Krsna. Seeing Lord Narayana the gopis said, ‘O Lord Narayana, pranamas. Where did Krsna go, did You see?’ By following the gopis, who spontaneously love Krsna without awareness of His Godhood, one can attain Krsna. The Srutis worshiped Krsna in the ecstasy of the gopis. Following in their footsteps, they received gopi’s bodies to join Krsna in the rasa dance. Laksmi, however, wanted to enjoy Krsna but retain Her spiritual form as Laksmidevi. Without following the gopis’ footsteps no one can attain Krsna.”
After receiving initiation from Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati, Gopala Bhatta came to Vrndavana and became a dear friend of Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis. He did bhajana in Vrndavana for forty five years, mostly at Radha kunda.
On pilgrimage he obtained twelve Salagrama silas. Later the Damodara sila manifested Himself as the beautiful Radha Ramana Deity. Since 1542, Radha Ramanaji has been worshiped with pure devotion following precise sastric rituals.
Lord Caitanya ordered Gopala Bhatta to write a book to check the spread of pseudo loving rasas and negligence to vaidhi bhakti. In corroboration with Sri Sanatana Gosvami he compiled the Hari bhakti vilasa, the authorized book explaining the rituals and devotional practices of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. He also wrote Sat kriya dipika and the outline for Sri Jiva Gosvami’s Sad Sandarbhas.
He eternally serves Srimati Radharani as one of Her asta manjaris, Guna manjari. His samadhi is within Radha Ramanaji’s temple compound behind the appearance place of the Deity. Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami initiated Gopinatha (Pujari Gosvami), a lifelong brahmacari who served Radha Ramanaji for his whole life. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami initiated Srinivasa Acarya and many other stalwart Vaisnavas.
(An excerpt from the book Gaudiya Vaisnavas Biographies and samadhis in Vrndavana by Mahanidhi Swami)
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