Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami

Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami (1503-1578), Ananga-manjari (or Guna-manjari) in Krishna-lila, was the son of Venkata Bhatta of Sri Rangam, at whose home Mahaprabhu stayed for the four months of Chaturmasya in 1511. As a boy Gopala served the Lord and was won over by His teachings on Krishna's supremacy. Trained by his uncle and guru Prabodhananda Sarasvati, he came to Vrindavan after his parents' passing, and the Lord sent him His own seat and cloth. From the Gandaki River he brought twelve shalagrama-shilas, and in 1542, on Narasimha Chaturdashi, one of them manifested as the beautiful Deity Sri Radha-ramana, still worshipped in Vrindavan today. He compiled Hari-bhakti-vilasa with Sanatana Gosvami, wrote Sat-kriya-sara-dipika, and laid the groundwork for Jiva Gosvami's Sat-sandarbha. Srinivasa Acharya and Gopinatha Pujari were his disciples. Out of humility he asked not to be named in Chaitanya-charitamrita. His samadhi is at the Radha-ramana temple.

In Vrindavan he lived as a wandering mendicant, spending nights at different kundas and his days studying and writing. He performed bhajana for many years at Sanket, between Varsana and Nandagrama, and in his later years lived at Radha-kunda with Raghunatha Dasa, Krishnadasa Kaviraja and Raghunatha Bhatta. Radha-ramana is the only one of the original Goswami Deities still in Vrindavan, served by the descendants of Gopinatha Pujari's brother Damodara Dasa.

Krishna in Vrindavan is supreme over His majestic Narayana form; love surpasses power and sweetness surpasses opulence; and Vaishnava life should be guided by scripture in every stage, from birth rites to sannyasa.

Humility, Scholarship, Devotion to Deity worship, Renunciation, Love in separation