Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami

Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami (1494-1586), Rasa-manjari in Krishna-lila, was the only son of Govardhana Majumdar, a wealthy landholder of Saptagram, yet from childhood he had no taste for material enjoyment. After repeated attempts to escape home, he received Nityananda Prabhu's mercy at the famous chida-dahi festival at Panihati and then fled to Mahaprabhu in Puri. There he lived under the care of Svarupa Damodara, practising extreme renunciation and witnessing the Lord's final pastimes. Mahaprabhu gave him His own Govardhana-shila and gunja-mala. After the Lord's departure he came to Vraja and spent over forty years in bhajana at Radha-kunda, where he inspired the excavation of Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda. Krishnadasa Kaviraja heard Mahaprabhu's pastimes from him daily and wrote them in Chaitanya-charitamrita. His samadhi is at Radha-kunda, and he shares a disappearance day with Raghunatha Bhatta and Krishnadasa Kaviraja.

He first met the Lord at Shantipur in 1510 and again in 1515, but was kept at home by his family until 1518, when he finally escaped to Puri. There the Lord entrusted him to Svarupa Damodara, under whose care he stayed about sixteen years. In Vraja he reduced eating and sleeping almost to nothing and chanted constantly. In 1545 Jiva Gosvami purchased the fields containing Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda, and Raghunatha Dasa began their excavation. Srinivasa Acharya received his blessings before preaching in Bengal.

Absolute renunciation of sense enjoyment, constant chanting of the holy name, and service to Radharani in the mood of a manjari; never hear or speak worldly talk.

Renunciation, Determination, Austerity, Love in separation, Devotion to Radharani