Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This is not one of the Goswami temples of Radha-kunda but a temple established by the followers of Jahnava Mata, the eternal consort and beloved wife of Lord Nityananda, to commemorate her visit to Radha-kunda in 1582. While staying at Radha-kunda, Jahnava Mata would regularly sit under a tree on the banks of the Radha-kunda and chant japa. While she was immersed in chanting the holy names of the Lord, she suddenly heard the sound of Krishna’s flute, and turning her head, she had the transcendental vision of Lord Gopinatha standing beneath a nearby tamal tree in a three-fold bending form (tri-bhanga-rupa) playing on His flute. The followers of Jahnava Mata decided to establish a temple on the very spot where she had the vision of Lord Gopinatha. In the temple one can see the Deity of Lord Gopinatha with Ananga Manjari standing to Lord Gopinatha’s left-hand side and Radharani standing to Lord Gopinatha’s right-hand side. (When looking from the darshana-mandapa Radharani is on the left and Ananga Manjari is on the right). Normally, Radharani stands on Krishna’s right, but in all Gopinatha temples, Radharani is always seen on the left and Her sister Ananga Manjari is on the right. Ma Jahnava is an incarnation of Ananga Manjari and there is a wonderful pastime how the Deity of Ananga Manjari appeared on the altar standing in Radharani’s usual position on the right-hand side of Lord Gopinatha. The story explaining this unusual arrangement is explained in chapter nine under the heading of Radha Gopinatha Mandira, Vrindavana.
When Jahnava Mata arrived at Radha-kunda during her pilgrimage to Vrindavana, she met Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, Krishnadasa Kaviraja, and Gopala Bhatta Goswami. At that time Raghunatha Dasa was in a very pitiable condition feeling acute separation from both Rupa and Sanatana, whose association he deeply missed since the time of their disappearance. In Vrindavana, Jiva Goswami had requested Jahnava Mata to visit Radha-kunda and give her divine darshana to Raghunatha Dasa, in order to give him some relief from the raging fire of separation, while hoping that it would give him impetus to go on living.
In the Bhakti-ratnakara it says, “That illustrious personality, Ma Jahnava, glowed with a golden effulgence more brilliant than the sun. When Raghunatha Dasa Goswami saw her coming, he went mad out of ecstatic love. He cried so much that due to the sudden flood of tears that filled his eyes, he momentarily lost sight of her. Ma Jahnava could understand by her spiritual vision, the innermost feelings within the heart of Raghunatha Dasa. Tears of divine love poured forth from both their eyes just like well springs. Raghunatha Dasa did not know what to say, or how to please Ma Jahnava, whose own heart was burning in the fire of separation from her beloved husband and eternal consort Lord Nityananda.”
