Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
Śrī Gopāla-guru Gosvāmī’s place of bhajana is situated within Dhīra-samīra. Śrī Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was one of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s well-known associates. In his last days, he became so distressed in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa that in the eyes of worldly people he left his material body. Some time later his dear disciple Śrī Gopāla-guru Gosvāmī also left this material world. His beloved disciple Dhyānacanda Gosvāmī was also a most learned and a topmost rasika bhakta. During his time, government officials committed some atrocities against the Rādhā-Kānta Maṭha and the bhajana-kuṭī of Haridāsa Ṭhākura in Purī. This caused him great sorrow. At that time, a Vaiṣṇava from Vṛndāvana gave him the following news: “Why are you so worried? We have seen your gurudeva, Śrī Gopāla-guru Gosvāmī, performing bhajana at Dhīra-samīra. Go to him. He will settle everything.” Hearing this, Dhyānacanda Gosvāmī became very joyful and immediately travelled on foot to Vṛndāvana.
Dhyānacanda Gosvāmī reached Vṛndāvana within a few days and upon entering Dhīra-samīra, he became astonished to see Śrī Gopāla-guru Gosvāmī with chanting-beads in his hand, submerged in ecstasy as he chanted nāma-saṅkīrtana. A constant flow of tears streamed from his eyes as he remembered various pastimes. Śrī Dhyānacanda fell at his feet like a rod and began to cry. He begged him to return to Purī-dhāma. Śrī Gopāla-guru Gosvāmī refused to go in person but said, “Return to Purī without anxiety. The disturbance of the government officials will end forever.” By his order, Dhyānacanda Gosvāmī returned to the Rādhā-Kānta Maṭha in Purī, where the government officials repeatedly apologised to him for their deeds.
This is that same Dhīra-samīra where Śrī Dhyānacanda Gosvāmī had direct darśana of Śrī Gopāla-guru Gosvāmī’s unmanifest transcendental form. Dhīra-samīra gives transcendental bliss to the devotees. Even today, it treasures all these pastimes in its heart.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
Gopala Guru was born into an Orissan brahmana family and his name was Makaradhvaja Pandita. In his childhood, because of his family’s connection with Vakreswara Pandita, he lived with him and remained under his care and guidance. Gopala Guru was fortunate enough to gain the association of Lord Chaitanya and it is said that by the mercy of Lord Chaitanya’s servant Govinda, Makaradhvaja was able to render personal service to Lord Chaitanya. Out of affection for the boy, Lord Chaitanya used to jokingly call him Gopala. One day while serving the Lord, Makaradhvaja noticed a devotee holding his tongue between His teeth to stop himself from chanting while going to answer the call of nature. When Gopala asked the devotee about this, the devotee said his tongue could not stop chanting but it was unclean and improper to chant the Lord’s name at that time. Gopala replied that as death can occur at any time, therefore one should continue chanting even when answering the call of nature. On hearing the highly intelligent words of Gopala, Lord Chaitanya was very pleased and said that from now onwards he would be known as Gopala Guru. Some say that the devotee in question was in fact the Lord Himself having fun with the young Gopala. In the years that followed Gopala Guru became an initiated disciple of Vakreshwara Pandita and studied under both Swarupa Damodara and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami.
The Deity of Shri Shri Radhakanta worshiped by Vakreshwara Pandita that was installed in a room next to the Gambhira, had been collected from Southern India during one of the military campaigns of Maharaja Purushottam Dev, the father of Prataparudra. The king had gifted these Deities to Kashi Mishra’s father who was his family priest. After his father’s death the worship passed on to Kashi Mishra. After the disappearance of Lord Chaitanya, Vakreshwar Pandit moved to the Gambhira formerly used by the Lord and took over the worship of Radhakanta from Kashi Mishra. This Deity was later worshiped by Gopala Guru Goswami.
After his education was over, Gopal Guru Goswami had spent some time in Vrindavana performing bhajana near Dhira Samira, where sometime later his followers established a small temple and installed the pratibhu-murti of Shri Shri Radhakanta. Gopala Guru eventually returned to Puri where he spent the remainder of his life. Before leaving this world, Vakreshwar Pandita handed over the service of Radhakanta to his disciple Gopal Guru Goswami. For many years Gopal Guru Goswami served Shri Shri Radhakanta and in his old age he became concerned about who would serve the Deities after his disappearance. In a dream Lord Krishna informed him, “Don’t worry. I’ve arranged for a sevak to continue the service. He will be the first person you meet tomorrow”. After waking and performing his morning duties he went outside. There he found a young and effulgent brahmana who had been waiting outside his room to see him. Gopal Guru Goswami accepted the young brahmana as his disciple giving him the name Dhyanachandra and engaged him in serving the Deities.
When Gopal Guru Goswami passed away, the king of Puri Maharaja Kaluadeva (Ramachandradeva) was somewhat disturbed that he had not been consulted about the appointment of the new mahanta Dhyanachandra at the temple of Radhakanta and consequently, hearing of Gopala Guru’s death and that Dhyanachandra was attending the funeral, the king sent his soldiers to take over the temple. Meanwhile Dhyanachandra had arrived at Swargadwar in Puri where the body of Gopala Guru had been placed on the funeral pyre to be cremated, when he heard about the king’s sudden action. Dhyanachandra immediately took hold of his guru’s feet and began crying piteously while pleading for guidance. All of a sudden Gopal Guru Goswami rose up from the funeral pyre while loudly chanting the holy names of Krishna, much to the astonishment of everyone present and hastily returned to the Gambhira along with Dhyanachandra and all his followers in a large sankirtan procession in order to reclaim the service of Shri Shri Radhakanta. After this, Gopal Guru is said to have remained at the Gambhira until the reign of the next king. Then with the new king’s consent he once again appointed Dhyanachandra as the mahanta, after which left his body which was placed in samadhi. When a group of Vaishnavas returned to Vrindavana after attending the Puri Ratha Yatra, they were completely shocked to see Gopal Guru Goswami sitting under a tree near Dhira Samira where he used to perform his bhajana. These devotees immediately sent word to Dhyanachandra in Puri who instantly left for Vrindavana with a group of his guru’s followers.
When Dhyanachandra arrived in Vrindavana, he was surprised to see Gopala Guru Goswami sitting under the tree at Dhira Samira chanting on his beads. Gopala Guru Goswami explained that they were now seeing his spiritual body. Dhyanachandra began to weep in simultaneous happiness and distress. He told Gopala Guru Goswami that it was very difficult for him to live as he was unable to tolerate his separation. Gopal Guru told him that when he goes back in Puri, he should go to Siddha Bakul where Haridas Thakur did his bhajan, and from an old neem tree standing nearby, Dhyanachandra should have Gopala Guru’s Deity carved and installed in the temple of Radhakanta. In this way Dhyanachandra would continue to have darshana of his guru. Then after meeting all the Vaishnavas that were residing in Vrindavana, Gopala Guru Goswami disappeared while sitting under the same tree. Therefore his disciples established a pushpa-samadhi near the very same tree which is now located in the courtyard of the Shri Shri Radhakanta Temple that can still be seen today. It is said the Gopala Guru Goswami was Tungavidya-sakhi in Krishna’s Vrindavana Pastimes. However, in the book Guru-pranai it is said that Gopal Guru Goswami was the gopi Majumedha-sakhi.
