Sanātana Gosvāmī Disappearance Day

Identity in the Spiritual World

yā rūpa-mañjarī-preṣṭhā purāsīd rati-mañjarī

socyate nāma-bhedena lavaṅga-mañjarī budhaiḥ

sādya gaurābhinna-tanuḥ sarvārādhyaḥ sanātanaḥ

tam eva prāviśat kāryān muni-ratnaḥ sanātanaḥ

Rati Mañjarī, who was previously very dear to Rūpa-mañjarī and was also known by some wise persons as Lavaṅga-mañjarī, has become the worshipable Sanātana who is non-different from Gaurā Himself. The jewel amongst sages, Sanātana Kumāra, has also entered into him to fulfill a certain mission. [Śrī Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 181, 182].

Bhajan Sung for the Six Gosvāmīs

Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭakam

Meeting Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Excerpt from Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 2, By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda

After Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the renounced order of life (sannyāsa), He traveled all over India. During this period He went to Maldah, a district in Bengal. In that area there was a village named Rāmakeli, where two government ministers of the Nawab Hussain Shah’s regime lived. These two ministers, who were brothers, were named Dabira Khāsa and Sākara Mallika; later they were renamed Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, respectively. They had a chance to meet Lord Caitanya, and afterward they decided to retire from government service and join His saṅkīrtana movement.

Upon making this decision, the two brothers at once took steps to leave their material engagements, and they appointed two learned brāhmaṇas to perform certain Vedic religious rituals that would enable them to achieve complete freedom for the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa. These preliminary ritualistic functions are known as puraścaryā. They require that three times a day one worship and offer respects to one’s forefathers, offer oblations to a fire, and respectfully offer food to a learned brāhmaṇa. Five items – the time, the worship, the offering of respect, the offering of oblations into the fire, and the offering of food to a brāhmaṇa – constitute puraścaryā. These and other rituals are mentioned in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, an authoritative book of directions for Vaiṣṇavas.

After arranging for the performance of these religious rituals, the younger brother, Dabira Khāsa (Rūpa Gosvāmī), returned home with an immense amount of money, which he had acquired during his government service. The silver and gold coins he brought back filled a large boat. After arriving home, he first divided the accumulated wealth in half and distributed one part to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. Thus for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he distributed fifty percent of his accumulated wealth to persons engaged in the Supreme Lord’s transcendental loving service. Brāhmaṇas are meant to understand the Absolute Truth, and once they understand the Absolute Truth and actually engage in the loving service of the Lord, they are known as Vaiṣṇavas. Both brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are supposed to fully engage in transcendental service, and Rūpa Gosvāmī, considering their important transcendental position, gave them fifty percent of his wealth. The balance he again divided in half: one part he distributed to his relatives and dependent family members, and the other he kept for personal emergencies. Ten thousand coins were deposited for expenditures to be incurred by his elder brother, Sanātana Gosvāmī.

At this time Rūpa Gosvāmī received information that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was preparing to go to Vṛndāvana from Jagannātha Purī. Rūpa Gosvāmī sent two messengers to get actual information of the Lord’s itinerary, and he made his own plans to go to Mathurā to meet the Lord. It appears that Rūpa Gosvāmī got permission to join Lord Caitanya, but Sanātana Gosvāmī did not. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī entrusted the responsibilities of his government service to his immediate assistants, and he remained at home to study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He engaged ten or twenty learned brāhmaṇas and began an intensive study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in their company. While he was thus engaged, he submitted sick-leave reports to his employer, the Nawab. But the ruler was so anxious for Sanātana Gosvāmī’s advice in government matters that one day he suddenly appeared at his house. When the Nawab entered the room where Sanātana Gosvāmī and the brāhmaṇas were assembled, out of respect they all stood up to receive him, and they offered him a place to sit.

“You have submitted sick reports,” the Nawab told Sanātana Gosvāmī, “but I sent my physician to see you, and he reported that you have no illness at all. Since I did not know why you were submitting sick reports and not attending to your service, I have personally come to see you. I am much perturbed by your behavior. As you know, I completely depend on you and your responsible work in government. I was free to act in other matters because I was depending on you, but if you do not join me, your past devotion will be spoiled. Now, what is your intention? Please tell me.”

On hearing this, Sanātana Gosvāmī replied that he was unable to work anymore and that it would be very kind of the Nawab to appoint someone else to execute the work that had been entrusted to him. At this the Nawab became very angry and said, “Your elder brother lives like a hunter, and if you retire from the administration, everything will be finished.” It was said that the Nawab used to treat Sanātana Gosvāmī like a younger brother. Since the Nawab was principally engaged in conquering different parts of the country and also in hunting, he depended largely on Sanātana Gosvāmī for government administration. Thus he pleaded with him: “If you retire from government service, how will the administration be run?”

“You are the governor of Gauḍa,” Sanātana Gosvāmī replied very gravely, “and you punish different kinds of criminals in different ways. So you are at liberty to punish anyone according to his activity.” By this reply Sanātana Gosvāmī indicated that since the governor was engaged in hunting animals and in killing men to expand his kingdom, let both of them suffer according to the acts they were performing. The Nawab, being intelligent, understood Sanātana Gosvāmī’s purport. He left the house in an angry mood, and shortly afterward he went off to conquer Orissa. He ordered the arrest of Sanātana Gosvāmī and commanded that he be held until the Nawab returned.

When Rūpa Gosvāmī learned that the Nawab had arrested his elder brother Sanātana, Rūpa sent Sanātana a message that he could use the ten thousand coins in the care of the Bengali grocer to secure his release from the Nawab’s detention. Having sent this message, Rūpa departed for Vṛndāvana with his younger brother Vallabha to meet Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

After receiving Rūpa Gosvāmī’s message, Sanātana offered five thousand of the coins to the keeper of the jail in which he was being held in custody. He advised the jailkeeper to gladly accept the five thousand coins from him and let him go because by accepting the money he would not only be materially benefited but would also be acting very righteously by freeing Sanātana for spiritual purposes.

“Of course I would like to let you go,” the jailkeeper replied, “for you have done many services for me and you are in government service. But I’m afraid of the Nawab. When he hears that you are free, I’ll have to explain everything to him. How can I accept such a proposal?” Sanātana then invented a story the jailkeeper might submit to the Nawab to explain how he had escaped, and he raised his offer to ten thousand coins. Anxious to get the money, the jailkeeper agreed to the proposition and let him go.

Sanātana then departed to see the Lord. He did not travel on the open road but went through the jungles until he arrived at a place in Bihar called Pātaḍā. There he rested in a hotel, but the hotelkeeper was informed by an astrologer employed there that Sanātana Gosvāmī had some gold coins with him. The hotelkeeper, wanting to steal the money, spoke to Sanātana with superficial respect: “Just take your rest tonight, and in the morning I shall arrange for you to get out of this jungle trap.”

However, Sanātana was suspicious of his behavior, and he inquired from his servant Īśāna whether he had some money. Īśāna told him that he had seven gold coins. Sanātana did not like the idea of the servant carrying such money. Sanātana at once took the gold coins and offered them to the hotelkeeper. He then requested the hotelkeeper to help him through the jungle. The hotelkeeper replied, “I learned that you had eight coins with you, and I was thinking of killing you to take them. But I can understand that you are a very good man, and so you don’t have to offer me the money. I will get you over this hilly tract of land.” “If you don’t accept these coins, then someone else will take them from me,” Sanātana replied. “Someone will kill me for them, so it is better that you take them. I offer them to you.” The hotelkeeper then gave him full assistance, and that very night he helped him get past the hills.

When Sanātana emerged from the hills, he requested his servant to go home with the one coin he still had with him, for Sanātana decided he would go on alone. After the departure of his servant, Sanātana felt completely free. With torn clothing and with a waterpot in his hand, he proceeded toward Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. On the way he met his rich brother-in-law, who was also in the government service and who offered him an excellent blanket, which Sanātana accepted at his special request. Then he departed from him and went on alone to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Benares.

When he reached Benares, Sanātana learned that the Lord was there, and he became overjoyed. He was informed by the people that the Lord was staying at the house of Candraśekhara, and Sanātana went there. Although Caitanya Mahāprabhu was inside the house, He could understand that Sanātana had arrived at the door, and He asked Candraśekhara to call in the man who was sitting there. “He is a Vaiṣṇava, a great devotee of the Lord,” Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. Candraśekhara came out to see the man, but he saw no Vaiṣṇava at the door. He saw only a man who appeared to be a Muslim mendicant. The Lord then asked to see the mendicant, and when Sanātana entered the courtyard, Lord Caitanya hurriedly came out to receive him and embrace him. When the Lord embraced him, Sanātana became overwhelmed with spiritual ecstasy, and he said, “My dear Lord, please do not touch me.” But they embraced each other and began to cry. Seeing Sanātana and Lord Caitanya acting thus, Candraśekhara was struck with wonder. Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked Sanātana to sit down with Him on a bench. The Lord was touching the body of Sanātana with His hand, and again Sanātana asked Him, “My dear Lord, please do not touch me.”

“I am touching you just for My purification,” the Lord replied, “for you are a great devotee. By your devotional service you can deliver the whole universe and enable everyone to go back to Godhead.”

The Lord then quoted a nice verse from the Vedic literature stating that a person who is a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa and is one hundred percent engaged in devotional service is far better than a brāhmaṇa who is versed in all the Vedic literatures but who does not engage in the devotional service of the Lord. Because the devotee carries the Supreme Lord within his heart, he can purify every place and everything.

Next, the Lord told Sanātana, “Kṛṣṇa is very merciful and is the deliverer of fallen souls. He has saved you from Mahāraurava.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes Mahāraurava as a hell meant for persons engaged in killing animals, for it is stated there that butchers and animal eaters go to that hell.

“I do not know the mercy of Kṛṣṇa,” Sanātana replied, “but I can understand that Your mercy upon me is causeless. You have delivered me from the entanglement of material life.”

Then the Lord asked, “How did you get free from custody? I understand that you were arrested.” Sanātana then narrated the whole story of his release. The Lord then informed him: “I saw your two brothers and advised them to proceed toward Vṛndāvana.”

Lord Caitanya then introduced Candraśekhara and Tapana Miśra to Sanātana, and Tapana Miśra pleasantly invited Sanātana to dine with him. The Lord requested Candraśekhara to take Sanātana to a barber and make him “gentle,” for Sanātana had grown a long beard, which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not like. He asked Candraśekhara to provide Sanātana not only with a bath and clean shave but with a change of clothes as well.

After Sanātana had bathed, Candraśekhara offered him some good cloth. When Lord Caitanya was informed that Sanātana had not accepted the new garments but later accepted only some used garments from Tapana Miśra, He was very glad. The Lord went to Tapana Miśra’s house for lunch and asked him to keep food for Sanātana. Tapana Miśra did not offer Sanātana food immediately, however, but after the Lord had finished eating there were some remnants of His food, and those remnants were offered to Sanātana while the Lord took His rest.

After resting, Lord Caitanya introduced a Maharashtrian brāhmaṇa, a devotee of His, to Sanātana, and that brāhmaṇa invited Sanātana to accept lunch daily at his place as long as he remained in Benares. “As long as I remain in Benares, I will beg from door to door,” Sanātana said. “But the Lord will be so good as to accept this invitation for daily lunch at your house.”

Lord Caitanya was very much pleased by this behavior of Sanātana’s, but He noticed the valuable blanket that had been given to him by his brother-in-law while Sanātana was en route to Benares. Although Lord Caitanya did not say anything about the blanket, Sanātana understood that He did not approve of such a valuable garment on his body, and therefore Sanātana decided to get rid of it. He immediately went to the bank of the Ganges, and there he saw a mendicant washing an old quilt. When Sanātana asked him to trade the old quilt for the valuable blanket, the poor mendicant thought that Sanātana was joking with him. “How is this?” the mendicant replied. “You appear to be a very nice gentleman, but you are mocking me in this unmannerly way.”

“I am not joking with you,” Sanātana informed him. “I am very serious. Will you kindly exchange your torn quilt for this blanket?” Finally, the mendicant exchanged his torn quilt for the blanket, and Sanātana returned to the Lord.

“Where is your valuable blanket?” the Lord immediately inquired. Sanātana informed Him about the exchange, and the Lord loved him for this and thanked him. “You are intelligent enough, and you have now exhausted all your attraction for material wealth.” In other words, the Lord accepts a person for devotional service only when he is completely free from all material possessions. The Lord then told Sanātana: “It would not look good for you to be a mendicant and beg from door to door with such a valuable blanket on your body. It is contradictory, and people would look on it with abhorrence.”

Pastimes in Vṛndāvana

From Bhakti-ratnākara, Fifth Wave

Kṛṣṇa gives Sanātana Goswami a Govardhana-śilā with His footprints

Every day with determination Sanātana Gosvāmī would perform the twelve krośa [twenty-four miles] parikramā of Govardhana Hill. Seeing the difficulty taken by Sanātana in his old age, Gopīnātha appeared before him in the form of a cowherd boy. Sanātana, with tearful eyes, tried to conceal his fatigued condition from the boy.

Gopīnātha sweetly spoke to Sanātana, “In this old age you should not take so much endeavor. Dear Svāmiji, please follow My advice.”

Sanātana replied, ‘Whatever You say I will certainly follow.”

Then the cowherd boy climbed Govardhana and brought one śilā marked with His own footprint. In sweet words He requested Sanātana to accept the Govardhana-śilā marked with the footprint of Lord Kṛṣṇa: “From today just circumambulate this śilā and thus your vow of daily parikramā will be fulfilled.” Saying this He gave the śilā to Sanātana in his cottage and disappeared.

Sanātana became very anxious on not seeing the boy. Seeing Sanātana's condition, Gopīnātha affectionately revealed His identity. Wet with his own tears, Sanātana then repented why he did not recognize his Lord. In this way, Sanātana remained under the influence of intense love for Śrī Vrajendra-kumāra, who sports in the flower groves of the Vṛndāvana forest.

Kṛṣṇa brings milk for Sanātana Goswami

Coming from Vṛndāvana to the secluded forest near Pāvana-sarovara, Sanātana Goswami was overwhelmed by ecstatic love from continuously worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa. Sanātana lived as a recluse, making no endeavor for his food. No one knew that he was staying at this place.

Kṛṣṇa in the guise of a cowherd boy came happily before Sanātana with a pot of milk. Dressed as a cowherd boy with a turban on His head and the pot of milk in His hand, He spoke to Sanātana: “You live in this secluded place with no one knowing you are here. While I was tending the cows, I happened to see you. Please listen to Me, drink this milk without hesitation. Leave the empty pot and I will return for it. If you stay here in a kutira, we will all be very happy, but the Vraja-vāsis will be distressed seeing you stay like this.”

Speaking these words, Gopāla left and the enchanted Sanātana drank the milk. Immediately after drinking the milk, he became agitated in ecstasy. Wet with his tears, he lamented. The unseen Lord solaced Sanātana by having the Vraja-vāsis build him a bhajana-kutira. Like this, the kutira of Sanātana Gosvāmi was built.

Watching Madana-Gopāla play

While Sanātana stayed at Mahāvana he obtained great happiness from the daily darśana of Madana-gopāla. Madana-gopāla used to play in Ramaṇaka, the sandy beach of the Yamunā. One day Madana-gopāla came to play just like a cowherd boy with the other boys of Mahāvana. As Sanātana watched the boys play various games, he thought that this cowherd boy could not be an ordinary child.

When the boys finished playing, Sanātana followed that boy home. He saw the boy enter the temple, but by the time Sanātana entered he saw only the Madana-mohana Deity, instead of the cowherd boy. Sanātana bowed before the Deity and returned to his own place without speaking to anyone. This Madana-gopāla was completely controlled by the devotional love of Sanātana.

The Vraja-vāsis’ behavior towards Sanātana Gosvāmi

Sanātana Gosvāmi always considered the Vraja-vāsis more dear than his own life. As Sanātana Gosvāmi performed Vraja parikramā he would stay in town after town and there was no limit to his happiness.

After staying in one town, when Sanātana would go to another town, the people would follow behind him. Whether a young boy or old man, whoever it was, all would lose their patience and cry as Sanātana Gosvāmi would leave. Sanātana Gosvāmi himself would shed tears as he solaced them and sent them back to their own homes. Only after they all stopped crying and returned to their houses would Sanātana leave for the next village.

As Sanātana approached the next village, the people would watch him coming from a distance. The Vraja-vāsis displayed wonderful affection. The villagers could not sit in one place but went to welcome Sanātana. Just as a poor man experiences unlimited happiness if he suddenly obtains a valuable jewel, so the Vraja-vāsis felt unlimited happiness by seeing Sanātana.

The villagers would jubilantly have him sit under a sacred tree, and everyone would sit around him. They would all bring yogurt, butter, and milk from their homes for Sanātana. After he finished eating, they would all sit happily with him.

Sanātana affectionately inquired from each person about their well-being. He inquired about how many children—daughters and sons—they had, whether they were married, where they were married, what were their names, and what was their education. He asked how many cows and bulls one had, how their agriculture was, how much grains they produced, and what was their daily routine. He also asked them how their health was and what was their state of mind.

Hearing these inquiries, everyone felt happy. Gradually each one of them answered his questions. When Sanātana heard someone's distress, he also felt distressed. By Sanātana's solace they felt relief from their distressed condition. In this way they passed the whole night.

Early in the morning, as soon as Sanātana Gosvāmi had finished his bath and other duties, everyone would come to see him. They would bring milk and yogurt and request Sanātana to accept it. After feeding others, Sanātana would also eat. By seeing others happy, Sanātana would also become happy. As described previously, when he would leave the village everyone would cry in agitation.

Who can describe the affectionate dealings of Sanātana Gosvāmi? He would solace everyone in various ways. The people would follow Sanātana Gosvāmi for some distance until he would give his own vow to make them return to their homes.

Residents of Vṛndāvana shave their heads on this day because Śrila Sanātana Gosvāmi kept a shaved head. It's the most crowded day of the year for Govardhana parikramā.

Building the Madana-Mohana Temple

From Śrila Prabhupāda’s Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.8 Bombay, Dec. 26, 1972

That Madana-mohana temple was constructed by Sindhi merchant. He approached Sanātana Goswāmī. Sanātana Goswāmī was sitting underneath the tree, and his Madana-mohana was hanging in the tree. He had no place, no temple, no cloth. Madana-mohana was asking Sanātana Goswāmī that "Sanātana, you are giving Me dry bread, without even in salt. How can I eat?" So Sanātana Goswāmī replied, "Sir, I cannot go to ask for salt. Whatever I've got, I offer You. I cannot help." This was their talks. So, one salt merchant came, Sindhi salt merchant, he was passing from Vṛndāvana to Delhi side, and he offered his service, and Sanātana Goswāmī asked him to construct the temple of Madana-mohana.

Touchstone lying in garbage

From Śrila Prabhupāda’s Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 16.5, Calcutta, Feb. 23, 1972

Sanatāna Goswāmī was [in] Vṛndāvana. He was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, always. Then, one brāhmaṇa, he was very poor---perhaps you know this story---he worshiped Lord Śiva, and when Lord Śiva was pleased, then he wanted to take him..., give him some benediction. So, "What do you want?" So he said, "Give me the best thing, so I shall be the greatest of all." That he said, "Oh, I haven't got such thing, but if you want, you go to Sanatāna Goswāmī." "Where is Sanatāna Gosvāmī?" "Vṛndāvana."

So when he went there, so he had a touchstone. The touchstone was kept with the garbage. And he asked him, "All right, you take that. You are poor man. You take the stone, and if you touch this stone with iron, it will turn into gold. You take this. Find out in that garbage." So he took it and went away.

So on the street he began to think that "Lord Śiva advised me that 'He has the best thing. You go there.' But he has given me this stone---it is very nice---but why did he keep it with the garbage? He has not delivered me the best thing." So he returned back. So when he returned back, then Sanatāna Goswāmī..., he said, "Sir, I..., I..., this is very nice, but I don't think this is the best thing, because Lord Śiva said me that you have the best thing. If it is the best thing, why did you keep it with the garbage?"

So Sanatāna Goswāmī smiled and said, "Yes, it is not the best thing, but for you it was the best thing. You want more than this, more valuable?" "Yes, sir. For that purpose I came." "Then take this stone and throw in the Yamunā." So he threw it, and, "Sit down, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." You see? Those who are actually attached, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], for them it is equally valuable. Not for ordinary men.

Lessons from the Life of Sanatana Goswami

1. Sanatāna Goswāmī was highly educated, but he approached Mahāprabhu in a humble mood, seeing himself as a fool who knows absolutely nothing. He asked, “Who am I, and why I am I suffering?” (‘ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.102). This is how we should approach the spiritual master.

2. Although extremely wealthy, when Sanatāna Goswāmī surrendered to Mahāprabhu, he immediately gave up his material possessions as insignificant. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīḿsadā tuccha-vat (Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭakam, verse 4). He was traveling by himself, with nothing, and all his fear and anxiety went away. Being connected to identity in this material world, and having so many possessions and responsibilities, puts one in constant fear of loss and disconnects us from Kṛṣṇa.

3. When Sanātana crossed the forest, he met one of his relatives, Śrīkānta, who asks him to stay overnight. Sanātana Gosvāmī refused, saying that he will not stay for one moment. This is the mood of someone who is on their way to Kṛṣṇa. Avyartha-kālatvaṁ (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.18-19) is one of the symptoms of someone who is eagerly pursuing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

4. Sanātana Gosvāmī was a kind friend to all. With patience and concern, Sanātana Gosvāmī listened to Vraja-vāsis’s problems. Then he would please all the villagers with his preaching and practical advice on everything from increasing crop yields to solving family quarrels. In return, they would affectionately care for him, treating him like their father.