

200.GOVINDADASA BABAJI MAHARAJA (Mahanta, Sri Haridasa Thakurera Matha, Puri):

Gauracarana Cakravarti was born in an area near Dulalbajar in the district of Noakhali (Bangladesh). He was the only child of his parents. Since Gauracarana lost his mother early in his childhood, his father took the child along wherever he went. Sho
rtly afterward his father also passed away, leaving Gauracarana an orphan without any refuge. He moved around aimlessly, yet somehow imbibed the virtues of truthfulness, simplicity and compassion. At that time Dulalbajar had a considerable Vaisnava p
opulation. Being attracted by the inherent virtues of Gauracarana, the Adhikari there offered the boy refuge and out of deep affection trained him in the customs and practices of Vaisnavism.

Once Gauracarana went on pilgrimage to Visvanatha at Srikunda. There the thousands of streams of water which rushed down from a higher altitude aroused his curiosity. When the sound of Harinama filled the air this water fell in double the quantity. I
n order to visit the source of this thousand-streamed spring, Gauracarana, accompanied by a few wandering mendicants, travelled through the mountain ranges until finally reaching a remote spot where they were no longer able to find shelter. Despite b
eing stricken with hunger and cold, Gauracarana, a courageous youth, began chanting the holy name and after encountering great difficulties, finally made his way home from the dangerous forest area. After that visit Gauracarana seemed to lose all att
achment for home and developed a spirit of indifference and detachment from everything.

Soon he left, on foot and totally penniless, for a pilgrimage to Jagannatha Puri, After taking darsana of Lord Jagannatha, he went further on to visit other holy places. He lived beneath the trees and ate whatever was offered to him unasked; otherwis
e he would starve. After passing some months in this way, Gauracarana suddenly underwent a transformation of mind, he felt an attraction for something deeper than making pilgrimages and returned to Puri. There he reverted to his routine of taking foo
d from the chatra daily, having darsana of Lord Jagannatha as he desired, and resting beneath a tree or on the roadside.

At that time Radharamana dasa deva regularly passed through out the street of Puri with a group, singing the holy name. One day while singing kirtana at the main portal of the Jagannatha Temple, Radharamana attracted Gauracarana and initiated him. Ga
uracarana felt blessed to attain the cherished goal of his life after such a long time. The hearts of both of them became joined with a chain of love. Gauracarana constantly meditated upon Radharamana, be he awake or asleep, and dedicated himself ful
ly to the service of his guru. One day Radharamana directed Gauracarana to approach the Karta Babaji of Narayana chata to have vesasraya. After much resistence Gauracarana carried out the command and his new name became Sri Govinda dasa.

At the insistence of Karta Babaji, Govinda dasa dedicated himself to the premaseva of Radharamana. Govinda dasa was entrusted with the duty of serving Vaisnavas through raising alms. As for himself, he was only entitled to take the remnants of food l
eft over by the Vaisnavas. Govinda dasa somehow filled his stomach by begging for prasada in different chatras, and engaged tirelessly in the service of Radharamana. In this way Govinda dasa passed his days in great joy.

Sometimes it happened that various dishes prepared in the matha, as well as a large quantity of mahaprasad (of Jagannatha Puri) would arrive. Large numbers of invited and unannounced visitors would partake of the mahaprasada. Afterwards, to have some
 fun, the devotees would pour the left-over food on the head of Govinda dasa and roaring "Haribol" in great joy, would lick his body. Seeing the funny reaction of Govinda and his soft rebukes, his associates would forget their own hunger and thirst a
nd all felt satisfied without partaking of any food. This happened not once or twice, but frequently.

Both Navadvipadada and Govindadada were very close friends and were always alert to the service of Radharamana. At times Govinda dasa had to undergo severe trials. For instance, he was ordered to offer dandavat pranam wherever he saw a toilet used by
 the residents of Nilacala on his way to the Jagannatha temple. The ever-obedient servant immediately began following these instructions, despite the taunting remarks passed by several people. Once when Govinda dasa was bed-ridden with a sever fever,
 he was ordered to go immediately to Narendra sarovara and have 108 dips there. Govinda did as commanded; carrying out the order joyfully and unquestionably.

Govinda was able to understand the desires of Radharamana in advance and hence would prepare various preparations before Radharamana even expressed a desire to have it. Everyone was amazed by Govinda's supernatural skillful cooking, his attention to
the minute details of service, his extraordinary fascination for Sri Guru Vaisnava seva, and his charming way of caring for the poor, afflicted, and fallen souls. Only very fortunate persons had the opportunity to see, taste, and feel the supremely b
lissful environment which arose when this venerable Govinda dasa participated in sankirtana, and danced along with Navadvipa, Gokula, Ramadasa, and Jayagopala.

Early one morning, Radharamana, in a serious mood, wrote a letter to Govinda at the cutchery of Syamasundara babu and deputed a boy to deliver this letter as well as bring back Govinda's reply. The letter was as follows:

"My dear Govinda,

As soon as you have read this letter you should prepare to leave for Vrndavana right away without a second thought. On your arrival at Vrndavana follow a routine of staying at Radhakunda, Jhadugiriseva, and madhukari. I don't think we can meet now. A
s Lord Nitaicand wills we shall meet at the destined hour and place.

Your in the service of the Vaisnavas,

Sri Radharamana carana dasa"

The letter stirred the heart of all present, though Govinda said calmly, "Let his will be done. Please convey my dandavats at his feet. May he remain happy." When the messenger-boy repeated these words to Radharamana, the latter left quietly for his
morning wash. Later, with Radharamana's permission, Nityasvarupa brahmacari, Syamananda dasa, and Nitaidasa accompanied Govinda dasa to Vrndavana.

Upon arriving in Vrndavana, Govinda did parikrama of Giriraja, came to Radhakunda, and did Jhaduseva to Radhakunda for six consecutive years. During this time he never went anywhere or stopped performing Jhaduseva. Occasionally he went to Giriraja pa
rikrama or Vrndavana, but would invariably return the same day. He never even went close to Varsana or Nandagrama during this period. After serving in this way for six years with a deeply concentrated mind, Govinda dasa was endowed with supernatural
spiritual wealth.

When Radharamana, along with his devotees, arrived in Vrndavana, Govinda met him and by the command of his guru, returned with them to Jagannatha Puri. Thus Govinda passed his days joyfully serving in the holy association of Radharamana. Later at Nav
advipa, Radharamana suddenly passed away. It is impossible to describe how deeply stricken with separation Govinda was. His days and nights were spent in grief, until he received a command in a dream, directing him to go to Jagannatha Puri and dedica
te himself to the service of Haridasa Thakura.

The Samadhi-temple of Haridasa Thakura at Puri was very old and is facing images of Nitai-Gaura-Sitanatha in a mood of dhyana. The service here had fallen to utter irregularity and this matha was on the point of being auctioned to a Christian mission
ary to meet the debts. Govinda did his best to serve; he carried the items of seva with his own hands, offered bhoga with deep love, and then distributed the prasada to the destitute-and even to the birds and animals-then he would take for himself. T
hus for a stretch of twenty two years Govinda, who never found fault with others, continued his service in the temple; sustaining the destitute and giving refuge to the shelterless.

He trained one devotee to take charge of the service; he taught every detail of how to offer seva and revealed both lila and tattva in such a way that the latter would never make a mistake in the seva-duties.

Govinda drew those whom the society hated and the family ignored, close to him with love and blessed them with the spiritual message of Radharamana. Towards the final days of his life, Govinda dasa stayed in a house near Sri Radharamana Bag at Navadv
ipa, where the practice of Vaisnava seva and sat-prasanga was continued as before. Govinda had a fascination for the CC. and Brhadbhagavatamrta. In 1930 Govinda dasa breathed his last at Navadvipa.

G. 201.GOVINDA DASI:

A disciple of Rasikananda Prabhu, Govinda dasa was the mother of Kasinatha Nandana. (Rasikamangala Pascima 14.69)

G. 202.GOVINDA DATTA:

He belonged to the lineage of Lord Caitanya. Govinda Datta was the principal singer in Lord Caitanya's kirtana party (CC 1.10.64). He was one of the devotees who took part in kirtana with Lord Caitanya in front of the Ratha car of Lord Jagannatha (CC
. 2.13.37,73). According to Vasinavacaradarpana his Sripata was at Sukhcara on the bank of the Ganges in district 24 Parganas, between Khaddaha and Panihati, where the deities of Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga were installed by Govinda himself. This temple n
ow lies within the precinct of the Devalaya owned by Mahendranatha Cattopadhyaya, who spent a considerable amount for the upkeep of the temple and Deva-seva. In one of the padas composed by Govinda the name "Girisvara" is mentioned. According to Bang
abhasa O Sahitya this Girisvara was the name of Govinda's father. Govinda Datta spent the final stage of his life in Vrndavana.

G. 203.GOVINDA DEVA KAVI:

A Vaisnava resident of Orissa, Govinda deva belonged to the family-line of Vrakreswera Pandita Prabhu. Govinda acquired all-time fame by writing the Sanskrit book Gaura Krsnodaya in eighteen chapters.

G. 204.GOVINDA DVIJA:

See "Sugriva Misra".

G. 205.GOVINDA GHOSH:

He was born of the Kayastha caste in the north Radhi clan. His Sripata was at Agradvipa. Also known as Ghosathakura, Govinda was the brother of the well-known Vaisnava poet Vasudeva Ghosh. Govinda belonged to the lineage of Lord Caitanya and was inst
rumental in installing the deity Sri Gopinatha (CC. 1.10.115, 118). The above information is also found in the book Vaisnavacara darpana.

The name Govindananda mentioned in CBh. 3.8.16 possibly refers to this Govinda Ghosh. Among the three brothers, each had his Sripata as follows:  Vasudeva at Tamluk, Madhava Ghosh at Dainhat, and Govinda at Agradvipa. According to Visvakosa, Ghosatha
kura (Govinda) lived at Kasipur Visnutala near Agradvipa. Some believe that he was born at Vasinavatala where to this day a number of Kayastha families holding the surname Ghosh, continue to live.

Govinda accompanied Lord Caitanya and His devotees when they left Nilacala for Vrndavana. In this context Acyutacarana Caudhuri writes in Srihattera Itivrtta:  "One day after finishing His lunch, Lord Caitanya looked for some mouth-freshener (a fruit
 called Haritaki). Govinda rushed to the village, collected some fruits,and offered one to the Lord. Upon receiving the fruit so promptly, Lord Caitanya glanced inquisitively after Govinda. Understanding that Govinda had stored Haritaki, Lord Caitany
a admonished him saying, "Govinda, since you have not been able to give up the habit of saving things, perhaps you had better stay back and take charge of installing the deity Gopinatha." Following the command of the Lord, Govinda continued to stay a
t Agradvipa. However, despite the Lord's reassuring words, he felt miserable to have been left behind by Lord Caitanya.

A few days later, when Ghosathakura was taking a dip in the Ganges, some floating object touched his back. It appeared to be some sort of wood, although considerably heavy. That night he received divine directions in a dream to preserve that piece of
 wood with care and to hand it over to Lord Caitanya when he arrived there. During the night when Govinda went to fetch the wood, he realized that it was a Krsnasila. The next morning Lord Caitanya turned up in Govinda's house and said, "Look here Go
vinda!  You have nothing to worry about anymore. Tomorrow one sculptor will come here to chisel a deity from this sila and you should install that deity. The deity of Sri Gopinatha was thus installed.

Later, at the command of the Lord, Govinda married and continued to serve the deity jointly with his wife. Govinda was blessed with a son, however, both his wife and son passed away one after another. Govinda was so deeply grieved by the loss of his
family that he stopped serving Gopinatha. Lord Krsna appeared to Govinda in a dream and asked him, "Govinda! Do you think it proper that when a person loses one son he should starve his other son to death also?"

To this Govinda replied, "It was my hope that had my son survived he would have performed the necessary rituals in remembrance of my deceased soul and those of my forefathers. Tell me, what do I gain by serving you?"

Lord Krsna explained, "I hereby promise to celebrate your death anniversary in a fitting manner forever. Now please can I have some food to eat?" Govinda was delighted to hear this and immediately returning to serving Gopinatha.

In course of time, when Govinda breathed his last, Gopinathaji held kusagrass in His fingers to perform the sradh ceremony, a practice continued even today. Govinda left word during the last moments of his life that his body should not be cremated, b
ut should be buried under the ground near Dolaprangana.
G. 206.GOVINDA GOSVAMI:

He was a disciple of Kasisvara Gosvami. He lived at Vrndavana serving the deity of Sri Sri Govindadeva. He accompanied Rupa Gosvami when he went to the temple of Viththalanatha for darsana of Gopalaji. When Virabhadra Gosvami arrived in Vrndavana, Go
vinda went with other bhakta residents of Vrndavana to welcome him. (Bhaktiratnakara 6.513, 13.324-25)

G. 207.GOVINDA KARMAKARA:

His name is mentioned on page 83 in Caitanyamangala by Jayananda.

G. 208.GOVINDA KAVIRAJA:

He belonged to the disciple-line of Nityananda Prabhu. (CC. 1.11.51)

G. 209.GOVINDA KAVIRAJA:

A Vaidya by caste and a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya, Govinda Kaviraja was better known as Govinda dasa or Dasa Govinda. His father was Ciranjiva Sen and his mother, Sunanda devi. He was the younger brother of Ramacandra Kaviraja. His maternal grandf
ather was named Damodara Kavi. Govinda's Sripata was at Tiliya-Budhuri in the Mursidavad district. Govinda and his wife, Mahamaya devi, had one son named Divya Simha. The genealogical line is as follows:

                        Ciranjiva Sen
             __________________|______________________
            |                                        |
    Ramacandra Kaviraja                       Govinda Kaviraja
                                                     |
                                                 Divya Simha
                                                     |
                                                 Ghanasyama
                                                     |
                                                 Svarupanatha
                                                     |
                                                 Haridasa

During her pregnancy, Govinda's mother became critically ill, however, by taking some sanctified water from the Sakta cult she was able to deliver the child safely. Govinda was brought up by his maternal grandfather who was a Sakta by faith, thus Gov
inda also grew up a Sakta devotee. Although he realized the superiority of Krsnabhajan, which he had learned from his mother, he failed to give up Sakti-worship and soon fell seriously ill. While waiting for his imminent death, Govinda informed his e
lder brother, Ramacandra, of his illness and expressed his desire to touch the feet of Srinivasa Acarya Prabhu.


Ramacandra brought Acarya Prabhu to Budhuri and went straight into the bedroom of Govinda. Acarya Prabhu raised his feet to touch the forehead of Govinda and the latter became overwhelmed with joy. The next day Govinda received diksa and entered into
 the life of a devotee. His first pada composed during this period is extremely charming and spontaneous, and reveals the fact that Govinda was a born-poet.

Govinda immediately recovered from his illness and dedicated himself to composing  pada's on Gaura-Krsna lila. Gradually Govinda became known for his poetic talent throughout some parts of Bengal. According to Bhaktiratnakara Govinda wrote Sri Ramaca
ritragita at the command of King Harinarayana. Govinda's other work entitled Sangitamadhava Nataka, which he wrote on the request of Santos Datta-the KIng of Khetari, bears out his unparalleled poetic talent. Govinda also composed fifty-one pada's on
 Astakaliya lila. His fame soon spread as far as Vrndavana; the Vaisnava's there, headed by Jiva Gosvami, were fascinated by Govinda's extraordinary poetic talent and sent him a letter of appreciation. The Gosvami's of Vrndavana even awarded Govinda
the title of "Kaviraja" or "Kavindra" and sent the following sloka to him:

    "Sri Govinda-Kavindra-Candanagirescancadvasantanilenanaitah-Kavitavali parimalah
Krsnendu-samvandhabhak. Srimadjiva-Suranghripasrayaojuso
     bhrngan samunmadayan sarvasyapi camatkrtin Vrajavane cakre
     kimanyat param." (See also Bhaktiratnakara 9.176)

Govinda lived on the bank of the river Radma in the Pascimapada area of Tiliavudhuri (presently called Bubod village). On his way back from Vrndavana, Govinda paid a visit to the Sripata of the famous poet, Vidyapati, at Bisafi village under Simla, w
here he recovered many lost padas of Vidyapati.

During his stay at Budhuri, Govinda visited the royal courts of King Narasimha of Pakkapalli, and King Pratapaditya of Jessore. He had a very close relationship with Vasanta Raya, the paternal uncle of King Pratapaditya.

Govinda passed away in 1534 Saka (1612 AD). The deity Gopala, installed by Govinda, as well as his descending family-line, are still in existence. Govinda is included amongst the eight Kaviraja's who are daily remembered and worshipped by Gaudiya Vai
snavas.

About 430 padas in Vrajavuli with the bhanita of Govindadasa have been included in Padakalpataru. Some others have been included in Padamrtasamudra. Seventy-five padas are found in Gaurapadatarangini. In 20-21 padas the bhanita of Govinda appears alo
ng with those of poets such as Vidyapati, Rayavasanta, Santos, Bhupati, Rupanarayana etc. (See Padakalpataru pada nos: 261, 1052, 2415, 2416, 2420 etc.). Some padas, such as nos. 428, 1298, 1384, do not have any bhanita at all. Ksandagitacintamani co
ntains 79 gitas composed by Govinda. It is understood from the tika of Padamrtasamudra (p. 17), that Govinda also wrote Gitavali. Amongst all the poets of Vrajavuli literature, Govinda stands indisputably as the foremost one. The appropriate use of r
hetoric in his poems shows that Govinda had a excellant command over the Sanskrit language. His usage of prosody with proper pauses, rhythm, and sound establish his superiority over all other poets.

Govinda also completed some of the incomplete padas of Vidyapati, who greatly inspired Govinda. Even today when it comes to the subject of Rasakirtana, Govinda's popularity is noticeable. Scholars in literature hold that the reason for Govinda's unpr
ecedented popularity can be traced to his thorough study and analysis of various articles of Srngara rasa in the Ujjvalanilamani and its outcome as reflected in his Gitamrta.
(See the article by Jitendranath Vasu in Bangadarsan Agrahayana 1317 pp. 309-406)

G. 210.GOVINDA PURI:

He was a Prapti Siddhi and a sannyasi associate of Lord Caitanya (Gauraganoddesadipika 96-97). According to BBM, he was also known as Govindananda Puri (Vaisnavavandana)

G. 211.GOVINDARAMA:

A resident of Vrndavana and disciple of Srinivasa Acarya. (Karnananda 1)

G. 212.GOVINDARAMA RAJA:

He was a disciple of Narottama Thakura (Premavilasa 20). When Narottama Thakura became deeply grieved upon received the news of Ramacandra Kaviraja's passing away, Raja Govindarama served him like a nurse. (Narottamavilasa 1, 12)

G. 213.GOVINDA RAYA:

He descended from the family-line of Srinivasa Acarya. (Anuragavalli 7)

G. 214.GOVINDA RAYA:

He was a disciple of Narottama Thakura. (Premavilasa 20, Narottamavilasa 12)

G. 215.GOVINDANANDA:

A resident of Navadvipa, he was a lila-companion of Lord Gauranga (CBh. 2.8.114, 2.13.338, 2.23.151). According to Gauraganoddesadipika 11, in the treta-yuga he was an incarnation of Sugriva.

G. 216.GOVINDANANDA CAKRAVARTI:

An accomplished kirtana singer who belonged to the lineage of Lord Caitanya. He performed kirtana ahead of the rath. (CC. 1.10.64, 2.13.37, 2.13.73)

G. 217.GOVINDANANDA THAKURA:

He was born as Indurekah in a past incarnation. His name is mentioned in Pataparyatana.

G. 218.GUPHANARAYANA:

According to Pataparyatana of Abhirama dasa, he was a disciple of Abhirama Gosvami. He belonged to Sripata Pakamalyati.

G. 219.GUNAMANJARI:

He translated of Rupa Gosvami's Smaranamangala into Vrajabhasa.

G. 220.GUANANDA GUHA (Majumdar):

He was the father of the well-known King Basanta Raya, who was the paternal uncle of Maharaja Pratapaditya, the ruler of Bengal and a scion of the Kayastha caste. He constructed the temple of Madanamohana toward the south of the temple of Krsnadasa (
some hold as Ramadasa) Karpura in Vrndavana. The stone inscription engraved on the eastern wall of the above temple has been deciphered by Grouse. The Madanagopala Deity was worshipped in this temple long before the above-noted temple of Krsnadasa be
came decadent. Purusottama Jana, the son of Maharaja Prataparudra, had two deities of Radha made and sent them to Vrndavana. As per command, received in a dream, the smaller of the two deities was installed as Radha on the left of Madanagopala and th
e bigger one as Lalita on the right-side. Since then the Deity Madanagopala came to be known as Madanamohana. In the course of time, due to the tyranny of Emperor Aranzeb, such deities as Madanamohana and others were shifted to Jaipur. From Jaipur, G
opalasingh, the King of Karauli and brother-in law of the King of Jaipur, arranged to install Madanamohana at Karauli. At the original temple of Gunananda, Deities of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu are presently being worshipped.

Information elicited from the stone-inscription states that Ramacandra, a descendant of the Guha-family, migrated from east Bengal and found employment with the royal government first at Saptagrama and later at Gauda. All three sons of Gunananda; Bha
vananda, Gunananda, and Sivananda, occupied important positions in the service of the royal government. King Vikramaditya, the son of Bhavananda, and King Basanta Raya, the son of Gunananda, founded the royal estate of Jessore. The well-known King Pr
atapaditya was the son of the above mentioned Vikramaditya. Between 1563 AD and 1572, during the reign of Suleman Karrani, Gunananda settled in Vrndavana until his death. Around early 1570 AD. Gunananda constructed the above-mentioned temple in Vrnda
vana with funds supplied by his son Basanta Raya. (See Manasi O Marmavani, a Bengali journal, Vaisakh 1333)

G. 221.GUNANIDHI:

He has been referred to as "Mukundanidhi". (See Gauraganoddesadipika 102-103)

G. 222.GUNARAJA KHAN \ MALADHARA VASU:

He began the book Sri Krsnavijaya in 1395 Saka (1473 AD.) and completed it in 1402 Saka (1480 AD.). His real name was Maladhara Vasu and Gunaraja Khan was the title awarded to him by a certain king of Gauda. His father, Bhagiratha Vasu, and mother In
dumati were from Kulinagrama. See CC. 2.15.99-100 for Lord Caitanya's comment on the book Sri Krsnavijaya.

G. 223.GUNARNAVA MISRA:

It is possible that he hailed from Jhamatpur, the same village that Krsnadasa Kaviraja was from. (CC. 1.5.168-170)

G. 224.GUPTA BEJHA:

See "Murari Gupta" (Caitanyamangala sutra 27).

G. 225.GURUCARANA DASA:

He was the disciple of the second wife of Srinivasa Acarya Prabhu. At her command he wrote the book Premamrta. This book is based on Premavilasa.

G. 226.GURUDASA BHATTACARYA:

A Vaidike brahmana by caste, he was a disciple of Narottama Thakura. His Sripata was at Gopalapura. He ran a Sanskrit school where he taught a large number of students. When Narottama Thakura's popularity began to increase and people from brahmana ca
stes came to take spiritual initiation from Narottama, a non-brahmana, Gurudasa was irritated beyond measure and verbally attacked Narottama without cause. Premavilasa 19 explains how Narottama finally converted Gurudasa into a devout Vaisnava.

G. 227.GURUPRASADA SENGUPTA (PRASADA DASA):

Father of the well-known Bengali poet Rajanikanta Sen, Guruprasada compiled a padavali collection under the title Padacintamanimala. Most of the padas in this collection have been composed in Vrajabuli. This compilation was first published in 1283 (1
876 AD.). Guruprasada presents an introduction to the book which explains sound and grammar in Vrajabuli.

 
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