SIX GOSWAMIS OF VRINDAVAN – SRI SANATANA GOSWAMI
(Since Sri Rupa Goawami and Sri Sanatana Goswami were brothers and always served together, some incidents may appear in the biographies of both of them.)
(You can also read SIX GOSWAMIS OF VRINDAVAN – INTRODUCTION HERE and SIX GOSWAMIS OF VRINDAVAN – SRI RUPA GOSWAMI HERE)
(1) Appearance: 1488, five years before Sri Rupa Goswami, in a Sarasvata brahmana family in Bengal.
(2) Sanatana and his two brothers, Rupa and Anupama, named the forests in which they played after Vraja’s twelve forests (Talavana, Madhuvana, Kamyavana, Mahavana). They called their favorite bathing ponds Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda.
(3) BHAGAVATHAM & KRISHNA:
In Sri Sanatana ‘s dream, a brahmana boy gave him a Shrimad Bhagavatam. When he awoke, he could see neither the boy nor the Bhagavatam that made him sad.
When Sanatana began his puja that morning, Krishna Himself came as a beautiful brahmana boy, came and said, ‘Take this Srimad Bhagavatam from Me, always study it, and you will attain perfection. ”
(4) Sri Sanatana Goswami glorifies the Shrimad Bhagavatam in Krishna-lila-stava:
“0 holy Bhagavata, you are my only company, my only friend, and my guru. You are my greatest treasure and my personal saviour. You are the emblem of my highest fortune and the very form of ecstasy. I offer my obeisances unto you.”
(Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura – Diary of 40 Life Events! READ HERE!)
(5) Shri Rupa and Shri Sanatana became ministers and lived at Ramakeli and also teaching the scriptures that they learnt from Vidyavachaspati, brother of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya.
(6) Pandits and brahmanas from all over India came to study under the two brothers.
(7) Sri Rupa and Sanatana were acclaimed as the “crest jewels of the Gaudiya Vaishnava scholars.” After the Lord visited Ramakeli and freed them, they renounced everything for Lord Gauranga’s service.
(8) Lord Caitanya had given four orders to Sri Rupa Goswami and his elder brother Sri Sanatana goswami:
(i) Find and mark the places of importance in the lilas of Krishna in Vrindavan.
(ii) create the places of worship.
(iii) Write the scriptures related to devotion.
(iv) Spread the Bhakti Yoga.
(9) Both of them came to Vrindavana to fulfill four orders of Lord Chaitanya in the year 1517.
(SRI ADVAITA ACHARYA – LIFE HISTORY – DIARY : PART-1 – READ HERE)
(10) Sri Vraja Mandala Parikrama Says:
“Entering Lord Chaitanya’s service, they resolutely gave up power, riches, and position to live in Vrindavana as humble beggars absorbed in bhajana. One cannot properly perform Krishna bhajana until one renounces all attachments both internally and externally, and adopts a life of simplicity and humility.”
(11) They traveled extensively through Vraja mandala discovering many lila sthanas of Radha-Madhava.
(12) Having no fixed residence, they would catch a few winks of sleep (no more than one and a half hours per day) under a tree or bush.
(13) Shri Rupa and Shri Sanatana Goswamis spent all their time writing, discussing Krishna’s pastimes, and chanting Krishna’s Holy Names.
(14) Sanatana would beg some wheat flour, roll it into a ball by adding a touch of Yamuna water, and drop it in smoldering coals to cook. He would offer this bati (salt-free, baked bread ball) to his Deity of Madana Mohana.
(15) The Radha-Madana Mohana mandir established by Sanatana Goswami was the first one opened in Vrindavana by the six Goswamis.
(16) Described as “the personal extension of the body of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,” Shri Sanatana is the ideal spiritual master because he gives one shelter at the lotus feet of Madana Mohana.
(Who are Pancha Tatvas? Whom they represent? READ HERE!)
(17) The three Vrindavana Deities (Madana Mohana, Govindaji and Gopinatha) are the life and soul of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas.
(18) The Deity of Madana Mohana has the specific quality of helping the neophyte Devotees understand their eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.
(19) “Madana Mohana” means Krishna who is so indescribably beautiful that He even attracts Cupid, Kamadeva. Sanatana Goswami is the sambandha acharya who gives us knowledge of our proper relationship with Krishna, And his Deity, Madana Mohana, helps us overcome our attraction for material sense gratification (Cupid) and fix our minds on devotional service.
(20) Sri Sanatana Goswami spent forty-three years in Vrindavana. The Vrajavasis would ‘affectionately care for him treating him like their father. W
(21) “Renouncing all worldly pleasures, Sanatana Goswami was humble, detached, always absorbed in study. Mahaprabhu often said that Sanatana Goswami was His favorite Devotee. As an ocean of love and mercy, Sanatana excelled all other Devotees in his compassion toward the suffering souls.” (Bhakti-ratnakar)
(LORD JAGANNATHA OF PURI – A to Z DETAILS YOU SHOULD KNOW! READ HERE!)
(22) In his last years, he left his beloved Deity of Madana Mohana with Krishna Dasa brahmachari, his disciple.
(23) Daily he walked the twenty-four mile parikrama (original longer route) of Govardhana Hill.
(24) A SWEET LILA:
Understanding the difficulty of His pure Devotee, Shri Madana Mohana appeared one day and said, “Baba! You are too old. Don’t take so much trouble to walk around Govardhana Hill everyday.”
Sanatana replied, “This is one of the daily activities of my bhajana: I must maintain it.”
“Since you are old,” said Madana Mohana, “you may now give up this vow.”
Starting to walk again, Sanatana replied, “I will never give up my religious principles.”
Out of loving compassion for His Devotee, Shri Krishna stood on a large flat stone (Govardhana shila) taken from Giriraja. He played His irresistable flute. The Govardhana shila melted in ecstasy, capturing the impression of Krishna’s lotus feet.
(KRISHNA AVATAR – ALL DATES RELATED TO ALL THE LILAS! READ HERE!)
Presenting this to Sanatana, Krishna said, “If you circumambulate this shila everyday it will be the same as going around Govardhana Hill everyday. You will keep your vow intact and not compromise your religious principles.”
Sanatana Goswami gratefully accepted.
One can still see that Govardhana shila in the Radha Damodara Temple.
(25) Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Jaiva Dharma: “Sanatana Goswami was empowered to explain the esoteric aspects of Krishna’s manifest and unimanifest Vraja lila.”
(26) Some of his works are: Hari-bhakti-vilasa, Brhad-Bhagavatamrta, and Brhad-Vaishnava-toshani.
(27) Sanatana Goswami serves Shrimati Vishakha-sakhi in Radha-Madhava’s nitya nikunja-lila in the form of Labanga manjari.
(28) Sanatana Goswami’s samadhi is situated behind the Radha Madana Mohana’s Temple.
(SRI CAITANYA MAHA PRABHU LIFE HISTORY – DIARY AND SIKSASHTAKAM! READ HERE!)