Shri Svarupa Damodara is an
eternal associate and friend of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Previously his name was Shri Purushottama Acharya.
He lived in Nabadwipa.
He always stayed with Mahaprabhu.
When Shriman Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, he became half-mad.
He went to Varanasi and took sannyasa from a sannyasi named
Chaitanyananda, who ordered him to study Vedanta and teach it to
the people in general.
Shri Purushottama Acharya did not accept the dress of a sannyasi,
but only gave up the shikha and sacred thread.
His name became Svarupa.
After this, taking up the order of his sannyasa-guru, Shri
Purushottama Acharya went to Jagannatha Puri.
At that time, he again met with Shri Chaitanya.
The Chaitanya Charitamrita (ML 10:102-104) records this meeting as
follows:
"One day, Svarupa Damodara arrived.
His mystic awareness of the Lord's inner purpose was deep and
unfathomable.
He was an ocean of rasa.
In his previous ashrama, his name had been Purushottama
Acharya.
When he was in Nabadwipa, he had attained the Lord's lotus
feet.
But when he saw the sannyasa of Shri Chaitanya, he went half
mad.
And so, he went straight to Varanasi to take sannyasa.
In connection with Svarupa Damodara, Shrimad Krishnadasa Kaviraja
Goswami has written further, as follows:
"Shri Svarupa Damodara was the limit of scholarship; still, he did
not generally converse with anyone.
He kept to himself. He liked to remain alone, and did not see
others.
He was the very embodiment of Krishna-prem.
He was like a second Mahaprabhu, in the sense that he fully
understood the Lord's conclusions on Krishna-tattva and
Krishna-bhakti, and could fully represent them.
As such, whoever wanted to bring before the Lord a book, poem, or
song would first bring it to Svarupa Damodara, who would examine it
before the Lord would hear it.
The Lord did not delight in hearing literature and song which was
opposed to the conclusions of bhakti (bhaktisiddhanta-viruddha), or
which contained rasabhasa, conflicting devotional mellows.
Therefore, Svarupa Damodara would examine these things, and if he
decided that they were pure, then he would arrange for the Lord to
hear them.
Svarupa Damodara would sing for Shri Chaitanya the songs of
Vidyapati, Chandidasa, and Gita-Govinda, and this gave the Lord
much pleasure.
Svarupa Damodara could sing like a Gandharva, and he knew the
scriptures like Brihaspati, the guru of the gods.
No one was a greater soul than he.
He was most dear to Advaita and Nityananda and the life and soul of
the devotees headed by Shrivasa Thakura."
In this way, it is said that Svarupa Damodara was like a second
form of Mahaprabhu, in song he was like a Gandharva, and in
scripture, he was like Brihaspati.
Svarupa Damodara was very expert in music as well as Vedic
scriptures.
Shri Chaintaya used to call him Damodara, becasue of his expert
singing and musical skills.
The name Damodara was given by Shri Chaitanya and added to the name
given by his sannyasa guru.
He was therefore known as Svarupa Damodara.
He compiled a book of music called Sangita-Damodara.
When anyone wanted to submit a song, a verse, or a book to Shriman
Mahaprabhu, they first had to submit it to the examination of
Svarupa Damodara, before it would be heard by the Lord.
When Svarupa Damodara came from Kashi, he submitted a verse before
the Lord, glorifying Him.
This verse has been recorded by Kavi Karnapura in his Chaitanya
Chandrodaya Nataka as follows:
heloddhunita khedaya vishadaya pronmila-damodarau
shamyacchastra vivadaya rasadaya cittarpitonmadaya
shashvad-bhaktivinodaya sa-madaya madhurya-maryadaya
shri chaitanya dayanidhe tava daya bhuyadamandodaya
"O Ocean of Mercy, Shri Chaitanya! Let that which easily drives
away whatever pain we have been experiencing in this material
world; that which is all purifying, that which manifests the
greatest transcendental bliss; that which by its sunrise casts away
all the doubtful conclusions of the shastra; that which rains rasa
on our hearts and minds, rules our consciousness and thus causes
jubilation; that all-liberating, all-auspiciousness-giving, the
limit of madhurya-rasa mercy of yours-let it arise within our
hearts. "
Shri Svarupa Damodara made his dandavats before the Lord, and the
Lord embraced him, saying, "Today I saw in a dream that you were
arriving here.
Everything was just right. Just as one who is blind becomes happy
getting eyes, so I have become happy upon getting you."
Shri Svarupa Goswami said, "O Lord! Please forgive me.
Forgetting you, I deserted your lotus feet. Not having a trace of
prema within me, I left your service, and being sinful, I went to a
foreign land.
But, although I abandoned you, you didn't abandon me.
By the ropes of your mercy, you have bound me by the neck and
dragged me back to your lotus feet."
Hearing Svarupa Damodara saying these words in great humility, the
Lord again embraced him and said, "Shri Krishna is very kind. By
his mercy we have met once again."
Svarupa Damodara always stayed near the Lord.
Whatever mood the Lord was in, Svarupa Damodara would perform
kirtan to augment the Lord's internal sentiments.
Around the same time that Svarupa Damodara came to Puri, Shri
Ramananda Raya arrived from Vidyanagara.
Shri Ramananda Raya was a great poet and could explain everything
in a very elegant style.
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard rasatattva from Ramananda's
mouth.
In the daytime, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to perform kirtan
with his devotees.
At night, in the company of Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara, he
would relish the truths about the pastimes and mellows of Radha and
Krishna.
In the same way that Lalita and Vishakha are the internal
confidantes of Shri Radha, Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya are
the internal confidantes of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
At the time of Shri Gaurasundara's final pastimes, Shri Svarupa
Damodara was constantly with the Lord.
Shri Svarupa Damodara's right hand was Raghunatha Dasa Goswami.
On the second day of the day of full moon in the month of Asharh,
Shri Svarupa Damodara Goswami passed away from this earth and
entered into the Lord's unmanifest pastimes.
