As there is not much mention of Sri Lokanatha Goswami in Vaishnava literatures, similarly there is not much mention either of Sri Bhugarbha Goswami, who was his very close friend. Following Mahaprabhu's order, they both came to live at Vraja dham. Their hearts were inseparable.
Bhugarbha Goswami was Lokanatha’s closest friend and constant companion. He was Prema Manjari in Vraja (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 187).
bhugarbha-thakkurasyasit purvakhya prema-manjari.
According to the Sadhana-dipika, Bhugarbha was Lokanatha’s paternal uncle. The Shakha-nirnayamrita adds the following comments on Bhugarbha Goswami:
gosvaminam ca bhugarbham bhugarbhottham suvishrutam |
sada mahashayam vande krishna-prema-pradam prabhum ||
shrila-govinda-devasya seva-sukha-vilasinam |
dayalum premadam svaccham nityam ananda-vigraham ||
I offer my reverence to the illustrious Bhugarbha Prabhu, who is said to have been born from the bowels of the earth. He bestows love of Krishna; he takes pleasure in the service of Govinda Deva, is compassionate, simple and always joyful.
Bhugarbha Goswami’s initiating guru was Gadadhara Pandit Goswami. He is therefore considered to be Gadadhara’s branch. Shri Bhagavata Das, a fellow disciple of Shrila Gadadhara Pandit Goswami, was also a close friend.
Bhugarbha and Bhagavata Das are branches of Gadadhara Pandit, both of whom went to live in Vrindavan. (Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi, 12.81)
Lokanatha Goswami renounced the householder ashrama in 1431 of the Shaka era (1510) and came to meet Mahaprabhu in Nabadwip. Mahaprabhu immediately told him to go and live in Vrindavan, telling him that it was his own intention to take sannyas very shortly and go there himself. Lokanatha started to cry when he imagined the Lord with his beautiful curls shorn and the distress the devotees would feel at his departure. When the Lord saw Lokanatha’s anxiety, he embraced him and consoled him with various spiritual instructions and Lokanatha surrendered completely to him. When Bhugarbha saw how unhappy Lokanatha was, he decided to accompany him to Vrindavan. The two companions walked through Rajmahal, Tajpur, Purniya, Lukhnow and many holy places before finally arriving in Braj.
