Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami (1505-1579) is one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavana, leading disciples of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Raghunatha Bhatta’s father, Tapana Mishra, was also a prominent follower of Lord Chaitanya. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked Raghunath Bhatta to go to Vrindavan and constantly chant the Hare Krishna mantra and read Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Every day, Raghunath Bhatta would sing the verses of the Bhagavatam to the Vrindavan residents, and his tears of spiritual emotion would wet the pages of the Bhagavatam as he sang. Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami never criticized anyone. He believed that all Vaishnavas are sincerely serving Krishna according to their realization and therefore one should overlook their faults. Under his inspiration, a wealthy disciple built the temple for the Radha-Govinda Deities in Vrindavan.
CC Ādi 10.158
prabhura krpaya tenho krsna-preme matta
Raghunatha Bhattacarya, or Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, one of the six Gosvamis, was the son of Tapana Misra. Born in approximately 1425 Sakabda (A.D. 1503), he was expert in reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam, and in Antya-lila, chapter thirteen, it is stated that he was also expert in cooking; whatever he cooked would be nectarean. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was greatly pleased to accept the food that he cooked, and Raghunatha Bhatta used to take the remnants of food left by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Raghunatha Bhatt acarya lived for eight months in Jagannatha Puri, after which Lord Caitanya ordered him to go to Vrndavana to join Sri Rupa Gosvami. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Raghunatha Bhat tacarya not to marry but to remain a brahmacari, and He also ordered him to read Srimad-Bhagavatam constantly. Thus he went to Vrndavana, where he engaged in reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam to Srila Rupa Gosvam i. He was so expert in reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam that he would recite each and every verse in three melodious tunes. While Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami was living with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord blessed him by offering him betel nuts offered to the Jagannatha Deity and a garland of tulasi said to be as long as fourteen cubits. Under Raghunatha Bhatta Gosv ami’s order, one of his disciples constructed the Govinda temple. Raghunatha Bhat ta Gosvami supplied all the ornaments of the Govinda Deity. He never talked of nonsense or worldly matters but always engaged in hearing about Krsna twenty-four hours a day. He never cared to hear blasphemy of a Vaisnava. Even when there were points to be criticized, he used to say that since all the Vaisnavas were engaged in the service of the Lord, he did not mind their faults. Later Raghun atha Bhatta Gosvami lived by Radha-kunda in a small cottage. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (185) it is said that Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami was formerly the gopi named Raga-mañjar i.
Comments