All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Shyamananda Goswami

Excerpts from Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi- and Antya- lilas.
Translations and purports by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad.
(Shyamananda Prabhu is specially mentioned in the purports.)

Adi 1: The Spiritual Masters
TEXT 19


ei tina thakura gaudiyake kariyachena atmasat
e tinera charana vandon, tine mora natha


TRANSLATION
These three Deities of Vrindavan [Madana-mohan, Govinda and Gopinath] have absorbed the heart and soul of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas [followers of Lord Chaitanya]. I worship Their lotus feet, for They are the Lords of my heart.

PURPORT
The author of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita offers his respectful obeisances unto the three Deities of Vrindavan named Sri Radha-Madana-mohan, Sri Radha-Govindadev and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji. These three Deities are the life and soul of the Bengali Vaisnavas, or Gaudiya Vaisnavas, who have a natural aptitude for residing in Vrndavan.... These three Deities are worshiped in three different stages of one's development. The followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu scrupulously follow these principles of approach...

The three Deities - Madana-mohan, Govinda and Gopijana-vallabha - have very specific qualities...

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained this mode of devotional service in three stages, and therefore these worshipable Deities were installed in Vrindavan by different Goswamis. They are very dear to the Gaudiya Vaisnavas there, who visit the temples at least once a day. Besides the temples of these three Deities, many other temples have been established in Vrindavan, such as the temple of Radha-Damodar of Jiva Goswami, the temple of Syamasundar of Syamananda Goswami, the temple of Gokulananda of Lokanath Goswami, and the temple of Radha-raman of Gopala Bhatta Goswami. There are seven principal temples over four hundred years old that are the most important of the five thousand temples now existing in Vrindavan.

Adi 7: Lord Chaitanya in Five Features
TEXT 164


mathurate pathaila rupa-sanatana
dui sena-pati kaila bhakti pracarana


TRANSLATION
Lord Chaitanya dispatched the two generals Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami to Virndavan to preach the bhakti cult.

PURPORT
When Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami went to Vrndavana, there was not a single temple, but by their preaching they were gradually able to construct various temples. Sanatan Goswami constructed the Madana-mohana temple, and Rupa Goswami constructed the Govindaji temple. Similarly, their nephew Jiva Goswami constructed the Radha-Damodar temple, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami constructed the Radha-raman temple, Sri Lokanath Goswami constructed the Gokulananda temple, and Syamananda Goswami constructed the Syamasundar temple. In this way, many temples were gradually constructed. For preaching, construction of temples is also necessary. The Goswamis not only engaged in writing books but also constructed temples because both are needed for preaching work.

Antya 5: How Pradyumna Misra Received Instructions from Ramananda Raya
TEXT 88

sri-chaitanya-lila ei — amrtera sindhu
trijagat bhasaite pare yara eka bindu


TRANSLATION
The activities of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are just like an ocean of nectar. Even a drop of this ocean can inundate all the three worlds

PURPORT
To inundate the three worlds with nectar is the purpose of the Pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. How this could be possible was exhibited by Srila Raghunath Goswami and later by Thakur Narottama Dasa and Syamananda Goswami, who all represented the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Now that same mercy is overflooding the entire world through the Krishna consciousness movement. The present Krishna consciousness movement is nondifferent from the Pastimes performed by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when He was personally present, for the same principles are being followed and the same actions performed without fail.

To read more please see the these sections in the online Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita of Iskcon's BBT Vedabase.


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