odev108@gmail.

com Monthly Newsletter

[Link] July 2018
Issue No. 7

Sanatan Goswami: The Journey from Ramkeli to Vrindavan

Sanatan Goswami was the eldest of the Six Goswamis, who lived about 500 years
ago. He is an incarnation of Radharani’s maidservant, Lavang Manjari.

He and his younger brother Roop Goswami were from a family of South Indian
Brahmins, but they were born and brought up in Bengal. As young men, they worked
for the Muslim government of the time, under the ruler Hussain Shah. Thus they were
forced to wear Islamic dress and long beards. Sanatan Goswami’s birth name was
Amar Dev, but he became known by the Muslim name of Sakar Mallik.

Sanatan Goswami was a genius, and he knew many languages including Sanskrit, Farsi
and Arabic.

page 1
Even though he worked for the Muslims, The brothers decided to leave their jobs
he was completely devoted to Radha and and run away to Vrindavan. But Sanatan
Krishn. He used to read scriptures, Goswami, being the elder brother, asked
meditate and chant Harinaam secretly. Roop Goswami to go first. Sanatan
During the day he worked in Hussain Goswami eventually stopped attending
Shah’s court, but at night he went home work too, and was thrown in jail because
to his village, named Ramkeli. He used to of it. But he was able to get free by
meditate that Ramkeli was Vrindavan, bribing the guard.
and lose himself in that mood, with tears
of love rolling down his cheeks. S a n at a n G o s w a m i s o o n re c e i v e d
Mahaprabhu’s full mercy. Mahaprabhu
Then one day, Shri Chaitanya gave him the seva of finding the lost holy
Mahaprabhu came to Ramkeli. The places of Krishn Lila, and writing books to
brothers met him, and that meeting help others follow the path Mahaprabhu
changed their lives. Mahaprabhu gave had shown him. Sanatan lived in
them new names, and they became Vrindavan and dedicated his whole life to
known as Sanatan Goswami and Roop this seva.
Goswami.

Sanatan Goswami and

Madanmohan
In Vrindavan, Sanatan Goswami lived at their mother was cooking while brushing
Dwadash Aditya Tila, the place where her teeth with a neem twig.
Ra d h a a n d K r i s h n fi r s t m e t ( s e e
Sandarshan Issue 5). There he lived in a Sanatan Goswami was very upset. He
simple hut, and for food he used to said to the Chaube, “You should worship
perform madhukari (collecting food from Krishn according to the rules, not like
Brajwasis). In those days, Vrindavan was this!” The Chaube was very embarrassed.
full of trees, but not many people; he had From then on, the Chaube and his family
to go to Mathura to find food. tried to worship the deity strictly. The
deity’s name was Madanmohan.
One day while performing madhukari,
Sanatan Goswami came to the house of a That night, Madanmohan came in
Chaube (a Chaturvedi Brahmin). The Sanatan Goswami’s dream and said,
Chaube had a very beautiful deity of Shri ”Why did you ruin my life? The Chaube is
Krishn, but Sanatan Goswami was not an ordinary person. He has real love
shocked by how he treated him. The for me. He only knows me as his son.
children were playing with the deity, and

page 2
“And yes, mother was brushing her teeth Chaube had also had the same dream,
while cooking for me, but it’s not and Madanmohan came to live with
because she doesn’t know it’s wrong. Sanatan Goswami.
She was doing that because she knows I
am very hungry in the morning, and she Before taking Madanmohan with him,
was getting late. She wanted to make Sanatan Goswami said to Madanmohan,
sure I got my food as quickly as possible. "Are you sure you want to come with
And the children are my friends! We me? I’m a renounced man, and I live
used to really play together, but you under a tree. I can't give you a fancy
couldn’t see it. You thought they were temple to live in. The only temple I have
treating me like a doll.” is my hut made of mud and sticks. And
all I can feed you is some dry bread and
Sanatan Goswami felt awful. ”Please leaves from the forest.
forgive me! Do you want me to have a
talk with the Chaube?" he asked. Madanmohan said, ”For me, your hut will
be the greatest temple, and your simple
"No," said Madanmohan with a smile. food will be the greatest feast!”
"Come take me away from here. Now I
want to enjoy your love, just like I enjoy Sanatan Goswami said, “if you are sure,
theirs." then I would love to bring you home.”
Thus Madanmohan came to live with
So the next day, Sanatan Goswami went Sanatan Goswami at Dwadash Aditya
back to the Chaube's house. The Tila.

page 3
Everything was wonderful for a while. Brajwasis for help, but they were not able
Sanatan Goswami would collect wheat to move the boat.
flour from the Brajwasis, and from the
flour he made bati: very simple bati One Brajwasi said, “On top of that hill is a
without any salt or ghee. Sometimes he great saint named Sanatan Goswami. Go
also plucked weeds from the forest and and take his blessings. I’m sure he can
boiled them. And that was all they had to help you."
eat.
Ramdas Kapoor went up the hill to
Madanmohan ate Sanatan Goswami's Sanatan Goswami's hut. Bowing at his
offerings happily . . . for a few days. Then lotus feet, he said ”Please, Maharaj, you
Madanmohan said to Sanatan Goswami: have to help me. My boat is stuck, and it’s
full of goods. If I can't free my boat, I’m
”I'm finding it hard to choke down your going to lose a lot of money!”
dry balls of dough. Can I please have
some salt?” Sanatan Goswami remained silent for a
moment. He did not want to get involved
Sanatan Goswami said, "That’s not in any material problems. But then a
possible.” thought crossed his mind. He asked:

Madanmohan was shocked. “What do "What's in your boat?”

you mean it’s not possible?” he said.
“It's full of salt!” said Ramdas Kapoor.
“I am a renounced man,” replied Sanatan
Goswami. “I live this way because this Sanatan Goswami smiled. ”I think I know
lifestyle supports my seva for how to free your boat," he said.
Mahaprabhu. If I give you salt, you will
ask for ghee. If I give you ghee, you will Sanatan Goswami had Ramdas Kapoor
ask for sugar. If I give you sugar, you will bring a small amount of the salt, which
ask for rabri. And if I give you rabri, you was then offered to Madanmohan with
will ask for chhappan bhog! If you want his midday meal. And as soon as the
salt, you're going to have to get it bhog was offered, the boat was freed
yourself!” from the shore.

Later that day, a merchant named Ramdas Kapoor was so shocked and
Ramdas Kapoor was travelling down the impressed by Sanatan Goswami that he
Yamuna river on a boat. When the boat paid for a temple to be built for
reached Dwadash Aditya Tila, it got stuck Madanmohan. That temple is the oldest
on the Yamuna shore. Ramdas Kapoor temple in Vrindavan.
tried and tried, but he couldn't get the
boat unstuck. He asked some local

page 4
Sanatan Goswami and Mudiya Puno
Sanatan Goswami entered Nitya Lila on Guru Purnima, the sacred day for
worshipping the spiritual master, and from then on this day was called
Mudiya Puno in Braj.

Puno means the full moon (purnima), and Mudiya comes from the word
mundan, which means shaving ones head.

It is called this because the Brajwasis loved Sanatan Goswami so much, that
when he left this world, it was like their own father had died. They shaved
their heads and peformed Govardhan parikrama together in his memory.

Mudiya Puno is Braj’s largest festival. In 2017, about 6.5 million devotees
visited Braj to celebrate by performing Govardhan Parikrama and visiting
Sanatan Goswami’s samadhi in Vrindavan.

page 5
The Only Jewel of my Life
Sanatan Goswami wrote several Harinaam, because chanting is the
important books in his lifetime, and the simplest practice, which takes you to
most famous one is Brihad the highest goal.
Bhagwatmritam. There is a beautiful
verse in the beginning of this text, Some people perform varnashram
which reveals the glory of the Holy dharm, but this is a difficult path. Others
Name: practice yog, but on that path you have
to control your mind and senses.
जयित जयित नामान(द*पं मुरारे
िव1रिमतिनजधम13यानपूजा5दय6नम् Even with bhakti practices there can be
trouble. For example, deity worship
कथमिप सक;दा<ं मुि=दम>ािणनां यत्
(archana) can be hard to do in a perfect
परमममृतमएकB जीवनं भूषणं मे way, because we have to be very pure
in body and mind. And even hearing
jayati jayati nāmānanda-rūpaṃ murārer Hari Katha can be difficult sometimes, if
viramita-nija-dharma-dhyāna-pūjādi- we can’t find the right speaker to hear
yatnam from. So Sanatan Goswami says, we
katham api sakṛd āttaṃ mukti-dam should not worry about being perfect in
prāṇināṃ yat all these bhakti practices. Just offer
paramam amṛtam ekaṃ jīvanaṃ yourself to the Name, and the Name
bhūṣaṇaṃ me will give you everything.

Glory to Shri Krishn in the form of his Harinaam, he says, is not only for
Holy Name! Those who take its chanting, but it can be served by all the
shelter above other practices like senses. With our minds we can
meditation, deity worship and meditate on Harinaam; we can touch
varnashram dharm are blessed. It Harinaam by writing it on our bodies
easily grants liberation to those who with sacred clay; we can worship
speak it even once. This Holy Name is Harinaam with our eyes by taking its
the greatest source of eternal bliss darshan, and so forth.
and the only jewel of my life. (1.9)
Sanatan Goswami says, “This Holy
In his commentary on this verse, Name is the only jewel of my life.”
Sanatan Goswami explains that Harinaam is the the supreme amrit, far
Harinaam (the Holy Name) is anand- greater than mukti, and greater than the
roop or bliss incarnate, and whoever joy of Vaikunth. It is more beautiful than
chants it also becomes filled with bliss. anything in this Universe, because it is
He says everyone should take shelter of Shri Krishn himself.

page 6
Jal Yatra

In Summer, Vrindavan is very hot, so devotees find ways to make Radha

and Krishn as comfortable as possible. The festivals of this season focus on
keeping them cool, and one such festival is Jal Yatra.

On the evening of Jyeshtha Purnima, a special fountain is installed on

Radharamanji’s altar, sprinkling him and his Beloved with cooling drops of
Yamuna water. Greenery adorns the altar in the form of a kalpavriksh
bearing many kinds of fruit.

Shriji wears a new white dhoti on this day, which becomes almost
transparent in the water. This makes for a most captivating sandarshan!

page 7
Jal Yatra
by Gunmanjari Das Goswami
लखत Hी राधारमण फJहारे ।
कबNँ हजारा कबPं इकधारा कबPं कJBज अकारS ॥
बै5ठ लता सु(दर सीतल जलकण अंगन धारS ।
नृ6य करत फल िनरखS पिहरS पट भूषण सुकJमारे ॥
सु(दर फल पावत िमHी को पनZिपयS दोऊ \यारे ।
गुणमंजरी गुलाब नीर को छोड़त ह_ िपचकारे ॥

lakhat śhrī rādhāramaṇ phuhāre

kabahũ hajārā kabahũ ikdhārā kabahũ kuñj akārẽ
baiṭhi latā sundar sītal jal-kaṇ aṅgan dhārẽ
nṛtya karat phal nirakhẽ paharẽ paṭ bhūṣhaṇ sukumāre
sundar phal pāvat miśhrī ko panõpiyẽ doū pyāre
guṇmañjarī gulāb nīr ko c̣ hoḍat haĩ pićhkāre

Just see how Shri Radharamanji is enjoying the sprinkling shower of water,
sitting in this kunj in Shri Vrindavan Dham! Sometimes thousands of
streams pour upon him and sometimes just one. Shriji wears silk clothes
and beautiful ornaments, and as he dances, he looks up at the different
kinds of fruit hanging from the kunj. His beloved Priyaju sits at his side,
drenched in a mist of cool droplets. The sakhis have made delicious panna
from ripe fruits selected by Shriji, juiced and sweetened with mishri. As the
Divine Couple drink it together, Gunmanjari lovingly sprinkles them with
rosewater from a pichkari.

page 8