Srila Raghunatha Batta Goswami and his Worshipable Deity

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

Dear Swami Gaurangapada and assembled devotees,

please accept my simple obiesances.

Here is a very nectar biography from Nitaai Veda, about Srila Raghunatha Batta Goswami and his worshipable Deity (Srimad Bhagavatam) - click here

Shri Raghunath Bhatta Goswami; 

While Raghunath Bhatta was walking from Kasi (Baranasi) to Puri, he was thinking, "I wonder if Mahaprabhu will remember me? I was a small child then, and here at Puri He was so many devotees. I doubt if he would remember such a worthless wretch as me. And even if He does I wonder if he will still show the same affection to me as He did at our house in Kasi."

But when he arrived in Puri and was about to offer his dandabats to Mahaprabhu, Shri Gaursundor called out, "Raghunath!" before he could even offer his obeisances and embraced him very firmly. Raghunath's eyes filled with tears of joy and as he caught hold of the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu.

"Oh most merciful Lord, You still remember me."

Mahaprabhu replied, "What to speak of this life, I remember the affection that you and your mother and father have showed to Me life after life. How your mother lovingly fed Me everyday when I stayed at Kasi!"

Then Mahaprabhu introduced Raghunath to the other devotees who were very pleased to meet him. Raghunath conveyed his mother's and fathers obeisances and the news of Candrashekar Baidya and the other devotees of Kasi to Mahaprabhu. Then he brought out the various preparations from his bag which his mother had prepared for Shri Gaursundor. Mahaprabhu was very pleased and called Gobinda to come and store everything away carefully. Raghunath's father's name was Shri Tapan Misra. When Nimai Pandit travelled to East Bengal as a teacher he had met with Tapan Misra at that time.

 

Though Tapan Misra was a learned scholar and had discussed the conclusions of the scriptures with many other pandits still he was uncertain as to the actual goal and how to achieve it. One night after having thought on these matters for some time, he saw a dream in which one divine person was telling him, "Misra! Don't worry yourself on this subject any more. Nimai Pandit is coming here very soon. If you can, you should meet Him and He will be able to explain to you life's goal and how to attain it. He is not an ordinary human being, but an incarnation of Nara Narayan. He has come into this world as a human being to perform His pastimes but He is actually the Cause of the universe. Saying this much that demigod disappeared.

[C.B.Adi 14.123]

In the morning after finishing his bath and puja, Tapan Misra set out to meet Nimai Pandit. When he arrived at the place where Prabhu was staying he saw that the Pandit was seated on a bedstead within a room of that house. The whole house was illuminated by His bodily effulgence. His eyes were like the petals of a full blown lotus and His head was covered with curly hair. On His chest was a white brahmana thread. Dressed in brilliant yellow cloth and surrounded by His disciples, He appeared like the full moon surrounded by various constellations

Tapan Misra paid his dandabats and with folded hands spoke to Mahaprabhu, "Oh You who are full of compassion! I am very lowly and fallen. Please bestow Your mercy on me."

Mahaprabhu smiled and had an asan placed next to Himself for Tapan Misra to sit on. Then He requested his introduction. After introducing himself Tapan Misra inquired about the goal of life and how to attain it.

 

Mahaprabhu replied that, "In every age the Supreme Lord advents Himself, and for the welfare of the living entities he gives instructions on how to attain His association. In Satya yug the process was meditation; in Treta yug-, sacrificial rituals; in Dvapara yug-, worship of the Deity; and in Kali yug-, congregational chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord, Harinam sankirtan.                                                                                     [C.B.Adi 14/137]

Considering the strength, prowess and longetivity of the living beings, the Supreme Lord accepted the form of Acarja and ascertained these various processes for various ages. If anyone follows any other process than the authorized one he achieves no result. Therefore, in the age of Kali, the essence of all the scriptural processes is the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. These are the Holy Names of the Lord and are to be chanted at all times. By this process you will be able to understand what is the goal of life and how to achieve it. There is no difference between these names and Whom they indicate. There is no other way than Shri Namsankirtan. Giving up all other processes one should always chant the Holy Name of Shri Krishna. By the influence of this mantra you will be able to understand everything about the goal of life and how to attain it. Shri Nam is Himself what we are striving to realize and repeating this Name is the process for realizing what the Name is. There is no difference between the Holy Name of the Lord and Himself.

 

Having received these invaluable instructions from Nimai Pandit, Tapan Misra offered his dandabats at the lotus feet of the Pandit and asked if he might accompany Him on his return to Nabadwip. To his request Mahaprabhu replied that he should immediately go to Kasi where they would again meet together in the future. "At that time I will particularly describe all of these transcendental topics regarding the Absolute Truth in complete detail."

Thereafter Nimai Pandit set out on His return journey to Nabadwip while Tapan Misra left for Kasi Dham, accompanied by his wife.

Some years later when the Incarnation of Mercy, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was proceeding to Brindaban on the path through the jungles of Jharikhanda, by way of Choto Nagpur, He arrived at Shri Kasi Dham. While Tapan Misra was bathing at Manikarnika ghat, a sannyasi arrived there and began to make the heavens resound with the sounds of "Hari bol! Hari bol!"

Tapan Misra was startled to suddenly hear the sound of the Holy Name. In the middle of the desert, to hear the sound of a rushing flow of water is uncommon. So to hear the Holy Name of Hari amidst so many Mayabadis was not an ordinary occurrence. Then, standing behind so many sannyasis, Tapan Misra sighted one especially tall and handsome one, Whose effulgence made everything around Him glow. He began to think, "Who could that be?" I have heard that Nimai Pandit accepted sannyas but could that be Him?"

Coming out from the water he became convinced that it must be the same Nimai Pandit that he had met with in East Bengal. Falling at His lotus feet he began to shed tears of ecstasy but Mahaprabhu picked him up and embraced him in great love. Then Tapan Misra very affectionately led Mahaprabhu to his house. After so many days they had once again been able to meet together. Arriving at his house Tapan Misra washed Mahaprabhu's lotus feet and along with his family members drank that water in great ecstasy.

The pastimes that took place at that time with Raghunath are nicely described in the Chaitanya charitamrita.

When Mahaprabhu visited Kasi on His way to Brindaban, he was a guest at Tapan Misra's house for ten days. On his way back from Brindaban he remained here for a period of two months. One can just imagine what influence the personal presence of Mahaprabhu had on the young boy Raghunath. He wanted to come with Prabhu to Puri and remain with Him there but Prabhu prevented him.

 

Shri Chaitanya received Raghunath in Puri with great affection and trained him in his religious life for eight months. Then he urged him to go back to his home to look after the comforts of his elderly parents. He further forbade him to marry and blessed him by putting His own neck beads around Raghunath's neck. Though he originally had no intention of returning home Raghunath complied with Prabhu's wish and studied Shrimad Bhagavatam for the next four years under one Baisnab scholar while living at home.

After the demise of his parents he returned to Prabhu's lotus feet where he remained for another eight months. Then Shri Chaitanya sent him to Brindaban to stay under the auspices of Rupa and Sanatan. Mahaprabhu instructed him to recite the Bhagavatam and the Lord's Holy Names. He presented him with a Tulasi garland of Lord Jagannath's, fourteen hands in length as well as the betel and pan prasad remnants of Lord Jagannath.

Unlike the other Gosvamis he did not establish any separate temple or Deity of his own. He attached himself to the worship of Shri Govinda Deb and enriched His service. ChaitanyaCharitamrita states that Raghunath ordered his disciple(s) to construct a temple for Shri Govinda Deb. The present temple of Govinda Deb was constructed by Raj Man Simha but it has not been specifically stated anywhere that Man Simha was the disciple of Raghunath Bhatta Gosvami.

 

His worshippable Deity of the Shrimad Bhagavatam is still being worshipped at Gadadhar Bhatta Pith within another Madan Mohan temple which is nearby the RadhaBallabha Mandir in Brindaban. There is also a very beautiful painting of Shri Shri GaurGadadhar here. Raghunath Bhatta was the disciple of Shri Gadadhar Pandit. In the Gaur Ganoddesh Dipika it is described that Raghunath Bhatta was Raga Manjari in Krishna lila.

 

His birth was in 1427 (Saka), 1505 (Christian) on the 12th day of the bright fortnight of Aswin. His disappearance was in 1501 (Saka), 1579 (Christian) on the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Jyestha.

y.s. Nava

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