All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga
Appearance Day of Srila Jiva Goswami

a talk by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
at the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram, Soquel, California
September 25, 2004

Basic transcript by Amiya Kanti Devi Dasi, checked by Sripad B.P. Tirtha Maharaj and Mahananda Das B.R.

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Today is a very auspicious day. It is the Appearance Day of Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu, who is the protector of our Sampradaya and a great Acharyya. Srila Guru Maharaj said, Jivadyair abhiraksitam, our whole Sampradaya with so much wealth came from Jiva Goswami Prabhu. Rupa-Sanatan gave so much and Jiva Goswami Prabhu protected them from the other schools of religion like Sankaracharyya and (the atheist) Kapila's sankhya philosophy. They wanted to establish nirakara, nirvisesa, brahma (impersonalism, non-variagatedness), but Jiva Goswami Prabhu very authentically and wisely defeated them. He established achintya bhedabheda siddhanta of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

He was born in Bakla Chandradwip as a son of Anupama. Anupama was the brother of Rupa-Sanatan. After he was maybe twelve years old, Jiva Goswami came to Nabadwip and met with Nityananda Prabhu, and Nityananda Prabhu showed him everything, all the Pastime places of Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev. Vishnupriya Devi took him as a son and gave him so much affectionate nourishment. Nityananda Prabhu took Jiva Goswami around the whole of Nabadwip Dham and ordered him: "Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev has given Vrindavan Dham to you all, then you go to Vrindavan. I am giving my mercy, my blessings, affection, love, everything to you. You establish Mahaprabhu's Sampradaya."

Jiva Goswami went, and on the way he received some education in Benares, Kasi. He became highly educated in all the Scriptures: Veda, Vedanta, Upanishads, Purana, nyaya. Within five years he learned and finished his education because he knew if he went to Rupa-Sanatan, only service would be waiting for him. He received education so he could do that service more expertly, beautifully and authentically.

Then from Benares he went to Rupa-Sanatan in Vrindavan, took shelter and stayed with Rupa Goswami Prabhu. He took diksa mantram from Rupa Goswami and was always serving Rupa Goswami. All the Vaisnavas, all of the Goswamis — especially Rupa-Sanatan, Bhatta Raghunath, Gopal Bhatta, Das Goswami — everyone gave him much nourishment and affection. Jiva Goswami also served the whole Sampradaya by staying in Vrindavan. By the order of Rupa Goswami, he manifested and established the Radha Damodar Temple, and when Rupa Goswami Prabhu became aged, he took Rupa Goswami to stay there at the Radha Damodar Temple. There in the Radha Damodar Temple we can see the bhajan kutir of Rupa Goswami and the samadhi of Rupa Goswami, and the samadhi of Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, the samadhi of Jiva Goswami and others.

Once Radha Damodar wanted to give me some service but I had not taken it because I had no manpower who will serve with their heart and full devotion. That kind of person is very rare to get. Only instead of money, as a financial transaction, I could not take that, but Rupa Goswami is so merciful and Srila Jiva Goswami is so merciful, they gave one piece of land adjoining Rupa Goswami. That land is also Radha Damodar's land. And very critically but legally I got that land through my dead telephone! The telephone did not ring, but I picked up the receiver to see if it was still dead and suddenly one person from Vrindavan, Krishna Vallabha, is talking on the line and telling me, "Maharaj, fifteen days are given by the order of the Magistrate, that if you take this land within fifteen days you will get that land of Jiva Goswami Prabhu."

Then I was surprised! But within fifteen days where shall I get so much money? Within fifteen days who will deal with the legal documents? And Krishna Vallabha said, "You don't worry for money. Money I shall arrange but you send your person." I sent Purnananda and I told him to legally transfer it in the name of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Jiva Goswami is very merciful and Rupa Goswami is very merciful to have given that land. I immediately started service there. Now there is a three storey building and a very beautiful temple of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Rasabiharijiu. Srila Guru Maharaja's pushpa samadhi is inside the temple. You will see when you go.

Jiva Goswami Prabhu's character was very strong, and he was very highly educated in Sanskrit and Scripture. Sometimes he even corrected the writings of Rupa Goswami. Rupa Goswami told him many times, "Jiva, you see if it is perfect or not."

Jiva Goswami helped to make the Sat-Sandharbas, super-authentic Scripture in Mahaprabhu's Sampradaya. Jiva Goswami said, "It was in a disordered form, so I am making it in an ordered form." That way he gave explanation, but actually he made everything.

Once it happened that Vallabha Bhatta, who was very learned, saw there was a little fault in one sloka of Rupa Goswami, and he told Rupa Goswami, "Rupa, here is a little fault, you can correct it this way." Rupa Goswami was always giving honour to everyone, and he gave honour to Vallabha Bhatta and corrected that. But Jiva Goswami knew that what Rupa Goswami wrote was correct. Then he went to take water from the Jamuna, and there he met Vallabha Bhatta. He told him, "The sloka you tried to correct is already correct, I think."

Then Vallabha Bhatta debated with Jiva Goswami about that sloka and he was very happy to see what Jiva Goswami said was perfect. Then he came back to Rupa Goswami and said, "Rupa, I said to correct that sloka, but it was not necessary to corrected it. It was perfect. You can keep it." Then he asked, "Who is that young boy, that seventeen or eighteen year-old boy?"

Rupa Goswami said, "He is my nephew and he is staying with me. He is my disciple."

Vallabha Bhatta said, "Oh, he is highly educated and a very big pandit. He defeated me about this."

Rupa Goswami Prabhu was a little angry with Jiva Goswami: "He is your Guru. Why you went to correct him? This type of mentality cannot stay with me. You get out from my kunja. Go back to your father's house, Bakla Chandradwip. Go back."

Jiva Goswami Prabhu was very sad. He thought, "What shall I do with my life if I cannot serve my Guru Maharaj?"

In maybe Vamsivata, under a tree, Jiva Goswami Prabhu was writing one book, Sri Gopal-champu. Sri Gopal was his good friend, and Sri Gopal was addicted with sakhya-rasa in Krishna-lila. Jiva Goswami had said, "I shall keep within our form your sakhya-rasa, and I shall write one book for you, for your happiness." Jiva Goswami remembered that and he wrote Gopal-champu.

In the meantime, Sanatan Goswami met with Jiva Goswami and saw that he was doing praya-upavesam, not taking even water, and wanting to leave his body. Sanatan Goswami went to Rupa Goswami and asked, "Rupa, what are Mahaprabhu's teachings, can you say?"

Rupa Goswami said, "Yes: Jive-doya Name-ruchi Vaisnava-seva, service to the Vaisnavas, and jive-doya means being kind to the jiva souls and giving them Krishna consciousness, and Name-ruchi means take the Holy Name, take Hari Nama always. That is service. Mahaprabhu's teaching is this."

Then Sanatan Goswami said, "You told jive-doya but Jiva is leaving his body. It is not good what you have done. Do not throw Jiva out. He is a good boy."

Then Rupa Goswami went to Jiva Goswami and said, "Jiva, you come back." He gave full service to him, not only full service but service charge — everything. That Jiva Goswami's avirbhava is today. Mayavad, sankhyavad, buddhavad, whatever 'vad' was there, all he defeated, and he established achintya bhedabheda tattva through the Sat-sandarbha.

Many books Jiva Goswami composed. One very beautiful book, I like that book very much, is Hari-namamrita-vyakaran, the grammar of Sanskrit. And that Sanskrit grammar is unique, we cannot conceive that the grammar of every word indicates Krishna. Grammar is grammar, but he made grammar in Krishna consciousness. It is inconceivable. But every Name is inside the grammar, every matter, all is built by Krishna consciousness. I read that grammar, and I was very happy. I felt my life is successful, and that happened also. I do not actually know Sanskrit but by the grace of Jiva Goswami and the mercy of Guru Maharaj, I am famous in Sanskrit. But actually I am not so qualified. More qualification is necessary to understand. But Guru Maharaj gave the vital point to me and I can relish with that.

Guru Maharaj engaged Dr. Dolgobinda Sastri as my teacher. He is a very good teacher. He is still alive in Cuttak, Orissa, India. Anyhow, that Jiva Goswami Prabhu's Appearance Day is today. That means all the light, all the strength, all the beauty and all the beautiful conception of Krishna consciousness has come through Jiva Goswami Prabhu to us. That is our wealth. The wealth of life, the wealth of the spiritual world — what Jiva Goswami Prabhu gave, no one else has given that. For that, Baladeva Vidyabushan went to defeat the acharya of the Sri Sampradaya, and under that is also the Ramanandi section. They challenged Baladeva Vidyabushan, "You have no Vedanta-bhasya." In response, Baladeva Vidyabhusan made Govinda-bhasya.

Mahaprabhu did not compose Vedanta-bhasya and Jiva Goswami did not compose Vedanta-bhasya as such. Bhasya means explanation, interpretation. However it was given by Jiva Goswami through Sat-sandarbha made up of the Tattva-sandarbha, Bhakti-sandarbha, Priti-sandarbha, Paramatma-sandarbha, Bhagavat-sandarbha, and Krishna-sandarbha. After reading those Sat-sandarbhas Baladeva Vidyabhusan made the pranam mantra for Jiva Goswami there at the start of the Govinda-bhasya:

yah sankhya-pankena kutarka-pamsuna
vibartta-garttena cha luptadidhitim
staddham vyabhadhak-sudhaya mahesvaram
krsnam sa jivah prabhurastu me gatim

"He is the super-protector of our Sampradaya from other disturbances, then I bow down to his lotus feet." This way he wrote. He established Krishna, who is Paramesvara sat-chid-ananda vigraha, who is anadi, who is anadi adir whose name is Govinda, who is the cause of all causes. What was written in Brahma Samhita was established in this world by Jiva Goswami Prabhu.

Today is also Vamandeva's aviribhava also. You know Vamandeva? He appeared to teach Bali Maharaja. Bali Maharaja started a big fire sacrifice and there were so many big personalities. If he was successful then he could defeat everyone and permanently conquer the heavens and other places. For that, by the order of Sukracharyya, Bali Maharaja started to make that big fire sacrifice. But at that time all the demigods were very much afraid. They went to Lord Krishna, and Krishna took the form of Vamandeva. Aditinandan. His name is Aditinandan. He went that day to Sukracharyya's disciple, Bali Maharaja, who was making a big fire sacrifice.

He went there in the form of a brahmin beggar with a short figure. Seeing that, Bali Maharaj said, "I have promised that in this period, if anyone wants anything from me, I will give it to him. Then you tell me, brahmin boy, what you want." Sukracharyya is a highly qualified brahmin and he understood that the brahmin boy was Vishnu and not a brahmin boy, and that He wants to take everything from Bali Raja. Then he told Bali Raja, "This boy is not a brahmin boy. He is really Vishnu coming to you to pray for something. But if you give that, you will lose everything."

Then Bali Maharaja said, "I promised that in this period, whoever will ask for anything, I will give it to him." Then he said, "Oh brahmin, tell me what you want." And Vamana said, "I want land — three steps of land by my feet."

"Yes, I promise I shall give you." He took the kamandalu water pot, and wanted to say the sankalpa mantram (a vedic formality then prevalent ). At that time Sukracharyya was very disturbed and went inside of the kamandalu's spout and choked it by staying there. He put his head there so water could not fall.

"What happened?"

Vamana replied, "Nothing happened, I am making it clear." Then he took a kusa grass and pushed it down the spout, and one eye of Sukracharyya was poked out. Then Sukracharyya came out and left. The water fell for the sankalpa and he gave it to Vamanadeva.

Vamanadeva then said, "Now I can put my feet on the land. Which land will you give?"

"Whether on this earth or not, anywhere you can take."

"I want swarga, martya, patala," the heavens, material worlds, and the underground worlds, patala. When Bali Maharaja gave his steps, he conquered with his first step swarga-loka, and with his next step martyaloka. Bali Maharaja then asked, "Where is your other step?" Nothing was in the hand of Bali Maharaj because swarga and martya were taken. Then he gave patala-loka. When Vamandeva took swarga-martya-patala, then Vamandeva asked him, "Give daksina!"

Bali Maharaja responded, "What daksina I will give? I have nothing. Swarga-martiya-patala already I have given you."

Then Vamandeva said, "You bow down, and I'll put my foot on your head." He gave blessings to Bali Maharaja and told him, "I am very happy with you. You go to patala-loka and stay there. Do not to stay here in swarga-loka. I have selected patala-loka for you. Go and stay there."

Then Bali Maharaja said, "Okay, as your order, I shall do."

Vamanadeva said, "I am very happy with you. You take some boon from me." And Bali Maharaja said, "If You are satisfied and very happy with me, then You stay as my doorkeeper in that place, in patala, the abode you selected for me. Then forever You will be there." Vamandeva accepted.

That Vamandeva's avirbhava (appearance) is today, Vaman dvadasi. Every time this is a very critical type of dvadasi because sometimes Vishnu-srinkala-yoga is happening, and at that time Ekadasi is going down and Vishnu-srinkala is getting that dvadasi day. Anyhow yesterday was Vishnu-srinkala, and today is Vaman dvadasi, so we have both: Vishnu-srinkala-dvadasi and Jiva Goswami's Appearance Day. All these auspicious things happen today.

Jay Om Visnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jaya!