Shrila Narottama Dasa Thakura
When he arrived in Navadwipa-dhama all the Devotees asked him about the health and activities of the Goswamis in Vrindavana. They were eager to hear the news from Vrindavana. After visiting all of Gauranga's pastime places in Gaura Mandala, Narottama Dasa did the same in Shri Kshetra Dhama (Jagannatha Puri). Then he went to see the Devotees and Shri Chaitanya's pastime spots in Shantipura, Shri Khanda, Kanthak Nagar, Ekachakra, and Kheturi Gram.
In Kheturi, Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura arranged the famous Kheturi Mahotsava. This was the first "Gaura-Purnima" festival to honor the divine appearance day of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. During the festival six Deities were installed: Shri Gauranga Deva, Shri Vallabhi Kanta, Shri Vraja Mohana, Shri Krishna, Shri Radha Kanta, Shri Radha Ramana. .
With his sweet voice Narottama Dasa began a wonderful kirtana. His chanting filled the heavens, and brought down tears of prema from the eyes of the Devotees, who were all sporting in the ocean of ecstasy. "In the midst of their kirtana, the munificent Shri Chaitanya Himself and all His personal associates appeared and joined in the sankirtana. Like a flash of lightning in the midst of a mass of beautiful blue clouds, Shri Chaitanya Himself appeared in the crowd of Devotees through a divine manifestation." (Bhakti-ratnakar)
"At that time, although Mahaprabhu had ,left this world years before, many different devotees saw Mahaprabhu in different ways. Those of Sri Navadvipa dhama saw Him more intimately as Nimaicandra or Visvambhara, as they knew Him during His youth. Those devotees were attracted to Mahaprabhu in sakhya and vatsalya rasa. The followers of the six Gosvamis, who only knew Mahaprabhu as a sannyasi, related to Him in the mood of dasya rasa. And hundreds of devotees also worshiped Lord Caitanya in an aisvarya mood of awe and reverence.
(Bhakti-ratnakar) (In the image: Harinaam Sankirtan, Siberia, Russia).
"This festival is considered a major achievment in Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Hundreds and hundreds of Devotees were invited, including direct disciples of Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, and Advaita Acharya. At this time, many differences existed in the interpretation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Acharyarani Jahnava Devi came from Kardaha with her entourage. Presiding over all the Vaishnavas, she resolved their diverse conclusions into one consistent Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy.
"For the first time, the festival featured many kirtana styles which integrated the glorification of Lord Chaitanya with the glorification of Lord Krishna and His pastimes. And because so many Vaishnavas were present at one place, it automatically made the Kheturi festival extraordinary. It also acted as an important step toward unifying all the Gaudiya Vaishnavas." (Shri Navadwipa-dhama parikrama)
Narottama Dasa Thakura wrote many devotional songs about the spiritual master, the Devotees, devotional service, the six Goswamis, Gaura-Nityananda and Radha-Krishna. Although composed with sweet melodies in simple Bengali language, Narottama Dasa's songs give shastric siddhanta and devotional inspiration. Shrila Prabhupada often sang these bhajanas. Considering them non-different from Vedic shastra, He quoted them in his Bhagavatam lectures. Prarthana and Prema-bhakti-chandrika are Narottama's most famous works.
The following excerpt comes from Prema-bhakti-chandrika: "Radha and Krishna are my goal in life and death, and They are the masters of my breath. Performing my bhajana only for Them, I rise and fall in the ocean of prema. I pray that I can always maintain this conception within my heart as my highest ideal.
"Let me serve the lotus feet of Radha-Govinda. Let my mind be filled with dedication to Their divine forms that defeat the beauty of Cupid and Rati. With a straw between my teeth I fall at Their divine feet and present my humble appeal: '0 Kishora-Kishori! 0 son of Nanda Maharaja-Shyamasundara! And 0 daughter of King Vrishabhanu, Shri Radha. You enchant even Hari, and Your bodily complexion is the color of a golden lotus. 0 Krishna, with a bodily color like an indranila gem (blue jewel), Your beauty mocks Cupid.
'0 topmost dancers Shri Radha and Shri Krishna-please dance within my mind. 0 You whose beauty increases the charm of Your dazzling ornaments, day and night I only wish that I shall go on singing Your glories in great ecstasy."
Narottama Dasa serves Shrimati Radhika as Chamaka-manjari. His samadhi is in Radha Gokulananda's Temple courtyard.
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Today is the Disappearance Day of Srila Narottam das Thakur
Narottam das Thakur was a leading acarya in the Gaudiya Vaisnava line. He was the only disciple of Srila Lokanatha Goswami.
When Srila Narottam das Thakur came to Vrindavan in search for his spiritual master, he met all the great sages. He was looking at each one of them and was searching, "Who is my spiritual master?" Finally he decided that his spiritual master should be Srila Lokanatha Goswami.
But when he approached him for initiation, Lokanatha Goswami became extremely angry with him. He said, "What a fool you are! There are great souls in Vrindavan. (Srila Rupa and Srila Sanatana Goswami had already left, but Sri Jiva Goswami and many others were still there) So many great souls are here and you are approaching me for initiation? This is crazy! And besides that, I made a vow not to accept any disciples. So just forget it!"
Hearing these words, Narottam das Thakur became depressed and very unhappy. But he was consulting with other Vaisnavas over the topic and they advised him: "Well, you have to be patient. You can not expect it all to happen in one day. Just try to do some service for Lokanatha Goswami!"
Accepting this advice, Narottam returned to Lokanatha Goswami and started serving him. Yet Lokanatha Goswami could immediately understood his intention and stopped him, saying: "Get out, no service here!" This was very painful for Narottam. He wanted to serve his Guru but his Guru would not accept any service. So he was thinking, "What can I do? What can I do? How can I do some secret service?"
Finally he found out that Lokanatha Goswami was daily going to a smal nearby forest for taking his ablutions, and emptying his body there, before he would go to take a snana in the Yamuna. So every day, after Lokanatha Goswami went there, Narottam das Thakur cleaned up the forest in that area, without his Guru knowing. In this way some time passed. But Lokanatha Goswami could sense that something was going on. He was surprised: "Every day I am coming here and it looks as if somebody swept here. I am suspicious somebody is secretly serving me here."
Therefor one day, after finishing, he hid behind a bush and waited.
Half an hour later, there came in gamsha Narottam, with a broom, chanting the holy name, very happily doing his daily service for his Guru. As he started sweeping, all of a sudden, out of a bush, came Lokanatha Goswami, bursting, shouting: "Who gave you permission to do this?" Narottam das Thakur was very, very ashamed and shy and replied: "Oh Gurudeva, I was trying to do some secret service because, you did not let me do any service to you."
Lokanatha Goswami strongly chastised him, "I told you, fool, you should go and take initiation from Srila Jiva Goswami, one of the great Goswamis . I have a vow, that I will not accept any disciples. So stop doing this!"
Expressing his heart, Narottam das Thakur, who was a great poet, quoted a very beautiful Bengali saying. He said: "If the girl has already chosen her husband, and the father wants to choose another one for her, she will not be happy with that arrangement."
Lokanatha Goswami did not know what to say. Finally he told him.
"Ok, you do what you like!", and he went off. Narottam was very happy: "Oh now I have permission for seva. Now finally I can do permitted seva!" In this way two years passed. To show us, what really means determination in accepting a spiritual master.
Profound sincerity in that loving relationship is there. We can find out from these stories. They are very captivating. The life and soul of a person is his connection with Krishna through his spiritual master.
One day as Lokanatha Goswami was chanting, one respected Vaisnava passed by. Conversing with him, Lokanatha Goswami asked him: "What shall I do with this boy? He is always serving me! But I made a vow to not accept any disciples!" The Vaisnava replied to Lokanatha Goswami: "Yes that may be true! But it seems as if he has made a vow to accept you as his Guru. And it seems that his vow is stronger than yours!"
Reflecting on this, Lokanatha Goswami agreed: "Ok! call him!" This news came to Narottam: "Lokanath Goswami is calling!" You can imagine what he was feeling: Finally he was called. He ran there and Lokanatha Goswami told him: "Ok, you have conquered me. I have accepted a vow that I do not want to have any disciples, but to have a disciple of your quality, this would be an honor, a purification for me."
That same day he gave him initiation. Their relationship was very intimate. Yet at the same time Lokanatha Goswami instructed him: "Now you go and study with Jiva Goswami." Srila Jiva Goswami had a Vaisnava- philosophy school in Radha Damodar Mandir. And it was there, in Srila Jiva Goswami's school, that he met his intimate friends, Srinivas Acharya and Srila Syamananda Prabhu with whom he studied together under protection of Srila JIva Goswami.
Srila Narottam dasa Thakur ki jaya!
Photos courtesy: www.iskcondesiretree.net and Govinda Swami.