WHO’S WHO OF GAURA LILA IN KRISHNA LILAThe associates of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitai are the same spiritual identities in the eternal pastimes of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.
Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura describes the full glories of the associates of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaur Nitai in his book Prarthana in the song "Savarana Sri Gaura Mahima" (The Glories of Sri Gauranga):
gaurangera sangi-gane, nitya-siddha kari’ mane,
se yaya vrajendra-suta pasa
sri-gauda-mandala-bhumi, yeba jane cintamani
tara haya vraja-bhume vasa
One who accepts the associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as nitya-siddhas is certain to be elevated to the spiritual kingdom to become an associate of the Supreme Lord. One should also know that Gauda-mandala-bhumi—those places in Bengal where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed—are equal to Vrajabhumi, or Vrndavana. There is no difference between the inhabitants of Vrndavana and those of Gauda-mandala-bhumi, or Sridhama Mayapur
Srila Prabhupada says:
All the associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu are nitya-siddhas, or eternally perfect. Nityananda Prabhu is Balarama, the immediate expansion of Krishna; Advaita Prabhu is Maha-Vishnu (He is also vishnu-tattva); Gadadhara Prabhu is an expansion of Radharani; and Srivasa is an incarnation of Narada. They are nitya-siddha, or eternally perfect. They were never imperfect. They were never in contact with material contamination. We should understand that as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krishna Himself, is transcendental, similarly His personal associates are also nitya-siddha, or eternally transcendental. Se jay brajendra-suta-pas. Brajendra-suta means Krishna. Simply by accepting that the associates of Lord Caitanya are eternally free, one can immediately be promoted to the transcendental abode of Lord Krishna.
It will help us develop strong faith in the perfect associates of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitai if we understand their actual spiritual identities in the eternal pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. For this reason the greatest of all poets Sri Kavi Karnapura wrote the great classic book Gaura Gannodesha Dipika. This book illuminates to the world the divine spiritual identities of the associates of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaur Nitai in the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Krishna.
As stated by Sri Kavi Karnapura himself it is the most difficult task in the whole creation to understand the spiritual identities of Gauranga’s associates. Perfectness in all cases is very difficult often due to the transcendental nature and characteristics of pure devotees. Also in some cases many great associates desire to incarnate in one body so it makes it even more difficult to compile such a list.
ASTA MAHANTA – THE EIGHT PRIMARY MAHANTAS
The Pancha Tattva stand on a six-sided jeweled simhasana in the center of the Yogapitha at Shridhama Mayapura, Navadvipa. Eight Mahantas surround Them like petals of a lotus flower. The eight Mahantas surrounding the Their Lordships Shri Shri Nityananda Gauranga in the Navadvipa Yogapitha each with 8 assitants are similarly situated like the 64 principal Gopies surrounding Their Lordships Shri Shri Radha and Krishna in the Vrindavana Yogapitha:
Svarupa Damodara
Chandrashekhar Acharya
Ratnagarbha Thakura
Shri Govinda
Shri Garuda Pandita
Shri Mukunda
Damodara Pandita
Krishna Dasa Thakura
Krishnananda Thakura
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Ramananda Raya
Madhava Acharya
Dvija Shubhananda
Ramachandra Dutta
Vasudeva Dutta
Nandana Acharya
Shankara Thakura
Sudarshana Thakura
Subuddhi Raya
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Govindananda Thakura
Shrirama Pandita
Jagannatha Dasa
Jagadisha Pandita
Sadashiva Kaviraja
Mukunda Raya
Mukundananda
Purandara Acharya
Narayana Vachaspati
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Vasudeva Ghosh
Raghava Pandita
Murari Chaitanya
Makardhavaja Pandita
Kansari Sena
Jiva Pandita
Mukunda Kaviraja
Chota Haridasa
Kavichandra
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Gauranga Mahaprabhu (Bhakta Rupa)
Nityananda Prabhu (Bhakta Svarupa)
Advaita Acharya (Bhakta Avatara)
Gadadhara Pandita (Bhakta Shakti)
Shrivasa Thakura (Bhakta Leader)
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Ramananda Vasu
Paramananda Thakura
Ballava Thakura
Jagadisha Thakura
Vanmali Dasa
Shrikara Pandita
Shrinatha Mishra
Lakhana Acharya
Purushottama Pandita
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Madhava Ghosh /
Vakreshvara Pandita Prabodhananda Sarasvati
Balabhadra Bhattacharya
Makardhvaja Sena
Vidya Vachaspati
Govinda Thakura
Madhava Pandita
Shrikanta Thakura Kavi Karnapura
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Govinda Ghosh
Kashi Mishra
Shikhi Mahiti
Shriman Pandita
Bada Haridasa Thakura
Kavichandra Thakura
Hiranyagarbha Thakura
Jagannatha Sena
Dvija Pitambara
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Shivananda Sena
Makaradhvaja Datta
Raghunatha Datta
Madhu Pandita
Vishnu Dasa Acharya
Purandara Mishra
Govinda Thakura
Paramananda Gupta
Balarama Dasa
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ASTA GOSWAMI – THE EIGHT GOSWAMIS
The eight famous goswamis of Vrindavan are:
Rupa Goswami
Sanatana Goswami
Raghunatha Das Goswami
Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami
Gopala Bhatta Goswami
Jiva Goswami
Lokanatha Goswami
Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami
DVADASA GOPALA – THE TWELVE COWHERD BOYS
The cowherd boys in Krishna's lila appeared in Gaura Lila as:
Abhirama Thakur
Dhananjaya Pandit
Gauridas Pandit
Kalakrishna Das
Kamalakara Piplai
Kholaveca Sridhara
Mahesh Pandit
Nagar Purushottama
Paramesvari Das
Purushottama Das
Sundarananda Thakur
Uddharana Datta
ASTA SAKHIS - THE EIGHT PRINCIPAL GOPIES
The eight principal gopis in Krishna's lila appeared in Gaura Lila as:
Ramananda Raya – Vishakha
Svarupa Damodara Goswami – Lalita
Vanamali Kaviraja – Chitra
Raghava Goswami – Champakalata
Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura – Tungavidya
Krishna Dasa Brahmachari – Indulekha
Gadadhara Bhatta – Rangadevi
Ananta Acharya Goswami – Sudevi.
GAURANGA ASSOCIATES IN KRISHNA'S LILA
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