Disappearance Day: Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami

Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, also called Kirtana Acharya, dedicated his entire life to talking about Lord Krishna and spreading the word about him. He served Lord Krishna faithfully for over 40 years. During his life, he became a scholar in all subjects. Furthermore, he would sing praises of the Lord, sing sonnets, and perform the Kirtanas. Also, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami was not interested in the conversations about worldly pleasures. Even when he was not performing his duties, he was talking about Lord Krishna. He was known to be immersed in the praises of Lord Krishna and Krishna Katha.

There have been many devout lovers of Lord Krishna, but the world has never seen as staunch a devotee of Lord Krishna as Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami. In his lifetime, he travelled to Vrindavana and inspired many. During his lifetime, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami became intellectual in all subjects, and he only did so by listening to shastras.

Unlike other Goswamis, he did not write a book; however, his tales and his work are known to the world. Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami served Lord Krishna faithfully for over forty years. And when he passed away, his ashes were divided into two portions and placed in two samadhis.

This blog will go through the details of Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami. It will talk about how he spent his days, what order he followed and how devoted he was to Lord Krishna. Furthermore, the blog talks about what Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami did when he wasn’t chanting Krishna mantras and cooking food for Lord Gauranga or singing kirtanas.

What Order did Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami Follow?

Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami was a lifelong brahmachari. He decided to become so by the order of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He was also called Kirtana Acharya, and he earned this title by performing his daily duties. As a brahmachari, he dedicated his entire life to constant chanting in the praise of Lord Krishna. He used to offer food, which he cooked himself and used to perform kirtanas for Lord Gauranga.

Furthermore, he would travel and fulfil the order given to him by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to preach about the glories and peerless significance of Shrimad Bhagavatam (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati). During his lifetime, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami not only spread the word about Lord Krishna but also inspired many people. He did not get angry or talk about the devotees who were filled with criticism towards Lord Krishna. Instead, he simply carried out his task and continued to sing the praises of the Lord, perform kiratanas and satisfy the Lord by performing his duties.

Vaishnavas Used to Listen to Kirtanas

At one point, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami travelled to Vrindavana. There he continued to do what he had set out for, which was to sing and chant praises for Lord Krishna and perform kirtanas. Once he was in Vrindavana, there the Vaishnavas, which included Shri Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis, found themselves marvelling at Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami’s voice, the way he used to chant Krishna mantras and sing Bhagavata Shlokas in four different tunes.

These people loved Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami’s voice so much that they compared it to the sound of a sweet cuckoo. Furthermore, he achieved his goal in Vrindavana by preaching the glories of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati.

Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami was so Absorbed in Krishna Katha

Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami’s devotion to the order of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was so intense that he would not think of any other topics to speak of. Even during the day, when he was not cooking to offer food to deities or singing Krishna mantras, he was absorbed in the story and pure love of Radha-Govinda.

To show how absorbed Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami was in Krishana Katha, there was an incident. During his stay in Vrindavana, he had torn away the pages that talked about the pure love shared between Radha and Govinda. Furthermore, the people in Vrindavana never heard him talk about anything but Krishna Katha. All of these things show how immersed Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami had been in Krishna Katha during his life.

Temple in Vrindavana for Shri-Shri Radha-Govinda Ji

When Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami was in Vrindavana, he would preach about the glories of lords, sing the praises of Lord Krishna and sing sonnets and perform kirtanas. The people of Vrindavana loved him. Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami was also an inspiration to many other devotees in the city.

One of the devotees was so inspired by Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami that they decided to build a temple. The temple was dedicated to Radha and Lord Krishna (Shri-Shi Radha-Govinda Ji). It was carved out of beautiful red stone and was hand-carved. After it was complete, it was touted as the most beautiful temple in Vrindavana and all of North India. The temple is still one of the most beautiful temples in North India.

An interesting nugget about this is that even though it has been over a century since the temple was built, it is still standing today. Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami served Govinda Ji for forty years faithfully, doing the same things as he had been doing before.

During his lifetime, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami became a scholar in all subjects. However, he never wrote a book like other Goswamis. His way of learning was different. He learnt everything and became a scholar by simply listening to shastras.

After his passing, Shri Jiva Goswami decided to have his body burnt. Shri Jiva Goswami was afraid that Muslims may desecrate the body of Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, which is why he decided to have it burnt. After that, the ashes were put in two different samadhis.

One portion of Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami’s ashes was placed in the 64 Samadhis Area, and the other in Radha Kunda.

Conclusion

The story of Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami is one of praise and devotion. It is evident from reading his life’s works and how he chose to live that he was deeply dedicated to Lord Krishna. During his life, he only spent time talking about Lord Krishna and was immersed in learning about him. And during the time he was not serving the Lord, he was found talking about him or listening to shastras.

He not only spread the word but also lived a life as per the order of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He spread the word about the Supreme Lord, which led him to inspire a devotee to build a temple in the name of Lord Krishna and Radha that still stands in Varanasi.