Coming to Vraja
ṣoḍaśa vatsara kaila antaraṅga-sevana svarūpera antardhāne āilā vṛndāvana
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 10.93
Raghunātha rendered intimate service to the Lord for sixteen years, and after the disappearance of Svarūpa Dāmodara, he left Jagannātha Purī and went to Vṛndāvana.
After some time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered into the Deity of Toṭa-Gopīnātha and disappeared from this world. Shortly afterwards, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara disappeared, as well as Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Śrī Rāya Rāmananda. One by one, all of Mahāprabhu’s associates began leaving this world. Some left Purī to go to Navadvīpa, Vṛndāvana, or here and there.
Jagannātha Purī became completely desolate. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī went mad in separation. Unable to tolerate this pain, Raghunātha decided to give up his life. He thought, “I will give up my life in Vṛndāvana by jumping off the peaks of Girirāja Govardhana or by drowning in the Yamunā. But first I will see Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī.” Thinking like this, he left Purī and went to Vṛndāvana.
In his Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta , Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī describes Dāsa Gosvāmī’s coming to Vraja and his activities there:
Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī had decided to go to Vṛndāvana to see the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana, and to then give up his life by jumping from Girirāja Govardhana. When he visited Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī, he offered his obeisances to them, but the two brothers did not let him give up his life. They treated him like their third brother and kept him close by. They would listen from him continuously about all the external and internal pastimes of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Reducing his intake of sustenance to a mere palmful of buttermilk, Dāsa Gosvāmī daily chanted one lakh of harināma, offered one thousand prostrated obeisances to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Their associates, and offered two thousand obeisances to the Vaiṣṇavas and holy places. On parikramā he offered obeisances to all the pastime places while meditating on their glories.
Day and night he served the Divine Couple within his mind. For three hours a day he discoursed about the pastimes and teachings of Mahāprabhu. As soon as Dāsa Gosvāmī met a Vaiṣṇava, he would embrace him and show him utmost respect. He spent all but an hour and a half of each day awake and engaged in bhakti. Some days he didn’t rest at all. And while sleeping, he dreamed only of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s loving service. He never wasted a single moment. His sādhana and discipline strikes one as wondrous.
Pastimes in Vraja
kulādhidevatā mora—madana-mohana yāṅra sevaka—raghunātha, rūpa, sanātana
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 8.81
Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirjāja Gosvāmī says: I accept as my family Deity Madana-mohana, whose worshipers are Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī.
Raghunātha dāsa took shelter of Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī, who gave him darśana of all the pastime places in Vraja. Understanding his intention to give up his life, Sanātana Gosvāmī told Raghunātha dāsa, “I once used to think like you and wanted to give up my life, but Mahāprabhu told me, ‘One cannot attain Kṛṣṇa by giving up one’s life. If so, I would have done so a thousand times.’ ”
They then advised him to do bhajana on the bank of Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Following their instruction, Dāsa Gosvāmī took up residence there, and Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī would from time to time come to see him.
One day, Sanātana Gosvāmī saw that Śrīmatī Rādhārānī Herself was holding Her veil to cover Her dear devotee, Dāsa Gosvāmī, from the intense heat of the afternoon sun. She was perspiring and yet, was smiling as She held Her veil. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was in internal consciousness. He did not externally realize that the Supreme Goddess was personally shielding him from the burning rays of the sun.
Another day, Sanātana Gosvāmī came to visit Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and saw that two tigers were drinking the water of Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa while Dāsa Gosvāmī was sitting nearby, internally absorbed in meditation. Concerned for Raghunātha’s safety because of his complete detachment from his body, Sanātana Gosvāmī had the Vrajavāsīs build a small hut for him there.
Dāsa Gosvāmī used to perform bhajana in a mood of great distress, weeping and calling out to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Their associates, “He rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ—O Kṛṣṇa, where are You? O Lalite, O Viśākhe, where are you? O Rādhe, where are You?”
Seeing Raghunātha dāsa’s intense separation, and how he was always weeping for Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī decided to give him his newly written book, Śrī Lalitā-Mādhava, to read. Reading that book, however, intensified Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s separation and he became like a mad person. He would clasp the book tightly to his chest and weep uncontrollably. His tears even started to smudge certain parts of the book. Rūpa Gosvāmī wanted to take the book away from him but Dāsa Gosvāmī did not want to give it back.
To lift his dear friend’s spirits, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī then wrote Dāna-keli-kaumudi, a humorous book based on Kṛṣṇa demanding tax from Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the gopīs at Dāna Ghāṭī in Govardhana. He wrote this book for the happiness of Raghunātha dāsa. When Dāsa Gosvāmī received the book from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, he became delighted. He began laughing and laughing, sometimes uncontrollably. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī then cleverly told him, “I need to make some corrections in Śrī Lalitā-Mādhava,” and quickly took that book back.
One Pointed to Śrīmatī Rādhikā
rādhā pakṣa chāḍi je jana se jana je bhāve se bhāve thāke āmi ta’ rādhikā, pakṣa pātī sadā kabhu nāhi heri tā‘ke
Gītā-mala
I am always in Rādhā’s group and never look at those who leave Her, no matter who they are or what their mood is.
The Vrajavāsīs loved and respected Dāsa Gosvāmī. Every day, they would offer him buttermilk for his sustenance, but he would only accept one leaf cup full.
One day, a Vrajavāsī gave him buttermilk in a larger leaf cup than usual. Dāsa Gosvāmī asked, “Where did you bring this from?”
“Sakhī-sthalī,” replied the Vrajavāsī.
Displeased, Dāsa Gosvāmī sternly said, “You brought it from Candrāvalī’s place? I shall never drink buttermilk in leaf cups from Sakhī-sthalī. Leave this place at once.”
The Vrajavāsī was bewildered, but understood in time that Dāsa Gosvāmī is rādhā-pakṣiya, especially inclined towards the service of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. He wouldn’t accept anything that was contrary to this mood.
Previously, Mahāprabhu had instructed him, “grāmya-kathā na śunibe, grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe—do not hear or speak useless village talk (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 6.236). In a higher sense, this means to never hear the names or topics of the vipakṣa-gopīs who are against Śrīmatī Rādhikā. This instruction is fully appropriate for the svapakṣa-gopīs of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.
Absorption in Līlā
govardhana haite more ke ihāṅ ānila pāñā kṛṣṇera līlā dekhite nā pāila
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 14.105
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Who has brought Me here from Govardhana Hill? I was seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, but now I cannot see them.
Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was always absorbed in mānasī-sevā, internal service in his spiritual form. He would make a special sweet rice with almonds under the guidance of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. Śrī Kṛṣṇa became very happy by tasting this kṣīra.
One time, Kṛṣṇa said to Śrīmatī Rādhikā, “Rati Mañjarī cooks this kṣīra so nicely. Let's give her some of what she cooked.”
Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī then honored the prasāda in his form in eternal Goloka Vṛndāvana. As a result, his stomach became upset in this physical realm, for he was not accustomed to such rich food. It was also arranged by the Lord so that people would realize the validity of mānasī-sevā. The Vrajavāsīs called for a Kavirāja, doctor, who examined Śrīla Dāsa Gosvāmī and said, “He has eaten kṣīra with almonds and his stomach is not used to digesting heavy food.”
“How can that be?” the Vrajavāsīs replied, “he only drinks buttermilk.”
“Ask him if he ate almond kṣīra.”
The Vrajavāsīs approached Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and asked him, as the doctor advised. He replied, “The gopīs forcibly fed me almond kṣīra. What could I do?”
[Excerpted from the Bhakta Bandhav Publication “Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī: His Life and Teachings“] [CC-by-NDNC Bhakta Bandhav] You can buy a full book on Amazon (Only for United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Japan).By exhibiting this pastime, Dāsa Gosvāmī showed how mānasī-sevā, internally conceived service in Vraja, is real and tangible, and a great way to progress in spiritual life.