Å›rÄ«-gopÄla bhaá¹á¹a eka Å›ÄkhÄ sarvottama
rÅ«pa-sanÄtana-saá¹…ge yÄá¹…ra prema-ÄlÄpana
Å›rÄ«-gopÄla bhaá¹á¹a - ÅšrÄ« GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a; eka - one; Å›ÄkhÄ - branch; sarva-uttama - very exalted; rÅ«pa - RÅ«pa; sanÄtana - SanÄtana; saá¹…ge - company; yÄá¹…ra - whose; prema - love of Godhead; ÄlÄpana - discussion.
ÅšrÄ« GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ«, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great and exalted branches of the tree. He always engaged in discourses about love of Godhead in the company of RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« and SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ«.
ÅšrÄ« GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« was the son of Veá¹…kaá¹a Bhaá¹á¹a, a resident of ÅšrÄ« Raá¹…gam. GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the RÄmÄnuja-sampradÄya but later became part of the Gauá¸Ä«ya-sampradÄya. In the year 1433 ÅšakÄbda (A.D. 1511), when Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu was touring South India, He stayed for four months during the period of CÄturmÄsya at the house of Veá¹…kaá¹a Bhaá¹á¹a, who then got the opportunity to serve the Lord to his heart’s content. GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a also got the opportunity to serve the Lord at this time. ÅšrÄ« GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« was later initiated by his uncle, the great sannyÄsÄ« PrabodhÄnanda SarasvatÄ«. Both the father and the mother of GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« were extremely fortunate, for they dedicated their entire lives to the service of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. They allowed GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« to go to Vá¹›ndÄvana, and they gave up their lives thinking of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was later informed that GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« had gone to Vá¹›ndÄvana and met ÅšrÄ« RÅ«pa and SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ«, He was very pleased, and He advised ÅšrÄ« RÅ«pa and SanÄtana to accept GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« as their younger brother and take care of him. ÅšrÄ« SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ«, out of his great affection for GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ«, compiled the Vaiṣṇava smá¹›ti named Hari-bhakti-vilÄsa and published it under his name. Under the instruction of ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa and SanÄtana, GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« installed one of the seven principal Deities of Vá¹›ndÄvana, the RÄdhÄramaṇa Deity. The sevaits (priests) of the RÄdhÄramaṇa temple belong to the Gauá¸Ä«ya-sampradÄya.
When KṛṣṇadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄ« took permission from all the Vaiṣṇavas before writing ÅšrÄ« Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta, GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« also gave him his blessings, but he requested him not to mention his name in the book. Therefore KṛṣṇadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄ« has mentioned GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« only very cautiously in one or two passages of the Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta. ÅšrÄ«la JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ« has written in the beginning of his Tattva-sandarbha, “A devotee from southern India who was born of a brÄhmaṇa family and was a very intimate friend of RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« and SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« has written a book that he has not compiled chronologically. Therefore I, a tiny living entity known as jÄ«va, am trying to assort the events of the book chronologically, consulting the direction of great personalities like MadhvÄcÄrya, ÅšrÄ«dhara SvÄmÄ«, RÄmÄnujÄcÄrya and other senior Vaiṣṇavas in the disciplic succession.†In the beginning of the Bhagavat-sandarbha there are similar statements by ÅšrÄ«la JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ«. ÅšrÄ«la GopÄla Bhaá¹á¹a GosvÄmÄ« compiled a book called Sat-kriyÄsÄra-dÄ«pikÄ, edited the Hari-bhakti-vilÄsa, wrote a foreword to the á¹¢aá¹-sandarbha and a commentary on the Kṛṣṇa-karṇÄmá¹›ta, and installed the RÄdhÄramaṇa Deity in Vá¹›ndÄvana. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeÅ›a-dÄ«pikÄ (184) it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa was Anaá¹…ga-mañjarÄ«. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of Guṇa-mañjarÄ«. ÅšrÄ«nivÄsa Ä€cÄrya and GopÄ«nÄtha PÅ«jÄrÄ« were two of his disciples.
