Srila Rupa Gosvami - Ragatmika Vrajavasi Abhidheya Acarya

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By Bhagavan's desire, Adi-guru Brahma created this world and gave the living entities jada-rasa, material love and affection. Jada-rasa is contrary to cid-rasa. spiritual love and affection, and is the cause of the jiva's perpetuation in material existence. After creation, the living entities forgot their souls and the Supreme Soul because of attachment to jada-rasa and thus began their sufferings in this material world. People perform many kinds of sadhana but the result of everything is insignificant, for all their actions are for the betterment of their bodies, minds, and social relations.

Now, Mahaprabhu came and began a spiritual program. However, the majority of conditioned souls have no taste for transcendence, so how can they accept or follow what Mahaprabhu came to give? Mahaprabhu brought unnata-ujjvala-rasa-sva-bhakti-sriyam. How to distribute that? How to teach the conditioned souls the process to gain this rasa? How can the jivas accept it? Therefore, from the spiritual world, Mahaprabhu called Sri Rupa Manjari, who entered Mahaprabhu's pastimes in this world as Srila Rupa Gosvami. Rupa Gosvami manifested bhakti-rasa-sastra, unprecedented spiritual books describing the divinely sweet affairs of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and the method of entrance into them. He was especially qualified for this task owing to his stature in transcendental Vraja as the most intimate maidservant of Radha-Krsna. Through his instructions, Rupa Gosvami helped the jivas attain their spiritual bodies, service, and relation, and in this way, he arranged a means for them to enter the spiritual world. When the jivas taste a drop of bhakti-rasa or vraja-rasa, then they forget the mundane jada-rasa, having experienced a higher taste.

Srila Rupa Gosvami fulfilled the heart's desire of Mahaprabhu by preparing the jivas to achieve svarupa-siddhi, the perfection of their inherent but dormant spiritual forms, therefore he is glorified by Narottama dasa Thakura as follows:

When will Sri Rupa Gosvami give me the shelter of his lotus feet? He understood the innermost desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and was therefore able to establish His mission in this world. Because he fulfilled the Lord's desire, he is extremely dear to the Lord.

Sri Kavi Karnapura glorifies Rupa Gosvami:

Srila Rupa Gosvami is priya and dayita, extremely dear and beloved to Mahaprabhu. Because he is beloved to Srimati Radhika, he is also beloved to Mahaprabhu. Priya-svarupa refers to Krsna's svarupa and dayita-svarupa refers to Radharani's svarupa. Prema-svarupe sahajabhirupe-Sri Rupa-manjari is the prema-mayi- murti of Radharani, the embodiment of Her love. She arranges everything for the service of Radharani, so one who receives the mercy of Rupa naturally receives the mercy of Srimatiji, Prabhur eka-rupe-Sri Rupa Gosvami is so close to Mahaprabhu that he is like the second form of the Lord. Svavilasa-rupe-one who takes shelter of Rupa Gosvami can achieve vraja-rasa and vraja-seva. He is also vilasa-rupa in the sense that he manifests rasa-sastra, the storehouse of transcendental nectar. All of Mahaprabhu's love and mercy, moreover, the love of Srimati Radharani, Lalita, Visakha, and the sakhis and manjaris is preserved in the books of Sri Rupa Gosvami.

Srila Rupa Gosvami appeared in this world from Vraja-dhama to fulfill the desire of Mahaprabhu by distributing vraja-prema and the mood of the manjaris. He taught that the highest form of spiritual practice is anuragamayi-bhakti: devotion towards Sri Radha-Krsna imbued with spontaneous and powerful loving attachment, and attraction towards Them with the desire to pleasurably serve Them. He described the sweet pastimes of Radha-Krsna in such a wonderful way that hearing or reading evokes greed to gain acceptance into the Divine Couple's inner circle of loving servitors. Upon the awakening of spiritual greed, people naturally lose taste for earthly infatuations.

One who remembers and follows the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami, taking shelter of his lotus feet, will certainly achieve spiritual perfection, or anuragamayi-seva in eternal Vraja. He can thus be a Rupanuga-Vaisnava. Fortunate souls can perceive the specialty of Rupa Gosvami and the pricelessness of his teachings. One who approaches Srila Rupa Gosvami through prayer and by adopting his method of spiritual practice will understand and be empowered by Mahaprabhu's karuna-sakti, mercy potency.

Our Guru-varga is in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami, We cannot understand Mahaprabhu's true movement without coming under the guidance of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Therefore, we pray:

Taking a straw between my teeth, I pray again and again, 'When will I become the dust of the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Gosvamipada so that I may serve him birth after birth.'