Today is the auspicious disappearance day of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Of the many qualities he exhibited, one was his intense attraction and affection for the Holy Name.
This was not something he developed only toward the end of his life. His affection for the name of Kṛṣṇa was manifest from the very beginning.
The Initial Testament of Faith
One of the first instances that reveals this is found in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in the prayers of Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs. When they first met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Rāmakeli, they offered heartfelt prayers. They remarked that although Mahāprabhu had delivered the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi, He didn’t have to exert Himself too much, because Jagāi and Mādhāi, though sinful, still belonged to the brāhmaṇa class and had some cultural background.
They pray,
sabe eka doṣa tāra, haya pāpācāra
pāpa-rāśi dahe nāmābhāsei tomāra
“Jagāi and Mādhāi had but one fault—they were addicted to sinful activity. However, volumes of sinful activity can be burned to ashes simply by a dim reflection of the chanting of Your holy name.”
This reveals their deep trust in the holy name, even at the very first meeting with the Lord.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Faith in the Name
Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Prabhupāda had immense faith in the holy name. Not just when he went to America, but even earlier. When he was taking sannyāsa, one of his godbrothers, Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja was leading kīrtana. The priest performing the yajṣa told Bābājī Mahārāja to reduce his sound. But Prabhupāda, from behind the scenes, kept signaling to increase the volume!
Later, after Prabhupāda had spread the holy name all over the world, Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja asked another godbrother Bon Mahārāja as to why he was not successful in preaching while Śrīla Prabhupāda was. Bābājī Mahārāja himself answered the question: “Because Swāmī Mahārāja had complete faith in the holy name.”
One time, Prabhupada said that he knew the formula of the tonic for spreading Krishna Consciousness.
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
The EPITOME VERSE on the Holy Name
When Rūpa Gosvāmī went to Jagannātha Purī to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he composed the famous verse which appears in Vidagha Madhava:
tuṇḍe tāṇḍavinī ratiṁ vitanute tuṇḍāvalī-labdhaye
karṇa-kroḍa-kaḍambinī ghaṭayate karṇārbudebhyaḥ spṛhām
cetaḥ-prāṅgaṇa-saṅginī vijayate sarvendriyāṇāṁ kṛtiṁ
no jāne janitā kiyadbhir amṛtaiḥ kṛṣṇeti varṇa-dvayī
“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kṛṣ-ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.”
This was Rūpa Gosvāmī’s realization. Mahāprabhu was overcome by ecstasy on hearing this verse. He praised Rūpa Gosvāmī’s handwriting, saying it was like rows of pearls. When Haridasa heard this verse for the first time, he started jumping and dancing in ecstasy.
Rupa’s Bhajana-Kutira and Samadhi
Even though we may not experience this kind of ecstatic chanting due to our anarthas and offenses, if we continue with faith, we will surely attain it. The scriptures present the truth, and the ecstasies described in them are cent percent true. We should earnestly pray, especially on this occasion of Rūpa Gosvāmī’s disappearance day, for a drop of taste for the holy name.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, in his early days in Vṛndāvana, used to cry in front of Rūpa Gosvāmī’s samādhi and bhajana-kuṭīra, sweeping the floor at night and praying for empowerment to preach the message of Lord Caitanya. This is mentioned in the book Śrīla Prabhupāda: A Friend to All.
Even His Holiness Rādhānātha Swami had a powerful experience while praying at Rūpa Gosvāmī’s bhajana-kuṭīra, where the path of bhakti was revealed to him.
Rūpa Gosvāmī in Vṛndāvana
When Rūpa Gosvāmī finally went to Vṛndāvana, his taste only increased. He and Sanātana were always immersed in chanting, dancing, writing, and serving the Lord. When devotees came from Vṛndāvana and reported to Mahāprabhu about their lives, He was deeply pleased to hear of their renunciation, absorption in the holy name, and dedication.
Rūpa Gosvāmī composed the Nāmāṣṭakam, eight verses glorifying the holy name. Each is written in a different meter and filled with deep devotion. He prays directly to the Holy Name, gloriying Harinama Prabhu and seeking His shelter.
https://kksongs.org/songs/n/nikhilasrutimauli.html
The Ultimate GOAL:
Ultimately, everything in our spiritual life—whether hearing, reading, memorizing, or seva—is meant to build faith in the holy name. Unless we develop that faith, all other practices remain superficial.
Yet, chanting is often what we perform with the least attention and enthusiasm. We may be very enthusiastic for prasādam or even gossip, but not so for chanting.
A Beautiful Prayer
Rūpa Gosvāmī tells us the degree of enthusiasm that we must possess in order to advance in our spiritual lives. This verse appears in Padyāvalī.
It says,
viceyāni vicāryāṇi
vicintyāni punaḥ punaḥ
kṛpaṇasya dhanānīva
tvan-nāmāni bhavantu naḥ
O Lord, just as a miser continually collects, counts, and remembers his money, in the same way let us continually collect, count, and remember Your holy names.
We can all beg Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī for two things on this auspicious day:
1. A drop of taste for chanting the holy name
2. A humble heart, because the Lord is conquered not by knowledge, austerity, or talent, but by humility. And Rupa Gosvami attracted the heart of Mahaprabhu by his humility.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda kī jaya!
