Early Life
Srila Rupa, Sanatana and Sri Vallabha were brothers. Vallabha had a son Jiva, who was the only descendant among all the brothers. All three brothers served Badsa Hussein Shah and therefore lived very wealthily.
When Jiva was born, the house shone with the golden color of the child. His eyes were like blossoming lotus petals. All parts of his body were beautifully formed.
When Chaitanya Mahāprabhu visited Ramakeli, He personally bestowed His mercy upon the child, empowering him to become the successor of the Gaudiya Vaishnava lineage and a theologian.
Although Jiva was only a child, he always kept the Lord's form in his mind. While growing up, eating and sleeping, in his dreams he would see the Lord, and when awake – he would meditate on this form.
Childhood Pastimes
As he grew older he began to worship Rama-Krishna Deities. He would feed Them, dress Them, offer arati to Them and play with Them. All of Jiva's games were connected with Krishna.
Once in a dream he saw his Rama-Krishna Deities in the form of Nitai-Gauranga. They were both dancing. Blessing the child and giving him dust from Their lotus feet, They disappeared. From then on, he began to think about how to escape the bonds of family life.
Meeting with Nityananda Prabhu
After his parents accepted sannyasa, he grew up with his mother in Fatehabad. Whenever Jiva remembered his uncles and father, or the lotus feet of Sri Gaura Hari, he would immediately lose consciousness and fall to the ground.
Finally, when Jiva learned that his father had died, he could no longer calm down. Someone advised him to travel to Navadvipa and receive the mercy of Lord Nityananda.
Nityananda was waiting for Jiva at Srivasa Pandita's house. Seeing Jiva, He came out of the house, lifted Jiva from the ground and asked: "Are you not the nephew of Rupa and Sanatana?" Instead of answering, Jiva again fell to the ground at Nityananda's feet. The Lord introduced him to the residents of Navadvipa.
Meeting with Sachi Mata
The next day they traveled to Sachimata's house. In the courtyard, all the devotees were chanting the glories of Lord Chaitanya. Then Jiva saw Sachimata sitting on the veranda. She was wearing a white sari and a white silk chadar. And although she was trembling with age, nevertheless the whole courtyard shone with the light she emitted. After a maidservant washed Lord Nityananda's feet, the Lord introduced Jiva to Mother Sachi and she blessed Jiva by placing her hand on Jiva's head.
Jiva spent several days with Lord Nityananda, traveling through the 9 islands of Navadvipa. After that Nityananda directed him to Kashi (Varanasi), where he studied Vedanta philosophy under Madhusudana Vachaspati.
In Vrindavana
From Kashi Sri Jiva headed to Vrindavana, where he took shelter with his two uncles. They were very pleased to see their nephew. Rupa Goswami began to teach him Srimad Bhagavatam.
Srila Rupa, having given him initiation, ordered him to worship the Sri Sri Radha Damodara Deity, which Rupa Goswami himself made for his nephew. Currently, this Deity is worshiped in Jaipur city in Rajasthan.
Service
Jiva would carry water for Sanatana's and Rupa's baths. He massaged their heads with oil and cleaned their ashrams, worshiped the Deities, cooked, and corrected manuscripts. This was the golden age of Vraja dhama.
After the departure of Srila Rupa and Sanatana, Jiva continued their traditions.
Dispute in Agra
Once he went to Agra, where in a scholarly debate he proved to the Rajputs that the glory of the Yamuna is greater than that of the Ganga, because the Ganga only washed Krishna's feet, while the Yamuna is an associate of the Lord.
The Mughal emperor (probably Akbar), pleased with his intellect, asked what he would like. Jiva replied that he would like blank paper, because paper had just appeared in India at that time and was very expensive. Also, the Goswamis asked that no living entity be killed in Vraja. Since then, kings no longer went hunting in the Vrindavana forest.
Disciples and Contribution
Jiva Goswami taught many great preachers, including Narottama Dasa Thakura, Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Srinivasa Acharya, and Shyamananda Pandita. Jiva taught them the philosophy of the Goswamis and later sent them to preach Krishna consciousness in Bengal.
He wrote many books, commenting on the Goswamis, as well as the texts of Srimad Bhagavatam and Brahma Samhita. He wrote Sanskrit grammars. His most prominent works are the Shat Sandarbhas.
Principal Writings
Ṣaṭ-sandarbha
Tattva, Bhagavata, Paramātma, Kṛṣṇa, Bhakti, Prīti
Gopāla-campū
Pastimes of Krishna
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-ṭīkā
Durgama-saṅgamanī
Laghu-vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī
Commentary on the 10th Canto
Harināmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa
Sanskrit Grammar
Gopāla-tāpanī-ṭīkā
Śrī-Sukha-bodhinī
Biographical Details
- Born: 1517
- Departed: 1596 (85 years)
- Father: Sri Vallabha (Anupama)
- In Krishna Lila: Vilāsa Mañjarī
Self-Check Questions
- Mention the contribution of the six Goswamis of Vrindavana to Chaitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching mission.
- Mention the dates they lived.