Radha Gopinath of Govinda Ghosh

By Nila Kamal das - 22.2 2017

On the 20th of February 2017, HH Subhag Swami Maharaj and a group of fifty enthusiastic devotees travelled to Govinda Ghosh’s residence in Agradwip. Govinda Ghosh was a close associate of Mahaprabhu as were his two brothers: Madhava and Vasudeva. The official Navadvip Mandala parikrama starts on the 28th of February, thus Maharaj decided to get us mentally prepared.

The Ekadasi after Gour Purnima is the disappearance day of Sri Govinda Ghosh. On this occasion, thousands and thousands of pilgrims travel to Agradwip and visit the samadhi mandir of Govinda Ghosh and his beloved deities; Radha Gopinath. At this sacred place, Maharaj narrated two sweet pastimes of Govinda Ghosh.

Once Mahaprabhu requested Govinda for harittaki after completing His meal. Govinda went looking here and there and after a long period of time he returned to Mahaprabhu with the haritakki. The next day Mahaprabhu again requested Govinda for harittaki. On this day however, Govinda quickly gave some to Mahaprabhu. After being asked to explain how it was possible that he made it appear so fast; he said that he thought it was better to keep some extra with him instead of having to waste time like the previous day. Mahaprabhu was not pleased. ‘This is not behaviour befitting of a renunciant. I think it is better you return to your house.’ In this pastime Mahaprabhu wanted to teach the world the behaviour of a vairagi and how they should be free from the tendency to accumulate possessions.

The second pastime related the sweet dealings between the Radha Gopinath and Ghosh’s son: Goracand. Once Goracand was asked by his father to offer bhoga to the deities. He repeatedly pleaded with them to eat but the bhoga remained as it was. Finally after seeing Goracand’s sincerity and devotion, Gopinath ate a portion of the offering but warned Goracand that if he were to reveal this to anyone, he would immediately meet with his end. After returning out of the altar room his mother questioned him where the other portion of the offering was. Crying and crying for being scolded by his mother Goracand finally related the incident that took place. There and then on the spot, the young Goracand dropped dead.

Govinda was distraught after learning of the death of his son. He lamented before Gopinath, ‘My dear Lord now I have no son. Who will now perform my sraddha ceremony now that my son has gone?’ Gopinath told Govinda that He is also his son and promised that He would personally perform the sraddha ceremony for Govinda Ghosh. Still to this day on Govinda Ghosh’s tirobhav, Gopinath dresses in white cloth with a kusa grass ring on His finger and offers pinda to Govinda Ghosh. This pastime gives evidence to the statement Arjuna spoke on the battlefield of Kuruksetra; ‘kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati.’