By Deena Bandhu dasa
Especially in the winter when it’s too cold to walk for long, I would put on my screen saver and chant while images of Vrindavan would go by. Several times Sanatan Goswami’s Samadhi near Madan Mohan Temple would appear. Sometimes painted white, sometimes, green, and now blue. And the pillars very large and clunky. I would sometimes muse, that wouldn’t it be nice to remodel Sanatan’s Samadhi, just like Rupa Goswami’s Samadhi and Bhajan Kutir in Radha Damodar is being done. After all, he’s the older brother.
One day, one devotee, who wishes not to be named, came to see me. He said he had a large donation and he wanted to see Sanatan Goswami’s Samadhi repaired and wanted to know if I could do it. I was completely amazed as just the day before I was thinking about this.
So then I went to see Govinda Bhakta Prabhu, who is an engineer and has been serving in the maintenance department of Krishna Balaram Mandir. I told him about the project and he was also amazed. He confided in me that years ago, he had been assigned to survey the seven temples of Vrindavan for New Vrindavan. While he was doing this, he also noticed the condition of the samadhi of our great acharya and was hoping some day it could be fixed up.
So I approached Sri Sanatan Kishore Goswami, the present Mahant of Madan Mohan and a good friend of mine. He was overjoyed and because he likes me very much, he gave me carte blanche to do whatever was neccessary. He mentioned that there would have to be some formalities to be done with the Achielogical Survey of India (ASI) as it is a protected monument under their jurisdiction. The fee for their permission was a little over a hundred dollars and, of course, the officer wanted almost as much himself. Anyway, that detail taken care of we began the work.
The ASI people advised us for various reasons, not to use marble and that the quality of the red stone that was used for Madan Mohan temple is not the same quality these days. You can see the evidence where the ASI has done some repairs on Madan Mohan Temple, it develops some whitish sheen on the stone and also begins to chip away. Their advice was for the pink stone for which Jaipur, The Pink City, is famous and it is the same stone that is being used on Rupa Goswami’s Samadhi. In fact we got the very same contractor to do the work. You can see the nice carving in the pictures.
We had planned to try and make the clunky pillars a little more graceful and smaller, and clad them with stone. But when we chipped the plaster away, we found underneath was bricks held together with mud only! Many cracks had appeared and it was obvious if we tried to clad anything with stone, the extra weight would probably bring the whole stucture down. Anyway, it was very huge and bulky and hid the beauty of the Samadhi.
By the time that Sanatan Goswami’s disappearance day comes next month, phase I of remodelling the actual Samadhi should be done. The front part will have to be done after the festival. Right now we are designing something more fitting and less imposing that will enhance the beauty of the Samadhi.
In a month or so, we should have a very nice Samadhi for Srila Sanatan Goswami. Those who come for Kartika will be able to offer their respects at the dust of his lotus feet in a completely remodeled Samadhi.
In service of Srimati Vrinda Devi, Deena Bandhu dasa
This is really good news , now both Srila Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis samadhis are being remodeled. I was there in 2007 when Rupa Goswami was being remodeled, and now Sanatana Goswamis this is really great news.I am very happy to hear this great news.
Thank you Deena Bandhu Prabhu ‘ .Thank your so very much.
your servant
Payonidhi das
I like to share that Srila Sanatana Goswamis ,Krsna lila Stava is found on line at
http://kksongs.org/songs/s/srikrsnasyakathasutram.html also his Grace Gopiparanadhana Prabhu has translated it and it is avilabel from the BBT.Kusakrata Prabhu translated this book way back in the 1990th.
Here is the introduction :
1)
śrī-kṛṣṇasya kathā-sūtraḿ
yathā-bhāgavata-kramam
likhyate ‘śṭottara-sata-
praṇāmānanda-siddhaye
(2)
brahma-brahmān namāmi tvām
tvam atman nandīśvareśvara
nānāvatāra-kṛt kṛṣṇa
madhurānanda-pūrada
(3)
nirvikārāparicchinna
nirviśeśa niraṇjana
avyakta satya sanmātra
parama-jyotir akśara
TRANSLATION
1) Following the sequence found in Srimad Bhagavatam, I shall now describe the Supreme Lord Krsna. I shall do this in order to attain the perfection of transcendental bliss, by offering 108 obeisances to Krsna.
2) O Krsna, o Supreme spiritual entity, O Truth which underlies the universe, O ingredient of which the universe is composed, O You who are in one sense not different from everything, O You who are eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, O You Who appear according to your own sweet will, O You Who give shelter to all (who approach You), all glories unto You.
3) O unchanging and unlimited Krsna. You are always transcendentally pure and free from material dualities. You are the effulgence and infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead. All glories unto You.
I wonder if any devotee could be kind of sending us pictures of the restored samadhis of Sri Rupa And Srila Sanatana Goswami ?
Sanatana Goswami’s Samadhi restored:
If one goes to take darshan of Sanatana Goswami’s Samadhi , you can ask for the prasadam offered by Sanatana Goswami to Radha Madan Mohan.he used to offer this kind of bread basically like a piece of dough places in the fire.Sanatana Goswami had left so much wealth behind and become so renounced when he joined Sri Caitany Mahaprabhu.
Radha Madan Mohan asked him for at least some salt with this bread.Not long after that a salt merchant got stranded in the Yamuna. And Sanatana Goswami guided him to rescue this large shipment.The merchant came back and donated much wealth to help construct a temple for Radha Madan Mohan .
This temple is located on the Dvasaditya hill where Krsna where bathed with 12 suns this is described in Vraja Vilasa stava by Raghunath das Goswami:
82
Once, accompanied by the gopas, gopis, and lowing surabhi cows, the supremely opulent, noble, and magnanimous Lord Krsna felt very uncomfortable in the winter cold. Twelve suns then appeared at that place, and with great devotion warmed the Lord with their intense shining. I eternally take shelter of this sacred place, which bears the name Dvadasasurya-tirtha (the place of the twelve suns).
83
When the twelve sums shone from every direction, perspiration fell from Lord Krsna’s transcendental body, and from this perspiration came a charming, splendid, clear lake bearing the sweet fragrance of the Lord’s delicate, supremely handsome, and supremely opulent transcendental limbs. Bowing down, I worship this lake, known as Praskandahana-sarovara.
Sanatana Goswamis samadhi is very close to this sacred place.