Nikunja Gopal Goswami's Gopal Murti - Baba's Murti

Dear Advaita, Radhe !

My wife was looking into the Sitanatha web and after seeing this picture a question arose:

She asked "why he is worshiping Gopal instead worshiping Sri Sri Radha Krishna" ?
Is not the worshiping of Gopal Murti (Krishna Baby) in the mood of Vatsalya-rasa ?

In my humble opinion, Baba can appreciate any rasa but his mind is always in madhurya.

Could you enlighten us about Sadhu Baba's Gopal ?

Very good question, Revati - according to the Advaita Prakash, chapter 5, Srila Madhavendra Puripada ordered Advaita Prabhu, who had been a brahmacari until the age of about 50, to get married in order to qualify for Sri Sri Radha and Madan Gopal's dual service (yugala seva). Since my Guru remained a brahmacari for life, he was therefore, according to this principle in our line, not eligible for the dual worship and maintained a single deity. However, when I asked him the same question, 'isnt this vatsalya rasa?', he gave me two sublime answers: Firstly, "He is not kneeling with a laddu in His hand, but He holds the flute" and secondly, "He has the name Radha engraved on His breast." Someone other than my Guru has given a third rasik explanation: "Gopal is kneeling before Radharani when She is in Maana." Our upasana is based on the principles of worship outlined in Advaita Prakash. This rule of single devotees not worshipping dual deities is not a general rule in the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya.

Dear Advaita das,

Thanks, all these details are very interesting. I just have another question: Since only in a marred life is recommended to do the worshiping of Radha Krishna, as you said, Sadhu Baba (a life time brahamacari) makes his way to Yugal-Kisora Through a single Gopal deity, in this way, he definitely had access to a good collection of esoteric information about Their Lilas. Is there any restriction for brahmacaris to read esoteric books about Radha-Krishna-lila at all?

In GM they do not recommend the reading of Govinda-Lilamrta but those in bramacari life are the care takers of the Deities.


Yours,
Hari & Revati

I was under the impression that the morale of the story of Advaita Prabhu's getting married is that a tyagi should not worship a deity, whether yugal or otherwise, because he has no-one to take care of the deity after he dies.

As I said before, these rules are not universal, they are upheld in my Guru's family, in line with the Advaita Prakash. There are no restrictions for brahmacaris to read esoteric books about Radha Krishna lila at all. It is not a question of grihastha or brahmacari, but of rasika or non-rasika.



This is actually the teaching of Sadhu Baba, not of the Advaita Prakash. I added that to my book about Sitanatha as further clarification. I dont know if all branches of our family have the same point of view. Sadhu Baba himself established the Gopal deity and mandir years after settling in Sadhu Baba's Ashram and accepting disciples. He knew that his disciples would take care of the deity after he expired. While wandering in the Himalayas for 8 years and many years after settling down in Navadvip he had no deities.

Radhe Radhe !

Dear Advaita,

We are just passing by to say thank you very much ! Nice answers ! Nice Web and very, very nice Gopal !

You were very fortunate to get such a Darshan from: Sadhu Baba and his Beloved One

Radhe Syam !

Yours,

Hari & Revati