SRI JAYADEVA GOSWAMI

Sri Jayadeva Goswami made his appearance at Kendubilvagram within the district of Birhum, during the 11th century. His father's name was Bhojadeva and his mothers name was Bama devi. Little is known about his early life, but it is said that he was a Sanskrit scholar at an early age and was inclined towards spiritual life. Some of his contemporaries have described him as "the incarnation of melody."

Jayadeva is also famous as the great poet of Gita-govinda. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to especially relish hearing the Gita-Govinda as well as the works of Candidas, Vidyapati, Ramananda Raya and the Krsna-karnamrta by Bilvamangala Thakura. Sri Gita-Govinda is full of intimate pasimes of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda and is therefore meant for those who have acquired sufficient spiritual piety.

"For those who relish the remembrance of the pastimes of Sri Hari and are always anxious to hear those transcendental divine narrations, these verses, sweet as honey, have been composed by Jayadeva with the blessings of Mother Saraswati."

As a young man, Jayadeva went to Jagannatha Puri after visiting many holy places. There he married a girl named Padmavati, who was devoted to the Deity of Lord Jagannatha. Jayadeva also developed deep love for the Lord. Inspired by the beauty of Puri and Lord Jagannatha, he composed Gita-Govinda, and it quickly became the joy of the Vaisnava community.

At the time, Gajapati Purusottamadeva was the provincial king. He was openly envious of Jayadeva and soon posed an ill-fated challenge. The king considered himself a master poet, on a par with Jayadeva, and composed a work called Abhinava Gita-Govinda. One day, he summoned his advisors and asked them to widely circulate his work, in an attempt to make it more popular than Jayadeva's. The king's own men, however, ridiculed his attempt, telling him that it was impossible to compare a lamp to the sun. Still, the king was relentless.

A controversy soon arose, and the brahmanas (the king's priests) decided that the matter would be settled by placing both manuscripts before the Deity of Lord Jagannatha for the night. By morning, they said, the Lord Himself would decide. When the devotees went to greet the Deity the next day, they found Jayadeva's Gita-Govinda clasped against the Deity's chest, and the king's manuscript scattered about the floor. The decision was clear.

During the time that he became engaged as the chief pandita of Raja Laksman Sena, he resided at Navadvipa on the banks of the Ganga. Also present were three other panditas whose names he has mentioned in Sri Gita-Govinda. Sri Umapatidhar, Acarya Sri Govardhan and Kavi Ksamapati, who were his close friends. At that time, Laksmana Sena, aware of Jayadeva's position as a great Vaisnava, went to see Jayadeva to request him to become his minister, to become the royal pandita for the whole kingdom. However, when the king arrived with his ministers in full regalia, Jayadeva became very angry, as he was a brahmana and his residence was being intruded by a king.

Jayadeva began to rebuke the king. "I'm leaving Navadvipa, I refuse to reside here any longer. Because kings are always involved in so much worldly activity, my residence has now become polluted. Therefore, I'm leaving. I'm very offended." Then Laksmana Sena, he paid his obeisances to Jayadeva and he pleaded, "Please don't leave my kingdom. I meant no offense. It's true, this royal order is such a despicable occupation. We have to be involved in so many undesirable activities to protect the country, but if you leave our kingdom then it will be a great loss. You've given your word, I know you can't break it, so please just take your residence across the Ganga."

At that time Jayadeva was living just near the place where the Mayapur Chandradaya Mandir is now located. This is proof that the original Navadvipa was on the Chandradaya Mandir side, because the king told Jayadeva to take his residence across the river. "At least then you'll still be in our kingdom. Otherwise, if we lose the association of such a great Vaisnava this will be very inauspicious for everyone. We want the blessings of the Vaisnavas, and only for this reason have I come to you, to request you to use your knowledge for the upliftment of the entire kingdom."

So Jayadeva, seeing that after criticising the king he did not become puffed up but instead took a humble position, realized that he was a devotee and not just a materialistic king who wanted to exploit him for his own name and fame. So then Jayadeva said, "Alright, I'll live across the river. You can also come and visit me, but don't come as a king, come in ordinary dress like a Vaisnava brahmana. You can come and see me in secret and we can discuss Krsna-katha."

In the Gita-Govinda, while writing about the pastimes of Radharani as She repented after Krsna had gone away, he became lost in thought. Not being able to decide whether or not he should write a particular verse regarding Krsna becoming the servant of his devotee, he decided to first take his bath and return to his writing later. While taking his bath, Krsna himself personally appeared in the form of Jayadeva, took his meal and then wrote down that very verse with his own hand.

Then, while Padmavati was accepting her meal Jayadeva returned from taking his bath in the Ganga. Padmavati was completely startled to see her husband, and Jayadeva aswell was very surprised to see that his wife was accepting her meal before him (which is never done by Hindu wives). Finally she explained that he had already taken his bath once, taken his meal and then gone to his room.

Jayadeva went to his room and saw the verse that he had been considering whether to write or not, now composed in golden letters. With tears in his eyes and voice choked up he called out to his wife, "Padmavati! You are so fotunate! You had darsana of the Supreme Lord!"

Lokasvana Sena, devotee-king, built a hut made of leaves at Campahati for Jayadeva. Lord Krsna appeared there to Jayadeva and his wife. Changing the colour to that of the golden campa tree which grew in the area, He revealed His form of Lord Caitanya. He told them He would soon appear in Navadvipa to perform congregational chanting before taking sannyasa and going to Puri, where He would relish Jayadeva's Gita-govinda. Lord Caitanya asked them also to go to Puri.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura has commented that even though Sri Gauranga Deva hadn't revealed his internal pastimes at that time, within the heart of Sri Jayadeva, Sri Bilvamangala, Sri Candidas, and Sri Vidyapati, the transcendental mood of Mahaprabhu was awakened even before He Himself actually made His appearance.

Jayadeva Goswami also composed a book named Candraloka. His disappearance is on Pausa Sankranti. His worshippable Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, are being worshipped in the former temple of Radha-Govinda just outside the present city of Jaipur.

The famous Dasa-Avatara-Gita, describing the ten avatars of Vishnu is from Gita-Govinda. Jayadeva Goswami’s disappearance day is on Pausha-Sankranti. At present, at Jayadeva’s birthplace in Kendubiva Gram, there is a festival every year on this day which is known as the Jayadeva Mela;.

Sri Jayadeva Goswami

Sri Jayadeva Goswami was the court pandit of Sri Lakshman Sena, the King of Bengal. Jayadeva's father was Bhojadeva, and his mother's name was Bamadevi. They lived in the Birbhum district of what is now in West Bengal in a village called Kenubilva Gram. He was born at the beginning of the twelfth centrury AD.

Jayadeva Goswami's wife was named Sri Padmavati. When he was the court pandit of Lakshman Sena, he lived on the banks of the Ganges. Approximately three hundred years before the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Jayadeva Goswami lived in Bengal. He was the author of Sri Gita Govinda, which is mentioned by Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami in the Caitanya Caritamrita as follows (CC ML 2/11): "Day and night, in the company of Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to hear with great ecstasy the songs of Vidyapati and Chandidas, as well as a drama composed by Ramananda Raya. He also used to relish hearing the Krishna-Karnamrita and the Gita-Govinda.

In his introduction, Jayadeva says that the Gita Govinda is a scripture describing the intimate pastimes of Sri Radha and Govinda. It may be worshiped and served by those who are extremely qualified in devotional piety. For those who are constantly remembering the esoteric pastimes of Sri Hari within his mind, Sri Jayadeva has composed this divine poetic song glorifying the Lord's internal pastimes. He requests the topmost spiritually advanced souls to hear it with gravity and attention."

There are many many traditional stories regarding the life of Sri Jayadeva. The following story is generally accepted as authoritative. One day, Sri Jayadeva Goswami was composing a particulary sensitive section of the Gita-Govinda, describing Krishna's relationship with the gopis headed by Radharani. He meditated deeply on what he had written and became concerned that he had perhaps gone too far in describing the exalted character of the gopis. What he had written seemed to represent Krishna's position as being, in a sense, subordinate to that of the gopis. And yet Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How could he be subordinate to the gopis? He had been inspired to pen a line stating that Krishna bows down to touch the lotus feet of Sri Radha. But his hand shrank from the page.

He hesitated thinking, "How can I commit such an idea to writing? How can I have the audacity to put such a thing it in black and white?" At that time he decided to go bathe in the Ganges, in hopes that perhaps some inspiration would come to him. Jayadeva Goswami went off to take his afternoon bath, leaving his wife Padmavati behind to cook the offering for the Deities.

While he was away, Krishna arrived at his house in the dress of Jayadeva. Krishna went over to Jayadeva's writing desk, and there found the sheaves of palm upon which the Gita-Govinda was written. Krishna picked up Jayadeva's pen and wrote the verse with the line "dehi padapallava-mudaram," wherein it says "Krishna bows down his head to the lotus feet of Sri Radha."

With this Krishna, disguised as Jayadeva, sat down and took the prasadam prepared by Padmavati. After finishing his prasadam, Krishna stepped outside and vanished.

Just at that time, Jayadeva returned from bathing at the Ganges. When he asked about prasadam, his wife was perplexed. When she told Jayadeva what had just happened, Jayadeva was astonished. He went over to his book and saw there in wet ink the verse he had thought of writing before he had gone to bathe in the Ganges: dehi padapallavam udaram: Krishna bows down his head to the lotus feet of Sri Radha.

Upon seeing that verse he said to Padmavati, "It is a miracle! See here: what I told you I was reluctant to write has been written here exactly as I thought of it." Tears of ecstasy flowed in rivers from his eyes as he understood the mystery of what had just transpired. "Padmavati!" he said, "You are most fortunate. Krishna Himself has written the line, ³dehi padapallavam udaram², and accepted prasadam from your own hand."

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written that although Chandidasa, Vidyapati, Bilvamangala, and Jayadeva lived before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was externally manifest within this world, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's conception of bhakti had arisen within their hearts and was expressed in their writings.

Besides the Gita Govinda, Jayadeva Gowsami has written another book called "Chandraloka". The famous "Dasa-Avatara-Gita", describing the ten avatars of Vishnu is from Gita-Govinda.

Jayadeva Goswami's disappearance day is on Pausha-Sankranti. At present, at Jayadeva's birthplace in Kendubiva Gram, there is a festival every year on this day which is known as the Jayadeva Mela.