Jiva Goswami's Disappearance Day

From my journal, December 30th
Jiva Goswami, Wikipedia link

Jiva Gowami's Disapperance Day was a special day. There I was in Vrndavana and I could go to his samadhi to observe it. My place was just up the street from Radha Damodara Mandir--boy, what a location!--so I went down after I paid obeisances to Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara (also close by, just a few doors up the street). As I went in to Radha Damodara, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Seemed like a regular crowd in the Temple courtyard. As I turned to go to Sri Jiva Goswami's samadhi, there were men sitting on mats on either side of the walkway. Each one was garlanded and had a bookstand with a book. They were all reading their books out loud. Now, not everyone had the same book, so it was a cacophony of Jiva Goswami! So incredible!

I tucked myself into a little aisle of samadhis where no one was sitting (in the picture, right behind the big one in the foreground) so I could see Jiva Goswami's samadhi and watch the proceedings. After a while of everyone reading, they stopped and started a short kirtan, beginning with my favorite, Madhurastakam, sweet Krsna.

adharam madhuram vadanam madhuram
nayanam madhuram hasitam madhuram
hridayam madhuram gamanam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His lips are sweet, His face is sweet,
His eyes are sweet, His smile is sweet,
His loving heart is sweet, His gait (walk) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

And, oh, how sweet it was. Transported--Srila Jiva Goswami in samadhi, all the devotees, Srila Prabhupada, all the devotees in samadhi, Srila Rupa Goswami, Sri Sri Radha Damodara, and monkeys, too! Can't get much better than that! Monkeys came and broke up the proceedings as the sadhus were leaving, eating their breakfast leftovers. Pots were thrown, yelling ensued, very funny. Can't take ourselved too seriously. Jaya Jiva Goswami, our Vaisnava lifeline!

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