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Yesterday was the disappearance day of Srila Rupa Gosvami who is known as bhakti-rasacarya, the expert in the tastes of pure devotional service. He and his elder brother, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, left high posts in the government of Nawab Hussein Shah to join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Empowered by Lord Caitanya, Srila Rupa Gosvami wrote many books about the science of Krsna consciousness. A summary study of his Bhakti-rasasmrta-sindhu is available as "The Nectar of Devotion," and his Upadesamrta is available as "The Nectar of Instruction."
After meeting Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the village of Rāmakeli, the brothers Rūpa and Sanātana returned to their home. The two brothers devised a means whereby they could give up their material activities. For this purpose, they appointed two brāhmaṇas and paid them a large amount of money. The brāhmaṇas performed religious ceremonies and chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa so that the two brothers might attain shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very soon. At this time, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī returned home, taking with him large quantities of riches loaded in boats. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī divided the wealth that he brought back home. He gave fifty percent in charity to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and twenty-five percent to his relatives. He kept one-fourth of his wealth with a respectable brāhmaṇa. He kept this for his personal safety because he was expecting some legal complications. He deposited ten thousand coins, which were later spent by Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, in the custody of a local Bengali grocer. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī heard that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had returned to Jagannātha Purī and was preparing to go to Vṛndāvana through the forest. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī sent two people to Jagannātha Purī to find out when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would depart for Vṛndāvana. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī told the two men, "You are to return quickly and let me know when He will depart. Then I shall make the proper arrangements… On the pretext of bad health, Sanātana Gosvāmī remained home. Thus he gave up government service and did not go to the royal court. The greedy masters of his clerical and secretarial staff performed the government duties while Sanātana personally remained home and discussed the revealed scriptures… At this time the Nawab was going to attack the province of Orissa, and he told Sanātana Gosvāmī, "Come along with me." Sanātana Gosvāmī replied, "You are going to Orissa to give pain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For this reason I am powerless to go with you." The Nawab again arrested Sanātana Gosvāmī and kept him in prison. At this time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu departed for Vṛndāvana from Jagannātha Purī. The two persons who went to Jagannātha Purī to inquire about the Lord's departure returned and informed Rūpa Gosvāmī that the Lord had already departed for Vṛndāvana. Upon receiving this message from his two messengers, Rūpa Gosvāmī immediately wrote a letter to Sanātana Gosvāmī saying that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had departed for Vṛndāvana. In his letter to Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote, "We two brothers are starting out to go see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You must also somehow or other get released and come meet us." Rūpa Gosvāmī further informed Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī: "I have left a deposit of ten thousand coins with the grocer. Use that money to get out of prison. "Somehow or other get yourself released and come to Vṛndāvana." After writing this, the two brothers [Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama] went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rūpa Gosvāmī's younger brother was a great devotee whose actual name was Śrī Vallabha, but he was given the name Anupama Mallika. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama Mallika went to Prayāga, and they were very pleased to hear the news that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was there. At Prayāga, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to see the temple of Bindu Mādhava, and many hundreds of thousands of people followed Him just to meet Him. Some of the people following the Lord were crying. Some were laughing, some dancing and some chanting. Indeed, some of them were rolling on the ground, exclaiming "Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!" Seeing the great crowd, the two brothers remained standing in a secluded place. They could see that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was ecstatic to see Lord Bindu Mādhava. The Lord was loudly chanting the holy name of Hari. Dancing in ecstatic love and raising His arms, He asked everyone to chant "Hari! Hari!" Everyone was astounded to see the greatness of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Indeed, I cannot properly describe the pastimes of the Lord at Prayāga. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had made an acquaintance with a brāhmaṇa from Deccan [in South India], and that brāhmaṇa invited Him for meals and took Him to his place. While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting in a solitary place in the home of that Deccan brāhmaṇa, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Vallabha [Anupama Mallika] came to meet Him. Seeing the Lord from a distance, the two brothers put two clumps of straw between their teeth and immediately fell down on the ground like rods, offering Him obeisances. Both brothers were overwhelmed with ecstatic emotion, and reciting various Sanskrit verses, they stood up and fell down again and again. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased to see Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and He told him, "Stand up! Stand up! My dear Rūpa, come here." Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, "It is not possible to describe Kṛṣṇa's mercy, for He has delivered you both from the well of material enjoyment. "[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] 'Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literatures, he is not accepted as My devotee unless he is pure in devotional service. Even though a person is born in a family of dog-eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a pure devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activities or mental speculation. Indeed, all respects should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such devotees are as worshipable as I am."'
"Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī returned to Vṛndāvana. He desired to write dramas concerning the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In Vṛndāvana, Rūpa Gosvāmī began to write a drama. In particular, he composed the introductory verses to invoke good fortune. On his way to Gauḍa-deśa, Rūpa Gosvāmī had been thinking of how to write the action of the drama. Thus he had made some notes and begun to write. In this way the two brothers Rūpa and Anupama reached Bengal, but when they arrived there Anupama died. Rūpa Gosvāmī then departed to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for he was very eager to see Him. There was some delay because of the death of Anupama, and therefore when Rūpa Gosvāmī went to Bengal to see the devotees there, he could not get in touch with them because they had already left. In the province of Orissa there is a place known as Satyabhāmā-pura. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī rested for a night in that village on his way to Jagannātha Purī. While resting in Satyabhāmā-pura, he dreamed that a celestially beautiful woman came before him and very mercifully gave him the following order. "Write a separate drama about me," she said. "By my mercy it will be extraordinarily beautiful." After having that dream, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī considered, "It is the order of Satyabhāmā that I write a separate drama for her. "I have brought together in one work all the pastimes performed by Lord Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana and in Dvārakā. Now I shall have to divide them into two dramas." Thus absorbed in thought, he quickly reached Jagannātha Purī. When he arrived, he approached the hut of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Out of affectionate love and mercy, Haridāsa Ṭhākura told Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, "Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has already informed me that you would come here." After seeing the upala-bhoga ceremony at the Jagannātha temple, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would regularly come to see Haridāsa every day. Thus He suddenly arrived there. When the Lord arrived, Rūpa Gosvāmī immediately offered his obeisances. Haridāsa informed the Lord, "This is Rūpa Gosvāmī offering You obeisances," and the Lord embraced him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then sat down with Haridāsa and Rūpa Gosvāmī. They inquired from one another about auspicious news and then continued to talk together for some time. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired about Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī replied, "I did not meet him. "I came by the path on the bank of the Ganges, whereas Sanātana Gosvāmī came by the public road. Therefore we did not meet. "In Prayāga I heard that he had already gone to Vṛndāvana." Rūpa Gosvāmī next informed the Lord about the death of Anupama. After allotting residential quarters there to Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left. Then all of the Lord's personal associates met Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. On the next day, Caitanya Mahāprabhu again met Rūpa Gosvāmī, and with great mercy the Lord introduced him to all the devotees. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī offered his respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of them all, and all the devotees, by their mercy, embraced him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu, "You should both show Your mercy wholeheartedly to Rūpa Gosvāmī. "May Rūpa Gosvāmī, by Your mercy, become so powerful that he will be able to describe the transcendental mellows of devotional service." Thus Rūpa Gosvāmī became the object of love and affection for all the devotees of the Lord, including those who came from Bengal and those who resided in Orissa. Every day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would go to see Rūpa Gosvāmī, and whatever prasādam He received from the temple He would deliver to Rūpa Gosvāmī and Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He would talk for some time with them both and then leave to perform His noontime duties. In this way Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's dealings with them continued every day. Thus receiving the transcendental favor of the Lord, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī felt unlimited pleasure. After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, taking all His devotees with Him, performed the Guṇḍicā-mārjana [washing and cleansing of the Guṇḍicā temple], He went to the garden known as Āiṭoṭā and accepted prasādam at a picnic within the garden. When Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Rūpa Gosvāmī saw that all the devotees were accepting prasādam and chanting the holy name of Hari, they both were greatly pleased. When they received the remnants of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's prasādam through Govinda, they respected it, and then they both began to dance in ecstasy. On the next day, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to see Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the omniscient Lord spoke as follows. "Do not try to take Kṛṣṇa out of Vṛndāvana, for He does not go anywhere else at any time. "'The Kṛṣṇa known as Yadu-kumāra is Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. He is different from the Kṛṣṇa who is the son of Nanda Mahārāja. Yadu-kumāra Kṛṣṇa manifests His pastimes in the cities of Mathurā and Dvārakā, but Kṛṣṇa the son of Nanda Mahārāja never at any time leaves Vṛndāvana.'" After saying this, Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to perform His noontime duties, leaving Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī somewhat surprised. "Satyabhāmā ordered me to write two different dramas," Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī thought. "Now I understand that this order has been confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. "Formerly I wrote the two dramas as one composition. Now I shall divide it and describe the incidents in two separate works. "I shall write two separate invocations of good fortune and two different introductions. Let me think deeply about the matter and then describe two different sets of incidents."
References from Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya-lila chapter 19 entitled: "Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Instructs Srila Rupa Gosvami' and Antya-lila Chapter One entitled: "Srila Rupa Gosvami's Second Meeting With the Lord"
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