Gita-govinda

Expressions researched:
"Gita-govinda"

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 4.219, Purport:

In this verse from the Gīta-govinda (3.1), Jayadeva Gosvāmī describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa's leaving the rāsa-līlā to search for Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

CC Adi 4.224, Purport:

This is also a verse from the Gīta-govinda (1.11).

CC Adi 13.42, Purport:

For many years he lived in Navadvīpa, then the capital of Bengal. His birthplace was in the Birbhum district, in the village Kendubilva. In the opinion of some authorities, however, he was born in Orissa, and still others say that he was born in southern India. He passed the last days of his life in Jagannātha Purī. One of his famous books is Gīta-govinda, which is full of transcendental mellow feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs felt separation from Kṛṣṇa before the rāsa dance, as mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the Gīta-govinda expresses such feelings. There are many commentaries on the Gīta-govinda by many Vaiṣṇavas.

Caṇḍīdāsa was born in the village of Nānnura, which is also in the Birbhum district of Bengal. He was born of a brāhmaṇa family, and it is said that he also took birth in the beginning of the fourteenth century, Śakābda Era. It has been suggested that Caṇḍīdāsa and Vidyāpati were great friends because the writings of both express the transcendental feelings of separation profusely.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 2.77, Translation:

He also passed His time reading the books and singing the songs of Caṇḍīdāsa and Vidyāpati, and listening to quotations from the Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta and Gīta-govinda. Thus in the association of Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāya Rāmānanda, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed His days and nights chanting and hearing with great pleasure.

CC Madhya 8.102, Purport:

Out of fear of the other gopīs, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa took Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to a secluded place. In this regard, the verse kaṁsārir api (verse 106 in this chapter) will be quoted from the Gīta-govinda of Jayadeva Gosvāmī.

CC Madhya 8.107, Purport:

These two verses are from the Gīta-govinda (3.1–2), written by Jayadeva Gosvāmī.

CC Madhya 8.144, Purport:

This is a verse from the Gīta-govinda (1.11).

CC Madhya 10.115, Translation:

Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara used to read the poems of Vidyāpati and Caṇḍīdāsa and Jayadeva Gosvāmī’s Śrī Gīta-govinda. He used to make Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very happy by singing these songs.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 13.79, Translation:

She sang a gujjarī tune in a very sweet voice, and because the subject was Jayadeva Gosvāmī’s Gīta-govinda, the song attracted the attention of the entire world.

CC Antya 15 Summary:

On the night of the rāsa dance, the gopīs, bereaved by Kṛṣṇa's absence, searched for Kṛṣṇa from one forest to another. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu adopted the same transcendental thoughts as those of the gopīs and was filled with ecstatic emotion. Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī recited a verse from the Gīta-govinda just suitable to the Lord's emotions. Caitanya Mahāprabhu then exhibited the ecstatic transformations known as bhāvodaya, bhāva-sandhi, bhāva-śābalya and so on. The Lord experienced all eight kinds of ecstatic transformations, and He relished them very much.

CC Antya 15.27, Translation:

The Lord especially liked to hear Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura's Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, the poetry of Vidyāpati, and Śrī Gīta-govinda, by Jayadeva Gosvāmī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu felt great pleasure in His heart when His associates chanted verses and sang songs from these books.

CC Antya 15.83, Translation:

Thus for the pleasure of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī began very sweetly singing the following verse from the Gīta-govinda.

CC Antya 15.84, Purport:

This verse (Gīta-govinda 2.3) is sung by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

CC Antya 17.6, Translation:

To complement the ecstasy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya would quote verses from the books of Vidyāpati and Caṇḍīdāsa, and especially from the Gīta-govinda, by Jayadeva Gosvāmī.

CC Antya 17.62, Translation:

Suddenly Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to external consciousness and said to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, "My dear Svarūpa, please sing some sweet songs." The Lord's ears were satisfied when He heard Svarūpa Dāmodara sing songs from the Gīta-govinda and those by the poet Vidyāpati.

CC Antya 19.84, Translation:

In this atmosphere, the Lord had His associates sing the verse from the Gīta-govinda beginning with the words "lalita-lavaṅga-latā" as He danced and wandered about with them.

CC Antya 20 Summary:

The following summary of the Twentieth Chapter is given by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed His nights tasting the meaning of the Śikṣāṣṭaka prayers in the company of Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya. Sometimes He recited verses from Jayadeva Gosvāmī’s Gīta-govinda, from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya's Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka or from Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura's Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. In this way, He became absorbed in ecstatic emotions. For the twelve years Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu lived at Jagannātha Purī, He relished the taste of reciting such transcendental verses. Altogether the Lord was present in this mortal world for forty-eight years. After hinting about the Lord's disappearance, the author of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta gives a short description of the entire Antya-līlā and then ends his book.

CC Antya 20.67-68, Translation:

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu read the verses of Jayadeva's Gīta-govinda, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, of Rāmānanda Rāya's drama Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka, and of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura's Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, He was overwhelmed by the various ecstatic emotions of those verses. Thus He tasted their purports.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 30:

Thus Rāmānanda Rāya continued by saying that during the rāsa dance Rādhārāṇī suddenly left the arena, as if She were angry that no special favor was being shown Her. Kṛṣṇa was desirous of seeing Rādhārāṇī in order to fulfill the purpose of the rāsa dance, but not seeing Rādhārāṇī there, He became very sorrowful and went to search Her out. In the Gīta-govinda there is a nice verse which states that Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Kaṁsa, wanted to be entangled in loving affairs with women and thus simply took Rādhārāṇīinto His heart and left the company of the other damsels of Vraja. The next verse describes how Kṛṣṇa was very much afflicted by Rādhārāṇī’s absence and, being thus distressed in mind, began to search Her out along the banks of the Yamunā. Failing to find Her, He entered the bushes of Vṛndāvana and began to lament. Rāmānanda Rāya pointed out that one who discusses the purport of these two special verses of the Gīta-govinda (3.1–2) can relish the highest nectar of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa's loving affairs.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 31:

There are different kinds of relationships with Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who is attracted to Kṛṣṇa in a particular mellow is glorified.

Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful, transcendental and attractive that He sometimes attracts even Himself. The following verse appears in the Gīta-govinda (1.11):

viśveṣām anurañjanena janayann ānandam indīvara-

śreṇī-śyāmala-komalair upanayann aṅgair anaṅgotsavam

svacchandaṁ vraja-sundarībhir abhitaḥ praty-aṅgam āliṅgitaḥ

śṛṅgāraḥ sakhi mūrtimān iva madhau mugdho hariḥ krīḍati

“My dear friend, just see how Kṛṣṇa is enjoying His transcendental pastimes in the spring by expanding the beauty of His personal body. His soft legs and hands, just like the most beautiful moon, are used on the bodies of the gopīs.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 22:

Jayadeva Gosvāmī, in his Gīta-govinda, has sung as follows: "The Lord has saved the Vedas in His form as a fish, and He has borne the whole universe on His back in the form of a tortoise. He has picked up this earthly planet from the water in the form of a boar. He has killed Hiraṇyakaśipu in the form of Nṛsiṁha. He has cheated Mahārāja Bali in the form of Vāmana. He has annihilated all the dynasties of the kṣatriyas in the form of Paraśurāma. He has killed all the demons in the form of Lord Rāma. He has accepted the great plow in the form of Balarāma. He has annihilated all the atheistic persons in the form of Kalki. And He has saved all the poor animals in the form of Lord Buddha."* These are some of the descriptions of the incarnations emanating from Kṛṣṇa, and from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is understood that innumerable incarnations are always coming out from the body of Kṛṣṇa, just like waves in the ocean.

Nectar of Devotion 44:

The impetuses of conjugal love are Kṛṣṇa and His very dear consorts, such as Rādhārāṇī and Her immediate associates. Lord Kṛṣṇa has no rival; no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him. His beauty is also without any rival, and because He excels all others in the pastimes of conjugal love, He is the original object of all conjugal love.

In the Gīta-govinda, by Jayadeva Gosvāmī, one gopī tells her friend, "Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure within this universe. His body is as soft as the lotus flower. And His free behavior with the gopīs, which appears exactly like a young boy's attraction to a young girl, is a subject matter of transcendental conjugal love." A pure devotee follows in the footsteps of the gopīs and worships the gopīs as follows: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances to all the young cowherd girls, whose bodily features are so attractive. Simply by their beautiful attractive features they are worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa." Out of all the young gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the most prominent.

Nectar of Devotion 44:

Her bodily complexion defeats the beauty of gold. Thus, let us all look upon the transcendental beauty of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī." Kṛṣṇa's attraction for Rādhārāṇī is described by Kṛṣṇa Himself thus: "When I create some joking phrases in order to enjoy the beauty of Rādhārāṇī, Rādhārāṇī hears these joking words with great attention; but by Her bodily features and counterwords She neglects Me. And I even possess unlimited pleasure by Her neglect of Me, for She becomes so beautiful that She increases My pleasure one hundred times." A similar statement can be found in Gīta-govinda, wherein it is said that when the enemy of Kaṁsa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, embraces Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, He immediately becomes entangled in a loving condition and gives up the company of all other gopīs.

Nectar of Devotion 44:

I know that her brother Rukmī is against Me and that due to his persuasion My marriage with her has been cancelled." This is another instance of preliminary attraction.

As far as māna, or anger, is concerned, there is the following incident described in Gīta-govinda: "When Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī saw Kṛṣṇa enjoying Himself in the company of several other gopīs, She became a little jealous because Her special prestige was being dimmed. Therefore, She immediately left the scene and took shelter in a nice flower bush where the black drones were humming. Then, hiding Herself behind the creepers, She began to express Her sorrow to one of Her consorts." This is an instance of a seeming disagreement.

An example of pravāsa, or being out of contact because of living in a distant place, is given in the Padyāvalī as follows: "Since the auspicious day when Kṛṣṇa left for Mathurā, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī has been pressing Her head on one of Her hands and constantly shedding tears. Her face is always wet now, and therefore there is no chance of Her sleeping even for a moment."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.6 -- Mayapur, March 30, 1975:

Anyway, this kind of literature... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to read Gītā-Govinda, Caṇḍīdāsa, amongst with His confidential devotees. The Gītā-Govinda, the loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, it is not for the neophyte student. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu... You'll find Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaching... Generally, He was talking with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, He was talking with Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya—but the subject matter was not the same. When He was talking officially with the Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, there is no talk about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes with Rādhārāṇī. Simply on the basis of Vedānta He was talking. But when He was talking with Rāmaṇanda Rāya, He talked about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes with Rādhārāṇī. So we should be very careful that from the very beginning... Just like the professional Bhāgavata readers. The Bhāgavata reading means describing rasa-līlā. Whenever you find there is Bhāgavata reading, they are describing. I have seen one big Gosvāmī. He was professional Bhāgavata reader, and whenever... He would speak very nicely on rasa-līlā, and after describing rasa-līlā, Bhāgavata reading, he would come for recreation and smoke cigarette. I have seen it.

Festival Lectures

Varaha-dvadasi, Lord Varaha's Appearance Day Lecture Dasavatara-stotra Purport -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1970:

So these prayers were offered by Jayadeva Gosvāmī. One Vaiṣṇava poet advented about seven hundred years before Lord Caitanya's appearance. He was a great devotee, and his specific poetry, Gīta-govinda, is very famous all over the world. Gīta-govinda. Gīta-govinda is the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa playing on flute about Rādhārāṇī. That is the subject matter of Gīta-govinda. The same poet, Jayadeva Gosvāmī, has offered this prayer, pralaya-payodhi-jale-dhṛtavān asi vedam **. He says, "My dear Lord, when there was devastation within this universe, everything was filled with water. At that time You saved the Vedas, stacked in a boat. And you held the boat from being drowned in the water, in the shape of a big fish." This fish first of all was caught in the waterpot just like a small fish. Then it enlarged, and the fish was kept in a bigger water reservoir. In this way the fish was increasing. Then the fish informed that "Devastation is coming. You just save all the Vedas on a boat, and I shall protect it." So Jayadeva Gosvāmī is offering prayer, "My Lord, You saved the Vedas when there was devastation in the shape of a fish."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 13-14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: The first incarnation is in the form of a fish.

These prayers were offered by Jayadeva Gosvāmī, a Vaiṣṇava poet, who advented about seven hundred years before Lord Caitanya's appearance. He was a great devotee, and his specific poetry, Gīta-govinda, is very famous all over the world. Gīta-govinda. Gīta-govinda is the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa playing on His flute about Rādhārāṇī. That is the subject matter of Gīta-govinda. This same poet, Jayadeva Gosvāmī, has offered these prayers, pralaya-payodhi-jale-dhṛtavān asi vedam. He says, "My dear Lord, when there was a devastation within this universe, everything was filled with water. At that time You saved the Vedas, stacked in a boat. And you held the boat from being sunk in the water, in the shape of a big fish." This fish was caught first in a waterpot just like a regular small fish. Then it expanded, and the fish was then kept in a bigger water reservoir. In this way the fish kept increasing in size. Then the fish spoke and said, "Devastation is coming.