Disappearance Day of Sri Gadadhara Dasa Gosvami

What is the Disappearance Day of Sri Gadadhara Dasa Gosvami?

The Disappearance Day of Sri Gadadhara Dasa Gosvami marks the day he left this world, the eighth day of the bright fortnight of Kartika, which in 2026 falls on Tuesday, 17 November. He was close to both Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

Significance

Srila Prabhupada explains that Gadadhara Dasa lived at Endiyadaha, a village on the Ganges eight or ten miles from Calcutta. Described as the luster of Srimati Radharani's body, Gadadhara Dasa is counted among the associates of both Lord Gaurahari and Lord Nityananda. Though he served Lord Nityananda, he was not one of the cowherd boys; he was absorbed instead in the mood of conjugal love.

Lord Caitanya sent him with Lord Nityananda to preach the holy name in Bengal. The Caitanya-caritamrta lists him among the branches of the Caitanya tree, and Srila Prabhupada translates the verse:

Śrī Gadādhara dāsa, the twenty-third branch, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.

Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.53

How to observe it

It is a day for chanting the holy names and hearing the glories of Gaura and Nityananda. The same date brings Gopastami and the disappearance days of Sri Dhananjaya Pandita and Sri Srinivasa Acarya.

This holy day falls in Kartik, the month of Lord Damodara, when devotees offer Him a lamp each evening and sing Damodarashtakam. Read about Kartik (Damodara) Month, and offer your own lamp from wherever you are through our Kartik Deep Daan Seva.