Disappearance Day of Srila Lokanatha Gosvami
Disappearance Day
All day
What is the Disappearance Day of Srila Lokanatha Gosvami?
This is the day Srila Lokanatha Gosvami left this world for the Lord's eternal pastimes. He lived in Vrindavana, kept his Deity, Radha-Vinoda, close to his chest, and is honoured for his complete renunciation. At Kurukshetra in 2027 it falls on Tuesday, 27 July.
Significance
Lokanatha Gosvami is known as a direct disciple and associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord sent him to Vrindavana. When he later hurried after Mahaprabhu in painful separation, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him to stay and worship there. Fearing even a little fame, he asked Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami to write nothing about him.
His great gift to the disciplic succession was Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura. Lokanatha had vowed never to accept a disciple. Narottama, though a king's son, secretly cleaned at night the place Lokanatha used as a toilet, and that humility softened the vow. In the succession given in Bhagavad-gita As It Is, which comes down to Srila Prabhupada, Narottama stands twenty-sixth.
The Bhakti-ratnakara honours Lokanatha Gosvami in this verse:
“I worship Lokanatha Prabhu, the son of Padmanabha, whose life revolved around the wealth of service he possessed in his Deity Radha Vinoda.”
Bhakti-ratnakara 1.297
How to observe it
Read how Narottama Dasa Thakura won his guru's mercy, and try to serve your own guru with the same humility. Chant the holy names in the renounced mood Lokanatha Gosvami showed, and pray for steady service to Radha and Krishna.
Questions
When is Lokanatha Gosvami's disappearance day in 2027?
At Kurukshetra it falls on Tuesday, 27 July 2027, according to the Vaishnava calendar.
Who was Lokanatha Gosvami?
He was a renounced devotee of Vrindavana and is considered a direct disciple and associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He worshipped the Radha-Vinoda Deity and is best known as the spiritual master of Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura.
Who was Lokanatha Gosvami's disciple?
His one disciple was Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura, the son of a raja in what is now Bangladesh. Lokanatha initiated him and sent him back to Bengal to preach pure devotional service.
What is the Radha-Vinoda Deity?
Radha-Vinoda is the Deity who came to Lokanatha Gosvami at Kishori Kunda, near Umrao in Vraja. Lokanatha served Him for the rest of his life, and today He is served at the Radha-Gokulananda temple in Vrindavana.
Reviewed by ISKCON Kurukshetra · Updated
Key facts
- Date
- Tuesday, 27 July 2027
- Spiritual master of
- Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura
- Deity worshipped
- Sri Radha-Vinoda
- Samadhi
- Radha-Gokulananda temple, Vrindavana
Seva for this day
Feed devotees and visitors on this holy day, or begin the Bhagavad-gita course with us.