Originally Heard This From : Pandit Tarun Krishna Das Ji at Radha Raman Mandir, Vrindavan
This Version : Accomplished by the Grace of Sri Radharaman
Chorus Singers :
HG Indulekha Mataji
HG Sri Kishori Mataji
HG Bhakt Sewak Prabhu
Bhakta Ranjit Prabhu
The Appearance of Shri Radharaman
In a vision, Mahaprabhu instructed Gopal Bhatt Goswami to go to the Gandaki River in Nepal, where he would appear again in a new form, giving hope to all devotees who were grieving his departure from this world. And so Gopal Bhatt began the long journey on foot. Arriving at the riverbank, he searched for Mahaprabhu, everywhere, but Gopal Bhatt was unable to find him. In his anguish, Gopal Bhatt fasted and prayed till at last, he fell unconscious. Tears flowed from Gopal Bhatt’s face like a stream towards the Gandaki River, blessing her waters. He regained consciousness and placed his cupped palms in the river to collect water to make an offering ( arghya) to the sun. Much to his surprise, the water he collected in his palms contained a Damodar shila. Gopal Bhatt cried with joy, “Gaur Krishn! Gaur Krishn!” His entire body was covered with goose bumps. Blissful tears flowed incessantly and he welcomed his Beloved by reciting prayers. After receiving eleven more shaligram shilas by the blessings of the Lord, Gopal Bhatt returned to Vrindavan.
Gopal Bhatt Goswami’s Beloved had returned in the form of Damodar shaligram shila, yet the desire to serve him in his human-like form once again remained. On Vaishakh Shukla Chaturdashi of 1543, the appearance day of Narsingh Dev, Gopal Bhatt’s longing kept him awake all night. He meditated within himself, “Prahlad’s love for Krishn made him manifest from a pillar and rescue Prahlad even though Prahlad was born in a dynasty of demons who were not devotees. But I am not fortunate enough to attain my beloved Lord in his full form so that I can adorn him with my own hands.” Crying himself to sleep, In his dreams, Krishn reassured Gopal Bhatt that his desires will be fulfilled soon. With great excitement, Gopal Bhatt woke up very early and took a bath, preparing himself to worship his shilas, which were hanging inside a wicker basket on the peepal tree above his hut.
As he opened the basket, he found a divine deity of Krishn and only eleven of his shaligram shilas. The Damodar shila was missing. Gopal Bhatt was filled with blissful love at the sight of the deity and his heart was overflowing with ecstasy as he shed affectionate tears. Admiring every part of his deity, Gopal Bhatt noticed the markings of Damodar shila on his back. Gopal Bhatt's tremendous love, deep yearning and unwavering devotion had taken the form of the beautiful Lord. Goswamis, scholars and all of the devotees in Vrindavan heard the blessed news and swiftly assembled around Gopal Bhatt’s hut to offer their obeisances to the magnificent deity. Gopal Bhatt’s deity had manifested under the same peepal tree where Krishn had disappeared from Shri Radharani during the Raas about 4,500 years earlier. The devotees realised that the same Krishn who disappeared before Radha, had appeared again in the form of this deity at the call of Gopal Bhatt Goswami. When Krishn vanished from that spot, Radha called out to him by the Name of Raman; he was Radha’s Raman, thus the Goswamis named Gopal Bhatt’s deity “Radharaman”.