Dhan Dhan Radha Naam, Pyaro Sundar Shyam, Jay Jay Sri Harivansh Dulari, Jay Vrindavan Dhama

Refuting Late Gaudiya Sampradaya Claims & Criticism

Against Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu -
the founder of the Radhavallabha Sampradaya

- written by radhacharan das

INTRODUCTION

[1] A rejected disciple of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami?

(a) Prema Vilasa of Nityananda dasa

(b) Bengali Bhaktamala of Krsnadasa
(c) Was Sri Harivansh previously a pujari of the Radharaman temple?
(d) What did later members of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami's parampara have to say?

[2] Sri Harivansh praised by a 17th century Gaudiya text

(a) Sri Rasikottamsa's Prema Pattanam

[3] Intimately connected with Srila Prabodhananda Saraswatipada

(a) Sri Hit-harivanshastaka of Srila Prabhodananda Saraswatipada

(b) Relationship confirmed by early Radhavallabhi and Gaudiya bhaktas
(c) Sri Vrindavana Mahimamrta and the Radhavallabha sampradaya

[4] Accepted by all Vraja-based sampradayas

(a) Sri Vallabhacharya's Pustimarga sampradaya

(b) Swami Haridas and the Haridasi sampradaya
(c) Great relations with the Nimbarka sampradaya
(d) Ramanandi sampradaya

[5] Sites uncovered in Vrindavan by Sri Harivansh

INTRODUCTION

Known as the Jayadeva Goswami of Brajabhasa, Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu [AD 1502 - AD
1553] is one of the famous rasika saints from the Vaisnava traditions of Sri Vrindavan. He is
especially renowned for his fervent devotion to Sri Radha along with her beloved Sri Krishna.
Arriving in Vraja in 1533, he very quickly became an important player in the resurgence of Sri
Krishna bhakti and rediscovery of the sites related to Radha and Krishna's eternal loving plays. He
is responsible for the recovery and establishment of important places such as Seva-kunja, Vanshivat,
Radhavallabh mandir, Madan Ter and so on.

Sri Harivansh also composed many devotionally sweet Brajabhasa and Sanskrit works. Sri Hit
Caurasi, Sphut Vani, Sri Yamunastaka and Radha-sudha-nidhi are known to be written by him.

In his works, he has shown the supremacy of Sri Radha and her ability to completely subjugate her
lover, Sri Shyamsundara. For example:

hit harivansh pratāpa rupa guna bai bala syāma ujāgara | jākī bhru bilāsa basa pasuriva dina
bithakita rasa sāgara | | - “Hita Harivansh [says], for splendour, qualities of form, for youthful
vigor and strength, Syama [Krsna] is celebrated; (Yet even) that ocean of rasa is ever stilled by the
one whose eyebrow-play has subjugated him like a sacrificial animal!” - Caurasi pada 52

bibasa bhaye pritama ali lampata nirasi karaja nasaputa catakati | | - “seeing her lover rendered
helpless like a greedy bee, she snaps her fingers in front of his nose.” - Caurasi pada 79

hit harivansh jathamati barnata krsna rasamrta sara | sravana sunata prapaka rati radha pada
ambuja sukumara | | - “Hit Harivansh describes as best he can, the quintessence of the nectar of
Krsna's savour; hearing of it cultivates love for the tender lotus feet of Radha”. - Caurasi pada 30

Although the vast majority of the sampradayas in and around Sri Vrindavan such as Pushtimarga,
Haridasi, Nimbarki, Ramanandi etc all accept the spiritual authority of Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu,
some later Gaudiya sampradaya adherents have spoiled this and speak both falsely and offensively
about him. Understanding them to be ignorant of the facts of Sri Harivansh and even their own
sampradaya, we present a detailed essay with the facts to help them understand the historical mutual
respect between the two Vaisnava sampradayas.

An offering at the lotus hands of Sri Hit Premanandaji and Radhavallabh Gosvamis

Radhavallabha Sri Harivansh!

Jaya Gaura bhakta vrinda!
[1] A rejected disciple of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami?

(a) Prema Vilasa of Nityananda dasa

The first tradition that connects Sri Harivansh to Gopala Bhatta Gosvami appears in the Prema
Vilasa of Nityananda dasa. This work is generally not considered as a very authentic work and is
known to be full of many interpolations according to many scholars of Gaudiya Vaisnavism such as
Biman Bihari Majumdar, Haradhan Datta, Jibendranath Siddhanta etc. In the printed edition and
confirmed in the Rani handwritten copy of Prema Vilasa, it is even stated that Krsnadasa Kaviraja
Gosvami committed suicide by jumping into Radhakunda, which is simply not true. Would those
Gaudiyas who accept the story about Sri Harivansh's rejection also accept Kaviraja Goswami's
suicide since the source is the same? Prema Vilasa even gets the names of Hit Harivansh's children
wrong and gives one of his son's names as Suryadasa.

Jibendranath Siddhanta in his 'Lord Chaitanya : A Biographical Critique' places Prema Vilasa in the
Quasi-authentic works on Sri Chaitanya section. In the conclusion of his discussion on the text he
states:

“Prembilas was composed by Nityanandadas. He wrote many things without taking the trouble to
investigate their factuality. Even worse, later interpolations of tendentious nature have outraged
whatever truth the original writer of the mid - 17th century had found. It is not safe to trust such a
mixture unless its contention is supposed by some established author.”

Later editions of the Prema Vilasa greatly expand the whole story and add some very fantastical
details. In the later interpolations it is said that Sri Hit Harivansh's head was severed and was
floating down the Yamuna as a result of his offences. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami happened to see the
severed head of Sri Harivansh paying respects to him and Gopala Bhatta Gosvami forgave his
disciple as the head continued down the Yamuna river.

All of this is completely ridiculous. If any of the above were true, it would have been a perfect
opportunity for the Gaudiyas to prove just what happens to someone who disobeys their Goswamis.
However, as will be shown, many later Gaudiya authors actually praise Sri Harivansh instead!

(b) Bengali Bhaktamala of Krsnadasa

Krsnadas' Bengali Bhaktamala, a rather late work (c. AD 1800) (thus again not to be considered
extremely reliable), gives the following summary of this Gaudiya tradition:

“The deeds of Sriman Harivansh Gosvami are known the world over as most pure. He was a
disciple of Sriman Gopala Bhatta; greatly imbued with devotion, he bore the love of Radha and
Krsna. One ekadasi [fast] day he ate the prasada betel, and because of this his guru pronounced
him guilty. Though the Gosvami [Gopala Bhatta] was not angry in his heart, he outwardly chastised
[Harivansh] as an example to others. Radha-vallabhi gosvamis in the lineage of Harivansh's
disciples live even now in the domain of Braj. Sriman Gopala Bhatta chastized him; there was not
the least fault in this - Gopala Bhatta was the guru, and moreover [this was] the system; I do not
know know why he [Harivansh?] turned [against the tradition?]. Since they [the Radha-vallabhis] do
not agree with the various other sampradayas in social intercourse, the partaking of food and in
metaphysics, a schism occurred and there is not [now] the practice of eating together [with the
other sampradayas]; Raja [Savai] Jayasimha closely consulted [the scriptures]. There is no
advantage in describing all these incidents now; tens of millions of obeisances to everyone.”
There is no reason to believe that this statement was maliciously motivated. Kṛsnadasa seems
rather to be faithfully reproducing a tradition which was known to him but wished to avoid a
prolonged discussion and friction between the sampradayas, to all intents and purposes apologising
in the last couplet for having raised the issue at all. Krsnadasa's good faith is confirmed by his
avoidance of the obviously unacceptable exaggerations such as the floating head in the river. The
reference to a judgement by Raja Savai Jayasimha of Jaipur in this matter, evidently supporting the
Gaudiya contention, has unfortunately not been corroborated.

(c) Was Sri Harivansh previously a pujari of the Radharaman temple?

Another contention by the Gaudiyas is that Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu had been a pujari at the
Radharaman mandir at one time. However, this can be quickly refuted because based on the
Radharaman temple's own traditions, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami founded the service to Radharaman in
1543. Sri Hit Harivansh had arrived in Vraja in 1533 and established the seva of his own temple and
deity Radhavallabha in 1535, therefore he could not have previously been a pujari of Radharaman
as claimed by the Gaudiyas as his lifelong service to Radhavallabha had begun many years prior.

(d) What did later members of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami's parampara have to say?

The original Brajabhasa version of the extremely popular book Bhaktamala (1600 AD) authored by
Nabhadasa which contains short biographies of more than two hundred saints was first commented
on by Priyadasa in 1712 [Bhaktirasaprabodhini commentary].

Priyadasa was himself a disciple of the Radharaman mandira parampara. Significantly, he has made
no mention of any such relation between Sri Hit Harivansh and Gopala Bhatta Gosvami in his
commentary. This in itself is strong enough to show that the claims of the Gaudiyas linking Gopala
Bhatta Gosvami to Sri Harivansh are both late and unreliable, for if not, why did Priyadasa who is a
member of Gopala Bhatta's parampara fail to mention such a Guru-disciple relationship in Sri
Harivansh's very chapter?

Instead Priyadasa is in agreement with Nabhadasa and the Radhavallabh sampradaya that Sri
Harivansh's mantra-guru was none other than Sri Radha herself!

A famous mangalacharan written by Harilala Vyasa, a later follower in the Radhavallabha

sampradaya regarding Sri Harivansh is as follows:

rādhaiveṣṭaṁ sampradāyaika-kartā-
cāryo mantra-daḥ sad-guruś ca |
mantro rādhā yasya sarvātmanainaṁ
vande rādhā-pāda-padma-pradhānam ||

“I bow down with all my being to him whose worshipable deity is Radha, the founder acharya of
whose sampradaya is Radha, whose mantra-guru and teacher is Radha, and whose mantra is
Radha's name. He [Hit Harivansh] places Radha's lotus feet above all else.”
[2] Sri Hit Harivansh praised by a 17th century Gaudiya text

Before the strong sectarianism that became rooted between the various Vrndavana sampradayas,
one can find that the original founders and followers shared healthy relationships with one another
and even praised one another in their texts.

Sri Rasikottamsa's Prema Pattanam

Prema Pattanam is an interesting work that comes from the parampara of Raghunath Bhatta
Gosvami and was authored by Yadupati Bhatta, popularly known as Sri Rasikottamsa. It is quoted
and referred to by Gaudiya Vaisnavas and scholars alike. Ananta dasa Babaji also makes reference
to a commentary on Prema Pattanam in his book, Rasa Darsana.

Rasikottamsa was himself in the lineage of Gadadhara Bhatta Gosvami. Gadadhara Bhatta Gosvami
was in turn a diksa disciple of Raghunath Bhatta Gosvami and siksa disciple of Jiva Gosvami.
According to Krishna Chaitanya Bhatta, an acarya of the Gadadhar Bhatta family, basing his
opinion on a number of researchers, Rasikottamsa was a contemporary of Visvanatha Cakravarti.

In Prema Pattanam, Rasikottamsa has analysed the stages from prema to mahabhava by illustrating
and comparing them to a city [pattanam]. Rasikottamsa establishes that in Vraja, the city of love
[prema pattanam] everything is just the opposite way around.

He then goes on to mention 35 contradictions such as:

yathānācāra evācāraḥ | Improper behaviour is the norm.

yatra puruṣā eva striyaḥ | Men are women.
yatra satītvam evāsatītvam | Where the faithful woman is considered unchaste.
yatra vyaya eva lābhaḥ | Where spending is gain.

To establish all of these wonderful contradictions, he quotes various sastras and acaryas. In the
section where he wishes to establish yatrādharma eva dharmaḥ sthāpitaḥ | Abandonment of duty
has become a duty, Rasikottamsa cites verses from both Sri Harivansh and Prabodhananda Sarasvati
together.

When introducing the verse of Sri Hit Harivansh, he begins by stating "sri hita-harivansh-
mahanubhava-caranaih...." meaning "as also seen confirmed by the great personality Sri Hit-
Harivansh”.

This strongly shows that Rasikottamsa and the Gaudiya Vaisnavas of the time had great respect for
Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu and were comfortable using his name as an authority to establish
certain points of siddhanta. If the story about his being a rejected disciple of Gopala Bhatta
Gosvami were true, then why would Rasikottamsa refer to Sri Harivansh as a great personality
[mahanubhava] many hundreds of years after his disappearance?

The fact that Sri Rasikottamsa chooses to quote Sri Hit Harivansh and Prabodhananda
Sarasvatipada together in the very same section is also evidence that their mutual friendship was
accepted and well known. Rasikottamsa as a member of the Gadadhara Bhatta family was also a
direct neighbour of the Radha-vallabha temple and hence would have been very well aware of this.
[3] Intimately connected with Srila Prabodhananda Saraswatipada
____________________________________________________________________

It has been said for a long time that Srila Prabodananda Saraswatipada, a recipient of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's mercy, in his later life was connected to Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu as well.
Prabodhananda and his writings are highly revered in the Gaudiya Sampradaya and he is considered
a nitya-siddha parsada [an eternal companion] of Bhagavan. Now what is the evidence that Srila
Prabhodananda both revered and associated with Sri Harivansh and the Radhavallabha
Sampradaya's followers?

(a) Sri Hit-harivanshastaka of Srila Prabhodananda Saraswatipada

Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati wrote an astaka in honour of Sri Harivansh entitled Sri-
Hitharivansh-candrastaka or sometimes simply known as Sri-Hit-Harivanshastaka. Therein he
glorifies the devotional poetry of Sri Harivansh and regards him as an incarnation of Krsna's flute.

Srila Prabhodananda further states that devotion to Radha and Krishna could be had from Hit
Harivansh and that the moons of Radha's toenails (nakhara-pada-candram) illuminate the sky of Sri
Harivansh's heart. He also states that Sri Harivansh in the form of a girlfriend [sakhi], is present in
Radha's kunja where he serves Radha and Krishna by their direct order.

To give a little taster, here are the first two slokas of Srila Prabodhananda's Sri Hit-Harivanshastaka:

tvamasi hi harivansh shyāmchandrasya vanshah |

param rasad nādermohitā shesh vishvahah | |
anupam guna-ratner-nirmito siddhajendra |
mama hridi tav gāthāshchitra lekhe-valagnāh | | (1)

TRANSLATION:

“O Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu! You are Shyamsundara's flute which has enchanted the entire
world with sounds that bestow the highest rasa. O Dvijendra! [the best of learned Brahmins] it is as
though you are made up of the most priceless gems. Your glories and pastimes have become painted
onto my heart.”

dvij kumud kadambe chandra vanmod-kastvam |

muhurati rasa lubdhālīndra vrinde pramatte | |
atulit rasa dhārā vrishti kartā sināde |
vilasatu mama bādhā murdhni vishnorivāstram | | (2)

TRANSLATION:

“You are a bliss-bestowing moon for the lotus-like Brahmin community [as you manifested yourself
within it]. You nourish the exceedingly rasa-thirsty bees [the foremost honeybee-like, one-pointed
rasika devotees]. With your sweet 'nāda/sounds' [melodies in the form of Shyam's flute and your
words in the form of the Rasikacharya] you cause a shower of incomparable rasa streams. Please
destroy the obstacles in my rasopasana [rasika mode of worship] with your words, just as Sri
Visnu's weapon [the unconquerable sudarshan disc 'chakra'] destroys all the demons.”

An 18th century Sanskrit commentary to Prabhodananda's Sri Hit-Harivanshastaka is also available.

(b) Relationship confirmed by early Radhavallabhi and Gaudiya bhaktas

(a) Hit Krsnacandra Gosvami, 2nd son of Sri Harivansh

In a commentary written by Sri Hit Harivansh's son Krsnacandra Gosvami on his own work,
Karnananda [completed in 1578], he writes that Srila Prabhodananda helped him complete his
work - karnanandabhidho granthah krsnadasena nirmita | tat-tika ca tadarabdha sri prabodhen
purita | |

(b) Chaturbhuja dasa, disciple of Sri Harivansh's eldest son, Sri Vanacandra Gosvami

In his Radha-pratapa-yasa, Chaturbhuja dasa has written that Sri Hit Harivansh first manifest Sri
Radha's wonderful glories and worship, secondly Sri Prabhodananda preached this path of rasika-
worship [puni prabodananda ju lahi, rasa sagara lila kathi kahi] and that thirdly, Sri Vanacandra
Gosvami fulfilled the order as well.

“Additionally, Sri Prabhodananda's name appears in all Guru-disciple parampara lists from this time
period” - 'Sri Hit Harivansh Gosvami: Sampradaya aur Sahitya” by Sri Lalitcharan Goswami.

(c) Harirama Vyasa

Harirama Vyasa, a well known rasika of Vrindavan and contemporary of the Six Gosvamis has sung
the praises of many Vaisnava saints including Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Swami Haridas
[of Banke Bihari mandir/Haridasi sampradaya] in his works. However, he has mostly sung of the
praise of Sri Harivansh, whom he refers to as a Guru on more than one occasion. Harirama Vyasa is
famous for his Braja-bhasa poetry and is one of the saints whose songs are also sung in
Vallabhacarya's pushti-marga sampradaya.

In one pada of his Vyasa-vani, whilst singing the glories of Srila Prabodananda, Harirama Vyasa
confirms Prabodananda's connection with the Radhavallabh deity and Sri Harivansh by saying:

prabodhananda se kavi thore, jini radhavallabh ki lila ras mein sav ras ghore - “There are few
poets like Prabodhananda, who dissolved all rasa into the divine play of Radhavallabh.”

And in the last line, Vyasa says regarding Prabodhananda:

ye priya vyasa asa kari sri hit harivanshahi prati kar jori - “This is dear to Vyasa, namely that he
[Prabodhananda] petitioned Sri Hit Harivansh with folded hands”.

(d) Bhagavata mudita

Officially a Gaudiya Vaisnava [disciple of Haridas, the head priest of the Govindaji mandira in
Vrndavana] in his 'rasika-ananya-mala' [lives of the Saints], he has glorified Sri Harivansh and his
later followers profusely and has described the association of Sri Harivansh and Srila
Prabodhananda very clearly. Bhagavata mudita's affiliation with the Gaudiya sampradaya is
confirmed in that work himself since he pays respects to Sri Caitanya and Sri Nityananda Prabhu in
the beginning of the work.

Priya dasa, the author of the bhakti-rasa-prabodhini tika, which is the first commentary to the
extremely popular book Bhaktamala [by Nabhadasa] also confirms that Bhagavata mudita was
initiated within the Gaudiya parampara in kavitta 626 of his work.
Bhagavata mudita also translated the 17th sataka of Prabodhananda Sarasvati's Vrndavana
Mahimamrta into Braja-bhasa further confirming that this Prabodhananda and the one associated
with Sri Harivansh are one and the same. This was completed in 1650 A.D [confirmed with
Vrindavan Research Institute's Hindi manuscript 61, folio 32v – samvata dasa sai sata (sai) aru sata
varasa hai jana; caita masa mai catura vara bhasa kiyo basana).

(e) Hit Dhruva-dasa

Hit dhruva-dasa, author of the famous Radhavallabhi work, Bayalisa-lila has referred to Srila
Prabodhananda as the singer of Vrindavan's sweetness [vrindavan-rasa-madhuri]. Clearly referring
to his work Vrindavan Mahimamrta.

(c) Sri Vrindavana Mahimamrta and the Radhavallabha sampradaya

Srila Prabodhananda's Sri Vrindavan Mahimamrta is much loved amongst the Radhavallabhis and
Sri Hit Premanandaji, a current Guru of the sampradaya regularly speaks on it at Madan Ter in Sri
Vrindavan.

Apart from Bhagavat mudita's popular aforementioned brajabhasa translation of Vrindavan

Mahimamrta, Sri Candralal Goswami translated 5 satakas [5 series of 100 verses] into brajabhasa
poetry.

[4] Accepted by all Vraja-based sampradayas

(a) Sri Vallabhacharya's Pustimarga sampradaya

Accepted by Sri Vitthalanathacharya

It is commonly known that Sri Vitthalanatha [AKA Gusainji], the son of Sri Vallabhacarya
Mahaprabhu [the founder of the Pusti-marga-sampradaya] and friend of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
also accepted the authority of Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu.

Both Vitthalanatha and Vallabhacarya are praised in many Gaudiya works such as Gaura-
ganodessa-dipika of Kavi Karnapura, Bhakti-ratnakara and Namamrta-samudra of Narahari
Cakravarti etc.

Vitthalanathacarya accepted the songs of many Vaisnava saints to be used as part of the daily temple
services. [This is confirmed on their sampradaya's websites and with informed followers].
Approximately 15 of Sri Harivansh's padas [songs] are sung in the temples of Pusti-marga.
Some of these are: (1) jhulata dou navala kisora (2) aja vana niko rasa banayo (3) dekho mai
sundarata ki siva.

Similarly, the songs of Sri Harivansh's followers such as Hit Damodara dasa [Sevakaji],
Chaturbhuja dasa, Ananya Ali, Hit Dhruvadasa, Nehi Nagaridas and others are also accepted as part
of the astakaliya-lila kirtan of the pusti-marga temples.

For evidence of this one can check the following webpage: https://vallabhkankroli.org/kirtan
%20dhol%20pad_dhrupad_singers_chapter_1.htm
It clearly states “This section will enlist the different Bhakta Poets whose Kirtanas/Padas are sung
before Shree Prabhu in Pushtimarg and are accepted by Shree Gusaiji (Second son of Shreemad
Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhuji) to be sung as part of Kirtana Pranalika.” The name of Sri
Harivansh and his followers can be seen below with details.

One can also consult songbooks of the pustimarga sampradaya such as 'astayam seva kirtan
pranalika' and 'dhanya dhanya vrsabhanu dulari' to find many of Sri Harivansh's and his followers
songs included therein.

Sri Harivansh and followers mentioned in Pushti-marga biographical literature

An anthology of the Pushti-marga sampradaya of Vallabhacharya is the work 'chaurasi vaishnavan

ki varta' [the 84 disciples of Vallabhacharya]. This was written by Gokulnathji, the 4th son of
Vitthalanathacarya and then completed by Harirayaji. In the 5th part on Kumbhandasji, one of the 8
legendary astachaap poets, it describes how Sri Harivansh, Swami Haridas and other saints from
Vrindavan came to visit Kumbhandasji at Govardhan in order to discuss with him the glories of Sri
Swaminiju Radha.

(b) Swami Haridas and the Haridasi Sampradaya

Swami Haridas, the founder of what is generally considered the most famous temple of Vrindavan,
Banke Bihari mandir was a good friend of Hit Harivansh.

Swami Haridas is known as the King of Rasikas in Vrindavan and revered by all the Vraja
sampradayas. He has described Sri Syama Syam's sweet lilas of the kunja in his work Kelimaal.
Together, Swami Haridas, Harirama Vyasa and Hit Harivansh are commonly known as Rasika-
triveni or Hari-traya, the three rasikas and the three Haris [due to their names].

Sri Harivansh and Sri Haridas are often glorified together. In his Vyasa-vani, Sri Harirama Vyasaji
often chooses to glorify them together. In one pada he sings:

hum kav hoyenge vrijvaasi

thakur nandkishor humaare, thakurain radha si
kabh mili hain ve sakhi saheli harivanshi haridasi
vansivat ki sheetal cchaya, subhag nadi jamuna si
ja ki vaibhav karat laalsa kar meethat kamala si
itni aas vyaas ki pujvo vrinda-vipin vilaasi

“When will I become a resident of Vraja?

[When will] Nanda's young son [Nandakishor] be my Thakur, and the likes of Radha my Thakurani.
When will I join my girl friends and companions, Harivanshi and Haridasi?
The cool shade of the Vanshivat tree, an auspicious river like Yamuna.
For such treasures, even the likes of Kamala long, rub [their] hands [in regret].
Fulfil only this wish of Vyas, O playboy of the groves/forests of Vrindavan.”

(c) Great relations with the Nimbarka sampradaya

The Nimbarka sampradaya also have samaja-gayana [communal singing] with adherents of the
Radhavallabh sampradaya from time to time, indicating their mutual respect and acceptance of one
another.

One can see an example of this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ7sOkRzr-k

From the description of the video: “3 Sampradayas gathered together in Shri Golok Dham Ashram
Vrindavan to participate in a Samaaj Gaayan. The Nimbarkis, Haridasis and Radhavallabhis
together sang padas written by Jagadguru Swami Shri Harivyasa Devacharya ji, Jagadguru Swami
Shri Shribhatta dev from the Nimbarka tradition; from Swami Shri Haridas ji Maharaj from the
Haridasi tradition and from Shri Hit Harivamsh Mahaprabhu from the Radhavallabhi tradition. It
was an unforgettable experience.”

Citing and glorifying Sri Harivansh

Acaryas of the Nimbarka sampradaya do not hestitate to quote Sri Harivansh in their lectures either
and the Radhavallabhi acaryas also quote and sing songs written from Nimbarki granthas such as
Mahavani etc.

(d) Ramanandi sampradaya

Ramanandi Sampradaya's [an offshoot of Sri Sampradaya] Maluk Pithadhishvar Swami Shri
Rajendra Das Maharaja himself can be seen here singing the Radhavallabhi song: Radhavallabh Sri
Harivansh, Sri Vrindavan Sri Vanacandra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuYwWNTYrTE

[5] Sites uncovered in Vrindavan by Sri Harivansh

Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu established and uncovered many sacred places in Vrindavan.
Perhaps to the surprise of the uninformed some, Sri Harivansh actually discovered Seva kunja and
Vanshivat, which are revered by Gaudiya and other sampradayas alike. Sri Harivansh's holy name
and slokas from Radha-sudha-nidhi which is accepted as a work written by him by many are present
throughout the grounds at Seva-kunja.

One must ask, how can Sri Harivansh's authority be rejected if one accepts the places that he
uncovered such as Seva kunja and Vanshivat as legitimate sites of Sri Shyama Shyam's lilas?
Madan ter, Bada-rasa-mandala and the Radhavallabh mandir are also all sacred sites of Sri
Vrindavan connected with Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu.

Concluding words

We have shown that all Gaudiya sources claiming that Sri Harivansh was a rejected disciple of
Gopala Bhatta Gosvami to be very unreliable late texts. To convince those who doubt that he is an
eminent vraja-bhakti authority, positive evidence has been shown through the relationship he had
with Srila Prabodhananda Saraswatipada as well as praise he received in early Gaudiya works.

If those particular Gaudiyas accept Sri Vallabhacharya's son, Sri Vitthalanath [Gusainji] as a reliable
spiritual authority, then they must also accept Sri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu and his followers,
whom Sri Vitthalanath himself accepted.

They must also accept Sri Harivansh's authority on the basis of his uncovering Seva kunja and
Vanshivat which they along with all other sampradayas accept and offer their love and worship at.

If those particular Gaudiyas wish to continue their offensive attitude towards Sri Harivansh
Mahaprabhu, then they will have to go against all of the other Vaisnava sampradayas of Vrindavan
and even their own earlier Acaryas such as Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati, Sri Rasikottamsa etc
and instead keep their stubborn and unfounded faith in late unreliable works of later Gaudiya
authors against all the evidence.
The few naïve individuals in the Gaudiya sampradaya should understand that not everything that is
written down should be taken as true. Especially when considering controversial matters, we must
use our power of discrimination [viveka], utilise sastra-yukti [scriptural logic] and get the well
reasoned explanations of our Gurus/Acaryas.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti himself comments to Bhagavata 11.3.21:

"sabde brahmani vede veda-tatparyya-jnapake sastrantare ca nisnatam nipunam, anyatha
sisyasya samsaya-cchedabhave vaimanasya ca sati kasyacit sraddha-saithilyam api sambhavet"

Translation: "Gurudeva should be well-versed in the Vedas and other allied scriptures. An aspirant
disciple cannot progress in his worship of God without taking shelter of a really qualified Bonafide
Guru, who should have the capacity of removing the doubts of disciples by reasoning substantiated
with evidence from authentic scriptures. If Gurudeva is incapable of removing the doubts of the
disciple, the disciple's belief in the Guru may slacken."

There are many books that even claim the following:

(a) That Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura converted to the Nimbarka sampradaya in his later
life. This was also published in the Nimbarka sampradaya's magazine 'Sri Sudarsana'.

(b) That after taking sannyasa, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu practised erotic sahajiya sadhana with
Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya's married daughter named Sathi – mentioned in Akincana dasa's 'Vivarta-
vilasa' and Yugala kisora dasa's 'Caitanya rasa sara'.

(c) The early writer Jayananda Misra describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's disappearance from this
world in his 'Caitanya mangala' as very different from other writers.

However, using well reasoned arguments that are logical, historical and scriptural, we can
understand that the above 3 claims and many others like them to be without any substance.
Similarly, we have shown that the story regarding Sri Harivansh and Gopala Bhatta Goswami is
also untrue. Pranaam to all those who take Sri Hari Radha's holy names. Sri Radha!

Acknowledgements & References

Sri Hit Harivansh Gosvami: Sampradaya aur sahitya [hindi] - by Lalitacharan Goswami
In Praise of Holy Men: Hagiographic Poems by and about Hariram Vyas - Professor Heidi Pauwels
Articles by Jagadananda dasa [Jan Brzezinksi]
'Lord Chaitanya : A Biographical Critique' - Jibendranath Siddhanta
Sri Hit Radhavallabh Astayam [hindi]
The eighty four hymns of Hita Harivamsa – Rupert Snell

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