Ādi-līlāChapter 10: The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 10.115

govinda, mādhava, vāsudeva — tina bhāi

yāń-sabāra kīrtane nāce caitanya-nitāi

SYNONYMS

govindaGovinda; mādhavaMādhava; vāsudevaVāsudeva; tina bhāi — three brothers; yāń-sabāra — all of whom; kīrtanein the performance of sańkīrtana; nāce — dance; caitanya-nitāi — Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda Prabhu.

TRANSLATION

The three brothers Govinda, Mādhava and Vāsudeva were the eighty-second, eighty-third and eighty-fourth branches of the tree. Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda used to dance in their kīrtana performances.

PURPORT

The three brothers Govinda, Mādhava and Vāsudeva Ghoṣa all belonged to a kāyastha family. Govinda established the Gopīnātha temple in Agradvīpa, where he resided. Mādhava Ghoṣa was expert in performing kīrtana. No one within this world could compete with him. He was known as the singer of Vṛndāvana and was very dear to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. It is said that when the three brothers performed sańkīrtana, immediately Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda would dance in ecstasy. According to the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (188), the three brothers were formerly Kalāvatī, Rasollāsā and Guṇatuńgā, who recited the songs composed by Śrī Viśākhā-gopī. The three brothers were among one of the seven parties that performed kīrtana when Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu attended the Ratha-yātrā festival at Jagannātha Purī. Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was the chief dancer in their party. This is vividly described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Thirteen, verses 42 and 43.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness