Raghunatha Dasa Goswami (1494–1571) was the only son of a wealthy landowner. He spent his early life in the village of Sri Krishnapur, in Bengal, India. At the age of fifteen, however, he met Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and soon left his beautiful young wife and opulent home to became one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan, Lord Chaitanya’s direct followers.
For sixteen years, he was the personal assistant of Lord Chaitanya’s secretary, Swarupa Damodara. Along with Swarupa Damodara, he witnessed Lord Chaitanya’s last days on earth. After the Lord’s disappearance he went to Vrindavan, where he lived austerely, absorbed in devotion, in the company of Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Sanatana Goswami. Raghunatha Dasa led a most austere life of pure devotion, and is considered the very emblem of renunciation. He wrote the three books Stavavali, Muktacharita, and Dana-charita. His samadhi (shrine) stands on the bank of Radha-kunda in Vrindavan.
(See Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 10.91-103 and Antya-lila, chapter 6.)
More:
- Video: The millionaire who gave it all away – the life of Raghunatha dasa Goswami
– Chaturatma dasa narrates stories from the life of Raghunatha dasa Goswami - Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 10.91;
– Srila Prabhupada gives a synopsis of Raghunatha dasa Goswami’s life and association with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.