18 Facts About Jiva Goswami

Jiva Goswami is known as one of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan and was the nephew of the two leading figures, Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami.

Jiva Goswami had impeccable character and was genuinely absorbed in love of Lord Jagannatha.

Jiva Goswami left Sikharabhumi and settled on the bank of the Ganges in the village Navahatta, where he had eighteen daughters and five sons.

Jiva Goswami built a house in the village Fateyabad in Jessore for the convenience of communications with devotees and traveling Vaishnavas.

Vallabha's son, Jiva Goswami, was very talented, completing his studies in vyakarana and other subjects within a very short time, grasping vast spiritual knowledge with a sincere and devotional endeavor.

Jiva Goswami was born in Ramakeli in the district of Maldah, West Bengal as the son of Srivallabha Mallika, the younger brother of Rupa and Sanatana; his mother's name is unknown.

Jiva Goswami had a strong affinity to the worship of Krishna even from his childhood and excelled in his education completing his studies in Sanskrit Vyakarana and Kavya within a very short period.

When Jiva Goswami was three or four years old, his uncles resigned from their ministerial posts at the court of Alauddin Hussein Shah after their initial meeting with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and they decided to join his ranks as mendicants.

Jiva Goswami travelled to Navadvipa in West Bengal and met with Nityananda Rama, one of the foremost associate of Chaitanya mahaprabhu.

Jiva Goswami went on to Benares where he studied for some time under the tutelage of Madhusudana Vachaspati, the disciple of the famous logician and Vedantist, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya.

Under Vachaspati, Jiva Goswami mastered the six systems of Indian philosophy known as Sad Darsana.

In 1535 Jiva Goswami arrived in Vrindavana where he remained under the tutelage of his uncles, Rupa and Sanatana.

Jiva Goswami accepted initiation from Rupa Goswami and was taught the esoteric principles of devotion to Krishna.

Jiva Goswami helped to edit the writings of Rupa and Sanatana and assisted them in their work in propagating Gaudiya Vaishnavism and excavating the lost holy places of Vrindavana.

In 1542 Jiva established one of the prominent and important temples in the Vrindavana area, the Radha Damodara mandir, installing deities of Radha and Krishna that had been personally carved by Rupa Goswami.

In 1558, Jiva Goswami instructed his students, Narottama Dasa, Srinivasa Acarya and Shyamananda, to go to Bengal and propagate the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy and to take with them the original manuscripts that had been written by Rupa and Sanatana.

Jiva Goswami's samadhi is located in the precincts of the Radha-Damodara temple in Vrindavana.

Jiva Goswami expanded it into six books, wherein he systematically presents the philosophy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with scriptural evidences.