Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c7.s4.65

c7.s4.65

Exactly how and when the Gosvāmin Gopāla Bhaṭṭa was admitted into discipleship is, thus, uncertain. There is no record that he ever came to Caitanya at Purī. He must have survived Caitanya; for he was already at Vṛndāvana when Kṛṣṇadāsa arrived. We are also told that when Śrīnivāsa Ācārya came to Vṛndāvana, he found Rūpa and Sanātana dead, but Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and Jīva Gosvāmin were still living. Śrīnivāsa is said to have become a disciple of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, studied the Vaiṣṇava Śāstra with him and Jīva, and received the title of Ācārya from the latter.¹