Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c7.s4.9

c7.s4.9

By 'elsewhere,' therefore, Narahari may be referring to some such works of later date as the Prema-vilāsa² of Nityānanda-dāsa, where a similar but much briefer account is found; while the Anurāga-vallī³ of Manohara-dāsa records in some detail a somewhat similar tradition. According to Nityānanda-dāsa, Caitanya spent four months in the house of Trimalla Bhaṭṭa at Śrīraṅgam and directed Trimalla's younger brother Prabodhānanda to educate the young Gopāla (apparently Trimalla's son, for Veṅkaṭa is not mentioned), who would in time become a very learned man, and commanded Gopāla Bhaṭṭa to go to Vṛndāvana after his parents³ death. Manohara-dāsa accepts this story, believes that Gopāla was Trimalla's son, and states that Veṅkaṭa was the eldest and Prabodhānanda, who was Gopāla Bhaṭṭa's teacher, the youngest of the three brothers. In his account Gopāla was apparently a grown-up and learned young man at the time of Caitanya's visit; Caitanya commanded him to stay at home and tend his father and uncles but directed him to join Sanātana and Rūpa later at Vṛndāvana. Monohara adds that sometime after Caitanya's visit, the three brothers, with their wives, set out on a pilgrimage and came to Caitanya at Purī, where after religious intercourse, they were bidden to return home.