Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c7.s5.7

c7.s5.7

The eldest Sanātana appears to have learnt Sanskrit from (Ratnākara?) Vidyāvācaspati,² a scholar of Navadvīpa, who is said to have been a younger brother of Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma and whom Sanātana reverentially mentions as his Guru in the opening verses of his *Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī*.¹ He became a high official (a Mahāmantrin, we are told) at the Muhammadan court at Gauḍa, acquired considerable wealth and power, and settled with his brothers at the village of Rāmakeli, near Gauḍa, where he met Caitanya for the first time. Rūpa also appears to have held some official position at the same court. Although Sanātana and Rūpa were widely known by their Muhammadan name or title of Sāker Malik and Dabir Khās respectively, before Caitanya gave them new names, there is no evidence to show that they actually adopted the Muhammadan faith. On the contrary, the *Bhakti-ratnākara* tells us that they invited a colony of Karṇāṭa Brahmans to settle near Rāmakeli and apparently kept up their inherited social and religious practices, only considering themselves impure because of their contact with the Mlecchas. They kept themselves in touch with the Vaiṣṇavas of Navadvipa, and had from the beginning an obviously Vaiṣṇava disposition. Rūpa's *Dāna-keli-kaumudī*, apparently composed in 1495 A.D. before he met Caitanya, as well as his two early *Dūta-kāvyas*, bears testimony not only to their retention of ancestral faith but also to their early interest in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. At any rate, their anomalous position, as well as their innate Vaiṣṇava proclivities, must have made them spiritually dissatisfied, and they welcomed Caitanya's presence at Rāmakeli as a means of escape and salvation. After some time Rūpa¹ left home with his younger brother Anupama (alias Vallabha) and joined Caitanya at Allahabad on the latter's way back from Vṛndāvana. After ten days' stay Rūpa wanted to accompany Caitanya to Benares, but he was directed to go to Vṛndāvana. Sanātana came to Caitanya at Benares, and requested Caitanya's permission to accompany him to Puri; but he was also directed to go to Vṛndāvana first and then come to him at Puri. Having visited Vṛndāvana, Rūpa left for Puri with his brother Anupama, who, however, died on the way in Bengal on the banks of the Ganges. Rūpa stayed for about ten months at Puri and returned to Vṛndāvana. Caitanya is represented as giving him at Allahabad, as well as his brother Sanātana at Benares, detailed instructions regarding the composition of various Śāstric works for the sect. Soon after Rūpa left, Sanātana also visited Caitanya at Puri. After these short visits, Sanātana and Rūpa settled at Vṛndāvana till their death, carrying on with selfless devotion the laborious work which was entrusted to them by Caitanya himself and for which they were eminently fitted by their great learning² and piety. Jiva tells us that such was their sincerity of devotion that Kṛṣṇa revealed himself to them on one occasion as a young Gopa boy bringing milk to them.³