Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to perform dramas with Advaita Prabhu, Srivasa Thakura and other devotees in the house of Candrasekhara. The place where Candrasekhara's house was situated is now known as Vrajapattana. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura established a branch of his Sri Caitanya Matha at this place. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided to accept the renounced order of life, Candrasekhara Acarya was informed of this by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and therefore he was also present when Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa from Kesava Bharati in Katwa. It is he who first spread the word in Navadvipa of Lord Caitanya's accepting sannyasa. Sri Candrasekhara Acarya was present during many important incidents in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He therefore forms the second branch of the tree of Lord Caitanya.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu called Pundarika Vidyanidhi "father," and He gave him the title Premanidhi. Pundarika Vidyanidhi later became the spiritual master of Gadadhara Pandita and an intimate friend of Svarupa Damodara's. Gadadhara Pandita at first misunderstood Pundarika Vidyanidhi to be an ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, but later, upon being corrected by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he became his disciple. Another incident in the life of Pundarika Vidyanidhi involves his criticizing the priest of the Jagannatha temple, for which Jagannatha Prabhu chastised him personally by slapping his cheeks. This is described in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Seven. Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura informs us that there are still two living descendants of the family of Pundarika Vidyanidhi, who are named Sri Harakumara Smrtitirtha and Sri Krsnakinkara Vidyalankara. For further information one should refer to the dictionary known as Vaisnava-manjusa.

dhanistha bhaksya-samagrim
krsnayadad vraje 'mitam
saiva sampratam gauranga-
priyo raghava-panditah

vraje sthitau gayakau yau
madhukantha-madhuvratau
mukunda-vasudevau tau
dattau gauranga-gayakau

Sometimes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu chastised Mukunda Datta by calling him khadajathiya beta because he attended many functions held by different classes of nondevotees. This is stated in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-lila, Chapter Ten. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu dressed Himself as the goddess of fortune to dance in the house of Candrasekhara, Mukunda Datta began the first song.

Before disclosing His desire to take the renounced order of life, Lord Caitanya first went to the house of Mukunda Datta, but at that time Mukunda Datta requested Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to continue His sankirtana movement for a few days more before taking sannyasa. This is stated in Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-lila Chapter Twenty-six. The information of Lord Caitanya's accepting the renounced order was made known to Gadadhara Pandita, Candrasekhara Acarya and Mukunda Datta by Nityananda Prabhu, and therefore all of them went to Katwa and arranged for kirtana and all the paraphernalia for Lord Caitanya's acceptance of sannyasa. After the Lord took sannyasa, they all followed Him, especially Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara Prabhu and Govinda, who followed Him all the way to Purusottama-ksetra. In this connection one may refer to Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Two. In the place known as Jalesvara, Nityananda Prabhu broke the sannyasa rod of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Mukunda Datta was also present at that time. He went every year from Bengal to see Lord Caitanya at Jagannatha Puri.

There is a railway station named Purvasthali near the Navadvipa railway station, and about one mile away, in a village known as Mamagachi, which is the birthplace of Vrndavana dasa Thakura, there is presently a temple of Madana-gopala that was established by Vasudeva Datta. The Gaudiya Matha devotees have now taken charge of this temple, and the seva-puja is going on very nicely. Every year all the pilgrims on the navadvipa-parikrama visit Mamagachi. Since Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura inaugurated the navadvipa-parikrama function, the temple has been very well managed.

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the house of Srivasa Thakura in His Caturbhuja murti, Murari Gupta became His carrier in the form of Garuda, and in these pastimes of ecstasy the Lord then got up on his back. It was the desire of Murari Gupta to leave his body before the disappearance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but the Lord forbade him to do so. This is described in Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-lila, Chapter Twenty. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu one day appeared in ecstasy as the Varaha murti, Murari Gupta offered Him prayers. He was a great devotee of Lord Ramacandra, and his staunch devotion is vividly described in the Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Fifteenth Chapter, verses 137 through 157.

In 1434 sakabda (A.D. 1513), when Lord Nityananda Prabhu was empowered by Lord Caitanya to preach the sankirtana movement in Bengal, Sri Gadadhara dasa was one of Lord Nityananda's chief assistants. He preached the sankirtana movement by requesting everyone to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. This simple preaching method of Srila Gadadhara dasa can be followed by anyone and everyone in any position of society. One must simply be a sincere and serious servant of Nityananda Prabhu and preach this cult door to door.

When Srila Gadadhara dasa Prabhu was preaching the cult of hari-kirtana, there was a magistrate who was very much against his sankirtana movement. Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Gadadhara dasa one night went to the house of the Kazi and requested him to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. The Kazi replied, "All right, I shall chant Hare Krsna tomorrow." On hearing this, Srila Gadadhara dasa Prabhu began to dance, and he said, "Why tomorrow? You have already chanted the Hare Krsna mantra, so simply continue." In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (verses 154-55) it is said:

radha-vibhuti-rupa ya
candrakantih pura vraje
sa sri-gauranga-nikate
dasa-vamsyo gadadharah

purnananda vraje yasid
baladeva-priyagrani
sapi karya-vasad eva
pravisat tam gadadharam

Once while Srila Gadadhara dasa Prabhu was returning to Bengal from Jagannatha Puri with Nityananda Prabhu, he forgot himself and began talking very loudly as if he were a girl of Vrajabhumi selling yogurt, and Srila Nityananda Prabhu noted this. Another time, while absorbed in the ecstasy of the gopis, he carried a jug filled with Ganges water on his head as if he were selling milk. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the house of Raghava Pandita while going to Vrndavana, Gadadhara dasa went to see Him, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so glad that He put His foot on his head. When Gadadhara dasa Prabhu was present in Endiyadaha he established a Bala Gopala murti for worship there. Sri Madhava Ghosa performed a drama known as "Dana-khanda" with the help of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Gadadhara dasa. This is explained in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila 5.318-94.

The tomb of Gadadhara dasa Prabhu, which is in the village of Endiyadaha, was under the control of the Samyogi Vaisnavas and later under the direction of Siddha Bhagavan dasa Babaji of Kalna. By his order, Sri Madhusudana Mullik, one of the members of the aristocratic Mullik family of the Narikeladanga in Calcutta, established a patavati (monastery) there in the Bengali year 1256 (A.D. 1849). He also arranged for the worship of a Deity named Sri Radhakanta. His son Balaicanda Mullik established Gaura-Nitai Deities there in the Bengali year 1312 (A.D. 1905). Thus on the throne of the temple are both Gaura-Nityananda Deities and Radha-Krsna Deities. Below the throne is a tablet with an inscription written in Sanskrit. In that temple there is also a small Deity of Lord Siva as Gopesvara. This is all described on a stone by the side of the entrance door.

Pradyumna Brahmacari was formerly a resident of a village known as Piyariganja in Kalna. There is a description of him in the Antya-lila of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Second Chapter, and in the Antya-lila of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, chapters Three and Nine.

Sri Sivananda Sena actually experienced Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's features of saksat, avesa and avirbhava. He once picked up a dog while on his way to Jagannatha Puri, and it is described in the Antya-lila, First Chapter, that this dog later attained salvation by his association. When Srila Raghunatha dasa, who later became Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, fled his paternal home to join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, his father wrote a letter to Sivananda Sena to get information about him. Sivananda Sena supplied him the details for which he asked, and later Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's father sent some servants and money to Sivananda Sena to take care of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Once Sri Sivananda Sena invited Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to his home and fed Him so sumptuously that the Lord felt indigestion and was somewhat sick. This became known to Sivananda Sena's son, who gave the Lord the kinds of food that would help His digestion, and thus Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased. This is described in the Antya-lila, Tenth Chapter, verses 142 through 151.

Once while going to Jagannatha Puri all the devotees had to stay underneath a tree, without the shelter of a house or even a shed, and Nityananda Prabhu became very angry, as if He were greatly disturbed by hunger. Thus He cursed Sivananda's sons to die. Sivananda's wife was very much aggrieved at this, and she began to cry. She very seriously thought that since her sons had been cursed by Nityananda Prabhu, certainly they would die. When Sivananda later returned and saw his wife crying, he said, "Why are you crying? Let us all die if Sri Nityananda Prabhu desires." When Sivananda Sena returned and Srila Nityananda Prabhu saw him, the Lord kicked him severely, complaining that He was very hungry, and asked why he did not arrange for His food. Such is the behavior of the Lord with His devotees. Srila Nityananda Prabhu behaved like an ordinary hungry man, as if completely dependent on the arrangements of Sivananda Sena.

There was a nephew of Sivananda Sena's named Srikanta who left the company in protest of Nityananda Prabhu's curse and went directly to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri, where the Lord pacified him. On that occasion, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu allowed His toe to be sucked by Puri dasa, who was then a child. It is by the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu that he could immediately compose Sanskrit verses. During the misunderstanding with Sivananda's family, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered His personal attendant Govinda to give them all the remnants of His food. This is described in the Antya-lila, Chapter Twelve, verse 53.

khola-vecataya khyatah
panditah sridharo dvijah
asid vraje hasya-karo
yo namna kusumasavah

Narahari dasa Sarakara was a very famous devotee. Locana dasa Thakura, the celebrated author of Sri Caitanya-mangala, was his disciple. In the Caitanya-mangala it is stated that Sri Gadadhara dasa and Narahari Sarakara were extremely dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but there is no specific statement regarding the inhabitants of the village of Srikhanda.

Ciranjiva and Sulocana were both residents of Srikhanda, where their descendants are still living. Of Ciranjiva's two sons, the elder, Ramacandra Kaviraja, was a disciple of Srinivasacarya and an intimate associate of Narottama dasa Thakura. The younger son was Govinda dasa Kaviraja, the famous Vaisnava poet. Ciranjiva's wife was Sunanda, and his father-in-law was Damodara Sena Kaviraja. Ciranjiva previously lived on the bank of the Ganges River in the village of Kumaranagara. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 207, states that he was formerly Candrika in Vrndavana.

Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami belonged to the Bharadvaja-gotra, which indicates that they belonged either to the family or disciplic succession of Bharadvaja Muni. As members of the Krsna consciousness movement we belong to the family, or disciplic succession, of Sarasvati Gosvami, and thus we are known as Sarasvatas. Obeisances are therefore offered to the spiritual master as sarasvata-deva, or a member of the Sarasvata family (namas te sarasvate deve), whose mission is to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (gaura-vani-pracarine) and to fight with impersonalists and voidists (nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine). This was also the occupational duty of Sanatana Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami and Anupama Gosvami.

The genealogical table of Sanatana Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami and Vallabha Gosvami can be traced back to the twelfth century sakabda, when a gentleman of the name Sarvajna appeared in a very rich and opulent brahmana family in the province of Karnata. He had two sons, named Aniruddhera Rupesvara and Harihara, who were both bereft of their kingdoms and thus obliged to reside in the highlands. The son of Rupesvara, who was named Padmanabha, moved to a place in Bengal known as Naihati on the bank of the Ganges. There he had five sons, of whom the youngest, Mukunda, had a well-behaved son named Kumaradeva, who was the father of Rupa, Sanatana and Vallabha. Kumaradeva lived in Baklacandradvipa, which was in the district of Jessore and is now known as Phateyabad. Of his many sons, three took to the path of Vaisnavism. Later, Sri Vallabha and his elder brothers Sri Rupa and Sanatana came from Candradvipa to the village in the Maldah district of Bengal known as Ramakeli. It is in this village that Srila Jiva Gosvami took birth, accepting Vallabha as his father. Because of engaging in the service of the Muslim government, the three brothers received the title Mullik. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the village of Ramakeli, He met Vallabha there. Later, Sri Rupa Gosvami, after meeting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, resigned from government service, and when he went to Vrndavana to meet Lord Caitanya, Vallabha accompanied him. The meeting of Rupa Gosvami and Vallabha with Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Allahabad is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Nineteen.

Actually, it is to be understood from the statement of Sanatana Gosvami that Sri Rupa Gosvami and Vallabha went to Vrndavana under the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. First they went to Mathura, where they met a gentleman named Subuddhi Raya, who maintained himself by selling dry fuel wood. He was very pleased to meet Sri Rupa Gosvami and Anupama, and he showed them the twelve forests of Vrndavana. Thus they lived in Vrndavana for one month and then again went to search for Sanatana Gosvami. Following the course of the Ganges, they reached Allahabad, or Prayaga-tirtha, but because Sanatana Gosvami had come there by a different road, they did not meet him there, and when Sanatana Gosvami came to Mathura he was informed of the visit of Rupa Gosvami and Anupama by Subuddhi Raya. When Rupa Gosvami and Anupama met Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Benares, they heard about Sanatana Gosvami's travels from Him, and thus they returned to Bengal, adjusted their affairs with the state and, on the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, went to see the Lord at Jagannatha Puri.

In the year 1436 sakabda (A.D. 1515), the youngest brother, Anupama, died and went back home, back to Godhead. He went to the abode in the spiritual sky where Sri Ramacandra is situated. At Jagannatha Puri, Sri Rupa Gosvami informed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu of this incident. Vallabha was a great devotee of Sri Ramacandra; therefore he could not seriously consider the worship of Radha-Govinda according to the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Yet he directly accepted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Ramacandra. In the Bhakti-ratnakara there is the following statement: "Vallabha was given the name Anupama by Sri Gaurasundara, but he was always absorbed in the devotional service of Lord Ramacandra. He did not know anyone but Sri Ramacandra, but he knew that Caitanya Gosani was the same Lord Ramacandra."

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (180) Sri Rupa Gosvami is described to be the gopi named Sri Rupa-manjari. In the Bhakti-ratnakara there is a list of the books Sri Rupa Gosvami compiled. Of all his books, the following sixteen are very popular among Vaisnavas: (1) Hamsaduta, (2) Uddhava-sandesa, (3) Krsna-janma-tithi-vidhi, (4 and 5) Radha-krsna-ganoddesa-dipika, Brhat (major) and Laghu (minor), (6) Stavamala, (7) Vidagdha-madhava, (8) Lalita-madhava, (9) Dana-keli-kaumudi, (10) Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (this is the most celebrated book by Sri Rupa Gosvami), (11) Ujjvala-nilamani, (12) Akhyata-candrika, (13) Mathura-mahima, (14) Padyavali, (15) Nataka-candrika and (16) Laghu-bhagavatamrta. Sri Rupa Gosvami gave up all family connections, joined the renounced order of life and divided his money, giving fifty percent to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas and twenty-five percent to his kutumba (family members) and keeping twenty-five percent for personal emergencies. He met Haridasa Thakura in Jagannatha Puri, where he also met Lord Caitanya and His other associates. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to praise the handwriting of Rupa Gosvami. Srila Rupa Gosvami could compose verses according to the desires of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and by His direction he wrote two books named Lalita-madhava and Vidagdha-madhava. Lord Caitanya desired the two brothers, Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, to publish many books in support of the Vaisnava religion. When Sanatana Gosvami met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord advised him also to go to Vrndavana.

Sri Sanatana Gosvami is described in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (181). He was formerly known as Rati-manjari or sometimes Lavanga-manjari. In the Bhakti-ratnakara it is stated that his spiritual master, Vidyavacaspati, sometimes stayed in the village of Ramakeli, and Sanatana Gosvami studied all the Vedic literature fr