Overview
Śrī Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī Prabhu was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī Vol.2. issue 7 in 1885. This is a brief biography written by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura about Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī.
(translated by Swami B.V. Giri)
The seventh issue of Sajjana Toṣaṇī has appeared to the eyes of the readers. The name of this issue is the ‘Śrī Śrī Gopāla-Sanātana issue’. This year Thursday, the 1st of Śrāvaṇa is the disappearance observance of Śrī Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī Prabhu, and Sunday, 11th of Śrāvaṇa is Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī Prabhu’s disappearance observance. On these two days Vaiṣṇavas observe a viraha-mahotsava (observance of separation).
Gopāla Bhaṭṭa was born in the Southern province. His father’s name was Venkaṭa Bhaṭṭa. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa had been following Vaiṣnava dharma since his childhood. He studied the Vedas, Vedānta etc. with his paternal uncle, parivrajkācārya Śrī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. At the time when Śrī Śrīmad Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to distribute mercy to the people of the South, He met Gopāla Bhaṭṭa. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa took darśana of Mahāprabhu and accepted the shelter of His lotus feet. The all-merciful Mahāprabhu showed special mercy to Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and transferred His potency to him. By the quality of that potency, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa left home and went to Śrī Vṛndavāna and stayed with Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmī. In Vṛndāvana he recovered some of the lost holy places, and wrote many books on bhakti-smṛti (the rules and regulations of bhakti). Also, at the behest of Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmī, he revealed the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Ramaṇa in Śrī Vṛndavāna. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa’s biography is not unknown to the Vaiṣṇava community. Therefore, at this point, we will end the biography of Bhaṭṭa.
(‘Śrī Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī Prabhu’ by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī Vol.2. issue 7 in 1885, and translated into English by Swami B.V. Giri)
More Articles by Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Prayāsa (Over endeavouring)
This article "Prayāsa (Over-endeavouring)" is the second of a series of articles published in the 10th Volume of Sajjana Toṣaṇī which deals with the six things that are favourable to bhakti and the six things that are unfavourable according to the second and third verses of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta. This second article deals with Prayāsa – Over-endeavouring and how it can become a serious obstacle to the free flow of bhakti.
Utsāha (Enthusiasm)
This article Utsāha (enthusiasm) is the seventh in a series of articles published in the 10th Volume of Sajjana Toṣaṇī which deals with the six things that are favourable to bhakti and the six things that are unfavourable according to the second and third verses of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta. This seventh article deals with Utsāha – enthusiasm – Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains that without genuine enthusiasm (utsāha) one becomes negligent in bhakti.
Who is a Māyāvādī? (Māyāvādī Kāhāke Bali?)
In Māyāvādī Kāhāke Bali? (Who is a Māyāvādī?), published in Sajjana Toṣaṇi, Vol.5, Issue 12 in 1894, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākura explains in detail why māyāvādīs are considered to be offenders to Kṛṣṇa, and why their so-called displays of devotion are useless.
On 18th August 2012, on the occasion of his Vyāsa Pūjā, Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja announced to the devotees that he had a strong desire to create a website called “Bhaktivinoda Institute” in honour of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and his teachings in order to preserve and propagate them. 
