(From Śyāmānanda Prakāśa – Chapter 7)
The Sunset of a Divine Life
Years had passed since Śyāmānanda Gosvāmī first left Vṛndāvana on the instruction of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī. In that time, he had transformed the entire region of Utkala (Orissa) into a sanctuary of love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. With his golden tilaka, his kīrtana, and his unparalleled humility, Śyāmānanda had become a living embodiment of Vraja-bhakti.
His fame spread from village to kingdom, yet he remained the same:
- Ever gentle, ever smiling,
- Always serving his disciples,
- Never seeking honor, but always bestowing blessings.
But now, his heart began to long for his original home—Vṛndāvana.
Not the earthly Vṛndāvana alone, but the aprākṛta Vṛndāvana, the eternal realm where Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa eternally dance beneath moonlit kadamba trees.
The Inner Call
Śyāmānanda began to speak less, weep more, and sing only the names of Rādhā:
“Rādhe… Rādhe… Rādhe…”
In the solitude of his bhajana-kuṭīra, he would whisper:
“The Yamunā flows, yet I am far from Her. The peacocks dance, but I have not joined. O Lalitā, O Viśākhā, when will you call me home?”
His closest disciples, including Rasikānanda, noticed this shift.
One day Rasikānanda asked with concern:
“O Gurudeva, why do you sigh so deeply?”
Śyāmānanda smiled faintly:
“Because the flute is calling. And I must go where Rādhā’s anklets chime through the groves of eternal Vṛndāvana.”
A Final Pilgrimage
Śyāmānanda decided to go on a final yātrā, visiting his centers in Dharenda, Rohini, and Midnapore. Everywhere he went:
- He blessed devotees with personal instructions.
- He installed deities of Rādhā-Govinda and Rādhā-Mādhava.
- He embraced his disciples and whispered the mahāmantra into their ears again.
- He sang Gītā-Govinda, his voice trembling in bhāva.
At each stop, the devotees wept, sensing something unspeakable.
Rasikānanda clung to his feet:
“Please do not leave us. You are our sun, our shelter, our guide.”
Śyāmānanda replied with divine calm:
“Do not cry. I am not going. I am simply returning. I am not leaving you—I am entering your hearts forever.”
The Night of Departure
On a quiet āṣāḍha-pūrṇimā night, the sky was cloudless, the stars unusually bright. Śyāmānanda was in Midnapore, seated in deep meditation, his face aglow.
He had taken only tulasī water that day, and had spoken little.
As the midnight hour approached, a divine fragrance—like a mixture of lotus, sandalwood, and kadamba—began to fill the air. Disciples reported seeing an unusual radiance from his room.
Rasikānanda and others rushed in, only to find—
Śyāmānanda Gosvāmī was gone.
His body was no longer there. No sign of decay. No remains.
Only the scent of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s grove lingered.
The Disappearance Mystery
To this day, Vaiṣṇavas debate:
- Did he disappear bodily into the eternal līlā, like Dhruva and Prahlāda?
- Was he taken directly by Śrīmatī Rādhikā, in the form of a transcendental chariot of light?
- Or did he enter samādhi so deep that his body transformed into pure spiritual substance?
What is certain is that no one found his body.
Only a footprint in the dust, marked with Rādhā’s tilaka, remained.
Devotees built a samādhi-mandira on that sacred spot—not over a body, but over a mystery woven of prema and divine disappearance.
Śyāmānanda Lives On
Though he had disappeared from mortal eyes, Śyāmānanda’s presence only intensified:
- His tilaka system was adopted by generations of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas.
- His disciples, especially Rasikānanda, carried his mood to thousands across Bengal and Orissa.
- His deities, installed with his own hands, continue to be worshiped daily with love.
- His footprint-tilaka remains a symbol of eternal servanthood to Śrī Rādhikā.
Wherever someone sings “Rādhe! Govinda!” with tears, there Śyāmānanda is dancing invisibly.
Reflections and Lessons
- The departure of a pure devotee is not death—it is union: Śyāmānanda returned not to dust, but to divine service in the eternal world.
- Spiritual masters never die—they multiply: Through his teachings, tilaka, and disciples, Śyāmānanda became immortalized in the movement of prema-bhakti.
- The highest preaching is living what you teach: Śyāmānanda’s final act was not a lecture, but a silent return into the spiritual sky, leaving behind the fragrance of realization.
- Those marked by Rādhā belong to Her forever: The mystery of his golden tilaka was fulfilled in the mystery of his final disappearance.
