The first and perhaps most important of these twelve may be listed as Ramadasa Abhirama of Khanakul-Krsnanagar in Hooghly. He possessed colossal strength, was able to lift a huge tree and use it as a flute, and was also one of Mahaprabhus closest associates: he was given over to Nitai as an assistant and guardian. It is said that Ramadasa carried a whip that was known as Jaya Mangala, and that if he was kindly disposed toward someone he would gently slap them with it three times - whereupon they would immediately develop pure love for Krsna. It is claimed that Ramadasa Abhirama is Sridama in Krsna lila.  

The second of the twelve gopalas was Sundarananda Thakura, a brahmana ascetic, who was Sudama in Krsna lila; next in line was Dhanajaya, who was Vasudama; Gauridasa Pandita was Subala; Kamalakara Pipalai was Mahabala; Uddharana Datta was Subahu; Mahesa Pandita was Mahabahu; Purusottama was Stokakrsna; Paramesvara Dasa was Arjuna; Purusottama Nagara was Dama; Kala Krsnadasa was Labanga; and Sridhara was Madhu-mangala or, according to some, Kusumasava. With the help of these saints, coupled with the aid of Gadadhara Dasa and several other Vaisnava luminaries, Nityananda Prabhu was successful in spreading Vaisnava dharma throughout the length and breadth of Bengal.  

A discussion of Nityananda Prabhu would hardly be complete without mentioning His marriage, later in life, to Jahnava Devi and her younger sister Vasudha.  When Nitai returned to Bengal at Mahaprabhu's request, He decided to abandon His avadhuta status and take to the grhastha asrama. A statesman named Suryadasa Sarakhel, the brother of gopala Gauridasa Pandita, had two daughters who were great devotees; their names were Jahnava and Vasudha. As qualified girls who felt great affection for Nityananda Prabhu, they were chosen to marry Him, and He, in turn, loved them dearly. Of course, they were not ordinary devotees. According to Kavi Karnapura, the two girls were incarnations of Revati Devi and Varuni Devi respectively, who were the wives of Lord Balarama (although both girls are considered incarnations of Ananga Manjari as well). 

 After some time Vasudha gave birth to two children - a boy named Virabhadra (or Viracandra) and a girl named Ganga-devi. Kavi Karnapura says that Virabhadra was an incarnation of Ksirodakasayi Visnu (an expansion of Sankarsana) and that Gangadevi was the personified Ganga herself. Virabhadra, especially, became a great leader in the Vaisnava community and continued to spread the Gaudiya teachings in the mood of His distinguished father.  Soon after the birth of her two divine children, Vasudha passed away, and Jahnava vowed to raise them as her own. Jahnava also adopted a boy named Ramacandra (Ramai), whom she loved more than life itself. Ramacandra's biological father was known as Caitanya Dasa, and he was extremely devoted to Jahnava Thakurani. He and his wife were unable to have children until he prayed to Ma Jahnava. His prayers bore fruit, and his wife gave birth to two sons, Ramacandra and Sacinandana. In appreciation, Caitanya Dasa gave his first-born (Ramacandra) to Jahnava to tend to her needs. This story is retold in the Nityananda-vamsavali, which quotes, as its source, the Murali-vilasa. For most of Jahnava's youth, then, she was engaged in caring for her three children. 

 As the years went by, Jahnava Ma developed a reputation as a superlative Vaisnavi, embodying the ideals of devotion in the Gaudiya sampradaya. She initiated her son Virabhadra as well as many other male and female members of the Vaisnava community. Major figures in Mahaprabhu's lineage took shelter at her lotus feet, and personalities like Narottama Dasa Thakura, Srinivasa Acarya, and Syamananda Prabhu accepted her as the most prominent Vaisnava in Bengal. In fact, she attended their festival in Kheturi and was given a place of honor as the most advanced personality there.  On the first day of the Kheturi festival, the devotees requested Jahnava Ma to take charge of all festivities. This she did, making sure that kirtana was going on with full enthusiasm, that the deities were being worshiped with elaborate splendor, and that devotional games commemorating Krsna's pastimes were being enjoyed by the mass of participants - and there were thousands.

On the second day, with the help of the Vaisnavas, she personally cooked for the thousands of devotees in attendance, trying to serve as many as she could with her own two hands. In this way, she endeared herself to the Vaisnavas, who were sad to see her leave the festival for her pilgrimage to Vrndavana.  Although Jahnava Ma journeyed to Vraja after the Kheturi festival, and this is doubtless the most famous of her extended trips, she did go to Vraja one or two times before. Her first trip was ostensibly as a student, and she spent many hours hearing the newly written works of the Gosvamis. It is said that Rupa Gosvami himself explained the literature to her at this time. Gradually, she developed a methodical plan to create solidarity between the Vaisnavas of Bengal and those of Vraja, and she accomplished this quite effectively during her few visits to the land of Krsna's pastimes. When she went there just prior to the Kheturi festival she conferred with Jiva Gosvami, and their combined plan manifested as the sankirtana party that brought Narottama, Srinivasa, and Syamananda to Bengal with the books of the Vrndavana Gosvamis.  

Jahnava Ma converted Muslims to Mahaprabhu's Vaisnavism and endeared herself to the Gaudiya devotees throughout India. The Six Gosvamis treated her with the utmost respect, and Dasa Gosvami, in particular, was grateful for her association. He spent a good deal of time showing her the area of Radha-kunda, and the two of them took every opportunity to dance in ecstasy.  When Jahnava Thakurani saw Rama Ghat, the area along the banks of the Yamuna where Balarama enjoyed a rasa dance of His own, her spiritual rapture knew no bounds.  She had mystic visions throughout her life and received divine dictation from Nityananda Prabhu long after He left this world. Once, in a vision, she saw the Gopinatha Deity and His little Radha companion, who told her to replace the Radha Deity with one that was larger. This mission she took back with her to Bengal and finally sent the larger Deity by boat to the enthusiastic devotees waiting in Vraja. Her relationship with Gopinatha, a Deity established by her disciple, Madhu Pandita, embodies the essence of Vaisnava esoterica and cannot be described here. 

 At the time of Jahnava's departure from the mortal world, her beautiful manifestation as Ananga Manjari, standing in a dancing pose at Krsna's right side, was emphasized by Nityananda Prabhu's most intimate followers. This "Ananga-Kanai-Rai," the worshipable devotion of Radha's younger sister along with Radha and Krsna together, remains the focus of devotees coming in the line of Jahnava Devi.  The Vamsisiksa says that Jahnava Ma left this world by merging into the form of Gopinatha in Vrndavana (although it is also said that she disappeared in Kamyavana, where the Deity, perhaps, was moved during the iconoclastic period of Muslim rule). Whatever the case, the example of her life supersedes that of her death, for in living she opened Vaisnavism up to women in a way that broke all boundaries, allowing them equal footing with men in terms of service, devotion, accomplishment and the ability to rise to the highest level of perfection.  

In conclusion, it would be prudent to mention that in Ekacakra-grama, not far from Nityananda Prabhu's birthplace, there is a Krsna Deity known as Bankima Raya - a Deity that was established by Nityananda Himself. On the right side of this Deity is a Deity of Jahnava Ma and on the left is one of Sri Radha. The priests of this temple say that Nityananda Prabhu merged into the form of Bankima Raya when He was ready to leave the planet for his eternal lila in the spiritual sky. There are no other stories of Nitai's departure and so this one is generally accepted by the orthodox Vaisnava community. Be that as it may, His presence, as well as that of His personal sakti, Jahnava Thakurani, is always felt in the presence of one's own guru, for the guru is considered a living manifestation of Nityananda Prabhu's love, and His sakti is what gives a true disciple the ability to perform devotional service and to experience the bliss of devotional life. 

home