Hari Gopinath Das

There are basically three types of samadhis in Vrindavana. They are: full body, pushpa samadhi, and smriti (memory).A full body samadhi contains the full body of a realized Vaishnava buried in the earth. A pushpa samadhi is made by taking flowers worn by a departed Vaishnava before his body is put into samadhi. These flowers are then buried in a holy place. During the sixteenth century many Vaishnavas were burned and their ashes were put into the ground to avoid desecration by the Muslims. Samadhis made from the ashes of a Vaishnava also fall in this category. A smriti (memory) samadhi preserves the memory of a departed Vaishnava by memorializing some of his personal items. These usually include an asana (sitting place), japa beads, clothes, sastras (scriptures), shoes, a walking stick, etc. Things used by an elevated Vaishnava are accepted as pure and worshipable.In Vrindavana there is a danta (tooth) samadhi of Sri Gadadhara Pandit. Another type of samadhi is a nama samadhi. Nama means “name”. This type of samadhi is established to remember and worship an exalted Vaishnava. A nama samadhi consists of carving a Vaishnava’s name on a block of marble or granite and then putting that stone in a sacred place. There are 64 nama samadhis near the Govindaji temple.Normally a samadhis is placed near a temple or where a devotee did his bhajana. It is said that Jiva Gosvami did bhajana in the exact same place as where his samadhi is located. Lokanatha Gosvami, Bhugarbha Gosvami and Prabodhananda Gosvami all did bhajana at the places where their samadhis are located.

Prominent Gaudiya Vaishnava Acaryas:

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534):Samadhi Location: While there’s no single, confirmed samadhi for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, various accounts exist about his disappearance. He spent his later years in Puri, Odisha. Some traditions believe he merged into the Jagannath deity at the Jagannath Temple, or disappeared at Tota Gopinath Temple in Puri. There is no physical samadhi in the traditional sense.

Nityananda Prabhu (b. 1474 CE):Samadhi Location: It is believed that Nityananda Prabhu entered the deity of Bankima Raya at the Bankima Raya Mandir in Ekachakra, Birbhum District, West Bengal, at the time of his disappearance. Therefore, the Bankima Raya Mandir serves as his disappearance place and a significant pilgrimage site.

Advaita Acharya (1434–1559):Samadhi Location: Advaita Acharya spent most of his adult life in Shantipur, Nadia, West Bengal. While specific samadhi details are not always explicitly stated in the same way as the Goswamis, his abode in Shantipur is a significant site. He also performed bhajana at Advaita Vat in Vrindavan.

Haridas Thakur:Samadhi Location: His samadhi is located on the oceanfront in the Swargadwar area of Jagannath Puri, Odisha, near the ISKCON temple (Bhakti Kuti). Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself placed Haridas Thakur’s body into samadhi there.

The Six Goswamis of Vrindavan:These are pivotal figures who systematized Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy and established the prominent temples of Vrindavan. Their samadhis are all in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh:

Rupa Goswami:Samadhi Location: Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan.

Sanatana Goswami:Samadhi Location: Radha Madanmohan Temple, Vrindavan.

Jiva Goswami (c. 1513 – c. 1598):Samadhi Location: Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan.

Gopala Bhatta Goswami:Samadhi Location: Radha Raman Temple, Vrindavan.

Raghunatha Dasa Goswami:Samadhi Location: Radha Kunda, Vrindavan.

Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami:Samadhi Location: Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan (though sometimes considered to have no prominent samadhi).

Later Acaryas and Saints:

Narottam Das Thakur:Samadhi Location: His samadhi is located in the Radha-Gokulananda Mandir, Vrindavan.Srinivas Acharya:Samadhi Location: His samadhi is located near the Dhira Samira samadhis in Vrindavan.

Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami:Samadhi Location: Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan (shared samadhi with Jiva Goswami).This list covers some of the most influential and well-known personalities in Gaudiya Vaishnava history.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur (1838-1914):Samadhi Location: While a precise samadhi location isn’t always widely publicized in the same way, he is revered in the Gaudiya Math lineage. His son, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, established many Gaudiya Math centers.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (1873-1937):Samadhi Location: While specific details aren’t as widely known as some others, he established 64 branches of the Gaudiya Math, and his spiritual legacy is strong within the movement. His physical samadhi is located at the Chaitanya Gaudiya Math in Mayapur, West Bengal.

Srila Prabhupada’s main samadhi is located at the ISKCON Krishna-Balaram Temple in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India. There is also a memorial samadhi at the ISKCON Mayapur complex in West Bengal, India.

Srila Prabhupada’s divine body was placed into the ground and his disciples constructed a magnificent carved white marble Samadhi Mandir in his honour in front of his beloved Krishna Balarama Mandir. His handsome merciful Deity sits larger than life on the altar, and huge bronze bas-reliefs of His Divine Grace’s lifetime activities and mission stand behind the altar on the marble parikrama wall backside.

The samadhis are revered pilgrimage sites for devotees, offering a spiritual connection to these exalted souls.