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was written during the month of Māgha, 1626 Śaka (1704 A.D.).
Therefore, estimating that his time of birth was approximately 1560
Śaka (1638 A.D.), and determining his time of passing away as 1630
Śaka (1708 A.D.), we can calculate that he was present in this world
for almost 70 years.

His Disciplic Succession

Śrī Gaṅgā-Nārāyaṇa Cakravartī was a disciple of Śrīla Narottama
Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, and a resident of Balucara Gambila (the place
of Narottama’s disappearance). By the Lord’s desire, he had no sons;
however, he had one daughter named Viṣṇu-priyā. Śrīla Ṭhākura
Mahāśaya also had a famous disciple known as Śrī Rāma-Kṛṣṇa
Bhaṭṭācārya (a barendra-śreṇīya-brāhmaṇa). The youngest son of
this Bhaṭṭācārya was named Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa, who was accepted
by Śrī Gaṅgā-Nārāyaṇa as his own son (since he had none of his
own.) This Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa is the parama-guru, or grand spiritual
master of Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura. In Viśvanātha’s Bhāgavatam
commentary named Sārārtha-darśinī, at the beginning of the famous
Rāsa-pañcādhyāya (five chapters describing Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-
līlā dance), we find the following verse:

śrī rāma kṛṣṇa gaṅgā caraṇa natvā gurūn uru premṇaḥ|
śrīla narottama nātha śrī gaurāṅga prabhuṁ naumi||

“Having bowed down while absorbed in the most exalted divine
love at the feet of all my gurus in disciplic succession — Śrī
Rādhā-ramaṇa Cakravartī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa Cakravarti, Śrī Gaṅgā-
Nārāyaṇa Cakravartī, Śrī Narottama Ṭhākura and Śrī Lokanātha
Gosvāmī, I now offer my respectful obeisances unto my Lord Śrī
Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu.”

We understand from this śloka that Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa’s abbreviated
name is ‘Śrī Rāma’, and that Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa’s abbreviated name
is ‘Kṛṣṇa’. The word ‘Nātha’ is understood to mean Śrī Lokanātha
Gosvāmī.

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