302 Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta

PURPORT

Sri Anupama was the father of Srila Jiva Gosvami and youngest brother of Sri
Sanatana Gosvami and Sri Ripa Gosvami. His former name was Vallabha, but after
Lord Caitanya met him He gave him the name Anupama. Because of working in the
Mohammedan government, these three brothers were given the title Mullik. Our
personal family is connected with the Mulliks of Mahatma Gandhi Road in Calcutta,
and we often used to visit their Radha-Govinda temple. They belong to the same
family as we do. (Our family gotra, or original genealogical line, is the gautama-gotra,
or line of disciples of Gautama Muni, and our surname is De. But due to their
accepting the posts of Zamindars in the Mohammedan government, they received
the title Mullik. Similarly, Ripa, Sanatana and Vallabha were also given the title
Mullik. Mullik means “‘lord.”’ Just as the English government gives rich and respect-
able persons the title “‘lord,’”’ so the Mohammedans give the title Mullik to rich,
respectable families that have intimate connections with the government. The title
Mullik is found not only among the Hindu aristocracy but also among
Mohammedans. This title is not restricted to a particular family but is given to
different families and castes. The qualifications for receiving it are wealth and
respectability.

Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami belonged to the bharadvaja-gotra, which
indicates that they belonged either to the family or disciplic succession of
Bharadvaja Muni. As members of the Krsna consciousness movement, we belong to
the family or disciplic succession of Sarasvati Gosvami, and thus we are known as
Sarasvatas. Obeisances are therefore offered to the spiritual master as sadrasvata-deva,
or a member of the Sarasvata family (namas te sdrasvate devam), whose mission is
to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (gaura-vani-pracarine) and to
fight with impersonalists and voidists (nirvisesa-Sinyavddi-pdscatya-desa-tdarine). This
was also the occupational duty of Sanatana Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami and Anupama
Gosvami.

The genealogical table of Sanatana Gosvami, Ripa Gosvami and Vallabha Gosvami
can be traced back to the Twelfth Century sakdbda, when a gentleman of the name
Sarvajfia appeared in a very rich and opulent brahmana family in the province of
Karnata. He had two sons named Aniruddhera Rupesvara and Harihara, who were
both bereft of their kingdoms and thus obliged to reside in the highlands. The son
of Ripesvara, who was named Padmanabha, moved to a place in Bengal known as
Naihatf on the bank of the Ganges. There he had five sons, of whom the youngest,
Mukunda, had a well-behaved son named Kumaradeva, who was the father of Rupa,
Sanatana and Vallabha. Kumaradeva lived in Baklacandradvipa, which was in the
district of Yasohara and is now known as Phateyabad. Of his many sons, three took
to the path of Vaisnavism. Later, Sri Vallabha and his elder brothers Sri Rupa and
Sanatana came from Candradvipa to the village in the Maldah district of Bengal
known as Ramakeli. It is in this village that Srila Jiva Gosvami took birth, accepting
Vallabha as his father. Because of engaging in the service of the Mohammedan
government, the three brothers received the title Mullik. When Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu visited the village of Ramakeli, He met Vallabha there. Later, Sri RGpa
