Raya Ramananda Samvada: The Dialogue of Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Rāya

Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda, based on Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter 8 (See note below) is perhaps the most confidential chapter in Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta by Śrīla Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja. In this famous dialogue between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāya Rāmānanda, Mahāprabhu reveals the jewels of His heart. He is asking questions about the ultimate goal of life and the way to attain it, and is also giving the answers through Rāya Rāmānanda.
Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself incarnated with the mood and lustre of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and Rāmānanda is Viśākhā Sakhī in Kṛṣṇa līlā. On that deeper level, Viśākhā is helping Kṛṣṇa understand the loving moods of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the glories of Her pure love for Him. The dialogue develops gradually and finally reaches the pinnacle of pure bhakti, the confidential nature of prema – pure transcendental love – and the supremacy of Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s love. Her love is so sweet and so pure that Kṛṣṇa becomes controlled by it.
The subject matter of Rāmānanda Saṁvāda is elucidated by the rasika commentary of Ratna-Ācārya Prabhupād Śrīla Premgopāl Goswāmī.
The fourteen lectures presented here are but a drop in the nectar ocean of Premgopāl Goswāmī’s harikathā since he has given over 150 lectures on the subject. However, the nectar stream flowing through these few commentaries would surely be relished and cherished by our sensitive and rasika readers.
Editorial note: The original author of Sri Caitanya-Caritāmṛta is Śrīla Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja. He was a 16th century Vaiṣṇava saint. The commentary of Premgopal Goswami is based on the Caitanya-Caritāmṛta commentary of his great grandfather guru Prangopal Goswami (1816-1941) written in Bengali. No digital version of this work is available. Later on, Radhagovindanatha (see link below), published his commentary in Bengali on Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, but it is common knowledge that his work is based on Prangopal Goswami’s Caitanya-Caritāmṛta. Premgopal Goswami’s commentary in English is NOT derived from any of the many English translations of Caitanya Caritāmṛta but directly from the Bengali original Caitanya-Caritāmṛta and the Bengali Caitanya-Caritāmṛta commentary of Prangopal Goswami.