UP 1: Introduction - The Author, Foundational works of direct inspiration

To establish the motive for studying the text, we need to understand the glory of the author. Thakur Mahashaya praises Srila Rupa Goswamipad with the following words:

zrI-caitanya-mano'bhISTaM sthApitaM yena bhU-tale |
so'yaM rUpaH kadA mahyaM dadAti sva-padAntikam ||

"He, who established Sri Chaitanya's heart's desire in this world,
That Rupa -- when will he give me the shelter of his feet?"

It was with a force no other than Sri Chaitanya's direct inspiration that his works were composed. Krishnadas Kaviraja writes in the introductory shloka of Rupa-siksha (CC 2.19.1):

vRndAvanIyAM rasa-keli-vArtAM
kAlena luptAM nija-zaktim utkaH |
saJcArya rUpe vyatanot punaH sa
prabhur vidhau prAg iva loka-sRSTim ||

"The topics of the rasa-laden pastimes of Vrindavan
were lost in the course of time; eagerly, with his own potency
the Lord empowered Rupa to unearth them once again,
just as he once empowered Brahma at the dawn of creation."

In brief he taught Rupa from without, from within he filled him with astonishing power for compiling bhakti-shastras, unveiling the sadhana (method) and the sadhya (object) for the benefit of one and all.

The works of Sri Rupa, and with him, the other Goswamis of Vrindavan, are the foundation of our sampradaya. They are the foremost of our siksha-gurus. Wholeheartedly embracing and applying their teachings is a wonderful seva indeed, delivering a matchless gift of devotional feeling.

- I know that some of the pastimes were lost. But can anybody list all the pastimes he unearthed? And of course how?

What does it mean, how were the pastimes lost? Knowledge of them was lost.

There are essentially two ways in which the pastimes were "unearthed". The first is, of course, through direct descriptions of the said pastimes. The second is through giving instructions through which the people of this world could come to a point where they can personally witness the nitya-lila within their hearts -- even in this lifetime!

Aside express narrations of lila, his works are filled with buds of pastimes. All the examples of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and Ujjvala-nilamani, for example, that demonstrate a particular aspect of bhava are snippets of an unfolding pastime, and the worship and contemplation of such verses will unveil the full beauty of the pastimes.

How were they discovered once again? Through direct perception of the divine reality.

- The Muslim rulers devastated most of the temples in Vraja, right? So the six Goswamis unearthed the pastime-places and built temples there. Inner-guidance via Mahaprabhu.

I believe the devastation of temples primarily took place in the post-Goswami period. With the influence of time, the precious pastime-places had fallen into forgetfulness. The discovery of pastime-places, lupta-tIrtha-uddhArana played an important role in re-establishing the glory and the knowledge of the Vraja-pastimes. As Mahaprabhu called to be done, lupta-tIrtha saba tAhAG kariha pracAraNa - "Make known all the lost sacred places."

How does a Nitya Siddha like Sri Rupa Manjari know how to save the baddha-jivas in a step by step path?

There are two prominent reasons for this.

1. When coming to this world, his knowledge is covered by yoga-maya, allowing him to experience the course of a "regular" sadhaka's life. Therefore, we find the early acharyas writing such heartfelt prayers of longing as found in Thakur Mahashaya's Prarthana.

2. A person in the highest awareness can understand the principles at work on the lower stages through observation even without personal experience.

- This sounds a little to me as if such prarthanas were written under the influence of (yoga)maya. Isn't it possible that our Acharyas also wrote longingly with the intention of setting an example or representing a model of what a Gaudiya aspirant's mood should be?

For a prayer to contain the full potency, one must directly feel what he writes. A mere emulation will not do. Therefore, Bhagavan has arranged in such a way that his nitya-siddha parshadas have also tasted the bhajan-madhuri present at the different stages of bhakti-sadhana. That being said, of course they set an example, a model of what the ideal mood ought to be.