used to denote certain subgroups
among the Sanyasis, the ascetic devo-
tees (bhakta) of the god Shiva. The
name was particular to Sanyasis at the
low end of the ascetic status scale, such
as the Nathpanthisor the Naga(mili-
tant) Sanyasis, who were often recruited
from the lower classes of society.
Gosala Maskariputra
(5th c. B.C.E.?) According to tradition, a
philosopher who was a contemporary of
the Buddha. Gosala is believed to be the
founder of the Ajivikas, an extinct reli-
gious community whose philosophical
position is generally described as fatal-
ism. In the Buddhist and Jain literature
he is generally referred to as Makkhali
Gosala (“cow-shed”), referring to his
lowly birth.
Goshala
(“abode of cows”) In modern India, a
goshala is a rest home for aged, infirm,
and unproductive cows, where they can
live for the rest of their lives in peace and
happiness. Goshalas are usually estab-
lished and supported as acts of religious
merit, to provide for cows that would
either be slaughtered or abandoned.
These institutions are built as a sign of
respect for cattle, which is one of the
most pervasive ideas in Hindu culture.
Goswami, Jiva
(ca. late 16th c.) A pivotal figure in the
Gaudiya Vaishnavareligious community,
along with his uncles Sanatana Goswami
and Rupa Goswami. Although the
Gaudiya Vaishnavas were founded by the
poet-saint Chaitanya, it was the
Goswamis who brought order and sys-
tematic thinking to Chaitanya’s ecstat-
ic devotionalism. The Goswamis were
southern brahmins by origin, but their
family had resettled in northern India.
Their lives were transformed when
Rupa and Sanatana met Chaitanya.
Chaitanya dispatched the brothers to
Brindavan, the village where the god
Krishnais believed to have spent his
childhood, with instructions to settle
there and reclaim it as a holy place. The
three Goswamis lived there for several
decades, reclaiming the sacred sites
(tirthas), having temples built, and
above all providing the ideas and insti-
tutions that defined the Gaudiya
Vaishnava community. Jiva was a ver-
satile scholar who wrote on many dif-
ferent aspects of Vaishnavadevotion,
but is best known for his works on
metaphysics, which provide the com-
munity’s basic philosophical under-
pinnings. For further information see
Sushil Kumar De, Early History of the
Vaishnava Faith and Movement in
Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali
Sources, 1961.Goswami, Rupa
(ca. mid-16th c.) A disciple of the
Bengali saint Chaitanya, a pivotal figure
in the establishment of the Gaudiya
Vaishnavacommunity, along with his
brother Sanatana Goswami, and his
nephew Jiva Goswami. Although the
Gaudiya Vaishnavas were founded by
the poet-saint Chaitanya, it was the
Goswamis who brought order and sys-
tematic thinking to Chaitanya’s ecstatic
devotionalism. Records indicate that the
Goswamis were brahminswhose fami-
lies originally hailed from the
Karnatakaregion. The family had set-
tled in Bengal, where Rupa and
Sanatana were in the service of a local
Muslim ruler. However, their lives were
transformed when Rupa and Sanatana
met Chaitanya. Chaitanya dispatched
the brothers to Brindavan, the village
where the god Krishnais believed to
have spent his childhood, with instruc-
tions to settle there and reclaim it as a
holy place. The three Goswamis lived
there for several decades, reclaiming the
sacred sites (tirthas), having temples
built, and above all providing the ideas
and institutions that defined the
Gaudiya Vaishnava community. Rupa
was a passionate devotee (bhakta) of
Krishna, but also had interests as a
dramatist and a scholar. In addition toGosala Maskariputra