Rupa Goswami, born in 1489 and passing away in 1564, was a revered guru, poet, and philosopher of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition in India. Alongside his brother Sanatana Goswami, he is regarded as one of the most esteemed among the six Goswamis of Vrindavan associated with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, considered a hidden incarnation of Krishna in the current age. Rupa's ancestry can be traced to Karnataka and Naihati in present-day West Bengal. He and his brothers played significant roles in the Vaishnava community, displaying remarkable devotion and academic brilliance. They were inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and eventually settled in Vrindavan, where Rupa uncovered sacred sites linked to Krishna's pastimes and rediscovered the revered deity of Govindadeva. Rupa Goswami's contributions to Gaudiya Vaishnavism and his deep devotion earned him the distinction of being the foremost follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. After his passing, his samadhi (tomb) was established in the Radha-Damodara temple in Vrindavan. In Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, Rupa Goswami is considered the incarnation of Rupa Manjuri, a beloved cowherd damsel serving Radha-Krishna under the guidance of Lalita.

• Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (The Ocean of Nectar of Divine Love): Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu can be considered to be one of the most important books in Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It elaborately describes gradations of bhakti from its lowest stage of sraddha (faith) up to its highest stage of maha-bhava (ultimate ecstasy in love of Godhead).
• Ujjvala-nilamani (The Sapphire of Divine Love): This work exclusively explains the conception of madhurya-rasa (divine conjugal love). Ujjvala-nilamani is considered to be a sequel to the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu.
• Laghu-bhagavatamrta (A Summary of Nectar about Godhead): It is a summary of Sanatana Goswami's book Brhat-bhagavatamrta. It begins by explaining the intrinsic nature of Krishna and his incarnations and subsequently deals with devotees of Krishna.
• Vidagdhamadhava (1524) & Lalitamadhava (1529): Rupa originally began to write these two dramas as one in 1516 but he completed them as two separate plays in Vikram Samvat 1581 (1524) and Saka era 1451 (1529) respectively.[11] It is said that Rupa had a vision of Satyabhama, one of Krishna's queens in Dvaraka, who told him to divide the book into two separate dramas. Thus, Lalitamadhava deals with Krishna's pastimes in Dvaraka, and Vidagdhamadhava narrates Krishna's pastimes in Vrindavana.
• Stavamala (The Flower Garland of Prayers): This is a compilation of short works, some of which are often published as separate books.
• Danakelikaumudi (The Lotus-like Tax-collecting Pastimes) (1549): This Bhāṇikā (one-act play) was written in Saka era 1471 (1549) and narrates the danakeli (tax-collecting pastime) between Krishna and the Gopis of Vrindavana.[11]
• Sri Radha-krsna-ganoddesa-dipika (A Lamp to See the Associates of Radha-Krsna) (1550): In this book, Rupa Goswami lists the associates of Radha and Krishna and describes their characteristics.
• Mathura-mahatmya (The Glories of Mathura): This book tells the glories of Mathura, in the form of a conversation between Varaha (the boar incarnation of Vishnu) and the Earth Goddess. Rupa Goswami explains various processes of devotional service by quoting statements from various Hindu scriptures and establishes that Mathura vanquishes all one's sinful reactions and awards piety and liberation.
• Uddhava-sandesa (News of Uddhava): In this work, Rupa Goswami narrates the story from the Bhagavata Purana of Krishna requesting his friend Uddhava to go to Vrindavana and pacify his friends and relations by reminding them of their pastimes with him.
• Hamsa-dutam (The Swan Messenger): This text tells the story how Lalita, the confident of Radha, sends a messenger in the form of a swan to Krishna in Dwaraka.
• Sri Krsna-janma-tithi-vidhi: This short work is a paddhati (manual on ritual worship) explaining the process of worshiping the deity of Krishna during the festival of Janmastami, the birthday of Krishna celebrated by Vaishnavas in August/September.
• Nataka-candrika (The Illuminating Moon of Dramatics) This book explains the rules of Gaudiya Vaisnava dramaturgy.
• Upadesamrta (The Nectar of Instruction): This short work contains eleven verses of instructions to aspirants on the path of devotion to Krishna. The Upadesamrta was originally a part of the Stavamala.