Shrivatsa Goswami, a prominent Indian scholar of Indology and religious leader in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, was born on October 27, 1950, in the holy city of Vrindavan. His family, who were Brahmins, had been the caretakers of the Radha Raman Temple, one of the most famous Vrindavan temples, for over four centuries. The temple was founded by Gopala Bhatta Goswami, a disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[2][4] Shrivatsa Goswami's father, Purushottam Goswami, served as the leading priest at the temple, and Shrivatsa Goswami continued the family tradition by becoming the acharya of the Radha Raman Temple.
In 1972, Shrivatsa Goswami established the "Sri Caitanya Prema Samsthana," a scientific and cultural organization that focuses on promoting traditional Vaishnavism, supporting arts like Raslila dance, and advancing scholarship on Vaishnavism, particularly in Vrindavan.[2][4][5] He obtained a degree in philosophy from Banaras Hindu University, where he later taught philosophy and religion. In the mid-1970s, he was a visiting scholar at the Harvard Divinity School's Center for the Study of World Religions.