The holy place of Mayapur

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<h2>Sri Sri Prema Dhama Deva Stotram </h2>

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<center> Verse 33

gaura-garvi-sarva-gauda-gauravartha-sajjitam

sasta-sastra-daksa-dusta-nastikadi-lajjitam

muhyamana-matrikadi-deha-jiva-sancaram

prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

</center> The fame of Sri Chaitanyadev had spread far and wide. His name was known and revered throughout all of Bengal. He returned to Nabadwip Dham after an absence of five years and crowds of people came madly running along the roads and pathways hoping to catch a sight of him. Even the proud, atheistic logicians felt embarrassed, remembering the many troubles they had caused Sri Chaitanyadev when he first sent devotees out into the streets singing the holy name of the Lord. The scholarly atheists felt humbled when they saw how the ordinary folk in all walks of life had such resolute faith, such deep inner joy, and such strong feelings of affection for the Lord. Seeing the Lord again after long years of lonely separation, the Lord's mother Sachi Devi and other family members were overwhelmed with feelings of ecstasy. They felt they had gotten back their very life. I sing with joy the unending glories of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden volcano of divine love.

<hr> The holy place of Mayapur

By Muralidhar das

By her devotion and penances, Sri Visnupriya Devi helped a great deal with the preaching of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Through her acceptance of the mood of separation, her showing of the pangs of separation, she helped a great deal. She melted the hearts of many and did away with the jealousy or antagonistic feeling toward Sri Chaitanyadeva that many people felt. And thereby in Bengal she facilitated the preaching of Nityananda Prabhu and the glorification of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

In the Chaitanya Mangala, Lochan Das Thakur described Vishnupriya's terrible feelings of separation in the days that followed Sri Chaitanyadeva's departure from home: <ul> The earth splits from the sound of Vishnupriya's crying. The birds and beasts, even the trees and stones, were shedding tears when they heard it. Falling to the ground she would lament, crying out 'Why does my life not end?' In separation, her breath was like fire, drying her lips. And her body trembled constantly. (Cm 2.14.15-6)

Vishnupriya devi is the potency of Sri Gaura Narayana, the yuga avatara who comes here to distribute the name of Krishna and release souls from illusion. In every yuga the Lord appears and in this Kali yuga age the avatara of the Lord is known as Gaura Narayana. His potency is Vishnupriya devi. The Bhu Shakti of the Lord is the ground on which his playful pastimes are formed, and this Bhu Shakti is represented by Sri Visnupriya Devi. Bhu Shakti lila; the environment of the Dham, the abode of the Lord. And when Mahaprabhu went to save the lost souls suffering in this material world, leaving her at Nabadwip, Sri Vishnupriya devi was still a very young girl.

She led a very strict spiritual life. We are told that she was under the guidance of Sachi Devi, the mother of Mahaprabhu, and that she used to nurse her and look after Sachi Devi. Her mother in law Sachi Devi was an old lady and Vishnupriya devi engaged in her service. She was exclusively devoted to her. But after Sachi Devi disappeared Vishnupriya devi was independant. One old servant named Ishan was there, and another servant was his brother Vamsivadananda.

Vishnupriya devi did not generally go out of the room or house. There was a high compound wall and she used to count the beads, chanting the holy name. Counting the name, she put some rice aside. With the recitation of the mantra, she put some rice aside. One recitation, one piece of rice was put aside. One chant, one piece of rice. In this way, she counted while chanting. Then she boiled the rice and offered it to Lord Krishna and she used to take that much prashadam for her sustainance. So, her body became emaciated, gradually. But she continued that sort of life of austerity.

Narahari Chakravarti has described this in his Bhakti-ratnakara: <ul> Every day Srinivas Acharya would come to see her. He observed her daily activities, which are beyond description. She had completely renounced sleep, and if ever she closed her eyes it would be while lying on the bare ground. Her bodily luster, which had formerly glowed more brilliantly than gold, had become dull and she was as thin as the waning moon on its fourteenth day. She set aside grains of rice while counting the holy names as she chanted, and she would cook only this rice and offer it to her Lord. Of this amount, she would only eat a small portion. No one understood how she could remain alive. (Bhakti-ratnakara 4.47-51)

But as is the case with the mundane world, gradually everything degrades. So after some time in that lineage they were not practicing their holy observances properly. And anyhow, just like a trade the Deity's worship is going on. The Deity is the property of the lineage and every partner has got his own share. The members of that lineage would look after the Deity, some for six months or for three months; in this way the worship was divided.

In the later part of the eighteenth century A.D., the ruler of Nabadwip named Maharaj Krishnachandra promoted and encouraged worhsip of Mother Durga and the Durga puja festival in Nabadwip Dham. Perhaps that Durga puja and the Kali puja in Nabadwip was inaugurated in his time. And in this peroid the Smarta pandits, the scholars and Shakta worshipers, the devotees of Durgadevi, came into power to such a degree that the worshippers of the Mahaprabhu Deity installed by Visnupriya Devi became afraid.

At that time there was a famine. The Smarta pandits came and complained to Maharaj Krishnachandra, saying that a man is being worshipped in Nabadwip and this worship is the root cause of the famine, so this man-worship must be stopped. Chaitanyadeva was a man and Visnupriya has installed the idol of Chaitanyadeva here and that idol is still being worshiped, and that is the cause of this famine.

Then the pujari priest of the Deity of Mahaprabhu in the line of Visnupriya, that pujari built an underground tunnel and in there they placed Mahaprabhu. They covered the tunnel over so the Smartas may not come and disturb, and the location of the Deity was kept secret.

At that time a miracle took place. The king of Manipur had a dream. In his dream he saw that the pandits of Nabadwip have influenced Maharaj Krishnachandra by saying that Sri Chaitanyadeva is a man, not God; and the worship of Mahaprabhu has been stopped because of that. So you must go to Nabadwip and invite the pandits to come there, and it must be proven from the scriptures that the incarnation of Sri Chaitanya avatara is mentioned. In his dream he was told this. You must try to prove that Sri Chaitanya is the Lord.

Then a dream was also given to Totarama das Babaji of Vrindaban. Totaram das Babaji was a South Indian brahmin who first came to Nabadwip to study the philosophical system known as Nyaya. But before he could finish his studies he became drawn to the Vaishnava ascetic way of life, and he gave up his philosophy studies and went to Vrindaban where he stayed for many years. Then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave him the inspiration to go to Nabadwip Dham and supervise the worship of his Deity originally served by Sri Vishnupriyadevi

Totarama Babaji came and spoke to king Krishnachandra of Krishnanagara, saying: "The pandits of this locality say that Sri Chaitanya Deva is a man. Not God. I have come from Vrindaban to show that in many scriptures there is reference to the fact that Sri Chaitanyadeva is not a man but the Lord himself. God himself. I want to prove by quotations from the scriptures. The ancient scriptures. Call for your pandits who are opposing this fact."

Then there was an assembly of the pandits at the Maharaj of Krishnanagara's fort and Totarama das Babaji was able to prove from different quotations that nama sankirtan is the yuga dharma, and that the incarnation of God comes down to earth to establish and preach the yuga dharma of nama sankirtan. This incarnation is mentioned in many places and when Totarama Babaji showed those references the pandits could not stand and face him in discussion.

The Manipur raja also came and saw Krishnachandra. He was inferior in position to Krishnachandra. The king of Manipur was in some alliance with the British while Krishnachandra was under Mohammedan control. The king of Manipur was a Gaudiya Vaishnava and a disciple in the line of Narottama Thakur.

With the death of Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals, Bengal became independent under its Muslims governers. Siraj Daula, the last independent Muslim ruler of Bengal, was defeated by the British at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. For about seven years the British were in a sort of dual control with the successors of Siraj Daula, Mir Jaffar and Mir Kasim. Then in 1764 Mir Kasim was routed at the battle of Buxar and the British took over the administration of Bengal.

The king of Manipur said to Krishnachandra Maharaj of Krishnanagar, "I want to lease some land here in Nabadwip from you." Because of his approach, Krishnachandra Maharaj was very much satisfied that Totarama Babaji was a man of higher realization, a great sadhu. Krishnachandra told the Manipur Raja that he need not lease some land, for some land could be given as a free gift. "As much land as you want, you locate it and I will give it." But the Manipur Raja replied: "No, no I want a lease from you. A lease." This land was given by Krishnachandra Maharj to the Manipur king and there on that land he constructed a temple and installed Mahaprabhu seva.

In the meantime, after Totarama das Babaji had defeated the pandits, the original Deity of Mahaprabhu was taken up again from the underground room and devotees resumed regular worship. When the construction was finished for the new temple built by the king of Manipur, the king ordered that the installation of Mahaprabhu must be done according to his dream. But it was reported to him that the original Deity of Mahaprabhu has already come up from the underground room and regular worship is going on in another place. So since that time the worship has continued for the main Deity of Mahaprabhu installed by Visnupriya Devi, and for the Mahaprabhu Deity installed by the Manipura raja.

At that time there was a great deal of chaos regarding the worship of the Deity of Mahaprabhu. The original family home where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had been born was not maintained as a shrine. Continuous worship was not maintained at the birthplace of Mahaprabhu. The Deity of Mahaprabhu was taken in rotation to the houses of various priests in the family of Vishnupriya's father, and the priests were poor. No permanent temple had been established.

Influenced by the sincere efforts of Sri Totaramdas Babaji, the present site of the compound and courtyard for the temple of the Deity of Mahaprabhu in Nabadwip was chosen and improved. The old temple at that place was rebuilt and the arrangements for the daily puja were made. There is a deed in Bengali written in 1785 A.D. stating that the land granted to Tota Ramdasa Babaji for the service of the Deity of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu should be exempt from tax.

It is also reported that in 1792 A.D., another temple in Nabadwip city was built by a raja named Gangagovinda Singh, the founder of the royal family of Mursidabad who was acting as the chief adviser or Dewan of Lord Hastings. Gangagovinda Singh was a Vaishnava and an ardent devotee of Lord Chaitanya. He became so amazed and inspired upon seeing the virtuous character of Totarama das Babaji that he bequeathed his entire property to his grandson, Lalababu, and left for Nabadwip accompanied by a few hundred Vaishnava. In Nabadwip, Gangagovinda attempted to relocate the place where the house of Lord Gauranga had originally stood. After gathering information from some residents of Nabadwip, Gangagovinda Singh decided that the actual location of Lord Gauranga's house was in Ramachandrapura, on the outskirts of present day Nabadwip.

This temple built by Gangagovinda Singh in 1792 was said to have been sixty feet high, with nine pinnacles in red sandstone. This temple was submerged in floods in 1821. In the opinion of some people this temple of Gangagovinda Singh factually was built upon the original birthsite of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, at a place where an earlier temple had been constructed by Bir Hambir, a disciple of Srinivas Acharya. But Srila Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaj, who was born some time around 1785 A.D or earlier, and who visited Nabadwip from time to time in that period, did not consider that place of Gangagovinda Singh's temple to be Mahaprabhu's real birthplace. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur also rejected the suggestion that this Gangagovinda Singh temple was Mahaprabhu's birthplace.

After Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur rediscovered the birthsite of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he called the leading Vaishnava of the time, Srila Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaj, to confirm the authenticity of the site.

Srila Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaj was deeply pleased to find the birthsite of Sriman Mahaprabhu had been rediscovered. From time to time he would come to worship Mahaprabhu there. Srila Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaj's first arrival at the Mayapur Yogapitha is described in the following article first published in the sixth year of the monthly publications of the Gaudiya magazine under the direct guidance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. The article was written by the head school master of Satrujit High School, Sri Yanunandana Adhikari, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.

<ul> It was the second year after the opening of the Sri Chaitanya Math in Vrindaban. The resident devotees had left for Delhi to preach the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. I had remained behind the others because I often become ill at the festivals. Three or four days had passed since the devotees had departed. My mind was feeling somewhat restless and uncomfortable. I was sitting alone upstairs on the veranda in front of the door to my room. I was gazing here and there empty minded. It was now about 10:00 AM when the old Vaishnava Vrindaban resident arrived. He entered into the temple grounds from the front entrance and gradually made his way up the flight of stairs. As the old figure climbed the stairs he stopped for a few moments to gain his balance. He had stumped his foot. I paid my obeisances unto the old Vaishnava and offered him a sitting place on a nearby large rug. As he gasped in short drawn breaths it was apparent that he was exhausted from his travels abroad. The mood in which he humbly introduced himself would be recognized by many Vaishnavas. I had met this venerable Vaishnava on a previous occasion. Following a short exchange of reception he said, "I personally served Srila Jagannatha das Babaji for nearly forty years. At the present age of 86 I feel very weary. I find it somewhat difficult to come and go these days. Previously my body was very strong. Often I would carry Srila Babaji Maharaj eight to ten miles on my back. I witnessed a host of transcendental pastimes. During that time I was discouraged by Babaji Maharaj from living in Vrindaban. He would frequently say, "Look Bihari, don't ever go and live with those false monkey-like renunciates." For this reason I never associated with persons outside other than when it was absolutely necessary. Srila Jagannatha Babaji was especially close to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. I have firm faith in your spiritual master (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami).

I often saw him in Calcutta at Manikatala as a boy when I would visit there with Srila Babaji Maharaj. Your spiritual master (Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Sarswati) would only be clothed with a pullover shirt. He struck me as always having a serious nature. I was attracted by his efflugence and his learning. He was always attached to the Holy Name. In his earlier years his frame was very lean and Srila Babaji Maharaj loved him very much."

The old Vaishnava in this manner described many topics about Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaj and also his own life. I was deeply moved by the realization that this old respectable Vaishnava had undergone innumerable difficulties in his service to Srila Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaj. As a neophyte devotee my curiosity was stimulated to no bounds. There he sat before me, the actual servant of Srila Jagannatha das Babaji. Numerous questions came to my mind. Indicating that he had anticipated my questions he delivered their answers by recounting his past. He himself was born in the family of milkmen in West Bengal. As a youth he had very little academic training. He had spent much of his time in Bangladesh. His speech was marked by Bengali spoken in an indistinct, broken fashion. Even so he was characterized by a very simple, easy going natue. In this disposition Bihari das Babaji would depict his relationship with Jagannatha das Babaji. In view of our Vaishnava cultural heritage today these topics are certainly priceless.

Srila Bihari das Babaji began to speak, "A long time has passed. It's difficult to exactly recollect. Once when Srila Jagannatha das Babaji was living in Nabadwip a householder from Calcutta suddenly appeared before him. The householder had already spent several days in Nabadwip. Touching Srila Jagannatha das Babaji's feet, the gentleman seated himself before him. The unexpected visitor in his first breath requested Srila Jagannatha das Babaji to come with him to Calcutta. The man was desiring to take first initiation from him. Srila Jagannatha das Babaji was always opposed to the idea of going to Calcutta. On first consideration he decided that the best decision was not to go. But the gentleman was very insistent. He came every day for fifteen days and prayed to Babaji Maharaj to go to Calcutta. Finally Srila Jagannatha das Babaji relented and agreed to go with the man to his residence in Kasipura. Srila Jagannatha das Babaji made the compromise that he would not accept any foodstuffs from the gentleman's house. So by boat they went together. We arrived at the residence of the householder whereupon he immediately tried to coax us into accepting some cooked foodstuffs. Srila Jagannatha das Babaji became so annoyed that he said to himself, "Take me to the residence of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur." He then told me the address. It was midday there so we took a horse carriage to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's house. When we arrived Thakur Bhaktivinode was upstairs. A message was sent up. This was the first time I had seen Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. He was somewhat tall with an effulfent golden hue like complexion. His nose was very elegant and his mouth well formed. Oh, and how expertly Srila Bhaktivinode knew how to serve the Vaishnavas! Thakur Bhaktivinode would personally serve Srila Jagannatha das Babaji with his own hands. They would often visit one another in Nabadwip and Calcutta.

Once Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur arrived at the residence of Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji with a kirtan party. The party, accompanied by Srila Babaji Maharaj quickly advanced towards Sri Mayapur. During this time another kirtan group was approaching from the Namanapukua side. The two parties chanting the glories of Lord Chaitanya assembled together at the place of the present day Yoga Pith. Over the age of 130 years, Srila Jagannatha das Babaji, being humpbacked, normally could not sit in an erect position. But when he would perform the congregational chanting of the Lord he would extend his body by the distance of five hand lengths and spring upward a distance of over one yard! How wonderful it was when he pointed out the location of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance site. It is also still fresh within my mind the way he struck his stick on the groud with a resounding "crack" (Srila Bihari das Babaji, who is holding a stick enacts the pastime again as true as life itself). He pointed out, some distance away, a well which contained the broken hull of a mridanga. Sometimes Srila Jagannatha das Babaji would chastize persons who were opposed to the authenticity of Sri Mayapur. Again Bihari das Babaji began to explain with full vigor other transcendental pastimes he had seen. He continued, "I came to Nabadwip and prepared the foundation of Babaji Maharaj's bhajana kuthir. I dug it out by hand and constructed a fence around its sides. Many persons would come and visit Babaji Maharaj, leaving donations. I would place that money in a water pot for safe keeping. Every fifteen days to one month I would remove the money and count it. Normally the funds would be expended each month. Being fearful I would sometimes hide the money outside the premises. I considered that I would place 15 rupees aside for any emergency which might arise in the future. After doing so Babaji Maharaj called me and in a deep voice shouted, "Where did you place that 15 rupees?" He had never paid any attention to me as his eyelids extended will beyond his lower eyebrow as if they were hanging loosely. Whenever he wanted to see he would lift his long eyelids above his eyes. Srila Babaji Maharaj also never accounted for what was spent or given. In whatever way he wanted the money was spent. Once he said, "Go and buy rasgullas! I'm going to feed all the cows in the holy dhama." Two hundred rupees were taken an rasgullas were distributed by him to all the cows. But Babaji Maharaj never wanted to spend anything on the imposter Vaishnavas. He would say, "Don't let them come here."

"Srila Babaji Maharaj would often sit and accept prasadam from a large plate. Once five puppies took birth outside his bhajan kuthir. At prasadam time the puppies would appear from four sides and surround his place. As they began to eat he would feel to make sure they were all present. Once, seeing this, I became disturbed and began placing them outside. Srila Babaji Maharaj interrupted me in his deep voice. "Bring them back in or I will not eat." What could I do? I again brought the puppies inside and placed them around his plate. Satisfied, he said, 'The dogs of the dhama.'

"Many persons would come desiring his brahmin underwear. There was one personality by the name of Gaura Hari das who was determined to secure his underwear. But Srila Babaji Maharaj would never give any personal items away. For a period of three days Gaura Hari remained outside the bhajan kuthir of Babaji Maharaj. Finally, Jagannatha das Babaji gave me permission to give him his kopin.

"Srila Jagannatha das Babaji would always become angry when he would see someone acting independently. Once one kirtan party approached Babaji Maharaj from a distance chanting unbonafide mantras. Srila Babaji Maharaj hearing them became very angry and said, 'Drive them all away from here. Don't let them come!' "I've never seen such an effulgent personality as Babaji Maharaj. A few days before his disappearance he told me, "Oh Bihari, it's not necessary to inconvenience yourself to maintain your stomach. You don't have to separately endeavour for this. Don't ever mix with those false monkey-like renunciates."

"He didn't desire to remain any longer. If I could give up my body thinking of him then I could obtain real happiness."

There was some controversy regarding this discovery of Mahaprabhu's birthplace at Mayapur. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's own initiating guru, Bipin Bihari Goswami, initially supported the Mayapur site, but as the years went by he became antagonistic to the devotees worshipping at Mayapur. Then, in the year of his death, 1919, Bipin Bihari Goswami formally and very publicly rejected Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur as his disciple.

The temple of Gangagovinda Singh was destroyed by floodwaters in 1821. In 1887, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur found the birthsite of Mahaprabhu at Mayapur, which is several kilometres distant from Nabadwip city. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur certainly didn't think the temple of Gangagovinda Singh in Nabadwip was built at the actual birthplace of Mahaprabhu. He maintained that nobody knew where the actual birthplace of Sri Chaitanyadev was. Indeed at the beginning of the temple development project at Mayapur, Bipin Bihari Goswami himself must have been sufficiently convinced that the birthsite was lost and had been rediscovered. He must have been feeling the Mayapur site was genuine, since Bipin Bihari Goswami agreed to become a director of the new temple committee. Bipin Bihari Goswami would undoubtedly have known that the new Mayapur site discovered by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur was far, far away from the site of the Gangagovinda Singh temple in the precincts of present day Nabadwip. If Bipin Bihari Goswami initially accepted Mayapur as the birthsite, the implication is that at that time (1887) Bipin Bihari Goswami wasn't supporting the idea that the well-known site of the temple of Gangagovinda Singh in Nabadwip was the birthsite of Sri Gauranga. Indeed, we can say that many people must have been thinking the birthsite had been lost, since the Mayapur project would never been able to gain momentum if there was general view that the Gangagovinda Singh temple site was without doubt the birthplace of Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur constantly stated that the original birthplace had been lost. This fact is well known. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur engaged in a careful and detailed search for the holy birthsite of Mahaprabhu. He discovered Mayapur after researching the very ancient settlement at Mayapur.

We know Srila Jagannath das Babaji Maharaj regarded the Mayapur birthplace discovered by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur as the real birthplace of Lord Gauranga. Indeed it is extremely likely that Srila Jagannath das Babaji had seen the temple of Gangagovinda Singh in Nabadwip city. He may have even visited that temple. He was a very, very old devotee and in all probability he had visited Nabadwip on numerous occasions prior to 1821 when the temple of Gangagovinda Singh was submerged. This temple was submerged in 1821 and Srila Jagannath das Babaji was born some time around 1785. What is certain is that Srila Jagannath das Babaji Maharaj felt the birthplace of Mahaprabhu is in Mayapur, which is a long distance from the present township of Nabadwip. It is on the other side of the Ganges.

Another point to note is that the gentleman named Vraja Mohan Das Babaji, who established the alternative site in Ramchandrapura (Nabadwip Dham), and oversaw the building of a temple there at the beginning of the twentieth century, eventually handed over the site to a member of the sakhibhekhi cult named Radhavinodini Dasi. This Radhavinodini Dasi was a man who dressed as a woman. These persons stand in the forefront of those who were opposed to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and the Mayapur project.

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-- Muralidhar das