All glories to Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Who has appeared as the son of Mother Sachi in the holy land of Navadvipa dhama! All glories to Lord Sri Nityananda Prabhu Who is mad in ecstatic love of Krishna! All glories to Sri Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to Gadadhara Prabhu and Srivas Pandit! All glories to Navadvipa dhama, the cream of all the holy dhamas! All glories to the sacred residents of Navadvipa who are all eternal associates of Lord Sri Chaitanya!
Taking shelter at the lotus feet of the pure devotees of the Lord with respectful obeisances, I now will begin the brief explanation of Navadvipa dhama and its glories. The sacred land of Navadvipa Mandala possesses unlimited transcendental glories which even great demigods like Lord Brahma, Shiva and others cannot fully comprehend. Therefore, who is capable of describing them? The divine Ananta Sesa incarnation of the Lord with thousands of heads singing simultaneously the glories of Navadvipa Dhama is not capable of describing all of its glories. Then how can I, an insignificant living entity, possibly be capable of doing so? Without a doubt, the glories of Navadvipa are unlimited, as even holy saints, great demigods, and even Lord Siva do not find any limit to its glories. However, the personal desire of the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya is more powerful than anything.
It is under the control of that personal desire of the Lord that His pure devotees give their transcendental commands. Thus, since it is the personal desire of Lord Sri Chaitanya that the glories of Navadvipa should be described, the devotees have ordered me to do so accordingly, and thus being empowered by their order, I am able to relate the glories of Navadvipa Dham by their mercy.
In this regard there is one other subject matter which is extremely confidential. Although I have no personal desire to discuss this topic, on the other hand it cannot remain untold. Lord Sri Chaitanya ordered His pure devotees that after His departure from this material world, the transcendental glories of the holy dhama (the transcendental place of His pastimes and appearance) and lila (transcendental pastimes) of the Lord should be broadcast. Of all the incarnations of the Supreme Lord, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s incarnation is the most confidential and mysterious, yet nonetheless, as He is the Lord of my life, I know His glories.
The confidential pastimes of the Supreme Lord are described in the revealed scriptures in a confidential form that is understandable by His pure devotees alone, while the nondevotee scholars are unable to comprehend the real significance of those descriptions. Although the information regarding the transcendental pastimes and appearance of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was ever existent within the revealed Vedic scriptures, Mayadevi, the illusory potency of the Lord, has kept these confidential scriptural references covered from the understanding of the nondevotees of the Lord. In various places, there are many authorized scriptures still undiscovered which contain many transcendental evidences about the birth and appearance of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His holy dhama, Navadvipa. In the already known revealed Vedic scriptures, there are many references to the pastimes of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the glories of Navadvipa dhama. The evidences of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Navadvipa dhama which are to be found in the above mentioned known Vedic scriptures as well as the authorized Vedic scriptures yet to be discovered, have been kept hidden for the time being from the perception of the nondevotee scholars by Mayadevi, the illusory potency of the Supreme Lord.
When Lord Gauranga had completed His confidential pastimes in this world and returned back to the spiritual sky, Mayadevi, His obedient maidservant, knowing the inner purpose and desire of the Lord, ended her deceitful activities and lifted the illusory covering from the eyes of the conditioned souls, broadcasting the hidden truths of Lord Chaitanya in this material world. Suddenly the authorized Vedic scriptures that had remained hidden for so long, as well as the evidences in the known revealed Vedic scriptures regarding Lord Chaitanya, became manifest before everyone’s vision, thus removing all the obstacles for understanding the mysteries in relation to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
All glories to the all-merciful Lord Nityananda Prabhu, Who has revealed the transcendental truths of Lord Gauranga in the hearts of the conditioned souls of this material world. Actually when Mayadevi, the illusory potency of the Lord, received the order from Lord Nityananda to lift the illusory covering sealing the truths about Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then the sincere devotee scholars received the priceless treasures in the form of scriptural evidences regarding the mysteries of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Appearance. After understanding all of the evidences revealed by the mercy of Lord Nityananda from the authorized Vedic scriptures regarding the truth of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Navadvipa dhama, if someone still remains in doubt, then truly he is a most unfortunate soul. Why should such an unfortunate soul maintain his useless life?!
At the time when the Supreme Lord distributes His transcendental mercy, the highly fortunate souls are very happy to receive it and derive transcendental pleasure from it.
On the other hand, my dear readers, you all will be able to recognize when a person is highly unfortunate by the following symptoms: it is he who tries to understand everything by his own limited reasoning power, accepting his material intelligence to be supreme. Thus he refuses to accept the understanding of the revealed scriptures given by the Lord’s mercy, and by wasting his time in useless arguments due to a poor fund of knowledge, he falls into the pitfalls of maya again and again.
“Come! Come, you kali-yuga fallen souls! Give up your duplicity and false pride! But without delay take this priceless gift of pure ecstatic love for Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu!” Loudly call out Lord Nityananda Prabhu again and again! Still, in spite of such heart-rending calls, those falsely puffed-up and unfortunate persons do not accept. Why would anyone not affectionately and immediately embrace the opportunity to accept that priceless gift of pure and ecstatic love for God? Consider what I am about to say and you will immediately understand:
In this material world the fallen souls are busy creating their various theories, presenting their arguments and performing different processes of yoga, all in pursuit of happiness. They renounce this material world and flee away into the forest for penances and austerities, simply in pursuit of happiness. Rulers of one country wage war against the rulers of other countries in pursuit of happiness. People are running madly after beautiful women and wealth in pursuit of happiness. Artisans produce their products, and scientists make their discoveries all in pursuit of happiness. In pursuit of happiness, people give up happiness and learn to tolerate all kinds of misery. Jumping in the middle of the ocean, people drown and die, all in pursuit of happiness.
Lord Nityananda Prabhu calls out, raising His two lotus hands:
“Come, fallen souls! Giving up your attachment for your miserable fruitive work and mental speculation, come now! Since you are trying to get happiness, that is just what I will give you! And in exchange for that happiness, I won’t take anything! For this there is no difficulty; it won’t cost anything; and you don’t have to suffer any pain. Without any care, simply sing out the holy names of Gauranga and dance in ecstasy! Thus I will give you a happiness for which you will never find an equal– uninterrupted, pure transcendental ecstasy, which never fails to fully satisfy!”
In this way Lord Nityananda Prabhu is freely distributing prema, the pure liberated realization of ecstatic love for Godhead, to everyone. Those who, suffering under the effects of their previous sinful activities, do not want this inconceivable mercy, are simply unfortunate and nothing more. For those who chant the holy names of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu even one time, the unlimited results of all the sinful activities of their previous births are immediately washed away.
Now listen, all my readers, there is another confidential topic I will disclose. In this present Age of Kali, the treasure house of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes is the only means by which we can obtain the highest perfection of life. It is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Gaurahari, or the Golden Avatara, Who is in the sacred dhama of Vrindavana as Their Lordships Sri- Sri-Radha-Krishna, infinitely enjoying transcendental pastimes in association. From the revealed scriptures, the conditioned souls have learned the truths of the pastimes of Vrndavana. The glory of Vraja, or Vrndavana, is the eternal pastimes of Their Lordships Sri-Sri-Radha-Krishna.
The whole world knows from the evidence of Vedic scriptures that the transcendental glories of Lord Krishna’s holy name are unlimited. However, in spite of these revelations, the people in general do not achieve the priceless jewel of pure love for Krishna, krsna-prema. Kindly consider what is the cause for this. For this paradox there is important spiritual truth, Conditioned fallen souls being overwhelmed by the material illusion are not able to comprehend. Worshipping Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, continuously for many, many births, a devotee sometimes may fail to achieve pure love for Krishna. This is most certainly because that devotee has accumulated piles of offenses in his devotional service. Being freed from all offenses, constantly chanting the holy name of Krishna. then one achieves continuous krsna-prema, or pure love for Krishna.
The symptoms of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabu’s incarnation into this material world are unique and different, because by the mercy of Lord Chaitanya the fallen souls are able to achieve pure love for Krishna in spite of so many offenses. Offenses cannot obstruct one who loudly chants the holy names of “Nitai! Chaitanya!” Rather, pure krsna-prema is searching for such devotees whose eyes are always filled with tears of pure love for Krishna.
Chanting the holy names of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His eternal associates, one’s offenses are quickly mitigated, and one’s heart becomes completely purified. Since the fallen souls of this Age of Kali are under the burden of unlimited offenses against the Supreme Lord, there is no hope for their deliverance except chanting glories of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Therefore, the emphatic proclamation of the Vedic literatures is that in this Kali-yuga there is no other alternative than to take shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu has risen like the rising moon in the sacred land of Navadvipa. Navadvipa Dhama is the topmost of all pilgrimage places, being the most merciful of all. In other places of pilgrimage, an offender is severely punished, but in Navadvipa offenses are always being forgiven. For example, consider the two brothers, Jagai and Madhai. Although they committed grievous offenses, ultimately they received the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda Prabhu. Yet, when even in Vraja dhama, the sacred place of Krishna’s pastimes, the offending demons are destroyed, there is no utility in discussing lesser places of pilgrimage. How will it be possible to be forgiven from offenses there? But in Navadvipa dhama, even if one commits hundreds and hundreds of offenses, by the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu one easily obtains deliverance, achieving the supreme destination. For that reason, the great sages sing again and again the glories of Navadvipa dhama situated in the ancient provinces of Gaudamondal (Northern India, or Bengal).
Similarly, my dear brothers, one who is a resident of Navadvipa dhama is the most fortunate of all because he gains ecstatic loving devotion for Krishna simply by residing there. What to speak about residing in Navadvipa, even if someone simply visits Navadvipa for some time, that person becomes freed from all offenses. “The sum total of all the pious results that one gets by making a pilgrimage to all of the holy places is achieved simply by remembering sacred Navadvipa dhama,” sing the Vedic hymns. If one is able to even see Navadvipa dhama, then that fortunate soul receives the priceless gift of pure love for Krishna birth after birth. Devotees who visit Navadvipa dhama without pure devotion, but rather desire various material fruits in reward for their pilgrimage to Navadvipa dhama are also blessed, for they shall never be forced to take birth as a human being again.
The glories of Navadvipa dhama are revealed in the Vedic literatures. If one is so fortunate to wander about the sacred lands of Navadvipa dhama, he achieves the pious results of millions of Asvamedha sacrifices at his every step. By sitting in silent meditation on the mantra given by the spiritual master in Navadvipa dhama, one is delivered without delay because Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally takes the form of the meditator’s mantra and delivers him. Therefore, in any other holy place what a yogi can achieve by performing various penances and austerities for a period of ten years can be achieved in Navadvipa by remaining for three nights. The liberation of brahma-jnana, or realization of the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth, that is achieved by residing in one of the various holy places of India, is achieved simply by taking one’s bath one time in the sacred Bhagirathi Ganges river in Navadvipa dhama. In Navadvipa dhama one may easily get any of the five types of liberation, namely salokya (living on the same planet as the Lord), sarupya (having a transcendental form sililar to the Lord’s), sarsti (having opulence almost equal with the Lord’s), samipya (living in direct transcendental association with the Lord), or nirvana (merging into the existence of the Lord), even without being very knowledgeable about the transcendental science. It is in Navadvipa dhama that by simply falling down at the lotus feet of a pure devotee of Krishna, one is elevated to such an exalted position that personified material benediction and liberation stand like maidservants at the door ready to render services. The pure devotees, however, are not interested in these two attendants, and instead they kick them to drive them away, but even then these maidservants cannot give up the transcendental association of the lotus feet of the pure devotees, and they remain there without fleeing. What is the use of visiting the seven holy tirthas, my dear brothers, when what one can achieve in a hundred years in those holy places can be achieved simply by spending one night in Navadvipa dhama?!
Considering above reasons, Navadvipa dhama is the topmost amongst all the sacred places of the Lord’s pastimes, and by taking shelter there in this Kali-yuga, age of Quarrel, the fallen souls in this universe get deliverance from the material bondage and go back to Godhead in pure Krishna consciousness. Thus Navadvipa dhama is perfectly rendering the greatest service to the residents of the dhama by bestowing upon them twin enlightenments: first, the cessation of all material miseries, and second, pure Krishna consciousness carrying one out of the material world back to the eternal abode of the Lord.
Praying to remain always in the cooling shade of the lotus feet of Their Lordships Sri-Sri-Nitai-Jahnava, always desiring Their mercy, that Bhaktivinode sings the glories of Navadvipa dhama, tasting nectar at every step.
