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Date : 27 June 2026 Title : The Dahi Chida Festival of Panihati — The Sweet Punishment of Nityananda Prabhu Nitai Gaur Premanande hari haribol Today is a special day. Today is Panihati Dahi Chida Festival. Since 1516, 510 years ago on this day, Sri Nityananda Prabhu was in Panihati. It was a village then; now it is a town. Nityananda Prabhu celebrated the Dahi Chida festival. Akrodha Paramananda Nityananda Raya by Srila Lochana Dasa Thakura akrodha paramananda nityananda raya abhimana-sunya nitai nagare bedaya Translation – Lord Nityananda Raya never gets angry. He is always in ecstasy, supreme bliss. He has no false ego. He wanders to every town and village in Nadia, chanting Hare Krishna, dancing, and offering Krishna-prema to everyone indiscriminately. The noble Lord Nityananda is never angry. He does not share anger with anyone; He only shares bliss (happiness) with everyone. He is the personification of supreme transcendental bliss. Devoid of any concept of false ego, Nitai wanders about the town. adhama patita jiver dvare dvare giya hari-nama maha-mantra dicchen bilaiya Translation – Sri Nitai goes to every doorstep and knocks on the door, 'Tap! Tap! Tap!' He goes to those who are very much distressed, degraded, and fallen. He gives them Krishna-prema. He says, "Please Chant! Please Chant!": hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare Going from door to door in the residences of the most fallen and wretched souls, He freely distributes the gift of the Hari-nama Mahamantra. jare dekhe tare kohe dante trna dhori' amare kiniya loho bolo gaura-hari Translation – Whomever He meets, catching a straw between His teeth, He begs, "O Brothers! Please do the bhajana of Sri Gaurahari and purchase Me, purchase Me, purchase Me." He is so humble; there is nothing to measure it. "Whatever I give, please accept it and do bhajana of Gauranga." He exclaims to whomever He sees while holding a straw between His teeth, "Please purchase me by worshipping Gaurahari!" eto boli' nityananda bhume gadi jay sonara parvata jeno dhulate lotay Translation – Saying this, Lord Nityananda rolls on the ground in the dust, cries, and sheds tears, looking like a mountain of gold rolling on the ground. Saying thus, Nityananda Prabhu rolls about on the ground, and He would be adorned with dust. He is a mountain of gold covered by dust, appearing like a golden mountain tumbling in the dust in the sunlight. heno avatare jar rati na janmilo locan bole sei papi elo ar gelo Translation – "Such a merciful incarnation is Lord Nityananda. If someone does not develop love for such an incarnation as Sri Nityananda Rama, Locana says: 'Such a sinful person wastes his life, remaining in the cycle of birth and death. He cannot be delivered.'" Locana Dasa Thakura says, "Whoever has not experienced the awakening of affection for such an avatara as Nityananda Prabhu — that sinful person simply comes and goes uselessly in the cycle of repeated birth and death." Just like we say in Marathi, "Ala ani gela." This is very simple. Nityananda Prabhu Himself went to Panihati; Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had sent Him from Jagannath Puri. Nityananda Prabhu also had the twelve cowherd boys (Dvādaśa Gopāla) — from Krishna Balaram leela, these associates also came with Nityananda Prabhu to Panihati. Nityananda Prabhu sat on a throne and His associates performed dancing. There, for 3 months, there was only akhanda ( continuous) kirtan day and night. The kirtan that happened in Panihati at that time was so mesmerizing and divine that nothing like it had happened in ages and will not happen again. Only Nityananda Prabhu and His associates performed such effulgent kirtan, which is beyond this world. In Goloka-Navadwip Mandal there is always such kirtan, and it also happened on this earth by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu — going on continuously for 3 months without any stopping. In Chaitanya Bhagavat, Vrindavan Das Thakura says: vṛkṣera upara ḍāle chaṛe, pāte pāte beṛāya, tathāpi nāhi paṛe. Translation – "It climbs upon the branches of a tree, wanders from leaf to leaf, yet it never falls." Nityananda Prabhu performed kirtan not only on the earth but also on the trees and branches — His associates would climb up and perform kirtan there. Everyone would chant and then jump, performing kirtan from tree to tree, shouting "Hari Bol!" during the jumps. Sometimes they would take branches of trees instead of kartal and use them as instruments during kirtan, or use them like dandiya. Some made the branches into flutes and played during kirtan. Someone was rolling on the earth. Everyone was performing siddhis, becoming lighter than the lightest — the law of gravitation was not working there. Every tree of Panihati was being shaken by these associates of Nityananda Prabhu, until Raghav Pandit came and said, "Enough is enough now, stop it!" He and his sister Damayanti would make meals for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Panihati. I also had a disciple named Damayanti, and she used to come to this Panihati Mahotsav. CC Antya 6.44 gaṅgā-tīre vṛkṣa-mūle piṇḍāra upare vasiyāchena yena koṭī sūryodaya kare Translation – Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityananda seemed as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns. CC Antya 6.45 tale upare bahu-bhakta hañāche veṣṭita dekhi' prabhura prabhāva raghunātha vismita Translation – Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa was astonished. CC Antya 6.46 dandavat hañā sei padilā kata-dūre sevaka kahe, 'raghunatha dandavat kare' Translation – Raghunātha dāsa offered his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityananda Prabhu pointed out, "There is Raghunātha dāsa, offering You obeisances." CC Antya 6.47 śuni' prabhu kahe, "corā dili daraśana āya, āya, āji tora karimu dandana" Translation – Hearing this, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu said, "You are a thief. Now you have come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you!" CC Antya 6.48 prabhu bolāya, tenho nikaṭe nā kare gamana ākarṣiyā tāṅra māthe prabhu dharilā caraṇa Translation – The Lord called him, but Raghunātha dāsa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunātha dāsa's head. CC Antya 6.51 dadhi, cidā bhakṣaṇa karāha mora gaṇe" śuni' ānandita haila raghunatha mane Translation – "Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice." Hearing this, Raghunātha dāsa was greatly pleased. "Feed all of My associates dahi chida" — this was Nityananda Prabhu's punishment. He knew Raghunath Das was the son of a rich person from Saptagram. I have visited Panihati many times. Last year on this day I was in Panihati. I also visited the village and house of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. Govardhan Mujumdar was his father — a big landlord, very rich. Nityananda Prabhu was punishing this landlord's son. If a person keeps more wealth than he needs, he receives punishment. Raghunātha dāsa immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase all kinds of eatables and bring them back. Raghunātha dāsa brought chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sweetmeats, sugar, bananas, and other eatables, and placed them all around. As soon as they heard that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brāhmaṇas and other gentlemen began to arrive. Thus there were innumerable people. Seeing the crowd increasing, Raghunātha dāsa arranged to get more eatables from other villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round earthen pots. He also obtained five to seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a brāhmaṇa began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lord Nityānanda. Lord Nityananda made Rāghava Pandita sit down and had two pots delivered to him as well. There were two kinds of chipped rice soaked in them. Just as Sudama served poha (flattened rice) to Krishna, Raghunath Das Goswami served chipped rice to Lord Nityananda. CC Antya 6.77 sakala-lokera cidā pūrṇa yabe ha-ila dhyāne tabe prabhu mahāprabhure ānila Translation – When chipped rice had been served to everyone, Lord Nityananda Prabhu, in meditation, brought Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. CC Antya 6.78 mahāprabhu āilā dekhi' nitāi uthilā tāṅre lañā sabāra cidā dekhite lāgilā Translation – When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived, Lord Nityananda Prabhu stood up. They then saw how the others were enjoying the chipped rice with yogurt and condensed milk. So everyone started opening their shops of milk, rice, yogurt, dry fruits, etc., and they asked for money in exchange for the ingredients. Raghunath Das Goswami was making a list to provide each shopkeeper their payment. Every shopkeeper was also taking free prasad, and Raghunath Das Goswami thought, "This is a Maharaja's thali — there is a difference!" But this was not normal business; it was a business of love. And there was also the kirtan of — Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare CC Antya 20.18 khāite śuite yathā tathā nāma laya Translation – "Regardless of time or place, one who chants the holy name, even while eating or sleeping, attains all perfection." Keep chanting even while eating or sleeping. And where Nityananda Prabhu dances, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also appears. CC Antya 6.79 sakala kundīra holnāra cidāra eka eka grāsa mahāprabhura mukhe dena kari' parihāsa Translation – From each and every pot, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu took one morsel of chipped rice and pushed it into the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a joke. Nityananda Prabhu had invited Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in His mind through meditation, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came. Nityananda Prabhu showed the great festival happening before Him and was feeding Chaitanya Mahaprabhu one morsel of chipped rice. CC Antya 6.80 hāsi' mahāprabhu āra eka grāsa lañā tāṅra mukhe diyā khāoyāya hāsiyā hāsiyā Translation – Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, also smiling, took a morsel of food, pushed it into the mouth of Nityānanda, and laughed as He made Lord Nityānanda eat it. When a servant brought betel nuts and offered them to Lord Nityananda, the Lord smiled and chewed them. With His own hands, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu distributed to all the devotees whatever flower garlands, sandalwood pulp, and betel nuts remained. After receiving the remnants of food left by Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa, who was greatly happy, ate some and distributed the rest among his own associates. Thus the pastimes of Lord Nityananda Prabhu in relation to the celebrated festival of chipped rice and yogurt have been described. Nityānanda Prabhu rested for the day, and when the day ended He went to the temple of Rāghava Pandita and began congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Lord Nityananda Prabhu first influenced all the devotees to dance, and finally He Himself began dancing, thus inundating the entire world in ecstatic love. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was observing the dancing of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu could see this, but the others could not. CC Antya 6.133 mora māthe pada dhari' karaha prasāda nirvighne caitanya-pāṅ — kara āśīrvāda Translation – "Placing Your feet on my head, give me the benediction that I may achieve the shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu without difficulty. I pray for this benediction." Raghunātha dāsa did not merely ask for blessings — he specifically prayed: "Place Your lotus feet upon my head and bless me so that I may attain Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu without obstacles." Nityānanda Prabhu fulfilled this literally. Namacharya Srila Haridas Thakur was staying in Saptagram, so Raghunath Das Goswami had received his association. He took inspiration from him and that is how he became motivated; he had also developed detachment from his family. He then went to Shantipur, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also went to Shantipur after taking sanyas at the same time. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the young Raghunath Das were together for 7 days, along with many other devotees. He also wanted to go with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Jagannath Puri from Shantipur, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stopped Raghunath Das Goswami and ordered him to go home — "Do not be so excited." Raghunath Das Goswami went home and became a grihastha. But he always wanted to stay with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; however, with the presence of his family and relatives, he could not manage it. Somehow he came from Saptagram to Panihati, and now he is receiving the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. And now he will get Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Here Nityananda Prabhu is performing the role of adi guru. yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam Translation – By the satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master. Jagannath Puri Dham ki jay! Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay! This is the tree under which Nityananda Prabhu sat and organised the Panihati Dahi Chida festival. I have visited this place many times. Srila Prabhupada also visited Panihati, and it was his wish that ISKCON must have a grand temple in Panihati village. Due to the exclusive efforts of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj, we now have a temple in Panihati Gram, and ISKCON is established there. This place is also called Dand Mahotsav Sthali. Gandhiji, Ramkrishna Paramhans, Subhas Chandra Bose — all these great personalities also went there. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also visited there and asked, "What is the name of this nagar?" This nagar is now named Kaun Nagar — "Which Town." We can see it from ISKCON, the Kaun Nagar. CC Antya 2.34–35 śacīra mandire, āra nityānanda-nartane śrīvāsa-kīrtane, āra rāghava-bhavane ei cari thāñi prabhura sadā 'āvirbhāva' premākṛṣṭa haya, prabhura sahaja svabhāva Translation – Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu always appeared in four places: in the household temple of mother Śacī, in the places where Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu danced, in the house of Śrīvāsa Pandita during congregational chanting, and in the house of Rāghava Pandita. He appeared because of His attraction to the love of His devotees. That is His natural characteristic. In this Raghav Bhavan, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is always present. When the meal is prepared by Raghav Pandit, Radha Rani comes to prepare the meal — that is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu always stays there. His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj has named Atlanta the "New Panihati Village." I and His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj have celebrated the Dahi Chida festival in New Panihati Village. In every ISKCON temple we are celebrating the Dahi Chida festival today, so I order you all on behalf of Sri Nityananda Prabhu — please celebrate this festival of Dahi Chida at your home as well. Invite other devotees and have the feast together. Invite everyone, dance, chant, eat prasad, and enjoy the festival. Gaur Premanande Haribol!

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