English
Japa Talk by H.H Lokanath Goswami Maharaj
Date: 26-06-2026
Main Theme: Importance of Panihati
Sub-Heading: Prayers and Obeisances to the Spiritual Master
Hare Krishna. First of all, I offer my respectful and humble obeisances at the lotus feet of His Holiness Param Pujya Lokanath Swami Guru Maharaj. It is by Guru Maharaj's blessings that whenever he comes here, we receive a renewed spiritual energy, a fresh vigor, and a novel enthusiasm in our devotional service. The sheer enthusiasm with which Guru Maharaj leads the congregational chanting and the enthusiasm with which he meets the devotees is highly instructive in itself.
If I may say so without exaggeration, if His Holiness Srila Bhakticharu Swami Guru Maharaj were present here, the exact same feeling that used to arise comes to us when Guru Maharaj comes here. All glories to Srila Lokanath Swami Guru Maharaj! Now, it is the instruction of Guru Maharaj that I speak on the glories of Panihati Dham. He kindly told me that I am a saint. Well, I am far from being a saint; it is only by the blessing of Guru Maharaj that one can hope to become a true devotee. I possess no personal spiritual realizations. However, it is the order of Guru Maharaj that something be spoken here.
Sub-Heading: The Four Eternal Residences of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
The village of Panihati is one of the four absolute places where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu resides eternally. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continuously manifests His presence in four specific locations: Sachi Mandir, Srivasa Angan, Nityananda Nartane, and Raghav Bhavan.
Thus, the pastimes of Raghav Pandit are highly elevated. Many of you have heard of these pastimes, and several devotees present here have taken darshan of this holy place, while many others must have heard about it. Still, I will briefly summarize it. Raghav Pandit was an exceptionally pure and unalloyed devotee of the Supreme Lord, and he took his birth here. In Krishna-lila, he was Dhanistha Gopi, who appeared in Gaura-lila as Raghav Pandit. Furthermore, Phumala Manjari from Krishna-lila appeared in Gaura-lila as his sister, Srimati Damayanti. Thus, they were brother and sister, and their birthplace was this historic Raghav Bhavan.
His grandfather had originally come to this region; he was a Brahmin from Kannauj named Ganga Prasad Chaturvedi. When he arrived here, he was once traveling by a boat along with young boys and girls. Then, during the night, the Supreme Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Retrieve Me from the banks of the Ganges." When he went to the riverbank the following morning, he saw that the beautiful deities of Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan were standing there. That is how his grandfather established the worship of Radha Madan Mohan.
Subsequently, his son Devi Prasad Chaturvedi was born, who also used to play with the Lord, converse with Him, and offer bhoga directly to the responsive Lord. Raghav Pandit was his son.
Sub-Heading: The Transcendental Cooking of Raghav Pandit
He is a very famous devotee, and in the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, specifically in the Madhya-Lila, Chapter 15, there is a vivid description of how Raghav Pandit used to offer bhoga to the Lord. We discussed this topic in our previous sessions and we revisit it frequently. In fact, during a previous class or the one before that, I casually mentioned that I have repeated this narrative 3,000 times! Later, a devotee pointed out to me that my mathematical calculation was wrong and it was actually 300 times instead of 3,000—I had accidentally added an extra zero! Regardless, it is my absolute good fortune that I get to repeat this narrative of the pastime repeatedly.
The historical facts of the pastime will remain absolute and unchanging; however, the more we speak Hari-Katha, the more our hearts are purified. The more we chant the holy name, the more our hearts are cleansed. Just as our Guru Maharaj, Srila Lokanath Swami, has performed congregational chanting for so many years across the globe, it is practically impossible to pinpoint which specific kirtan of his is the most melodious. Every single kirtan of his is sweet; wherever he has chanted, it is divine. Similarly, no matter how many times Hari-Katha is repeated, it remains ever-sweet.
Raghav Pandit would cook exclusively for the pleasure of the Lord, and you can read about his standard of cooking in the authorized teachings. When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Raghav Bhavan, He was so pleased that He placed His divine lotus feet upon the head of Gadadhara Das, who is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani's effulgence. This underscores the immense sanctity of this place.
Sub-Heading: The Out-of-Season Flowering at Raghav Bhavan
When Sri Nityananda Prabhu arrived here at Panihati, an extraordinary pastime took place. I will detail how Nityananda Prabhu arrived at Panihati later, but let me conclude this portion regarding Raghav Bhavan first. Many pastimes occurred at Raghav Bhavan. When Nityananda Prabhu arrived. He once requested, "Perform My Abhisheka." Raghav Pandit immediately brought sacred Ganges water, pure milk, and various auspicious ingredients to perform the ritual bathing of Lord Nityananda. Following the completion of the ritual, Nityananda Prabhu expressed a unique desire: "I wish to wear a garland made of fresh Kadamba flowers." Raghav Pandit replied, "My Lord, it is currently not the season for Kadamba trees to bloom. Where can I possibly find a Kadamba garland for You at this time?" Nityananda Prabhu replied, "Look, by the mercy of Lord Krishna, absolutely anything is possible."
Raghav Pandit stepped outside into the courtyard where a Jambura (citrus/pomelo) tree was growing. To his amazement, the branches of that citrus tree were fully blooming with fragrant Kadamba flowers! Imagine what is impossible by the mercy of the Lord. Raghav Pandit immediately gathered those flowers, wove a garland, and placed it around the neck of Lord Nityananda. Such are the wonderful pastimes of Raghav Bhavan.
Sub-Heading: Scriptural Traditions and Global Management
Raghav Bhavan holds deep significance for our recent lineage of teachers and preceptors as well. Srila Prabhupada visited this holy site two to three times. Furthermore, whenever Sri Sri Tamal Krishna Swami Maharaj resided in Kolkata and it was the day of Ekadashi, he would visit the Samadhi of Raghav Pandit, above which two sacred creepers have been intertwined for over 500 years. He would sit under those ancient creepers and perform intense chanting of the holy names for hours at a time.
Similarly, Param Pujya Jayapataka Swami Maharaj made it a rule to visit Raghav Bhavan to break his Ekadashi fast on Dvadashi. When His Holiness Srila Bhakticharu Swami Maharaj visited this temple, the traditional caretakers of the property were so moved that they offered, "Maharaj, we are willing to hand over the management of this entire historic temple to you, on one condition—you must permanently reside here." Srila Bhakticharu Swami gracefully declined, explaining, "No, I am a traveling sanyasi, my duty is to travel the entire world to preach, so residing permanently in one location is not possible for me." Thus, our lineage has always revered this site.
A remarkable tradition continues to this day. Before the world-famous Ratha Yatra festival begins in Jagannath Puri, on the specific day of Netrotsava, the food offerings presented to Lord Jagannath inside the Gambhira originate directly from Raghav Bhavan here in Panihati. An entire railway cargo compartment is booked specifically to transport this sanctified bhoga from Panihati to Puri on the day of Netrotsava, and the next day the Ratha Yatra begins. This ancient tradition remains fully functional. Thus, the beautiful pastimes of Raghav Bhavan and Raghav Pandit are extraordinary.
All these profound pastimes have now been thoroughly documented in our new literature. This is the updated edition of "The Glorious History of Panihati", now formally printed and published globally by Golden Age Media. Previously, we used to publish this literature locally, which limited our distribution range. Now, with a professional publisher, the book has been successfully released in English and has also been translated into Tamil. Our team is currently working on the Hindi and Bengali editions to expand its distribution because a lot of work has been done and is ongoing on this project.
This systematic work is vital because it directly fulfills the spiritual vision of Srila Prabhupada. Before ISKCON secured its current land in Sridham Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada explicitly expressed a desire, saying, "Panihati is such an incredibly beautiful and sacred place that I wish to establish the global headquarters of ISKCON right here." This shows how deeply our Acarya valued this holy ground, and when you visit, you will witness its pristine environment.
Sub-Heading: The Absolute Principle of Following the Guru's Instructions
Why did Panihati achieve such immense global renown? Historically, Lord Nityananda Prabhu would annually lead large groups of Bengali devotees to Jagannath Puri to obtain the darshan of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. However, during one such visit, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave a confidential instruction to Nityananda Prabhu. Mahaprabhu said, "Do not travel here to Puri every single year. The spiritual work of delivering the conditioned souls in Bengal, which is highly complex and difficult for Me, can be easily executed by You."
Srila Prabhupada clarifies this in his purports: Going to Jagannath Puri merely to see the Deity can sometimes descend into a subtle form of personal sense gratification. If one abandons an active opportunity to preach the glories of the holy name just to enjoy the peaceful vision of the Deity, it can deviate from pure service. This raises a deep theological question. Can beholding Lord Jagannath be categorized as sense gratification? What then constitutes pure devotional service? The absolute definition of bhakti is unconditional adherence to the order of the Spiritual Master.
One might be executing an authorized limb of devotional service, but if that action directly contradicts the immediate instruction of the Guru, it will not yield the highest spiritual benediction. Full spiritual empowerment is achieved exclusively through direct alignment with the Guru's desire. As stated in the scriptures:
yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
Translation:
Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Supreme Lord and the spiritual master, all the confidential imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed. (ŚU 6.23)
Sub-Heading: The Analytical Example of Aruni
To illustrate this absolute principle of obedience, the ancient histories narrate the famous story of the disciple Aruni. His spiritual master once ordered him to go out to the fields because the retaining dirt wall of the field had broken, causing vital water to drain out. When he arrived at the site, there was a heavy current of water flowing out and he tried everything within his power to plug the breach. He used mud, logs, stones, bricks, and mortar, but the current of the water was too powerful and washed everything away. Realizing that he was failing to fulfill his guru's command, Aruni made a definitive choice: he laid his own body down across the breach to act as a dam, effectively stopping the water flow with his torso.
When night fell and Aruni had not returned to the hermitage, the spiritual master became deeply concerned and led the other disciples into the fields, calling out, "Aruni! Where are you?" From the darkness, Aruni weakly replied, "My Gurudev, I am lying down here at the field's edge." When the guru discovered him, he was deeply moved.
Now, if you analyze the classical texts, there is absolutely no mention of how many tons of crops were saved that year, nor is there any mathematical calculation of the exact cubic meters of water Aruni managed to conserve. The scriptures do not care about the material economics of that water or how much crop production increased. Aruni is immortalized as a foundational icon of success purely because he chose to execute the order of his Guru. That absolute surrender is the essence of true austerity and bhakti.
Sub-Heading: Lord Nityananda's Direct Distribution of Love of Godhead
Strictly following the command of Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu returned to Bengal, and the very first geographic location He chose to anchor Himself was here in Panihati. He resided here continuously for three months. The Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata written by Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur asserts that the scale of congregational chanting unleashed by Nityananda Prabhu during those three months was so profound that in the future, Srila Vyasadeva himself would have to manifest again to fully document those pastimes. Commenting on this statement, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura notes in his commentary that "Vyasadeva reappearing" signifies that the pure sub-lineage and empowered followers of Vyasadeva would write books on this glory—and indeed, those books are in our hands today.
When we organize spiritual programs today, we normally follow a structured framework: we evaluate the background of the newcomers, check if they follow Sanatan Dharma, analyze if they understand the demigods, or customize our approach depending on whether they are students or householders. Even Srila Prabhupada, while journeying to America aboard the Jaladuta, prayed, "O Lord, I do not know how I will make them understand your message, please grant me the intelligence to convey this aesthetic mellow (rasa) to them."
However, who is Nityananda Prabhu? He is the original Spiritual Master, Lord Balaram Himself. His preaching methodology at Panihati completely bypassed conventional material formulas or shortcuts. He stood on the banks of the Ganges, and as far as His divine vision could see, He unconditionally distributed pure love of Godhead to everyone. He completely disregarded material qualifications, disqualifications, eligibility, or unworthiness. It was a direct, unfiltered distribution of the highest spiritual platform.
Sub-Heading: The Arrival of Raghunath Das Gosvami
During this period, news reached the young Raghunath Das Gosvami that Lord Nityananda had arrived at Panihati. Raghunath Das lived across the Ganges in a historic locality known as Adi Saptagram, which 500 years ago functioned as a prominent international port city akin to Porbandar in Gujarat, welcoming massive merchant ships for global trade.
Raghunath Das was the son of Govardhan Majumdar and the nephew of Hiranya Majumdar—multimillionaire landlords of that era. The Chaitanya-charitamrta records that their annual gold revenue was a staggering 1.2 million gold coins. If someone had that wealth today, it would require multiple secure bank accounts! Despite being the sole heir to this unimaginable aristocratic fortune, Raghunath Das crossed the Ganges, using the exact ghat located right next to our present temple. From a distance, he looked at Lord Nityananda sitting majestically under a banyan tree surrounded by His associates, and out of deep humility, Raghunath Das prostrated himself on the ground to offer his respects. For this reason, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura formally named our specific temple land as "Raghunath's Pranami Sthal" (The Site of Raghunath’s Obeisances).
Lord Nityananda Prabhu, spotting him from a distance, loudly called out, "You are a thief! Come here right now!" Why did He call him a thief? Because if anyone attempts to bypass the authorized spiritual master, the senior Vaishnavas, and the community of devotees to reach Lord Krishna directly, Krishna will reject them. Such an attempt is spiritually fraudulent. Lord Nityananda brought Raghunath close and placed His divine lotus feet directly onto Raghunath’s head. Devotees often scramble desperately, sometimes even knocking each other over, just to touch the feet of a guru or a sadhu. But real mercy depends entirely on your internal consciousness. Raghunath's internal consciousness was saturated with the pure mood of unalloyed service. When the Lord observes an authentic desire to serve, He voluntarily bestows His mercy and places His feet on the disciple's head without any external struggle.
Sub-Heading: The Pastime of the Chida-Dahi Mahotsav
As a "punishment" for his thievery, Lord Nityananda commanded Raghunath Das, "Since you are an exceptionally wealthy man's son, your punishment is to immediately feed flat rice and yogurt to all My associates and devotees present here." Raghunath Das was overjoyed by this command. He immediately dispatched his servants to purchase massive quantities of chipped flat rice, fresh milk, yogurt, and condensed milk. They prepared two distinct main preparations: one mixed thoroughly with rich yogurt (Chida-Dahi) and the other cooked with thick condensed milk (Chida-Rabri). To these, they added ripe mangoes, fresh bananas, grated coconut, premium dried fruits, pure ghee, and a precise pinch of edible camphor. The camphor is added because mixing these ingredients by hand can induce rapid fermentation; the camphor acts as a natural preservative, expanding its shelf-life so it doesn’t spoil within the hour.
When the feast was arranged in clay pots, Lord Nityananda sat down and entered into a deep meditation. Instantly, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu mystically manifested His physical presence there from Jagannath Puri! Nobody else could see Mahaprabhu except Nityananda Prabhu and a few highly elevated souls. Nityananda Prabhu took a morsel of Chida-Dahi and placed it directly into Mahaprabhu's mouth, and Mahaprabhu reciprocated by feeding Nityananda Prabhu. They joyfully walked around the entire gathering, tasting the preparations directly from the clay pots of the unsuspecting devotees.
Since Nityananda Prabhu is the Supersoul dwelling within everyone's heart, he sent a spiritual invitation across the region. Word spread instantly, and thousands of people flocked to the banks of the Ganges. The crowds became so massive that the entire area was packed, and people had to stand neck-deep inside the waters of the Ganges, holding their clay pots of Chida-Dahi above their heads to honor the prasadam! This exact historical scene is replicated in our consciousness every single year. While the general public colloquially calls this event the "Danda Mahotsav", the classical scriptural name found in the Chaitanya-charitamrta, Antya-Lila, Chapter 6, Verse 100 is explicitly stated as follows:
ei ta’ kahiluṅ nityānandera vihāra
‘ciḍā-dadhi-mahotsava’-nāme khyāti yāra
Translation:
This pastime of Lord Nityananda Prabhu is celebrated as the Chida-Dahi Mahotsav. Its glorious reputation spread rapidly in all four directions. (CC Antya 6.100)
Sub-heading: Five-Day Expansion of the Contemporary Festival
Since the year 2018, our temple management has systematically expanded this celebration into a grand 5-day festival.
• Day 1 (Ganga Saptami): We commenced with a formal Ganga Safari and Ganga Puja. We chartered a large boat on the Ganges river along with prominent senior monks like His Holiness Bhakti Prema Swami Maharaj and His Holiness Bhakti Govindananda Swami Maharaj, traveling all the way down to the historic Khidirpur Dock—the exact location from which Srila Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta steamship to sail to America. The entire river journey was filled with deep scriptural discourses, vibrant kirtan, and prasadam distribution.
• Day 2 (Yesterday): We celebrated a massive Food Festival. The devotees prepared 35 to 40 entirely distinct culinary preparations, and over 1,100 devotees sat together to honor the feast, making it a spectacular success.
• Day 3 (Today): Today is the highly auspicious tithi of Nirjala Ekadashi. We are conducting a Shravan Utsav (Festival of Spiritual Hearing). Highly qualified speakers like Ananga Mohan Prabhu, Padma Netra Prabhu, Kamalapati Prabhu, Bhakti Prema Swami Maharaj, and Bhakti Saranga Maharaj will deliver comprehensive spiritual discourses today.
• Day 4 (Tomorrow): Tomorrow will be the main Danda Mahotsav (Chida-Dahi Festival).
Every single year, our attendance numbers are growing exponentially. Millions of pilgrims and travelers enter the town. Within our campus alone, we have prepared arrangements to feed over 5,000 devotees simultaneously. However, balancing the incoming and outgoing flow of such a crowd depends entirely on the will of the Supreme Lord.
Many of you have witnessed the massive crowds that gather at Pandharpur during the Ashadi Ekadashi festival. Now, imagine taking that entire sea of humanity, compressing it, and packing it inside a tight, limited urban space—that is exactly what happens here tomorrow. [00:20:49] I can guarantee that any preconceived notions you hold regarding what constitutes a large crowd will be completely shattered once you step into our venue tomorrow. You will literally see nothing but a dense grid of human heads as far as the eye can see. Amidst this intense environment, we receive the rare opportunity to serve thousands of visiting Vaishnavas.
Sub-Heading : Technical Arrangements and Concluding Appeals
Therefore, I sincerely request all of you to join your hands and collectively pray for us, asking the Supreme Lord to let tomorrow's festival conclude smoothly without any material hindrances or accidents. In the past, Param Pujya Lokanath Swami Guru Maharaj would physically attend this event, but because the crowd has grown dangerously dense and his health is currently delicate, he is monitoring it remotely. Wherever you are currently situated globally on this holy day of Nirjala Ekadashi (or Dvadashi/Maha-Dvadashi depending on your local lunar calendar alignment), please bless our team.
Managing this crowd requires intensive administrative coordination; the local government administration and the police department have enforced highly strict security protocols and structural cordons to assist us. Yet, we know that without the internal mercy of the Vaishnavas, no material arrangement can ensure success. For the last three days, the region has been hit by torrential rainfall. When we were out on the Ganges river for the Safari, the devotees collectively prayed, "O Lord, please pause the rain during this boat journey, otherwise the pilgrims will fall sick and face nausea and vomiting," as had occurred during a previous wet festival. The moment the Vaishnavas offered that sincere prayer, the rain stopped, and our journey concluded flawlessly. This proves that everything operates on devotion.
Panihati is so structurally significant that Srila Prabhupada named his major temple project in America as "New Panihati Dham" (Atlanta, USA), arguing that if there can be a New York or a New England, there must be a New Vrindavan, a New Mayapur, and a New Panihati.
Furthermore, when Srila Prabhupada visited this town originally, a local traditional Brahmin presented him with a rare, highly potent Shaligram Shila. Srila Prabhupada later handed over that specific Janardan Shaligram Shila to Param Pujya Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, instructing him to place it at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Madhav in Mayapur. It was this historical event at Panihati that formally introduced the structural system of Shaligram worship within our entire international society.
The site is highly accessible, located just 45 minutes away from the Kolkata International Airport, 25 minutes from the Sealdah Railway Station, and roughly 35 to 40 minutes from the Howrah Railway Station. Offering my repeated respects at the feet of all assembled devotees, I conclude this session.
Concluding Shouts of Victory (Jaya-Dhwani)
Conclusion
All glories to the congregational chanting of the Holy Name!
All glories to the village of Panihati!
All glories to Raghunath Das Gosvami!
All glories to Raghav Pandit Prabhu!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Param Pujya Guru Maharaj!
Hare Krishna.
