English
17 March 2024
Nawadwip Mandal Parikrama
Speaker: HG Istadev prabhu
HG Padmamali prabhu: Hare Krsna. For the past one week we have been getting darshan from different places of Sri Navadwip Dham by various senior devotees. As you all heard that Sri Nitai Gaura Sundar have appeared in Jhansi. It is a place dear to Srila Prabhupada.
HG Istadev prabhu: So yesterday night we spent in Madhyadwip. Godrumadwip and Madhyadwip are on the southern banks of River Ganges. Godrumadwip gets its name because of the pastimes with the cows that took place here. Madhyadwip gets its name because the golden complexioned Sri Gauranga appeared to the sages here during the Madhyan time (Noon).
Also, we get the darshan of Sri Hamsavahan dev here. Usually Hamsavahan is Brahma or Sarasvati. But here Hamsavahan is Shivji. Hamsavahan means one who is riding a swan. There is a place called Naimisharanya in Madhyadwip.
The main Naimisharanya is near Lucknow. Here in this Naimisharanya, Gaura Bhagavat Katha was going on. When Narada Muni informed Shiva ji about this, he felt that his vehicle, Nandi bull is too slow. So he rented Brahma's vehicle, swan so he could arrive for the Katha sooner.
There is a beautiful temple of Hamsavahan Shiva ji here. Then there is another temple nearby which is called Pushkar. We all know that there is Pushkar tirth, which is also called Tirthraj. A Brahmin desired to go to Pushkar from Navadwip, but was unable to go.
Because of his intense desire, Pushkar tirth personified appeared to him in his dream and said that I will appear in Navadwip. He also said that the actual Pushkar is my expansion, I personally reside here in Navadwip as the Supreme Lord Gauranga is going to appear here in this age of Kali. Now we are on the way to Kurukshetra. We see that all the pilgrim places have manifested here.
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
kim akurvata sañjaya (BG 1.1)
Translation: Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, desiring to fight, what did they do?
When we go further we will see meeting point of five rivers. Usually at the meeting point of rivers we do not get the darshan all the rivers. But here we get darshan of all five rivers namely Jalangi, Gomati, Alaknanda, Saraswati and Mandakini. Harihar Kshetra is here. Jagannath Puri is here. When we go to Modadrumdwip we see there Sri Sita Rama have played pastimes.
parama koruna, pahu dui jana
nitai gauracandra
saba avatara-sara siromani
kevala ananda-kanda (Param Karuna Pahu Dui Jana 1)
Translation: The two Lords, Nitai-Gauracandra, are very merciful. They are the essence of all incarnations. The specific significance of these incarnations is that They introduced a process of chanting and dancing that is simply joyful.
Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the essence of all the incarnations. We know that The original Krsna appears once in 1000 Chatur Yugas that make one day of Brahma. This time he has appeared in Dwaparyuga of the 28th Chatur yuga.
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66)
Translation: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
And this is the immediately following Kaliyuga. And Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appears in this age. He calls us to his abode in his previous incarnations. But how do we go?
Apani Acari Prabhu Jivere 1
āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikhāya
āpna vañcaka yei sei jirjane bhajāya
Translation: The Lord sets example Himself to teach the spirit souls. The one who performs nirjana bhajana simply cheats himself.
He personally came as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu to show us the path. We are walking on the highway and soon we will show you darshans of Sri Ganga Maiya soon. We are all devotees of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Gauranga Mahaprabhu).
(yadi) gaura nā hoito, tabe ki hoito,
kemane dharita de?
rādhāra mahimā, prema-rasa-sīmā,
jagate jānāta ke (Yadi Gaura Na Hoito 1)
Translation: If Lord Gaura had not appeared as the yuga-avatara in this age of Kali, then what would have become of us? How could we have tolerated living? Who in this universe would have ever learned about the topmost limits of loving mellows that comprise the glory of Sri Radha?
There is worship of the five deities in the scriptures. The worshipers of Vishnu are called Vaishnavas. The worshipers of Shiva are called Shaiva and the worshipers of Shakti Durga are called Shakta. Similarly the worshipers of Krsna are called Karshni. We are identified as Gaudiya Vaishnavas all over the world. We are the followers of Madhvacharya. They worship Krsna.
iṅhāra madhye rādhāra prema--'sādhya-śiromaṇi'
yāṅhāra mahimā sarva-śāstrete vākhāni (CC Madhya 8.98)
Translation: Among the loving affairs of the gopīs,” Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is topmost. Indeed, the glories of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī are highly esteemed in all revealed scriptures.
We in this line of Gaudiya Vaishnavism worship Sri Krsna along with Srimati Radharani.
antaḥ kṛṣṇaṁ bahir gauraṁ
darśitāṅgādi-vaibhavam
kalau saṅkīrtanādyaiḥ sma
kṛṣṇa-caitanyam āśritāḥ (CC adi 3.81)
Translation: I take shelter of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is outwardly of a fair
complexion but is inwardly Kṛṣṇa Himself. In this Age of Kali He displays His expansions [His aṅgas and
upāṅgas] by performing congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
Gaurangi - Srimati Radharani appears as Gauranga - Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Radha Rani Pranaam Mantra
tapta-kancana-gaurangi, radhe vrindavanesvari.
vrishabhanu-sute devi, pranamami hari-priye.
Translation: I offer my respects to Radharani, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrindavana. You are the daughter of King Vrisabhanu, and You are very dear to Lord Krishna.
Krsna has instructed this in Bhagavad Gita.
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ (BG 18.65)
Translation: Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
But then he personally came to show us. This region that I am showing is the Dharmaksetra Kurukshetra. This has been declared by Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur. Now we are going down on the banks of Sri Ganga maiya. This is the panchaveni, the meeting of five rivers. This bridge is called the Gauranga setu.
You can have darshan and mentally take a bath in the very holy meeting point of the five holy rivers. Several devotees have arrived from different parts of the world to be a part of this wonderful Navadwip mandal parikrama.
You are all so fortunate also, to be able to get darshan of all these places and all the devotees sitting at home. The nine islands of Navadwip depict the nine forms of bhakti. Simantadwip shows Sravanam. Godrumadwip shows kirtanam and Madhyadwip shows Smaranam.
nadiya-godrume nityananda mahajana
patiyache nama-hatta jibera karana (Nadiya Godrume 1)
Translation: In the land of Nadiya, on the island of Godruma, the magnanimous Lord Nityananda has opened up the Marketplace of the Holy Name, meant for the deliverance of all fallen souls.
This place gives Bhakti, the dham showers mercy on all the visitors. This is called the Audarya Dham, the most magnanimous holy place.
Now HH Radharaman Swami Maharaj will give a class here. This is the most auspicious place to sit and hear katha on the banks of meeting point of five rivers. That too from a pure devotee of the Lord.
Hare Krsna!
