Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma Māhātmya – Chapter Eighteen

jaya jaya śrī-gaurāṅga śacira nandana
jaya padmāvatī-suta jāhnavā-jīvana [1]

All glory to the son of Śacī, Śrī Gaurāṅga, and the son of Padmāvatī, the life of Jāhnavā!

jaya sītāpati jaya jaya gadādhara
jaya śrīvāsādi yata gaura-parikara [2]

All glory to Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa, and all the associates of the Lord!

śuniyā jīvera praśna nityānanda-rāya
balena nigūḍha tattva vaiṣṇava-sabhāya [3]

Hearing Jīva’s question, Nityānanda Rāya explained a highly confidential truth in the assembly of Vaiṣṇavas.

“śuna jīva vṛndāvana navadvīpa-dhāma
ajasra ānandamaya jīvera viśrāma [4]

“O Jīva, listen! Vṛndāvana Dhāma and Navadvīpa Dhāma are shelters for countless joyful souls.

śuddha-jīva-gaṇa jaḍā-prakṛtira pāra
sadā vāsa kare hethā kṛṣṇa-paribāra [5]

“Pure souls are beyond material nature; they reside here in the Dhāma eternally as associates of Kṛṣṇa.

ei dhāma nitya-dhāma viśuddha cinmaya
jaḍa-deśa-kāla hethā pāya parājaya [6]

“The Dhāma is eternal, pure, and spiritual. Material time and space are suppressed here.

e dhāmera deśa-kāla cid-ānandamaya
jaḍa-dharma viparyaya sadā lakṣya haya [7]

“Time and space in the Dhāma are spiritual and joyful. Everything here always appears the opposite of material nature.

gṛha-dvārā nada-nadī kānana catvara
cinmaya sakala jāna ati manohara [8]

“Know that all the homes, gates, rivers, streams, forests, and courtyards here are spiritual and extremely beautiful.

sei ta ānanda-dhāma prakṛtira pāra
acintya kṛṣṇera śakti parama udāra [9]

“This is the abode of joy beyond material nature, the grand manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable energy.

sei śakti-krame dhāma hethā avatāra
jīvera nistāra janya kṛṣṇa-icchā-sāra [10]

“Kṛṣṇa’s greatest desire is for the souls’ deliverance, and thus the Dhāma has descended here by Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable energy.

dhāma madhye kabhu nahe jaḍa avasthiti
jaḍa-baddha jīva nāhi pāya hethā gati [11]

“Matter is never present within the Dhāma, and conditioned souls do not receive entrance here.

dhāmera upare jaḍa-māyā pāti’ jāla
ācchādiyā rākhe ei dhāma cira-kāla [12]

“The material energy spreads a covering over the Dhāma and keeps it covered forever.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya yāra nāhika sambandha
jālera upare vāsa kare sei andha [13]

“Souls who have no relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya blindly reside on the surface of this covering.

mane bhāve, ‘āmi āchhi navadvīpa-pure’
prauḍhā-māyā mugdha kari’ rākhe tāre dūre [14]

“They think, ‘I am in Navadvīpa Dhāma’, but Prauḍhā Māyā bewilders them and keeps them far away.

yadi kona bhāgyodaye sādhu-saṅga pāya
tabe kṛṣṇa-caitanya-sambandha āse tāya [15]

“If, by some fortune, souls attain the association of the sādhus, then their relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya develops.

sambandha nigūḍha tattva vallabha-nandana
sahaje nā bujhe baddha-jīva sei dhana [16]

“O Jīva, such relationships are a highly confidential subject, a fortune that conditioned souls do not easily understand.

mukhe bale, ‘śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu mora
hṛdaya sambandha hīna sadā māyā-bhora [17]

“Someone may say, ‘Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is my Lord’, but have no relationship with Him at heart and be constantly engrossed in māyā.

sei saba loka vaise māyā-jālopari
kabhu śuddha-bhakti nāhi pāya hari hari [18]

“Such persons reside on the surface of Māyā’s covering and never attain pure devotion. O Lord! O Lord!

dharma-dhvaji sukapaṭī sadā dainya-hīna
dambha-guṇe āpanāke bhāve samīcīna [19]

“They are religious pretenders. They are always deceitful and devoid of humility. Because of their pride, they consider themselves wise.

sei dambha chāḍe sādhu-caraṇa-prasāde
tṛṇa haite āpanāke dīna kari’ sādhe [20]

“By the grace of the sādhus, however, they abandon their pride and willingly consider themselves lower than grass.

vṛkṣāpekṣā haya tāra sahiṣṇutā-guṇa
amānī āpani anye sammāne nipuṇa [21]

“Their tolerance becomes greater than that of a tree, and they become prideless and expert at honouring others.

ei cāri guṇe guṇī kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāya
caitanya-sambandha tāra vasena hiyāya [22]

“Enriched with these four qualities, they chant the glories of Kṛṣṇa, and their relationship with Śrī Caitanya develops within the heart.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-sambandha śānta dāsya sakhya āra
vātsalya madhura iti pañca-parakāra [23]

“There are five relationships with Śrī Kṛṣṇa: those of adoration, servitorship, friendship, affectionate guardianship, and paramour love.

śānta dāsya bhāve kari’ gaurāṅga bhajana
labhe vātsalyādi-rasa kṛṣṇe sādhu-jana [24]

“Sādhus serve Gaurāṅga in the relationships of adoration and servitorship and thereby attain relationships of affectionate guardianship and paramour love with Kṛṣṇa.

yāra yei sambandha-janita siddha-bhāva
tāhāra bhajane sei bhāvera prabhāva [25]

“The soul’s perfected mood that arises from their particular relationship with the Lord predominates in their service.

gaura-kṛṣṇe bheda yāra sei jīva chāra
śrī-kṛṣṇa-sambandha kabhu nā haya tāhāra [26]

“Souls who differentiate between Gaura and Kṛṣṇa are wicked, and they never develop a relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

sādhu-saṅge dainya ādi guṇa yāra haya
sei jīva dāsya-rase gaurāṅga bhajaya [27]

“Souls who develop, through the association of the sādhus, the qualities of humility, tolerance, pridelessness, and respectfulness, serve Gaurāṅga in a relationship of servitorship.

dāsya-rasa parākāṣṭhā gaurāṅga-bhajane
‘mahāprabhu’ śrī-gaurāṅga bale sādhu-jane [28]

“The relationship of servitorship is full-fledged in the service of Gaurāṅga; the sādhus call Śrī Gaurāṅga ‘Mahāprabhu’.

madhura-premete yāra haya adhikāra
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-rūpe gaura-bhajana tāhāra [29]

“Souls who are qualified for a relationship of paramour love serve Gaura as Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

rādhā-kṛṣṇa aikya mora śrī-gaurāṅga-rāya
yugala-vilāsa aikye svataḥ nāhi bhāya [30]

“Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are united as our Śrī Gaurāṅga Rāya. The Pastimes of the Divine Couple, however, do not manifest in Him.

dāsya paripakke yabe jīvera hṛdaye
śrī-madhura-rasa ude mūrtimāna haye [31]

“When the relationship of servitorship matures in the heart of the soul, then the relationship of paramour love emerges.

se samaye bhajanīya tattva gaurahari
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-rūpa haye vraje avatari’ [32]

nitya-līlā-rase sei bhaktake ḍubāya
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-nitya-līlā vraja-dhāma pāya [33]

“At that time, the worshippable Lord, Gaurahari, appears in Vraja as Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and immerses the devotee in the ecstasy of the eternal Pastimes. In this way, the devotee attains the eternal Pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vraja Dhām.

navadvīpe vraje sei nigūḍha sambandha
eka haye dui haya nāhi dekhe andha [34]

“This is the highly confidential relationship between Navadvīpa and Vraja: they are one, and yet they are also two, but the blind do not see this.

sei ta sambandha gaure kṛṣṇe jāna sāra
madhura-rasete gaura yugala ākāra [35]

“Know this to be the essence of the relationship between Gaura and Kṛṣṇa. In the relationship of paramour love, Gaura’s form is the Divine Couple.

sei saba tattva tore rūpa-sanātana
jānāibe alpa-dine vallabha-nandana [36]

“O Jīva, soon Rūpa and Sanātana will teach you all these truths.

tore vṛndāvane prabhu dila adhikāra
vilamba nā kara jīva vraje yete āra” [37]

“The Lord has given you the qualification to stay in Vṛndāvana. O Jīva, do not delay going to Vraja any longer!”

eta bali’ prabhu taṅra mastake caraṇa
arpaṇa kariyā śakti kare sañcāraṇa [38]

Saying this, Nityānanda Prabhu placed His feet on Jīva’s head and empowered him.

mahāpreme śrī-jīva gosvāmī kata-kṣaṇa
nityānanda-pada-tale rahe acetana [39]

In intense divine love, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī remained unconscious at the feet of Nityānanda for some time.

śrīvāsa-aṅgane jīva gaḍāgaḍi yāya
sāttvika vikāra saba dehe śobhā pāya [40]

He rolled on the ground in the courtyard of Śrīvāsa, and all the symptoms of divine ecstasy shone in his body.

kaṅdiyā kaṅdiyā bale, “durbhāgya āmāra
nā dekhinu e nayane nadīyā-bihāra [41]

Crying, he said, “My misfortune is that I did not see the Pastimes of the Lord in Nadīyā with these eyes.

jīva nistārite līlā kaila gaura-rāya
se līlā nā dekhi’ mora dina vṛthā yāya” [42]

“Gaura Rāya performed Pastimes to deliver all souls. Having not seen those Pastimes, my days have passed in vain.”

śrī-jīva yāibe vraje kariyā śravaṇa
śrīvāsa-aṅgane āila yata sādhu-jana [43]

Hearing that Śrī Jīva would go to Vraja, all the sādhus came to the courtyard of Śrīvāsa.

vṛddha-saba śrī-jīve karena āśīrvāda
kaniṣṭha vaiṣṇava māge śrī-jīva-prasāda [44]

The elder devotees blessed Jīva, and the junior devotees prayed for his grace.

kara yuḍi’ bale jīva sakala vaiṣṇave
“mama aparādha kichu-mātra nāhi labe [45]

Joining his palms, Jīva said to all the devotees, “Please do not take any of my offences.

tomarā caitanya-dāsa jagatera guru
e kṣudra jīvere dayā kara kalpa-taru [46]

“You are all servants of Śrī Caitanya and gurus of this world. O wish-fulfilling trees, please bless this insignificant soul.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanye mora thākuk rati mati
nityānanda prabhu ha-uk janme janme gati [47]

“May I have love and devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, and may Nityānanda Prabhu be my shelter, birth after birth.

nāhi bujhi’ bālya-kāle chāḍilāma ghara
tumi saba jīvanera bandhu ataḥpara [48]

“I left home in my youth without understanding anything, and since then, you all have been the well-wishers in my life.

vaiṣṇavānukampā vinā kṛṣṇa nāhi pāi
vaiṣṇava-caraṇa-dhūli deha sabe bhāi” [49]

“Without the grace of the Vaiṣṇavas, I cannot attain Kṛṣṇa. O brothers, please give me the dust of the Vaiṣṇavas’ feet.”

eta bali’ sakale kariyā stuti nati
nityānanda prabhura la-iyā anumati [50]

jagannātha-gṛhe giyā śacīra caraṇe
vraje yāite ājñā laya vikalita mane [51]

Saying this, Jīva bowed and prayed to everyone, and took permission from Nityānanda Prabhu. Then he went to the feet of Śacī in the home of Jagannātha Miśra and with an eager heart took permission to go to Vraja.

śrī-caraṇa-reṇu diyā śacī-devī tāya
āśīrvada kari’ jīve karila vidāya [52]

Śacī Devī gave Jīva dust from her holy feet, blessed him, and bade him farewell.

kaṅdite kaṅdite jīva bhāgīrathī pāra
“hā gaurāṅga” bali’ yāya ājñā jāni’ sāra [53]

Crying, Jīva crossed the Gaṅgā chanting, “O Gaurāṅga!”, and departed, knowing the order of the Lord to be all-in-all.

kata-kṣaṇa cali’ cali’ navadvīpa-sīmā
pāra haye yāya jīva ananta mahimā [54]

Walking ahead, Jīva soon crossed the border of Navadvīpa and left that infinitely glorious abode.

navadvīpa-dhāma chāḍi’ śrī-jīva takhana
sāṣṭāṅga praṇami’ cale yathā vṛndāvana [55]

As he left Navadvīpa Dhāma, Jīva prostrated himself fully and then departed for Vṛndāvana.

vraja-dhāma śrī-yamunā rūpa-sanātana
jāgite lāgila hṛde jīvera takhana [56]

Vraja Dhāma, the Yamunā, and Rūpa and Sanātana then arose in his heart.

pathi-madhye rātre svapne dekhe gaura-rāya
jīvere balena, “tumi yāo mathurāya [57]

At night along the path, Jīva saw Gaura Rāya in a dream. The Lord said to Jīva, “Go to Mathurā.

ati priya tumi āra rūpa-sanātana
ekatre karaha bhakti-śāstra prakaṭana [58]

“You, Rūpa, and Sanātana are very dear to Me, and together you will write scriptures on devotion.

āmāra yugala-sevā tomāra jīvana
śrī-vraja-vilāsa sadā karaha darśana” [59]

“Service to Me as the Divine Couple will be your life, and you will always see Their Pastimes in Vraja.”

svapna dekhi’ jīvera ānanda haila ati
vraja-dhāma prati dhāya susatvara gati [60]

After this dream, Jīva felt intense joy and swiftly ran towards Vraja Dhāma.

vraje giyā śrī-jīva gosvāmī mahāśaya
ye ye kārya sādhila tā varṇana nā haya [61]

The services Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī performed after arriving in Vraja cannot be described.

bhāgyavāna jana pare karibe varṇana
śunibe ānanda-citte yata sādhu-jana [62]

Later, a fortunate soul will describe them, and the sādhus will hear about them with joy in their hearts.

chāra-buddhi e bhaktivinoda abhājana
śrī-dhāma-bhramaṇa-vārtā karila varṇana [63]

The unfit and wicked-minded Bhaktivinoda has described the subject of visiting the Holy Dhāma.

vaiṣṇava-caraṇe mora ei se prāthanā
śrī-gaura-sambandha mora ha-uka yojanā [64]

This is my prayer at the feet of the Vaiṣṇavas: may I have a relationship with Śrī Gaura.

śrī-gaura-sambandha-saha navadvīpa vāsa
ha-uka acire mora ei abhilāṣa [65]

May I soon reside in Navadvīpa and have a relationship with Śrī Gaura. This is my desire.

viṣaya-gartera kīṭa ati durācāra
bhakti-hīna kāma-rata krodhe matta āra [66]

I am a worm in the ditch of mundanity and very misbehaved. I have no devotion. I am lustful and mad with anger.

e hena durjana āmi māyāra kiṅkara
śrī-gaura-sambandha kise pāi ataḥpara [67]

How will a fallen soul and servant of māyā like me develop a relationship with Śrī Gaura?

navadvīpa-dhāma more anugraha kari’
udaya ha-una hṛde tabe āmi tari [68]

May Navadvīpa Dhāma bless me and appear in my heart. Then I will be delivered.

prauḍhā-māyā kuladevī kṛpā akapaṭa
bharasā tarite mātra avidyā-saṅkaṭa [69]

The genuine grace of Prauḍhā Māyā, the protectress of the Dhāma, is my only hope to overcome the dangers of ignorance.

vṛddha-śiva kṣetra-pāla ha-una sadaya
cid-dhāma āmāra cakṣe ha-una udaya [70]

May Vṛddha Śiva, the protector of the Dhāma, be merciful to me. May the divine Dhāma appear before my eyes.

navadvīpa-vāsī yata gaura-bhakta-gaṇa
e pāmara śire sabe dāo śrī-caraṇa [71]

O residents of Navadvīpa and devotees of Gaurāṅga! Place your holy feet on the head of this sinner.

ei ta prārthanā mora śuna sarva-jana
acirete yena pāi caitanya-caraṇa [72]

Everyone, please hear this prayer of mine so that I may quickly attain the feet of Śrī Caitanya.

nityānanda-śrī-jāhnavā-ādeśa pāiyā
varṇilāma navadvīpa ati dīna haiyā [73]

Receiving the order of Nityānanda and Śrī Jāhnavā, I have described Navadvīpa although I am very fallen.

navadvīpa gaura nityānanda nāmamaya
ei grantha viracita ha-ila niścaya [74]

Certainly this book has been written so as to be filled with the names ‘Navadvīpa’, ‘Gaura’, and ‘Nityānanda’.

ataeva ei grantha parama pāvana
racanā-doṣete doṣī nahe kadācana [75]

Thus, this book is greatly purifying, and I will not be to blame for any faults in its composition.

ei grantha pāṭha kari’ gaura-bhakta-jana
parikramā phala sadā karuna arjana [76]

May the devotees of Gaurāṅga always study this book and attain the result of circumambulating the Dhāma.

parikramā-kāle grantha kaile ālocanā
śata-guṇa phala haya śāstrera vacana [77]

When devotees discuss this book while circumambulating the Dhāma, they attain a result a hundred times greater. This is stated by the scriptures.

nitāi-jāhnavā-pada-chāyā āśa yāra
nadīyā-māhātmya gāya dīna-hīna chāra [78]

This insignificant, lowly, and humble soul, whose aspiration is the shade of Nitāi and Jāhnavā’s feet, chants the glories of Nadīyā.

śrīla bhaktivinod ṭhākura-kṛta
śrī-navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmyera
parikramā-khaṇḍa samāpta

Thus ends the Parikramā Khaṇḍa of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.