Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma Māhātmya – Chapter Ten

jaya gaura nityānanda advaita sahita
jaya gadādhara jaya śrīvāsa paṇḍita [1]

All glory to Gaurāṅga, Nityānanda, and Advaita! All glory to Gadādhara and Śrīvās Paṇḍita!

 

jaya navadvīpa śuddha prema-bhakti-dhāma
jaya jaya jaya gaura-nityānanda-nāma [2]

All glory to Navadvīpa, the abode of pure love and devotion! All glory to the Names of Gaura and Nityānanda!

 

śunahe kalira jīva chāḍi’ jñāna karma
nitāi caitanya bhaja tyaji’ dharmādharma [3]

O souls of Kali-yuga, listen! Abandon renunciation and exploitation, reject religion and irreligion, and serve Nitāi and Caitanya!

 

dayāra samudra sei gaura-nityānanda
akātare dibe bhāi sāra vrajānanda [4]

They are oceans of mercy. Brother! They will freely give you the essence of Vraja’s joy.

 

yāminī prabhāta haile nityānanda-rāya
jīvere la-iyā dhāma-bhramaṇete yāya [5]

At dawn, Nityānanda Rāya took Jīva and went out to tour the Dhāma.

 

bale, “dekha jīva ei grāma manohara
ekhana brāhmaṇa-purā ḍāke sarva-nara [6]

He said, “Jīva, look at this beautiful village. Everyone now calls it Brāhmaṇapura.

 

brāhmaṇa-puṣkara nāma sarva-śāstre kaya
hethā ye rahasya tāhā ati guhya haya [7]

“All the scriptures call it Brāhmaṇa Puṣkara. A very confidential Pastime took place here.

 

satya-yuge diva-dāsa nāmete brāhmaṇa
gṛha tyaji’ kare sarva-tīrtha daraśana [8]

“During Satya-yuga, a brāhmaṇa named Diva Dāsa left home and visited all the holy places.

 

puṣkara-tīrthete tāra haila baḍa prīta
tathāpi bhramite navadvīpe upasthita [9]

“He felt the greatest joy at Puṣkara Tīrtha. Still, he travelled, and eventually he came to Navadvīpa.

 

ei sthāne rātri-yoge dekhila svapana
‘hethā vāsa kara vipra pābe nitya-dhana’ [10]

“Here, during the night, he had a dream in which he was told, ‘O brāhmaṇa, reside here and you will attain eternal wealth.’

 

ei sthāne kuṭīra bāṅdhiyā diva-dāsa
vṛddha-kālāvadhi te̐ha karilena vāsa [11]

“Diva Dāsa built a cottage and resided here into his old age.

 

vṛddha-kāle calite aśakta dvija-vara
icchā haila ‘ebe āmi dekhiba puṣkara’ [12]

“In his old age, the great brāhmaṇa was unable to travel, but he desired to see Puṣkara.

 

calite nā pāre dvija karaya krandana
‘āra nā pāiba āmi puṣkara darśana’ [13]

“Unable to travel, the brāhmaṇa cried, ‘I will never see Puṣkara again.’

 

takhana puṣkara-rāja sadaya ha-ila
dvija-rūpe diva-dāse daraśana dila [14]

“The Lord of Puṣkara felt compassion and revealed himself to Diva Dāsa in the form of a brāhmaṇa.

 

diva-dāse bale, ‘vipra nā kara krandana
tomāra sammukhe ei kuṇḍa suśobhana [15]

“He said to Diva Dāsa, ‘O brāhmaṇa, do not cry. There is a beautiful pond in front of you.

 

ei kuṇḍe snāna tumi kara eka-bāra
pratyakṣa ha-ibe tīrtha puṣkara tomāra’ [16]

“‘Bathe in this pond once, and you will see Puṣkara Tīrtha.’

 

tāhā śuni’ kuṇḍe snāna kare dvija-vara
divya-cakṣu labhi’ dekhe sammukhe puṣkara [17]

“Hearing this, the great brāhmaṇa bathed in the pond. Attaining divine eyes, he saw Puṣkara before him.

 

krandana kariyā dvija puṣkare balila
‘āmā lāgi’ baḍa kleśa tomāra ha-ila’ [18]

“Crying, the brāhmaṇa said to Puṣkara, ‘You have taken great trouble for me.’

 

puṣkara balena, ‘śuna dvija bhāgyavān
dūra haite nā āsinu hethā vidyamāna [19]

“Puṣkara said, ‘Listen, O fortunate brāhmaṇa! I have not come from far away. I live here.

 

ei navadvīpa-dhāma sarva-tīrthamaya
navadvīpe sevi’ hethā thāke tīrtha-caya [

“‘Navadvīpa Dhāma contains all holy places; all holy places reside here and serve Navadvīpa.

 

āmāra svarūpa eka pāścātye prakāśa
nije āmi ei sthāne nitya kari vāsa [21]

“‘Although a form of mine exists in the west, I myself live here eternally.

 

śata-bāra keha sei tīrthe kari’ snāna
yei phala pāya hethā se phala vidhāna [22]

“‘Souls attain here the result attained by bathing a hundred times there.

 

ataeva navadvīpa chāḍi’ yei jana
anya tīrtha āśā kare se mūḍha durjana [23]

“‘Thus, anyone who leaves Navadvīpa desiring to visit other holy places is a foolish, unfortunate soul.

 

sarva-tīrtha bhrami’ yadi haya phalodaya
navadvīpa tabe tāra vāsa-sthāna haya [24]

“‘When souls attain the result of visiting all other holy places, then they can reside in Navadvīpa.

 

ai dekha uccha-sthāna haṭṭera samāna
kurukṣetra brahmāvarta tathā vidyamāna [25]

“‘See there the raised area that resembles a market. Kurukṣetra and Brahmāvarta exist there.

 

sarasvatī dṛṣadvatī dui pārśe tāra
ati śobhā pāya puṇya karaye vistāra [26]

“‘With the Sarasvatī and Dṛṣadvatī Rivers on its two sides, it shines brightly and bestows good fortune.

 

ohe vipra gūḍha kathā baliba tomāya
ati alpa kāle habe ānanda hethāya [27]

“‘O brāhmaṇa, I will tell you a secret. Very soon there will be great joy here.

 

māyāpure śacī-gṛhe gaurāṅga-sundara
prakaṭa ha-iyā prema vilābe vistara [28]

“‘Gaurāṅga-sundara will appear in the home of Śacī in Māyāpura and broadly distribute divine love.

 

ei saba sthāne prabhu bhakta-vṛnda laye
saṅkīrtana-rase nācibena matta haye [29]

“‘In all these places, the Lord will dance in the ecstasy of saṅkīrtana with the devotees and become mad.

 

sarva-avatāre chilā ye ye bhakta-gaṇa
sakale la-iyā prabhu karibe kīrtana [30]

“‘The Lord will perform kīrtana with all the devotees of all His previous avatāras.

prema-vanyā jale sarva-jagat bhāsābe
kutārkika vinā sabe mahāprema pābe [31]

“‘He will inundate the entire world with a flood of divine love. Everyone except the speculators will attain intense divine love.

ei dhāma-niṣṭhā kari’ yebā kare vāsa
tāre mile gaura-pada ohe diva-dāsa [32]

“‘O Diva Dāsa, souls who are faithful to the Dhāma and reside here will reach the feet of Gaura.

koṭī koṭī varṣa kari’ śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana
tathāpi nāmete rati nā pāya durjana [33]

“Unfortunate souls worship Kṛṣṇa for billions of years but do not attain attraction to His Name.

gaurāṅga bhajile duṣṭa-bhāva dūre yāya
alpa dine vraja-dhāme rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāya [34]

“‘If souls worship Gaurāṅga, their wickedness goes away, and they quickly attain Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vraja Dhāma.

nija siddha-deha pāya sakhīra āśraya
nija kuñja śrī-yugala-sevā tāra haya [35]

“‘They attain their spiritual body and the shelter of the sakhīs, and serve the Divine Couple in their own grove.

ohe vipra hethā thāki’ karaha bhajana
sapārṣade śrī-gaurāṅga pābe daraśana’ [36]

“‘O brāhmaṇa, stay and serve here. You will see Śrī Gaurāṅga with His associates.’

ei kathā bali’ tīrtha-rāja gela cali’
śunila ākāśa-vāṇī āise, ‘dhanya kali [37]

“Saying this, the Lord of Puṣkara left. The brāhmaṇa then heard a voice come from the sky, ‘Glory to the Age of Kali!

tumi vipra sei kāle janmibe ābāra
śrī-gaura-kīrtana preme dibe ta sāṅtāra’ [38]

“‘O brāhmaṇa, you will be born again at that time and swim in the divine love of Śrī Gaura’s kīrtana.’

eta śuni diva-dāsa niścinta ha-ila
ei kuṇḍa-tīre vasi’ bhajana karila” [39]

“Hearing this, Diva Dāsa became fearless. He resided on the bank of the pond and performed worship.”

e saba purāṇa kathā śrī-jīve kahiyā
uccha-haṭṭa kurukṣetre praveśila giyā [40]

After telling Śrī Jīva these ancient stories, Nityānanda entered Uccha Haṭṭa, Kurukṣetra.

nityānanda bale, “hethā sarva-deva-gaṇa
kurukṣetra tīrtha saha kaila āgamana [41]

Nityānanda said, “All the gods came here with Kurukṣetra Tīrtha.

brahmāvarte kuru-kṣetre yata tīrtha chila
sarva-tīrtha āsi’ hethā virāja karila [42]

“All the holy places in Brahmāvarta and Kuru-kṣetra came and resided here.

pṛthūdaka ādi kari’ saba hethā vaise
sabe navadvīpa sevā kare anāyāse” [43]

“Pṛthūdaka and the other holy places resided here and served Navadvīpa without difficulty.”

śata-varṣa kuru-kṣetre vāse yei phala
hethā eka-rātra vāse labhe se sakala [44]

By staying here for one night, souls attain the full result of residing in Kuru-kṣetra for a hundred years.

prabhu bale, “hethā vāsa kari’ deva-gaṇa
haṭṭa kari’ gaura-kathā kare ālocana [45]

Nityānanda Prabhu continued, “The gods resided here, established a market, and discussed Gaurāṅga.

haṭṭa-ḍāṅgā bali’ nāma ha-ila ihāra
ihāra darśane pāya prema-pārābāra [46]

“The name of this place thus became Haṭṭaḍāṅgā. By seeing this place, souls enter an ocean of divine love.

ei eka sīmā jīva dekha nadīyāra
ebe cala yāi morā bhāgīrathī pāra” [47]

“O Jīva, see here one of the boundaries of Nadia. Let us now cross the Gaṅgā.”

bhāgīrathī pāra haye madhyāhna samaya
koladvīpe nityānanda ha-ila udaya [48]

Crossing the Gaṅgā, Nityānanda Prabhu arrived in Koladvīpa at midday.

kuliyāpāhāḍapure yāite yāite
śrī-jīve nitāi-cāṅda lāgila kahite [49]

On the way to Kuliyāpāhāḍapura, Nitāi-cāṅda spoke to Śrī Jīva.

“ye krame āinu morā haye gaṅgā pāra
sei krama siddha-krama parikramā-sāra [50]

“The way we have come, crossing the Gaṅgā, is the proper way to circumambulate the Dhāma.

yabe prabhu śrī-caitanya laye nija-gaṇa
karilena śrī-caudda-mādala saṅkīrtana [51]

kājire śodhite prabhu sandhyā āgamane
māyāpura chāḍi’ cale laye bhakta-jane [52]

“One evening, while performing saṅkīrtana with fourteen mṛdaṅgas, Śrī Caitanya left Māyāpura with His associates and came to purify the Kāzī.

sei rātra brahma-rātra śīghra nahe śeṣa
ei krame mahāprabhu bhrame nija-deśa [53]

“That night, like a night of Brahmā, did not end quickly. Mahāprabhu toured His abode in this way.

tārapara prati ekādaśī-tithi dhari’
bhramilā āmāra prabhu saṅkīrtana kari’ [54]

“Thereafter, My Lord toured performing saṅkīrtana on every Ekādaśī.

kabhu pañca-krośa bhrame antardvīpamaya
kabhu aṣṭa-krośa bhrame yena mane laya [55]

“Sometimes He toured the ten miles of Antardvīpa, and sometimes, as He desired, He toured for sixteen miles.

nija gṛha haite bārakoṇā ghāṭa chāḍi’
dīrghikā veṣṭane yāya śrīdharera bāḍī [56]

“From His home, He would leave Bārakoṇā Ghāta and go around Ballāl Dīrghikā to Śrīdhara’s house.

tathā haite antardvīpa sīmā bhrami’ āse
pañca-krośa parikramā haya anāyāse [57]

“From there, He would tour around the boundary of Antardvīpa and then return. In this way, He would easily circumambulate for ten miles.

simuliyā haye kāji-gṛhe beḍi’ cale
śrīdhare sambhāṣi’ āise gādigāchā sthale [58]

“Other times, passing Simuliyā, He would go to the house of the Kāzī, speak with Śrīdhara, and then come to Gādigāchā.

mājidā haite haya bhāgīrathī pāra
pāraḍāṅgā cināḍāṅgā pulina vistara [59]

“From Mājidā, He would cross the Gaṅgā and tour Pāraḍāṅgā and Cināḍāṅgā along the broad riverbank.

chāḍiyā jāhnavī pāra ha-iyā takhana
aṣṭa-krośa bhrami’ cale āpana bhavana [60]

“Then He would cross the Gaṅgā again and return to His home, thus touring for sixteen miles.

siddha parikramā haya pūrṇa ṣola-krośa
sei parikramā kaile prabhura santoṣa [61]

“A complete circumambulation is the full thirty-two miles. The Lord is pleased if someone completes this.

sei parikramā āmi tomāre karāi
ihāra samāna parikramā āra nāi [62]

“I am taking you on this complete circumambulation. There is no circumambulation equal to it.

vṛndāvana ṣola-krośa dvādaśa kānana
ei parikramā madhye pābe daraśana [63]

“During this circumambulation, you will see all thirty-two miles of the Dhāma and the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana.

nava-rātre ei parikramā śeṣa haya
nava-rātra bali’ nāma śāstre kaya [64]

“This circumambulation is completed over the course of nine nights; the scriptures call it the ‘nava-rātra parikramā’.

pañca-krośa parikramā eka-dine kare
rātra-traya aṣṭa-krośa parikramā dhare [65]

“Devotees perform the ten-mile circumambulation in one day and complete the sixteen-mile circumambulation over the course of three nights.

eka-rātra māyāpure dvitīya godrume
puline tṛtīya rātra ei krame bhrame” [66]

“One night is in Māyāpura, the second is in Godrumadvīpa, and the third night is in Śrī Pulina. Devotees tour in this way.”

śuni’ parikramā-tattva jīva-mahāśaya
premete adhairya haye kata-kṣaṇa raya [67]

Hearing about the process of circumambulation, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī became overwhelmed with divine love for some time.

nitāi-jāhnavā-pada-chāyā āśa yāra
nadīyā-mahimā varṇe akiñcana cāra [68]

This poor, fallen soul, whose aspiration is the shade of Nitāi and Jāhnavā’s feet, describes the glories of Nadīyā.