Chapter Three

jaya jaya navadvīpa-candra śacī-suta
jaya jaya nityānanda-rāya avadhūta [1]

All glory to the son of Śacī, the moon of Navadvīpa! All glory to the avadhūta Nityānanda Rāya!

jaya jaya śrī-advaita prabhu mahāśaya
gadādhara śrīvāsa paṇḍita jaya jaya [2]

All glory to the worshippable Śrī Advaita Prabhu! All glory to Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita!

jaya jaya navadvīpa-dhāma sarva-dhāma-sāra
yei dhāma-saha gauracandra avatāra [3]

All glory to Navadvīpa Dhāma, the best of all abodes, the abode with which Gauracandra appeared!

ṣola-krośa navadvīpa madhye yāhā yāhā
varṇiba ekhana bhakta-gaṇa śuna tāhā [4]

Devotees, listen! I will now describe everything within the thirty-two miles of Navadvīpa.

ṣola-krośa madhye navadvīpera pramāṇa
ṣoḍaśa pravāha tathā sadā vidyamāna [5]

Sixteen rivers exist eternally within the thirty-two miles of Navadvīpa.

mūla-gaṅgā pūrva-tīre dvīpa-catuṣṭaya
tāṅhāra paścime sadā pañca-dvīpa raya [6]

Four islands are on the east bank of the original Gaṅgā, and five are on the west bank.

svardhunī pravāha saba beḍi’ dvīpa-gaṇe
navadvīpa-dhāme śobhā deya anukṣaṇe [7]

These heavenly rivers flow throughout the islands and always beautify Navadvīpa Dhāma.

madhye mūla gaṅgā-devī rahe anukṣaṇa
apara pravāhe anya puṇya-nadī-gaṇa [8]

Gaṅgā Devī’s original stream always flows through the centre of the Dhāma; the other holy rivers flow in separate streams.

gaṅgāra nikaṭa vahe yamunā sundarī
anya dhārā madhye sarasvatī vīdyādharī [9]

The beautiful Yamunā flows near the Gaṅgā. The Sarasvatī, the carrier of knowledge, flows in another channel.

tāmraparṇī kṛtamālā brahmaputra-traya
yamunāra pūrva-bhāge dīrgha-dhārāmaya [10]

East of the Yamunā are the three long rivers: the Tāmraparṇī, Kṛtamālā, and Brahmaputra.

sarayū narmadā sindhu kāverī gomatī
prasthe vahe godāvarī saha drutagati [11]

The Sarayū, Narmadā, Sindhu, Kāverī, Gomatī, and Godāvarī flow swiftly on the west side.

ei saba dhārā paraspara kari’ chheda
eka navadvīpe nava-vidha kare bheda [12]

All these rivers cross each other and divide Navadvīpa into nine parts.

prabhura icchāya kabhu dhārā śuṣka haya
punaḥ icchā haile dhārā haya jalamaya [13]

By the will of the Lord, these rivers sometimes go dry, and when the Lord wills it, they again fill with water.

prabhura icchāya kabhu ḍube kona sthāna
prabhura icchāya punaḥ deya ta darśana [14]

By the will of the Lord, they sometimes submerge portions of land and then again reveal them.

niravadhi ei rūpa dhāma līlā kare
bhāgyavān jana prati sarva-kāla sphure [15]

The Dhāma performs Pastimes eternally in this way and always appears before fortunate souls.

utkaṭa vāsanā yadi bhakta-hṛde haya
sarva-dvīpa sarva-dhārā darśana milaya [16]

When intense desire arises in the heart of a devotee, all the islands and rivers in the Dhāma reveal themselves.

kabhu svapne kabhu dhyāne kabhu dṛṣṭi-yoge
dhāmera darśana pāya bhaktira saṁyoge [17]

Sometimes in dreams, sometimes in meditation, and sometimes in their vision, devotees see the Dhāma through their devotion.

gaṅgā-yamunāra yoge yei dvīpa raya
antardvīpa tāra nāma sarva-śāstre kaya [18]

All the scriptures call the island at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā Antardvīpa.

antardvīpa madhye āchhe pīṭha māyāpura
yathāya janmila prabhu caitanya-ṭhākura [19]

Within Antardvīpa is Māyāpura, where Lord Caitanya appeared.

golokera antavartī yei mahāvana
māyāpura navadvīpe jāna bhakta-gaṇa [20]

Devotees know Mahāvana in Goloka to be Māyāpura in Navadvīpa.

śvetadvīpa vaikuṇṭha goloka vṛndāvana
navadvīpe saba tattva āchhe sarva-kṣaṇa [21]

Śvetadvīpa, Vaikuṇṭha, and Goloka Vṛndāvana are always present in Navadvīpa.

ayodhyā mathurā māyā kāśī kāñcī āra
avantī dvārakā sei purī sapta sāra [22]

navadvīpe se samasta nija nija sthāne
nitya vidyamāna gauracandrera vidhāne [23]

The seven great cities—Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Māyā, Kāśī, Kāñcī, Avantī, and Dvārakā—exist eternally in Navadvīpa in their respective places, by the arrangement of Gauracandra.

gaṅgā-dvāra māyāra svarūpa māyāpuraa
yāhāra māhātmya śāstre āchhaye pracura [24]

The true form of the city Māyā, the gateway of the Gaṅgā, is Māyāpura, whose glories are stated repeatedly throughout the scriptures.

sei māyāpure ye yāya eka-bāra
anāyāse haya sei jaḍa-māyā pāra [25]

Those who once go to Māyāpura easily cross over material illusion.

māyāpurae bhramile māyāra adhikāra
dūre yāya, janma kabhu nahe āra-bāra [26]

If a soul wanders in Māyāpura, then the influence of Māyā goes away, and they do not take birth again.

māyāpura uttara sīmantadvīpa haya
parikramā vidhi sādhu-śāstra sadā kaya [27]

North of Māyāpura is Sīmantadvīpa. The sādhus and scriptures always explain the procedure for circumambulating the Dhāma.

antardvīpe śrī-māyāpura kariyā darśana
śrī-sīmantadvīpe cala vijña bhakta-jana [28]

O wise devotees, visit Śrī Māyāpura in Antardvīpa and then go to Sīmantadvīpa.

godrumākhya-dvīpa haya māyāra dakṣiṇe
tāhā bhrami’ chala madhyadvīpa hṛṣṭa-mane [29]

Godrumadvīpa is south of Māyāpura. Walk there and then joyfully go to Madhyadvīpa.

ei cāri-dvīpa jāhnavīra pūrva-tīre
dekhiyā jāhnavī pāra hao dhīre dhīre [30]

Visit these four islands on the east bank of the Gaṅgā and then slowly cross the river.

koladvīpa anāyāse kariyā bhramaṇa
ṛtudvīpa śobhā tabe kara daraśana [31]

Peacefully walk through Koladvīpa and then see the beauty of Ṛtudvīpa.

tārapara jahnudvīpa parama sundara
dekhi’ modadrumadvīpe chala vijña-vara [32]

O best of the wise, thereafter, see the wonderful beauty of Jahnudvīpa and then go to Modadrumadvīpa.

rudradvīpa dekha punaḥ gaṅgā haye pāra
bhrami’ māyāpura bhakta cala āra bāra [33]

O devotees, see Rudradvīpa, cross the Gaṅgā again, and then visit Māyāpura once more.

tathāya śrī-jagannātha-śacīra mandire
prabhura darśane praveśaha dhīre dhīre [34]

There, slowly enter the abode of Śrī Jagannātha and Śacī to see the Lord.

sarva-kāle ei rūpa parikramā haya
jīvera ananta sukha-prāptira ālaya [35]

Circumambulation is always done in this way and is a source of unlimited joy for the soul.

viśeṣataḥ mākarī-saptamī-tithi gate
phālgunī pūrṇimāvadhi śreṣṭha sarva-mate [36]

Everyone concurs that it is best to start on Mākarī Saptamī and end on Phālgunī Pūrṇimā.

parikramā samādhiyā yei mahājana
janma-dine māyāpura karena darśana [37]

nitāi gaurāṅga tāre kṛpā vitariyā
bhakti adhikārī kare pada-chhāyā diyā [38]

Nitāi and Gaurāṅga bless the great souls who complete their circumambulation and visit Māyāpura on the birthday of the Lord. They make them qualified for devotion and give them the shade of Their feet.

saṁkṣepe kahinu parikramā vivaraṇa
vistāriyā bali ebe karaha śravaṇa [39]

I have briefly described circumambulating the Dhāma. Now I will elaborate. Please listen.

yei jana bhrame ekaviṁśati yojana
achire labhaye sei gaura-prema-dhana [40]

Those who traverse the one hundred and sixty-eight miles of Śrī Gauḍa Maṇḍala quickly attain the wealth of divine love for Gaura.

jāhnavā-nitāi-pada-chāyā yāra āśa
e bhaktivinoda kare e tattva prakāśa [41]

Bhaktivinoda, whose aspiration is the shade of Jāhnavā and Nitāi’s feet, reveals the glories of Nadīyā.