“hā gaurāṅga! kṛṣṇacandra! dayāra sāgara
kāṅgālera dhana tumi āmi ta pāmara”
ei bali’ kāṅdi’ kāṅdi’ haye agrasara
dekhiba sahasā āmi śrī-vidyā-nagara [85] “O Gaurāṅga! O Kṛṣṇacandra! O Ocean of mercy! You are the wealth of the poor, and I am certainly in need.” Saying this and crying as I proceed, I will suddenly see Śrī Vidyānagara.

cāri-veda catuḥṣaṣṭi vidyāra ālaya
sarasvatī-pīṭha vidyā-nagara niścaya
brahmā-śiva-ṛṣi-gaṇa e pīṭha-āśraye
sarva-vidyā prakāśila prapañca nilaye [86]

Vidyānagara is the abode of the four Vedas, the sixty-four branches of knowledge, and Sarasvatī. Brahmā, Śiva, and the sages resided here and revealed all forms of knowledge within the material world.

prabhu mora karibena vidyāra vilāsa
ihā jāni’ bṛhaspati chhāḍi’ nija-vāsa
vāsudeva sārvabhauma-rūpe ei sthāne
pracharila sarva-vidyā vividha vidhāne [87]

Knowing that our Lord would perform pastimes of being educated here, Bṛhaspati left his abode and as Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma established all forms of knowledge here using various methods.

ye vidyā-nagare vasi’ gaura-guṇa gāya
sei adhyāpaka dhanya śoka nāhi pāya
avidyā chāḍaye tāre ye vidyā-nagare
darśana kariyā bhaje gaura-sudhākare [88] Any teacher who lives in Vidyānagara and sings the glories of Gaura is fortunate and never undergoes distress. Ignorance releases anyone who visits Vidyānagara and worships the moon Śrī Gaura.

āmi ki dekhiba kabhu śrī-gaurasundare
vidyānurāge giyā śrī-vidyā-nagare?
śrīvāsāparādhe devānanda-mahāśaye
daṇḍibena vākya-daṇḍe bhakta-pakṣa haye [89] Will I ever see Śrī Gaurasundara going to study in Śrī Vidyānagara? Will I ever see Him, on behalf of the devotees, chastise Devānanda Paṇḍita for his offence to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura?

āmāra prabhura līlā ananta nā jāne
kakhana ki kārye māte, thāke kibā dhyāne
kena ye kīrtana chāḍi’ paḍuyā tāḍāya
parājiyā adhyāpake kibā sukha pāya [90] Even Ananta Śeṣa does not understand the pastimes of our Lord. When does He enjoy a particular activity? What sort of meditation does He perform? Why does He leave the kīrtana to chastise students? What sort of joy does He feel by defeating scholars?

yāi kare prabhu tāi ānanda-janaka
svechāmaya prabhu teṅha āmi ta sevaka
kṣudra parimita buddhi sahaje āmāra
vichārite śakti nāi vidhāna tāṅhāra [91] Whatever the Lord does creates joy. He is whimsical, and I am His servant. My intelligence is by nature small, and I have no capacity to understand His ways.

navadvīpa-vāsī adhyāpaka-gaṇa tāṅra
nitya-līlā-puṣṭikārī praṇamya āmāra
sakale karuṇā kare dīna akiñcane
more adhikāra deha nāma-saṅkīrtane [92] The teachers residing in Navadvīpa, who augment the Lord’s eternal pastimes, are worshippable to me. May you all bless this poor, lowly soul and give me the qualification to chant the Name.

śrī-vidyā-nagara-prati ei nivedana
“ye avidyā gaura-tattva kare āvaraṇa
se avidyā-jāle yena mānasa āmāra
āvṛta nā haya kabhu thāke māyāpāra” [93] I pray to Vidyānagara, “May my mind transcend illusion and never be covered by the net of ignorance that conceals the glory of Gaura.”

śobhe jahnudvīpa vidyā-nagara uttare
yathā jahnu-tapovana vyakta carācare
gaṅgāre karila pāna yathā muni-vara
jāhnavī-svarūpe gaṅgā ha-ila gocara [94] North of Vidyānagara shines Jahnudvīpa, where the hermitage of Jahnu Muni is visible to all. Here, the great sage drank the Gaṅgā, and she reappeared as his daughter.

yathā kṛṣṇa-bhakta bhīṣma munira āśrame
bhāgavata-dharma-śikṣā kaila vidhi-krame
yathā jahnu niṣkapaṭe kariyā bhajana
anāyāse pāya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-caraṇa [95] Here at Jahnu Muni’s āśrama, Kṛṣṇa’s devotee Bhīṣma systematically learned devotion to the Lord. Jahnu Muni sincerely engaged in service and easily attained the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

jahnudvīpa bhadravana kṛṣṇa-līlā-sthala
nayana-gocara kabe habe niramala
sei vane bhīṣma-ṭīlā parama-pāvana
tad upari rahi’ āmi kariba bhajana [96] When will Jahnudvīpa, which is nondifferent from Bhadravana in Vṛndāvana, clearly appear before my eyes? When will I sit atop the supremely purifying Bhīṣma Ṭīlā in that forest and perform worship?

rātryāgame bhīṣma-deva praśānta antare
daraśana dibe more śuddha kalevare
kṛṣṇa-varṇa vṛkṣa tulasīra mālā kare
dvādaśa-tilakānvita nāmānanda-bhare [97] In the evening, Bhīṣmadeva will reveal himself before me in his pure, blackish coloured form decorated with the twelve tilakas. He will have a tulasi-mala in hand, a peaceful heart, and be filled with the joy of the Name.

balibe, “navīna navadvīpa-vāsī śuna
āmāra mukhete āja gaurāṅgera guṇa
kurukṣetra-raṇe paḍi’ maraṇa-samaye
dekhilāma kṛṣṇacandra eka-chitta haye [98] He will say, “O new resident of Navadvīpa! Today, hear the glories of Gaurāṅga from my mouth. I fell during the battle of Kurukṣetra, and at the time of my death, I saw Kṛṣṇacandra vividly.

niryāṇa-samaye prabhu balila vacana
‘navadvīpa tumi pūrve karilā darśana
sei puṇye gaura-kṛpā tomāra ghaṭila
navadvīpe nitya-vāsa ekhana ha-ila’ [99] “During my passing, the Lord said, ‘Previously you visited Navadvīpa, and as a result of that good fortune, you have received the mercy of Gaura. Your eternal home has now become Navadvīpa.’

ataeva sarva-āśā parityāga kari’
navadvīpe vasi’ tumi bhaja gaurahari
āra nā karaha bhaya viṣaya-bandhane
avaśya labhibe sevā gaurāṅga-caraṇe [100] “Therefore, abandon all other desires, reside in Navadvīpa, and worship Gaurahari. Do not fear material bondage any longer. You will certainly attain the service of Gaurāṅga’s feet.

prabhura icchāya ei dhāme sarva-kṣaṇa
kṛṣṇa-līlā gaura-līlā dekhe mukta-jana
śoka, bhaya, mṛtyu āra udvega-kāraṇa
bahirmukha ichhā nāhi jīvera pīḍana [101] “By the will of the Lord, liberated souls always see the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and the pastimes of Gaura in this abode. Neither lamentation, nor fear, nor death, nor material desire, nor any other cause of disturbance or affliction to the soul exist here.

śuddha-bhakta-jana kṛṣṇa-kaiṅkarya-āsabe
nija nija bhajanete magna sukhārṇave
nā jāne abhāva-pīḍā saṁsāra-yātanā
siddha-kāma śuddha-deha vaise sarva-janā [102] “With the nectar of servitorship to Kṛṣṇa and their respective services, pure devotees here are immersed in an ocean of joy. They do not know of deprivation, disease, or worldly sorrow. Everyone here lives in their spiritual body and has only spiritual desires.

nitya-mukta baddha-mukta bhakti parikara
ananta saṅkhyaka dāsa-gaṇera īśvara
yāra yei bhāva sei bhāve tāra sane
nitya-līlā kare prabhu ei saba vane [103] “The Supreme Lord has innumerable devoted servants, who are either eternally liberated or liberated from their prior bondage. He performs His eternal pastimes in all these forests with each of them according to their respective moods.

e dhāma ananta, jaḍā māyā hethā nāi
chich-chhakti hethāya adhiṣṭhātrī śuna bhāi
tadanuga deśa-kāla karaṇa śarīra
saba nirmāyika sattva ei tattva sthira [104] “The dhāma is infinite, and there is no material illusion here. Brother, listen! The spiritual energy of the Lord is the presiding Deity here, and thus space, time, action, and bodies here are all non-illusory by nature. This is a firm truth.

yata-dina nā chāḍibe prabhura ichhāya
māyika śarīra tata-dina ta tomāya
nā sphuribe pūrṇa-rūpe e dhāmera bhāva
tava buddhi nā chāḍibe jātīya svabhāva [105] “According to the desire of the Lord, as long as your illusory body does not leave you, the nature of the dhāma will not be fully revealed to you, and your intelligence will not leave behind its conditioned nature.

bhāgavatī tanu pābe prabhura ichhāya
avyāhatagati tava ha-ibe hethāya
jaḍa-māyā-jāle āvaraṇa yābe dūre
asīma ānanda pābe ei nitya-pure [106] “By the will of the Lord, you will receive a spiritual body and be free here. The covering of the net of material illusion will disappear, and you will feel unlimited joy in this eternal abode.

ye paryanta āchhe bhāi māyika śarīra
sāvadhāne bhakti-tattve thāka sadā sthira
bhakta-sevā kṛṣṇa-nāma yugala-bhajana
viṣaye śaithilya-bhāva kare sarva-kṣaṇa [107] “Brother! As long as your illusory body remains, always carefully practise devotion. Constantly serve the devotees, chant the Name of Kṛṣṇa, worship the Divine Couple, and be detached from the mundane.

dhāma-kṛpā nāma-kṛpā bhakta-kṛpā-bale
asādhu-sambandha dūre rākhaha kauśale
achire pāibe tumi nitya-dhāme vāsa
śuddha śrī-yugala-sevā ha-ibe prakāśa” [108] “By the mercy of the dhāma, the mercy of the Name, and the mercy of the devotees, artfully avoid bad association. Soon you will attain residence in the eternal dhāma, and your pure service to the Divine Couple will be revealed.”

bhīṣmadeva-upadeśa dhariyā śravaṇe
sāṣṭāṅge paḍiba āmi tāṅhāra caraṇe
āśīrvāda kari’ teṅha habe adarśana
kāṅdite kāṅdite yāba modadruma vana [109] Hearing the instructions of Bhīṣmadeva, I will prostrate myself at his feet. He will bless me and then disappear. Crying, I will go to the forest in Modadrumadvīpa.

modadruma śrī-bhāṇḍīra haya eka tattva
yathā paśu-pakṣī-gaṇe saba śuddha sattva
manohara vṛkṣa-ḍāle vasi’ pika-gaṇa
gaurahari sītā-rāma gāya anukṣaṇa [110] Modadrumadvīpa is nondifferent from Śrī Bhāṇḍīravana, where all the animals and birds are spiritual. Cuckoos live in the branches of the enchanting trees and constantly sing about Gaurahari, Sītā, and Rāma.

kata kata vaṭa-vṛkṣa chhāyā vistāriyā
śobhichhe bhāṇḍīravana sūrya āchchhādiyā
rāma-kṛṣṇa-līlā-sthāna pratyakṣa bhuvane
kabe vā sphūribe mora e dui nayane [111]

Covering the sun, countless banyan trees spread their shade and beautify Bhāṇḍīravana. When will this place of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in the world become visible before my eyes?

dekhiyā vanera śobhā bhramite bhramite
śrī-rāma-kuṭīra chakṣe paḍe āchambite
durvā-dala-varṇa rāma brahmacārī veśe
lakṣmaṇa jānakī-saha tāra eka deśe [112]

Wandering about observing the beauty of the forest, the cottage of Lord Rāma suddenly appears before my eyes. Within it are Lakṣmaṉa, Sītā, and Rāma, who is grass-green and dressed in the garb of a brahmacari.