(1/9) Conquering the Conquerer

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Vasanta Panchami, Tarakeshwar,
10 February 2019, evening, part 1
Translated from Bengali

When we do the parikrama of Sri Nabadwip Dham, we first visit Antardwip (where Mayapur is). From there, we go to Simantadwip and Rudradwip. The place where we have our new Nrisingha Palli temple is Godrumdwip. Next to Godrumdwip, there is also Madhyadwip. These are five islands. On the other side of the Ganges, where Nabadwip Town is, there is Koladwip. Our big temple in Kolerganj, where you all have been to, is situated in Koladwip. Some part of Koladwip extends also to Samudragad (we go there on the last day of the parikrama, visiting Chapahatti and other places). King Samudra Sen lived there and fought against Bhima, so the place became known as Samudragad (Samudragarh). From there, starting from Chapahatti, there is Ritudwip. If you go further to the north, passing Vidyanagar, there is Jahnudwip, the place of Jahnu Muni. When Ganga Devi took away his pot, the sage drank her up and then released from his thigh. Finally, the place of Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur, the author of Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, in Mamghachi is situated in Modadrumdwip. These are the nine islands of Nabadwip.

The nine kinds of devotion reside, and are practised, on each corresponding island of Nabadwip. You must always remember this. The nine islands of Nabadwip are Antardwip, Simantadwip, Rudradwip, Madhyadwip, Godrumswip, Koladwip, Ritudwip, Jahnudwip and Modadrumdwip. When we do the parikrama of Nabadwip, we visit these nine islands.

Before Mahaprabhu took sannyas, He stayed in Nabadwip. His name was Nimai or Vishvambhar at that time (after sannyas, His name became Sri Krishna Chaitanya). One day, a great scholar Digvijayi Pandit came to Nabadwip after having conquered Kasi with his erudition. He was given a royal welcome in Nabadwip because he was a very famous pandit. There were some smartavadis in Nabadwip who were jealous of Mahaprabhu, thinking, 'Nimai has become a big pandit and is now teaching His own students!' Mahaprabhu was about seventeen years old at that time. They did not understand that the Lord Himself had appeared in Nabadwip, accepting Jagannath Mishra and Sachi Mata as His parents. Nobody except devotees could recognise Him. Who would be able to know that the Lord Himself had appeared in Kali-yuga? Only the Lord Himself and His associates can know Him.

Anyhow, when Keshav Kashmiri Digvijayi came to Nabadwip, he wanted to establish his authority there. Do you know how he attained so much knowledge? He always worshipped and meditated on Saraswati Devi, so one day Saraswati Devi asked him, 'What do you want?' He asked her for a boon that nobody would be able to defeat him in this world, so Saraswati Devi blessed him, 'You will attain so much knowledge that nobody in this world will be able to defeat you!' She knew what kind of boon she had given to him – she knew who would still be able to defeat him...

So, one day this Keshav Kashmiri Digvijayi came to Nabadwip. At this time, Mahaprabhu was sitting and talking about the Lord on the bank of the Ganges together with His students. He was a teacher of Sanskrit grammar, so He was also teaching the students some grammar. When Digvijayi first came, all the local scholars living in Nabadwip decided, 'This time we will keep ourselves out of it. If this Digvijayi Pandit comes and defeats Nimai, he will definitely defeat us! None of us can defeat Nimai, so we had better send this Digvijayi to see Him first and see what this small boy will do this time.' When Digvijayi approached Nimai, who was sitting on the bank of the Ganges, Nimai treated him with much humility (He came to this world to teach us). As soon as Digvijayi came, He got up with folded palms, 'Please come here. Please take a seat.' He let Digvijayi sit on His teacher's seat, and He Himself sat on the ground.

'You are a great scholar. We have heard your name,' Mahaprabhu said to Digvijayi. 'You have conquered the whole world.'

'Yes, it is true,' Digvijayi replied proudly. 'And what are You doing here? Why are you all sitting here?'

'Oh, nothing much. I am just learning some basic grammar with My friends here.'

'Basic grammar? What is the use?'

They spoke like that for a while, and then Mahaprabhu asked him, 'Dear Panditji, since we are sitting here on the bank of the Ganges, why do you not tell us something about the glories of Ganga Devi?'

Then, Digvijayi Pandit began to speak verses glorifying the Ganges with the lightning speed! He had Mother Saraswati's blessing, so he could do that. He recited hundrends and hundreds of verses, and when he eventually stopped, Mahaprabhu said, 'Prabhu, you spoke this verse here – could you explain what is good and what is bad in that verse?'

'What will You understand if I explain it? You are just a primary-grammar teacher! Anyway, I spoke those verses so fast, how did You remember that particular verse?' Digvijayi wondered.

'Prabhu, you are a recipient of Saraswati's boon, and I have also got a boon. Just as you are blessed to know everything by heart, I am also blessed by gods to be able to remember everything having heard it just once.' Mahaprabhu was playing with him.

So, Digvijayi began to explain the verse that Mahaprabhu had asked him to explain, but all his explanation was wrong (from the standpoint of impersonalism). Instead of explaining where Ganga Devi comes from, he explained it in a different way.

'Prabhu, please do not mind Me saying it, but can I explain it, too?'

Then, Mahaprabhu began to explain it, and all the students burst out laughing because they saw that the great scholar had explained the verse wrong and Mahaprabhu had explained it right. Mahaprabhu chided them, 'Quiet!' Digvijayi hang his head in shame. He went back to his room and began to cry. 'I have come to Nabadwip to conquer it, but I ended up losing to a small boy!' Later that day, after he offered worship to Saraswati Devi, he prayed to her, 'Mother, you gave me the boon that nobody would be able to defeat me, but I have been defeated by a small boy today here in Nabadwip!' He was so upset that he just went to bed without taking any food. When he fell asleep, Mother Sarasawati came to him in a dream.

'Digvijayi, wake up! You have got my boon and acquired a lot of knowledge, but today you have got your highest lesson,' Saraswati said.

'How is it so?'

'Yes. There is nothing wrong with the boon I gave you. Nobody in this world can defeat you. The person who has defeated you today is not an ordinary human being of this world. He is my Lord, my Master.' She explained to him who Nimai was.

Then, Digvijayi's dream broke and he awoke.

Mahaprabhu would go to bath in the Ganges every morning, so Digvijayi ran after Him, 'Prabhu, please hold on! Please wait!' Mahaprabhu was very tall (His height was 7'6" [228.6 cm]), so He would walk fast, and Digvijayi could not catch up with Him. Finally, Digvijayi ran in front of Nimai and fell on the ground, clasping His feet.

'Prabhu, please forgive my offence,' he pleaded.

'Hey, what are you doing?! Leave My feet! What are you doing?! You are such a great scholar, why are you touching My feet?!'

'Please do not cheat me anymore, Prabhu. I know now who You are. Mother has told me. Please forgive me.'

Then, Mahaprabhu bestowed His mercy on Digvijayi Pandit, Saraswati's son. Digvijayi took shelter in Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu did not give initiation to anyone, but He would tell everyone to chant the Holy Name like that, without any formal initiation. He would say to everybody:

যারে দেখ, তারে কহ ‘কৃষ্ণ’ উপদেশ ।
আমার আজ্ঞায় গুরু হঞা তার’ এই দেশ ॥

yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa
amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa

'Tell whomever you see about the teachings of Lord Krishna. On My order, become a guru and rescue this land.'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.7.128)

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Conquering the Conquerer
2) Two Phenomenal Personalities
3) Srila Raghunath Das Goswami's Pastimes
4) Mukunda's Faith
5) Sri Raghunandan Thakur
6) Remembering Lord's Associates
7) Devotees' Wealth
8) Do As You Please
9) Remember Great Souls