(1/1) At Sri Chapahati

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama, Day Three
19 March 2019, parikrama, part 3
Translated from Bengali

Having taken the darshan of Gaura-Gadadhar, please come here. Hare Krishna! We have now come to Chapahati. [His Divine Grace chants 'Jaya Radha Madhava' and the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, giving all the devotees time to gather around.]

Hare Krishna! Continuing our parikrama, we have come to Ritudwip. This place here is known as Chapahati, or Champahati. All six seasons (spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, late autumn, winter) exist here all together. This place used to be known as PS Purbasthali, Bardhaman District (now it is East Bardhaman, part of Nadanghat area). A brahman called Dvija Vaninath lived in this Chapahati, and he installed the Deities of Gaura-Gadadhar here five hundred years ago, in Mahaprabhu's time. There were only three places where Mahaprabhu's Deity was installed in His time – Sri Gauri Das Pandit's Gaura-Nitai in Kalna (we have a ladies' ashram); Sri Vishnupriya Devi's sevita-vigraha in Nabadwip (Koladwip); and here in Chapahati. In Dvapar-yuga, Dvija Vaninath participated in Krishna's pastimes as a gopi called Kamalekha. The Deities here were installed five hundred years ago, and Their service was later taken up by Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

In Satya-yuga, a brahman devotee lived here. Because there used to be many champa trees growing here, this village became known as Chapahati (Champahati). The brahman would come to this champa grove and pick flowers for the service to Radha-Govinda every day. The Supreme Lord is bhakta-vatsala – He loves His devotees. Krishna Himself says, 'It is not necessary to offer Me so many opulent things. If a devotee gives me one Tulasi leaf and a drop of Ganges water, it pleases Me very much.' So, the Lord became very pleased with the service of that brahman. One day, when the brahman was doing archan, meditating on Radha-Govinda, Lord Krishna suddenly decided to manifest before him – the Lord wanted to show His form to the brahman, 'This brahman has been serving Me so much. I will give My darshan to him.' The Lord appeared in His divine form of Sri Gaurasundar (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu), with the opulent lustre the colour of a champa flower. The Lord said, 'Dear brahman, I will come in this form that You see in the Age of Kali.' Hearing this, the brahman thought, 'How many days will I be alive? Will I live to this Age of Kali? I know I will not live to it... Then how will I be able to see this form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? He will come in Kali-yuga, but how will I see Him?' Then, Krishna appeared in front of him in a dream and said, 'Do not cry. I will appear in Mayapur, at the house of Jagannath Misra and Sachi Mata. You will also appear in Nabadwip Dham – you will be born in Chapahati, Ritudwip.' That is how that brahman appeared as Dvija Vaninath in Kali-yuga. This Dvija Vaninath established the Deities of Gaura-Gadadhar.

Eventually, the service to the Deities stopped, but Jagad-Guru Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur again established Their worship.

Jay Champahati ki jay.
Jay Sri Gaura-Gadadhar ki jay.
Harinam -sankirtan ki jay.

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