Gupta Govardhan and
Other Esoteric Pastimes

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Govardhan Puja Adhivas day
Kolkata—Worldwide, 15 November 2020, part 5

Question: Are you going to celebrate Govardhan Puja in Nabadwip or Tarakeshwar tomorrow?

No, no. I am at Dum Dum Park. I have Deities here... I am a fallen soul, I have no quality to worship Govardhan—I always worship Doyal Nitai... "Who does this fallen soul have in this world besides Nityananda Prabhu?"

Question: How should we understand 'Gupta' [hidden] Govardhan? Is it only one place on earth or more than one?

Gupta Govardhan is in many holy places. Our Param Gurudev Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj said that Nabadwip Dham is non-different from Vrindavan Dham. There are nine islands in Nabadwip, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj discovered the aparadh-bhanjan-pat and Gupta Govardhan in Koladwip. It is Govardhan as it is, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj himself identified Sri Govinda Kunda and said that it was Gupta Govardhan. After that, by Srila Gurudev's mercy, owing to the inspiration of Srila Sridhar Maharaj and Srila Gurudev, Govinda Kunda manifested itself very beautifully.

Other than that, there is Gupta Govardhan in many other places. When we visit Nabadwip, we see also two kundas—Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda—in Sri Chaitanya Math. Also we see Shyama Kunda and Radha Kunda in Ritudwip—they are still not properly manifested, but we believe it is Ritudwip according to what the scriptures say and according to what Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur said also. When Nityananda Prabhu did Nabadwip Dham parikrama with Srila Jiva Goswami, He came to that place and declared that it was Ritudwip and that Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda were there.

Three days ago I went to Ekachakra (you know that many people visit our Ekachakra temple, especially during the parikrama time). There is also some hidden place in Ekachakra where they say that there is also Govardhan. So, there is Gupta Govardhan even in Nityananda Prabhu's Ekachakra Dham. They actually told me, "Please come and see that place. Do you want to buy that land?" I replied, "I cannot buy the whole world." [His Divine Grace laughs.]

So, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj identified Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math temple as Gupta Govardhan, so we respect that place as Gupta Govardhan. Gurudev made there the temple and called it Gupta Govardhan. This temple is inside Govardhan. Later, Giriraj also came to Govinda Kunda—by His own will, Govardhan came here. Also, in Srila Sridhar Swami Seva Ashram in Govardhan, Gurudev found Giriraj during land cultivation and a panda (priest) recognised it as Giriraj, so Gurudev called the temple "Temple of Anu-Giriraj." The name of the Deity of Giriraj in our Govardhan temple is Anu-Giriraj ('anu' means 'small', therefore 'Small Giriraj').

Also, we hear that Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur called Chatak Parvat in Sri Puri Dham also 'Gupta Govardhan.'

Question: You said earlier that whenever Srimati Radharani wants to appear, She cannot appear without Yamuna, Govardhan, etc. Is that so that wherever Srimati Radharani and Krishna are, there must be also Gupta Govardhan?

There is Yamuna in Nabadwip, there is Radharani also in Nabadwip. When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had taken sannyas, He came to the Ganges and, thinking it was the Yamuna, He prayed and recited the pranam mantra of the Yamuna. Then, suddenly He saw Advaita Acharya there. He became disturbed, "Why do I see Advaita Acharya here? How could he have come to Vrindavan so quickly?" Then, Advaita Acharya explained, "Prabhu, wherever You are, that is Vrindavan, that is the Yamuna. Besides, here, the west side of the river is Yamuna, and the east side is the Ganga. So, what is the problem?"

gangaya yamuna vahe hana eka-dhara
paschime yamuna vahe, purve ganga-dhara

"Advaita Acharya then explained that at that spot the Ganges and Yamuna flow together. On the western side was the Yamuna, and on the eastern side was the Ganges."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.3.36)

Also, when Haridas Thakur left his body in Puri Dham and his body was bathed in the ocean, Mahaprabhu declared, "Now this samudra (ocean) is a maha-tirtha!" Maha-tirtha means that all holy places descended there, so the Yamuna, the Ganga, everything is there. You can also see Sveta-Ganga of Sri Ganga Mata Goswamini—Ganga appeared there by the will of Lord Jagannath.

Question: I am also remembering the pastime of Srila Sanatan Goswami and mosquitos...

Yes, that is a pastime related to Chakleshwar Mahadev and it happened on the bank of Manasi Ganga in Govardhan. Krishna personally brought the Ganges to Govardhan, and Chakleshwar Mahadev resides there, on the bank of that Manasi Ganga. Srila Sanatan Goswami was doing his bhajan there, but at some point so many mosquitos started disturbing him that he could not stay there any longer. He prayed to Chakleshwar Mahadev and after that by the mercy of Mahadev all mosquitos were removed from there and Srila Sanatan Goswami happily stayed there doing his bhajan. There are many Mahadevs—this happened with Chakleshwar Mahadev, and there is also Bhuteshwar, Kameshwar, Gopeshwar, Chakleshwar, there is also another Mahadev called 'Asheshwar Mahadev' in Ter-kadamba where Mahadev is waiting to see Gopal...

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