Illustrious and Loving Service

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, evening class
2 January 2021, part 5, translated from Bengali

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur would also take a walk to Mayapur. Everybody used to think that Mahaprabhu's birthplace had been taken away by the Ganges. It is true that the Ganges can take it, but the Ganges can also return it. It was Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's exclusive, one-pointed desire and prayer, "Prabhu, please mercifully allow me to see Your birthplace. Please show me this place." He started chanting the Holy Name very intently. One day, when he was chanting the Holy Name on the roof of his house in Svananda Sukhada Kunja, he saw some transcendental light. In the morning, he woke up, took a horse and some men and went to the place where he had seen that light. The local people were surprised, "Why are there so many people here?" Mostly Muslim people lived there. When Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur asked what that place was, he was told it was Miyapur (Mayapur was previously called Miyapur). Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur saw a vast Tulasi garden in that place. He asked somebody why there were so many Tulasi trees, and he was told that no matter what people had tried to plant there, nothing grew in that place—everything grew as Tulasi trees! Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur thought, "What is this? So many Tulasis, and I saw this place radiating divine light at night... Is this Mahaprabhu's birthplace then?" After that, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur went to Nabadwip and brought Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj to that place. When Bihari Das, Srila Babaji Maharaj's servant, brought him there in a basket (Srila Babaji Maharaj was 137 years old at that time!) to the place, Srila Babaji Maharaj jumped out of the basket and started dancing! "This is Prabhu's birthplace! I have found it! Hari bol! Hari bol!" This is how Mayapur was discovered. Later, babajis filed a court case claiming that another place was Mahaprabhu's birthplace (it was dismissed by the court). It is clearly written in the scriptures, in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita and other books, that Mahaprabhu's birthplace is in Mayapur.

Param Guru Maharaj wrote a very beautiful kirtan in glorification of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. We sing it every day.

সুজনার্ব্বুদরাধিতপাদযুগং
যুগধর্ম্মধুরন্ধর-পাত্রবরম্ ।
বরদাভয়দায়ক-পূজ্যপদং
প্রণমামি সদা প্রভুপাদপদম্

sujanarvuda-radhita-pada-yugam
yuga-dharma-dhurandhara-patra-varam
varadabhaya-dayaka-pujya-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

"My master, Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, established the religion of the age, Krishna-sankirtan, and is the chief minister of the universal assembly of leading Vaisnavas. His lotus feet are worshipped by millions of virtuous souls and fulfil the desires of those who dispel souls' fears. Eternally I offer my obeisance to my master's worshippable feet."

One time, Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked Gurudev, "Which verse do you like the most in this poem?" and Gurudev replied:

কৃপয়া হরিকীর্ত্তনমূর্ত্তিধরং
ধরণীভরহারক-গৌরজনম্ ।
জনকাধিকবৎসলস্নিগ্ধপদং
প্রণমামি সদা প্রভুপাদপদম্

krpaya hari-kirtana-murti-dharam
dharani-bhara-haraka-gaura-janam
janakadhika-vatsala-snigdha-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

"He is the embodiment of Hari-kirtan. He mercifully relieves Mother Earth of the burden upon her. He is an associate of Sri Gaura, and more kind and affectionate than a father. Eternally I offer my obeisance to my master's feet."

Gurudev told he liked this verse the most, and I also like it the most. Krpaya hari-kirtana-murti-dharam. Srila Prabhupad is a holy embodiment of kirtan, but he did not chant kirtan so much himself—he did not like songs, tunes, melody, etc. His kirtan was through Hari-katha. So, kirtan here is not what is sung with drums and kartals; he is the embodiment of Hari-kirtan... Srila Sridhar Maharaj composed this poem, and all temples sing it.

Dharani-bhara-haraka-gaura-janam. He carries the burden of the whole earth. Janakadhika-vatsala-snigdha-padam. His love is stronger than even that of a father. Our Gurudev is also like that. He chastised me a lot, but he also loved me a lot. Do you see me making a festival for my father's birthday? No, I make a festival and celebrate my Gurudev's birthday. Because we love Gurudev, we make a grand festival. When it comes to my birthday, I always say that if you do not make anything, it is all right, but I have shown my disciples how one must do Guru-seva, Vaishnav-seva. This time, I searched the whole Krishnanagar and could not find banana leaf plates, so I sent somebody to find banana trees in the area and cut some leaves to use as plates for the sadhus.

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