(1/2) Remembering Sri Ekachakra Dham (1)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Preaching in Tarakeshwar area, noon class,
12 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

Soon is our festival at the holy abode of Nitai in Sri Birchandrapur. I am finishing the collection now because after the festival I will stay in Hooghly for seven days (I will be staying at the house of Ashok Prabhu in Begumpur). There is a noon programme on Sunday in Singur, so I will come there before 10 a.m.

Nityananda Prabhu’s glory is so great. You have heard from Mahabharata about the great battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas that took place in Dvapar-yuga. Before that battle, the Pandavas lost a game of dice and were exiled: they had to give up their kingdom and go to live in the forest. Yudhisthir, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakul, Sahadev and their mother Kunti Devi left all together. Living in the forest means that they had to live in different places, travelling from place to place. Among the places they stayed in, there is a place in West Bengal that is now known as Pancha Pandav Tala in Birchandrapur. There was a brahman’s house there, and they stayed at his house. Then, the battle happened. Everyone says that many people fought in that war, but actually only Krishna fought in it. During the battle, one of the wheels of Arjuna’s chariot got detached, and when it was hurled at the enemy, it somehow landed in Birchandrapur. That is why Birchandrapur became known as Ekachakra (lit. ‘one [eka] wheel [chakra]’). Later, Nityananda Prabhu had a son called Virachandra [alternatively pronounced as ‘Birachandra’], who had many disciples in that area, that is why it eventually became famous as Birchandrapur.

Nityananda had two potencies (saktis), Jahnava and Vasudha.

One day, Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu came to Kalna by boat. (We have a temple in Kalna near that place, and the oar of Their boat is still kept at Gauri Das Pandit’s temple – devotees took care of it and kept it nicely somehow. When you came there, they used to touch it to your head, but because it has become frail, they keep it in a box now and do not do it anymore.) So, when Nityananda Prabhu came to Kalna, He visited the house of two brothers, Gauri Das Pandit and Suryadas Sarakhel. Gauri Das Pandit is a devotee of Mahaprabhu.

One time, Mahaprabhu told Gauri Das Pandit, ‘Nitai goes to different houses and eats here and there. He has no permanent place, and there is nobody to cook for Him. Arrange a household for Him – get Him married.’

‘Where will I find Him a girl?’ Gauri Das Pandit asked.

‘Why, your brother has two daughters! You can give one of them to Him – give Jahnava to Him.’

‘Well, she is not my daughter, so I will have to ask my brother.’

When Gauri Das Pandit spoke to his brother, Suryadas said, ‘Oh, come on! He has no house, no income. He always stays in different houses. How can I give Him my daughter?’

Actually, Nityananda Prabhu owned a huge land of many bighas, but He lived as a sannyasi – He wore white clothes but always wandered place to place.

[To a devotee] Turn off your phone! You are going to offer bhoga to the Deities, are you taking your phone with you? Who is going to call you? When you come to offer bhoga to the Deities, you must come without any phones; it is not necessary to take your phone or anything else with you!

So, Suryadas said no and refused to have his daughter married to Nityananda Prabhu. In the meantime, when Nityananda Prabhu and Gauranga were taking a walk outside the house, Jahnava’s glance fell on Nityananda Prabhu and their eyes met. Before, girls used to be very shy; now there is little shyness, but before even elder ladies would never come in front of their guru – they would run away. So, when she glanced at Nityananda Prabhu and their eyes met (she is His sakti after all; this is not an ordinary marriage matter that common people have), she quickly ran away into the forest and fell unconscious. Nobody at the house knew what had happened, so they started looking for her, ‘Where is our girl? Where has she gone?’ Eventually, they found her in the forest and brought her home. When they brought her home, foam started coming out of her mouth. They thought that she had been bitten by a snake, so they fetched a healer. The healer tried to take out poison, but there was no poison or any sign of a bite. Then, Gauri Das Pandit said to his brother, ‘Where are Nitai and Gaura? You see? You refused to give this girl to a sadhu, and now you can see her condition.’

At this time, Nitai and Gaura were sitting beneath a tamarind tree (that tree is still there). Suddenly, They saw Gauri Das running towards Them and crying, ‘Come, come! Come with me to the house!’

‘What has happened?’ Nitai and Gaura asked.

‘I do not know what has happened, but Jahnava is unconscious!’

‘What will We do about it? We are not healers or doctors. Call a doctor!’ Nityananda Prabhu said.

‘No, no, Prabhu, please come, come with me.’

In the end, Gauri Das Pandit made Them come with him to the house, and when They came, he said to Nityananda Prabhu, ‘Take this girl now.’

‘What will I do with this dead girl?!’ Nityananda Prabhu asked. ‘She cannot wash the dishes, she cannot serve the Lord. What will I do with a dead girl?!’

‘No, no, You must accept her!’

Then, Nityananda Prabhu said, ‘All right, I agree, but I have one condition.’

‘What is Your condition?’

‘The condition is this. You must give Me Vasudha along with Jahnava.’

What is he to do now! Suryadas does not want to give even one girl to Him, but now Nityananda is asking for both his daughters! Gauri Das told his brother, ‘If you refuse again, what if the same thing happens to Vasudha?’ Scared, Suryadas agreed to have both his daughters married to Nityananda Prabhu.

When he agreed, Nityananda Prabhu put His hand on Jahnava’s head, and she opened her eyes, sitting up. Then, two garlands were brought, and the two sisters put the garlands on Nityananda Prabhu’s neck. After that, Nityananda Prabhu took them to Birbhum. There was no need for any formal marriage – Jahnava and Vasudha only put garlands on His neck, and after that they left together. In her later life, Jahnava went to Vrindavan. If you go to Vrindavan, you can see her samadhi there. She became a Vaishnavi and spent her later life in Vrindavan doing bhajan. She stayed near Radha Kunda. Every year we come to pay obeisance at her samadhi.

Such is the glory of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

— : • : —

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1) Remembering Sri Ekachakra Dham (1)
2) Remembering Sri Ekachakra Dham (2)