(1/3) Remembering Pastimes

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar area, noon programme
13 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

When we go for Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama, we also go to the house of Sri Sridhar Prabhu. Mahaprabhu came to his house and drank water from a pot with a hole. Sridhar Prabhu’s house is situated in a garden. We went there for the first time last year.

One time, when Mahaprabhu came to Sridhar Prabhu at the market, Sridhar Prabhu asked Him, ‘Are there no other shops at the market? Why do You only come to me to steal banana stems and flowers?’

ভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু লুটিপুটি খায় ।
অভক্তের জিনিষ প্রভু উলটি নাহি চায় ॥

bhaktera jinisa prabhu lutiputi khaya
abhaktera jinisa prabhu ulti nahi chaya

‘The Lord eats anything and everything when a devotee offers it to Him, but He does not want to take anything from a non-devotee.’

(Based on Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, 2.9.185)

So, you can understand why Mahaprabhu came to Sridhar Prabhu’s house and even drank water from his glass with a hole. He would always eat Sridhar Prabhu’s banana stems and banana flowers.

We go to that house every year now; it is near the temple of Lord Jagannathdev. We talk about the pastimes that took place there. These pastimes are very, very beautiful. Sridhar Prabhu’s house is situated in Simantadwip, so when we go there, we also speak about the glories of this island, remembering Lord Siva. And near Simantadwip, there is also Rudradwip, also a place of Lord Siva.

When we come to Madhyadwip, we also remember one pastime. In Satya-yuga, there was a sage called Durvasa Muni. One time, when Durvasa Muni was lying down one hot afternoon in a forest, a small son of one of the demigods came there and cut off Durvasa Muni’s sikha (a tuft of hair). Durvasa Muni jumped up and cursed the boy, ‘You will be a crocodile for four ages!’ The boy began to cry bitterly and asked the sage, ‘What will become of me now? Please do not curse me!’ Durvasa Muni replied, ‘I have already cursed you; there is nothing you can do about it. But I will tell you one thing: Satya-yuga will pass, Treta-yuga will pass, Dvapar-yuga will pass, and when finally Gauranga Mahaprabhu comes in Kali-yuga, you will be living in a lake in Nabadwip – when Mahaprabhu comes to that lake chanting kirtan, you will hear that kirtan and again assume your previous form.’

So, one day Mahaprabhu was walking with devotees in Madhyadwip, chanting kirtan. When they came to the lake where the boy was supposed to be living, everyone told Mahaprabhu, ‘Please do not go there! Do not go there! There is a crocodile in that lake! Even cows do not go there to drink water.’ Mahaprabhu knew everything, so He still came to the lake, and as He was chanting kirtan, suddenly a boy came out of the water and fell at His feet in a prostrate obeisance. Mahaprabhu asked him, ‘Who are you? Why were you in the water?’ The boy said, ‘Prabhu, I know that You are the Supreme Lord. I know that Lord Krishna comes in Kali-yuga as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. You chanted the Holy Name, and by the influence of Your chanting, my crocodile body has changed and I have now again got my human body. Please give me Your blessing, I want to return to my father and mother.’

This is the result of chanting the Holy Name.

All these pastimes are written in the book Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala. We do not have many books with us, but we have more in Kolkata. So, if you come again, you can get it later at any of our temples.

Please take care, everyone. We will chant a kirtan now and finish. I will be giving a class again in the evening, please come. Whether they invite you or not, it does not matter – I am inviting you, so you must come to hear the class. Why do you need an invitation anyway?

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 11 Mb
Length: 22 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Remembering Chapahati
2) Remembering Saranga Murari
3) Remembering Pastimes