Remembering Holy Nabadwip Dham

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama, Day Three
Evening class, 26 March 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

মূকং করোতি বাচালং পঙ্গুং লঙ্ঘয়তে গিরিম্ ।
যৎকৃপা তমহং বন্দে শ্রীগুরুং দীনতারণম্ ॥

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

Today you have very nicely completed the third day of Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. Among many places, we went today across Madhyadwip, where Hamsavahan and other places are. Tomorrow is the adhivas of the holy appearance day of Sriman Mahaprabhu, and as each year, we will be finishing our parikrama on this day. The buses will come tomorrow and we will go up to Champahatti by bus, and after the parikrama, the buses will pick us up and bring us back here from Mamgachhi. We will be doing the parikrama of the remaining part of Koladwip, starting from Samudra Sen's place—we will sit there and speak about King Samudra Sen. Then, we will go to Champahatti. Mahaprabhu's associate Dvijavaninath installed the Deities of Gaura Gadadhar there. In the time of Mahaprabhu, there were three places where His Deity was installed—in Kalna (Gauri Das Pandit's place), in Champahatti (the place of Dvijavaninath, as well as Jayadev Goswami who lived there with his spouse Padmavati Devi and composed Sri Gita Govinda), and the third Deity was installed by Sri Vishnupriya Devi at her father's home.

So, we will pay obeisance at Champahatti and then enter Ritudwip. We will be passing Shyama Kunda and Radha Kunda and speak about those places. After that, we will arrange for prasadam for everyone. Then, we will continue to Vidyanagar, the place of residence of all knowledge (vidya) in this world (though Mahaprabhu called all this knowledge 'a-vidya,' or 'ignorance'). There is also Sri Sarvabhauma Gaudiya Math near there. Then, we will go to Jahnunagar where we will speak about Sri Jahnudwip. After that, we will go to Modadrumdwip (Mamgachhi).

We went to two islands today, and there are three more left for tomorrow. So, we will go there tomorrow and speak about the glories of those places. The place where we are now and where we return every day is called Godrumdwip, it is a place of kirtan. Nearby here is Madhyadwip, a place of smaranam (remembrance). Tomorrow, we will go to Jahnudwip, a place of vandanam (paying obeisance, praying); Modadrumdwip, a place of dasyam (servitude), non-different from Ayodhya. I told you the other day that all holy places are present here within Sri Nabadwip. Shyama Kunda and Radha Kunda of Vrindavan are also here. Ritudwip is a place of archanam (Deity worship).

You know that there are the nine kinds of devotion—sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, pada-sevanam, archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam—hearing, chanting, remembering the Lord, serving the Lord's lotus feet, worshipping the Deity of the Lord, offering obeisance, rendering service as a servitor, as a friend, and self-submission. Each of these nine kinds of devotion reside on a corresponding island here in Nabadwip.

There are some things left which I have not told today, and I would like to speak about it now. You can find it all written here in this book (Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala)—buy this book and take it home; you can read it every day. You should study every day otherwise one year later you will forget everything and fall into illusory bondage of Maya. The holy scripture manifests itself in two forms—grantha-bhagavata (a book form), and Vaishnav-bhagavata (a holy devotee form); there is no difference between these two forms. If you go back to your homes and do not chant kirtans the whole year being busy with your family affairs, then you will come next year and see that you cannot chant kirtans any more. You must practise at home. Practice makes perfect. You must practise every day.

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