SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA

(32) Sri Chatak Parvat

There is a place called Chatak Parvat (‘Chatak Hill’) in Sri Puri Dham. This place is nondifferent from Sri Govardhan.

Sometimes, when Mahaprabhu went to bath in the ocean, He saw this hill, and as soon as He saw it, He would start running here at the speed of wind, shedding tears and reciting verses in praise of Govardhan. Coming here, He became so overwhelmed with the agony of separation that He manifested the asta-sattvika-vikar (eight symptoms of divine ecstasy) – manifesting His transcendental pastimes, He would behold the pastimes of Lord Krishna here. When all the devotees came running here, too, they would start chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra into His ear, and then Mahaprabhu gradually calmed down again but then suddenly get annoyed, ‘Who took Me away from Govardhan?! I was seeing Krishna’s pastimes, and where am I now?? Why have you brought Me here, giving Me so much pain?’ Mahaprabhu would start crying…

This is a very high, hidden place.

Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur established Sri Purusottam Gaudiya Math in this place, and he would come here every year and make festivals, preach and worship the Lord. His bhajan-kutir is present here to this day.

You must have heard that our Param Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj took shelter at the holy feet of Srila Prabhupad. Later, he wrote about Srila Prabhupad:

nikhila-bhuvana-maya-chhinnavichchhinna-kartri
vibudhabahula-mrgya-mukti-mohanta-datri
sithilita-vidhi-raga-radhya-radhesa-dhani
vilasatu hrdi nityam bhakti-siddhanta-vani

‘He slashed to shreds the illusion of the whole material universe, putting a stop to scholarly speculations and conceptions of liberation; he eased the strict rules and regulations, bestowing the conception of natural loving worship of the Divine Couple – may the devotional teachings of this Sri Bhaktisiddhanta play eternally in our hearts.’

(Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur declared a totalitarian war against maya and relaxed the strict rules. When he was in Nabadwip, many people harassed him, but:

jagate kaile ghosana, ‘taroriva sahisnuna’,
hana ‘kirtaniyah sada harih’

‘You proclaimed to the whole world: one who is as tolerant as a tree can always chant the glory of the Lord.’

(Acharya Vandana)

Such was his declaration. Through his divine teachings of devotion (bhakti-siddhanta-vani) he granted pure, spontaneous, loving devotion (raga-bhakti) to this world.

Sri Advaita Prabhu called Sriman Mahaprabhu to this world because he was very sad to see that the religion had virtually been obliterated from this world. And after Mahaprabhu left, many bogus sampradayas mushroomed in this world: aul, baul, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani, sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-goswami, atibadi, chudadhari, gauranga-nagari. There were these thirteen apa-sampradayas spread around, and now there are even more of them – there must be thirteen thousand of them in this world! To rescue everybody from this situation, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and his spouse, Sri Bhagavati Devi, prayed to Bimala Devi, ‘O Devi, please send such a person who would be able to preach about pure devotion in this world!’ Then, by the mercy of Lord Jagannath, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur (Bimala Prasad) came to this world.

Srila Prabhupad gave much advice, notably:

‘Instead of opening millions and millions of hospitals and serving millions and millions of patients, it will be a million times better if you can bring to this path a single person who is averse to Krishna!’

‘A flatterer can never become a guru.’

‘If you always serve jiva souls, it will bring benefit to your own soul.’

‘Making a show of spiritual life, satisfying the whims of your mind and doing what you please, is not what is called spiritual life. Spiritual life means serving your guru and Vaishnavs in strict, chaste adherence to them, it means satisfying their minds and desires.’

He gave much advice and spiritual guidance, he travelled to many holy places and established sixty-four temples.

Without chaste submission to our guru – if we live in any other, desultory way, without preaching the conception of Sri Rupa-Raghunath – we will never be able to attain Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s mercy.

sri-gauranga-parisada, thakura bhaktivinoda,
dina-hina patitera bandhu
kali-tamah vinasite, anilena avanite,
toma’ akalanka purna indu

‘To dispel the darkness of this Age of Kali, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, an associate of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and a friend of fallen souls, brought to this earth you [Srila Saraswati Thakur], a spotless, unblemished full moon.’

(Acharya Vandana)

He taught the whole world:

trnad api sunichena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

‘One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree and who gives honour to others without desiring it for themselves is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.239)

If we can accept all these teachings in our lives, then we will be able to attain Srila Prabhupad’s mercy.

Jay Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad ki jay.

The holy domes of Sri Purushottam Gaudiya Math.

Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Gadadhara Vinode Madhava Jiu at Sri Purushottam Gaudiya Math founded by Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad.

His Divine Grace seated by the bhajan-kutir of Srila Prabhupad, at Sri Chatak Parvat.

A glimpse into Srila Prabhupad's holy room.

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