Month: January 2018

Srivasa Angan, Mayapur – Part 1: where Lord Chaitanya eternally performs His ecstatic pastimes

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

srivasa angan mayapur

“What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering the transcendental abode of Navadvipa”
– Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya

Panca tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta saktikam

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, who is non-different from His features as a devotee (Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu), devotional manifestation (Sri Nityananda Prabhu), devotional incarnation (Sri Advaita Acarya), devotional energy (Sri Gadadhara Pandita) and pure devotee (Sri Srivasa Pandita).

According to Sri Gaura Gannoddesha Dipika, Srivasa Pandita is none other than the incarnation of Narada Muni, who had appeared to assist his beloved Lord enact the heart melting pastimes of Navadvipa. Srivasa Angan, or the house of Srivasa Pandita, is a stone’s throw from Lord Caitanya’s birthplace at Yogpeeth (Refer – ‘YogPeeth, Mayapur, Navadvipa – The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’). Here Lord Caitanya along with His confidential associates, had inaugurated the Harinaam sankirtana movement, 500 years ago. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami reveals in Caitanya Caritamrta that Lord Gaurahari eternally resides and performs His sweet ecstatic pastimes at four holy places, and Srivasa Angan is one of them.Yogpeeth, wherever Lord Nityananda dances (nityananda nartane) and Raghava Bhavan, the house of Raghava pandita, being the other three.

saci-ra mandire ar nityananda nartane
srivasa kirtane, ar raghava bhavane
ei chari thani prabhu-ra sada abirbhava
premakrishta haya, prabhura sahaja swabhava
(Caitanya Caritamrta, Antya – 2.34-35)

Every night the Lord would meet with all His associates at Srivasa Pandita’s house and engage in ecstatic dancing and loud congregational chanting of the holy names. There are innumerable pastimes that our sweet Lord had enacted at Srivasa Angan, just by mere contemplation upon which ,can award one with the highest benediction of Krishna Prema.Though it is not humanly possible for one to recount all of these magnificent pastimes, yet ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ shall try to narrate a few of them below, for our own purification and for the sake of pleasing the devotees.

Kolkata North24Paraganas

Baranagar Pathbari – Sri Bhagavatacharya’s residence

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

pathbari entrance

Ancient Pastimes at Baranagar Pathbari :

Sri Bhagavatacharya ,the 76th branch of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s desire tree of devotional service, met Lord Caitanya on the banks of the river Ganges at a place presently known as Baranagar (which is about 8-10 kms from kolkata).

Srila Prabhupada mentions about Sri Bhagavatacharya in his commentary to Caitanya Caritamrta (Adi Lila, 10.113 purport). Sri Raghunatha Upadhyaya , as Bhagavatacharya was then called, used to reside at Baranagar ,on the bank of the Ganges, and daily recite Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) in his small hut. It so happened that once , while Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was en route to Jagannatha Puri, and was passing by Baranagar, a very beautiful recitation and a sublime devotional explanation of Srimad Bhagavatam, entered His ears. Being curious, He immediately entered the cottage, where He found Sri Raghunatha reciting the spotless literature. Seeing Lord Caitanya ,Raghunatha fell at His feet, and hearing his recitations, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu fainted in ecstasy. Lord Caitanya later remarked that He had never before heard such a beautiful explanation of Srimad Bhagavatam. He hence conferred the title ‘Bhagavatacharya’ upon Raghunatha and ordered him that his only duty henceforward was to regularly recite Srimad Bhagavatam. Sri Bhagavatacharya had later compiled his commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam in a book called ‘Krishna Prema Tarangini’.

Mayapur Nabadwip dham

Saranga Murari Thakur – Pastimes and Sripat, Mayapur Nabadwip dham

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

saranga murari thakura mayapur Travelling north from Mayapur, ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ reached the sacred island of Modadrumadvipa, which is non-different to the forests of Bhandirvan in Vraja. Here in Modadrumadvipa, within the village of Mamgachi, lies the residence (sripat) of Sri Saranga Murari Thakur. Sri Saranga Murari Thakur was a dear associate of Lord Caitanya and the dust of the Lord’s lotus feet are smeared all over his residence. The Thakur’s Radha Gopinath deities are carefully preserved till this day and daily worshipped with due diligence here at his sripat.

Life and pastimes of Sri Saranga Murari Thakur :

Sri Saranga Murari Thakur was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya. He used to reside here at Mamgachi in Modadrumadvipa, and would pass his days serving his deities and contemplating upon the Lord’s magnanimous pastimes. According to Sri Gaura Gannodesha Dipika , Saranga Thakur was the incarnation Nandi Mukhi devi, who was the wife of a brahmana in Vraja.Inspite of repeatedly being inspired from within, Saranga Thakur did not accept any disciple. But understanding that this was the desire of the Lord, Sri Saranga Thakur, decided one day ,that he would initiate the very first person he would meet the next morning. It thus happened that on the very next day, early morning, while he was taking bath, a dead body floated down the Ganges and touched his feet. He uttered mantra into the ears of the dead boy, following which the boy regained his consciousness. Regaining his life, the boy revealed that his name was Murari and that he had died on being bitten by a snake. From then on, Sri Saranga Thakur came to be known as Saranga Murari Thakur as he had given a new life to this boy Murari.

saranga murari thakura mayapur

Bandel Lord Nityananda

Raghunath Das Goswami – Life and pastimes | Sripat Adisaptagram (Near Bandel)

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

Raghunatha das Goswami bandel

Srila Raghunath das Goswami, is one of the six revered goswamis of Vrindavana. His renunciation and love for the supreme, is glorified all over the three worlds. Just as Srila Sanatana Goswami and Srila Rupa Goswami are known as the Sambandha and the Abhidheya acharyas, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami is referred to as the Prayojana (achieving the love of God) acharya of our sampradaya, as he had revealed ,the divine service of Srimati Radharani to be the topmost spiritual perfection. He was born 500 years ago, here at Krishnapur, a small village situated in Bandel, in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. Krishnapur back then was one of the seven villages constituting Saptagram (present day Adisaptagram). His birth and pastimes at Saptagram are a matter of great pride for us Bengalis. Sri Kavi karnapura reveals in Gaura Ganoddesha Dipika that Srila Raghunath das was the combined incarnation of the potencies of Rati Manjari, Rasa manjari and Bhanumati devi.

His love for the Supreme was so intense that Sri Radha and Krishna used to take a break from their eternal pastimes to shower their special mercy upon him. For instance when Sri Raghunath was once busy chanting his rounds ,sitting on the banks of Radha Kunda, Sri Syamasundara had Himself appeared with a stick, to protect him from the tigers who had gathered there for drinking water. Radha Kunda back then was surrounded by a jungle full of carnivorous animals.On another occasion, Srimati Radharani provided Raghunath Das with the cooling shades of Her saree’s end (aanchal), while he was busy chanting his rounds in a hot summer afternoon. She stood there perspiring profusely. Observing these sweet pastimes ,Sri Sanatana Goswami later suggested Raghunath Das to construct a bhajana kutira on the banks of Radha Kunda and chant staying inside, so that the divine couple do not have to appear again and again in order to protect him.

South24Paraganas

Ananta Acharya – Life and Pastimes | Sripat Baruipur (Mahaprabhu Tala)

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

ananta acharya baruipura

Sri Ananta Acharya was one of the dearest followers of Sri Advaita Acharya. Sri Advaita is one of the major branches to have arisen out of Sri Caitanya’s desire tree of devotional service. Ananta Acharya is the ninth expansion to have originated out of Lord Advaita’s branch. It has been mentioned by Srila Prabhupada in his purport that though Sri Ananta was initially a follower of Advaita prabhu, he later on became a prominent devotee of Gadadhara pandita (Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi 12.58). Caitanya Caritamrta exclaims that the body of Ananta Acharya has always been overwhelmed by the ecstasy of Krishna Prema. He was a reservoir of all good qualities and he was advanced in all respects.Not much is mentioned about Sri Ananta Acharya, but from Caitanya Caritamrta, we come to know that he had a dear disciple named Pandita Haridas (not to be confused with Haridasa Thakura), who had been the chief servitor at Sri Radha Govinda Dev jiu temple in Vrindavana. Sri Krishnadasa Kaviraja highly glorifies the vaishnava qualities of Sri Haridasa Pandita in the Adi lila of Caitanya Caritamrta (Adi 8.55) .Srila Krishnadasa recalls that Haridasa Pandita was one of the devotees who had requested him to compose Caitanya Caritamrta, the exalted biographical work on Lord Caitanya’s life and teachings. ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ has covered the pastimes of Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja in a separate article entitled – ‘Jhamatpura (Near Katwa) – Residence of Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami’

ananta acharya baruipura

Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura mentions in his anubhashya that Sri Ananta Acharya is an eternal associate of the Supreme Lord. Sudevi, one of the eight principal gopis of Vrindavana,had incarnated as Sri Ananta Acharya in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes. Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya’s house in Sri Jagannatha Puri, is today known by the name ’GangaMata Matha’. This Matha (monastery) was originally established by Sri Ananta Acharya. Ganga Mata, the princess of Puntiya (located in the Rajshahi district of the present-day Bangladesh), abandoned her home and opulence, in order to accept initiation in Ananta Acharya’s line of disciplic succession. She had later brought a deity named Sri Rasika Raya, from the king of Jaipur ,and installed Him in the house of Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. This matha(monastery) subsequently came to be known by her name.

Lord Jagannath Mayapur Nabadwip dham

Rajapur Jagannath temple, Mayapur Nabadwip dham

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 11, 2018

Jagannatha rajapur

“What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering the transcendental abode of Navadvipa” –
Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya

The Lord proclaims in Bhagavad Gita, that one who understands the transcendental nature of His appearance and activities, does not upon leaving the body, take birth again in this material world (janma karma ca me divyam…)

Travelling north from Iskcon Mayapur, ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ reached the sacred island of Simantadvipa.It is a remote portion of Navadvipa dham, where Simantini devi (Maya devi) was once upon a time blessed by Lord Caitanya. The island embodies the devotional mellows of Sravanam or hearing the glories of the Lord. Within this island, at a place called Rajapur, is worshipped the enchanting deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra Maharani. This ancient temple is presently managed by Iskcon.The daily worship of the deities, and the temple management , is very nicely taken care of by the devotees serving the dham. We seek blessings of the Lord and His devotees, so that we are able to pen a few lines in their glorification.

Bandel

Jharu Thakura Sripat, near Bandel | Bhodo dol Bari

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

jharu thakura sripat

Sri Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami greatly glorifies Sri Jharu thakura and another devotee, Sri Kalidasa Roy, in the Antya Lila of his Caitanya Charitamrita. Reading the sixteenth chapter of Antya Lila ,we come to understand that how truly the birth and the caste of a devotee are completely irrelevant when it comes to one’s devotional life.Sri Jharu Thakura ,a shudra by birth ,a sweeper by caste (bhuimali jati) , lived in the village of Bhedo in the Hooghly district of bengal. The place is very near to the present day Bandel station. Sri Jharu Thakura was an elevated vaishnava and lived his life in complete surrenderance at the lotus feet of the Lord.Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s immortal instructions – ‘kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya, yei Krishna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya’ are as if illustrated through the life and the glorious pastimes of Sri Jharu Thakura.

Lord Nityananda North24Paraganas Vaishnava acharyas

Khardah Shyamsundar temple (Shyam Mandir) | Nityananda prabhu

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

We seek strength at the lotus feet of Lord Nityananada and Sri Birchandra so that we may recite the miraculous and wondrous history of the Khardah Shyamsundar temple !!!

khardah shyamsundar temple

History of Khardah Shyamsundar temple

Sri Birchandra Prabhu, or Birbhadra Goswami , as He was later referred to, was born on the ninth day of the dark fortnight, in the holy month of Kartika (october-november). Birchandra Prabhu was the son of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Vasudha devi. Srimati Jahnava mata was His initiating spiritual master. Sri Birchandra was an expansion of the Supreme Lord Himself, and appeared in this world to assist His father in furthering the mission of Lord Caitanya. Kavi karnapura reveals in his Gaura Ganoddesha Dipika that the expansion of sankarshan, who sleeps on the ocean of milk (Kshirodakashayi Vishnu) and manifests as the supersoul in our heart , had incarnated as Birchandra Prabhu in Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. The holy dham of Khardah is located hardly at a distance of 20 kms from kolkata.

khardah shyamsundar temple

The land of merciful Nityananda Prabhu is decorated all over with various wish fulfilling trees that readily bestow pure devotion upon all without any discrimination. Various demigods have been waiting and meditating for millions of years desiring to take birth in the transcendental abode of Khardah, where they shall be able to associate with the Lord’s pure devotees and obtain the dust from their lotus feet.The land of Khardah is a witness to Lord Nitai’s ecstatic pastimes, merely contemplating upon which ,one easily gains entry into the realm of transcendence.Srimati Jahnava Devi, Vasudha devi, Birchandra Prabhu have all manifested their sweet pastimes here and sanctified this holy tract of land. ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ is exceedingly blessed to have been able to visit Khardah and take darsana of Radha Syamasundara jiu, who continues to shower His causeless mercy upon us suffering souls. Just a stone’s throw from the Syamasundara temple is the residence of Nityananda prabhu where Birchandra had appeared in this world.This house is renowned all over the three worlds as ‘Kunja Vatika’ and we have covered our visit to this place in a separate article entitled – ‘Kunja Vatika, Khardah’.

Katwa & Srikhanda Vaishnava acharyas

Srinivas Acharya – Biography & teachings | Sripat Jajigram (Near Srikhanda, Katwa)

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

Srinivasa acharya jajigram

Srinivas Acharya was the manifestation of the Love of God and the incarnation of Mani Manjari, who eternally assists Sri Guna Manjari (who had appeared as his spiritual master, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami) , in serving Sri Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan. Sri Srinivas Acharya was born around the year 1442 AD.His father was Sri Caitanya Das and his mother was Srimati Lakshmipriya devi. He was empowered and blessed by the Supreme Lord to widely distribute the love of God to one and all.

Sri Caitanya Das’ original name was Gangadhara Bhattacharya, and he was one of those who had the rare opportunity to witness Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sannyasa initiation at Gauranga bari , in Katwa. It was very heartbreaking for those present, to witness Lord Caitanya , whose beauty surpassed that of a millions of moons, shave off His beautiful hairs and accept the robes of a renunciant. At the same time, those present were immersed in a wave of ecstasy, being able to behold the Lord’s beautiful form, and His captivating intoxicated mood. We have covered Lord Caitanya’s sannyasa initiation pastimes in a separate article entitled ‘Sri Gauranga Bari (katwa) – Where Mahaprabhu accepted Sannyasa’.

Such was the effect of the Lord’s sannyasa on Gangadhara ,that he began chanting Sri Caitanya’s names day and night. He constantly cried “Ha Caitanya! Ha Caitanya! Krishna Caitanya!” . Such was his intoxication in divine love for Mahaprabhu, that people nicknamed him as Caitanya Das. This is how ,being a recipient of Lord Gauranga’s mercy, Sri Gangadhara Bhattacharya came to be subsequently known as Caitanya Das.He and his wife lakshmipriya devi were blessed by Lord Caitanya, and as a result these fortunate souls could subsequently become the proud parents of Sri Srinivas Acharya, the manifestation of Mahaprabhu’s ecstasy.

Mayapur Nabadwip dham Srila Prabhupada

ISKCON Mayapur Temple – Founder, History & Details

Post author By gaudiya
Post date January 10, 2018

Mayapur Chandrodaya temple is the headquarters of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the moon who had risen over the lands of Mayapur, a little over 500 years back,and by whose mercy, and empowerment, this awe-inspiring Krishna consciousness movement has now spread its aura over the entire world. Hence it was only befitting that His commander in chief (senapati bhakta) , A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder acharya of ISKCON, had named his headquarter of operations as ‘Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya temple’ (‘chandra’ means ‘moon’ and ‘udaya’ translates to ‘rising’ in bengali). The holy abode of Mayapur might appear to be just a remote village to one who sees things from a mundane perspective. But to the esoteric ,well versed with the conclusions of the revealed scriptures, the land of Mayapur comes across as the very center of the spiritual world, the very highest realm of transcendence. It was at Yogpeeth, situated a few hundred metres from the Mayapur Chandrodaya temple, that Sacinandana Gaurahari had appeared in this world in the year 1486 AD and began mercifully manifesting His ecstatic heart-melting pastimes (refer – ‘YogPeeth, Mayapur, Navadvipa – The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’). One who dearly worships ‘Nader Nimai’, and intensely hankers for His association, can till this day ,perceive the magnanimous Lord singing and dancing upon the streets of Navadvipa, enchanting one and all by His unique movements and unparalleled expressions.’The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ can only stand back and stare at the very rare fortune of the residents of Navadvipa, to whom the dust of Gaurasundara’s lotus feet are so easily obtainable.Srila Prabhupada gave Mayapur to the entire world, by propagating the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu far and wide (refer –’The birthplace of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Tollygunge’). It is by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, that today his beloved children and grandchildren, can gain entrance into this eternal abode and relish the transcendental pastimes of Vishwambhara (the Lord of the Universe).

“What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering the transcendental abode of Navadvipa”
– Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya