Category: Mayapur Nabadwip dham

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

Srila Vamsi Das babaji, previously known as Bhairab Chandra, had appeared in the year 1859, in the village of Majeedpur.Majeedpur was formerly part of the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Sri Sanatana Mallabrahma and Srimati Sarvasundari devi had the great fortune of giving birth and parenting this exalted personality. He was the eldest of his seven siblings, and being the son of a poor fisherman, he had suffered a hard and an austere upbringing. From his very childhood, he was deeply attracted to Lord Gauranga and Sri Nityananda Prabhu. He would keep staring at the deities of Gaura-Nitai at a nearby temple, for hours altogether. Seeing this, his parents became very anxious, and got him married. But he eventually left his home, leaving behind his wife and little son, and became a renunciant. He soon received initiation in the line of the great vaishnava acharya, Sri Narottama Das Thakura. After staying back at Majeedpur for a few years, he left for an extensive pilgrimage all over India.Travelling all over the country, he finally settled down at Navadvipa, where he spent the most of his life.’The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ had the good fortune of visiting and praying at his bhajana Kutira at Navadvipa.Towards the end of his manifested pastimes, he returned to Majeedpur once more, where he left his body.

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

Situated east of Yogpeeth,on the banks of Ballal Dighi, lies the house of Sri Murari Gupta. He was born at Srihatta (Sylhet, presently situated in Bangladesh) ,the hometown of Jagannatha Misra, but moved over to Navadvipa while he was a very young boy.The residence of Murari Gupta is a stone’s throw from Srivasa Angan (house of Srivasa Pandita) and is situated hardly a kilometer from the Iskcon Mayapur temple. He was a contemporary of Lord Chaitanya and used to study in the same toll (school) as Mahaprabhu. Although he was a scholar and senior to Mahaprabhu ,yet he could not defeat Him in debates and logical arguments.Lord Chaitanya used to tease Murari by raising different topics of discussion and subsequently defeating him in them. Sri Murari Gupta was an intimate associate of Mahaprabhu and was the 21st branch of His desire tree of devotional service .At Murari Gupta’s house ,are presently worshipped the beautiful deities of Sri Ram, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanumana. We, from ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ consider ourselves exceedingly blessed to have been able to take darsana of his sripat, and smear our sinful bodies with the dust of this holy place.

Sri Murari Gupta was an Ayurvedic doctor (vaidya) by profession, but it has been mentioned in the revealed scriptures that such was the nature of his treatment, that his patients would be benefitted not only materially but spiritually as well. Sri Murari would prescribe medicines not only for the patient’s ailing body but bestow Krishna prema for his suffering soul.He regularly participated in the nightly sankirtana held at Srivasa Angan and satisfied Mahaprabhu greatly with his ecstatic singing and dancing.He was a treasure house of divine love and it is stated that his humility and meekness, melted the heart of Lord Gaurahari.

Sri murari gupta sakha premera bhandara
prabhura hridaya drave shuni dainya yanra
(Chaitanya Caritamrta , Adi,10.49)

One of the sweetest spiritual sites that ‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ has come across during its vast journey across Bengal is the maternal home of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Located at a place called Belpukur within the precincts of Simantadvipa (one of the nine islands constituting Navadvipa) , this is where Sri Nilambar Chakravarti, Mahaprabhu’s maternal grandfather, used to reside along with his family 500 years ago.Sri Madana Gopala, the worshipable deity of Sri Nilambar, has been carefully preserved at this holy place and continues to accept our humble service till this day. The beautiful deities of Sri Nilambar Chakravarti and his daughter Srimati Saci devi is also worshipped over here.The temple priest ,Sri Nimai Krishna das Prabhuji, who lives and serves here, has been subsequently initiated into the Gaudiya Sampradaya by HH Jayapataka Swami Guru Maharaj.

Being His maternal home, this place is very dear to Sri Gaurahari. Infact all of us have a very special place in our hearts towards our maternal homes, and the Supreme Lord ,being a person, is also no different. In fact, a lot of His balya lilas (childhood pastimes) have taken place here at Belpukur. The dust of this holy place is thus sanctified with the lotus footprints of Little Nimai.

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.

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

Srimad Bhagavatam reveals that Lord Shiva is the foremost of all the Vaishnavas.

vaishnavanam yatha sambhuh
purananam idam tatha
(SB – 12.13.16)

Some people with incorrect sambandha gyan (knowledge of relationship with Supreme) falsely claim that Lord Shiva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However the scriptures state otherwise. The scriptures unambiguously mention that Lord Shiva is a devotee of the Supreme Lord and in fact he is a devotee of the highest order. The Mohini murti pastime, wherein Lord Shiva was bewildered by the supreme Lord who took the form of a beautiful attractive woman, or the pastime of Bhasmasura , wherein Lord Shiva had to flee from the asura unto whom he had bestowed several benedictions a while before, clearly reflect the superiority and the position of Lord Krishna as the Supreme.

In fact,Shiva is always meditating and hankering to render service unto Sri Krishna who is his dear beloved Lord. In Caitanya Mangala, it is described how Lord Shiva once became mad with ecstasy after honoring a tiny morsel of Krishna Prasadam which he had received from Narada Muni. Such were his feelings, that he began loudly singing and dancing. The dance slowly became more and more vigorous and took the shape of ‘Tandava’, a dance that is usually performed at the time of annihilation. As the whole world started shaking, the helpless demigods approached mother Parvati requesting her to console her husband. We can thus clearly understand how dear Krishna and His remnants are to Lord Shiva.