19810323 Śrī Navadvīpa Maṇḍala Parikramā

The following is a Parikrama lecture given by His Holiness Jāyapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 23rd, 1981 in Rajapur, Sri Navadvip Dhama, India.

jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me
nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

[Devotees repeats]

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Jāya Jagannātha Jāya Jagannātha
Jāya Jagannātha Jāya Jagannātha
Jāya Baladeva, Jāya Subhadra

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

This is a temple five hundred years old. The building may not be 500 years old but the Deities were self-manifested to a devotee during the presence of Caitanya Mahāprabhu on this planet. And actually, it’s described in the Navadvip-mahatmyam by Bhaktivinod Thakur that this part of Navadvip dham is non-different from the Jagannātha Puri dham where Jagannātha is always residing. [Devotees: Haribol!] Jagannātha-dev ki Jāya! Jagannātha Subhadra Balaram ki Jāya!

Many, many thousands of years ago when the demon came by the name of Raktabahu and he liked to tear the arms off brahmanas and suck their blood out of their bodies and he was always bloody so he was also called “bloody-armed” or Raktabahu. So, he was to say the least was a man-eater, cannibal rakṣāsa demon.

So, the pujaris, they took Jagannātha, they took Him from Jagannātha Puri and brought Him here to Navadvip dham to hide from the demon. [Not Clear – 00:05:21] [Devotee: Hey Silent] Actually it was a trick by Lord Jagannātha to visit Navadvip dham. [Devotees: Jay!] Sri Navadvipa dham ki [Devotees: Jāy!].

So just like Lord Nrsimhadeva when He passed over here, He stopped. Lord Balarāma visited nearby here, just over there behind Nitāi-Gaura deity there is a field called Māyāmārī Māṭha where Lord Balarāma was visiting all the holy places during Kṛṣṇa-līlā. He visited Navadvipa and killed this Māyā demon. So that the field is still known as Māyāmārī Māṭh or the field where Balarāma killed the Māyā demon.

Like that all the different incarnations now visit holy places when They come especially Vṛndāvan, Navadvip, Mathurā and Gaura-maṇḍala bhūmi. These transcendental dhāma‘s are extensions from the spiritual world. And in the dhāma you find representation of all the holy places. Here you will find Jagannātha Puri, you will find Banaras, Kāśī, you will find Haridvāra, you will find all the holy places have their place here also.

So, this Jagannātha deity was given to ISKCON to worship several years ago and actually Śrīla Prabhupād predicted to Śrīla Rameśhvara Swami that in the future ISKCON will have to maintain all of the temples in the holy dham. Possibly that responsibility will be ours, that if any temple is unmanageable, if they cannot manage it and they request us, and it is some ancient significant temple, that ISKCON would take up that responsibility to preserve the ancient roots to the ancient places which are connected with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Prabhupad ki [Devotees: Jāya!]

Therefore you preachers from all over the world coming back to your original home here in the holy dhām to render service to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You can know that this place you are seated right now is the special favorite place to Srimati Rādhārāṇi because here, Mother Parvati worshipped her Lord Caitanya and she got the darśana of Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu and having the darshan of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, she took the dust from Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet and put it on her forehead where the women wear the red mark for marriage. She put the dust right at that place which is known as the simanta. So this island of Navadvip we cross over to a new island. This is the island of Simantadvipa, or where Parvati worshipped Gaurāṅga and she prayed to Gaurāṅga that “You are giving mercy to the whole world, everyone, you are preaching to everyone to stay away from Māyā. So I don’t get association with any of Your devotees [Devotees: Laughing]. So, You are delivering everybody but me, Māyādevī. So when will I get delivered? What is my hope?”

So then Lord Caitanya said that “You are the extension of Rādhārāṇi. You are the shadow of Yogamāyā.” and so He blessed her she could realize this oneness and difference. Normally we realize the difference but then that moment by Kṛṣṇa’s, Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy, she could realize the oneness between herself and Rādhārāṇi, and experience pure Kṛṣṇa-prema of the highest order. So here by worshipping Caitanya Mahāprabhu one can get the special mercy of Srimati Rādhārāṇi.

So, I would like to request Śrīla Harikeśa Swami Maharāja Viṣṇupāda, now I have been to prasad to just speak for a few seconds.

Devotees: Haribol! Śrīla Viṣṇupāda kī… Jāy!

Harikeśa Swami: At times like this after walking in the hot sun there is so much dust and we are waiting to take prasad. So, a philosophical class is the last thing one wants to hear, and I didn’t want to do it. But I was forced by Ācāryapāda. He is very transcendental. I think we should just have a soft kīrtan.

Devotees: Jaya!

Harikeśa Swami: And somebody should go over there and tell them to get prasāda quick! [laughter]

Harikeśa Swami: Singing

hari haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ

Devotees: repeats.