19810830 Nāmahaṭṭa - The Market Place for Holy Name with Translation

The following is a class given by His. Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on August 30th, 1981 in Florence, Italy.

Jayapatākā Swami: Market place is a materialistic place where money is spent and things are sold and purchased.  So what is that have to do with practice of bhakti-yoga and chanting the mantra Hare Kṛṣṇa? Prabhu Nityānanda's Nāmahaṭṭa is a totally different type of market place.  But there are some similarities. In an ordinary marketplace, everyone, young, old, man, woman, educated, foolish, everyone can go and if they have the money they can buy their goods and take it home - the product of that divine marketplace. The thing to be purchased is pure love for Kṛṣṇa, the perfection of self-realization, of God realization. and the currency is pure love, rather, faith and devotion.That is the currency. Depending on how much faith, how much devotion, how much bhakti-yoga one has, he can purchase from Lord Nityānanda’s marketplace. Even if he’s a very scholarly person, very learned, if he has no faith, he can’t purchase anything. and a fool, somehow or other, if has the blessedness to have the faith, he can purchase. Then how… he is no longer foolish, because he has actually understood.

So, according to the quantity of one’s faith one can get that much quantity of advancement in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. So, there’s been divided into eight levels of faith. And that is equal to 12½, if you take hundred per cent, then… Here, I guess we have to take 1000 lira, So 1000 lira, then you take 125, 250, 375, 500 and so on up to 1000. For 125, if you have śraddhā. That’s equal to 125 lira and with that, you see, with that amount, that’s the first level. Then if one has a little more faith, that’s equal to 250 lira then that’s called association with devotees. A person can then obtain even more. Then for 375 lira, that is called practicing devotional service while clearing away so many defects. That’s bhajana-kriyā… anartha-nivṛtti. Then, when one is cleansed from offences, cleansed from so many bad activities that’s worth 500 liras. Then 625 liras, that is when one is fixed in his devotional service; fixed in the practice of bhakti-yoga. And when one has developed a taste for chanting, for serving, spontaneous taste, the nectar, sweet, honey taste, that is worth 750 liras of this market place. If one… further faith is increased and he becomes very attached to Kṛṣṇa and Guru, so attached that nothing can separate him; nothing will turn his mind away, that’s 875 liras. and, when one has developed ecstatic devotion, with so many ecstatic symptoms of bhāva, that bhava platform is worth 1000 lira. The only thing more than that is a big gold coin. That is equal to prema.

So everyone is invited to come to Lord Nityānanda marketplace, to give their faith in devotion and take their fruit for that and enjoy in the transcendental festival of the Holy Name. This was… market place was established on the order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, Srila Prabhupāda, he has taken this market place all over the world. You see, you can say he set up the branch offices everywhere. In some places they are very big marketplaces and some places are small outlets. But you can get the same commodity from all the different outlets. ? If you wonder why someone appears to make advancement faster and someone is making slower, he must have increased his faith in his devotion more. Therefore, he is getting more results. ? Especially, those who are very proud, they are disqualified for the marketplace. False pride or being envious of others, this is a great disqualification. So, one has to be very careful, especially of the offences against Vaiṣṇavas and against the Holy Name.

So, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, about 120 years ago, he established it… reestablished this Nāmahaṭṭa, again in Navadvīpa-dhāma at the place, at a place called Godrumadvīpa, at this particular spot called Surabhī Kuñja. This place, Surabhī Kuñja, was the original place where Lord Nityānanda had his Nāmahaṭṭa, or the marketplace of the Holy Name.

You must be remembering that Surabhī is the name of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental cow, who gave unlimited milk. But why is this place called Surabhī Kuñja? Do you know? When Kṛṣṇa was in Vṛndāvana in the Dvāpara-yuga, Indra, the king of heavens, he rained unlimited rain on the Vṛndāvana-dhāma causing great fear for all the Vraja-vāsīs, the residents of Vṛndāvana. ? And Kṛṣṇa was playing just like an ordinary human being to give His devotees pleasure.

But actually He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; He is the Supreme Person with unlimited power and potency. So, when He saw that some of the universal controllers were misbehaving, then He took action Himself, and He lifted up Giri Govardhana with His little finger although he was only seven years old and the mountain was a huge mountain.

? When Indra could understand that Kṛṣṇa was holding up the mountain with one finger for seven days, he finally realized that “God Himself is here. I am committing a great offence.” ? So, immediately he came down, and fell at the feet of Kṛṣṇa, and prayed, “Please forgive me for my offences. I am your servant; but I have been foolish and therefore I’ve misbehaved.”

At that time Kṛṣṇa forgave Indra and Indra’s elephant bathed Indra with water and Kṛṣṇa’s Surabhī cow came from the spiritual sky and bathed Kṛṣṇa with the milk from her udders. So then, after that same Surabhī went to Navadvīpa-dhāma to perform tapasyā. Because Navadvīpa is eternal, just like Vṛndāvana, it is eternally existing and Surabhī wanted to get the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

While Surabhī was doing tapasyā there, there was a great flood and everywhere there was water all around. The great Markaṇḍeya Ṛṣī, he became swept away in that flood and he was crying for help. And Surabhī saved him and brought him to Navadvīpa. He said “You stay here! Navadvīpa is never destroyed, even when the whole world is destroyed. Navadvīpa is simply transferred to the spiritual sky, it is not destroyed. You stay here, you will be saved.”

? Navadvīpa is sacred because in the center of Navadvīpa at Māyāpur, there Caitanya Mahāprabhu has appeared and He has expanded His pastimes throughout the whole holy place of Navadvīpa. ? gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, yebā jāne cintāmaṇi, tā 'ra haya vraja-bhūmi vāsa: He who knows that Vṛndāvana and Lord Caitanya’s transcendental pastime place are non-different, are all in that transcendental realm, he is eternally residing in Vṛndāvana-dhāma.

? So, Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura... He reestablished the Nāmahaṭṭa and he had about 500 or more preaching centers all around India neighboring countries 120 years ago. and he predicted that “There will soon come one person who will preach the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu all over the world, and everyone from Europe, from different parts, they will all join together and chant ‘Jaya Śacīnandana! Jaya Śacīnandana!” here in this holy dhāma ? and Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, he has fulfilled that prediction and every year from all over the world, thousands of devotees are coming and chanting the glories of Caitanya, Nityānanda there, in Māyāpura, Navadvīpa-dhāma.

All of you devotees are part of the pastimes of Caitanya Mahāprabhu

adyāpiha sei līlā kare gaura-rāya,
kona kona bhāgyavān dekhibāre pāya

Now, today, the pastimes of Caitanya Mahāprabhu are expanding all over the world.  Those who are fortunate, they can see it, with your own eyes. Those devotees that are participating in spreading the saṅkīrtana movement, they are playing part in Lord Caitanya’s eternal pastimes of saṅkīrtana. So, there are so many things that we want to discuss regarding Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Nityānanda, Advaita, and Navadvīpa, Māyāpur-dhāma and devotional service. So for that, (inaudible) Rūpa Prabhu has requested that we will come back here after an hour or so… after washing up and taking some prasādam, at the time when he says and continues.

Devotees: Jaya Ācāryapāda!

Jayapatākā Swami: Harināma-saṅkīrtana andolana kī... Jaya! 

Samāveta bhakta-vṛnda kī... Jaya!

Villa Vṛndāvana kī... Jaya! 

Nitāi-Gaura Premānande, Hari Hari Bol!