20240724 Address To Birbhum Nāmahaṭṭa Devotees

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādī-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare

hari haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ
gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: I was attending a meeting of the GBC. Then Gopati Kṛṣṇa dāsa said that devotees had come from Birbhum district and today is the last day. I had preached a lot in the Nāma-haṭṭa in Birbhum district, Rampurhat, Lord Nityānanda’s birthplace Ekacakra, and various places. So, I thought that the class that I usually give on the rooftop, I would give here.

I was unwell in Delhi and later I was able to come here. I generally do not give lectures outside. You are all present here, that is why I wanted to come! They told me that it is raining now. But in this hall, there will be no rain!

This is Nadia district, which is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s birthplace. But Birbhum is the birthplace of Lord Nityānanda. So Birbhum is a very merciful place. Lord Caitanya came and He is the most merciful incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And along with Him came Lord Nityānanda. Like Kṛṣṇa Balarāma, similarly Gaura-Nitāi. Lord Nityānanda enlightened the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Jagāi and Mādhāi were rogues but they got liberation because of the mercy of Lord Nityānanda.

One gang of dacoits wanted to rob the jewelry from Lord Nityānanda, like His anklet etc. They tried for three days but they could not succeed. Then, the leader of the gang surrendered at the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda. But the devotees with Lord Nityānanda told Him, “they are dacoits, they are not trustworthy.” Lord Nityānanda Prabhu asked the dacoit leader, “what do you have to say?” The dacoit leader admitted that they had come to harm Lord Nityānanda, rob His jewelry etc. and they said, “we are wicked people. But we understood that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is why we were not able to do any harm to you. That is why we want to surrender at Your lotus feet.” Lord Nityānanda Prabhu has so much potential. He appeared in Birbhum district. Birbhum Nāma-haṭṭa have got so much mercy of Lord Nityānanda. I hope that the Birbhum Nāma-haṭṭa will be glorified a lot.

[A side-I need some eye drops. I have cataracts, I cannot see. How many people are here?]

Padmanetra Dasa Brahmachari: About 2000 devotees are here.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
(CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

Now I desire that all the namahattas will preach. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to preach in every town and village. And this is possible through the Nāma-haṭṭa! In other states in India, many of the people have given up Hindu dharma. But in West Bengal, this is not happening. Because the preaching of Nāma-haṭṭas is going on everywhere! Nitāi-Gaura – They are preaching this. Gaura Nitāi is the most merciful and before chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, we chant the Pañca-tattva mantra. One who chants the names of Lord Caitanya, his hairs stand on end, tears flow from the eyes …..

Lord Kṛṣṇa, if one did not surrender to Him, He did not give prema. But Nitāi-Gaura, They just gave prema freely. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said – namo mahāvadanyāya – most merciful incarnation. Please keep the names of Nitāi-Gaura embedded in your hearts! In the spiritual world there is no difference between the name and the person. So the names of Nitāi-Gaura are to be kept in our hearts all the time.

I hope that your Nāma-haṭṭa festival has been going well, and all of you got enough prasāda and did Harināma as well! I welcome all of you! Do you have any questions?

There is a lot of significance and importance to Birbhum. Hope all of you will chant the names of Kṛṣṇa and Nitāi-Gaura. Many people, who were meat eaters and mlecchas and were against the four regulative principles, but they also got liberated by Lord Nityānanda. And after that, they followed the principles.

Śrīla Prabhupāda made me the lifetime chairman of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust. It has an objective to preserve Lord Chaitanya’s Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi, His associate’s śrīpāṭs, etc. Now in Birbhum, there are many śrīpāṭs. Through the Nāma-haṭṭa you all should do some services there. I will even ask the other districts that wherever śrīpāṭs, Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi are there, that all have to be protected. In this Nāma-haṭṭa there are the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. Wherever the śrīpāṭs of Lord Caitanya are, we will make a retention there. Nāma-haṭṭas have a lot of planning for the great development of those places and the development of śrīpāṭs is one of them. There you all will be able to do kīrtana. So this way there is advancement possible for Birbhum district and other districts as well. Hare Kṛṣṇa!