(1) Srila Prabhupad's Birthplace

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Puri Dham parikrama, 3 July 2019, part 1
Translated from Bengali

This is the place Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and his spouse Bhagavati Devi had their son Bimala Prasad. Coming here, we must chant kirtan. Please listen and chant with us.

[His Divine Grace chants 'Jayare jayare jaya paramahamsa mahasaya'.]

Today, on the eve of Sri Jagannath Ratha-yatra festival, by the mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma, Vaishnavs and Srila Prabhupad, we have come here on our way to Sri Gundicha Devi's temple. This here is the birthplace of Jagad-Guru Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. This is the place where he appeared in this world. Because Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and Sri Bhagavati Devi got this son by the mercy of Bimala Devi, they called him Bimala Prasad ('mercy of Bimala').

You can see tomorrow if it happens or not, but when the chariots are moving down the street, they often stop here. The chariots do not stop at every temple on the way, but they often stop here, at the temple of the Lord's devotee because Lord Jagannathdev comes here to meet His great associate and devotee Srila Prabhupad.

You have heard from me before that when Srila Prabhupad very small – perhaps, half a year or a year – his father Kedarnath Dutta (Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur) took him in his arms and brought him out of the house when the chariots were passing this house and suddenly stopped moving. When he touched the baby's head to the chariot, Lord Jagannath's garland fell on the baby's neck! After that, the chariot started to move again. In this way, from a very young age, it was shown that in the future he would become a great Vaishnav and preach about Mahaprabhu all over the world.

We are very fortunate to come here.

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj wrote very beautifully:

সুজনার্ব্বুদরাধিতপাদযুগং
যুগধর্ম্মধুরন্ধর-পাত্রবরম্ ।
বরদাভয়দায়ক-পূজ্যপদং
প্রণমামি সদা প্রভুপাদপদম্ ॥

sujanarvuda-radhita-pada-yugam
yuga-dharma-dhurandhara-patra-varam
varadabhaya-dayaka-pujya-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

‘I am offering obeisance to Prabhupad (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur), whose holy lotus feet are worshipped by millions of pious souls, who is the establisher of the religion of the age (Krishna-sankirtan), who is the presiding divine successor (at the Visva-Vaishnava-Raja Sabha, the Universal Assembly of Vaishnavs), and who fulfils the desires of the dispellers of all fears – I offer obeisance at his holy lotus feet. I eternally offer obeisance to the radiance emanating from the toenails of my master.’

(‘Sri Sri Prabhupadapadma Stavakah’, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

In this poem, he glorified Srila Prabhupad in a very beautiful way. I do not know if you understand the meaning of this poem or not. He wrote:

কৃপয়া হরিকীর্ত্তনমূর্ত্তিধরং
ধরণীভরহারক-গৌরজনম্ ।
জনকাধিকবৎসলস্নিগ্ধপদং
প্রণমামি সদা প্রভুপাদপদম্ ॥

krpaya hari-kirtana-murti-dharam
dharani-bhara-haraka-gaura-janam
janakadhika-vatsala-snigdha-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

‘Bestowing mercy upon jiva souls, he is manifest as a worshippable deity of Hari-kirtan personified. He is an associate of Sri Gaura who removes the burden of offences from Mother Earth. I offer obeisance to this very gentle fountainhead of greater parental affection towards jiva souls than even that of a father. I eternally offer obeisance to the radiance emanating from the toenails of my master.’

(‘Sri Sri Prabhupadapadma Stavakah’, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

His Hari-kirtan was such that he almost never sang but whenever he spoke Hari-katha, that was Hari-kirtan. Whoever heard it became stunned and everybody felt that he was waging a war again all misconceptions. He took the weight of burden from Earth – he rescued all souls in his world and sent them to the Lord in Goloka Vrindavan. Everybody knows that fathers love their sons very much, but Srila Prabhupad's disciples said that their gurudev loved them more than even their fathers. Srila Prabhupad showed such vatsalya-prema (pure, spiritual parental love) towards his disciples.

How beautiful this is!

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