SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA

(31) At Sri Narayan Chhata

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur appeared in the village Ula, or Birnagar, in the Nadia District, and during his life he travelled much. His work as a magistrate took him to many villages, including Sri Puri Dham. He came here in 1870, and during his stay here, he lived in a house called Narayan Chhata.

He was very happy in Puri. At first, he organised a community meetings for reading Srimad Bhagavatam at a house in the garden Sri Jagannath Vallabha Udyan. He would regularly go to the temple of Lord Jagannath to take the Lord’s darshan, chant the Holy Names of the Lord and associate with sadhus. At that time, there were many people in Puri who followed the doctrines of mayavad and bogus sampradayas – seeing this, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur always searched for Vaishnavs and always tried to stay in their association. When he started Bhagavatam recitation assemblies, many scholars would come to him, and all mayavadis and preudo-Vaishnavs were annoyed to see that.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote, ‘The service at Sri Jagannathdev’s temple is as high and captivating as unprecedentedly beautiful. The pastimes you can see here capture the heart. Every day, five to seven hundred people come for the evening arati and other daily festivities. What a joy! On festival days, all kinds of pilgrims come from all over India – seeing it fills your eyes with joy. When you behold all these pastimes with a pure heart, then you will be able to understand what is happening here.’

Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj composed the following sloka about the supreme gift of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur:

guru-dam grantha-dam gaura-dhama-dam nama-dam muda
bhakti-dam bhuri-dam vande bhakti-vinodakam sada

‘He is the giver of Sri Guru; he is the giver of scriptures; he is giver of the holy abode of Gaura; he is the giver of the Name; he is the giver of pure devotion. He is the greatest donor. I forever offer my obeisance to this Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.’

(Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has given us our guru (guru-dam). Actually, if he had not given us Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, where would we have got shelter then? At whose feet would we have taken shelter?

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur was a deputy magistrate in many places of Odisha and Bengal. Eventually, he understood that Mahaprabhu’s pure devotion, Mahaprabhu’s pure teachings and conception had been almost completely lost. After Mahaprabhu, so many aul, baul, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani, sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-goswami, atibadi, chudadhari, gauranga-nagari roamed all over the world. Feeling deeply pained at the situation, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur went to the temple of Lord Jagannath with his spouse, Bhagavati Devi, and prayed to Bimala Devi, ‘O Devi! Please send us someone who will be able to keep the current of the conception of pure devotion flowing!’ and by the mercy of Bimala Devi, he got his sixth son. His name was Bimala Prasad.

Shortly after Bimala Prasad was born, there was a Ratha-yatra festival. On that day, when the chariots were going down the road and reached Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur’s house (this Narayan Chhata), they suddenly stopped in front of it. Lord Jagannathdev wanted to meet His devotee. All the devotees tried very hard to pull the chariots, but the chariots did not move. Then, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur brought out his son Bimala Prasad and touched his head to Lord Jagannath’s chariot. Suddenly, a garland tore from Lord Jagannath’s neck and fell on the baby’s heck, and after that the chariot started to move. Later, this Bimala Prasad became known as Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad. He was the one to start preaching all over India, and even around the world, establishing sixty-four temples in his lifetime.

(To this day, not every year, but sometimes the chariot of Lord Jagannath stops when it comes to Narayan Chhata.)

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur had fourteen children. Among them, one of them was envious of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. He said, ‘I am also Bhaktivinod Thakur’s son, but Bimala Prasad got everything – he has got so many disciples, temples, riches and so much respect. Why cannot I get a share of that, too?’ Bimala Prasad (Srila Prabhupad) wrote to him, ‘Baba badha Radha. You see Bhaktivinod Thakur only as your father (baba), that is why you cannot (badha) get Radharani (Radha). You could not get Her mercy. But I take him as a close associate of Srimati Radharani Herself. You still live thinking about skin relation, but I do not.’

That is why it is said that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur gave us our guru.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has given us scriptures (grantha). He wrote many holy books, songs, poems, commentaries to scriptures, gave lectures and published articles. Almost all kirtans that we sing every day in the morning and in the evening were composed by him (‘Jiva jaga, jiva jaga, Gorachanda bale’, ‘Yasomati-nandana vraja-bara nagara’, ‘Jaya jaya Gaurachandera aratika sobha’, and so on). Many of the kirtans come from his holy book Saranagati (‘Sarvasva tomara charane sampiya’, ‘Atma-nivedana tuya pade kari’, ‘Amara jivana sada pape rata’, ‘Emana durmati samsara-bhitare’, ‘Kabe habe bale se dina amara’, and so on).

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has given us Lord Gauranga (Gaura-dam). Srila Vasu Ghosh wrote:

yadi gaura na ha’ta, tabe ki haita,
kemane dharitam de
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima,
jagate janata ke?

‘If Gaura had not come, what would have happened? How would we have lived? Who would have revealed to the world Radha’s glory and the extremes of Her ecstatic divine love?’

(Sri Vasu Ghosh Thakur)

In the same way, if Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur had not come, who would have told us about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? He gave us Gaura-Hari.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has given us Sri Nabadwip Dham (Gaura-dhama-dam).

When Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur appeared in this world, many thought that Mahaprabhu’s birthplace had been lost in the Ganges.

One day, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur was chanting the Holy Name on the roof of this house here. His daily routine was like that: in the evening, he went to rest very early; then, he woke up at midnight and started chanting the Holy Name. From the rooftop of his house, he saw some light coming from a place a little far off.

The next morning, he went there and saw a vacant place, like a field, where many Tulasi plants were growing. He asked some local Muslim people who the proprietor of that land was, but the local people did not know it. Then, Bhaktivinod Thakur asked them, ‘Why are there so many Tulasi trees here?’ He was told, ‘We have tried cultivating some crops, rice or jute, but nothing grows here except Tulasi.’

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wondered, ‘This must be a very special place; otherwise, why would Tulasi grow here like this?’ Then, he returned to Nabadwip and came to see Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj. He asked him, ‘Prabhu, can you please come with me? I have seen an unusual place, I want you to see it.’ Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj was very old (his age was about 137 at that time) and could not walk, so his servitor put him in a basket and carried him on his head to that field. When Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj arrived at the place, he jumped out of the basket and began to dance! He cried, ‘Yes! I have found it! This is the birthplace of the Lord! This is Yogapith!’

This is how Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur revealed Mahaprabhu’s birthplace.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has given us the Holy Name (Nama-dam). Mahaprabhu said:

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

‘Chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name – there is no other way, no other way, no other way.’

However, after Mahaprabhu, many offenders of the Holy Name gradually sprang up in this world. Many apa-sampradayas started distributing the Holy Name, but their ‘Holy Name’ was a concoction. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur said, ‘Nityananda Prabhu opened a market of the Holy Name (Nama-hatta), and I will become a sweeper of that Nama-hatta! Taking a broom in my hands, I will sweep all misconception from this market of the Holy Name!’ Such was his declaration, and he did that.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has given us devotion (bhakti-dam). He is the seventh goswami.

Mahaprabhu sent six goswamis to Vrindavan: Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami, Srila Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Srila Jiva Goswami, Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami and Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. Mahaprabhu ordered them to go to Vrindavan and preach His main conception. They did that, and they were successful: they perfectly fulfilled Mahaprabhu’s heartfelt desire.

However, after that, they all left for their own abode… Who will preach after them? One day, Shishir Ghosh wrote, ‘Who can be the seventh goswami? If after the six goswamis there can be a seventh goswami in this world, it can only be Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur Mahasaya.’

So much can be said about Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, but his main teachings are in his holy books. If you read his books, you will be able to understand what is called sanatana-dharma, or jaiva-dharma, and what our conception is.

We can understand that if Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur had not come to this world, where and at whose holy lotus feet would we have come to find shelter? He gave us everything. He gave us Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. If you think about it, you will understand how much he gave us, such fallen, lowly souls…

Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math at Sri Narayan Chhata, the birthplace of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad. Established by Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj.

In the nat-mandir of the temple.

His Divine Grace speaking joyfully about the glories of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.

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