Sacred Glories of the Holy Dhāma

As Sri Gauracandra appeared in Navadvipa, it is therefore the crest jewel of all holy places. Offenders are the object of punishment at other holy pilgrimage places, but in Navadvipa-dham they are purified. The example is the two brothers Jagai and Madhai, who committed great offenses yet still received Nitai and Gaura.

What to speak of other places, at Vrindavan the offenders are punished. But a person who has committed hundreds of offenses can easily receive the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and overcome those offenses in Navadvipa-dham.

For this reason, sages endlessly praise Navadvipa of Gaura-mandala. He who lives in Navadvipa-dham is very fortunate, for he achieves attraction for Krsna.

He who happens to go there becomes freed from all offenses.

What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering Navadvipa.

In this way the scriptures sing.

He who sees Navadvipa-dham gets ecstatic love of Krsna birth after birth. Even one who goes to Navadvipa desiring to gain material comforts through pious activities will not take another birth.

The sastras say that one who walks around Navadvipa attains the fruit of millions of asvamedha-yajnas at every step. And one who lives in Navadvipa and chants mantras obtains the sound of Caitanya as his mantra and easily gets free from maya. What yogis obtain after ten years at other tirthas is obtained in three nights at Navadvipa. That liberation attained by Brahman realization at other holy places is obtained simply by bathing in the Ganges at Navadvipa.

Thus, all types of liberation—salokya, sarupya, sarsti, samipya, and sāyujya—can be obtained in Navadvipa without speculative practice.

Falling at the feet of the pure devotees in Navadvipa, Bhukti and Mukti (personified material enjoyment and liberation) remain there as obedient servants. Not caring for their blessings, the devotees kick them away, but still they do not leave the devotees feet.

The fruits obtained by staying one hundred years at the seven holy cities can be attained by staying one night in Navadvipa-dham.

In conclusion, Navadvipa is the topmost tirtha. Taking shelter of it, the living entities can cross over Kali-yuga.

At this place, Taraka, the name of Rama, which gives liberation, and Paraka, the name of Krsna, which gives prema, always serve the residents of the dham.

The Skanda Purāṇa says:

“In Kali-yuga, anyone who takes shelter of Māyāpur and worships Me will be freed of all sins and attain the highest goal. The glories of whatever tīrthas are present throughout Navadvīpa increase a million times in Kali-yuga. The glories of all tīrthas increase by association with Gaurāṅga just as the value of metal increases by association with a touchstone. Māyāpur is none other than the spiritual energy of the Lord, yogamāyā, which increases everyone’s bliss.”

The sastras say that one who walks around Navadvipa attains the fruit of millions of asvamedha-yajnas at every step.

With every step one attains the results of great sacrifices, and by lying down and sleeping in Navadvipa, one gets the results of offering obeisances.

Wandering in Navadvipa is the best of all opulences, the best of all religious principles, the best of all kinds of worship, the best of all perfections, the best of all glories, and the best of all oceans of sweetness.

Read the complete Śrī Navadvīpa Śataka

Try to begin the parikramā of Śrīdhāma Navadvipa as soon as possible. Thereby everyone in the universe can receive Krsna-bhakti. Diligently endeavor to ensure that service to Śrī Māyāpur becomes permanently established and more resplendent each day. Genuine service to Śrī Māyāpur is not nirjana-bhajana, but to establish a printing press and to propagate devotional books and Nama-hatta. Do not for your own sake undertake nirjana-bhajana and thus impede preaching and service to Śrī Māyāpur.

When I am no longer present, take care to serve your dear Śrī Māyāpur-dhāma. This is my special instruction to you.

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Just by taking an ordinary meal in Navadvipa, one gets the results of eating the Lord's remnants.

Whoever gets the mercy of the Lord’s mahā-prasāda will certainly attain pure devotional service. May that mercy be eternally mine, so that I will be able to easily give up this material world.

Just by taking an ordinary meal in Navadvipa, one gets the results of eating the Lord’s remnants. So, what more can I say regarding the faithful person who is devoted to chanting the holy name and taking Gauranga’s remnants with faith and devotion?

The food offered to Gaurāṅga is worshipable by us, and the pure flowers and tulasī offered to the Lord should be accepted by all people. I will throw into the hell called Raurava and punish those people who have no attachment for mahā-prasāda, being blinded by family pride and illusion, puffed up with knowledge, or contaminated with sin. I am telling you the truth. Do not doubt it. If anywhere in Navadvīpa a caṇḍāla offers viṣṇu-prasāda to Lord Brahmā, he will certainly eat it. Even if the prasāda is dried up, stale, or brought from a distant place, one should immediately eat it without consideration of proper or improper time. In taking Gaurāṅga mahā-prasāda, there is no rule concerning purity of place, giver, or receiver. O Pārvatī, if a person takes Gaurāṅga mahā-prasāda up to the throat, he will develop devotion to Gaurāṅga. In eating gaura-prasāda, there is no consideration of the fault of overeating.

By serving Navadvīpa, all tīrthas are served; and by living in Navadvīpa, the fruit of living at all other tīrthas is attained. You are fortunate to serve Me in Navadvīpa.

Dhanañjaya: . . . who are very much attracted to living in Māyāpur, residing in Māyāpur. After perfecting their lives, do they sometimes join Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's saṅkīrtana movement in Goloka Vṛndāvana?

Prabhupāda: (aside) Let me . . . (break) Those who are living in Māyāpur, they have already joined.

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Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the land of Bhārata-varṣa, specifically in Bengal, in the district of Nadia, where Navadvīpa is situated. It is therefore to be concluded, as stated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, that within this universe, this earth is the best planet, and on this planet the land of Bhārata-varṣa is the best, in the land of Bhāratavarṣa, Bengal is still better, in Bengal the district of Nadia is still better, and in Nadia the best place is Navadvīpa because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared there to inaugurate the performance of the sacrifice of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

If anyone—householder or sannyāsī—constantly chants, ‘O Gaura!’ anywhere in Navadvīpa, he will obtain perfect bliss.

"Living in Navadvipa for one day is better than living in Prayaga, Vārānasī, or any other tirtha for a kalpa. Whatever results one obtains by yoga, one achieves in Navadvipa. With every step one attains the results of great sacrifices, and by lying down and sleeping in Navadvipa, one gets the results of offering obeisances.

What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering Navadvipa. In this way the scriptures sing.

He who sees Navadvipa-dham gets ecstatic love of Krsna birth after birth. Even one who goes to Navadvipa desiring to gain material comforts through pious activities will not take another birth.

Hearing Parvati's words, Lord Siva embraced her and with great respect said, "O Gauri, please listen as I describe the glories of Navadvipa, which bestow prema-bhakti on mankind and destroy all types of sins. I describe truly the glories of Navadvīpa just as I have described the glories of Vṛndāvana.

"The Lord, who gives bliss to His devotees, performs His pastimes in Navadvīpa just as Kṛṣṇa enjoys pastimes with Rādhā in Vrndāvana. Just by remembrance of glorious Navadvīpa, an island situated within the combined Ganges and Yamunā Rivers, one will develop attraction for Radha and Kṛṣṇa.

"A person may wander about the earth and visit a thousand holy tirthas, but if one does not see Navadvipa, he cannot obtain Radha and Kṛṣṇa. O Parvati, in just one portion of Navadvipa all the sacred places, sages, munis, demigods, āśramas, Vedas, scriptures, and mantras constantly reside for the pleasure of Rādhā and Krsna. Whatever results a person can attain by performance of thousands of horse sacrifices, thousands of vajapeya sacrifices, various types of rituals and yoga exercises, can be attained ten million times over just by remembering Navadvīpa. What can I say then of the results of actually seeing Navadvīpa?

"O Parvati, if even the most sinful people remember Navadvipa just once, they become devotees. Know this for certain. Day by day their devotion will increase. The earth becomes purified by the dust from their lotus feet.

"Those who live in Navadvipa and accept Gauranga as their only worshipable Lord should not be thought of as ordinary mortals. They are personal associates of Gaurānga. Just by remembering those devotees the most sinful persons become purified. And what to speak of seeing them!

"If Ananta with His thousands of mouths is unable to describe the glories of Navadvīpa, how will I be able to do so with my five mouths? O Parvati, the wise men know that Navadvipa is the only means by which to ascend to Vṛndāvana."

There is no consideration of fitness for hearing the glories of Navadvipa. Dying in other tirthas gives either material enjoyment or liberation, but dying in Navadvipa gives pure devotion to the Lord. In Navadvipa there is no consideration of a faulty death-at an inauspicious time, in pain, in the house, or by accident. Death at other tirthas while practicing yoga or death in Kasi while absorbed in impersonal meditation become insignificant when compared to death in Navadvipa.

These liberations are sārṣṭi [achieving opulences equal to those of the Lord], sārūpya [having a form the same as the Lord’s], sāmīpya [living as a personal associate of the Lord] and sālokya [living on a Vaikuṇṭha planet]. Devotees never accept sāyujya, however, since that is oneness with Brahman.

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Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says:

śrī gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, yebā jāne cintāmaṇi,

tā'ra haya vrajabhūme vāsa

"Vrajabhūmi" refers to Mathurā-Vṛndāvana, and Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi includes Navadvīpa. These two places are nondifferent. Therefore, anyone living in Navadvīpa-dhāma, knowing Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be the same personality, lives in Vrajabhūmi, Mathurā-Vṛndāvana. The Lord has made it convenient for the conditioned soul to live in Mathurā, Vṛndāvana and Navadvīpa and thus be directly connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Simply by living in these places, one can immediately come in contact with the Lord.

Explore the relationship between Śrī Navadvīpa and Śrī Vṛndāvana

Because the Vṛndāvana-dhāma is not different from Kṛṣṇa. When you take little dust of Vṛndāvana-dhāma and take it, that means you are taking the dust of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, and you take it. Vṛndāvana-dhāma, so important.

What is the value of a throne to Lord Kṛṣṇa? The masters of the various planetary systems accept the dust of His lotus feet on their crowned heads. That dust makes the holy places sacred, and even Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lakṣmī and I Myself, who are all portions of His plenary portion, eternally carry that dust on our heads.

Of course, anyone living in Vṛndāvana-dhāma, he is fortunate because the dhāma itself has its own power. But ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Similarly, if we live in the dhāma in ānukūla way, favorable way, then our achievement, or ultimate success, is very easy. If we commit offenses, it will be delayed. But still, anyone some way or other who is living in Vṛndāvana, sticking to the dust of Vṛndāvana, he is certainly benefited.