20240927 Addressing Malda and South Dinajpur District Nāma-haṭṭa Sammelan

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: Lord Caitanya, after taking sannyāsa, He went to Malda and performed various pastimes. Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs were there and their brother Anupama was there as well. The Nawab Hussain Shah had wanted to know who this Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was. He had a Hindu minister, who got scared and told the Nawab that Lord Caitanya was just a fakir (a beggar). But the Nawab said he did not believe this. You are a king, what do you think the minister asked. The Nawab said that he felt that Lord Caitanya had some link with Allah. “Because people, why do they work for me? My ministers, army, etc. work for me and I give them salaries. If I did not give them salaries they would not work. I think that even for my queens, if I did not give them gifts, money, they would not serve me. But Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has so many followers! But He does not give them money! Other than Allah, will people work without salary or incentive for anyone else? So I feel that there is some link of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu with Allah!” Now the Hindu minister did not know what to say.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He went from Malda up to Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā. From Malda to Rāmakeli where there were many pastimes. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s desire was that everyone should get kṛṣṇa-prema. But giving prema-bhakti is a very rare thing. In the Brahma-vairvarta Purāṇa it is stated that Kṛṣṇa predicted that in the Kali-yuga there will be a ten-thousand-year Golden Age period. And in this period throughout the world there will be Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now, it will be 5000 years after the start of Kali-yuga. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, he went to the West and we think that he started the Golden Age. After the start of Kali-yuga, after 6,500 years, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu advented. And now it is 5,000 years after, Śrīla Prabhupāda went all around the world distributing the mercy of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu.

So all of you are in the Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi of Lord Caitanya, at the northern limit.

śrī gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi,     yebā jāne cintāmaṇi,
tā'ra haya vrajabhūme vāsa

So all of you are all vraja-vāsīs. When the ladies do ulu-dhvani, the men will do Hari-dhvani! Haribol! I am very grateful that I was able to come here. We want that you preach the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, He especially distribute mercy.

Here Rādhārāṇī was playing the flute in Navadvīpa dhāma. Kṛṣṇa came trying to see who is playing the flute so beautifully! He saw that Rādhārāṇī was playing the flute. He was very grateful to Rādhārāṇī that She had created the Navadvīpa dhāma, nine islands for Him. He declared that this Navadvīpa dhāma will be non-different from Vṛndāvana. And all the places of pilgrimage will manifest here like in Vṛndāvana. Here especially Lord Nityānanda Prabhu again and again did parikramā. And did nine day parikramā, one day parikramā, three days parikramā. Lord Nityānanda Prabhu did Navadvīpa parikramā many times. You have come to Navadvīpa dhāma and hope you will get the mercy. And distribute the mercy of Nitāi Gaura.

Kṛṣṇa had wanted to feel what His devotees felt for Him, so He combined with Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa manifested Rādhārāṇī and combined with Her to manifest in the form of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. Here in Navadvīpa dhāma He was there for 24 years. Then He went to Katwa and took sannyāsa and then went to Nīlācala. For 5 to 6 years He travelled around India. He went to Vṛndāvana, He went to Kāśī (Benaras) and converted the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs to Vaiṣṇavas. He then went back to Nīlācala.

When He was a gṛhastha, He went to Gayā and took initiation. He wanted to do pindi dana for His father, Jagannātha Miśra, and went to Gayā and met Īśvara Purī Mahārāja there and took initiation from him. Then He went via Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā to Navadvīpa. And He especially preached Harināma on His return. Do any of you chant the names of Kṛṣṇa? The chanting of Kṛṣṇa name is the yuga-dharma of Kali-yuga. Every day all of you should chant the names of Kṛṣṇa. And study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā regularly.

His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami is here and he will speak about the distribution of books.

There is a very significant potential and need to distribute books in Malda and Southern Dinajpur. Some days ago, on the occasion of Bhādra Pūrṇimā there were Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets donated. Now the marathon is on for distribution of Bhagavad-gītā. Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he for seven days and nights heard the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Now, our Śrīla Prabhupāda, he created many degrees. Bhagavad-gītā, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Upadeśāmṛta, reading these books one could get the Bhakti-śāstrī degree. By studying the first six cantos one can get the Bhakti-vaibhava degree. If one studied the last six cantos one can get the Bhakti-vendānta degree. I have a Bhakti-vedānta degree. Bhakti-Sārvabhauma is the study about the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. I am now studying it. I have read the Caitanya-caritāmṛta many times but now giving the exam. I want that all of you should study Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. Those who cannot study properly, now there is an app called ‘Transcend’ in many languages which has the audio version and video as well. It would be very useful to study and hear this. I was very fortunate that I got a lot of personal association of Śrīla Prabhupāda. All of you also can get his association through studying Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.

I have to now have my medicine.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!