Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Antardvipa Mayapura
Autor: Chandra Kala Devi Dasi | Publicado: 2012-02-18T14:04:00-08:00

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Antardvipa MayapuraMay 15, 2008             Sri  Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s eternal  intimate associate, is revered as the Seventh Gosvami who again  inaugurated the flow of the Bhagirathi bhakti. He appeared in this world  to manifest Mahaprabhu’s holy name (gaura-nama), His innermost desire  (gaura-kama) and His holy abode (gaura-dhama). Like Sri Rüpa and Sri  Sanatana, he wanted to reside in Vraja and perform bhajana there.
On his way to Vraja-mandala he came to a deity of Lord Siva, Mahadeva  Sri Tadakesvara, a short distance from Kolkata. That night Sri Mahadeva  appeared to him in a dream and requested him to reveal Sri Gauranga  Mahaprabhu’s appearance-place. He also told him to remain in  Gauda-mandala and perform bhajana. Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura placed Sri  Tadakesvara’s instruction upon his head and returned to Sridhama  Navadvipa. There, in Godrumadvipa, he constructed a small hut and began  performing bhajana, eager to find Sriman Mahaprabhu’s appearance-place.  He wrote in his autobiography: 
“I was very anxious to find Sriman Mahaprabhu’s appearance place. I  went to Navadvipa (the present Navadvipa Town) and with much endeavour  made some investigation, but was unable to find any trace of it. Thus I  became very unhappy. Nowadays the people of Navadvipa are only busy  filling their bellies. They know nothing about Sriman Mahaprabhu’s  pastime-places, nor do they endeavour to learn about them. One day after  twilight, at ten o’clock, Kamala and I, together with one clerk, were  standing on the roof of the Rani Dharmasala looking about. It was very  dark and the sky was filled with clouds. Then, across the Ganga towards  the north I saw an effulgent mansion. I asked Kamala, ‘Did you see  something?’ He answered, ‘I became awestruck to see an effulgent mansion  on the other side of the Ganga towards the north.’ In the morning I  again went to the roof of the Rani Dharmasala and attentively looked  towards that place. I was unable to see the effulgent mansion, but I  could see a palm tree there. When I inquired from others about that  place, they said it was called Ballala-dighi and that one can still see  many traces of King Laksmana Sena’s old fort there. The coming Monday I  went to Krsna-nagara and the following Saturday I went straight from  there to Ballala-dighi. That night I beheld a wondrous sight. Sriman  Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaita Äcarya, Sri Gadadhara and  the other devotees were completely absorbed in chanting and dancing  ecstatically. Everyone’s eyes were filled with tears. The mrdangas  tumultuous sound of “Hari Bol!” and the sound of and kartalas maddened  the devotees. After sometime that sight disappeared from my eyes.
“The next day I walked to those places to take darsana of them and  asked the elderly locals about them. They told me that this was Sriman  Mahaprabhu’s birthplace. I visited all the small villages mentioned in  Bhakti-ratnakara as well as those mentioned in Srila Vrndavana dasa  Thakura’s Sri Caitanya-bhagavata. Thereafter I sat in Krsna-nagara and  compiled the book “Sri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya” and sent it to be  printed in Kolkata. I told Sri Dvarika Babu, an engineer from  Krsna-nagara, about my findings. He could understand everything I said  and on the strength of his intelligence he produced a map of Sri  Navadvipa-mandala. I wandered throughout Navadvipa-dhama and wrote the  Dhama-mahatmya, because at that time I could do nothing else.”


In Godruma, 1893, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura performed a great  harinama-sankirtana festival under the auspices of Srila Jagannatha dasa  Babaji Maharaja. At that time Sri Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja went  with many Vaisnavas to take darsana of Sri Mayapura. Overwhelmed by  ecstatic sentiments, he himself pointed out Mahaprabhu’s birthplace, the  lost Yogapitha-Mayapura. The 144-year-old Babaji Maharaja became  overwhelmed with ecstasy and jumped into the air, crying out, “This is  the birthplace of Gauracandra, our very life and soul!” Srila  Bhaktivinoda Thakura, many famous writers of Bengal, many high-posted  government officers, editors of famous magazines and others witnessed  the event. Amongst them was Sri Syamalala Gosvami, the great and erudite  Vaisnava. Also present were Sri Sasibhüsana Gosvami, Sri Radhikanatha  Gosvami, Sri Vipina Bihari Gosvami, Sri Raya Vanamali, Sri Raya  Bahadura, Sri Sisira Kumara Ghosa, Sri Dvarikanatha Sarakara and Sri  Naphara Kumara. Some huts were eventually made here and the temple  construction began. Gradually, faithful devotees from the various states  of India came here to take darsana and now, crowds of people come from  all over the world to this holy place.




In picture:Tadakesvara Mahadeva