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Godrumadvipa, Koladvipa It?s our last

January 18th, 2001

Godrumadvipa, Koladvipa

It?s our last real day going out to see the lila-sthans of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates because, tomorrow, I want the devotees to have a day back before going to Vrindaban on the twentieth. We have a lot of ground to cover because we still haven?t seen Godrumadvipa and Koladevipa. We go first to Godrumadvipa, to Sukhada Svananda Kunja?the house of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. I ask Yajna Purusa to speak here. I learned something new. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, Srila Gaura Kisora das Babaji, and Srila Jaganatha das Babaji had all met together here to discuss Krishna consciousness, and that even Lord Nityananda Prabhu led his preaching from Godrumadvipa.

Yajna?s talk inspired me to speak about how the internal and external activities of the dhama are often mystically connected. I started by relating the internal significance of Svananda Sukhada Kunja for our guru parampara by explaining that in aprakat-lila, the eternal unmanifested activities of the dhama, Bhaktivinoda Thakura everlastingly resides in as Kamala-manjari, a young maidservant of Srimati Radharani in the group of Lalita-devi. I further explain that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati also resides here as Kamala Manjari?s assistant, NayanaManjari, and that although Srila Prabhupada has not revealed his siddha-svarupa, the sentiment is not wrong that he may also eternally reside here with his spiritual master and his param guru.

I then highlight my original thesis that the Lord?s aprakat-lila at certain lila-sthans is linked to the preaching of Lord Caitanya followers thousands of years later?at least inspirationally?by recounting Yajna Purusa?s description of the manifest history of Sukhada Svananda-kunja. So many of the predecessor acaryas practiced and discussed Krishna consciousness here, Bhaktivinoda commanded his nama-hatta preaching from here, and 500 years ago, Nityananda Prabhu also spread the holy name throughout Bengal from his base in Godrumadvipa.

I also brought up the possibility of a similar connection at Vraja Sukhada Svananda-kunja?Srila Bhaktivinoda?s house in Radha-kunda which later became the residence in Vrindaban of his son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur?by pointing out the crucial instruction for spreading Krishna consciousness that Srila Prabhupada received there. ?If you ever get money, print books.?

In the same manner, I spoke about Radha-Damodar, which is located in Seva Kunj, the center of the rasa-mandala. In the daily pastimes of Radha and Krishna, seva-kunja, as the name seva indicates, is of paramount importance as a place for arrangement of the intimate service of Radha and Krishna. I conjecture that it is not coincidence, but divine arrangement, that thousands of years later the Six Goswamis also chose Radha-Damodara as the central meeting place for discussing Krishna consciousness among themselves and planning the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Similarly, it is no accident that five hundred years later Srila Prabhupada was able to procure a room at Radha-Damodar to plan and gain inspiration to continue that mission.

Our parikram for the day ended with a memorable kirtan before taking darshan of the stunning, if not the most beautiful Deity of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this world, Dhamesvara Mahaprabhu?a tall neem wood Deity that Visnupriya, the widow of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, worshiped for eighty years after her eternal Lord took sannyasa. I pray, O Lord, may these remembrances of kirtan remain always in my heart so that my faith in the Holy Name is eternally nourished.

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