BHAJAN STHALI OF PARVATI DEVI
Nityananda Prabhu told Srila Jiva Gosvami, “Materialistic people will worship Pārvatī here, calling her Simuli. I will tell you one story [in regard to Pārvatī-devī residing here]. You should listen.”
Parvati devi’s enquiry
“Once, during Satya-yuga, Mahādeva [Śiva] was dancing for a long time, uttering the name of Śrī Gaurānga. Seeing Lord Śiva dancing, Pārvatī asked, ‘Please tell me something about Gaurānga-deva, whose name you are chanting.
Sri Parvati Devi’s condition merely upon hearing the name of Sri Gaura
“My heart is melting by seeing your astonishing dance and hearing the name of Śrī Gaurānga emanate from your mouth. Whatever I have heard to this day about mantra and tantra now seems to be nothing more than a botheration for the living entities. Therefore, O Lord, please tell me about Śrī Gauranga so that I may also engage in worship of Him and become alive.”
Sri Mahadeva’s description of the real nature of Sri Gaura (gaura-tattva)
Hearing Pārvatī’s words, Paśupati Śiva remembered Śrī Gauranga and said, “O Pārvatī, you are the original potency, a portion of Śrī Rādhā. I will tell you about this topmost truth. Taking Śrīmatī Rādhā’s intrinsic mood and bodily lustre, Śrī Kṛṣṇa will appear in this Kaliyuga in Māyāpura, from the womb of Śrī Śacidevī. Being Himself absorbed in sankīrtana, Mahāprabhu Śrī Gaurahari will distribute the jewel of prema to the public, without considering whether the recipient is qualified or not. Fie on the fortune of those living entities who will not drown in this flood of prema. O Devī, it is even useless for them to maintain their lives.”
Mahadeva leaves Kasi remembering Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s promise
“I became saturated with prema upon remembering Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s promise and my mind lost patience. Therefore, I left Kāśī. I will live in a cottage on the bank of the Jāhnavī (Ganga) at the border of Māyāpura, and I will worship Śrī Gaurānga Mahāprabhu.”
Sri Parvati-devi’s arrival and her restlessness in Simantadvipa
Hearing the words of Śrī Śankara, who wears matted locks, the beautiful Śrī Pārvatī devī quickly came here to Sīmantadvīpa. She [Pārvatī] began to constantly remember Śrī Gaurānga Mahāprabhu’s form. Chanting the name of Gaura, she drowned in prema and was not able to remain calm [due to not attaining His darsana].
Receiving Darsan of Mahaprabhu’s divine form and His associates
After some days, sri Gauracandra, out of mercy, appeared along with His associates to give His darsana to Sri Parvati.
Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s lustre was just like that of molten gold and He was tall in stature. His head was beautified with curly hair, and all His limbs were extremely handsome. He was wearing a dhoti folded thrice, and a garland made of extraordinary flowers adorned His neck.
Sri Parvati Devi reveals her sadness
Śrī Gaurarāya said in a voice choked with prema, “O Pārvatī, tell Me why have you come here?”
Pārvatī-devī fell at the feet of Śrī Gaurānga Mahaprabhu, the Lord of the universe, unable to remain calm as she explained her sorrow. Śrī Pārvatī-devī said, ‘O Master, O Lord of the universe, O life of the residents of the world, why are You deceiving me, yet being merciful to everyone else?
O deliverer of the fallen souls, You have appointed me to punish those living entities who are averse to You. Because I am always busy with such duties, I am deprived of Your unlimited prema. Everyone proclaims that mäyä, illusion, cannot exist where Krishna is present. If this is true, I will always remain averse to You. How, then, will I ever behold Your eternal pastimes? If You do not give me a solution, I will become completely hopeless.
The reason behind the name Sri Simantadvipa
Saying this, the chaste Śrī Pārvatī-devī, feeling distressed, put dust from Śrī Gaurānga Mahāprabhu’s feet on the parting of her hair (simanta). From that time, this place has been known as Sīmantadvīpa. Some ignorant people started calling this place Simuliyā.
Sriman Mahaprabhu consoles Parvati Devi
Śrī Gaurānga-candra became pleased upon hearing Śrī Pārvatī-devī’s prayers. He said, ‘O Pārvatī, listen attentively to My words.
“O supreme goddess (Sarveśvarī), as My potency, you are not separate from Me. I have just one potency, which has two forms. As the internal potency (svarūpa-śakti) you are My beloved Śrī Rādhā, and externally [for the purpose of executing activities of the material world] Śrī Rādhā has expanded Herself as you. My pastimes cannot take place without you. Certainly, in My pastimes, you act as Yogamāyā. You dwell eternally in Vraja as Paurņamāsī and in Navadvīpa as Praudhāmāyā, together with Lord Śiva, the protector of the dhāma.”
Saying this, Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu disappeared and Parvati-devi became absorbed in prema. Deeply absorbed in love of Śrī Gaura (gaura- prema), Pārvatī dwells here as Sīmantini-devī and in Māyāpura as Praudhāmāyā.
