Today I am feeling unlimited joy that by the inspiration and causeless compassion of my most worshipable (worshipful) holy master, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, we are presenting for his pleasure an unprecedented Hindi edition of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāmamāhātmya, Parikramā-khaṇḍa. The original  Bengali work was composed by the Seventh Gosvāmī Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, who is the embodiment of Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu’s potency (gaura-śakti svarūpa).

Śrī Gaura and Śrī Kṛṣṇa comprise an identical spiritual principle (tattva); there is no difference whatsoever between Them. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the personification of sweetness (mādhuryavigraha), is none other than Śrī Gaurasundara Himself, who is the personification of munificence (audārya-vigraha), and vice versa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s abode, Śrī Vṛndāvana, is similarly identical in all respects to Śrī Gaura’s abode, Śrī Navadvīpa, which is actually called GuptaVṛndāvana, the hidden Vṛndāvana. In this way, both the divine principles (tattvas) and holy abodes (dhāmas) are eternal and not affected by mundane considerations such as time, place and circumstance.

Kṛṣṇa-nāma kare aparādhera vicāra [Śrī  Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 8.24]. Even if he is chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa, a person who is committing offences will not be able to attain love for Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-prema) in millions and millions  of lifetimes. However, gaura-nityānandera nāhi e saba vicāra, nāma laile prema dena, bahe aśrudhāra, Śrī Gaura and Śrī Nityānanda do not consider any offences. When one chants Their names, prema will awaken in the heart and torrents of tears will begin to flow from the eyes. Like Śrī Gaurahari Himself, His abode is supremely liberal and the most magnanimous. Without worshipping and attaining the mercy of Śrī Gaurahari and His abode, Śrī Navadvīpa, it is impossible to obtain darśana (a vision) and the mercy of Śrī Vṛndāvana.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dhāma, Vṛndāvana, and Śrī Gaura’s dhāma, Navadvīpa, are non-different. Therefore, the perimeter of Śrī Navadvīpadhāma extends to sixteen kosas (approximately thirty-two miles), just like the perimeter of Śrī Vṛndāvana. All the places of Śrī Vṛndāvana, such as Śrī Yamunā, Śrī Govardhana, Śrī Rāsasthalī, Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śrī Śyāma-kuṇḍa and various sub-forests, also exist eternally in a concealed form in Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma. Śrī Gaurasundara sports eternally in this abode. Fortunate living beings can experience Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s eternal pastimes by performing nāma-saṅkīrtana under the guidance of His pure devotees.

Sādhakas desiring to attain bhakti should completely give up all offences such as nāma-aparādha, sevā-aparādha and dhāma-aparādha. Persons who come to the dhāma for darśana, parikramā and so forth should avoid committing offences to the holy abode (dhāma-aparādha). 

Therefore, for their understanding, the ten kinds of offences are mentioned below:

(1) To disrespect śrī guru and sādhus who reveal the dhāma

(2) To consider the dhāma to be temporary

(3) To commit violence to the residents of the dhāma or to the devotees performing parikramā, and to give them material designations in respect to caste and creed

(4) To perform mundane activities pertaining to sense enjoyment while residing in the dhāma

(5) To earn money or to make a business on the pretext of serving the dhāma

(6) To think with one’s mundane intelligence that the dhāma is just another material place, or to consider it equal to other holy places; and to endeavour to measure the size of the dhāma

(7) To commit sins while living in the dhāma

(8) To consider Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma and Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma to be different from each other

(9) To blaspheme the scriptures describing the glories of the dhāma

(10) To disbelieve [the narrations about] the glories of the dhāma and to consider them mere exaggeration and imaginary

My most worshipful Śrī Gurudeva personally wrote a preface to Jaiva-dharma in which he has mentioned that the state of mind of modern readers is such that, they will not have faith in the subject matters written by an author as long as they do not know about him. Keeping this in mind, I introduce the respective author in the foreword of almost all of our books.

A Brief Life History of the Author

Saccidānanda Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was born in the village of Vīranagara, which is near Yogapīṭha-Māyāpura, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s appearance place. He received his education in Kolkātā. His intelligence was very sharp, and from his early childhood he was deeply devoted to religion (dharma). Even as a student he lectured eloquently on the topic of dharma, speaking either in Bengali or in English – according to necessity – in various schools, colleges and other places.

After completing his education, he went to the state of Orissa and was appointed by the Government as Deputy Magistrate with specific duties. There, the Government also appointed him as the administrator of the famous Śrī Jagannātha Temple. During Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s time, the service of Lord Jagannātha was beautifully and efficiently conducted.

During these days in Purī, a so-called yogī named Viṣvaksena lived in a dense jungle of Orissa. He declared himself to be Śrī Kṛṣṇa and people believed him. He made an announcement that he would perform the rāsa dance during (one) full moon night, and the ladies of the neighbouring areas began to show eagerness to take part in it. Seeing this, all the villagers relayed their concern to the State Government. 

The Government appointed Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura to investigate the situation, which resulted in the yogī being found guilty. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura then sent the criminal to jail, where he fasted to death.

Wherever Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura went, he preached the religion of pure devotion as practised and preached by Śrīman Mahāprabhu. He made a resolution that, upon retiring from his governmental post, he would go to Vṛndāvana and perform bhajana. On his way to Śrī Vṛndāvana, he came to a place known as Tāḍakeśvara, situated within the borders of West Bengal. There, the great devotee Tāḍakeśvara Mahādeva [Lord Śiva] appeared to him in a dream and instructed him: “You are now travelling to Vṛndāvana, but you have to accomplish many tasks here. The appearance place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Māyāpura-Yogapīṭha, has not been unveiled. You have to reveal it and also reveal the nine islands of Navadvīpa as well as their glories.” After receiving Śrī Mahādeva’s instruction, he returned to Navadvīpa and constructed a cottage in Godruma-kuñja, where he began to perform bhajana. While living there, he revealed Śrī Dhāma Māyāpura-Yogapīṭha. After finding the site, he wanted it verified by a superior Vaiṣṇava ācārya. Therefore, he called vaiṣṇava sārvabhauma Śrī Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja from Vraja. Upon arriving there, the 144 year-old Śrī Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja began to dance vigorously, proclaiming, “This is the birthplace of my most worshipable (worshipful) Śacī-nandana Śrī Gaurahari!” In this way, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura revealed the birthplace of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Yogapīṭha. After that, in community gatherings, he spread the news about its location.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also accomplished one more glorious deed for this world by giving to the world Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thakur [his son]. To fulfil the desire of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta  Sarasvatī preached pure devotion and nāma-prema (transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa by chanting the holy name) as practised and preached by Śrīman Mahāprabhu. He preached not only throughout Bengal and India, but also throughout the whole world.

(bhakta-gaṇe ājñā dila caitanya-icchāya
nadīyā māhātmya varṇi bhaktera kṛpāya

je avadhi śrī-caitanya aprakaṭa haila
dhāma-līlā prakāśite bhakte ājñā dila

Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya (1.9, 11))[In these verses Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says,] “After He concluded His manifest pastimes, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself ordered His devotees to [again] unveil and manifest the pastimes of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma to the world. The devotees, in turn, gave me the instruction to reveal the glories of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma. Accepting the instruction of the devotees to be the same as the instruction of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, I am herein describing the glories of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma.”

Specifically to carry out the order of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Jāhnavā-devī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura revealed and preached the glories of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma. He himself has written:

nityānanda-śrī-jāhnavā-ādeśa pāiyā
varṇilāma navadvīpa ati dīna haiyā

Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya (18.73)

“Although I am lowly and insignificant, I have described Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma, only on the order of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Jāhnavā-devī.”Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura compiled more than one hundred scriptures in various languages. Among them, most prominent are Śrī Bhakti-tattva-viveka, Śrīman Mahāprabhu kī śikṣā, Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Śrī Jaiva-dharma, 

Śrī Bhajana-rahasya, Śrī Navadvīpa-bhāvataraṅga, Śaraṇāgati, Kalyāṇa-kalpataru, Gītāvalī, Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī, Vaiṣṇava-siddhānta-mālā,
Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya, Bhāgavatārkamarīci-mālā, Āmnāya-sūtra, Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā, Datta-kaustubha, Prema-pradīpa, Śrī Harināma-cintāmaṇi, Tattva-sūtra, Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya (a commentary on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta) and Rasika-rañjana-bhāṣya (a commentary on Bhagavad-gītā).

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura originally wrote Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya in Bengali. Although many editions have already been published in Bengali, this is the first Hindi edition.

I am fully convinced that by studying and reciting this book the faithful devotees will understand the amazing glories of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma, as well as the non-difference between Sri Śacī-nandana Śrī Gaurahari and Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus they will obtain inspiration to perform their bhajana in the method shown by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. 

In addition, they will also understand many more spiritual principles in regard to Śrīman Mahāprabhu and to bhajana. There is no need to say anything further about this.

Praying for a particle of mercy of the Vaiṣṇavas,

tridaṇḍi-bhikṣu
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa