Chapter Two Measurement and Form of the Dhäma
All glories to Lord Caitanya, the moon of Navadvépa and son of mother Çacé! All glories to Nityänanda Räya, the avadhüta ! All glories to Navadvépa‑dhäma, the essence of all spiritual abodes! Who has the ability to describe the truth of Navadvépa? Navadvépa‑dhäma within Gauòa‑maëòala is served by the Ganges and situated in eternal splendor. This Gauòa‑maëòala is one hundred sixty‑eight miles in circumference, with the Ganges running through the center. Gauòa‑maëòala takes the form of a hundred‑petaled lotus, with the most beautiful Navadvépa in the center. The circumference of the central stamen of the flower, or Antardvépa, is tenmiles, and the circumference of the eight‑petaled flower, or Navadvépa, is thirty‑two miles. Outside this are the hundred petals of Gauòa‑maëòala, whose circumference measures one hundred sixty‑eight miles. According to the scriptures, the diameter of Gauòa‑maëòala is fifty‑six miles and the radius is twenty‑eight miles. The center point, situated within Navadvépa, is the Yogapéöha, the sacred spiritual abode where the Lord advented. The whole of Gauòa‑maëòala is cintämaëi , or touchstone, yielding all desires. The dhäma is full of knowledge and bliss and is completely spiritual. The water, the land, the trees—everything in the dhäma is spiritual, unlike the dull matter of this material world. Always present in the dhäma are Kåñëa’s three spiritual energies— sandhiné , samvit , and hlädiné . Kåñëa’s original energy, svarüpa‑çakti , manifests in these three divisions. Of these, the sandhiné energy, which supports all existence, finds its perfect function inmanifesting the eternal dhäma . In that position, the dhäma acts eternally as the base or support for the Lord’s appearance and activities. All this is the action of the inconceivable energy of the Lord, which is anti‑material and completely transcendental. One who sees only the activities of material nature in the dhäma is a conditioned soul under the influence of ignorance and illusion. When a person’s vision is covered by a cloud, he may think that
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