Sri Navadvipa-Dham Mahatmya

Chapter Three The Procedure for Parikramä 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 Çré Advaita Prabhu! All glories to Gadädhara and Çréväsa Paëòita! All glories to Navadvépa‑dhäma, the essence of all dhämas , which advented along with Gauracandra. Now hear, brothers, of the places that I will describe within the sixteen kroças of Navadvépa‑dhäma. There eternally exists sixteen rivers within the sixteen kroça area of Navadvépa. On the eastern bank of the main Ganges are four islands and on the western bank there are five. The different tributaries of the Ganges surround these islands and give the dhäma its splendor. The main Ganges always flows in the middle, while other pious rivers flow in various tributaries. Near the Ganges flows the beautiful Yamunä, and the Sarasvaté flows within another river. East of the Yamunä are the long streams of the Tämraparëé, the Kåtamälä, and the Brahmaputra. The Sarayü, Narmadä, Sindhu, Käveré, Gomaté, and Godävaré flow swiftly throughout the breadth of Navadvépa. All these rivers intersect to form the nine different islands of Navadvépa. Following the desires of the Lord, sometimes the streams dry up, and then again by His wish they flow with water; by the Lord’s wish sometimes places become covered with water, and by His wish they again become visible. In this way the dhäma endlessly enacts its lélä , but the same dhäma remains always manifest to the fortunate living entity. If a devotee has an acute desire in his heart, all the islands and rivers will be visible. By devotion, the dhäma is sometimes visible in dreams, meditation, or to the naked eye. The islandwhich lies at the junctionof theGanges andYamunä is known in the çästras as Antardvépa. Within Antardvépa lies the holy sanctuary of Mäyäpur, where Lord Caitanya appeared. Know, devotees, that Mahävana, in the center of Goloka, is none other than Mäyäpur of Navadvépa. Çvetadvépa, Vaikuëöha, Goloka, and Våndävana reside in Navadvépa at all times. By the order of Gauracandra, the seven

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