Chapter Seven Çré Suvarëavihära and Çré Devapallé
All glories to Çré Caitanyacandra! All glories to Prabhu Nityänanda! All glories to Advaita and Gadädhara! All glories to the devotees addicted to Gauräìga’s feet headed by Çréväsa! And all glories to Navadvépa, the topmost abode! Leaving Viçräma‑sthäna, the party proceeded to Suvarëa‑ vihära. There, Nityänanda said, “O Jéva, this is a wonderful place. Like the rest of Navadvépa, it is transcendental to material nature. During Satya‑yuga, a well‑known king named Suvarna Sena lived here. For a long time he was simply engaged in ruling the kingdom, and even when he grew old he took no rest. The king’s mind was absorbed in material hankering, and he was always thinking how to increase his wealth. Who knows by what good fortune Närada happened to come there? After being profusely worshiped by the king, Närada took him to a secluded place and mercifully instructed him on the Absolute Truth. “Närada spoke as follows: ‘ O king, your days are going by uselessly with thoughts of material wealth and gain. Know that this wealth is of no value. The supreme wealth is spiritual knowledge. Just once consider this in your heart. You have no real relationship with your wife, sons, or friends. After your death they will immerse your body in the water and return to their homes. If one can not claim anything as his own, then why hold on to this false hope and aspiration, this thirst for material objects—which are like a drop of water with no capacity to quench the thirst? If you think that by getting happiness you can avoid distress, and therefore you must earn wealth, that is also false. Because this life itself is impermanent, lasting not more than a hundred years. “‘Therefore, know the truth. You must go beyond this world of illusion, to the place where there is happiness without pain. By what process can one attain a result in which there is no fear, pain, or grief? Simply by renunciation or cultivating knowledge, one cannot get this result. By vairägya and jïäna one can get freedom from material bondage and merge into the Brahman, but in Brahman there is no bliss. Rather, I say, merging into
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