Śrīdhāma Māyāpura a Holy Pilgrimage

by Visakha-devī dāsī

“In this Age of Kali, people endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the golden incarnation of the Lord [Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu), who is accompanied by His associates, by performing congregational chanting of the holy name of God.”—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32)

Thousands of years ago, the Vedic scriptures revealed that in the present Age of Quarrel, Lord Kṛṣṅa, in the guise of a devotee, would descend to this material world to distribute love of God. Thus God Himself would teach us how to approach God. To fulfill this prediction, the Supreme Lord appeared in the year 1486 In the town of Māyāpura, which is on the bank of the Ganges in what is now known as West Bengal. ("The Appearance of Lord Caitanya," in this issue, gives further details about the Lord's descent.) In this incarnation, Lord Kṛṣṅa, as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, taught that the easiest, most effective means for self-realization is the chanting of the holy names of God, especially Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has brought saṅkīrtana, or the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord, to all parts of the world. And each year, during the anniversary of Lord Caitanya's appearance, many of Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples from the worldwide ISKCON centers of the saṅkīrtana movement go to Māyāpura, where they celebrate Lord Caitanya's appearance and become increasingly enthusiastic to serve the Lord with devotion.

To perform devotional service, one should purify his mind and senses and use them to satisfy the Supreme Lord, following the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master. The purpose of traveling to a holy place like Māyāpura is to advance in such purified devotional consciousness.

Lord Caitanya prescribed that one should begin his spiritual life in devotional service by hearing of the Lord's activities from a realized devotee of the Lord. If one cultivates spirituality in this way and keeps himself on the honest path in life, then although Kṛṣṅa is never conquered, He becomes conquered by that process.

In this Age of Kali there is no possibility of acquiring spiritual knowledge by renunciation, by speculation or by fruitive work. Because most people are fallen and because there is no time to elevate them by a gradual process, the best course, according to Lord Caitanya, is to let them remain in whatever occupation they are in but to engage them in hearing of the activities of the Supreme Lord as those activities are explained in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The transcendental messages of the scriptures should be received from the lips of realized souls. In this way a person may continue to live in whatever occupation he is in and still make progress in spiritual advancement. Thus one can surely advance and fully realize the Personality of Godhead.

One who has begun this process finds that his transcendental feelings are aroused simply by hearing of the glorious names, forms, qualities and entourage of the Supreme Lord. Such a fortunate person develops a desire to visit the places where the Lord performed His transcendental pastimes. Confirming the importance of visiting such holy places, the Purāṅas say, "To travel to different places of pilgrimage means to attain emancipation from material bondage. By such traveling, one can pass over the desert of material existence:"

Throughout the beautiful green farmlands on the island of Māyāpura, the devotee has occasion to remember the Lord constantly: "Near this nima tree, Śacīdevī bore a son known as Viśvambhara [Lord Caitanya]. That son is the maintainer of the entire universe and is the leader of all living entities. The moon was eclipsed at the time of the Lord's appearance, and the people of Māyāpura were then engaged, as is usual on such occasions, in bathing here in the Ganges with loud chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. At this place Kesava Miśra of Kasmira, the greatest scholar of the day, was defeated by Lord Caitanya, who was then still a young boy. And here, in the house of Śrīvāsa Paṅḍita, several years later, the Lord opened a nocturnal school of kīrtana [chanting] with His sincere followers. There He preached, sang, danced, and expressed all sorts of spiritual emotions. At this place the Lord came in the evening, with thousands of followers, and had a long discussion with the local ruler, a Mohammedan Kazi. And here the Kazi, feeling the highest ecstasy in the association of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, joined the Lord's saṅkīrtana party"

In this way, the devotees visit all the places in Māyāpura where Lord Caitanya's pastimes were performed. So those coming to this sacred land always feel transcendental pleasure.

During the pilgrimage to Māyāpura this year, the devotees of the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement will chant the Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra with their Godbrothers from around the world, and they will also visit the places where the Lord performed His pastimes. But most importantly, they will hear instructions about Kṛṣṅa from their spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who has spread the Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra and the teachings of Lord Caitanya throughout the world. According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, such a great personality is a holy place personified. He can turn any place into a holy place of pilgrimage because he carries the Personality of Godhead within his heart. The Personality of Godhead is always with such a pure devotee because of his unalloyed service.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples have therefore set the following verse by the great Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura as the guiding theme for their pilgrimage to Śrīdhāma Māyāpura:

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṅāravindam

"By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Kṛṣṅa. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any progress. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the spiritual master.

By hearing about the science of Kṛṣṅa consciousness from such a pure devotee, we can gradually come to understand that there is no difference between the Supreme Lord and His name, form, pastimes, qualities and abode. They are all on the same spiritual level. The Lord's holy name is therefore as good as the holy places of pilgrimage. By visiting a holy place like Māyāpura, one can be freed of all impurities. But even if one cannot go to such a place, one can have the same benefit at home—or anywhere—simply by chanting the holy names of the Lord—Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.