33. Navadvīpa is the Fulfillment of Vṛndāvana

33. Navadvīpa is the Fulfillment of Vṛndāvana:

“In Śrī Vṛndāvana some portion of the tasty savour remained unrevealed. That taste has been revealed in Śrī Navadvīpa. When one is qualified to relish that taste he will realize this fact.” (Jaiva Dharma) 

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī explains that Gaura-līlā contains the parishista-līlā (concluding pastimes) of Vṛndāvana. It is something like an appendix added after the author finishes his book. 

“If I see My sweetness in a mirror, I am tempted to taste it, but nevertheless I cannot. Who manifests an abundance of sweetness greater than Mine, which has never been experienced before and which causes wonder to all? Alas, I Myself, My mind bewildered upon seeing this beauty, impetuously desire to enjoy it like Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.” (Lalitā-mādhava 8.34) This text was spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa when He saw the beauty of His own reflection in a jewelled fountain in Dvārakā. 

“All minds are attracted by hearing His sweet voice and flute, or by seeing His beauty. Even Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself makes efforts to taste that sweetness.” (Cc. Ᾱdi 4.144-8) 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty is so indescribably attractive that it even attracts Him. Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja explains that when Kṛṣṇa sees His face in a mirror, He wants to kiss and embrace that beautiful form. Unable to, Kṛṣṇa becomes bewildered and goes mad, thinking ‘somehow or other I must taste this beauty.’ Seeing that Śrī Rādhā alone was savouring all His beauty and sweetness, Kṛṣṇa, to do the same, assumed the bhāva and kantī of Rādhikā and became Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. Gaura-līlā, therefore, provides fulfilment for the inner hankering the Lord feels in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. 

“One day in Vraja Gokula, Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw His unparalleled sweetness in a mirror, and He desired to become like His dearest sakhī, Śrī Rādhā. Assuming a transcendental golden form, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in Gauda-desh (Bengal). Oh, when will the son of Śacī appear again on the path of my eyes?” (Sacisunvastaka)

“The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa had 3 intimate desires which remained unfulfilled, even after having performed so many blissful pastimes in Vṛndāvana. Therefore, appearing as Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, He came to relish the fulfilment of those desires. 

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa wanted to understand: 

1) the glory of Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s love for Him

2) the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love

3) the divine ecstasy She experiences when She realizes the sweetness of His love for Her

Therefore, Lord Kṛṣṇa decided to manifest Himself as His own devotee in the form of Lord Caitanya, imbued with the inner sentiment and bodily lustre of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.” (Prema Vivarta) 

As the original guru in the line of Kṛṣṇa-prema, Śrīmatī Rādhikā wanted to distribute Her Kṛṣṇa-prema to everyone. In Dvāpara-yuga, Kṛṣṇa sent Uddhava to Rādhārāṇī to receive the Kṛṣṇa-prema of the Vraja-gopīs. Kṛṣṇa did not give Vraja-prema directly to Uddhava. After witnessing the intensity of the gopīs’ Kṛṣṇa-prema, Uddhava prayed for birth as a blade of grass in Vṛndāvana to receive the dust of their feet. During the rāsa-līlā in Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa told the gopīs that He could never repay them for their love. But in Gaura-līlā, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī came as Lord Gaurāṅga and paid back by giving everyone the highest position of gopī-prema.

Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī confirms the further contribution of Lord Caitanya’s life and teachings: “On the pathways of whose ears had the wonderful words ‘pure love of Kṛṣṇa’ entered? Who had known the glories of the holy names? Who had entered the great sweetness of the forest of Vṛndāvana? Who had understood Śrī Rādhā, who is filled with the most wonderful sweetness of the nectar of pure love for Kṛṣṇa? It is only Lord Caitanyacandra who has mercifully revealed all this.” (Sri Caitanya Candramrta) 

Ᾱcāryas have explained that in the village of Navadvīpa the parishista-līlā of Gokula exists eternally. Gaurāṅga-līlā is simply a further continuation of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-līlā. As Rādhā-Govinda perform Jhulana-līlā (swing pastimes) and Holi-līlā in the spring, Lord Gaurāṅga also enacts these līlās with Śrī Gadādhara and His other confidential associates in Navadvīpa. The rāsa-līlā on the banks of the Yamunā during Śarad Pūrṇima manifests in the six seasonal flower gardens of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s home in Māyāpur. There on the banks of the Gaṅgā, the cool Malayan breezes mix with the melodious Kṛṣṇa- saṅkīrtana, as Gaura-natarāja dances madly with His intimate devotees. 

In essence, every pastime of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana has its matching counterpart in Navadvīpa. There is no difference between Navadvīpa and Vṛndāvana. In fact, Navadvīpa is often called Gupta (hidden) Vṛndāvana.

Many Gauḍiyā Vaiṣhṇava ācāryas stress that, absorption in Gaura-līlā will award one eternal service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. 

In Prārthāna, Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura says, 

śrī gour maṇḍala bhumi, 

jeba jane cintamani, 

tara hoy brajabhumi vasa

“One who sees Gaura-maṇḍala (the place of Gaurāṅga’s pastimes) as non-different from cintāmaṇi-dhāma Vṛndāvana is the true Vrajavāsī.” 

Then Mahāśaya says: gaura-prema-rasārṇave, 

se taraṅge jebā ḍube /se rādhā-mādhava-antaraṅga

“By diving into the waves of Gaura’s prema-rasa ocean, one will surface as one of the confidential associates of Rādhā-Mādhava.” 

In Caitanya-candrāmṛta, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī states that according to the amount of bhakti one has awakened for serving the lotus feet of Śrī Gaurāṅga, to that degree automatically his devotion awakens for serving the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā. In other words, as much as you surrender to Gaurāṅga, you will find yourself safely situated in the service of Rādhā-Govinda. One may find difficulty if he tries to directly approach Rādhā-Govinda. But the lotus feet of Gaurāṅga will take you there safely. 

In Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja says that the cream of Kṛṣṇa’s nectarean līlā rests within the pure lake of Śrī Caitanya’s līlā. When the ambrosial nectar of Gaura-līlā is mixed with the camphor of Kṛṣṇa-līlā, it forms the most relishable sweetness.

kṛṣṇa-bhakti-siddhānta-gaṇa, 

yāte praphulla padma-vana tāra madhu kari’ 

āsvādana prema-rasa-kumuda-vane, 

praphullita rātri-dine tāte carāo mano-bhṛṅga-gaṇa

“The pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa are the essence of all nectar. They flow in hundreds of rivulets and in all directions. The pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are an eternal reservoir, and one is advised to let his mind swim like a swan on this transcendental lake.”

“The essence of spiritual knowledge is found in the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, which are identical with the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. By Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s grace, the nectar of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is flowing in different directions in hundreds and thousands of rivers. One should not think that the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are different from Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. It is said: śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya rādhā kṛṣṇa nahe-anya. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a combination of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and without understanding His pastimes, one cannot understand Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.” (Cc. Madhya 25.271 v/p)

One ācārya gave this explanation of Gaura-līlā. Kṛṣṇa-līlā gave mankind a means of liberation through the heart by showing bhakti and Kṛṣṇa-prema. Gaura-līlā, on the other hand, upholds the truth of Kṛṣṇa-līlā. Since practice is better than precept, Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu played the part of a devotee to teach everyone how to act in order to attain Kṛṣṇa-prema, love of God.

“Will Lord Hari who, when He saw His own incomparable sweetness in a mirror in Vraja, in order to become like His dearest friend Rādhā, manifested a golden-complexioned transcendental form, and appeared in Bengal as the son of Śacī, again walk on the pathway of my eyes.” (Stavāvali)

“The village of Vṛndāvana appears directly in the land of Bengal. Lord Caitanya, the son of Śacīmātā, is the son of Vraja’s king and the greatest lover. Indeed, Gaurāṅga experiences Rādhā’s bhāva while covered with Her effulgent molten gold complexion. Lord Gaurasundara performs pastimes in Navadvīpa that even the residents of Vṛndāvana cannot attain.

“To achieve the complete perfection of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, all the beautiful gardens and forests of Vṛndāvana are situated in Navadvīpa.” (Caitanya Sataka)