Suvarna Vihara

Lord Nityananda described this place to Sri Jiva as follows: During Satya-yuga King Suvarna Sena was ruling here. He had ruled his kingdom for a long time and even though he had become very old he was still very attached to his kingly duties. He was always engrossed in material life and once due to his good fortune Narada Muni visited his palace. King was very happy to see great sage and welcomed by worshipping him nicely. He offered prostrated obeisance to Narada Muni, who then took the king to a solitary place and mercifully explained him tattva-upadesa (instructions about tattva).

Narada Muni said,

-      “You are spending your days uselessly only meditating on how to increase your wealth. You should know very well that this material wealth is useless and the cause of all suffering. Real supreme wealth is transcendental knowledge.

-      Please try to think about this for once seriously within your heart. None of your family members, like your wife and children and all your relatives, are yours eternally. At the time of your death no one will be yours. When you will die all your relatives will put your body into river water to float away and go back to their homes. If no one is a real relative of anyone then why do you run after these false hopes, hankering for so much material achievement?

-      If you say that at least you are achieving pleasure in your life and are free from suffering and that is your justification for trying to accumulate so much wealth, dear king, that is also false, because this body will be destroyed one day. It will not exist more than 100 years.

-      Therefore you should understand that the essence of everything is beyond this illusory material world in the spiritual world, where there is no trace of suffering in the enjoyment. In this material world some enjoyment is there but it always comes along with suffering.

-      One must know how to cross over material nescience. What kind of sadhana should one follow to achieve that wonderful result of going back to Godhead, where there is no sorrow or suffering? Not only by renunciation nor just by knowledge can one achieve that. By knowledge and renunciation one may become free from material bondage and get liberation. But by achieving that kind of liberation one does not get real pleasure. In fact to get that kind of liberation is the greatest loss, because material pleasure is lost and at the same time not much worthwhile is achieved.

-      Therefore the actually intelligent person will not accept bhukti or mukti, material sense gratification or liberation. Rather they practice, Bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Sri Krishna. To be detached from material things and attached to the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna is everything on one’s life - sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.

-      The jiva is the eternal servant of Sri Krishna. Without Bhakti everything is destroyed. The tree of Bhakti, Bhakti-Vriskha, gives the fruit of prema. That fruit is prayojana or the final goal of life.

-      That Krishna-prema is our eternal wealth, in comparison to which bhukti and mukti are insignificant. Lord Sri Krishna is sat, cit and ananda. He is like the sun, the jivas are like rays of the sun and maya is the shadow. The Jiva is the tatastha sakti, marginal energy of the Lord and due to his marginal nature, when he comes in contact with maya she puts him in bondage. When the jiva becomes Krishna-bahirmukha or turns his face away from Krishna, he touches maya.

-      By coming in contact with maya the jiva falls into the bondage of karma. Being caught by the net of maya the jiva moves around in the material universes and undergoes lots of suffering.

-      Due to his attachment to karma he does not get liberation even if he tries his best to be free from suffering. Sometimes the jiva engages in logic. In spite of all these he ultimately remains in bondage, due to his non-acceptance of the real wealth of knowledge about the science of the self.

-      If the jiva, while traversing this material world, gets the association of a sadhu then he will achieve sraddha or faith. In due course of time by practicing, Bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Sri Krishna in the association of devotees, his heart will become free from anarthas, unwanted desires, and then he will achieve nistha, steadiness. After continuing his bhajana, at some time due to that nistha, he will develop ruci or taste and then later he will develop attachment or asakti to the Lord. From asakti he will attain bhava, which will later bring him to the platform of prema.

-      This is the gradual process of achieving pure Bhakti, devotion. By practicing nine kinds of devotional service in the association of devotees, one will achieve the wealth of Krishna-prema.”

Narada Muni continued, “Oh, King! You are very fortunate to have taken birth in Navadvipa-dhama. By residing in this Navadvipa-dhama you have achieved great fortune. Now you must try to develop sraddha by the association of sadhus. Strive to achieveprema by engaging in the chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna -

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare |

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ||

The Lord will descend in Kali-yuga accepting a golden color and exhibit wonderful pastimes, Gauranga-lila. He will be engaged in Sankirtana which is rarely witnessed by the demigods including Brahma. The Lord will be mad with nama-sankrtana and will make the whole world mad. Just as the Lord danced in maha-rasa in Vrindavana, in the same way He will dance and give pleasure to all His devotees. All Navadvipa will be filled with happiness. One who chants the holy name of Lord Gauranga will get the mercy of Lord Sri Krishna and will become eligible to reside in Vraja-dhama. One who worships Lord Sri Krishna without chanting the holy name of Lord Gauranga will get Sri Krishna after a long time, but one who chants the holy name of Gauranga will attain Sri Krishna immediately, because by chanting the holy name of Gauranga he will become free from all offenses. No one can understand the glories of Navadvipa-dhama unless the associates of the Lord explain them to him.”

While speaking to King Suvarna Sena in this way, Narada Muni became very impatient. Due to great ecstasy he could not control himself anymore and started dancing, chanting the holy name of Gauranga. He was playing on his vina, chanting the name of Gaurahari and asking, “When will that most blessed Kali-yuga come?’ While speaking in this way to the king, great Vaishnava, Narada Muni blessed him and left.

Hearing Narada Muni’s words the king thought to himself,

“Shame on my life, shame on my birth as a human being. I always engaged in kingly activities. It is my bad fortune that I never had the association of devotees. Without the association of devotees no one achieves perfection in anything. After such  a long time this most merciful sadhu has now blessed me. Now I know this Nadia is the abode of my Lord.”

Considering this he felt ecstasy in his heart and started to shed tears looking towards Navadvipa while offering prostrated obeisance to the holy dhama. He was asking forKrishna-prema from all the Vaishnavas and thus became free from all material desires. He prayed to Navadvipa-dhama to bless him so that he could take birth at the time when the Lord would manifest His pastimes there.

Once when the king was sleeping, he dreamt that Gaura-Gadadhara along with all Their associates were dancing in his courtyard. All of them were chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra and embracing the golden form of Lord Gaurahari. King saw thousands of devotees playing different varieties of musical instruments and singing in a very sweet way which attracted the whole world. Among those devotees, he saw the moon of Nadia, Sri Gauracandra, in His most beautiful blue form of Sri Krishna appearing like a stream of nectar. King saw the form of Sri Krishnacandra and immediately that blue form transformed to gold. King started to think, “Who is this golden form (suvarna-vigraha) moving (vihara) in the crowd of Sankirtana?”

When the king woke up, he became very worried and started to cry for Gauranga. Just then he heard a voice, “O, King! You will appear here again during the manifested pastimes of Lord Gauranga. You will be one of the great associates if the Lord. Your name will be Buddhimanta Khan. During this time you will serve the lotus feet of the Lord.” After hearing this daiva-vani (heavenly voice) the king became pacified and started to worship Lord Gauranga.

Because king meditated on the Lord in His golden form (suvarna-vigraha) who was moving (vihara) there, this place is named “Suvarna-vihara”. At this very place Lord Gauranga was present in His manifested pastime. He performedSankirtana here and many people relished seeing His dancing. With great ecstasy people would speak to each other, “We have never seen such a beautiful complexion. There is no comparison to it. His moving and dancing is so wonderful that it attracts the people of the three worlds.”

While Lord Nityananda was describing this subject to Srivasa Thakura, who is an incarnation of Narada Muni, Srivasa in the mood of Narada Muni fainted. Everyone very ecstatically started to chant the nectarine holy name of Gauranga and Sri Jiva Gosvami was rolling around on the ground. All of them were anticipating and praying for thedarshana of the golden form of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Immediately, to their surprise, the most beautiful form of Gauranga appeared there right in front of them and He started to dance. Nityananda along with Sri Advaita Acarya began chanting the glories of Gauranga Mahaprabhu and there was a big Sankirtana with many mrdangas.

The mind of one who takes darsana of Suvarna-vihara will drown in the pastimes of Gauranga Mahaprabhu.

[references: ‘Navadvipa-dhama-Mahatmya, Parikrama-khanda’ by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and ‘Sri Bhakti-Ratnakara’ by Srila Narahari Cakravarti Thakura]