Madhyadvip

The fourth island embodies the devotional mellow of smaranam or remembering the pastimes of the Lord. This place is on the southern side of Sri Godrumadvipa. Madhyadvipa is locally called Magailagram.

Sapta Tila (Sapta Rishi Bhajana Sthali)
Sapta means “seven” and tila means “hill”. Sapta Tila means “seven hills.” This place is also known as Majida-grama. In Satya yuga seven great sages asked their father, Lord Brahma, to explain how to get love of Godhead distributed by Lord Caitanya in the future during Kali yuga. These seven rishis are named: Atri, Angira, Marichi, Kratu, Pulaha, Pulastya and Vasistha. Brahma instructed them to go to Sri Navadvipa Dham and chant the holy names of the Lord. He said that if one gets attraction for Navadvipa he will get the benediction of living in Braja. He told them that by chanting the glories of Gaura in Navadvipa one easily gets prema (love of Godhead). If you get the mercy of the dhama you get the association of devotees and by worshiping in the association of devotees one becomes absorbed in Krishna-prema.

The sages came to this place. They chanted the names of Gauranga and discussed His qualities. They completely gave up eating and sleeping and just chanted the name of Gaura. Once at noon, Lord Caitanya appeared before these sages. The Lord was as brilliant as a hundred suns. He appeared along with the Panca Tattva. Around His neck was a flower garland, He wore glittering ornaments, He had long curled hair, and had a dot of sandalwood on His forehead. He had a shining thread and wore a beautiful jasmine garland. The sages asked Him to please give them devotion. Lord Caitanya told them to just discuss the topics of Krishna and that he would soon have his pastimes in Navadvipa.

The residences of these seven sages can be seen today at the seven hills here. These seven hills are arranged in the same pattern of the seven sages in the sky (the constellation). In Sri Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya it is stated that by living here you will get Gaurahari without having to follow the strict processes of rules and regulations. This place is called Madhya, which means “middle” because Lord Caitanya appeared here like the midday sun in the middle of the day.

This place is also called Kumara Ghata. When Lord Caitanya tried to go from Jagannatha Puri to Vrindavana on the way he came to the houses of Sivananda Sena and Srivasa Thakura in Kumara Hatta.

Hamsa Vahana Siva Temple
At Hamsa Vahana there is a small temple dedicated to Lord Siva. The deity comes here only three days in a year, on the Purnima (full moon) day in the month of Caitra (March-April). The rest of the time Lord Siva is kept underwater in a nearby lake called Alakananda Kunda to cool down his fiery anger. The name Hamsa Vahana refers to Lord Brahma’s swan carrier. Hamsa means “swan,” and vahana means “carrier.” About 50,000 people come for this festival. While the Siva-linga is in the temple for three days, water is constantly poured on him or the linga will become to heated. The Siva-linga got hot because of Lord Siva’s desire to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This festival takes place about 3 weeks after the Gaura Purnima festival.

Desiring to hear narrations about Lord Caitanya, once Lord Siva (five-faced Mahadeva Siva) decided to come hear Suta Gosvami, who was discussing Gaura-lila here. He left Mount Kailash on his bull carrier, Nandi. Because Nandi was too slow he rode on Lord Brahma’s swan carrier. When Lord Siva arrived here he listened to Suta Gosvami describing the glories of Lord Gauranga. The Siva-linga here is riding on a swan

How To Get Here The temple where the Deity is brought to is about 2 km south of Bhaktivinoda’s house. The lake where the Siva-linga is kept most of the year is about 1 km away, in the middle of some fields. The place where the Siva-linga is kept in the lake is surrounded by a wooden fence that encircles the linga, about 4 feet wide. There is a large tree next to the lake.

Naimisaranya
On the southern side of Sapta Tila, on the banks of the Gomati River is the forest of Naimisaranya. At this place in the beginning of Kali yuga 33,000 sages headed by Saunaka Rishi heard the Gaura-Bhagavad from Suta Gosvami. One who reads the Puranas here in the month of Kartika will become absorbed in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya and will become free from distress and will easily reach Vrindavana.

How To Get Here This place is in the middle of some fields, between the Hamsa Vahana Siva Temple and where the Hamsa Vahana Siva-linga is kept most of the year. It is about ¾ km from the Hamsa Vahana Siva Temple. The exact location is not marked by anything.

Naimisaranya in Uttar Pradesh
This is where the Srimad Bhagavatam was spoken by Suta Goswami to the sages headed Saunaka. When Lord Brahma contemplated a great wheel that would span the entire universe, the wheel’s center was at Naimisaranya. Naimisaranya has a parikrama (circumambulation) path of 16 km, in which all the sacred places in India are believed to be located.

This is the place where the demigods came to ask Dadhici to supply them with his body to kill the demon Vrittrasura. Lord Rama is said to have performed sacrifice here for killing Ravana.
Brahmana Puskara (Brahman Pura)

Once during Satya yuga, a brahmana name Diva Dasa while going to places of pilgrimage came to Navadvipa and started living here. During his travels he wanted to go to Puskara, but was unable to do so. He regretted not going to Puskara. In a dream he was told to chant the holy names of the Lord and his desire would be fulfilled. Later when he became very old the personified form of Puskara appeared before his hut in the form of a pond. In a dream the personified

Puskara told him to bathe in the pond. The next morning he took bath in the pond and Puskara Raja, the king of the holy places stood before him. The brahmana told Puskara that he was sorry to give him so much trouble to have to come all the way to Navadvipa. Puskara told that he was not coming from a far distant and that he was already present there. Navadvipa is the embodiment of all the tirthas, and they reside in and do service to Navadvipa. “I have exhibited one form of Puskara in the west, but I always reside here.”

Puskara Raja told him that whatever benefit one receives by bathing in all the other holy places hundreds of times, one receives by staying just one night in Navadvipa Dhama. All the holy tirthas on earth stay here eternally. Whatever pious results received by a person comes from this place. After saying this Puskara Raja departed. Then a voice from the sky said, “Kali yuga is coming. At that time you will take birth and join in the pastimes of Gauranga.”

This place is also known as Brahmana Pura.
How To Get Here This place is about 3 km south of Bhaktivinoda’s house, a little off the road (200m). It is located next to a lake.

Pushkar in Rajasthan
It is ten km northwest of Ajmer, 400 km southwest of Delhi, and 145 km southwest of Jaipur in Rajasthan, on the edge of the desert. There is a rectangular lake here surrounded by temples. There are over 400 temples in Pushkar. Some of the important temples are dedicated to Brahma, Ranganatha, Varaha, Savitri and Gayatri.
In the Mahabharata concerning Brahmana Puskara, it is said: “The holy place of Lord Vishnu, Puskara-tirtha, renowned in the three worlds, is situated on this earth. Fortunate souls can enter that place. O son of the Kuru dynasty, at Puskara-tirtha billions of tirthas gather at daybreak and sunset. Sins of both men and women, including the sin which caused their birth, are destroyed simply by taking a bath at Puskara-tirtha. As Madhusudana is the original God, so Puskara is the original tirtha.”

It is believed that to bath in Pushkar lake on Kartika Purnima (Oct/Nov) gives salvation. The full benefit of taking bath in the Pushkar lake is said to be during the last five days of Kartika month. One who takes bath at this time is said to be relieved of all sins and goes to heaven when they leave their body.

Story of Pushkar
It is said that Lord Brahma while passing this spot let slip a lotus flower. It is said that Lord Brahma’s lotus flower fell in three separate places in the Pushkar area and that water came from the ground at each place. They are located within a radius of six miles. From the spot where the petals fell water sprang out and a lake was formed. According to the Padma (lotus) Purana, Brahma the Lord of Creation, killed a demon with a lotus flower here. He dropped the lotus at this place to kill the demon. Petals fell in three spots, where lakes emerged. As Brahma threw the pushpa (flower) with his kar (hand), so the place received the name Pushkar.

Brahma performed a yajna on the full moon of Kartika (Oct/Nov). Lord Brahma, the creator, was in search of a suitable place to perform the yajna. The lotus from his hand fell down, rebounded, and fell at three places, from where water sprang. Thus Brahma decided to perform the yajna at Pushkar. But the yajna could not take place without his wife Savitri by his side, and she was late. Brahma therefore had to ask Indra to arrange a marriage for him, so that he could fulfill the religious obligations. So the priest manifested a daughter called Gayatri. Because she was an untouchable, to purify her, she was put into the mouth of a cow and removed from the other end, which totally purified her. Gaya means “cow “and tri means “passed through.” When Savitri arrived she saw Brahma married without her permission. So she cursed Brahma, that he would only be worshipped at Pushkar.

Enraged, Savitri went and established a temple at Rathkagir, on top of the hill a little south of Pushkar. It is said to be due to Savitri’s resentment that Brahma is mainly only worshipped at Pushkar.

Uchahatta (Kuruksetra, Chakpansila)
This place is also called Hatta Danga, which mean the place where the demigods would assemble. It is called Uchahatta because the demigods would assemble and would loudly chant the names of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Ucha means “loud” and hatta means “assembly.”

This place is nondifferent from Kuruksetra. Whatever holy places that are in Kuruksetra are present here including the Saraswati and Drisavati. The result of living in Kuruksetra for a hundred years is obtained by staying one night here. By seeing this place one receives an ocean of prema.
On one side is the Saraswati River and on another side is the river Drisavati. Lord Caitanya would come here with his associates while performing kirtana.

Kuruksetra
This is where the battle of Kuruksetra took place and where the Bhagavad Gita was spoken, which is mentioned in the Mahabharata. Kuruksetra is a very holy place. Kurukshetra is called Dharmakshetra in Bhagavad Gita. It is believed that all the holy waters of India flow into the Kuruksetra tank, at the time of an eclipse. At that time one million people come to bathe. Lord Krishna met the Gopis and the residents of Vrindavana here at the time of a full solar eclipse. It is said that those who visit this area, reside here, take bath in the tanks here or die in the area go to heaven after death.

Kuruksetra is 160 km north of Delhi. The Kuruksetra area covers a 100 miles area and there are many places of pilgrimage related to Mahabharata here.

Brahma after a great yajna, created the Universe from here. It is said that Manu wrote Manusmriti here and the Rig Veda and Sama Veda are said to be have been compiled here. King Kuru performed a great sacrifice here and this is how the place got its name.

Kuruksetra is mentioned in the Mahabharata, Rig Veda and the Padma, Narada, Matsya and Vamana Puranas. The Mahabharata says it is a place of salvation for one who dies here.
Bhisma Kunda is where Bhisma lay on a bed of arrows. The ‘Ban Ganga’ created by Arjuna and the now subterranean Saraswati once flowed here. King Prithu, son of Vena is said to have performed sraddha here. The line dividing the earth goes through Kurukshetra, Mathura and Ujjain.

Pancaveni (Maha Prayag)
Pancaveni is the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Alakananda, Mandakini and Saraswati, in her hidden form. On the western side is the Yamuna, Bhagavati and Manasa Ganga. This place is known as Maha Prayag. Lord Brahma along with the great rishis have performed millions of sacrifices here. To serve Lord Caitanya all the holy rivers converge at this place. Except for Radha Kunda in Braja, there is no place as holy as Pancaveni. If one dies here, without any effort, they will attain Goloka Vrindavana. If one bathes here they will not take another birth.

How To Get Here This place is close to Uchahatta.

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