"Go to Lord Caitanya's Forest of Navadvipa, read pastimes, and roll in the dust along the banks of the Ganges, which was touched by Gouranga's lotus feet. In this way worship Lord Gauracandra who shines like a moon in the forest groves of Godruma."

An Ocean of Mercy:

Krishna's name, form, and pastimes, manifest in this material world for the sole reason of attracting conditioned souls to His sweet and sublime pastimes. Because Krishna's pastimes are enacted on the spiritual realm, attraction to them automatically frees the conditioned souls from their attraction to the temporary material realm and the suffering it brings. This is the causeless mercy the holy dhamas are surcharged with, and which the dhamas freely give out to anyone and everyone.

A materialist who comes to Navadvipa-dhama wanting material benefits through pious activity, also gets the benefit of not having to take another birth. Someone who just happens to come to Navadvipa-dhama is freed of all offenses, and visitors to Navadvipa-dhama also get the benefit of being freed from the bondage of maya. For those who walk through Navadvipa, the benefit of millions of asvamedha yajnas are accrued with every step, and the bonds of maya are cut along with the cycle of repeated birth and death.

To attain liberation (Brahman Realization), one simply needs to bathe in the Ganga at Navadvipa. Here eating Gauranga's maha-prasadam gives devotion to Gauranga, and sleeping is accepted as paying obeisances. In three nights in Navadvipa Dhama, one gets the results of ten years of yogic practices performed in other tirthas. While those who die in other tirthas receive material benefits or liberation, persons who die in Navadvipa-dhama receive devotion to the Lord.

Along with describing the causeless mercy so freely available in Navadvipa-dhama, Bhaktivindoa Thakura also gave the secret of this dhama that makes it the, "crest of jewels of all holy places." After stating how obtaining Krishna Prema is very rare even though the pastimes of Radha and Krishna are known to everyone, Thakura Bhaktivinoda gives the reason for this:

"Herein lies the secret of secrets which the living entities bound in maya cannot discern. One who does not attain love of God after worshipping Krishna birth after birth, has clearly committed heaps of offences. For only by chanting Krishna's name without offenses can one attain incessant Krishna Prema.

"Sri Caitanya's incarnation, however, is most uncommon. By His mercy, a serious person, though filled with offenses, can quickly obtain love of God. When someone calls out the names of Nitai and Caitanya Krishna Prema comes looking for him. Offenses do not hinder his progress and he soon sheds tears of ecstasy out of pure love of God. By the mercy of Lord Caitanya, all the offenses quickly flee away, the heart becomes pure, and love of God fully blossoms. Because people in Kali-yuga commit unlimited offenses, which are difficult to check, there can be no means of deliverance other than Gouranga's name. Therefore in Kali-yuga I see no alternative to Sri Gauranga."

This is the special quality of Navadvipa-dhama. It has foregone all conditions and is freely giving out the highest possible benefit of Krishna Prema that is otherwise unobtainable by the unqualified jivas of Kali-yuga. In Navadvipa-dhama, "A person who has committed hundreds of offenses can easily receive the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and overcome those offenses." Thus the holy name and devotion to Krishna easily blossom within the hearts of those sincerely seeking this mercy overflowing in Sri Navadvipa-dhama. It is this unlimited and causeless mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that the author wishes to impart to the readers and the ever-increasing number of visitors and pilgrims coming to Navadvipa-dhama.

About the Author:

Manjari devi dasi is originally from New Zealand. She was a practiicing lawyer and advocate when she came in contact with the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, (the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)), and the process of bhakti-yoga. Inspired by the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, she decided to leave her profession and devote the rest of her life for spiritual enlightenment. She has lived in Navadvipa dhama for eleven years. She served as the secretary of the GBC, the governing body of ISKCON, for seven years. It was during this time that she developed a strong desire to glorify and share the extra-ordinary mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that He has made so easily available to those sincerely seeking spiritual salvation. This book, Gauradesa, is the fulfilment of that desire. She now shares her time between Navadvipa and Vrndavana dhamas and continues with her research and writing projects.