When going on Navadvipa-dhama parikrama, Srila Gurudeva would first go to Nrisimhadeva at Deva-Palli, or Nrisimhapalli.
After killing Hiranyakasipu, Nrisimhadeva took Prahlada on His lap and went to an island of Navadvipa. The Lord sat under a tree in the forest with Prahlada. Lakshmi-devi, Lord Brahma, Siva Thakura, and many other demigods brought water there from the holy tirthas to bathe the Lord. But they were scared to come near the ferocious Lord.
The demigods requested Prahlada, “Please pacify the Lord, we are afraid to go near Him.”
Nrisimhadeva said to Prahlada, “I came late to your aid. Your father tortured you so much. Ask for a boon. I’ll give anything you wish.”
Prahlada replied, “I am not a businessman. I am Your eternal servant and You are my eternal master.”
“Please take a boon,” Nrisimhadeva requested.
“No, don’t cheat me. If I ask anything for myself, You will give that, and then I will become distant from You. Please keep me always close to your lotus feet.”
Nrisimhadeva insisted, “Ask for something.”
“Please forgive the offenses of my father.”
Nrisimhadeva reassured him, “Because by the power of your bhajana, 21 generations of your family have been purified. Ask for something more.”
Prahlada said, “If You wish to benedict me, then I ask that all the sins of people in this world be upon my head and let me fall into hell for all eternity for their sake, and exchange for this, I pray that You liberate everyone.”
Nrisimhadeva smiled and said, “You have defeated me, I cannot fulfill your wish. But I declare that whoever hears and remembers your glorious deeds, and your relationship with Me, shall be liberated.”
The demigods requested Prahlada, “Please bathe and decorate your Prabhu. He has dried blood on His body, and is wearing the intestine of your father as a garland.”
Nrisimhadeva was then given abhiseka with all the waters of the tirthas.
Afterwards, Nrisimhadeva told Prahlada, “You have conquered Me with your love. If anyone comes here, takes My caranamrita, and bathes in this kunda, all his sins as well as the tendency to commit sin will be washed away. Up until the annihilation of the Earth, this kunda will remain here.”
Lakshmi-devi then brought kshira and khichri that she had cooked and gave it to Prahlada to offer Nrisimhadeva. Nrisimhadeva was pleased by the offering and lovingly fed kshira to Prahlada with His own hands, showing His vatsalya-sneha. He asked Prahlada, “Did your mother cook this?”
“The Mother of the universe, Lakshmi-devi, cooked,” Prahlada said.
Nrisimhadeva said, “Every day She will cook kshira in the morning and offer it to Me here.”
This service has not stopped from Satya-yuga to the present day. The kshira is cooked, cooled, and offered to Nrisimhadeva. Many people come daily to receive maha-prasada and darsana of Sri Nrisimhadeva. If any water is mixed with the milk, then all the kshira will be spoiled. If the cowherders hear that their milk is going to Nrisimhapalli, they will not mix any water in that milk. It is not possible to take this maha-prasada away to one’s house. If anyone attempts to take a pot of kshira home, it somehow breaks or is lost. All prasadam is distributed to the devotees there. Even the pujaris do not save or take away the maha-prasada of Nrisimhadeva; everything is distributed there.
In the early days of parikrama, when Srila Gurudeva took the devotees to this place, we would dig a hole ten meters wide and deep and filled it with khichri cooked with the water of Deva-sarovara.
Srila Gurudeva instructed us, “Don’t be miserly. Cook more!”
We would cook and serve the maha-prasada to tens of thousands of devotees. No one ever became sick. Even today, we cook for a parikrama party of 15,000 people, but it always happens that many people for maha-prasada from different places. No one knows where they come from. More and more people come and we have to cook more and more. It is as if all the demigods take the guise of villagers to taste this special mercy. This is the desire and pastime of Lord Nrisimhadeva.
All the devotees would bathe in the sarovara without any problem. That place is always sanctified for the devotees. Nrisimhadeva said, “If anyone bathes here, all sin, distress, bad karma, diseases and problems will be removed from one’s life. If anyone takes My mahaprasada, everything in his heart will become clean and pure.”
Therefore, thousands of devotees daily come to this auspicious holy place to offer their respects and pranamas and to receive mahaprasada. It is at this place, Deva-palli, that the parikrama of Sri Navadvipa-dhama begins. It is not possible to get the mercy of the nine islands, Navadvipa, without first receiving Nrisimhadeva’s blessings.
***Prahlada Maharaja was a great devotee, but none of the demons were purified by his association because they had no sraddha or bhakti. When Srila Bhakti Prajshana Kesava Gosvami went on Sri Navadvipa-dhama parikrama, he first visited Nrisimhapalli and took the darsana of Sri Nrisimhadeva. People come on parikrama with so many sins from millions of lifetimes. It is not possible for them to perform parikrama properly, because of having so many sins. Therefore, first they go to Sri Nrisimhadeva to remove all obstacles.
Nrisimhadeva made a vow, “If any devotee comes to this place, I will purify him completely. Those who sit and take Lakshmi-devi’s mahaprasada will never have any fear.” Many people think, “Oh, it is so far away. Who can walk so far in the hot sun? I will go by bus.” Some people do not go at all. They think, that, “Only Sri Nrisimhadeva is there. We are the followers of Radha and Krishna.” But if Srila Gurudeva saw any brahmacari ever going back by car, truck or bus, he would beat them with his danda. If they were already on the bus, he would beat the side of the bus. By walking on foot, all our anarthas are left behind.
Many people come to the dhama, but they cannot have relationship with the holy dhama until they receive the mercy of Sri Nrisimhadeva. By Sri Nrisimhadeva’s ugra-sakti, the demoniac tendencies of the conditioned souls are destroyed, and all obstacles to pure devotion are removed.
Srila Gurudeva explained that Srila Bhakti Prajshana Kesava Gosvami would weep in Nrisimhapalli, remembering the mood of parental affection Sri Nrisimhadeva had for Prahlada Maharaja. Sri Nrisimha deva would smell the head of Prahlada Maharaja and bathe him with His tears of vatsalya-prema. Sri Guru has this same mood for his disciples.”
From the time of Nityananda Prabhu and Jiva Gosvami, down to Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Bhakti Prajshana Kesava Gosvami, and our Srila Gurudeva, this parikrama is going on every year. Srila Gurudeva took thousands of pilgrims on parikrama to Nrisimhapalli. Even when aged, he would come to this place every year.
Hari-katha spoken by Sripada Premananda Prabhu; rendition by Rasik Mohan Das
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