Appearance of Navadvipa Mandal

Lord Siva replied, “O Pārvati, please hear the reason for Navadvipa’s appearance, as described in the Ananta-samhita and as I have heard from the mouth of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
“As a bee plays in a lotus, Kṛṣṇa was enjoying with Virajā in the pleasant forest groves of Vṛndāvana. Moon-faced, doe-eyed Radhika heard this news from one sakhi and hastily ran to find Krsna. Seeing that Rādhā was coming. Kṛṣṇa suddenly disappeared, and Virajā became a river. Rādhā again heard that Krsna was enjoying with Virajā, but when She arrived there She could not find them. Absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā began to think.
“She gathered Her sakhis together between the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers. She created there a beautiful place, decorated with creepers and trees and filled with male and female bumble bees. Deer and buck were happily enjoying as they wandered about, and the whole area was filled with the fragrance of jasmine, mallikā, and mālatī flowers. That transcendental abode was adorned with tulasi forests and decorated with various groves. On Radha’s order, the Ganges and Yamunā, with their pleasant water and banks, acted as a moat to protect the garden. Cupid himself, along with springtime, eternally reside there, and the birds constantly sing the auspicious name of Kṛṣṇa.
“Radha, dressed in a colorful cloth, then began to play a beautiful melody on a flute in order to attract Kṛṣṇa. Attracted by that melody, Kṛṣṇa appeared in that enchanting place. Radha, the attractor of Kṛṣṇa’s mind, seeing that Kṛṣṇa had come, held His hand and experienced ecstatic delight. Then Kṛṣṇa, understanding Radha’s mood, spoke in a voice choked with love.
“O lovely-faced Radha, You are My very life. There is no one more dear to Me than You. Therefore I will never leave You. Just for Me You have created this wonderful place. Staying with You, I will transform this place, filling it with new sakhis and groves. The devotees will glorify this place as New Vṛndavana (Nava Vṛndāvana). As this place is like an island, or dvipa, the wise will call it Navadvipa. By My order, all the holy places will reside here. Because You have created this place for My pleasure, I will live here eternally.
“Those people who come here and worship Us will certainly obtain our eternal service in the mood of the sakhis. O dear Radha, like Vrndāvana, this place is extremely pure. If anyone comes here just once, he will obtain the results of going to all sacred places. He will quickly attain devotional service, which satisfies Us.”
Lord Siva continued, “O most fortunate Parvati, saying this, Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of Radha, merged with Radha’s body and began to reside there eternally. Seeing that sat-cit-ananda form-outwardly of a fair complexion but inwardly Krsna Himself, Lalită gave up her beautiful form for the service of Gauranga. She took on a male form to suitably receive the affection of Gauranga. Seeing that Lalita had taken such a form. Visakha and all the other sakhis also suddenly took on male forms.
“At that time the tumultuous vibration of Jaya Gaurahari!’ filled the four directions. From that time the devotees call this form of Kṛṣṇa, Gaurahari. As Radha is Gauri (fair) and Kṛṣṇa is Hari, when They combine in one form. They are called Gaurahari. Since then, the lotus-eyed, flute-playing, threefold bending form of Krsna and the lotus-eyed form of Radhikādevi remained there combined in one form.
“O Parvati, in blissful Vṛndāvana, Rādhā stays by the left side of Kṛṣṇa and always pleases Him. Similarly, in Navadvipa Kṛṣṇa takes Rādhārāṇī in His heart and bestows bliss upon Her. Just as in Vṛndāvana the sakhis headed by Lalită serve Rādhā and Krsna in their own forms, in Navadvīpa also the sakhis always joyfully serve Gaurahari as His devotees. Radha and Krsna are Gaura, and Vṛndāvana is Navadvīpa. That low person who differentiates between Vṛndāvana and Navadvīpa or between Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Gauranga will be pierced by my arrows and experience pain in the worst hells until the time of the universal devastation.
“O Parvati, I have described to you the reason for the appearance of Navadvipa. When heard by mankind, this narration removes all sins and bestows devotional service. Whoever rises early in the morning and with devotion to Gaura recites or hears this story of Navadvipa’s creation will certainly attain Gauranga.
“Even now the devotees, but not the faithless, can see the sat-cid-ananda form of Lord Gauranga in Navadvipa. Previously, in the rāsa dance at Vṛndāvana, I saw Krsna, the Lord of the rāsa dance and attractor of Cupid, appear as Gauranga. That same Lord, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, appears in Navadvīpa in every kalpa and gives pure devotional service to the living entities.
“O Parvati, these secret topics that I have told you should never be revealed to the foolish nondevotees. Give it to the pure-minded devotee. Please tell me now, what else do you wish to hear?”
(Sri Navadvipa-Dhama-Mahatmya, Pramana-Khanda, Chapter 2)