Re: Nama-hatta

Nama-hatta

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura�s great contributions are manifold. One of the greatest is Nama Hatta. He set up the Nama hatta. It had as commodities:
1.    The holy name.
2.    The holy name related to the Lord�s form.
3.    �          �                         �                   qualities
4.    �          �                         �                   pastimes
5.    �          �                         �                   bhava
6.    �          �                         �                   prema

You could buy sraddha for 1 cent, Nistha for 5 cents, ruci for 20 cents, asakti for 25 cents, bhava for a dollar, and prema for a gold coin.

He had various venues: bazaars � holy places or temples, shops �  small centres with a few members, travelling salesmen, sales agents or brokers who would bring interested people to the shops or bazaars.

No false currency accepted, otherwise you automatically get namabhasa and not the pure name.

Different posts:
1.    The leaders who make policy decisions Lord Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaita Prabhu, in Bengal.
Sri Rupa and Sanatana Goswami in Vrindavan.  Sri Swarup Damodar Goswami and Sri Ramananda Raya in Puri

2.    The market reporter. Sri Gadadhara Pandit Goswami,Srimati Visnupriya Thakurani, and Srimati Jahnava Thakrani in Bengal.  Sri Raghunatha das Goswami in Vrindavan,Sri Paramnanda Puri in Puri

3.    Scale operator who checks the payments.  (Scale operators) Sri Murari Gupta, Sri Vesu Ramananda in Bengal. Sri Kaviraje Goswami in Vrindavan, Sri Madhavendra Puri in Puri.
(who checks the payments) Sri Gauridasa Pandita, Sri Abhirama Goswami, Sri Kavi Karnapura. Sri Pradyumna Misra in Puri

4.    Keeper of the keys to all the doors to all the different departments selling the different forms of the name

5.    Labourers- who deliver the goods Sri Vasudeva Datta, Sri Vasudeva Ghosa, Sri Sivananda  Sena and Sri Gopinatha in Bengal.



6.    Watchman who checks to see if anyone is trying to steal the name. Sri Vamsivadanananda,Sri Vasu Ramananda, Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi,Sri Damodara Pandita,Sri Jagadananda, Sri Jagadisa and Sri Hiranya Pandita in Bengal. Sri Lokanath Goswami and Raghava Pandita in Vrindavan. Sri Haridasa Thakura in Puri.



7.    Bookkeeper Sri Vridavana das Thakura in Bengal, Raghunath Bhatta Goswami and Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti in Vrindavan. Sri Vaninatha Pattanayaka in Puri.

8.    Janitor.  Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura took the role of janitor. Keeping the place clean.  (street sweeper)
            om yasya dvirata vaktradya parisadya parasata                                     vighnam nighnanti satatam visvaksenam samasraye

"I take refuge of the plenary portion of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Visvaksena, the elephant faced one, the leader of the assembly.  It is He who constantly destroys all obstacles."

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'Speak about Krishna, worship Krishna and teach [others] about Krishna.'" [Caitanya-bhagavata Madhya-lila 13.8-9]
In his Nama-hatta essay the Thakura always describes himself as the sweeper of the market-place of the Holy Name. In that market-place in Godruma-dvipa, the storehouse is the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the principal trader is Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

The co-principal trader in Bengal is Sri Advaita Prabhu; in Vrindavana, Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis; in Jagannatha Puri, Sri Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya.

The store-keepers in Bengal are Sri Gadadhara Pandita, Srimati Vishnupriya and Srimati Jahnava Thakurani; in Vrindavana, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; in Jagannatha Puri, Sri Paramananda Puri.

Following this explanation is a description of the transcendental currency of the market: the various levels of devotion are compared to paisa (the smallest denomination), to annas (an anna equals about six paisa) and to silver coins, and prema (pure love of God) to the most valuable denomination, the gold coin. The qualifications for membership are also specified, techniques for chanting are detailed, etc.

The Thakura then proceeds to describe some of the preaching pastimes of his party of friends:
"5th Asvin Caitanyabda 406, Monday, the Nama-hatta sweeper, assistant and flag-bearer [Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Bhaktibhringa Mahasaya and Sitanatha] arrived in the town of Ghatal, Midnapur District, after dark.

The devotees escorted the Nama-hatta employees with sankirtana to the Hari-sabha. More than a thousand devotees of the Nama assembled and engaged in massive sankirtana. The next day at sunrise, along with all the devotees of Ramjivanpura, they performed blissful kirtana and inspected the activities of the Nama-hatta in the prapannasrama [preaching center] of Sriyuta Kunjabihari Paina.

More than a thousand devotees assembled, loudly chanting the name of Hari. The Nama-hatta commander for that area, Sriyuta Umacarana Vidyaratna warmly welcomed the sweeper, Bhaktivinoda, his assistant, Bhaktibhringa, the devotee, Sitanatha, and the assembled Nama-hatta employees. The sweeper, Bhaktivinoda, gave a lecture on the glories of the Holy Name.


"The captivating lecture and Vaishnava songs [I had] personally composed filled the assembled devotees with prema. Travelling salesmen, Sriyuta Ramadasa Babaji and Sriyuta Daracandra Tarkalankara, satisfied the assembly with sweet lectures. The assembly dispersed three hours after darkness had fallen with loud chanting of Hari and pure Nama-sankirtana. [This means the assembly engaged in chanting and hearing all day and into the night!]  "7th Asvin, at daybreak, street sankirtana went out with a great gathering of Ramjivanpura villagers.

The special decorations and mandapas [raised platforms] in front of the houses were a wonderful sight to see. Thereafter, the sankirtana party went on the main road and, coming from their homes, the devotees were chanting the name of Hari in great devotion. At one mandapa the travelling salesmen [Sriyuta Ramadasa Babaji and Sriyuta Daracandra Tarkalankara] and Bhaktivinoda Thakura explained the glories and the truth of the Name, while from all four sides the village womenfolk raised their voices in ululation. In some places the school children, breaking loose from their teachers' care, and crying 'Haribol!', ran towards the sankirtana party.

The devotees were feeling mutual bliss. The minds of everyone present were captured by this enchanting scene... "8th Asvin, in a massive gathering at Ramjivanpur, all the Nama-hatta employees did Nama-kirtana from house to house.

At the houses of Sriyuta Umes Chandra Modak, Sriyuta Ananta Gayen, Sriyuta Ramachand Datta, Sriyuta Srinivasa Rauth and Sriyuta Ramkalpa Rauth, a great multitude of people received the message of Mahaprabhu.

Finally, at the natya-sala [theater] of Sri Parvatinatha Mahadeva, nearly two and a half-thousand persons came together, where the commander glorified Mahaprabhu from the Vedas and the Puranas. At that time of pure devotional preaching, the sweeper Bhaktivinoda showed the uselessness of the impersonal philosophy. Later, at the prapannasrama of store-keeper Sriyuta Yadunath Pal, the Rasika Mandali performed kirtana. "9th Asvin, all the Nama-hatta workers gathered at Hatipur Devakhand, where nearly three-thousand people assembled at the natya-saIa of Jagajanani Bhadrakali.

The travelling salesmen of that place, Sriyuta Kesava Chandra Chakravarti had made many arrangements with gates and mandapas. The villagers took the Nama-hatta workers with great enthusiasm from the bank of the river to a pandal [pavilion-tent]. Along the way, village women, filled with ecstasy, were ululating [an ancient practice which is supposed to generate auspiciousness and lauds heroic enterprises].

Those present will not forget the enchanting scene. At that time everyone lost material consciousness, submerged in the ocean of Krishna-prema. After all the devotees were properly seated on the mandapa, the following song was sung:
" 'Nityananda has come to the Marketplace of the Name.

Whoever is coming, run quickly. Those two rascals Jagai and Madhai have looted the storehouse and taken all the goods. You will find the partners Advaita and Sanatana are the storehouse managers. Gadadhara Pandita is the guard.

Haridasa is the watchman. Sanjaya and Sridhara are the bearers. Kesava Bharati and Vidyavacaspati are brokers, and Krishnadasa and others are managers. Srivasa Pandita is the treasurer, and Kedaranatha is the sweeper.

The cost of the goods in the store are the nine kinds of devotional service. The gold coin is prema. There is no limit. With whatever you have got, buy what you can.

There is no shortage, brothers, take as much of the goods as you can. For obtaining love of God, this is the best advice. The message is the nectarean name of the Lord, so let there be no useless strife. Let everyone, whoever he may be, share the same plate.' "12th Asvin.

Nama-hatta workers assembled at Bhaktinidhi's Vadan Ganj prapannasrama in the morning. Later at Koyapat Bazaar, nearly four-thousand people came to see the Nama-hatta workers.

The first few minutes were spent in getting the people to be quiet. Bhaktinidhi's lecture was followed by a lecture by Bhaktivinoda on the verse vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam... from Srimad-Bhagavatam. With this verse he destroyed the impersonalist philosophy and established the truth of pure devotion to Bhagavan Sri Krishna ...

During all of these lectures the listeners' hearts were filled with devotional ecstasy, exhibited by frequent applause and crying of 'Hari!' with love-filled enthusiasm."
In these wonderful excerpts we catch a glimpse of the jubilant preaching exploits of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

His activities immediately invoke the original preaching mood of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, on account of which huge crowds wildly chanted the Holy Name in ecstasy.

The aforementioned crowds were getting the same opportunity by the pure association and presentation of the eternally liberated associate of the Lord, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

We may also recall how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura brought the Holy Name to thousands, following in the saintly footsteps of his father. Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada in his turn held huge gatherings in Delhi, Calcutta and Bombay, and Rathayatra (Chariot Parade) celebrations attended by thousands in the West, simply to continue the disciplic succession of ecstatic distribution of the Holy Name, following in the footsteps of his most exalted predecessors.


In February of 1892 the Thakura was invited to speak at Krishnanagar before a large congregation of highly learned men from various parts of Bengal.

He gave a lecture concerning his investigation and research into the genuine site of Lord Caitanya's birth. After hearing his powerful presentation, the members of the assembly, who were overwhelmingly impressed by the Thakura's work, pledged their help by agreeing to join a society organized by the Thakura for the restoration, maintenance and development of Old Navadvipa at Sri Mayapura, called Sri Navadvipa-Dhama-Pracarini-Sabha.

The Thakura made the ruling princes of Tipperah the society's hereditary presidents. Europeans were also present at the meeting, and the Thakura recalls the names: Monroe, Wallace and Butler. The Thakura also lectured to other societies and assemblies in the Krishnanagar area.

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