Meditating on the glories of the dham is extremely auspicious. Especially, when we are in a dham, or going to a dham, our mind must be absorbed in the grace of the holy dham. For pure devotees, their heart is non-different from the dham.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says in the mood of Srimati Radharani,
anyera hṛdaya—mana, mora mana—vṛndāvana,
’mane’ ’vane’ eka kari’ jāni
tāhāṅ tomāra pada-dvaya, karāha yadi udaya,
tabe tomāra pūrṇa kṛpā māni
For most people, the mind and heart are one, but because My mind is never separated from Vṛndāvana, I consider My mind and Vṛndāvana to be one. My mind is already Vṛndāvana, and since You like Vṛndāvana, will You please place Your lotus feet there? I would deem that Your full mercy. CC Madhya 13.137

The six goswamis gave us Vrindavan Dham. They especially excavated the holy places, wrote books, taught people by their own behavior who is a devotee, and built temples.

Mahaprabhu instructed Sanatana Goswami,
kṛṣṇa-bhakti, kṛṣṇaprema-sevā-pravartana
lupta-tīrtha-uddhāra, āra vairāgya-śikṣaṇa
You will have to explain Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service, establish centers for cultivation of love of Kṛṣṇa, excavate lost places of pilgrimage and teach people how to adopt the renounced order. CC Antya 4.80

Once, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura was deeply thinking in which all ways he must serve the Lord. At that very time, a paper came flying, and the above verse was written in there. Srila Saraswati Thakura took it as his life’s goal to fulfill the above-mentioned desires.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also fulfilled these four purposes. Especially, in Nabadwipa Dhama, he discovered the most important birthplace of Lord Caitanya. In fact, a noted Bengali jounalist by the name Sisir Kumar Ghosh gave the title of “Seventh Goswami” to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Just as the Six Goswamis revealed Vrindavan, the Seventh Goswami, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura revealed Mayapur Dham to all of us.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has been eulogized in the most beautiful manner by a dear godbrother of Shrila Prabhupada.

He writes,
guru-dam grantha-dam gaura-dhama-dam nama-dam muda
bhakti-dam bhuri-dam vande bhaktivinodakam sada

“He is the giver of Sri Guru (Srila Saraswati Thakura); he is the giver of scriptures (He received the copy of Caitanya Caritamrita first, and he wrote so many books); he is giver of the holy dham of Gaura (he gave us Yogapitha, he also predicted about a wonderful temple which has manifested now due to the grace of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples); he is the giver of the Name; he is the giver of pure devotion; he is the greatest donor. I always offer my obeisances to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.”

Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave us Nabadwipa Dham Mahatmya. In this book, through the conversation of Jiva Goswami and Lord Nityananda, he takes us to various holy places in Nabadwipa. He gives us the right attitude to see Nabadwipa Dham.

A few nectar verses from this book that can help us meditate on Nabadwipa Dham are mentioned below. In his prayers to Krishna, Brahmaji in his enthusiasm says that he and the devatas, as the presiding deities of the various senses of the living entities in general, through the inhabitants of Vraja, are drinking Krishna’s beauty through their senses. In the same way, although we are neither Brahma nor empowered agents of the Supreme Lord, yet, through the grace of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, let us try to see some glories of Nabadwipa Dham and Lord Caitanya.

anya tīrthe aparādhī daṇḍera bhājana
navadvīpe aparādha sadāi mārjana
In other holy places, offenders are punished, but in Nabadwīp offences are always forgiven.

tāra sākṣī jagāi-mādhāi dui bhāi
aparādha kari’ pāila chaitanya-nitāi
The brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi are evidence of this. They committed offences but attained Nitāi and Chaitanya.

navadvīpe śata śata aparādha kari’
anāyāse nitāi kṛpāya yāya tari’
In Nabadwīp, souls who commit hundreds and hundreds of offences are easily delivered by the mercy of Nitāi.

hena navadvīpe bhāi y0hāra vasati
baḍa bhāgyavāna sei labhe kṛṣṇa-rati
Brother, souls who reside in Nabadwīp are very fortunate. They attain devotion to Kṛṣṇa.

navadvīpe yebā kabhu karaya gamana
sarva-aparādha mukta haya sei jana
Souls who once visit Nabadwīp are freed from all offences.

sarva-tīrtha bhramiyā tairthika yāhā pāya
navadvīpa-smaraṇe sei lābha śāstre gāya
The scriptures say that by remembering Nabadwīp you attain that which pilgrims attain by visiting all the other holy places.

navadvīpa daraśana kare yei jana
janme janme labhe sei kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana
Souls who see Nabadwīp attain the wealth of divine love for Kṛṣṇa birth after birth.

anya tīrthe yogī daśa-varṣe labhe yāhā
navadvīpe tina rātre sādhi’ pāya tāhā
That which yogīs attain after ten years in other holy places is attained in three nights in Nabadwīp.

śata-varṣa sapta-tīrthe mile yāhā bhāi
navadvīpe eka-rātra vāse tāhā pāi
Brother, by spending one night in Nabadwīp, souls attain that which is gained by residing in the seven principal holy places for one hun- dred years.

kali-kāle tīrtha saba atyanta durbala
navadvīpa tīrtha mātra parama prabala
During the Age of Kali, all the holy places are very weak. Only Nabadwīp is greatly powerful.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura definitely revealed Nabadwipa Dham to all of us, but if it weren’t for Shrila Prabhupada, we would never have come to know of a Dham named “Mayapur.”

Therefore, Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja, who has himself played a pivotal role in developing adn revealing Mayapur to all of us writes about Srila Prabhupada,

kata kasta sahi prita mane rahi ke va dita harinam
ke dita madera puri vrindavana mayapura mata dham

Who else would have tolerated all difficulties, and distributed Harinama with a pleasant heart?
Who would have given us the dhamas such as Mayapur, Vrindavan and Jagannatha Puri?

When we get the causeless opportunity to be in the dham for a few days, why should we misuse it, squander it, or waste it by engaging in things that we would ordinarily do? By total absorption, the dham manifests in our heart. And it remains manifested in our heart if we don’t commit any offenses.

I remember long back I visited Remuna Dham, the place where Gopinatha had reciprocated with Madhavendra Puri in a very special way. I was trying to be absorbed, reading and hearing about the glories of Madhavendra Puri for a long time, even before that. That absorption led to the right prayers at the right time. That absorption helped me focus on the core than be concerned about the externals. That focus helped me to access the grace of the Holy Dham. I tried to see the dham through the eyes of the previous acaryas like Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami and others.

I also remember the times when I wasn’t focused in the glories of the Dham. And I could not gain anything even after visiting them. As Srila Saraswati Thakura would say, all I had was a good eye massage!

It depends on us whether we wish to have only an eye massage or have an entire vision of the Dham as revealed by our predecessor acaryas and spiritual masters.