TEXT 217
'hiranya', 'govardhana',--dui sahodara
saptagrame bara-laksa mudrara isvara
SYNONYMS
hiranyaHiranya; govardhanaGovardhana; dui sahodaratwo brothers; saptagramein the village named Saptagrama; bara-laksa1,200,000; mudraraof coins; isvarathe masters.
TRANSLATION
Two brothers named Hiranya and Govardhana, who were residents of Saptagrama, had an income of 1,200,000 rupees.
PURPORT
Hiranya and Govardhana were inhabitants of Saptagrama in the district of Hugali. Actually they were inhabitants not of Saptagrama, but a nearby village named Krsnapura. They took their birth in a big kayastha family, and although their family title has not been ascertained, it is known that they came from an aristocratic family. The elder brother's name was Hiranya Majumadara, and the younger brother's name was Govardhana Majumadara. Sri Raghunatha dasa was the son of Govardhana Majumadara. Their family priest was Balarama Acarya, who was a favorite of Haridasa Thakura's, and the family's spiritual master was Yadunandana Acarya, a favorite of Vasudeva Datta's.
The village of Saptagrama is located on the eastern railway from Calcutta to Burdwan, and presently the railway station is called Trisabigha. In those days there was a large river there known as the Sarasvati, and present-day Trisabigha is a great port. In 1592, the Pathanas invaded, and due to a flooding of the Sarasvati River in the year 1632, this great port was partially destroyed. It is said that in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Portuguese businessmen used to come aboard their ships. In those days, Saptagrama, situated on the southern side of Bengal, was very rich and popular. The merchants, who were the principal residents, were called Saptagrama suvarna-vanik. There were very many rich people there, and Hiranya Majumadara and Govardhana Majumadara belonged to the kayastha community. They also were very rich, so much so that it is mentioned in this verse that their annual income as landlords amounted to 1,200,000 rupees. In this connection, one may refer to Adi-lila (Chapter Eleven, verse 41), which describes Uddharana Datta, who also belonged to the Saptagrami suvarna-vanik community.

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