24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | EVENING | PART 3]

Full Service Sway
"Balaram and Nitai arrange to appear as elder brothers in different ages to be able to serve the Lord. This is the glory of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is extremely esoteric and hidden. Actually, we have no quality or qualification to speak about His glories."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(13) Reunion With Ramananda Ray and His Character
‘When Mahaprabhu said that He would go to South India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya told Him, "There is another devotee like You living on the bank of the Godavari. His name is Ramananda Ray. When You go there, You should meet with him."’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Srimad-Rupa-Gosvami-Prabhur Sochaka (4)
‘Glory to Sri Rupa, an ocean of great ecstasy! Seeing him, coming in touch with him, hearing his ambrosial words fills one with happiness. Very serious, self-controlled and merciful, he is an abode of supreme loving devotion, who has revealed the great jewel of paramour love from the jewel mine of Gauda-desh.’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Four, chanted on Tuesdays)
'Overcome with strong bouts of divine love surging through Him and becoming unconscious of the world around Him, He dances madly and chants kirtan; the tears streaming incessantly from His eyes flood His body, the colour of molten gold and tall as the mount Sumeru, His clothes, the colour of the newly risen sun, and the earth in all fourteen directions around Him; He glows as He chants, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’, shouts jumbled up words and relishes various postures and behaviours (roaring with laughter, etc.) under the influence of divine love – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | EVENING | PART 2]

Parental Sacrifice
"Nityananda Prabhu’s parents could not let the sannyasi go empty-handed, so they said that they would give him whatever he asked for. But the sannyasi asked them for their only son, Nityananda Prabhu. They made such a great sacrifice in their life!"

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(12) About Kashi Misra
‘Before Mahaprabhu went to travel around South India, Kashi Misra told Him, "When You finish Your travels, please stay in Puri. I will prepare a place for you," and Mahaprabhu promised him that when He returned He would stay at his house.’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Srimad-Rupa-Gosvami-Prabhur Sochaka (3)
‘If Rupa had not assumed a human body in Kali-yuga, who would have opened a door into the chamber of the great ocean of divine love of Vraja? Who else but a swan can drink milk separating it from water? Who else but he can leave everything and worship Vrindavan, composing all these scriptures?’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Three, chanted on Mondays)
'He ardently preached that service performed in various divine relationships (from dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya- to madhura-rasa) and the (paramount) service beauty of Sri Radha’s servitors in the highest paramour madhura-rasa, as well as any transcendental hankering of the self-realised souls in Sri Vraja Dham, can indisputably be realised in Sri Vrajendra-nandan only – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | EVENING | PART 1]

Sri Ekachakra Temple
"It was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s desire to establish a temple in Sri Ekachakra Dham, but he only stayed in this world for sixty-four years, so he did not live to fulfil his desire. But by his mercy and by the mercy of our Param Gurudev and the desire of our Gurudev, we managed to acquire this land in 2008."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(11) A Lesson for Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya
‘Hearing Mahaprabhu’s interpretation, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was flabbergasted – his eyes popped out, and his face became very red. Seething with anger, he thought, "Who have I been teaching Vedanta all these seven days! Who is He?!" But even then he did not believe that Mahaprabhu was the Lord Himself.’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Srimad-Rupa-Gosvami-Prabhur Sochaka (2)
‘On Sri Chaitanya’s order, he extracted devotional conclusions from the quarry of Bhagavatam precepts and presented them in holy books, giving the transcendental wish-fulfilling gem of divine love to all souls.’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Two, chanted on Sundays)
'Very tall, beautiful and infused with divine love, His holy form increases gods’ joy; the lustre of His body, which puts millions of golden lotuses to shame, is worshipped by the Moon; and His intrinsic form is a holy abode of divine pastimes manifest as eternal ever-increasing transcendental ecstatic transformations that spring up as He revels dancing in Sri Krishna-sankirtan – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | MORNING | PART 6]

About Nityananda Prabhu
"Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says that Nityananda Prabhu’s glory is unlimited. Only if you get a slightest touch of His mercy can you understand it. Nityananda Prabhu freely scattered His mercy to all fallen souls. The Lord came to this world to deliver all fallen souls."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(10) Meeting With Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya
‘In Sri Puri Dham, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was the manager of Lord Jagannath’s temple. He took care of the temple in every way, but he was a devotee of the mayavad school (it means that he worshipped Brahma-jnana, the knowledge of the impersonal aspect of the Lord). At first, he did not even believe that Mahaprabhu was the Lord Himself...’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Srimad-Rupa-Gosvami-Prabhur Sochaka (1)
‘O shelter and goal of my life, O Sri Rupa Gosani! You are extremely merciful, an ocean of great qualities. Whoever gets your mercy can come to Sri Chaitanya’s feet and attain Sri Radha-Krishna in Vraja Dham.’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part One, chanted on Saturdays)
'Demigods, perfected souls, liberated souls, yogis and Lord’s devotees always sing His praise; He relieves the world from the blazing forest fire of three-fold miseries (caused by the desire for enjoyment, liberation and perfections) brought about by inauspicious actions (performed in aversion to the Supreme Lord); an ocean of generosity, He bestows His own Name from the nectarean storehouse of Lord Sri Krishna’s Names – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | MORNING | PART 5]

Extreme Mercy
"Krishna is so merciful, but Gaura is even more merciful than Krishna. Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu distributed Krishna-prema without asking any price! Gaura gave Krishna-prema to the entire world. This is so beautiful."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(9) Mahaprabhu’s Journey to Puri: Atharnala
‘Near Puri there is a bridge called Atharnala. When Mahaprabhu came there, He suddenly remembered about His danda. He asked, "Nityananda, give Me My danda!" But Nityananda Prabhu told a lie, "You were so engrossed in kirtan that You fell on Your danda and it broke into three pieces, so I threw it into the Bhargi"...’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Srimad Rupa-pada-rajah Prarthana Dasakam
‘Although I am a wretch, my causelessly merciful Divine Master, Srila Saraswati Thakur overlooked whether I am qualified or unqualified and, right before concealing his pastimes, offered me at his holy lotus feet by having me sing a song ("Sri Rupa-manjari-pada") in his glorification – when will this Srimad Rupa Prabhu adorn me with his holy foot dust?’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Seven, chanted on Fridays)
'He is a holy embodiment of the beautiful reality which is beyond the reach of one’s eyes and ears, which paralyses the very necessity of intelligence and which leaves even firmly fixed consciousness dumbstruck when divine love surges up – even Brahma, Sambhu (Siva), as well as their revealed scriptures, Vedas and tantras cannot conceive of such reality, so they merely keep searching after Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Srila Bhakti Gaurava Giri Maharaj (Sri Paramananda Prabhu):

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:

(1) "Pramananda Prabhu came to Srila Prabhupad as a child. His age was thirteen only when he came to live with Srila Prabhupad. He was a very intimate devotee of Srila Prabhupad. One day, he came to Prabhupad after a walk in Radha Kunda and reported to Prabhupad that the Diwan of Bhaghpur state and the whole of his family were circumambulating Radha Kunda—he and his wife would lie down, place a stone ahead, get up, go forward, and again lie down at the place marked by the stone. Paramananda Prabhu said very ardently, 'They also regard Radharani so much!' Then Prabhupad came out from his inner quarter and said, 'Yes, but their concern for Radharani and our concern for Radharani is quite different. They come to Radharani because She is favourite to Krishna, but our position is the opposite—our interest is Radharani, and we worship Krishna only because He is favourite to Radharani (we have to connect with Krishna only because She likes Him).'"

(2) "One time, a letter came from one devotee with some complaint. Srila Prabhupad asked his servitor, 'Who has told this news to him?' The servitor said, 'Prabhupad, you yourself have written this news to him.' Prabhupad denied it, 'No, no, no. I never wrote this to him!'The servitor explained humbly, 'I remember how you dictated it and I wrote it. You gave the news to him.' Prabhupad denied, 'No, I do not remember it.' Then I [Srila Sridhar Maharaj] spoke—I said, 'Vyasa vetti na vetti va (He who has composed all Vedas may or may not know them).' Prabhupad laughed when he heard it. Paramananda Prabhu was there too, and he said, 'Sridhara sakalam vetti (Sridhar Maharaj knows everything).' I said, 'Paramananda prasadatah. (By the mercy of Paramananda Prabhu).'"

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:

"Paramananda Prabhu was a very dearmost, intimate disciple of Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Prabhupad had given him very much affection. When Paramananda Prabhu came to Srila Guru Maharaj [Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj], Srila Guru Maharaj was always very happy to see him. That Paramananda Prabhu said, 'Maharaj, my only shelter now is your book Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam. I do not read Srimad Bhagavad-gita or Bhagavatam, or anything else, I only read Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam every day. I read a chapter a day, and I read it continuously—when I finish it, I start from the beginning again.'"

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | MORNING | PART 4]

Forging Your Destiny
"Not everybody comes to practise Krishna consciousness… Some come to goggle, some come for entertainment. There are different kinds of desires; everybody does not have the same desire. That is why we cannot bring everyone to this path. Those who have such fortune, who are destined to come, they come."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(8) Mahaprabhu’s Journey to Puri: Bhuvaneshwar Sri Lingaraj
‘In ancient times, Sivji Maharaj, who used to live in the holy abode of Kashi, told the great sage Narada, "I do not want to stay here anymore. Even proper religion will not stay here because everybody has become unreligious and wicked! I cannot practise my austere vows here anymore. But where shall I stay?" Then, following Narada Muni’s guidance, Sivji Maharaj came together with Parvati Devi to Kailash...’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Sri Sri Sad-Goswami Astakam
‘Always engaged in chanting the glories of Sri Krishna, singing and dancing, they are oceans of Sri Krishna-prema; appreciated by both the learned and the ignorant, they are always benevolent in their behaviour, pleasing everybody – there is not even a trace of jealousy in them, so they are worshipped by all people; being recipients of Sri Chaitanyadev’s special mercy, they rescue all materialists, relieving the earth of its burden – again and again I worship and bow down at the holy feet of these six goswamis: Sri Rupa, Sanatan, Raghunath Bhatta, Gopal Bhatta, Raghunath Das and Sri Jiva.’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Six, chanted on Thursdays)
'Captivated by and afflicted with an intense feeling of separation, He runs swiftly to the simha-dvara gate of Lord Jagannathdev’s holy temple; the next moment He falls down on the spot, His holy figure transformed into that of a tortoise by the influence of deep separation; attracted by the uncommon divine fragrance emanating from His holy figure, the Telangi cows residing at the temple draw near, surrounding Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | MORNING | PART 3]

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Our Fortune To Be Here
"We are very fortunate to have come here. If you just think about the dust of this holy dham, you will think that you must circumambulate this holy abode walking on your heads! The Lord Himself wandered in this land. Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Mahaprabhu, the Lord Himself."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(7) Mahaprabhu’s Journey to Puri: Bhuvaneshwar (Bindu Sarovar, Sri Ananta Vasudev)
‘The result of taking the darshan of Lord Sri Ananta Vasudev is boundless. Coming to this dear pond of Lord Siva, Mahaprabhu bathed in it and after that came to the temple of Sri Bhuvaneshwar Ananta Vasudev. He danced and chanted kirtan in front of it.’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Sri Srivasa Astakam
‘I happily take shelter at the holy feet of Sri Srivas, the first and foremost scholar. He is clad in white and possesses golden complexion. He mercifully bestows devotion to Lord Gauranga.’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Five, chanted on Wednesdays)
'He reveals (first, to Sri Sanatan and then to Prakasananda) sixty-two interpretations of the famous verse ‘Atmaramas cha… ittham-bhuta-guno harih’ (‘Even self-realised, self-satisfied souls are moved to worship the Lord’) from Srimad Bhagavatam; interpreting the various lexical meanings of the eleven words of this verse, juxtaposed in different ways, He reveals a treasure-mine of multitudinous meanings of this verse in consonance with the precepts of pure devotional conclusions – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | MORNING | PART 2]

Nurture Exclusive Desire
"Can you control all these senses? How is it possible to do it? Our senses always become excited – if they become very strong and we feel too much lust, anger, greed, illusion, and so on, we will be removed from Krishna consciousness. There is ananya-abhilasa (exclusive desire), and there is anya-abhilasa (other desires)..."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(6) Mahaprabhu’s Journey to Puri: Saksi-Gopal
‘Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard about this pastime of Saksi-Gopal from Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Before that, Sri Nityananda Prabhu had come to the temple of Saksi-Gopal with Srila Madhavendran Puri. Long-long ago there lived a kulin brahman in Vidyanagar...’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Sri Sri Gaura-Gadadhara Yugala Astakam
‘Those who recite and study this poem "Sri Gaura-Gadadhar Astakam" will come to the Divine Couple in Vraja. O learned soul! So say I, Achyutananda, the son of Advaita Prabhu.’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Four, chanted on Tuesdays)
'Overcome with strong bouts of divine love surging through Him and becoming unconscious of the world around Him, He dances madly and chants kirtan; the tears streaming incessantly from His eyes flood His body, the colour of molten gold and tall as the mount Sumeru, His clothes, the colour of the newly risen sun, and the earth in all fourteen directions around Him; He glows as He chants, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’, shouts jumbled up words and relishes various postures and behaviours (roaring with laughter, etc.) under the influence of divine love – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

24 FEBRUARY 2021 [EKACHAKRA | MORNING | PART 1]

Clear Your Path
"It is necessary to always chant the Holy Name. You are worrying about your money, food, clothes and various gossips at every moment, passing your whole lives like that. It is necessary to control the six urges, to correct the six defects in yourself, and to keep good association. It is necessary to have enthusiasm for Hari-katha, for the Lord’s service. If you do not read about it, if you do not follow it, you will not get any result."

• SRI PURI DHAM MAHATMYA-MUKTA-MALA •

(5) Mahaprabhu’s Journey to Puri: Remuna
‘When Mahaprabhu came with the devotees to Remuna, He told them about Lord Gopinath. He had heard about it from His gurudev, Sri Ishwar Puri. As Mahaprabhu spoke about the glories of this Madhavendra Puripad, He became overwhelmed. Nityananda Prabhu took Him in His lap, and then Mahaprabhu again got up and started dancing and crying.’

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SPECIAl POETRY: Srila Gadadhara-Prarthana
‘I offer my obeisances to Lord Gaura, who is the Supreme Lord coming in the form of the guru and as a relisher of Sri Radha’s divine mood, to Sri Gadadhar Pandit and to the worshippable Lords Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.’

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Three, chanted on Mondays)
'He ardently preached that service performed in various divine relationships (from dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya- to madhura-rasa) and the (paramount) service beauty of Sri Radha’s servitors in the highest paramour madhura-rasa, as well as any transcendental hankering of the self-realised souls in Sri Vraja Dham, can indisputably be realised in Sri Vrajendra-nandan only – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'