Healthy Spiritual
Life
"We do not know what is good, what is bad for our spiritual life. We
sometimes want to eat some other food—we sometimes want to do some material
things, we want some material enjoyment, but Gurudev will never advise to do
what is bad for our spiritual life."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 5 min | 23 October 2018)
A Day at Sri
Nrisingha Palli (1 April 2021 | 17 photographs, 1.4 Mb)
Sharing photographs taken throughout the day at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
in Sri Nrisingha Palli. As almost all devotees have left after the festival,
the temple is now back to the quiet daily services and the construction works
are now resuming—the workers are currently finishing the new guesthouse and
continuing the works at the Prasadam Hall after the festival pandal has been
removed. His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
takes rest after the intense seven-day-long festival and in the afternoon
gives initiation to devotees in Ecuador.
Guidance, Issue #26(EPUB file, 1.1 Mb)
An ePub file for offline reading on mobile phones and tablets containing the
lectures of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
published here from January to March 2021. We pray this serves as a
source of guidance, nourishment, and life to all the devotees and
well-wishers worldwide.
Other compilations of His Divine Grace Srila Acharya Maharaj's lectures
for offline reading (all posts published on the website since July
2014):
Fri, 2 April 2021 (Anniversary Festival at Sri Hapaniya Dham Temple)
Exclusive Mood
"A devotee's heart, their life, mind, everything is surrendered to the Lord,
and they always listen to Hari-katha, Hari-kirtan—they always spend their
life in sravanam, kirtanam, and they always derive pleasure from it."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 23 October 2018)
Festival at Sri
Hapaniya Dham (2 April 2021 | 20 photographs, 1.4 Mb)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj comes to
Sripat Hapaniya Dham together with his associates to attend the annual
festival commemorating the Deities' Installation at the supremely holy
appearance place of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami
Maharaj. Due to the pandemic situation, the festival manifests in a quieter
and a little more reserved form without the overwhelming crowds usual for
this festival.
Sri-gaura-mandala
majhe |
শ্রীগুর্ব্বাবির্ভাব প্রশস্তি "In Sri Gaura Mandal, there is a village called Hapaniya where my Lord, an
abode of all good qualities, appeared. It stands on the bank of the Ganga,
who is very merciful to the fallen souls; renowned in the whole world, this
abode is a holy repository of knowledge and jewels of logic."
Sripat Hapaniya
Dham: Highest Place
"Today is the pancham dol and it also the appearance day of Sri Sri
Guru Gauranga Radha Gopinathjiu. This is a highest place and we must give
respect to this place, Sripat Hapaniya Dham."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.3 Mb, 10 min | 17 March 2017)
Sripat Hapaniya
Dham
"We come here to pay obeisance to Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
because he is not an ordinary person. We come and pray to his family, we pay
obeisance to them and beg them for mercy. That is why we come here."
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.4 Mb, 19 min | 28 March 2016)
A Day at
Hapaniya[From Affectionate Guidance]
"Today we have very happily come to Sripat Hapaniya Dham. Our destination is
Goloka, even if we may not know where Goloka is. However, we must know that
the abode of Goloka has personally become manifest in this world as the abode
of the Divine Master, the residence of the devotees and the Temple where the
Deities are worshipped."
Sat, 3 April 2021
Seek Sadhus' Shelter
"O Krishna! How will all those who are suffering so much from miseries caused
by one's body, by the nature, and other souls, and so many problems in this
mundane world be rescued from this kind of situation? — A sadhu will
come for them..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 23 October 2018)
Sun, 4 April 2021
What Are You Doing?!
"We must practise in the way that Gurudev tells us to practise. Think
properly about what Gurudev tells. You are always mixing with materialists,
you are always looking at ladies—what are you doing?! You are taking poison!
You must avoid all this!"
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 23 October 2018)
Vaishnav iCalendar
(Updated for 2021)(For iPhones, iPads, Mac OS)
Vaishnava iCalendar is prepared and now available for download and upload on
Apple mobile devices (iPads, iPods, iPhones, MacBooks, etc.). On computers:
download and launch. On mobile devices: upload by clicking on the link above,
through iTunes synchronisation or email.
-Follow the link above
-Click on a "plus" sign at the bottom of the page to add it to your Google
Calendar page
-If you are not logged in your Google account, enter your login
information
-The calendar will appear in your Google Calendar under "Other calendars"
-Final step, on your phone: synchronise your google account calendar in the
settings of your phone. Restart your phone if the Calendar events do not
appear immediately.
Note: the calendar has notifications set for the major
dates, but you need to see the calendar settings in your phone to make sure
you get these notifications. You can also receive notification by email, see
the settings in your online Google calendar.
Published previously:
SRI VAISHNAVA CALENDAR
FOR 2021-2022 The calendar of auspicious days, festivals and fasting celebrated and
observed at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math for the following year (Sri Gaurabda
536, or 2021-2022) is now available online.
His Divine Grace instructs: "We should always check the calendar, and when we
see some dates mentioned there, even if we do not know anything about the
Vaishnav or events mentioned there, we can at least give 'jay' to
them—that also brings some good sukriti, some purification to us.
Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early in the morning, from the
beginning of the day, is very good for all devotees."
Mon, 5 April 2021 (Appearance of Srila Srivas Pandit)
Happy and Busy Days
"Past two-three weeks I have been busy in Nrisingha Palli, after that there
was Hapaniya pancham-dol—the appearance festival of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga
Radha Gopinath jiu in Hapaniya. When the festival in Hapaniya finished, I
returned the same day to Kolkata."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 5 min | 4 April 2021)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Ashtami. Appearance of Srila Srivas Pandit.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
In honour of Srila Srivas Pandit:
Srivas Pandit's
Devotion
"Srivas Pandit: 'You can get a son, a daughter, a father, a mother in every
birth, but you will not get the Lord in every birth Lord. This life is very
important, you can get the Lord in this life, then why should I misuse it?
Why should I not use this opportunity?'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min | 19 July 2013)
Malini Devi and
Vishvarup
"The name Srivas Pandit's wife is Malini Devi. You know, one time Malini
chastised Srivas Pandit. Once, Vishvarup Prabhu, Nimai's elder brother, came
to their house to ask Srivas Pandit for help..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 29 July 2012)
Why Can We Not Get
It?
"At Srivas Pandit's house there was a maidservant Duhkhi—she got Mahaprabhu's
mercy. There was a Muslim tailor near Srivas Pandit's house—he too got
Mahaprabhu's mercy. A great sinner Chand Kazi broke a mridanga, but
even he got Mahaprabhu's mercy. Why can we not get it?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min | 20 May 2017 | Bengali)
Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:
•SONG:
Ei-bara karuna kara |
এইবার করুণা কর "O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the
fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of
your feet."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment
to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the
saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
Tue, 6 April 2021
Whose Child Are You?
"You have got this human body to serve your Gurudev. You did not get this
body to serve Maya. We only always serve Maya, we are always surrendered to
Maya, and this is our main problem. What is this? Sometimes I become very
annoyed unhappy about this kind of situation."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 4 April 2021)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Navami. Disappearance of Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Vigraha Bhiksu
Goswami Maharaj.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
Wed, 7 April 2021 (Tomorrow is Papa Vimochani Ekadasi)
Adjust Wavelength
"So much sadness, so many problems, so much bondage will come, but we must
overcome everything and always go forward. It is necessary to have a great
desire to do service. If you have the strongest faith, then you will succeed,
you will overcome all obstacles."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 4 April 2021)
Thu, 8 April 2021 (Today is Sri Papa Vimochani Ekadasi,
tomorrow paran is 5:27-9:34 a.m.)
Avoid Provincialism
"It is necessary to preach and expand Srila Gurudev's mission. Everybody must
avoid enviousness, anger, and ego. Everybody says that there is a lack of
harmony in some countries, but everybody must understand that we do not
hanker for any post. You must understand what I am trying to say."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 4 April 2021)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Dvadashi. Papa Vimochani Ekadashi. Fast. Festival in honour of
Sriman Mahaprabhu's auspicious arrival at Varaha Nagar. Disappearance of
Srila Govinda Ghosh Thakur. Disappearance of Sripad Satyendrachandra
Bhattacharya Mahoday.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
Sri Ekadasi Guidance Guidelines on how to observe and honour this holy day: Ekadasi takes an
indispensible part in the life of a sincere practitioner. At Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Math, Ekadasi and paran are observed with affection and without
fail according to the dates given in the Calendar.
•"Sri Ekadasi"
(Sri Sri Prema Vivarta)
"One day, Gaurahari left the Gundicha Temple and sat in the Jagannath
Vallabha garden. It was pure Ekadasi, and the Lord spent the whole day and
night chanting the Name of Krishna..."
•SONG:
Suddha-bhakata |
শুদ্ধ ভকত-চরণ-রেণু "I carefully observe the holy days related to Madhava, they are the mother
of devotion."
•SONG:
Sri hari-vasare |
শ্রীহরি-বাসরে হরি "On the holy day of Sri Hari, Sriman Mahaprabhu, the life and
soul of the universe, began dancing..."
Dubious Actions
"There is a devotee who took a lock of Gurudev's hair when Gurudev left and
tied it to his sikha. But Gurudev's things, everything related to him
is auspicious, and we sometimes go to the bathroom, go to the toilet—we do
not want to take any part of Gurudev to the bathroom or toilet."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 4 April 2021)
Arrival at Sri Vrindavan
Dham (8 April 2021 | 5 photographs, 0.6 Mb)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj arrives
with his associates safely at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Temple in Sri
Vrindavan Dham to attend to the accumulated services and nourish the local
devotees after a rather long time of being unable to come due to the pandemic
situation. Sharing a few holy glimpses from the evening programme.
Sat, 10 April 2021
Effect of Pure Chanting
"How can I explain this to you?! When you chant, chant, and chant, this kind
of pleasure can come. Yet we cannot experience that until we become
qualified to chant the Holy Name purely. If you can chant through good
association, you will get pleasure and more pleasure."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 4 April 2021)
Sun, 11 April 2021
Correcting Your
Attitude
"If they listen to lectures, if they want to change, then slowly, slowly they
can change. If somebody wants to correct themselves, if somebody wants to
purify themselves, then if they try, they can do it. If somebody is not
interested in that, then there is no question."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 4 April 2021)
Visiting Sri Govardhan
Dham (11 April 2021 | 19 photographs, 1.9 Mb)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj visits Sri
Srila Sridhar Swami Seva Ashram to check on the temple maintenance and
project a goshala for the temple. Sharing a few holy glimpses from a very
special and exclusive temple in our Mission.
Mon, 12 April 2021
Pure Surrender
Without Gaps
"If you do not surrender properly, then some lack of devotion and some gap
will come. We sometimes follow all rules and regulations, we put water in the
pot—we put, put, and put again and again—but the pot never gets full, it
always remains empty. What is happening?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | 4 April 2021)
Tue, 13 April 2021
Current of
Eternal Service
"I am now in Vrindavan, in front of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva
Rasabihari, in the nat mandir. I have been to Govardhan today—I had
some service in Nandagram and at the Govardhan Temple. I also went briefly to
Varshana returning to Vrindavan after lunch."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 11 April 2021)
Wed, 14 April 2021
Proper
Preaching
"If you practise Krishna consciousness without the guidance of Gurudev, then
your practise will be the practise of Maya (worship of illusion). Always have
chastity, always be sincere. If you make a temple or preach in this way,
Krishna will send people."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 11 April 2021)
Thu, 15 April 2021
Srila
Gurudev's Festival Etiquette
"There are many rules and regulations. You can cook something that Gurudev
likes and offer it to Gurudev. Remember him, speak in his glorification. That
is sufficient. Also try to serve the mission Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
according to your capacity. These are the main things."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | 11 April 2021)
Starting Goshala at Sri
Govardhan Dham (15 April 2021 | 7 photographs, 0.9 Mb)
Fulfilling a long standing desire of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila
Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj establishes a small goshala on the
premises of Sri Srila Sridhar Swami Seva Ashram in Sri Govardhan Dham and
welcomes first four resident cows to the temple.
All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga
— · Invitation Letter · —
Disappearance Festival of Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacharya-varya Ashtottara-shata-sri
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam
I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most
cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s
associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable
and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami
Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused
with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the
giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.
Dear respected Devotees, Friends and Well-Wishers,
We are offering obeisance at your holy lotus feet and on behalf of His Divine
Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj humbly extend a letter
of encouragement to observe the disappearance day of our most worshippable
and beloved Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj, which manifests on 24 April (Saturday) this year, in every branch of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
throughout the world.
Considering the ongoing difficult situation all over the world, many temples,
centres, and devotees are currently constrained in their capacity to host
large programmes, however it is good if this festival can still be observed
within each temple, centre and heart of devotees according to their
capacity.
His Divine Grace has many times instructed on how to hold special
programmes and taught it many times by his own example. Usually such
programmes consist of: kirtans, lecture or reading of scriptures, arati,
pushpanjali (offering of flowers to a photograph), and prasad-seva (cooking a
special offering, offering it at the altar or to a photograph, and
distributing it to devotees).
We hope all devotees find an opportunity to observe this holy day for the
satisfaction of Sri Gurupadpadma keeping the divine Guidance on their heads:
"Always sit amidst fire blazing on all four sides. This fire is Hari-katha,
kirtan, service to the Lord, and service to the guru. You must progress in
your practising life keeping the sacrificial fire of your service
ablaze."
Dates
24 April 2021 Email address for enquiry
Note:
Some of the many preparations known to be favourite to His Divine Grace Srila
B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: Rice, mung or chana dal, stir-fried karela,
sak, posto bora, aloo siddho (boiled potato, mashed with chilli and salt),
cauliflower pakoras, singara (samosa), mixed vegetable subji, paneer rasa,
boiled potato, tomato chutney, achar (pickle), avocado salad (with a little
salt and olive oil), cucumber salad, mango, paramanna (sweet rice),
rasagullas, sandesh, a cake, vanilla ice-cream.
Daily Practice:
Observing
Festivals A page of the Daily Practice section dedicated to Vaishnav-seva and
observing festivals. "Why are you making a festival? Making a festival
means you are inviting many people and you are giving them some
prasadam, engaging them in Krishna consciousness—it means practising
Krishna consciousness."
Service in
Separation
"If you follow your Guru's instruction, if you fulfil his desire, even
after his disappearance, if you always think what will make him happy,
then you will get his association, you will feel joy..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5 Mb, 13 min | 22 April 2013)
Separation Day
"Our supreme Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj accepted this day as the day to leave this world for his
eternal abode, and he has left us, fallen souls, here to chant his
glories..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | 8 April 2017 |
Bengali)
Make Service
Your Goal, Means, and Sustenance
"Sacrificing his own life, forgetting his own happiness and comfort, Gurudev
would go door to door preaching the message of Mahaprabhu: be merciful to the
souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Besides this, there is
no other religion."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | 8 April 2017 |
Bengali)
Festival: Vision
and Focus
"Gurudev's disappearance festival means Vaishnav seva. Vaishnav is the
main focus for us. Appearance and disappearance look different, but following
Vaishnavs' vision we think that on these two tithis Gurudev always
takes worships from us."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 16 April 2013)
Overpowered by
Service
"You may have everything, but if you do not have mercy of your Guru, then you
have nothing. Gurudev gave you all his blessings, and if we can serve him, we
will get supreme benefit. You must always live remembering Gurudev's
words."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 12 min | 8 April 2017 |
Bengali)
Fri, 16 April 2021
Quality and
Qualification
"The scriptures, Gurudev, and Guru Maharaj say, 'What is called seva? Service
means we must satisfy Gurudev and the Lord.' If we think how Gurudev, Guru
Maharaj, and the Lord will be satisfied and do that, that will be
service."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 11 April 2021)
Sat, 17 April 2021
Best Worship
"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's worship is the best and main worship, but first
it is necessary to take shelter of a bona fide Guru. Without the mercy of
Gurudev, without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, it is not possible to
worship Gauranga."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 6 min | 11 April 2021)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Panchami. Appearance of Sripad Ramanuja Acharya. Appearance of Tridandi
Swami Srimad Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj (a diksa and sannyas disciple of Srila
Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad, the first Gaudiya Math preacher
in the West).
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
In honour of Sri Ramanuja Acharya:
•Service: Faith
and Surrender "Gurudev told the story of Dhanur Das and his wife, Ramanuja Acharya's
disciples, and how they maintained their family life..."
•How
to See the Guru: Chastity "Ramanuja Acharya heard there was a Guru in Alwar (South India). He came
to that Guru and asked, 'You know one mantra that can give liberation.
I want to get this mantra...'"
•Odds and Ends:
Ramanuja Acharya's bed "One time Ramanuja Acharya he went to Tirupati and stayed one month at one
ashram there. He had a good servitor called Govinda who always served
him..."
In honour of Sripad Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj:
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:
When I got sannyas, Sripad Bon Maharaj was present there, as well as many
others also. Sripad Bon Maharaj remarked, "Prabhupad has got a high
satisfaction by giving you sannyas. We have never seen so much satisfaction
in him at the occasion of any other sannyasi. He is highly satisfied with
conferring sannyas to you."
....When Sripad Bon Maharaj returned from England, he put so many disturbing
questions to our Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur
Prabhupad), "What do you know about that country? They are so brave, so
gorgeous! Staying here, we cannot have any proper estimation of the
civilisation in London at present. We are all ignorant. If we are to preach
in London or Europe, we will have to be trained in a different way!" That was
his advice to our Guru Maharaj, and Guru Maharaj, being pressed, rather
attacked by his own disciple in such a way, withdrew himself by saying, "This
is not our way of thinking. Our Guru Maharaj, Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji
Maharaj, did not even know how to sign his name, but we think that all the
scholarship, wealth, everything is there in a nail of his toe." Guru Maharaj
represented himself in a mild and humble way, but there was also professor
Sanyal present there, and he came out like a tiger at our Bon Maharaj, "Have
you lost all you have got from Guru Maharaj?! You are bold enough to talk in
such a boisterous way? Have you forgotten how to behave with your Divine
Master?" He was furious; Bon Maharaj had to check himself. Anyhow, Prabhupad
said about him, "Bon Maharaj went to preach in my first year in
England and in my second year in England." Prabhupad had gone through
it using Bon Maharaj.
So, when I heard that Sripad Bon Maharaj had returned from Europe and put
forth so many arguments of the Western persons saying that they could not be
answered, I wanted to hear what those questions were that could not be
answered. He reluctantly spoke about the arguments he had had to face there,
and I began to answer them one by one. Then, when Sripad Bon Maharaj could
not say anything more, Srila Swami Maharaj [Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Maharaj], who was present at that round table meeting, said, "Here, Europe is
defeated by Asia!"
* * *
...At that time, all the preachers had been taken back from the compass of
the country and were concentrated to work in Kolkata—they used to have to go
door to door collecting bhiksa (alms, donations). Sripad Bon Maharaj's
party, he and one or two brahmacharis, went to some part of Kolkata for
collection. Generally, seeing some gentleman standing by, one of the members
of the party would run up to him and say something like, "We come from
Gaudiya Math, we want to make some collection. Dear sir, you are a devoted
person of this locality, please make some contribution." So, one time, Bon
Maharaj asked some gentleman to give him some addresses of good benevolent
gentlemen whom they could approach to get some money for their purpose. The
gentleman showed Bon Maharaj the way saying, "Just go to that house, you will
find the right person there." Bon Maharaj went there in good faith. When he
knocked on the door, the door was open. A lady came out. Seeing him, she
said, "Oh, you are a sadhu! What do you want from me?" The gentleman who had
directed Bon Maharaj there, was laughing behind him—the lady was a
prostitute. Bon Maharaj was perplexed—it was a lady. Anyhow, he still gave
her the letter of invitation saying, "We have got such and such festival, we
want you to come and we want to ask you for some contribution." I do not know
if the lady had given him anything or not, but all the people around were
laughing. After that, Bon Maharaj came back to Prabhupad and said,
"Prabhupad, I will not go for any collection again." Prabhupad asked him,
"Why? What has happened?" Bon Maharaj related the incident saying that some
rogues had guided him to a prostitute's house. After that, Prabhupad
delivered a lecture: "There are many of you who have left their own property,
but still I send you out for collection. Do you think that I am doing wrong?
I am not. The visayi (materialists) always want to entrap us within their
material life, but we must learn to utilise everything and anything in the
service of Krishna, then only are we saved; otherwise, if we leave, give
everything away, all this visaya (material elements) will be left there and
as soon as it gets any chance, it will come to bite me. So, whatever comes to
us, we should deal with everything in such a way that rather, 'Whatever I
shall come across, it will give me some impression to remember
Krishna—everything should utilise me for a particular service to Krishna.' If
left there, they will be enemies, but they should all be turned into friends.
They will help me, remind me, excite me in the service of Krishna. We must
have this kind of adjustment in this world. So, nothing should be left off.
'Nirbandhah Krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam uchyate: when one is not
attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to
Krishna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness.'"
Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:
•SONG:
Ei-bara karuna kara |
এইবার করুণা কর "O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the
fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of
your feet."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment
to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the
saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
•SONG:
Ye
anila prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where
is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"
Sun, 18 April 2021
Golden Chance
"By a great fortune, you have got this service to the Lord in the house of
your Guru, you have got this opportunity to stay an serve at the temple.
Those who stay outside can also come in the evening, chant kirtans and
practise here. The Lord has given you this chance."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 22 January 2020)
Mon, 19 April 2021
Proper
Attachment to Service
"It is said in the scriptures, that if you are doing the puja of the
Deities and Gurudev comes to the temple at that time, you must leave the
puja and come to pay obeisance to your Guru. Why did you have to sit
and wait for me when I had told you I was coming later and do the
kirtans, speak, etc. The main thing is the service to the Lord—you
must always do it with heart and soul."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 2 min | 22 January 2020)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Saptami. Appearance of Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Vilas Tirtha
Maharaj [a dear disciple, associate, and Mission Manager of Srila Bhakti
Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur; his previous name is Sri Kunja Bihari Prabhu,
affectionally called 'Kunja Babu'].
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
In honour of Srila Bhakti Vilas
Tirtha Maharaj:
His Divine Grace Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
"When Kunja Babu [later, Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj] came to meet
Srila Prabhupad, Srila Prabhupad could recognise that this young man would be
able to help him a great deal. Our Guru Maharaj's nature was like that of a
philosopher—he did not like to mix with the public, but Kunja Babu filled
that side as he could mix with public and bring persons to Srila Prabhupad,
enabling thus Srila Prabhupad to speak about the sastra. Srila Prabhupad
wanted to speak about Mahaprabhu, but his temperament was such that he did
not like to become involved with inviting people and taking responsibility
for looking after them or their accommodation, feeding, etc. So, when Kunja
Babu joined, he took up that responsibility. Srila Prabhupad got educated
society ready to hear his speech about Mahaprabhu, and his style of speaking
was a little philosophical, so he preferred educated society as his
listeners. Kunja Babu did that service—he took the trouble of inviting,
accommodating, and feeding the public. All these troublesome burdens were
taken on by Kunja Babu.
"Gaudiya Mission had gradually grown from this combination—the
material help of Kunja Babu and the spiritual work of Srila Prabhupad. They
were the father and the mother of the mission, the cofounders of Gaudiya
Math. The practical, material side of the service was done by Kunja Babu.
Srila Prabhupad once said in Benares (I heard it directly from his mouth), "I
only want a good audience, and Kunja Babu has done that service to me the
best. Amongst all my disciples, Kunja Babu has served me the best by bringing
to me a good audience. I only want a good audience, nothing else, in this
world, and in that direction, Kunja Babu has helped me greatly.
"In the end, Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's order was
to form a governing body of ten or twelve, and Kunja Babu had to manage as
long as he lived. 'Kunja Babu's intelligence excells that of all,' this was
told about him. We took it as Kunja Babu was the manager during Prabhupad's
lifetime, but he was actually managing the whole institution, so he should be
respected even though he was a grihastha and we were sannyasis. Later, many
complaints were heard against him, but Srila Prabhupad had told us that Kunja
Babu had to manage as long as he lived and that he should be respected. Srila
Prabhupad did not select anyone as his follower acharya, that is why there
was eventually a difference of opinions amongst us. There were also many
ambitious sannyasis who were eager to go on as acharyas themselves.
There were generally two parties, one accepting Vasudev Prabhu as the
acharya, and the other one accepting Kunja Babu..."
His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj:
"Sri Bimala Prasad got initiation from Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji
Maharaj and later, when he took sannyas, he became known as Bhagavan Sri
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. At some point, he promised that he
would complete chanting one hundred crores Holy Names and after that
start preaching Mahaprabhu's proper conception, but as he was chanting the
Holy Name, one day Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Giridhari came in front of
him and Srimati Radharani said, 'You must preach pure conception of Gauranga
Mahaprabhu, the combined form of Radha-Krishna.' Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Saraswati Thakur said, 'I am alone, how will I preach?' After that so many
great scholars (dig-pals) came to help him—our Param Gurudev Om
Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj, Srila Bhakti
Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, Srila
Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Goswami Maharaj,
Srila Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kumud Shanta Maharaj and
many others. This is how Prabhupad started preaching the proper conception in
this world.
"In Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswat Thakur's time, the secretary of
Chaitanya Math was a grihastha, his name is Kunja Bihari Prabhu
(affectionately known as Kunja Babu), later he became Srila Bhakti Vilas
Tirtha Maharaj. Kunja Babu could not always stay at the temple, but he always
served Chaitanya Math from his householder life. Moreover, when he would come
to visit Chaitanya Math, to see Prabhupad, at that time almost all
sannyasis would give him their full obeisance.
Tue, 20 April 2021
Can You Not or
Will You Not?
"You must chant the Holy Name, you must practise Krishna consciousness if you
want to get the Lord, and if you think you do not need all this, then I will
not say anything more. If you think you do not need all this, if you do not
need the Lord, then well and good—then leave it all."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 22 January 2020)
Wed, 21 April 2021 (Sri Rama Navami, fast until
midday; appearance of Lord Sri Ramachandra)
Latest News
"Last week on Sunday I was in Vrindavan, and today in the morning I came back
to Kolkata. I started from Mathura yesterday in the morning and arrived in
Kolkata very early in the morning today. Tomorrow I have a train to
Siliguri...."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 18 April 2021)
Observing Sri
Rama Navami in Siliguri (21 April 2021 | 17 photographs, 2.2 Mb)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj visits Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math temple in Siliguri in the north of Bengal to nourish
the devotees after a long period of being unble to come due to the covid
restrictions. Sharing a few glimpses from the holy appearance day of Lord
Ramachandra, as well as some very happy news.
•"Lord Ramachandra became King
during Treta-yuga, but because of His good government, the age was like
Satya-yuga. Everyone was religious and completely happy." • "He was a saintly king, and
everything in His character was good, untinged by qualities like anger. He
taught good behavior for everyone, especially for householders, in terms of
varnasrama-dharma. Thus He taught the general public by His personal
activities." • "Lord Ramachandra's spotless
name and fame, which vanquish all sinful reactions, are celebrated in all
directions, like the ornamental cloth of the victorious elephant that
conquers all directions." (Srimad Bhagavatam,
Canto 9, chapters 10-11)
Rama-Avatar
"Today is a very good day—the appearance day of Lord Ramachandra. There are
different kinds of moods—santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhura-rasa.
Moreover, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Lord are also different.
You can easily understand it from the difference between Rama-lila and
Krishna-lila."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 2 April 2020)
Reading from Guidance 4
"I am writing here something comparing the pastimes of Ramachandra and the
pastimes of Krsihna-chandra, as well as Nanda Maharaj and Vasudev's
vatsalya-rasa..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.3 Mb, 13 min | 2 April 2020)
Peculiarity
of Lord's Pastimes
"I have read Ramayan, but I am telling you the gist point... There are
many incarnations—Narayan, Ramachandra, Vamanadev, Balaram, and others, but
Krishna is the full Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, Gaura-lila is
even higher..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (7.6 Mb, 18 min | 2 April 2020 | Class and Kirtan)
Niti and Priti
"It was Ramachandra's vijay utsav yesterday, and we would like to
clarify some things about Rama-tattva and Krishna-tattva. In Rama-lila, rules
and regulations are the highest, and love and affection go down, but this is
not the highest ideal..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 9 October 2019)
Laksman's Grudge
"Sita Devi was crying so much, and Laksman could not bear the thought of
doing it, but because Ramachandra was his worshippable Lord and his elder
brother, he had to do it—but Laksman could not forget the kind of pain he got
at that time..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 9 October 2019)
Hanuman's Service
Drive
"I will give you some example of Hanuman's love for Rama, of his desire to
serve Rama. We can see how much Ramachandra loves Hanuman and how much
Hanuman loves Him. It is necessary to have such service desire."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 2 March 2020)
•Dasa-avatara-stotram |
দশাবতারস্তোত্রম্ "O Hari! O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! You have assumed the form of
Ramachandra! All glory to You! During the battle at Lanka You distributed to
all the directions the most pleasing, crowning offering of the ten heads of
Ravan, which were desired by the guardians of the
directions."
Thu, 22 April 2021 (Tomorrow is Sri Kamada Ekadasi)
Hapless Hindus
"If they worship Krishna, Jagannath et al., all these Deities will not accept
their puja—all their worship becomes useless. Krishna only takes care
of His devotees, He does not take care of anyone and everyone. That is why it
is important to become a proper devotee."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 18 April 2021)
Bhoga
Collection in Siliguri (22 April 2021 | 15 photographs, 1.4 Mb)
On the order of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya
Maharaj, a group of devotees go to the market for Sri Harinam
sankirtan preaching and bhoga collection for the Temple—the
sellers happily donate a great variety of vegetables to the devotees.
Photographs courtesy of Sripad B.N. Sadhu Maharaj.
All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga
— · Invitation Letter · —
Disappearance Festival of Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacharya-varya Ashtottara-shata-sri
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam
I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most
cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s
associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable
and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami
Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused
with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the
giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.
Dear respected Devotees, Friends and Well-Wishers,
We are offering obeisance at your holy lotus feet and on behalf of His Divine
Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj humbly extend a letter
of encouragement to observe the disappearance day of our most worshippable
and beloved Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj, which manifests on 24 April (Saturday) this year, in every branch of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
throughout the world.
Considering the ongoing difficult situation all over the world, many temples,
centres, and devotees are currently constrained in their capacity to host
large programmes, however it is good if this festival can still be observed
within each temple, centre and heart of devotees according to their
capacity.
His Divine Grace has many times instructed on how to hold special
programmes and taught it many times by his own example. Usually such
programmes consist of: kirtans, lecture or reading of scriptures, arati,
pushpanjali (offering of flowers to a photograph), and prasad-seva (cooking a
special offering, offering it at the altar or to a photograph, and
distributing it to devotees).
We hope all devotees find an opportunity to observe this holy day for the
satisfaction of Sri Gurupadpadma keeping the divine Guidance on their heads:
"Always sit amidst fire blazing on all four sides. This fire is Hari-katha,
kirtan, service to the Lord, and service to the guru. You must progress in
your practising life keeping the sacrificial fire of your service
ablaze."
Date
24 April 2021 Email address for enquiry
Note:
Some of the many preparations known to be favourite to His Divine Grace Srila
B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: Rice, mung or chana dal, stir-fried karela,
sak, posto bora, aloo siddho (boiled potato, mashed with chilli and salt),
cauliflower pakoras, singara (samosa), mixed vegetable subji, paneer rasa,
begun bhaja, tomato chutney, achar (pickle), avocado salad (with a little
salt and olive oil), cucumber salad, mango, paramanna (sweet rice),
rasagullas, sandesh, a cake, vanilla ice-cream.
Daily Practice:
Observing
Festivals A page of the Daily Practice section dedicated to Vaishnav-seva and
observing festivals. "Why are you making a festival? Making a festival
means you are inviting many people and you are giving them some
prasadam, engaging them in Krishna consciousness—it means practising
Krishna consciousness."
Service in
Separation
"If you follow your Guru's instruction, if you fulfil his desire, even
after his disappearance, if you always think what will make him happy,
then you will get his association, you will feel joy..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5 Mb, 13 min | 22 April 2013)
Separation Day
"Our supreme Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj accepted this day as the day to leave this world for his
eternal abode, and he has left us, fallen souls, here to chant his
glories..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | 8 April 2017 |
Bengali)
Make Service
Your Goal, Means, and Sustenance
"Sacrificing his own life, forgetting his own happiness and comfort, Gurudev
would go door to door preaching the message of Mahaprabhu: be merciful to the
souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Besides this, there is
no other religion."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | 8 April 2017 |
Bengali)
Festival: Vision
and Focus
"Gurudev's disappearance festival means Vaishnav seva. Vaishnav is the
main focus for us. Appearance and disappearance look different, but following
Vaishnavs' vision we think that on these two tithis Gurudev always
takes worships from us."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 16 April 2013)
Overpowered by
Service
"You may have everything, but if you do not have mercy of your Guru, then you
have nothing. Gurudev gave you all his blessings, and if we can serve him, we
will get supreme benefit. You must always live remembering Gurudev's
words."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 12 min | 8 April 2017 |
Bengali)
Fri, 23 April 2021 (Today Sri Kamada Ekadasi, tomorrow is
Gurudev's Grand Disappearance Festival)
Enter Auspicious
Life
"Always attend to service, that is the main thing. Service is our vow. Our
intention, our strongest desire should be to please our Guru, Vaishnavs, and
Bhagavan (the Lord) in whichever possible way, then it will be service."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 18 April 2021)
Festival
Adhivas in Siliguri (23 April 2021 | 25 photographs, 2.4 Mb)
Photographs taken during the holy adhivas (eve) day of the festival: His
Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj comes to the
market with a group of devotees to personally collect bhoga for the festival
and later on in the evening His Divine Grace presides over the evening
assembly of Vaishnavs and devotees, encouraging everyone along the pure path
of Krishna consciousness.
"I am telling to everybody—you must make Gurudev's disappearance festival.
Gurudev's or any Vaishnav's appearance and disappearance are non-different
from each other, so you must make a festival in your country on this day.
Make this festival according to your capacity (as grand as you can), and
Gurudev will be happy with your service. Chant the glorification of Gurudev
on this day and try to observe it as much as you have connection with
Gurudev. Whatever we see in this world, whatever good association, whatever
we have got, we have got everything only by the mercy of Gurudev. Everything
we have is by his mercy. So, you must make a festival on Gurudev's
disappearance day, it will be a dvadasi day. Fast on ekadasi (Friday), and
the next day you can make a festival. This is my advice to everybody. Please
take care of yourself."
~ Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj
Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj's Books Online
Sat, 24 April 2021 (Grand Disappearance Festival of Srila
B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj)
Cannot Practise or Do Not Want to Practise? Question: We hear that it is important to be tolerant, humble, etc. but in
our material life we cannot manage if we are always humble; if we are always
in a humble mood, we cannot maintain our life properly...
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 2 min | 18 April 2021)
Tirobhav
Maha-Mahotsav in Siliguri (24 April 2021 | 38 photographs, 3.5 Mb)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj presides
over the holy disappearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar
Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj in the assembly of fortunate devotees at Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Siliguri speaking extensively on the numerous
pastimes and qualities of Srila Gurudev.
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Dvadashi. Paran between 5:13 and 9:28 a.m. Festival in honour of the
disappearance of Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya-varya
Ashtottara-shata-sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
In honour of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam
"I offer my obeisance unto him who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most
cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s
associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable
and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami
Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused
with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the
giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord."
"Do Not Despair"
"You have come to see me. I am your friend, your master, or your everything,
I can feel that you feel it. There are so many devotees from different
countries here. Different countries means different languages, different
cultures, different lifestyles, different food—everything is different; but
our conception is one, and that is Krishna consciousness. We have been
practising for a long time, then we must have some Krishna-conscious
mentality and we can proceed with that to our goal, which is the life of a
servitor."
The Pain
of Broken Hearts
"We always remember Srimati Radharani, Her associates and other Vraja
gopis, but we forget about Nanda Maharaj and Mother Yasomati. It has
come out of Radharani's mouth: 'We do not consider our heart's pain, but when
we see Mother Yasoda's face and Mother Yasoda's situation without Your
presence, our heart is breaking after breaking after breaking.'"
Biography of Srila B.S.
Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
A glorification article that sprang forth from the interpretation of the
Pranam-mantra of His Divine Grace and was originally published as
an Appendix to the Revealed Truth.
Sri
Samadhi Mandir Verses
A series of pages containing the verses that were selected to adorn the
samadhi-mandir of His Divine Grace Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj. May these pages please and nourish the Vaishnavs' hearts.
Prayers to Sri Gurupadpadma:
•SONG:
Sri Guru Parampara "All the Gurus in this succession are associates of Sri Gauranga. I pray
for their remnants."
•SONG:
Gurudev!
krpa-bindu diya "When I examine myself for qualifications, I find none. Your mercy is
everything. If you are not merciful to me, then, crying, I will no longer
maintain my life."
•SONG:
Gurudev bada
krpa kari "When, O master, will you mercifully grant this servant the qualification
to do this? Then my heart will become steadfast, I will tolerate everything,
and I will serve the Lord sincerely."
•SONG:
Samsara-davanala "I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, the ocean of
goodness who assumes the form of a cloud of mercy to deliver the souls
burning in the blazing fire of material existence."
•SONG:
Thakura vaisnava-gana "Narottam Das says, 'Seeing and hearing about my situation, I am stricken
with fear. Please rescue me and keep me by your side.'"
•SONG:
Nitai-pada kamala "Always aspire for Nitai's feet. Narottam is very sad: 'O Nitai! Make me
happy. Keep me beside your reddish feet.'"
•SONG:
Emona durmati "O Lord! I am very wicked-minded and have fallen into this material world,
but You have sent a great soul, Your associate (to rescue me)."
•SONG:
Ki jani ki bale "I do not know by what force I have taken shelter within Your abode.
Surely it is by Your mercy alone, for You are ever seeking the purification
and deliverance of the fallen souls."
•SONG:
Sri Rupa-manjari-pada "The lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my wealth, my bhajan (service), my
puja (worship), the wealth of my life, and whatever ornaments I may have. Her
lotus feet are the very life of my life."
•SONG:
Ye anila
prema-dhana "Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where
is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"
The Seeds of
Discord
"This animosity, these things have not grown overnight—it has been growing
and increasing day by day, day by day. You did not see what was happening
inside, and now that tree has grown very big!"
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | 30 March 2010)
Strong Faith and
Chastity
"He may not be able to talk now like before, but he can see everything, and
he is watching everything. I think those who say Gurudev is not here anymore
have not got any connection with Gurudev. That is why it is necessary to have
a strong faith."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 6 min | 30 March 2010)
"I Want to Forget"
"I want to go somewhere—I want to get some relief. When I am sitting in the
office, I get some relief, but as soon as I go to my room, I again start
remembering everything. I want to forget it, but I cannot... It is impossible
to forget this. Such is my situation."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 3 min | 30 March 2010)
Festival: Vision
and Focus
"Gurudev's disappearance festival means Vaishnav seva. Vaishnav is the
main focus for us. Appearance and disappearance look different, but following
Vaishnavs' vision we think that on these two tithis Gurudev always
takes worships from us."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 16 April 2013)
Separation Day
"Our supreme Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj accepted this day as the day to leave this world for his
eternal abode, and he has left us, fallen souls, here to chant his
glories..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | Bengali)
Make Service Your Goal,
Means, and Sustenance
"Sacrificing his own life, forgetting his own happiness and comfort, Gurudev
would go door to door preaching the message of Mahaprabhu: be merciful to the
souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Besides this, there is
no other religion."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | Bengali)
Overpowered by Service
"You may have everything, but if you do not have mercy of your Guru, then you
have nothing. Gurudev gave you all his blessings, and if we can serve him, we
will get supreme benefit. You must always live remembering Gurudev's
words."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 12 min | Bengali)
Spiritual
Mockery
"Actually, we took initiation from a Guru, but it is not a real initiation—we
only pretend to be disciples. The temple that Srila Guru Maharaj made and
that Gurudev served is not for enjoyment—it is for service."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min | 7 April 2019)
Painful Day
"Our Gurudev's disappearance festival is very soon, that day is coming soon,
next dvadasi. It is a very sad day for me. It is the most painful day in my
life, and this very painful day comes every year..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.5 Mb, 2 min)
The Worst Day
"Today, my Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj's tenth disappearance festival, tirobhav-tithi. I had never thought
that this day when Gurudev leaves would come in my life one day. I lost the
dearest personality in my life on this day..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.2 Mb, 13 min | 16 April 2019 | Bengali)
Unthinkable
Situation
"Today is our Gurudev's disappearance tithi. Actually, never in my
life did I expect that this day could come. When this tithi is coming,
I always try to stay alone, but Gurudev gave me service to take care of you
all, then how can I be cruel and stay alone?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 5 April 2020)
"Gurudev Is My
Everything"
"We must not misinterpret what Gurudev told. Devotees all over the world can
realise easily what is Srila Sridhar Maharaj's conception, what is Gurudev's
conception, and they can understand whether they are following it or not.
Your main focus must be always to please your Guru properly. Name and fame is
for your guru—you must not preach for your name and fame, you must preach to
please your guru."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.8 Mb, 14 min | 5 April 2020)
Tirobhav kirtans His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj sings:
• Gurudev krpa bindu diya • Emona durmati • Ye anila prema dhana • Sri rupa manjari pada • Hari haraye.
•
Download / listen to the audio (9.6 Mb, 23 min | 5 April 2020)
Question: It seems that we have one type of fear that having
got some connection with your self we may lose that at death. I do not want
to have connection with anyone else, I want to stay with you. So, I feel some
type of fear...
Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: Fear? But why have fear? I
cannot understand it.
Devotee: Because if we do not finish our sadhana nicely, then next
life we do not know where we will go—we may not find Govinda Maharaj
there.
Srila Govinda Maharaj: What do you think about Govinda Maharaj?
Devotee: We think that we want to serve you.
Srila Govinda Maharaj:
No, it is okay that you want to serve Govinda Maharaj, but what do you think
about Govinda Maharaj? He is your guru, but in which form do you think about
him? Do you think that Govinda Maharaj is a mundane man or an incarnation of
the Lord coming in front of you to give you connection with Him? If you think
he is an incarnation of the Lord, then he cannot leave your heart and you
cannot leave your Lord. Even if you die, you will get that connection in
another form, perhaps, but you will not be able to leave your Lord. When you
have faith that the Lord always lives with you, then there will be no
fear.
That is the main thing. By the mercy of Vaishnavs I also always feel that my
Srila Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) is present with
us. By the mercy of Vaishnavs and the supremacy of Srila Guru Maharaj, such
feeling always comes to us that Srila Guru Maharaj has not left us, that he
is with us.
I have service of Srila Guru Maharaj, and I must do that. Service to Srila
Guru Maharaj is my only goal of life, and whichever way that service comes to
me, I will try to serve.
Devotee: In my next life, I want to forever be a blade of grass
wherever you walk...
Srila Govinda Maharaj:
I do not want to wait for the next life. Actually, we must finish all our job
here this life, then we shall all go to Goloka!
(8 June 1992)
Sun, 25 April 2021
Gurudev's
Disappearance[Part 1 | 24 April 2021]
"Today is the holy disappearance day of Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti
Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. He chose this day and left our sight on
this day, at 4:20-30 in the morning. He is present now in his samadhi
form, and he is bestowing his mercy upon us from there. He always stays
within his eternal pastimes...."
Sri Rama-navami class Kirtans: • Sri Krsna Chaitanya prabhu daya kara more
• Ohe vaisnava thakura dayara • Parama karuna pahu dui jana
• Emana durmati samsara bhitare • Dasavatara Stotram • (Jaya)
Radha-Madhava (jaya) Kunja-Bihari • Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Sri Hari-katha: Peculiar characteristics of the pastimes, mood, and
associates of Sri Rama-lila and Sri Krishna-lila. "Our Gurudev always kept a picture of Hanuman in his room. Why? Hanuman
represents dasya-rasa, but his dasya-rasa is very special—Hanuman always does
whatever Ramachandra wants. Once, Hanuman was sent to a hill to find some
herb in the forest, but Hanuman did not know what it looked like, so he
uprooted the whole hill and brought it to Ramachandra. He could not just go
back saying he could not find it—there is no such word as 'cannot' in his
vocabulary; this word is missing from his vocabulary. Hanuman's mood is
always, 'One way or another, but I have to do that.' Gurudev also wants to be
that kind of servitor. He thinks, 'I am my Guru's Hanuman.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (26.1 Mb, 63 min | 21 April 2021 | English
and Bengali)
Srila Gurudev's Tirobhav-Mahotsav Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj's
Hari-katha: "Today is the holy disappearance day of Om Vishnupad Srila
Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. On this way, Sri Gurupadpadma left
our sight... This is a very painful separation day. He is present now in his
samadhi form, and from there he is bestowing his mercy upon us. He is present
now in his eternal pastimes. The Lord, as well as all guru-varga, always stay
in their eternal pastimes..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (28.1 Mb, 67 min | 24 April 2021 | Mostly
Bengali)
Preaching
Programmes in Siliguri (25 April 2021 | 16 photographs, 2.4 Mb)
His Divine Grace Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya
Maharaj is attending a house preaching programme and spends the evening in
the online association of the worldwide devotees from Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Math in Siliguri.
Sri
Nrisingha Palli: Construction Progress (April 2021 | 26 photographs, 2.6 Mb)
Photographs of the construction progress at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Sri
Nrisingha Palli. As the new Prasadam Hall and Guesthouse continue manifesting
their divine form, the works at the big Guesthouse are steadily approaching
their end. Sharing glimpses around the sites.
Mon, 26 April 2021
"Everything Plunged Into Darkness"[Part 2 | 24 April 2021]
"When Gurudev left this world, I thought, 'Now there is no one left in this
world who will chastise me.' I always spoke to Gurudev heart to heart, I told
him about all happy and unhappy things, and when Gurudev left this world, I
could not understand anything—what was going on, what was going to happen,
everything plunged into darkness for me..."
Preaching
Programme in Siliguri (26 April 2021 | 16 photographs, 2.4 Mb)
Accepting devotees' invitation, His Divine Grace Sri Gurupadpadma Om
Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj attends a small preaching
programme together with a small group of devotees and spends the rest of the
day at the evening programme at the temple.
Tue, 27 April 2021
Service Alertness[Part 3 | 24 April 2021]
"I was always alert towards Gurudev—I know everything, what he likes, what he
eats, etc. I knew what Gurudev liked to eat, and I would go to the market the
day before his arrival, buy everything and have it kept in his kitchen.
Gurudev always liked trees and cows..."
News
from Sri Govardhan: Goshala Construction Progress (27 April 2021 | 7 photographs, 1 Mb)
The cows happily pass their days at the temple awaiting for the goshala
construction works to be completed. Sharing photographs of the construction
progress as the walls of the goshala gradually and steadily manifest their
form.
Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Tirobhav Mahotsav,
Observed by devotees of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Worldwide:
Presented below are photographs taken at the festivals arranged by the
devotees' communities in various corners of the world under the supreme
ever-victorious banner of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math International:
Today in the calendar:
Vasanta Rasa of Sri Krishna. Rasa Yatra of Sri Balaram. Appearance of Srila
Vamshi Vadanananda Thakur [the avatar of Sri
Krishna's flute in the Pastimes of Sriman Mahaprabhu, he took care of Mother
Sachi Devi and Visnu Priya after Sriman Mahaprabhu's sannyas; Sriman
Nityananda Prabhu introduced him to Srila Jiva Goswami when he came to
Nabadwip] and Srila Shyamananda Prabhu.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
"Srinivas Acharya, Narottam Das Thakur, and Shyamananda Prabhu
started for Vrindavan to have the darshan of Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila
Sanatan Goswami, Srila Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami
and others who were there.
"When they were only a few miles away from Mathura, they heard that Sanatan
Goswami had passed away. People were saying that that great Sanatan Goswami
who was the prime minister and who had captured all people in the whole of
Vrindavan within his heart—that Sanatan had passed away, a great disaster for
the country. What to do then? Rupa, Raghunath, Jiva and Gopala Bhatta were
still living, so Srinivas, Narottam, and Shyamananda dragged somehow on.
When they reached Mathura, they heard that Srila Rupa Goswami had left the
night before that. Sanatana left on an ashari purnima, and Srila Rupa Goswami
left after that on next dvadasi. They thought, "What hopeless and cursed
souls we are! We have come so near, yet we could not see those two generals
of Mahaprabhu!" Mahaprabhu sent two of his generals to Vrindavan to carry out
His orders and establish the kingdom of the Gaudiya Vaishnavs there... So,
they dragged their bodies to Vrindavan and came to Govinda Mandir. When they
reached it, they found that an evening aroti was going on there in a very
great splendour. There was a great crowd there—Srila Rupa Goswami had just
passed away, so with that feeling of high bereavement, everybody was chanting
his name madly. Srinivas, Narottam, and Shyamananda Prabhu were there, but
Srinivas Acharya could not stand that sort of sentimental wave—he was
standing aside and he fainted. When he regained his consciousness, he saw
Srila Jiva Goswami with some of his followers...
In this way, Srinivas Acharya, Narottam Das Thakur, and Shyamananda Prabhu
stayed in Vrindavan for one year—Srinivas Acharya took initiation from
Gopala Bhatta, Narottam Thakur from Lokanath Goswami, and Shyamananda Prabhu
from Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu..."
Wed, 28 April 2021
Service Milestones[Part 4 | 24 April 2021]
"Gurudev brought me up, he taught me everything. Gurudev told about Vaishnav
seva—how one must serve Vaishnavs, how one must serve devotees, how to manage
the temple, etc. I have learnt everything from Gurudev. I always did whatever
Gurudev told me."
Online Preaching Programme Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj's
Hari-katha: • Latest news • Preaching and practice —
main priorities • Removing material desires • Asking for mercy
• Expanding preaching programme • Proper surrender and preaching
• Purity of purpose when coming to Krishna consciousness.
•
Download / listen to the audio (7.8 Mb, 18 min | 25 April 2021)
Thu, 29 April 2021
Service Challenges[Part 5 | 24 April 2021]
"In my life I had to do all these hard, hard, very difficult jobs, and I was
always successful. Anyhow but I did it. Whether it was getting building plans
approved, whether it was any other job, everything was unhampered in the
end."
All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga
ANNOUNCEMENT
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisance.
This is sadly to inform everyone of the passing away of Sriman Nitai Charan
Prabhu today at 7:30 p.m. at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Sri Ekachakra
Dham.
Sri Nitai Charan Prabhu passed away peacefully right after the holy evening
arati of Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda Prabhu. After Prabhu paid his
obeisance to the Lordships at his beloved Sri Ekachakra Dham, the Lordships
took him away to continue his extraordinary service in another place.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj receives
this news with sadness and comments that Sripad Nitai Charan Prabhu has had
an immense great fortune to stay, serve, and leave the body at the holy lotus
feet of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu.
Those who have had the fortune to come in touch with Sripad Nitai Charan
Prabhu even briefly, can remember his extraordinary and out-of-the-world
devotional nature and sincere, profound absorption into Krishna
consciousness. Pained at the loss of his association, we pray to always
remember his love for Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, His Dham, His Nam (Holy
Name), and His devotees.
Wherever he may be, we pray for his association and mercy remembering the
words of Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
spoken once in admiration for Sripad Nitai Charan Prabhu in 2018:
"Look at Nitai Charan—he has become crazy, he has nothing, but he has got a
one-year visa. Do you see?
"Sometimes he goes from Kolkata station on foot. Another time I was going to
Ganga Sagar by car and I saw him walking from the ghat to the Ganga
Sagar temple. It is a thirty-kilometres' distance! Another time, I was going
by car and I saw him walking again—he was very tired and could not walk so
much, with his luggage behind his back. I stopped the car and asked him,
"Prabhu, where are you going?!" He said, "Oh, I am going to our temple
pandal." (It is also about a thirty-kilometres' distance.) I told him, "Come,
get into the car!" The day before yesterday the same thing happened again—I
am in the car and I see Nitai Charan walking. I told him to get into the car.
I am surprised how he even knows which way the temple is! He knows
everything.
"Why do you think he got a one-year visa? Because Nityananda wants his
service. He may be crazy, but Nityananda Prabhu wants his service, and
Nityananda Prabhu is crazy Himself. He is avadhut, it means He can do
anything. He can take whisky, He can take vodka, He can take a widow lady, a
drunkard lady or a Muslim lady, it is not a problem for Him. He can do
anything. Sometimes He wears yellow clothes, sometimes He wears blue clothes,
and sometimes He changes and wears white clothes. Nityananda Prabhu changes
every day. Sometimes He puts a ring into His ear, sometimes He wears some
bangles, ornaments...
Bhaktivinod Thakur says, "When will I become crazy? I want that!"
"When will I wander along the banks of the Ganges in Nabadwip, sincerely
calling out, 'Gaura-Nityananda!', while dancing, singing, and running about,
without any thinking as though mad?"
What is this? Do you see? Bhaktivinod Thakur himself says this, and he is a
magistrate, a head master of a school—he is a very educated man, and what
does he say?
kabe navadvipe, suradhuni-tate,
'gaura-nityananda' bali' niskapate
nachiya gaiya, bedaiba chhute,
vatulera praya chhadiya vichara
kabe ha'be bala se dina amara
"When will I wander along the banks of the Ganges in Nabadwip, sincerely
calling out, 'Gaura-Nityananda!', while dancing, singing, and running about,
without any thinking as though mad? Please tell me, when will that day be
mine?"
"When will that day come when I will become crazy?" Why crazy? Crazy with
chanting the Name of Nitai Gaura! "When I will become crazy chanting 'Nitai!
Gaura!'?"
Gurudev's Insight[Part 6 | 24 April 2021]
"I have heard and learned a lot from Gurudev. Gurudev gave me so many
instructions how to maintain the temple, and Gurudev is dur-darasi—he
has a great foresight. He always managed everything very tactfully."
The transcendental pastimes and character of a great Vaishnav of our sampradaya:
'Why are you staying here in Radha Kunda? You must come to Nabadwip. My Lila is not
in Vrindavan, now My Lila is going on in Nabadwip, so you must come here.' And he
came here..