At Sri
Nandan Acharya Bhavan (1)
"As we proceed with our parikrama we do not stop and sit at all places,
so why have we come here? Why are we sitting here? Because this is the place
where Gaura and Nityananda's first meeting took place. This temple here was
established by Pujyapad Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.8 Mb, 16 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Guidance, Issue #27(EPUB file, 1.2 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 April to June 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):
At Sri
Nandan Acharya Bhavan (2)
"This place is a very famous and very auspicious place because Gaura and
Nityananda Prabhu met here for the first time when Nityananda Prabhu came to
Mayapur from Sri Ekachakra Dham. One day, Mahaprabhu told all the devotees,
'Srivas, Chandrasekhara! Look, one great personality has come to the dham!
You must find Him and bring Him here!'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 8 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali & English)
Sat, 3 July 2021
At Sri
Nandan Acharya Bhavan (3)
"I have seen how they do parikrama, how they walk from our Nabadwip
temple, and many of you were there too at that time. I had the fortune to see
all these great personalities, but they have left this world now leaving this
fallen soul here with you all..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Sun, 4 July 2021
At Sri
Nandan Acharya Bhavan (4)
"There is one more thing I have not told you about because when we were
crossing the Ganges, everybody had not come yet. The place where we came
crossing the Ganges is called Ganganagar..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (11.7 Mb, 28 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
6 July (Tue).
Krishna Dvadashi. Paksha-vardhini
Mahadvadashi. Fast.
7 July (Wed).
Krishna Trayodasi. Paran between 5:01 and 9:28 a.m.
9 July (Fri).
Amavasya. Disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Sachchidananda
Bhakti Vinod Thakur.
11 July (Sun).
Gaura Pratipad. Gundicha Marjan: cleaning at the Gundicha Temple at
Sri Puri Dham, and cleaning of all Temples of the Lord.
12 July (Mon).
Gaura Dvitiya. Ratha Yatra of Sri Jagannathdev.
Disappearance of Srila Svarup Damodar Goswami Prabhu.
সূচনা : শ্রীজগন্নাথদেব
"শ্রীজগন্নাথ—দৃশ্য নহেন, জগন্নাথ—দ্রষ্টা । জীবের দ্রষ্ট-অভিমান পরিত্যাগ করিয়া
যখন সম্পূর্ণভাবে জগন্নাথের দৃশ্য বা ভোগ্যরূপে শুদ্ধ স্বরূপগত অভিমান হয়, তখনই
জীব সেবোন্মুখ হইয়া থাকেন এবং সেই সেবোন্মুখ-প্রেম-নেত্রেই শ্রীজগন্নাথের দর্শন
লাভ করেন । যতক্ষণ আমরা মনে করি,—আমরা জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, ততক্ষণ আমরা
জগন্নাথ না দেখিয়া কাঠ, পাথর, বৌদ্ধ সাহিত্যিক বা ঐতিহাসিকের ঠুঁটো
ভোগ্য-মূর্ত্তি-বিশেষ দেখিয়া থাকি ; আর যখন সর্ব্বান্তঃকরণে জানিতে পারি,—তিনি
আমাদিগকে দেখিবেন, আমরা তাঁহার ভোগের উপকরণ, তাঁহার ভোগে আমাদের সম্ভোগের কোন
অবগুন্ঠন নাই, তাঁহারই নিরঙ্কুশ যথেচ্ছাচারিতা আছে, তখনই আমাদের নিকট জগন্নাথ
তাঁহাকে প্রকাশ করেন । কিন্তু জগতের লোক “আমি জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, আমার
মাংসচক্ষু সচ্চিদানন্দ-বিগ্রহকে মাপিয়া লইবে ও ভোগ করিবে”—জ্ঞাত বা অজ্ঞাতসারে
এই বুদ্ধিতে বিভ্রান্ত হয় । তাই জগন্নাথ-দর্শন ছলনার পরও জগতের নানা কুরূপ
দেখিবার জন্য তাহাদের চিত্তবৃত্তি ধাবিত হইয়া থাকে ।"
Mon, 5 July 2021
Lost and Wasted
"We are all lost children of the Lord. The Lord has lost us, his children,
and we also have lost our Father. He is looking for us, 'My children have
left Me. When will they come back to Me?' We are also searching for Him, but
actually, not everybody really searches. Everybody in this world only thinks
about the temporary happiness."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Ekadasi. No fast today (because of Mahadvadasi tomorrow).
Disappearance of Sriyukta Rama Devi.
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."
In honour of Sriyukta Rama Devi:
Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:
"I had the direct association of Srila Guru Maharaj [Srila B.R.
Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj] for the last forty two years until his
disappearance and therefore I know first-hand much about his nature. From my
first day here I very fortunately received the affection of Srila Guru
Maharaj and he engaged me in his personal service. If he had a headache I
would massage him. I would also massage his feet and give nerve massage. At
that time no woman, including his sister, Rama Didi, could go inside Srila
Guru Maharaj's room.
On my first day at the Math, I saw Rama Didi arrive from her father-in-law's
house. From outside Srila Guru Maharaj's door she asked, 'Maharaj how are
you? I am Rama offering you my obeisances.' Srila Guru Maharaj then said, 'O,
Rama has come!' But Rama Didi could not enter his room. Srila Guru Maharaj
asked her, 'O Rama, come and see this boy. What qualities do you see in him?
Do you think he can stay here in the Math and maintain his devotional life in
our line?' Rama Didi looked into Srila Guru Maharaj's room from outside and
replied, 'Oh, this boy appears to be very nice. I think that by your mercy
and grace he will be able to stay and maintain his spiritual life.' I can
remember that scene: Rama Didi was wearing white cloth and her age at that
time was twenty nine."
•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 July 2021 (Sri Mahadvadasi fast, paran is 5:01-9:28 a.m. tomorrow)
Spiritual
Transformation
"You do not get energy to chant the Holy Name because you waste your energy
in some other place. The Holy Name judges whether you are an offender or
not—the Holy Name does not come to the mouth of an offender. Even if they
pronounce the Holy Name, it produces no effect in them."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
In honour of Sripad B.V.
Parivrajak Maharaj (5 July 2021 | 5 photographs, 0.6 Mb)
Photographs of devotees honour the memory of His Holiness Sripad Bhakti
Vaibhav Parivrajak Maharaj, who recently left his body, at the Sevak Bhavan
in Dum Dum Park, Kolkata.
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..."
Dacoit Dharma
"Fickle-minded, we always serve somebody for the sake of our own happiness,
but all this service goes in vain. Fathers say, 'You are my son, you must
serve me, why will you stay at the temple?' Mothers also say, 'I have given
you birth, you must look after me! Why will you worry about the Lord?' This
is the eternal misery."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
9 July (Fri).
Amavasya. Disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Sachchidananda
Bhakti Vinod Thakur.
11 July (Sun).
Gaura Pratipad. Gundicha Marjan: cleaning at the Gundicha Temple at
Sri Puri Dham, and cleaning of all Temples of the Lord.
12 July (Mon).
Gaura Dvitiya. Ratha Yatra of Sri Jagannathdev.
Disappearance of Srila Svarup Damodar Goswami Prabhu.
সূচনা : শ্রীজগন্নাথদেব
"শ্রীজগন্নাথ—দৃশ্য নহেন, জগন্নাথ—দ্রষ্টা । জীবের দ্রষ্ট-অভিমান পরিত্যাগ করিয়া
যখন সম্পূর্ণভাবে জগন্নাথের দৃশ্য বা ভোগ্যরূপে শুদ্ধ স্বরূপগত অভিমান হয়, তখনই
জীব সেবোন্মুখ হইয়া থাকেন এবং সেই সেবোন্মুখ-প্রেম-নেত্রেই শ্রীজগন্নাথের দর্শন
লাভ করেন । যতক্ষণ আমরা মনে করি,—আমরা জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, ততক্ষণ আমরা
জগন্নাথ না দেখিয়া কাঠ, পাথর, বৌদ্ধ সাহিত্যিক বা ঐতিহাসিকের ঠুঁটো
ভোগ্য-মূর্ত্তি-বিশেষ দেখিয়া থাকি ; আর যখন সর্ব্বান্তঃকরণে জানিতে পারি,—তিনি
আমাদিগকে দেখিবেন, আমরা তাঁহার ভোগের উপকরণ, তাঁহার ভোগে আমাদের সম্ভোগের কোন
অবগুন্ঠন নাই, তাঁহারই নিরঙ্কুশ যথেচ্ছাচারিতা আছে, তখনই আমাদের নিকট জগন্নাথ
তাঁহাকে প্রকাশ করেন । কিন্তু জগতের লোক “আমি জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, আমার
মাংসচক্ষু সচ্চিদানন্দ-বিগ্রহকে মাপিয়া লইবে ও ভোগ করিবে”—জ্ঞাত বা অজ্ঞাতসারে
এই বুদ্ধিতে বিভ্রান্ত হয় । তাই জগন্নাথ-দর্শন ছলনার পরও জগতের নানা কুরূপ
দেখিবার জন্য তাহাদের চিত্তবৃত্তি ধাবিত হইয়া থাকে ।"
Thu, 8 July 2021
Esoteric Pastimes On the Banks of the Ganges
"'When will I become crazy? When will I run along the bank of the Ganges
chanting, 'O Krishna! O Gaura!'?' Nabadwip Dham is non-different from
Vrindavan Dham, the amorous pastimes of Krishna and Radharani take place here
eternally. Fallen and low souls like us cannot see it, but some fortunate
souls can see that."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Fri, 9 July 2021 (Disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)
Without Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur Our Line Is Nothing
"Today is the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur—he left us and
entered his nitya-lila on this day. He is doing service in his abode
now, but he is still bestowing his mercy on all devotees and on us. We cannot
even think of our line without Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. He is the main
personality in our line."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 21 June 2020)
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and the distinction of the line he introduced A beautiful and extensive chapter from Sri Guidance,
Volume 4 (page 245): "The news about Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur was
not published in any mundane newspaper, but, among followers of Sri Gaura,
his wondrous renown is imprinted in gold in the hearts of Vaishnavs. If you
follow Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's line, you will be taken to Vaikuntha—if you
heart and soul take complete shelter in this line, then you will be sheltered
and taken care of. You may not be qualified, but because you have come to
this line you must get benefit."
Today in the calendar:
Amavasya. Disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Sachchidananda
Bhaktivinod Thakur.
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."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Srila Sachchidananda
Bhaktivinod Thakur:
"I offer my obeisance unto Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, the embodiment of
Sri Gaurasundar's potency. He is the king of all knowers of the scriptures of
pure devotion and an ocean of the nectar of devotion to Srimati
Radharani."
Srimad Bhakti Vinodaviraha Dasakam | শ্রীমদ্ভক্তিবিনোদবিরহদশকম্ "Alas, alas! O Bhakti Vinoda Thakura, O Supreme Guru, for twenty-two years
this world has been plunged into misfortune, long grief-stricken in your
intolerable separation. You are the divine potency of Sri Gaura, and you
graciously made your advent in this earthly plane, being attracted by the
living beings' virtuous deeds performed throughout many lifetimes. Where am
I, so lowly and fallen, and where are you, the great soul who delivers the
universe!"
Srila Bhakti
Vinod Thakur
"If Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur had not come in this world, where, in whose
lotus feet would we have found our shelter? He gave us all these things and
he gave us Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. If you think about it,
you can understand how much he gave to the jiva souls..."
• Download the
audio (3.6 Mb, 11 min | 3 October 2015)
Recognising Guru:
What Is Your Obstacle?
"Brother, you see Bhakti Vinod Thakur as your father, but I see him as my
spiritual master. That is the difference. What you see is a father
(baba), and that is the obstacle (badha) that prevents you from
getting Radharani (Radha)."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 24 February 2013)
The Seventh Goswami[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
A summary account of
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's service, life, and character. Originally published as an
introduction to the first edition of Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya
published as The Hidden Treasure of the Holy Dhama Nabadwipa.
The Worship of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur [Sri Gaudiya
Darshan, by Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj] "Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur did so much seva for the sampradaya of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He lived during a very heavy time period. He was a very
exclusive devotee of Mahaprabhu and specifically worshipped Deities of Sri
Sri Gaura Gadadhar...."
In honour of Srila Gadadhar Pandit Goswami:
— { Pranam mantra of Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami } —
nilambhodhi-tate sada sva-viraha-ksepanvitam bandhavam
srimad-bhagavati katha madiraya sanjivayan bhati yah
srimad-bhagavatam sada sva-nayanasru-payanaih pujayan
gosvami-prabaro gadadhara-vibhur-bhuyat mad-eka-gatih
"On the shore of the broad blue ocean Gadadhar Pandit used to read Srimad
Bhagavatam to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was suffering from the great
internal pain of separation from Himself (Krishna). Gadadhar Pandit supplied
the wine of Krishna-lila to intoxicate his afflicted friend and give Him
relief. As he read, tears would fall from his eyes like flower offerings onto
the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam. May the pleasure of that brilliant
personality, Gadadhar Pandit, the best of the Goswamis, be my only object in
writing this book."
(Composed by
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)
Sri Gadadhar Pandit: Mahaprabhu's Shadow (A chapter from His Divine Grace's Bengali book Sri Puri
Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala)
"Sri Gadadhar Pandit stayed with Mahaprabhu from his childhood. His father's
name was Madhav Misra, and his mother's name was Ratnavali Devi. They lived
in Mayapur near Jagannath Misra's house. Mahaprabhu could never stay without
Gadadhar Pandit, and Gadadhar Pandit could not stay without Mahaprabhu even a
moment too..."
At Sri
Chatak Parvat and Sri Tota Gopinath Temple
His Divine Grace is speaking at the bhajan-kutir of Srila Bhakti
Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Sri Tota Gopinath temple on the first day of
Sri Puri Dham parikrama, telling the pastimes of Srila Haridas
Thakur's disappearance and Srila Gadadhar Pandit.
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.9 Mb, 13 min | 14 July 2015 | Bengali)
Sri Gadadhar Pandit's
Life in Puri
A special discourse given by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj for Sri Gaudiya Darshan, 1995, dwelling on "Puri
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math" and "Jagannathdev and His Dham."
Pandit Sri Gadadhar Goswami[Posted at Sri Gaudiya
Darshan]
Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's article on Srila Gadadhar
Pandit's paramount sacrifice: "Pandit Goswami's life is a special offering
of silent and complete self-sacrifice to his beloved. Only those who can
taste unprecedented joy by appreciating the wonder within the ornament of
contradiction in seeing the bag of a beggar on Laksmi Devi’s shoulder are fit
to appreciate the extraordinary glory of Srimat Pandit Goswami's
unprecedented personality..."
পণ্ডিত শ্রীগদাধর
গোস্বামী["Pandit Sri Gadadhar Goswami," the original
Bengali article]
শ্রীল ভক্তিরক্ষক শ্রীধর দেব গোস্বামী মহারাজের প্রবন্ধ: "পণ্ডিত গোস্বামী
চরিত্র নিজ প্রিয়তমের উদ্দেশ্যে একটী নীরব পূর্ণ-আত্মোৎসর্গময় উপটোকন বিশেষ ।
লক্ষ্মীদেবীর স্কন্ধ ভিক্ষার ঝুলি দর্শনে যাঁহারা বিরোধালঙ্কারের চমৎকারিতা
হৃদয়ঙ্গমে যে অপূর্ব্ব সুখাস্বাদনে সমর্থ, তাঁহারাই শ্রীমৎ পণ্ডিত গোস্বামী
অপূর্ব্ব ব্যক্তিত্বের অসাধারণ মহিমা অনুভবের অধিকারী ।"
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?"
Sat, 10 July 2021
Mandakini Dhara
"The main thing is that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur brought to us the pure
current of Mandakini, proper consciousness, and this current is still flowing
in this world allowing us to get some taste of the nectar that was
distributed by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. What he has given us has never been
given by anybody in this world."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | 21 June 2020)
Observing
Gundicha Marjan
"Tomorrow is Gundicha Marjan, everybody will join it. You should clean the
place where you are staying, and also clean your heart through chanting the
Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Clean your hearts through sravan and
kirtan, through practising."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.8 Mb, 2 min | 21 June 2020)
Sun, 11 July 2021 (Sri Gundicha Marjan; the day of cleaning
hearts and temples)
Departure of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj
"We have visited today the samadhi-mandir of Srila Gaura Kishor Das
Babaji Maharaj. When Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj left his holy
body, all the babajis of Nabadwip started to fight for his body as he was a
great sadhu..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Observing
Gundicha Marjan
"Tomorrow is Gundicha Marjan, everybody will join it. You should clean the
place where you are staying, and also clean your heart through chanting the
Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Clean your hearts through sravan and
kirtan, through practising."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.8 Mb, 2 min | 21 June 2020)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Pratipad. Gundicha Marjan: cleaning at the Gundicha Temple at Sri Puri
Dham, and cleaning of all Temples of the Lord.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "On this day,
you should clean the place where you are staying, and also clean your heart
through chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Clean your hearts through
sravan and kirtan, through practising."
Pastime of Gundicha Marjan (A chapter from His Divine Grace's Bengali book Sri Puri
Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala)
"The day before going to Vrindavan-Sundarachal, Mahaprabhu and all the
devotees would clean the temple of Gundicha (that is non-different from
Vrindavan). This is called Gundicha-marjan lila (pastime of cleaning the
temple). Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur wrote very
beautifully about this pastime...."
শ্রীপুরীধাম মাহাত্ম্য-মুক্তা-মালা:
গুণ্ডিচা-মার্জ্জন লীলা
"বৃন্দাবন-সুন্দরাচলে যাওয়ার আগের দিন মহাপ্রভু সমস্ত ভক্তগণকে নিয়ে গুণ্ডিচা
মন্দির (যে বৃন্দাবন থেকে অভিন্ন) পরিষ্কার করতেন । এটা হচ্ছে গুণ্ডিচা-মার্জ্জন
লীলা । প্রভুপাদ শ্রীলভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী ঠাকুর খুব সুন্দর ভাবে এই লীলার
রহস্যর সম্বন্ধে লিখে দিয়েছেন :"
Gundicha
Marjan: "Let Jagannath Come to My House"
"Another meaning of Gundicha marjan is cleaning the heart, and Mahaprabhu
Himself was showing how to do it. At first He swept, then poured water and
then with His own cloth, uttariya, He washed the temple. He was showing how
thoroughly you must clean your heart..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 5 April 2013)
Gundicha
Marjan: A Seat for Bhakti Devi
"What is the meaning of this Pastime? We have so much dust in our hearts,
we must remove this dust. Once we clean the place in our heart, we can invite
Bhakti Devi, the Lord, to come there. Unless you clean the place, Bhakti Devi
will not come."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | Kirtan & Bengali class)
Mon, 12 July 2021 (Grand Festival of Sri Ratha Yatra)
Sri Ratha Yatra
Festival (12 July 2021 | 73 photographs, 8.2 Mb)
As in previous year, the holy chariot festival of Lord Jagannath, Lord
Baladev, and Lady Subhadra is held by the temple priests of Sri Jagannath
Temple due to the pandemic-related national restriction. To soothe the
frustration of the devotees unable to attend the festival, we offer a
selection of photographs capturing the main events of the festival.
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Dvitiya. Ratha Yatra of Sri Jagannathdev. Disappearance of Srila Svarup
Damodar Goswami Prabhu. Anniversary of establishing Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Math, Nabadwip.
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."
In holy remembrance of the
chariot festival of Sri Jagannathdev taking place this year again under
severe restrictions due to the pandemic:
"The government may not allow us to go to the chariot festival of Lord
Jagannath this year, but Jagannath is always in our hearts, Baladev is in our
hearts, Subhadra is in our hearts. They may not allow us to go to Odisha, or
Puri, this year, but we can feel, we can realise what is Lord Jagannath's
character, what is the mood of Lord Jagannath, and what He wants. You can
realise these things if you have a service mood, if you can serve.
"Only Krishna knows it. It is His arrangement. If Jagannath arranges
something in a certain way, it is not in our hands. We are controlled by Him.
Ratha-yatra will happen, no one can stop Him—Jagannath, Subhadra, and Baladev
will go to Gundicha, but devotees cannot join properly this year. What is
happening is arranged by the Lord, by the Supreme Absolute. He does
everything. So, whether it is to the better or to the worse, who knows it?
Only Krishna knows it, Jagannath knows it."
(His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
While observing and celebrating Sri Ratha Yatra festival, we are also
remembering how, seventy-nine years ago, on this day His Divine Grace Om
Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj entered Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Sri Nabadwip Dham.
"On the banks
of the Ganges in Koladwip, Nabadwip,
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math stands resplendent.
The flag flies high, singing its glories around the world.
There, the residents chant the glories of Lord Gauranga
and aspire to serve Sri Sri Radha-Govinda
in the line of Sri Rupa."
Golden
Reflections
Published in 1992 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Math, the book presents a series of reflections of Srila B.S. Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj on how the Math was founded and developed over the
course of time, as well as affectionate guidance for the practitioners on
how to proceed in their spiritual life.
Sri Ratha Yatra
Festival (23 June 2020 | 75 photographs, 5.1 Mb)
On the earnest plea of the servitors of Sri Jagannathdev Temple, the Supreme
Court allows to hold Sri Ratha Yatra in Sri Jagannath Puri without public
attendance. Unable to make Sri Puri Dham parikrama this year due to the
national restriction, our beloved Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj observes the festival from Kolkata. We
are humbly sharing a few glimpses of the festival in Sri Puri Dham.
Puri Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Math: Jagannathdev and His Dham
Chapter 23 from Affectionate Guidance by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj that relates the history of our Puri Temple, Deities and
the proper mood when visiting Sri Puri Dham.
Lord
Jagannath: Discovery
"The Lord did not give any direction, so King Indradyumna had to find out
himself where the Lord was. All he knew was that the Lord was there and was
waiting for him."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min)
Darshan of Lord
Jagannath
"By the mercy of Guru and Vaishnavs we completed the Ratha-yatra festival
yesterday in a very beautiful and smooth way. Many thought, 'Oh, I will see
the chariots tomorrow,' but tell me do we have the eyes to see it?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | Vandana & Bengali
class)
Appearance of
Lord Jagannath
"Previously, Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra were one Vishnu-murti, and His name
was Nil-Madhav. He was served about a hundred kilometres away from Puri by
one savar named Vishvavasu..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.7 Mb, 15 min | 18 August
2013)
Gundicha
Marjan: "Let Jagannath Come to My House"
"Another meaning of Gundicha marjan is cleaning the heart, and Mahaprabhu
Himself was showing how to do it. At first He swept, then poured water and
then with His own cloth, uttariya, He washed the temple. He was showing how
thoroughly you must clean your heart..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min)
শ্রীপুরীধাম মাহাত্ম্য-মুক্তা-মালা
সূচনা : শ্রীজগন্নাথদেব
"শ্রীজগন্নাথ—দৃশ্য নহেন, জগন্নাথ—দ্রষ্টা । জীবের দ্রষ্ট-অভিমান পরিত্যাগ করিয়া
যখন সম্পূর্ণভাবে জগন্নাথের দৃশ্য বা ভোগ্যরূপে শুদ্ধ স্বরূপগত অভিমান হয়, তখনই
জীব সেবোন্মুখ হইয়া থাকেন এবং সেই সেবোন্মুখ-প্রেম-নেত্রেই শ্রীজগন্নাথের দর্শন
লাভ করেন । যতক্ষণ আমরা মনে করি,—আমরা জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, ততক্ষণ আমরা
জগন্নাথ না দেখিয়া কাঠ, পাথর, বৌদ্ধ সাহিত্যিক বা ঐতিহাসিকের ঠুঁটো
ভোগ্য-মূর্ত্তি-বিশেষ দেখিয়া থাকি ; আর যখন সর্ব্বান্তঃকরণে জানিতে পারি,—তিনি
আমাদিগকে দেখিবেন, আমরা তাঁহার ভোগের উপকরণ, তাঁহার ভোগে আমাদের সম্ভোগের কোন
অবগুন্ঠন নাই, তাঁহারই নিরঙ্কুশ যথেচ্ছাচারিতা আছে, তখনই আমাদের নিকট জগন্নাথ
তাঁহাকে প্রকাশ করেন । কিন্তু জগতের লোক “আমি জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, আমার
মাংসচক্ষু সচ্চিদানন্দ-বিগ্রহকে মাপিয়া লইবে ও ভোগ করিবে”—জ্ঞাত বা অজ্ঞাতসারে
এই বুদ্ধিতে বিভ্রান্ত হয় । তাই জগন্নাথ-দর্শন ছলনার পরও জগতের নানা কুরূপ
দেখিবার জন্য তাহাদের চিত্তবৃত্তি ধাবিত হইয়া থাকে ।"
Photographs of Sri Puri Dham pilgrimage from previous years:
Be Serious
"Think seriously. Practise strictly, regularly, offer bhog to the
Lord, take prasad. How many people think, 'I will wake up in the
morning every day and do mangal-arati, serve the Lord, practise
Krishna consciousness'?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Be Studious, Be
Serious
"Engage in eternal service, eternal practice of Krishna consciousness. The
more you go towards Maya, towards material life, the more suffering and
misery you will get from Maya. Do not see Gurudev as an object of enjoyment
instead of serving him. Do not see the things that are meant for the service
to the Lord as objects for your enjoyment."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 8 March 2020 |
Bengali)
Wed, 14 July 2021
Surrender Your
Mind
"If you think, 'Oh, I cannot do this', 'I cannot do that,' then you will not
be able to do anything. The cure is in the mind. You must think, 'No!
Whatever danger, whatever obstacle comes I will do it.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 6 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Sri Ratha
Yatra Festival at Sri Govinda Dham (12 July 2021 | 11 photographs, 1 Mb)
Sharing photographs from a programme held by the devotees on Sri Ratha Yatra
day in Australia at the holy temple of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math 'Sri
Govinda Dham' (Uki) in the shelter of the holy lotus feet of Sri Guru-varga
and Sri Sri Gaurasundar.
Fri, 16 July 2021
Evening Kirtans • Gurudev bada krpa kara
• Thakura Vaishnava gana
• Nitai amara dayara avadhi
• Emona durmati
• Bhajahu re mana
• Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
• Download/listen to
the audio (13.2 Mb, 32 min | 23 March 2021 | Kirtan)
Keep Your Lamp
Alight
"I am used to reading and studying from my childhood when I would study for
eighteen-twenty hours a day, and I cannot leave this habit to this day—I
still study and read books. I will tell you today about Prahlad Maharaj. I
will tell you what is written in Bhagavatam—this is bhajan-siddhanta
(the conclusions of devotional life)."
•
Download / listen to the audio (14.8 Mb, 36 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali & Kirtan)
Pray and
Practise
"There are twenty-four hours in a day—how many hours are you busy eating,
sleeping, enjoying, and how many hours are you busy serving? You must give
more time to service. Your mind, your heart must think about the Lord, about
Gurudev's service."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 5 min | 19 January 2013)
Thu, 15 July 2021
Faith,
Devotion, and Love
"You must call out to the Lord with your heart and soul. You must love the
Lord with your whole being—what kind of love is it when you show your money,
wealth, etc.? I do not like all these big grand buildings, etc. I am a simple
man and I like to live simply. Faith, devotion, and love—this is
sufficient..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.6 Mb, 6 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Panchami. Hera Panchami. Sri Sri Laksmi Vijay.
The Hera-panchami festival takes place five days after the Ratha-yatra
festival. Because Lord Jagannath leaves His wife Laksmi Devi, the goddess of
fortune, and goes to Vrindavan (Gundicha Temple) with Baladev and Subhadra,
she becomes angry and comes to the Gundicha Temple on the fifth day to bring
her husband, Lord Jagannath, back. She causes a row and engages in a fight
with the servitors of Lord Jagannath.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj notes:
Seeing her anger, Jagannathdev and His servitors admit their defeat and Lord
Jagannath promises, "Yes, I shall go back immediately, do not be angry with
us." In this way, satisfied with her victory and the defeat of the battalion
of Lord Jagannath, Laksmi Devi quickly goes back. This day is called Laksmi
Vijay, or Hera Panchami. Jagannath Himself gives this prestige to Laksmi
Devi—we can see that the Lord is always defeated by His power. We too are
situated under the guidance of Supreme Power—Srimati Radharani, chit-sakti,
or hladini-sakti, of the Lord...
Sat, 17 July 2021 (Disappearance of Sripad Ajita Krishna
Brahmachari)
Lord's
Impartiality
"It is said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita that the Lord protects only His
devotees and keeps the non-devotees far away from Himself, which means that
the Lord is partial. Then how is it that the Lord is considered
impartial?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Ashtami. Disappearance of Sripad Ajita Krishna
Brahmachari.
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."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Sripad Ajita Krishna
Brahmachari:
A Miracle and Wealth
of Our Mission[Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj]
"Ajita Krishna Brahmachari was an ideal servitor of Srila Guru Maharaj. I am
surprised to see his mood of service. I did something, no doubt, but he used
ten times more energy for the service of Guru Maharaj! That was his
peculiarity. That type of all-rounder brahmachari was the wealth of
our mission."
The
Tireless Servitor[Sri Gaudiya
Darshan]
An article written by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj in
honour of the passing of Sripad Ajita Krishna Prabhu Seva Saurabh. It was
first published in Sri Gaudiya Darsan on 19 September 1971.
The
Best of All Servitors[Sri Gaudiya
Darshan]
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's tribute to Sripad Ajita
Krishna Das Brahmachari Seva Saurabh.
•SONG:
Ye anila
prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where are the saviours of the fallen souls? Not finding Sri Gauranga, who
performed His Pastimes with all His associates, Narottam Das weeps."
•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."
Sun, 18 July 2021
Jay and Vijay Cursed
"One time, Brahma's four sons, four young boys, came to the gate stark naked.
Although they looked like five-year old small boys, but they are actually
great sages, first-born sons of Adi Brahma, therefore they were the oldest of
all living creatures."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 3 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali)
Mon, 19 July 2021 (Tomorrow is Ekadasi; Disappearance of Srila Bhakti
Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj)
Loving
Relationship with the Lord
"The Lord in the form of a lion was also so angry and ferocious, but when His
own son came to Him, He immediately became calm and loving. Lord Nrisinghadev
took Prahlad Maharaj on His lap and began to lick him!"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Dashami. Disappearance of Tridandi Swami Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan
Maharaj (a disciple of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad, a sannyas disciple
and a dear associate of Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj).
Disappearance of Sriyukta Krishnamayi Devi.
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."
In honour of Srila Bhakti Kamal
Madhusudan Maharaj:
Pranam-mantra of Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, composed by Srila
Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
"I offer my obeisance unto the great Guru Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan
Maharaj. His tall, tranquil form, adorned with a tridanda and garments the
colour of the newly risen sun, is the embodiment of mercy. He is an
affectionate king amongst the Gaudiya Vaishnava sannyasis, an ocean of
Vedantic knowledge, and always rapt with the ecstatic taste of Sri Sri
Guru-Gauranga's kirtan."
Godbrothers'
Bond
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj tells about
the close and reverent relationship that Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar
Dev-Goswami Maharaj had with his godbrothers, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami
Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, and Srila Krishna Das Babaji
Maharaj.
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 19 September
2009)
Invoking
Vaishnavs' Mercy
"Today is Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj's appearance day. Wherever
he is staying now, whether in Goloka Vrindavan or anywhere else, we are
praying to him, 'Wherever you are now, please give us some mercy.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 13 min)
In honour of Sri Krishna Mayi Devi Dasi:
Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:
"When Krishnamayi Didi's son and son-in-law both died. She was in great
distress and came here to take shelter. Her son and myself were both the same
age. Krishnamayi Didi saw that Srila Guru Maharaj gave me much affection,
therefore she treated me as her son and would always give me much
enthusiasm.
"She came from a very high family. Both her father's family and her husband's
family were very high brahmanas, but they were smarta and so none of them
liked the Vaishnav Temples. Krishnamayi Didi was previously coming here but
hiddenly. Because her family were smarta they did not give her permission to
come, but she came anyway. Her family knew Srila Guru Maharaj since childhood
as Srila Guru Maharaj was their relative and also came from a very prominent
smarta brahmana family. Outwardly, therefore, they did not say anything wrong
to Krishnamayi Didi but they expressed their objection in many ways. She did
not listen to them but told, 'I have a great Guru and I cannot leave his
lotus feet.' When her very good son-in-law died she became very distressed
and could not remain living in her house. She came to take shelter of Srila
Guru Maharaj and offered her house to him. She said to me, 'Please you sell
my house.' I eventually was able to sell it for a good price and, according
to her wish, gave the money to Srila Guru Maharaj. He made one small
single-roomed bungalow for her to live in. It is known as Govinda Dham and is
where she now stays.
"The first lady to help Srila Guru Maharaj in the Math was Rama Didi. When
she would go to stay with her relatives, Krishnamayi Didi would help to look
after Srila Guru Maharaj. It was necessary to cook in a very precise way for
Srila Guru Maharaj otherwise he would get a headache. Krishnamayi Didi learnt
to cook for him from Rama Didi. We would offer Srila Guru Maharaj her
preparations, but after maybe two or three years she herself would take him
his prasadam and offer it directly to him. At that time Srila Guru Maharaj
could not see very well. One day Krishnamayi Didi was giving something to
Srila Guru Maharaj and by chance her finger and Srila Guru Maharaj's finger
touched. Immediately she paid her obeisances to Srila Guru Maharaj saying,
'Oh, I have made a great offence!' I was there and saw Srila Guru Maharaj
smile a little, thinking, 'She has acted perfectly.'
"Srila Guru Maharaj was becoming old, his pulse and blood pressure were low
and his health was deteriorating. And after that incident Krishnamayi Didi
became close in the service to Srila Guru Maharaj. So from that first
situation where no lady could enter his room we have seen how presently
Krishnamayi Didi began rendering service to Srila Guru Maharaj, and later
Rama Didi and so many others also came and served him in various ways."
Digesting
Gurudev's Love
"They cannot understand how much love and affection Gurudev has for them.
They think Gurudev loves his disciples but not his godbrothers and
godsisters, and that is why they left..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 11 March 2016)
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?"
Tue, 20 July 2021 (Sri Shayan Ekadasi)
Demons' Plight
"Demons always keep on trying to defeat the Lord and they always think about
the Lord—they always think, 'How will I kill Him? How will I kill Him?'
Thinking and thinking in this way, they get liberation and later become
destroyed."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali)
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..."
Appearance of Prahlad Maharaj
"By the time Hiranyakasipu was getting his boon, there was another event that
took place in the meantime. When Hiranyakasipu left his house to meditate on
Lord Brahma, his wife Kayadhu stayed at home (Hiranyakasipu's palace)..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 6 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali)
Thu, 22 July 2021
Unperturbed Purity
of Prahlad Maharaj
"When small children are sitting on their mother's lap, they do not worry how
they will be fed, how they will rest—they are simply satisfied to be on the
lap of their mother. Just as parents always look after their baby, Govinda
always protected and took care of Prahlad Maharaj. He was full of God
consciousness."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4 Mb, 10 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali)
Fri, 23 July 2021 (Tomorrow is Sri Guru Purnima)
Placid
and Undaunted Devotion
"Anything related to the Lord does not enter the ears of offenders, it does
not get any place in their hearts. As long as there remains some offence in
the heart, Krishna will not attract us just as a magnet does not attract a
piece of rusty iron."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 8 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali)
In honour of the holy worshippable day of Sri Guru Purnima (tomorrow):
Sri Guru Purnima:
Remembrance Day
"Today is a very good and auspicious day, the day of Sri Guru Purnima. On
this day, we can pray to our Gurudev that he may engage us in service more
and more, so that we could progress in our spiritual life, so that we could
submit ourselves to him as a devotee."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 5 July 2020)
Sri Guru Purnima Kirtans (2020) His Divine Grace sings:
• Gurudev krpa bindu diya
• Kabe Sri Chaitanya more karibena daya
• Akrodha paramananda Nityananda Raya
• Sarvasva tomara charane sampiya
•
Download / listen to the audio (8.2 Mb, 20 min | 5 July 2020)
Sri Guru Purnima
Address
"My body is here, but my heart, my mind, my everything is with you. I am
always thinking about you, I am always thinking about your good, how you can
become better and better, how you can run the mission more and more
successfully. Any service I can help you with, I will always try to do it,
and I will try my best. That is my promise on this Guru Purnima day."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.4 Mb, 11 min | 5 July 2020)
Will-O'-the-Wisp of
Worldly Wishes
"If you give Maya chance, then Maya will attack you. As soon as you get a
weak spot, Maya will attack you. It does not matter whether you are young or
old. If you try to control your elements, you can control them
from a young age."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 10 min | 5 July 2020)
Eternal Priorities
"You cannot follow all the very strict rules that the six goswamis
followed properly in Vrindavan. So, think only about doing your service
properly, about practising properly, about avoiding bad association
properly—give much importance to all this."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 7 min | 5 July 2020)
Questions and Answers • Should we associate with those who cannot rectify themselves? • What is
full surrender? • What is guru-seva? • Can we serve prasadam while it is
being offered at the altar? • Do jiva souls have bodies in Vaikuntha? • Can
devotees have programmes in meat-eaters' households?
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 5 July 2020)
Sat, 24 July 2021 (Sri Guru
Purnima; Disappearance of Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu)
Prahlad Maharaj's Prayer
"One gets a blessing from the Lord according to their service. Always
remember this. If you serve devotees, if you associate with devotees, then
their qualities will come to you. Therefore, you must always associate with
devotees, then you will develop devotional qualities. We always hanker for
the footdust of devotees..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (11.6 Mb, 30 min | 24 March 2021 | Bengali
& Kirtan)
The Greatest Gift of
Sri Vedavyas A wonderful extensive talk by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj describing the holy appearance of Srimad Bhagavatam:
"Srimad Bhagavatam is the oldest and finest book of Krishna
consciousness. Vedavyas had composed all the scriptures, but he still did not
feel happiness in his heart. He started searching what had happened..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (17.7 Mb, 43 min | 17 June 1992)
Today in the calendar:
Purnima. Sri Guru Purnima. Appearance of Srila Vyasadev. Disappearance of
Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu. Beginning of Chaturmasya. Appearance of Srila
Bhakti Bimal Avadhut 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."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of
Sri Chaturmasya-vrata:
Chaturmasya
"Chaturmasya is good, but chaturmasya does not mean you must
keep a beard, grow long hair and not eat something, but secretly do nonsense.
This life is not for enjoyment only. You must be always careful with the
food..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 4 min | 1 July 2012)
In honour of Srila
Vyasadev:
"You have heard of the Upanisads, Vedas, Vedanta, and the other
scriptures which were revealed in India in written form five thousand years
ago. Previously, this knowledge existed as sruti-mantram, spoken
words, and it was transmitted by rsis and munis to their
disciples through sruti-mantram. At that time there were no books.
Vedavyas has very mercifully given us the written form of
sruti-mantram: the Veda. He divided the Veda (sruti)
into four parts: Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva. He also composed
the supplementary literatures (smrti) like the Mahabharata, which is
called the fifth Veda. The gist of the Vedas can also be found
in the hundreds of Upanisads he wrote. The great rsis, Vedic
research scholars, have also presented the Vedic knowledge in the
Puranas. Thus, through the great rsis, this transcendental
knowledge is being revealed in this mundane world, and when necessary, from
time to time, an incarnation of the Lord manifests by whose divine mercy we
get a connection with that transcendental knowledge.
"These Vedic literatures mainly try to give us transcendental knowledge, and
for our benefit they have proclaimed, "Srnvantu visve amrtasya putra:
you are all the sons of nectar, transcendental nectar; you are from the
nectarean ocean. Dive deep into that nectar!" We are all parts and parcels of
the Lord, therefore we are spiritual relatives."
(Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj,
Original Source)
namo 'stu te vyasa-visala-buddhe
phullaravindayata-patra-netra
yena tvaya bharata-taila-purnah
prajvalito jnana-mayah pradipah
Obeisances unto Srila Vyasadeva—
O Srila Vyasadeva of formidable intelligence, whose eyes resemble the long
petals of the blooming lotus flower, and who ignited the lamp of knowledge,
filled with the oil of the Mahabharata—I offer my obeisances unto
you.
Sri Bhakti
Siddhanta Vani
A quote of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad that is much
appreaciated by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and is
framed and hung in many of the temples: "If someone does not consider it
necessary to faithfully follow their Guru and the Vaishnavs, their endeavour
to serve the Lord is not service to the Lord—it is service to
maya."
Sri
Guru-Tattva: The Captain of Your Boat
"If you serve your Guru properly, if you have devotion to the Guru, then you
will be able to remove the bondage with the modes of material nature, and
through that relationship with your Guru you can get service to the Lord and
finally reach your destination."
•
Download / listen to the audio (8 Mb, 24 min | 22 July 2013 | Mostly
Bengali)
Sri Guru Purnima:
Remembrance Day
"Today is a very good and auspicious day, the day of Sri Guru Purnima. On
this day, we can pray to our Gurudev that he may engage us in service more
and more, so that we could progress in our spiritual life, so that we could
submit ourselves to him as a devotee."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 5 July 2020)
Sri Guru Purnima
Address
"My body is here, but my heart, my mind, my everything is with you. I am
always thinking about you, I am always thinking about your good, how you can
become better and better, how you can run the mission more and more
successfully. Any service I can help you with, I will always try to do it,
and I will try my best. That is my promise on this Guru Purnima day."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.4 Mb, 11 min | 5 July 2020)
Will-O'-the-Wisp of
Worldly Wishes
"If you give Maya chance, then Maya will attack you. As soon as you get a
weak spot, Maya will attack you. It does not matter whether you are young or
old. If you try to control your elements, you can control them
from a young age."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 10 min | 5 July 2020)
Eternal Priorities
"You cannot follow all the very strict rules that the six goswamis
followed properly in Vrindavan. So, think only about doing your service
properly, about practising properly, about avoiding bad association
properly—give much importance to all this."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 7 min | 5 July 2020)
Key to Guru Puja
"Gurudev had explained and taught me that when you make a festival not much
is necessary—a festival means Vaishnav seva, bhakta-seva.
Guru-seva is not engaging your Guru in service—it means serving your
Guru, serving his devotees."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 9 October 2018 | Bengali)
Sri Guru's
Forgiving Mercy
"Gurudev is always merciful. I can give you an example of how merciful
Gurudev is, I can tell you one story. Disciples always do wrong, but Gurudev
is always merciful..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | June 2010)
Part 1:
How to See the Guru: Mercy
Clear guidance on how to understand who the Guru is, and how a sincere
disciple should see the Guru: the Guru is not only a mahabhagavata (a great
devotee), he is nondifferent from Krishna Himself.
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.4 Mb, 14 min | 25 September 2014)
Part 2:
How to See the Guru: Chastity
The main quality of a sincere disciple explained by several examples:
one-pointed attention, rejecting the unfavourable, intense attachment to
service and devotees, faith, and careful choice of association.
•
Download / listen to the audio (7 Mb, 15 min | 25 September 2014)
Sri Guru and His
Grace
His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj has been recently
repeatedly stressing the importance of reading this holy book,
recalling many examples and guidenlines found therein. Presented here
in English for online reading, and in Bengali and English for
downloading.
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."
Sri
Sanatan-Siksa
The first lecture in the cycle of lectures given by His Divine Grace Srila
B.N. Acharya Maharaj in 2015, dedicated to the teachings of Sri Krishna
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu and Srila Sanatan Goswami
Prabhu.
Sri
Rupa-Sanatan Siksa(EPUB file, 0.5 Mb)
"Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Sri Rupa-Satana Siksa, read and expounded by His
Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj." An electronic
version of the published previously online matter available now for download,
reading and worshipping on phones, tablets, eBook readers, etc.
•SONG:
Sri Sad-Goswamy-Astakam |
শ্রীশ্রীষড়্গোস্বাম্যষ্টকম্ "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Goswamis, namely Sri
Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatan Goswami, Sri Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Sri
Raghunath Das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who
are always engaged in chanting the Holy Name of Krishna and dancing. They are
just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle
and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they
do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord
Chaitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver
all the conditioned souls in the material universe."
•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, 25 July 2021
Sri
Madhavendra Puripad: One of a Kind
"Today is the festival in honour of Srila Madhavendra Puri's disappearance.
We have got this opportunity today to hear about his disappearance. There is
no one in this world who is as fortunate as Madhavendra Puri."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 25 March 2021 | Bengali)
Kirtans (Sri Madhavendra Puripad's tirobhav; afternoon programme) His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
chants: • Sri Guru-parampara
• Sri Rupa-manjari-pada
• Vaishnav Ke? (Dusta mana tumi kisera
vaisnava)
• Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
•
Download / listen to the audio (15.6 Mb, 38 min | 25 March 2021)
Vaisnav Ke? (An Appeal to Your Mind)
"We do not want to stay in the temple because there are so many rules and
regulations—everything has to be maintained at a certain time, and if you
live alone, nobody will tell you anything, but you will be losing your
devotional activities. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that
nirjan bhajan is self-deception."
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.3 Mb, 19 min | 6 March 2016)
His Divine Grace reciting the poem: Text |
Vaishnav Ke?(Download / listen to the audio | 6 March 2016)
His Divine Grace chanting the poem in a kirtan: Text |
Vaishnav Ke?(Download / listen to the audio | 25 March 2021)
Facing Austerity
"Whatever you want to do, you must have the strongest desire. Even in the
material life, does anything come without austerity? No. Therefore, 'I want
austerity! I want problems! If more problems come, it is OK, let them come! I
want to see how many problems you can give me, Prabhu.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 5 February 2020)
Mon, 26 July 2021
Internal and External Struggles
"There must be no attachment; but there must be knowledge of the relationship
that everything in this world belongs to Madhava—everything is His property,
His wealth. Those who are possessed by envy and jealousy practise a false
life, but we pray to the Lord that we can tolerate all unhappiness, all
austerities, all suffering."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.8 Mb, 9 min | 25 March 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Disappearance 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."
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?"
Tue, 27 July 2021
Defining
Disciples' Destiny
"In this external world, we have birth and death, but Vaishnavs are neither
born, nor do they die. On account of their devotion and devotional practice,
they can exceed the lifetime allotted to them by the Lord: through their
devotion, by the blessing and mercy of the Lord they can exceed their
allotted lifetime."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 25 March 2021 | Bengali)
Wed, 28 July 2021
Kali-Yuga's
Austerities
"It is very difficult to practise yoga—in Satya-yuga they practised
austerities, meditation, yoga to get the Lord. However, now in this
Kali-yuga, we are given such a simple method—we can get the Lord by simply
chanting His Holy Name. The only difficulty is that nobody wants to chant
this Holy Name without offences. It is not like nobody can do it—nobody
wants to do it."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 25 March 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Panchami. Disappearance of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami 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."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Srila Gopal Bhatta
Goswami Prabhu:
Srila Gopal
Bhatta Goswami's Miracle
"You have heard about the Deity of Sri Radha-Raman in Vrindavan. When Gopal
Bhatta Goswami lived in Vrindavan, he every day worshipped twelve pieces of
Govardhan sila..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 7 September 2013 | Bengali)
Strongest
Faith (2) Gopal Bhatta Goswami
"You have eyes in your heart, and if you have such feeling towards the Deity
in your heart and do your service with such faith, then you can easily see
Krishna everywhere, hear Krishna-nama everywhere, nothing else besides
Krishna-nama will enter your ears..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 10 March 2015)
•SONG:
Sri Sad-Goswamy-Astakam |
শ্রীশ্রীষড়্গোস্বাম্যষ্টকম্ "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Goswamis, namely Sri
Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatan Goswami, Sri Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Sri
Raghunath Das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who
are always engaged in chanting the Holy Name of Krishna and dancing. They are
just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle
and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they
do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord
Chaitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver
all the conditioned souls in the material universe."
•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 my Raghunath Bhatta and Gopal Bhatta? Where are
the saviours of the fallen souls?"
Thu, 29 July 2021
Wrong Idea
"You see the Deity here and you may think that the Deity is made of stone,
wood, or clay and you can do whatever you fancy. It cannot be like that. You
cannot keep Deities and feed the Deities with air or a glass of water..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 25 March 2021 | Bengali)
Fri, 30 July 2021
Check Who Is
Calling Before Taking the Call
"You leave everything but after one-two months they start calling you—yes,
Maya Devi will phone you all the time. Maya Devi cast her net and you think
you will go to your home and practise Krishna consciousness there..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 4 min | 25 March 2021 | Bengali)
Sat, 31 July 2021
Pitfalls
of Deity Worship
"There are many Deities installed at our temples, you can take a photo of any
of these Deities and worship the photograph. Gurudev often said, 'Do not keep
a Deity and make Them a burden. Neither must you keep Deities and harass
Them.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 25 March 2021 | Bengali)
All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga
INVITATION to
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's
Disappearance Festival
Dear respected Devotees, Friends and Well-Wishers,
We are offering obeisance at your holy lotus feet and in eternal memory of
our beloved Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
humbly extend a letter of encouragement to observe the disappearance day of
the most worshippable Founder Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Om
Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, which
manifests on 8 August (Sunday) this year and will be observed 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.
In India, as the lockdown has recently been extended further till August 15
and trains still remain suspended, holding a large programme is going to be
unlikely, however the devotees shall be arranging the festival to the best of
their capacity under the leadership of His Holiness Sri Srimad Bhakti Tilak
Niriha Maharaj in Sri Nrisingha Palli, as well as every other temple and
centre in West Bengali and other states of India.
Our beloved Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj 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 alter 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
8 August 2021 Email address for enquiry
Make the
Festival, with Heart and Soul
"I am telling to everyone who is staying in the temple, to every centre: you
must make a festival for Srila Sridhar Maharaj. If you want to show that you
want to serve Srila Sridhar Maharaj, then make a good festival on this
day."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min)
Some preparations and items that are known to be favourite to His Divine
Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj include: natural orange
juice (with just a little sugar), cholar dahl (split chickpea dal), alu bhaja
(deep-fried potato chips), muri, puri/luchi with alu bhaja, aloo dum, samosa,
pineapple chutney, puspanna, figs (dumur), chaunsa mango.
'Vrindavan Das Thakur's mother's name is Narayani, and she was a niece of
Srivas Pandit. Mahaprabhu always held kirtans in the house of Srivas Pandit,
and Narayani lived in that same house. When she was very little, she got
Mahaprabhu's mercy..'
Guidance, Issue #27
(EPUB file, 1.2 Mb)
Krishna Ekadasi. No fast today (because of Mahadvadasi tomorrow).
Disappearance of Sriyukta Rama Devi.
In honour of Sripad B.V.
Parivrajak Maharaj
•
SONG:
Suddha-bhakata |
শুদ্ধ ভকত-চরণ-রেণু
Amavasya. Disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Sachchidananda
Bhaktivinod Thakur.
Gaura Pratipad. Gundicha Marjan: cleaning at the Gundicha Temple at Sri Puri
Dham, and cleaning of all Temples of the Lord.
Sri Ratha Yatra
Festival
Golden
Reflections
Sri Ratha
Yatra Festival at Sri Govinda Dham
Gaura Dashami. Disappearance of Tridandi Swami Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan
Maharaj (a disciple of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad, a sannyas disciple
and a dear associate of Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj).
Disappearance of Sriyukta Krishnamayi Devi.
Sri
Rupa-Sanatan Siksa
Disappearance 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).
