Mon, 1 November 2021 (Sri Rama Ekadasi; tomorrow paran is at
5:46-8:27 a.m.)
Do Not Pass
Your Life in Vain
"Each of you lives in a house—you are all proud of the place where you stay
and call it 'home'—you live comfortably; but you come here and struggle so
much. If you want this struggle to be worth it, you must take advantage of
Hari-katha and kirtan."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 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..."
In honour of Sri Damodar
Month (20 October–19 November):
Damodar Month
"This Kartik month (Damodar month) is Krishna's dearmost month. There is
Radha-Damodar temple near our Vrindavan temple and every Kartik we go for
parikrama in Vrindavan. This year also we have a great wish to start
Vrindavan parikrama in Damodar month."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | 25 October 2018)
Month of
Service—Life of Service
"Today Kartik-vrata, or niyom-seva, starts. Our temple observes it from
purnima to purnima, and some other temples do it from
dvadasi to dvadasi. One day I asked Gurudev what
niyom-seva meant..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.4 Mb, 14 min | 13 October 2019)
Damodarastakam
"We sing Damodarastakam about the pastimes of the Lord written by
Satyavrata Muni every Kartik month. That is a very important song in our
spiritual life."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min | 25 October 2018)
Attend to
Kirtan—Attain Kirtan
"Who can understand these songs? We cannot even understand 'trnad api
sunichena...' then can we proceed to the other songs? If we want to chant
the Name of Krishna, then we must become like this—trnad api
sunichena...—as we sing in this kirtan."
• Download
(0.7 Mb, 2 min | 7 November 2012 | Bengali)
Kartik Month Kirtans: Following the tradition established at Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Math, after the regular morning and evening kirtans, the following
kirtans are chanted every day:
Morning: •Damodarastakam "To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence,
knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro,
who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who is quickly
running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of Mother Yasoda, but who has
been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater speed—to that
Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances."
• Download •Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama (nadiya-nagare nitai) "In the towns and villages of Nadia, Lord Nityananda ecstatically dances
and sings these names of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: Lord Chaitanya is the
beloved son of Jagannath Misra; He is Mahaprabhu, the great master,
protector, and maintainer of the whole world...."
• Download •Sri Krsner Vimsottara-sata-Nama-Sankirtana (nagare nagare gora gay) "From village to village Lord Gaura sings these names of Sri Krishna:
Krishna is the baby who feeds on the breast of Mother Yasoda. He is the son
of Maharaj Nanda, dark blue like and indra-nila gem, and the life of the
residents of Vraja."
• Download
Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness
"You can see how you make your own bed—every day you first dust and clean it
nicely, then you lie down. You must treat the Lord, the Deities like that
too. The archan of the Deities means to keep the Deities' room clean. It is
necessary to keep everything clean. Temple must be always clean and
neat."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Dvadashi. Festival in honour of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu's auspicious
arrival at Sripat Panihati.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav [event] mentioned in the calendar, you
must still give them 'jay' on this day."
In honour of Sriman Mahaprabhu's
arrival in Sripat Panihati:
"Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes are all uncommon. Whoever listens
to His activities becomes glorious, and his life becomes perfect. The Lord
finally reached Panihati, and as an act of mercy He gave the captain of the
boat one of His personal garments. The place called Panihati was located on
the bank of the Ganges. After hearing that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had
arrived, all kinds of men assembled both on land and on the water. At length
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was taken away by Raghav Pandit. There was a great
crowd assembled along the way, and the Lord reached Raghav Pandit's residence
with great difficulty...."
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita)
[On another occasion:] "....After staying a few days at Srivas Pandit's
house, the Lord went to Raghav's house in Panihati. While Sri Raghav Pandit
was engaged in the worship of Krishna, Sri Gaurasundara came there before
him—when Sri Raghav Pandit saw the Lord of his life, he fell to the ground
and offered obeisances. Raghavananda cried in ecstasy as he firmly grabbed
the Lord's lotus feet, which are cherished by Rama, the goddess of
fortune.
"The Lord then embraced Raghav Pandit and soaked his body with tears of
ecstatic love, and Raghav's body was filled with such ecstasy that he did not
know what he should do. When the Lord of Vaikuntha saw Raghav's display of
devotion, He glanced mercifully on Raghav. The Lord said, 'After coming to
Raghav's house and seeing Raghav, I have forgotten all My troubles. I have
obtained the same satisfaction at Raghav's house as one gets by taking bath
in the Ganges.' The Lord smiled and said, 'Listen, Raghav Pandit! Go and
quickly cook for Krishna.'
"Sri Raghav was greatly pleased to receive the Lord's order, and he became
absorbed in the mellows of ecstasy as he went to cook. Following the dictates
of his heart, that brahman cooked unlimited varieties of foods. Mahaprabhu
then came with Nityananda and other associates to eat. Gaurachandra, the
husband of Laksmi, lavishly praised each of the vegetable preparations as He
ate. The Lord said, 'How wonderful is Raghav's cooking! I have never eaten
sak [spinach] like this before.' Raghav knew that the Lord was fond of sak,
so he had cooked various kinds of sak.
"After joyfully finishing His meal, the Lord washed His hands and mouth
and sat down. As soon as Gadadhara Das heard that Sri Gaurasundar was at
Raghav's house, he quickly came there. Gadadhar Das was extremely dear to the
Lord. His body was filled with the happiness of devotional service. When the
Lord saw fortunate Gadadhar, He placed His lotus feet on his head. At that
time Purandar Pandit and Paramesvari Das, in whose Deity Gaurachandra
manifest Himself, quickly came there. On seeing the Lord, they both cried in
ecstasy. Sriman Mahaprabhu manifest in the Gauranga Deity worshiped by
Paramesvari Das, who lived in the village of Tada-antapur. He began the
worship of the Deity form of Sri Gaurasundar. Raghunath Vaidya also came at
that time. He was a great Vaisnava with unlimited good qualities. In this way
Vaisnavas came from wherever they were to meet the Lord. The village of
Panihati became filled with ecstasy, for Lord Gaurachandra was personally
present there.
"Sri Gaurasundar spoke some confidential topics to Raghav Pandit in a
solitary place. 'O Raghav, I have something confidential to tell you.
Nityananda is nondifferent from Me. I tell you, I do whatever Nityananda
wants Me to do. I tell you frankly that all My activities are performed
through Nityananda. There is no difference between Myself and Nityananda.
Everyone in your house will come to know this. From Nityananda you will
easily obtain that which is rarely attained by the best of the mystic yogis.
Therefore you should very carefully serve Nityananda, knowing Him to be the
Supreme Lord Himself.' Sri Gauranga then said to Makaradhvaja Kara, 'You
should serve Sri Raghavananda. Know for certain that your love for Me will be
shown by your love for Raghav Pandit.'
"In this way Lord Gauranga made the village of Panihati glorious by
staying there a few days."
Wed, 3 November 2021 (Offering lamps, candles, at the
temples)
Meaning of Discipleship
"You live at your house and you know how you serve your husband, wife, and
children. In the same way, you must love the Lord with your heart and soul;
you must love the Lord's temple with your heart and soul."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
"Formally, we are placing some lights in front of the temple and in front
of the Deities today, and I am praying to Gurudev, praying to the Lord for
everybody so that light may come to our hearts, our minds and all our
darkness will be removed from our hearts and minds. We pray to Gurudev, to
the Lord, to Govardhan for everybody. People are suffering so much all over
the world because of their life in darkness, please remove darkness from
their hearts and minds and always keep light in their hearts and minds."
CENTENARY ANTHOLOGY:
Part 2. Chapter 4. Hearing To See "Without knowing the real meaning, what we feel and read is the wrong
reading of the environment—it is maya. We miss the universal purpose, and
from local interest we read, "Oh, this is for this purpose, this is for that
purpose." But this is local interest. What we conceive, feel, trust and
believe, is not in consonance with the universal reading...."
Thu, 4 November 2021 (Sri Dipavali)
Ask
Yourself, "Am I Practising?"
"You must ask yourself, 'Have I become a surrendered soul?' I do not come to
examine or test you, but you should ask yourself, 'Am I really practising
Krishna consciousness? Do I live following what my Guru tells? Do I live in
strict adherence to my Guru or not?'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
"Today, everybody says, 'Happy Diwali,' 'Happy Dipavali.' Diwali means a
'festival of lights'. Formally, we are placing some lights in front of the
temple and in front of the Deities today, and I am praying to Gurudev,
praying to the Lord for everybody so that light may come to our hearts, our
minds and all our darkness will be removed from our hearts and minds. We pray
to Gurudev, to the Lord, to Govardhan for everybody. People are suffering so
much all over the world because of their life in darkness, please remove
darkness from their hearts and minds and always keep light in their hearts
and minds. This is the main thing today."
Today in the calendar:
Amavasya. Dipavali. Offering and placing of lamps (or candles). on Vishnu
Mandirs. Go Puja (cow-worship) and Go Krida (the pleasure of the
cows).
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Today is
dipavali—you must offer lamps at the temple. Please buy lamps in clay
pots, light them and place them on the four sides of the temple where we are
staying. It is 'deep-dan mahotsav' ('festival of offering lamps'). You
can offer lamps today and tomorrow, for two days."
Fri, 5 November 2021 (Sri Govardhan Puja)
Become Pure
"You must prepare yourself so that the Lord could accept you. If you do not
clean yourself, do not make yourself pure, the Lord will not accept you. You
do not become pure just by bathing in the Ganges. Your heart must become
clean."
•
Download / listen to the audio (10 Mb, 24 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Pratipad. Sri Govardhan Puja. Grand Annakut Mahotsav
('Rice Mountain Festival') at Srila Sridhar Swami Seva Ashram in Sri
Govardhan and in the Temple in Sri Gupta Govardhan and all temples
worldwide.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "The Lord
accepts everything and anything from His devotees. You will see tomorrow
also—tomorrow is the day of that Govardhan Puja, and people will be offering
so many things on this day. What does 'annakut' mean? It means 'a
mountain of rice'—'kut' means 'a hill' or 'a mountain', and
'anna' means rice. Devotees offer Govardhan a mountain of rice on this
day."
Glory and Pastimes of Sri
Govardhan:
Loving Search for
the Lost Servant: (Chapter 6) LORD OF THE COWS 'Different material tendencies and mental impulses may attack
us—even Indra himself, the king of heaven and the controller of all
ordinary activities, may attack us—but if we are attentive towards our
goal, if we are careful to read the order of Krishna, He will protect us in
the shade of His lotus feet. He will give us shelter under the shade of
Govardhana Hill, where no Indra will be able to touch our heads. And with
full faith that Krishna will give us protection, we should try to take
shelter under Govardhana Hill and pray: "O Krishna, give me protection from
all the difficulties that may come to attack me because of my leaving behind
my ordinary obligations."'
Sri
Govardhan Puja (1): Sevya and Sevak
"Today is a very auspicious day—today is Sri Giriraj Govardhan Puja. By the
mercy of Gurudev, we are present here in Govardhan. Gurudev writes that
Giriraj assumes the form of both sevya and sevak..."
Sri
Govardhan Puja (2): Seva-Adhikar
"Krishna Himself said, 'I am Govardhan!' Sometimes people say that
worshipping Govindaji and worshipping Govardhan is different, but this is a
misconception. You must serve Govardhan with sincerity and following all
rules of service."
Sri
Govardhan Puja (3): Full Service
"I have told you before that it is not necessary to know any mantra to
worship the Lord—it is necessary to have a clean heart. Also, service is
necessary, but service must be full. You start something and then leave it
half-way—not like this."
•
Download / listen to the audio of the entire class (7.5 Mb, 18 min | Ⓑ বাংলা)
Sri Govardhan-astakam
His Divine Grace reads Sri Govardhan-astakam composed by Srila Raghunath
Das Goswami Prabhu.
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min)
•SONG:
Sri Gupta Govardhan Arati "All glories, all glories, to the grand arati of Sri Giriraj! In the midst of Sri Gaura-mandal, it brings auspiciousness to the entire universe."
•SONG:
Radha-kunda-tata |
করাধাকুণ্ডতট "The grove-dwelling on the banks of Radha-kunda, Govardhan Hill, the banks
of the Yamuna River. I can never leave all these things so dear to me,
without them I know I'll surely die."
•SONG:
Dasa-avatara-stotram |
দশাবতারস্তোত্রম্ "I offer my obeisance unto Sri Krsna, who assumes ten forms and rescues
the Vedas, upholds Mandara Mountain, uplifts the earth, rips apart demons,
deceives Bali Maharaj, kills the ksatriyas, conquers Ravan, carries a plough,
shows compassion, and annihilates the wicked."
•SONG:
Damodarastakam |
শ্রীশ্রীদামোদরাষ্টকম্ "To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence,
knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro,
who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who [due to the
offence of breaking the pot of yogurt that his mother was churning into
butter and then stealing the butter that was kept hanging from a swing] is
quickly running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of Mother Yasoda, but
who has been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater
speed—to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble
obeisances."
•Mayura mukuta |
ময়ূর-মুকুট "He wears a peacock feather crown and yellow garments. He holds the
flute and lifts the Govardhan Hill! All glory to the son of Yasoda,
Krishna, Murari. Glory to He who holds the flute and lifts the Govardhan
Hill!"
"Surrender to
Giriraj"
"You must leave everything to the Lord, to Giriraj. If you make your own
arrangements, then the Lord says, 'You are making your own arrangements,
therefore I will not look after you.' Remember this—those who have no one,
have the Lord; and those who have many things, have nothing, the Lord is not
by their side."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 7 Nov. 2018 | English & Bengali)
Appearance of Sri
Giriraj
"...When I was doing Govardhan parikrama, I was looking both sides,
thinking (Gurudev was also thinking), 'You have made the temple in Govinda
Kunda, but how you will bring Govardhan? How will you get Him?'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 11 November 2015)
Parikrama of Sri
Govardhan
"How do we do parikrama? Govardhan is like a peacock, our temple is
near Manasa Ganga, at the mouth of Govardhan, and we start the
parikrama from the tail and do half portion one day, and the second
half the next day."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 8 min | 11 November 2015)
The Aanyor Village
"During the parikrama, we pass a village called Aanyor when we go to
see Govinda Kunda. One day, Madhavendra Puri was sitting there and chanting
all day..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min | 11 November 2015)
Holy Places for Holy Deeds
"As long as there are the glories of the Lord in the world, there will be
Ganga, there will be Yamuna, there will be Govardhan, but now is Kali-yuga,
and the time is coming when the Ganges will disappear, Govardhan will
disappear..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min | 11 November 2015)
First Part of Sri
Govardhan Parikrama
"Yesterday, we went to the Manasi Ganga. After that, we went to Haridev
mandir, then Brahma Kunda. Then, there is Santan Goswami's
bhajan-kutir and Chakleshwar Mahadev on the bank of the Manasi Ganga. Today,
we went to Govinda Kunda."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 7 November 2018)
Govardhan's Appearance
in Vrindavan
"Yesterday and today also, we were explaining how Govardhan was brought to
Vrindavan by Pulastya Muni. Govardhan was a son of Drona Parvat (Dronachal),
and actually Govardhan was originally in Salmaladvipa..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min | 7 November 2018)
His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj speaking in English
and Bengali about the Govardhan Pastime of Lord Sri Krishna.
• Download
(11 Mb, ~23 min | 14 November 2012)
This day in 2014:
Sri Govardhan Puja (Year 2014)
A joyful festival celebrating Lord Krishna lifting Sri Govardhan Hill and
a parikrama to the holy places around Sri Govardhan. Day two of the annual
Kartik Pilgrimage.
Sri Govardhan
Parikrama: Day Two (Year 2014)
The Kartik Pilgrimage continues: the second part of the Parikrama around
the holy places at Sri Govardhan. Among the numerous visited places on
this day are Sri Uddhav Kunda, Sri Radha Kunda, Sri Kusum Sarovar.
This day in 2015:
Defeating the Pride
A Bengali class of His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: • Mahaprabhu defeating Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, Digvijayi Pandit,
tricking thieves, teaching Prakasananda Saraswati a lesson • Bali
Maharaj's surrender • teaching Indra a lesson (Govardhan Pastime) •
strong faith in Deity service (Gopal Bhatta Goswami, Raghunandan Thakur)
• rare and valuable life.
•
Download / listen to the audio (33.2 Mb, 97 min)
Sri Govardhan
Puja(15 photographs, 1.1 Mb)
In the shelter of the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal
Acharya Maharaj, devotees celebrate Sri Govardhan Puja and worship the cows
at Sri Gupta Govardhan temple at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat, Sri Nabadwip
Dham. (Photographs taken on 12 November 2015)
Sri Govardhan Puja class(Archive video, Bengali)
An archive video recording of Sri Govardhan Puja day celebrated at Srila
Sridhar Seva Ashram in Sri Govardhan Dham, in the shelter of the holy lotus
feet of His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj.
This day in 2016:
Observing
and Celebrating Sri Govardhan Puja
Photographs of Sri Govardhan Puja festival observed at the temple of
Mahaprabhu's Divine Water Play at Sri Nabadwip Dham in the shelter of the
holy lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Sri Srila Bhakti Nirmal
Acharya Maharaj. (22 photographs, 1.3 Mb | 31 October
2016)
This day in 2017:
Sri
Govardhan Puja: Annakut Maha-Mahotsav (48 photographs, 3.1 Mb | 20
October 2017)
Photographs taken during the grand auspicious festival of Sri Govardhan Puja
observed today at the temple of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Madan-Mohanjiu at
Dum Dum Park, Kolkata, under the supreme guidance of Sri Gurupadpadma Om
Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and in the association of the
worshippable Vaishnavs and devotees.
This day in 2018:
Sri Govardhan Puja Festival (8 November 2018 | 108 photographs, 7.7 Mb)
The grand Annakut Mahotsav observed by the extremely fortunate devotees in
the shade of the holy lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila
Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and in the association of Vaishnavs from all
over the world at the temple of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Sri Govardhan
Dham, Uttar Predesh.
This day in 2019:
Sri Govardhan Puja:
Annakut Mahotsav
(29 October 2019 | 72 photographs, 5.3 Mb)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj presides
over the annual grand festival of Sri Giriraj Govardhan in the assembly of
Vaishnavs and fortunate devotees. The first half of the day is spent in
various services and devotional programmes culminating with the noon arati
and prasad-seva.
Sri Govardhan
Parikrama, Day Two
(29 October 2019 | 49 photographs, 3.4 Mb)
During the second day of Sri Govardhan Parikrama, His Divine Grace Om
Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj takes the devotees around the
north-east part of Govardhan taking the darshan of Sri Uddhav Kunda, Sri
Gaudiya Math, samadhi of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu, Sri Radha Kunda,
Sri Shyama Kunda, Vraja Svananda Sukhada Kunja, Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu's
bhajan kutir, Sri Lalita Kunda, and Sri Kusum Sarovar.
Sat, 6 November 2021
Who Is
Nityananda Prabhu?
"There is Gaurasundar, the original personality of Godhead, and there is also
His personal expansion, Sri Nityananda Prabhu. So, Sri Nityananda Prabhu is
Sriman Mahaprabhu's dearmost associate and the Lord Himself."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Dvitiya. Disappearance of Srila Vasudev Ghosh Thakur. Disappearance of
Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Maharaj (a diksa and sannyas
disciple of Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur). Bhratri
Dvitiya krityam.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav [event] mentioned in the calendar, you
must still give them 'jay' on this day."
Sun, 7 November 2021
How and When?
"When will my mind become pure and I behold Sri Dham Vrindavan? When will
material desires leave me? There is meditation, knowledge, etc. in this
world, but when will I leave all material things, when will my mind become
pure and when will I be able to feel, see, know, etc. the wealth of Vaikuntha
world?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Mon, 8 November 2021 (Disappearance of Srila A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad)
Scattered Heart
"Just as an ant always crawls everywhere looking for a hole, Maya is also
always around us, always looking for hole to catch you. As soon as you forget
the Lord and think about something else, Maya will jump on you."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 2 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Chaturthi. Disappearance festival of Vishva-varenya Tridandi Swami
Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad.
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 A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Srila Prabhupad:
"Singing the glories of the Vaishnavs rescues and protects the jiva soul. I
heard this from the mouth of sadhus and my Guru."
"If we give some honour, give some glorification to the Vaishnavs, it is
actually for our benefit. It is for our own benefit that we do some
ceremonies, some festivals, glorifying the Vaishnavs. It is necessary for our
spiritual life, and it is one of the bhaktyanga, one of the practising
processes. That is why we make Vaishnavs' disappearance and appearance
festivals."
(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
namah om visnupadaya krsna-presthaya bhutale
swami sri bhaktivedanta prabhupadaya te namah
gurvajnam sirasi-dhrtva saktyavesa sva-rupine
hare-krsneti mantrena paschatya-prachya-tarine
visvacharya prabaryaya divya karunya murtaye
sri bhagavata-madhurya-gita-jnana pradayine
gaura-sri-rupa-siddhanta-saraswati nisevine
radha-krsna-padambhoja-bhrngaya gurave namah
"I offer my humble obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Maharaj Prabhupad, who is Krishna's beloved associate and who came down
to this plane from Goloka. Taking the order of his guru on his head, he is
the saktyavesa (empowered) avatar of Nityananda Prabhu personified. He
distributed the Hare Krsna mantra all over the Eastern and Western world,
delivering and uplifting all fallen souls. He is the best of millions of
jagat-gurus, because he is the personification of divine mercy. He has
distributed the sweet nectar of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the transcendental
knowledge of Bhagavad-gita all over the world. He is constantly engaged in
exclusive devotional service to Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura,
Srila Rupa Goswami, and Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. I offer my humble obeisances
unto Srila Prabhupada, who is like a bumble-bee always tasting the nectar of
the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda."
Srila
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj: Intimate Friend and More
"Srila Prabhupad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj gave much respect to Srila
Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. You know when Srila Sridhar Maharaj and our
Gurudev were in Kolkata, they lived together with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Maharaj for many years..."
• Download
(0.7 Mb, 2 min | 22 October 2011)
Srila Swami
Maharaj Prabhupad(Spoken on the appearance day)
"Without his mercy we would not have been able to think anything today, but
we are very happy and we are making today a festival for Srila Swami Maharaj,
on his appearance day. Everybody must pray for his mercy."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 9 min | 15 August 2009)
CENTENARY ANTHOLOGY:
Part 1. Chapter 1. Siksa-Guru "Constantly associating, whether in Allahabad, Calcutta, or other parts of
India, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj and Srila Sridhar Maharaj's
relationship continually developed. Throughout his life, Srila Bhaktivedanta
Swami Maharaj always maintained the highest respect and confidence in Srila
Sridhar Maharaj. He considered that whenever it was not possible for his
disciples to proceed directly under his guidance, that they should take
direction from Srila Sridhar Maharaj."
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?"
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
"Srila Srinivas Acharya Goswami composed Sad-Goswamy-astakam, and
Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad liked it very much. When I heard him
singing Sad-Goswamy-Astakam I was surprised that it was possible to
sing this song. I had not heard it before. I know Sad-Goswamy-Astakam,
I had read it before but had never sung it and had not heard it sung also. I
heard it for the first time from Srila Swami Maharaj's recording and I was
surprised what kind of devotion he has. He was also not an expert in singing
(I have known him from my childhood, that is why I can say that), but he sang
that song with his devotional potency. If anybody hears it, they must be
enlivened and will get the devotion of Sad Goswami. What I heard that day,
when I heard Srila Swami Maharaj singing it, was a transcendental sound."
"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."
Tue, 9 November 2021
Learn the Truth
"It is necessary to know what the truth is. Everything in this world that you
see is false; the Holy Name is the only truth. Everything else that is
created will go away. It is said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita also that
everything in this world will be destroyed one day."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Panchami. Disappearance of Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Aloka
Paramahamsa 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."
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
remembers [mentioned in
Centenary Anthology: "There was a very dear disciple of Srila
Saraswati Thakur who lived in the same room with Srila Saraswati Thakur and
received much affection from him—his name was Mahananda Brahmachari. We saw
that lastly he came to Srila Guru Maharaj and said, 'Maharaj, I want to take
sannyas from you. Please give me sannyas.' Srila Guru Maharaj
gave it very happily and his name became Srila Bhakti Alok Paramahamsa
Maharaj."
Wed, 10 November 2021
What Do You Need?
"Those who desire the highest benefit need only one thing—the shelter of Sri
Nabadwip Dham; their duty is to take shelter at the holy lotus feet Sri Gaura
Nityananda; their duty is to serve Their Name, holy dham, and
desire."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Thu, 11 November 2021
Golden Time
for Golden Purpose
"I know you have taken initiation from Gurudev, I know you are serving
Gurudev eternally (strictly every day without fail), you are worshipping the
Lord eternally, you are chanting the kirtans eternally, but are you
using your golden time to serve the Lord or to do something for your own
self?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 13 December 2019 | Bengali)
Do Not Waste Your
Time
"When you come to Gurudev and practise under his guidance, you should
think that having finished your 84 lakhs of lives you do not have to
return there."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min)
Procrastination
Is the Thief of Time
"My question is when are you coming to India to stay here permanently, to
serve Gurudev's Mission? We must think what is necessary for us, what we have
got this body for, what we have got this life for."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 3 min | 20 September 2015)
The Wheel of Time
"One day this whole world will also be demolished. After that, Krishna will
be again alone. He will make Brahma, and Brahma will again create this
environment. Everything will appear again..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 2 min | 19 July 2013)
Now Is the
Time
"Do you think that you can chant the Holy Name and serve Deities or the Lord
in any birth? This lifetime is a great opportunity, the best opportunity—you
have got a human body now, and now is the perfect time to serve devotees and
Vaishnavs."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 4 January 2020)
No More Wasting
Time
"Now, all countries are one by one lifting lockdown and we are again getting
chance to preach and do sankirtan—we must restart our preaching. As it
is, we have already lost almost six months of our spiritual time, we do not
want to lose another moment."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | 6 September 2020)
Fri, 12 November 2021
Emerging from
Darkness
"Sixty thousand sages did a sacrifice for one thousand years(!), but even
then they did not feel happy at heart. In the end, Sri Suta Goswami came
there and explained that happiness was possible only through chanting the
Holy Name. You must always keep this as the object of your eternal
meditation."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 13 December 2019 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Ashtami. Disappearance of Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami, Srila Dhananjay
Pandit, and Srila Srinivas Acharya Prabhu. Sri Gopashtami, Sri
Goshthastami, Go Puja, and Go Gras-dan.
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 Gadadhar Das
Goswami:
Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami, an eternal associate of Sriman Mahaprabhu and
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, resided on the bank of the Ganges. In Sri
Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, he is stated to be the incarnation of bodily
beauty of Srimati Radharani. Although he was a follower of Sriman Nityananda
Prabhu, he did not manifest sakhya-rasa, instead he manifested the
mood of a gopi—sitting on the bank of the Ganges, he would scoop some
Ganges water into a pot and cry out with a laugh, "Who wants to buy some
milk?", "Who wants to buy some yoghurt?"
When Sriman Mahaprabhu ordered Sriman Nityananda Prabhu to preach Krishna
consciousness in Bengal, He sent Sri Ram-das and Sri Gadadhar-das to
Gauda-desh with Sriman Nityananda Prabhu.
Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur describes a pastime in which Sri Gadadhar Das
Goswami delivers the Kazi of Endiyadaha who vehemently opposed
sankirtan:
One day, overwhelmed by divine love for the Lord, Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami
came to the house of Kazi chanting sankirtan and said, "Where is that
Kazi? Come, chant the Holy Name at once, otherwise I will cut your neck!"
Furious, Kazi came out to him, but seeing the divine form and mood of Sri
Gadadhar Das Goswami, he became astounded and his anger subsided. Kazi said
then,
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to speak to you," answered Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami.
"What do you want to say?" asked Kazi.
"Gaura-Nityananda have appeared on this earth and are giving the Holy Name to
anyone and everyone, but why are you not taking this nectarian Holy
Name?"
"Go home, I will take it tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Why not today? I have come to give you the Holy Name and to rescue
you. Take this supremely beneficial Holy Name! It will rescue you from all
your sins today!"
Kazi felt embarrassed to refuse him, so he sniggered, "Well, I will say
'Hari' tomorrow."
Then, hearing Kazi say 'Hari', Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami became
overwhelmed by divine love and said, "Now why tomorrow? You have just said
'Hari'! All your sins have been removed, you have become supremely pure."
Saying this, Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami began to dance.
In this way, Kazi became purified and took shelter at the lotus feet of
Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami. At the end, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur concludes,
"Saintly persons did not want to be touched by the air that touched the Kazi,
for they felt that such contact would make them lose their caste. Yet
Gadadhar Das Mahasaya glanced mercifully on that most sinful Kazi, who took
away the caste of any Hindu he encountered. When such a person gives up his
envious nature, it is to be understood that this is the potency of Krishna
consciousness."
This was how Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami delivered many sinners and inauspicious
people by bestowing the Holy Name upon them.
Sri Gadadhar Das
Goswami
"Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami is an eternal associate of Sriman Mahaprabhu and
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. At first, he lived in Katwa, and later, after
Mahaprabhu's disappearance, he moved to a village on the bank of the
Ganges...."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min)
In honour of Srila Dhananjay
Pandit:
"Dhananjay Pandita was an extraordinary devotee, and Nityananda always
resided in his heart. He is the sixteenth dear servant of Nityananda Prabhu
and he was very much renounced and always merged in love of Krishna. Srila
Bhakti Siddhanta Swaraswati Thakur writes in his Anubhasya, 'Dhananjay
Pandit was a resident of the village in Katwa named Sitala (Burdwan
district). He was one of the twelve gopalas. His former name,
according to the Sri Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (127), was Vasudama. It
is said that for some time Dhananjay Pandit was in a sankirtan party
under the direction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and then he went to
Vrindavan. After returning from Vrindavan to Sitala-gram, he established a
Deity of Gaurasundara in the temple. The descendants of Dhananjay Pandit
still live in Sitala-gram and look after the temple worship."
In honour of Srila Srinivas
Acharya prabhu:
Appearance of Acharya
Srinivas
"Having received Mahaprabhu's blessing and mercy, Chaitanya Das and his wife
returned to their house in Gaura-desh. Their son was born and, seeing his
beautiful son, Chaitanya Das immediately declared, 'I will give this son to
the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu for His service.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min)
Acharya Srinivas:
Collecting Mercy
"Srinivas Acharya received Sri Narahari Thakur and Govinda Gosh Thakur's
mercy from his childhood. Later, when Acharya Srinivas's father left his
body, Srinivas and his mother then came to his mother's family house in
Jajigram..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min)
Acharya Srinivas:
Rescuing Scriptures
"So many things are written about Acharya Srinivas. There is a famous pastime
of Srila Srinivas Acharya and Raja Birhambir. Srila Srinivas Acharya, Srila
Narottam Das Thakur, and Srila Shyamananda Prabhu were once travelling with
all the books of Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami, and
others..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 5 min)
Time for Sravan
"You must see the sadhu with your ears, because you cannot see a
sadhu with your eyes. This is actually not a place for play or
tourism, this is a place for sravan and kirtan. You must listen
with your heart. One time, Acharya Srinivas was sitting with Narottam Das Thakur in one place..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min)
In Praise of Srila Narottam Das Thakur(From Affectionate Guidance, chapter 17) Narottam Thakur's close associates and peers were Syamananda and Srinivas.
These three great devotees were sent back to Bengal to continue the preaching
of Mahaprabhu. The Bengali Vaisnavas were very eager to read the writings of
Sri Rupa, Sanatan, Raghunath, Krishna Das Kaviraj, Lokanath Goswami, Gopal
Bhatta Goswami, Prabhodananda Saraswati and the other Goswamis; so Narottam,
Syamananda and Srinivas travelled from Vrindavan towards Bengal with many
copies of those great books...
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..."
"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."
Sat, 13 November 2021
Leaving Maya's
Shelter
"If some fortunate soul can come to take shelter at the holy lotus feet of
Sri Guru severing the illusory bondage and keeping themselves in Guru's
service, then they are very fortunate. There is no one in this world more
fortunate than them."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 13 December 2019 | Bengali)
In honour of Sri Damodar
Month (20 October–19 November):
Damodar Month
"This Kartik month (Damodar month) is Krishna's dearmost month. There is
Radha-Damodar temple near our Vrindavan temple and every Kartik we go for
parikrama in Vrindavan. This year also we have a great wish to start
Vrindavan parikrama in Damodar month."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | 25 October 2018)
Month of
Service—Life of Service
"Today Kartik-vrata, or niyom-seva, starts. Our temple observes it from
purnima to purnima, and some other temples do it from
dvadasi to dvadasi. One day I asked Gurudev what
niyom-seva meant..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.4 Mb, 14 min | 13 October 2019)
Damodarastakam
"We sing Damodarastakam about the pastimes of the Lord written by
Satyavrata Muni every Kartik month. That is a very important song in our
spiritual life."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min | 25 October 2018)
Attend to
Kirtan—Attain Kirtan
"Who can understand these songs? We cannot even understand 'trnad api
sunichena...' then can we proceed to the other songs? If we want to chant
the Name of Krishna, then we must become like this—trnad api
sunichena...—as we sing in this kirtan."
• Download
(0.7 Mb, 2 min | 7 November 2012 | Bengali)
Kartik Month Kirtans: Following the tradition established at Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Math, after the regular morning and evening kirtans, the following
kirtans are chanted every day:
Morning: •Damodarastakam "To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence,
knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro,
who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who is quickly
running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of Mother Yasoda, but who has
been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater speed—to that
Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances."
• Download •Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama (nadiya-nagare nitai) "In the towns and villages of Nadia, Lord Nityananda ecstatically dances
and sings these names of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: Lord Chaitanya is the
beloved son of Jagannath Misra; He is Mahaprabhu, the great master,
protector, and maintainer of the whole world...."
• Download •Sri Krsner Vimsottara-sata-Nama-Sankirtana (nagare nagare gora gay) "From village to village Lord Gaura sings these names of Sri Krishna:
Krishna is the baby who feeds on the breast of Mother Yasoda. He is the son
of Maharaj Nanda, dark blue like and indra-nila gem, and the life of the
residents of Vraja."
• Download
Sun, 14 November 2021 (Tomorrow is Sri Utthan Ekadasi)
Sitting on Two
Chairs
"There are gurus in this world who say, 'We do not prohibit anything. Eat and
do whatever your soul pleases.' First know who you are, then do what your
soul wants. Always remember this. But what is the use saying all this?... How
long I have been telling you all this..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 13 December 2019 | Bengali)
Mon, 15 November 2021 (Sri Utthan Ekadasi)
Deep Chastity
"No matter what you do and how much you do, if the Guru is angry, nobody can
protect you. I must understand, 'I have taken shelter in a person, and as
long as I stay in that shelter, even the Lord cannot do anything to me.'
Remember what I am telling you all the time. Become surrendered..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | 13 December 2019 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Ekadashi. Sri Utthan Ekadashi. Fast. Disappearance of Om
Vishnupad Paramahamsa Sri Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj.
Appearance of Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj.
Sri Bhishma Panchaka.
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. If you
remember the glories of Vaishnavs, if you speak about the glories of
Vaishnavs, they can rescue you from all kinds of material bondage. We have
heard a hundred times that if we glorify Vaishnavs, it gives great benefit,
but even though we have heard it a thousand times, how much are we able to
glorify Vaishnavs from our heart? How much can we serve Vaishnavs with heart
and soul? This is the question."
In honour of Srila Gaura Kishor
Das Babaji Maharaj:
namo gaurakisoraya bhaktavadhuta murtaye
gauranghri padma-bhrngaya radha-bhava-nisevine
"I offer my obeisance unto the divine form of the devotee-avadhut Srila
Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj, who is a honey-bee at Sri Gaurasundar's lotus
feet and a servant of Srimati Radharani imbued with deep loving
attachment."
SRI NABADWIP DHAM MAHATMYA MUKTA MALA :
ANTARDWIP
Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj's Samadhi Mandir "Before, I knew that anyone who assumes a human form is as contemptible
and vile as myself, but when I observed the character of my Lord [Srila Gaura
Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj], I could gradually understand that a perfect
Vaishnav could exist in this world. Through the words and pastimes of saintly
persons such deficient jiva souls as myself can become enriched in many ways.
Hearing about the character of saintly persons and their pastimes can cleanse
many unsaintly hearts. With this hope I am writing a few words about
Paramahamsa Babaji."
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)
Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj
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...."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.1 Mb, 15 min | 17 November 2010)
Srila
Gaurakishoradas Babaji Maharaj
(An article written by Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad and published in the Harmonist in honour of the disappearance day of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj)
"We cannot be eligible for the discipleship of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode,
whom we may be disposed to honour on account of his display of scientific
scholarship, unless we are cured of all our scholastic vanities through the
realisation of the knowledge of transcendence by unconditional submission to
the feet of Srila Gaurakishoradasa Babaji."
Sri
Srimad Gaura-Kishor-Namaskar Dasakam |
শ্রীশ্রীমদ্গৌরকিশোরনমস্কারদশকম্ "O Divine Master of my Divine Master, my most venerable preceptor, you are
supremely worshippable in the group of the foremost associates of Sri
Gauranga. Although I remain deep in the mud of offenses, I (a fallen soul) am
begging you for your causeless mercy. O Gaura Kisora, again and yet again do
I make my obeisance unto you."
In honour of Srila Bhakti Dayita
Madhav Goswami Maharaj:
Reforming
Others
Three educational stories from the life of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta
Saraswati Thakur and his disciple Sripad B.D. Madhav Maharaj.
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 5 min | 12 May 2012)
Guru
Consciousness, Service Consciousness
"I heard from Gurudev, one time it was Janmastami, and Madhav Maharaj (his
brahmachari name was Hayagriva Prabhu) had some service in Delhi, so
he had to travel by train on the Janmastami day...."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min | 25 December 2010)
SRI NABADWIP DHAM MAHATMYA MUKTA MALA :
ANTARDWIP
Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj's Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math "Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Maharaj was a very dear godbrother of the
Founder Acharya of our Math, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar
Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Before taking sannyas, Srila Madhav Maharaj's name was
Sri Hayagriva Brahmachari. We have heard about him from the lotus mouth of
our Srila Guru Maharaj..."
Continuous Service
"It happened after Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's time. One
time, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saranga
Goswami Maharaj and one more sannyasi—three disciples of
Prabhupad—were sitting in one room..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 5 min | 7 August 2011)
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?"
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..."
Accept and
Appreciate
"Whatever the Lord wishes, this is what will happen. You must always leave
everything to the Lord. However the Lord keeps you, whatever situation the
Lord creates, you must accept it. Do you understand it? Nothing is in our
hands. We are only His servitors."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 13 December 2019 | Bengali)
Wed, 17 November 2021
Sri Advaita Prabhu's Nityananda Stuti
"One day, Nityananda Prabhu came to have a meal in Sri Advaita Prabhu's
house... Mahaprabhu saw them and laughed thinking, 'Maha Vishnu and the Lord
have met, and They are having a fight!'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (7.4 Mb, 18 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali & Kirtan)
Thu, 18 November 2021
Sriman Mahaprabhu's Nityananda Stuti
"When Sriman Mahaprabhu was in Panihati, He sang in praise of Sri Nityananda
Prabhu. Mahaprabhu says, 'Those have faith for Nityananda Prabhu, actually
have faith in Me. You can never get Me without faith in Nityananda
Prabhu.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (7.4 Mb, 18 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali & Kirtan)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Chaturdashi. Disappearance of Srila Bhugarbha Goswami and Srila
Kashishvar 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. If you
remember the glories of Vaishnavs, if you speak about the glories of
Vaishnavs, they can rescue you from all kinds of material bondage. We have
heard a hundred times that if we glorify Vaishnavs, it gives great benefit,
but even though we have heard it a thousand times, how much are we able to
glorify Vaishnavs from our heart? How much can we serve Vaishnavs with heart
and soul? This is the question."
Fri, 19 November 2021
Approaching Nityananda Prabhu
"Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says, 'I am not fit to speak about
Nityananda Prabhu's glory, which are as sacred as the topics of the Vedas,
but I am speaking about it to reveal His mercy to the world. If there is any
fault in what I say, please forgive my offence.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Purnima. Rasa Yatra of Sri Krishna. Installation anniversary of Sri Sri Guru
Gauranga Gandharva Rasa Bihari Jiu, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Mission,
Sri Vrindavan. Disappearance of Srila Sundarananda Thakur. Appearance of
Srila Nimbarka Acharya. End of Chaturmasya and Niyama-seva vratas.
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."
In honour of Srila Sundarananda
Thakur:
"It is stated in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata that Sundarananda Prabhu was
an ocean of love of Godhead and the chief associate of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.
In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (127) he is stated to be Sudama in
Krsna-lila. Thus he was one of the twelve cowherd boys who came down
with Balarama when He descended as Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The holy place
where Sundarananda lived is situated in the village known as Mahespur
(Jessore, Bangladesh). Among the relics of this village, only the old
residential house of Sundarananda still exists. Sundarananda Prabhu was a
naisthika-brahmachari: he never married in his life. Therefore he had
no direct descendants except his disciples, but the descendants of his family
still reside in the village known as Mangaladihi in the district of Birbhum.
In that same village, there is a temple of Balarama, and the Deity there is
regularly worshiped. Sundarananda Prabhu is a branch of Sri Nityananda
Prabhu; he is Lord Nityananda's most intimate and chief servant. Lord
Nityananda Prabhu perceived the life of Vrajabhumi in his company."
In honour of Srila Nimbarka
Acharya:
"There is an enchanting place within Sri Nabadwip Dham called Bilvapaksa.
Everyone calls it Bel Pukhariya. Siva, the lord of bael, resides here. After
a group of noble brahmans satisfied him, having worshipped him with bael
leaves for a fortnight, Siva gave them the boon of devotion to Krishna.
Amongst the brahmans was Nimbaditya, who worshipped Siva exceptionally well.
Mercifully, Siva said to him, 'On the edge of this village is a divine bael
forest. The four Kumaras are meditating in that forest, and by their grace,
you will attain divine knowledge—they will be your Gurus, and through their
service, you will attain everything here.'
"Saying this, Siva disappeared. Nimbaditya then searched out that place and
there, in the bael forest, saw the sages Sanak, Sananda, Sanatan, and Sanat
Kumar seated on a beautiful platform beside Siva, unseen by others. They were
unclothed, very young, and of noble character. Greatly excited upon seeing
them, Nimbaditya Acharya happily called out, 'Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!'
Hearing the Name of the Lord, their meditation broke, and they saw the form
of a Vaisnava in front of them.
Seeing the Vaisnava, they were pleased, and one by one they embraced
Nimbaditya. 'Who are you? Why have you come here? Please introduce yourself.
We will certainly fulfil your prayers.' Hearing their words, Nimbaditya
prostrated and humbly introduced himself. Upon hearing Nimbarka's
introduction, Sri Sanat Kumar spoke with a smiling face. 'Knowing that
Kali-yuga would be dark, the merciful Lord decided to preach devotion. He
empowered four devotees and sent them to preach devotion throughout the
world. Ramanuja, Madhva Acharya, and Visnu Swami are three of them. You are
the fourth of these great devotees. Laksmi Devi accepted Ramanuja, Brahma
accepted Madhva Acharya, and Siva accepted Visnu Swami. Today, we have met
you personally. We will make you our disciple and thus become fortunate. This
is our purpose. Previously, we meditated on nonduality, but by the grace of
the Lord such sin has left us. We now understand that pure devotion is
supremely relishable, and we have written a scripture about it. Its name is
Sanat-kumara-samhita. You will certainly be initiated into its
teachings.'
Seeing the grace of his Guru, the wise Nimbarka immediately bathed in the
Ganga and returned. He prostrated himself and humbly said, 'O lord! Saviour
of the fallen! Deliver this lowly soul.' The four Kumaras gave him a mantra
to worship the Divine Couple and taught him how to worship on the path of
love. Receiving the mantra, Nimbaditya performed worship in this holy place
according to the teachings of the Sanat-kumara-samhita.
Mercifully, Radha and Krishna revealed Themselves to him, and the lustre of
Their forms illuminated the four directions. Gently smiling, They said, 'O
Nimbaditya, you are fortunate: you have performed worship here. Nabadwip is
very dear to Us. Here, We are present in one form as the son of Sachi Devi.'
As They spoke, They revealed Their form as Gauranga. Seeing this form,
Nimbaditya was overwhelmed. He said, 'I have never seen or heard of this
extraordinary form anywhere!' Mahaprabhu then mercifully said, 'O great soul,
for now, keep this form a secret. Preach devotion to Krishna and the Pastimes
of the Divine Couple. Their Pastimes are My greatest joy. When I appear in
the form of Gaura, I will find great pleasure in Pastimes of scholarship. At
that time, you will take birth in Kasmir and travel throughout the land of
Bharat, conquering all directions. Everyone, everywhere, will call you Kesava
Kasmiri and praise you for being highly learned. While travelling, you will
come to Nabadwip Dham and stay in the village of Mayapur. Hearing your name,
the greatest scholars in Nabadwip will flee. At that time, immersed in
Pastimes of scholarship, I will defeat you and feel great pleasure. By the
grace of Saraswati, you will understand My identity, take shelter of Me, and
give up your pride. Then, I will give you devotion and send you to preach
devotion again. So for now, satisfy Me by preaching the conception of
dualistic nondualism and keep My identity secret. When I start My sankirtan
Pastimes, I will preach the essence of your conception. I will accept two
essential principles from Madhva Acharya. One is his refutation of exclusive
nondualism. O great soul, know the second essential principle to be serving
Krishna's Deity form, knowing the Deity to be eternal. From Ramanuja, I will
take two essential principles: exclusive devotion and service to the
devotees. From Visnu Swami, I will accept two essential principles: surrender
to the Lord and the path of love. From you, I will accept two most essential
principles: taking shelter of Radharani exclusively and serving in the mood
of the gopis.' Saying this, Gaurachandra disappeared, and Nimbaditya cried
profusely with divine love.
Nimbaditya then bowed at the lotus feet of his Guru and travelled elsewhere,
intent upon preaching devotion to Krishna."
Sat, 20 November 2021
Know Your Place
"Those who have the right to do something, they can do it. Many imitate
Nityananda Prabhu and take two wives, for example. Those who have the right
can do that, they can eat everything, but you do not have this right to cross
the viddhi-marga. That is why we do not eat anything and everything
without discrimination..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Sun, 21 November 2021
Amidst 'Dal' and 'Gal'
"People want very good quality ghee and good quality of rice. They say, 'Oh,
I do not want to live at the temple! I would rather stay at home and eat
nice ghee and nice rice!' Our life is not eternal: we will have to leave one
day; but we are all eternal servants of Krishna, and not for two-three or
four days only. No. We are eternal servants."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Mon, 22 November 2021
Increase Your
Fortune
"We have to leave this world, but how much have you chanted the Holy Name?
How much have you listened to Hari-katha? You will have to answer these
questions. You have come to this holy abode of Nityananda Prabhu by a great
fortune."
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.2 Mb, 15 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Tue, 23 November 2021
Free Yourself
From Deceit
"In one or another, many do some service, and those who do service are very
fortunate. If you behave deceitfully and try to cheat, you can never succeed
like that—you cannot hide anything from Gurudev, you cannot hide anything
from Nityananda Prabhu."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Wed, 24 November 2021
Be Truthful,
Pious, and Sincere
"You wear tilaks, wear beads on your necks, but inside you do
wrong—one day, sooner or later, your character will be exposed. You will not
get anything by hiding something from the Lord, and you cannot hide anything
from Gurudev. What you do at your home or not do—Gurudev can understand
everything. When you come to practise Krishna consciousness and do something
wrong, keep some fault inside, then all fault falls on the body of your Guru.
Your Guru has to suffer for your wrongdoing..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
At Sri Ekachakra Dham: Evening Kirtans • Gurudev, bada krpa kari
• Krpa kara Vaisnava Thakura
• Parama Karuna pahu dui jana
• Emana durmati
• Janama saphala tara
• Jaya Radha Madhava
• Hare Krishna maha-mantra
•
Download/listen to the audio (15.3 Mb, 37 min | 23 February 2021 | Kirtan)
Thu, 25 November 2021
Chastity In
Preaching
"We must serve Gurudev—we must not use Gurudev. We have not
come here to do business, and we do not want to do anything covering up with
the name of Gurudev. We must preach in the same way that Gurudev preached,
and we must preach his teaching—we must understand properly, truly what
Gurudev's teaching and preaching mood are."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Be Straight and Open
"Sometimes Sriman Mahaprabhu also explained what is called vaishnavata,
qualities of a Vaishnav. Their mind will always be simple, their heart will
always be open—that is Vaishnavata. It is not good to have a crooked
('zigzag') mind or heart."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 22 September 2019)
Fri, 26 November 2021
Cry, Pray, and
Serve
"When will I leave material world and my mind become clean? When will
material desires be removed from me? We must always cry and pray for this. We
have become entangled in the material life just as ants get stuck in
molasses..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Sat, 27 November 2021
Service: Labour
of Love
"How many things one person must see to! Making temples, buildings is not a
big matter, but it is important to maintain them. It is necessary to have
service mood. Tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena, sevaya."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Sun, 28 November 2021
Service:
Adherence and Attachment
"There is no Krishna consciousness without anugatya. You must remember
this. If somebody practises Krishna consciousness without strict adherence
and devotion to a Guru, it is Maya (illusion). Krishna consciousness means we
must please our Gurudev."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Mon, 29 November 2021
Forging Fortune
"It is natural one will leave; rather, it is unnatural (uncommon) that one
would stay. How many people can stay at the temple? Who can tolerate the
austerities and practise Krishna consciousness, do service? Who has such a
fortune?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 2021 | Bengali)
Tue, 30 November 2021 (Sri Utpanna Ekadasi; tomorrow paran
is at 6:05-9:39 a.m.)
Concentrate Your Mind on Nityananda Prabhu's Service
"Many say, 'I will leave my family' by mouth, but in the meantime, the poison
of material life is slowly growing... but if you listen to what the Guru and
sadhus say and can put aside material desires—if Nitaichand gives His
mercy—then all desires will become trifle. Therefore, concentrate your mind
on the service of Nityananda Prabhu, always serve Nityananda Prabhu."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 25 February 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..."
'I may not be fully qualified, but Gurudev is the most qualified devotee,
a great Vaishnav, so if I have his association and have faith in him, he
can give everything to me.'