In honour of Sri Nrisinghadev, Sri Prahlad Maharaj:

In honour of Lord Buddha's appearance:

• SONG: Sri Dasavatar Stotram | দশাবতারস্তোত্রম্
"O Hari! O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! You have assumed the form of Buddha! All glory to You! Your heart filled with compassion, You decry the scriptural injunctions for animal sacrifice."

"At the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist." (Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.3.24)

In honour of Srila Srinivas Acharya Prabhu:

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...

Composed by Srila Srinivas Acharya:

• SONG: Sri Sad-Goswamy-Astakam | শ্রীশ্রীষড়্­গোস্বাম্যষ্টকম্
• Download / listen to the audio (4.5 Mb)

"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."

About Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj:

divyam dirgha-bhujaravinda-nayanam sarasvatam sundaram
tejo-dipta-vapur budhaika-suhrdam karbura-garvapaham
pasandasura-chanda-danda-dalanam dambhadri-dambholikam
vande vandya-kulabja-bhaskara-vibhum saranga-gosvaminam

"I offer my obeisance unto the beautiful follower of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Srimad Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj. He has a radiant form, long arms, and lotus eyes. He crushes the pride of the wicked and squashes the cruel oppression of the heretics and demons. He is like a thunderbolt on the mountain of hypocrisy. He is the sole friend of the intelligentsia and a shining sun above the lotus of the aristocracy."

(Composed by Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

"You should know who Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj is and what is our connection and relationship with him. You must remember this connection because without the knowledge of the relationship (sambandha-jnana), you will develop neither the knowledge of abhidheya (means to attain the goal) nor the knowledge of prayojana (the goal).

"Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj was a prominent disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur (his brahmachari name was Sri Aprakrita Prabhu). When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur entered his eternal pastimes, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj (Aprakrita Prabhu at the time), although a very senior brahmachari preacher, left brahmachari asram and went back to his house in a great distress. His birth place is in a village called Patrasayer — our Betur temple is situated nearby. After some time, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj come to Sri Aprakrita Prabhu and said, 'Prabhu, you are living a family life now, let it be, but if you stay here, who will preach Mahaprabhu's and Srila Prabhupad's conception in this world? You have so much qualification for service and preaching — you must come back.' Then, Srila Aprakrita Prabhu said, 'If you give me sannyas, then I will leave my home and family and come back.' Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave him sannyas and the name Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj. From that time, he came back to his preaching services.

"Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj began to preach in various places. Trying to fulfil the earnest desire of Srila Prabhupad to spread Krisna consciousness all over the world, Srila Goswami Maharaj even went to London, where he kept preaching and eventually, after much effort and having tolerated much austerity, managed to open a small centre. He also has a temple in Kolkata, Jalpaiguri and other places. In his lifetime, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj established twenty-four centres in various places — among them is a temple in Imlitala, Vrindavan, where Krisna was sitting when He decided that He would steal Radharani's heart and halo and appear as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj always helped our Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in various ways, especially during the parikrama and with collection. Later, he finally established this temple here, at the place where the first meeting of Sri Sri Gaura Nityananda Prabhu took place. Srila Sridhar Maharaj had come here together with Srila Goswami Maharaj to see the land, and he gave Srila Goswami Maharaj much advice on what kind of temple to make, on the size of the nat mandir, etc.

"After taking sannyas in 1940, he always kept in touch with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. Our Srila Gurudev — Om Visnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj — said:

"'Once, Srila Goswami Maharaj gave a very special lecture. He explained that he and other great preachers were active in all directions, but they all waited to see what Srila Sridhar Maharaj thought about the quality of their preaching style. He used the phrase simha avalokana (a lion's glance), saying, 'We are preaching over the whole world, but from time to time we look back to see whether Srila Sridhar Maharaj is happy with our preaching activities.' 'Simha avalokana' means when a lion goes some distance, it stops and looks behind to check the environment, then proceeds further, then again looks behind, and so on. In this way, Srila Goswami Maharaj described how all the preachers again and again looked towards Srila Guru Maharaj to see if their preaching had his approval. Srila Goswami Maharaj was the dearmost disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur — Srila Saraswati Thakur depended on his service. At the same time, although Srila Goswami Maharaj takes a unique position in Gaudiya Mission, he was very affectionate with our Srila Guru Maharaj. I have never seen him go against any decision of our Guru Maharaj — we can say he almost blindly followed whatever Guru Maharaj decided; but he was not a blind man — he had much faith in Guru Maharaj.'

"Moreover, one year, during the circumambulation of Vrindavan, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj personally worshipped Srila Sridhar Maharaj with one hundred and eight lamps, incense, etc., on the occasion of Srila Sridhar Maharaj's appearance day. Srila Goswami Maharaj performed this function, joined by many of his disciples and other godbrothers.

"Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj's godbrother and sannyas-guru, but it is remarkable what kind of respect he had for Srila Guru Maharaj. Every year, Srila Goswami Maharaj's disciples would arrange a very fine Vyasa-puja celebration on the appearance day of Srila Goswami Maharaj, and Srila Goswami Maharaj would personally go to Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math to invite Srila Sridhar Maharaj to come to his temple on that day. Srila Sridhar Maharaj usually did not go to other temples, but he would always come to the temple of Srila Goswami Maharaj (this very temple where we are sitting now). Srila Goswami Maharaj not only invited Srila Guru Maharaj — he would give whatever presentations, whatever donations or gifts he had received from his disciples on that day to his sannyas-guru, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

"One year, showing a pastime of feeling unwell, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj could not come to the festival in honour of Srila Goswami Maharaj's appearance, and that day, Srila Goswami Maharaj said, 'Srila Sridhar Maharaj has been coming every year, and I have been getting one more year of life, but since he could not come this year, I think I will not be alive next year.' And this is what happened — a few months later, on 26 May 1964, Srila Goswami Maharaj entered his eternal pastimes.

"After him, the acharya of the temple was Srila Bhakti Suhrid Akinchan Goswami Maharaj. He loved my Srila Gurudev very much. In 1995, when we were celebrating a grand festival in honour of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's centenary anniversary, Srila Gurudev ordered me, 'Srila Bhakti Suhrid Akinchan Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhakti Kumud Shanta Goswami Maharaj wanted to come, so go to Mayapur and bring them here.' I took a driver and brought Srila Shanta Maharaj and Srila Akinchan Maharaj to our temple in the Ambassador car (the one that is still kept in our temple in Nabadwip)."

(From Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)

Reviving Srila Prabhupad's Preaching
"...At that time Srila Sridhar Maharaj decided to go to Vrindavan and do bhajan, but when he got some akash dhvani, "What did I give you sannyas for? For your own self?" he hurried away from Vrindavan..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min)

The Root of Our Fortune
"Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj came in this world to rescue us, and he created our Guru—by his grace we have got shelter of our bona fide Guru. So, we must worship his lotus feet."
• Download / listen to the audio (7.6 Mb, 22 min)

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)

• 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: 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! It is not possible to conquer maya by engaging in maya. I see no other way to get relief except for the mercy of sadhus."

• 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: 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?"

Our Plight and Plea
"We have a chaitya-guru in our heart, and we constantly pray, 'When will Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu give some mercy to me? When will I get the shelter of Guru and Vaishnavs?' We cannot reach the Lord (our real home) without Guru and Vaishnavs."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 10 min| 31 January 2021)

Wealth of Nanda Maharaj's Yard
"You must worship the Lord through sankirtana-yajna. Practise singing devotional songs, it is good for you. Always remember the Lord and His devotees. Sing five songs in the morning, five songs in the evening—practise in this way, and it will give you much energy for service."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 31 January 2021)

Pure Sambandha
"We cannot see, 'He is my master, and I am his servant' because we do not have this kind of eyes—our eyes are full of dust, full of ego, full of all kinds of illusion. But the problem is that we hold onto our ego..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 31 January 2021)

Blessing In Disguise
"Krishna will give so much austerity, but 'sukhe duhkhe bhule nako' (in happiness or distress, never forget the Lord)! When you are sad, you only think about Krishna, but when you are happy, you do not remember or pray to Krishna. So, Krishna always tests us..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 31 January 2021)

In honour of Srila Ramananda Ray Prabhu:

Sri Ramananda Ray Prabhu
[By His Divine Grace Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
"Ramananda Ray was very strong and a very good administrator. He controlled the whole situation and the whole atmosphere after Mahaprabhu's disappearance and gave full nourishment to the devotees. Ramananda Ray stayed alive until finally, today, when everything had become peaceful and settled, he also disappeared..."

Hari-Katha in Sri Kovvur (Godavari): Part One
"We are very fortunate to be able to come here for the first time, to be able to visit this place. I have no qualification, I am a very fallen soul, but by the mercy of devotees, I have come here with you all and I can pay obeisance such a great place as this..."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 10 min | 5 January 2019)

Hari-Katha in Sri Kovvur (Godavari): Part Two
"Today we are briefly reading the chapter that describes the meeting of Raya Ramananda and Mahaprabhu. Listen to it properly, it is the highest conception. 'Mahaprabhu was bathing and chanting the Holy Name, and at that time Ramananda Ray came—he came very gorgeously, with a band and party.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 5 January 2019)

Hari-Katha in Sri Kovvur (Godavari): Part Three
"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then embraced Sri Ramananda Ray very firmly. Their natural love for each other was awakened in them both, and they embraced and fell to the ground."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 5 min | 5 January 2019)

Hari-Katha in Sri Kovvur (Godavari): Sri Ramananda Sambad
"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Ramananda Ray, 'Recite a verse from the revealed scriptures concerning the ultimate goal of life.' Ramananda replied, 'Devotion to the Lord is the execution of the prescribed duties of one's social position'..."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 12 min | 5 January 2019)

Hari-Katha in Sri Kovvur (Godavari): Sri Ramananda Ray's Answers
"Later, Mahaprabhu again met with Ramananda Ray, and this time Mahaprabhu asked questions and Ramananda Ray gave answers... In the end, Ramananda Ray said, 'My dear Lord, please give up all these serious talks. Please do not conceal Your real form from me.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | 5 January 2019)

Hari-Katha in Sri Kovvur (Godavari): Sri Ramananda Ray's Expertise
"Later, when Ramananda Ray stayed in Puri, one day a brahman named Pradyumna Misra came to Mahaprabhu and asked Him if he could hear Krishna-katha from Him. Mahaprabhu replied, 'I do not know Krishna-katha. Go to Ramananda Ray...'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 5 January 2019 | + Kirtan)

At Ramananda Ray's Garden
"Pradyumna Misra came to Mahaprabhu and asked, 'Prabhu, can You speak some Krishna-katha?' Mahaprabhu replied, 'I do not know so much, but Ramananda Ray knows more than Me...'"
• Download / listen to the audio (0.8 Mb, 3 min)

• 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: 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! It is not possible to conquer maya by engaging in maya. I see no other way to get relief except for the mercy of sadhus."

• 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: 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?"

Unconditional Life
"It is like selling ghee mixed with dalda. You think, 'No problem! I can commit sins the whole day and I will chant some Holy Names in the evening—all the sins will be removed!' If you think you can make the same offence day after day and as Gurudev is merciful he will forgive all offences, it is not good. We must try to serve Gurudev without any offence."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 31 January 2021)

Jewel of Sincerity
"We say we are searching for Sri Krishna, but in lieu of that we are searching for boys and girls. These are very hard words for me to say. If you want a wife, go outside and take some girl from outside, why do you do this at the temple?"
• Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 8 min | 31 January 2021)

"Guru-mukha-padma-vakya chitete kariya aikya"
"I was at a programme the day before yesterday, and I was telling them that I had read a lecture of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur where somebody asked a question, 'What is good association? What is not good association?'"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 5 min | 7 February 2021)

Internal and Eternal
"First, it is necessary to have sraddha. It is not necessary to show externally how much faith for the Lord you have—the question is how much faith do you have for your Guru, for your Master and for the worshippable Lord internally? However, the problem is our ego..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 7 February 2021)

In honour of Sripad Santosh Krishna Das-Adhikari Prabhu:

"Many do not know about the service of late Sripad Santosh Krishna Prabhu and he himself also during his life often said that he had not been able to become even an insignificant servant of the Math; but seeing how strong was his attachment to the interest of the Math in the many small services he did, it puts us to shame now. He never once even saw the accounts of his material property; neither did he ever try to increase his wealth even by a cent; but it is inconceivable how much this person tried, with heart and soul, to collect and beg for the Math. Nobody ordered him, nobody encouraged him—he took care of the Math's various paraphernalia like an expert householder of his own accord, he would be always seen very busy with all kinds of works of the Math; at the same time, he never once gave anyone even a slightest hint of the service and works he was doing. Some of us help the Math's preaching with some money, etc., give physical labour, but if we do not see any mention about us in a newspaper column, at the preachers' assembly at a holy dham, or in an eulogy written by Sri Guru and Vaishnavs, then we decide, 'There is no use serving the Math. They are prejudiced. They do not praise me, do not give me 'jay', so I better rough it at home than waste time, money and life for the interest of the Math.' However, the great soul who we have mentioned before, gave so much money for the service of 'Jayasri', continuously toiling as a low menial worker—it is impossible to mention everything. However, he never once said anything that would give a slightest hint that he wanted to see his praise in a newspaper column or even more so to see his name included in the Math's Calendar; but we have seen that his effort to look after the interests of the Math was gradually making him great."

(Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj, Guidance, Volume 3)

On passing away of Sripad Santosh Prabhu
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj's written statement addressing the worldwide devotee community in relation to the passing away of Sripad Santosh Krishna Prabhu, written on 2 June 2016.

Photo Album: In Honour of Sripad Santosh Prabhu
(45 photographs, 5.3 Mb)
A dedicated photo album prepared in memory and honour of Sripad Santosh Krishna Prabhu whose glories devotees remember and worship today all over the world.

Gaudiya Darshan: The Wonderful Nature of the Vaisnava
"There is no doubt that our Guru is supreme in our life, but the Vaisnava is also not less than that. The Vaisnava can give us Krsna. Guru always lives on a higher level of honour, but the Vaisnava is the general helper for the conditioned soul. The Vaisnava's position is very merciful for the conditioned soul. The Vaisnavas also very affectionately try to help each other..." >>>

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?"

Clearing the Path
"I am not saying I am perfect, so when I say something to you, I am giving advice to myself. If I tell, tell, tell, then one day I too will become clean. I know that all these things are easier said than done. So, I am saying all this for my own benefit."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | 7 February 2021)

Cause of All Causes
"We show so much devotion externally, but how much love and attachment to our Gurudev do we have internally? How much time do we give to him every day? Every day, we work the whole day running behind some kanak, kamini, pratistha, but do you have any time to spare for the Lord, for your Gurudev?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 7 February 2021)

In honour of Sri Chaitanya-Vyas Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur:

~ Pranam-mantra ~ dasa-vrndavanam vande krsna-dasa-prabhum tatha chhannavatara-chaitanya-lila-vistara-karinau dvau nityananda-padabja-karuna-renu-bhusitau vyakta-chchhannau budhachintyau vavande vyasa-rupinau sri-guru-gaura-gandharva-govindas cha ganaih saha jayanti pathakas chatra sarvesam karunarthinah "I offer my obeisances to Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, who made public the pastimes of the hidden avatar, Sri Chaitanya. They were both adorned with the mercy-dust of the lotus feet of Nityananda. I offer my obeisances to these two inconceivable sages who assumed the form of Vyasadeva, one—explicitly (Vrindavan Das Thakur), another—hiddenly (Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami). Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda and Their associates are ever victorious and we, the students, pray for Their mercy." (Composed by Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur
His holy birthplace (Mamgachhi), his holy Deities (Sri Sri Gaura Nitai), his holy pastimes place (haritaki tree), and his holy samadhi (Denur)...

Land of Childhood Pastimes of Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur [From Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-Mukta-Mala] [75 Mb]
An extensive chapter about the pastimes and glory of Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur and two special profound dedicated articles presented in the book from the previous publications of our Math.

Under a Haritaki Tree
"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..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 8 min | 31 December 2012)

Clasping Nityananda Prabhu's Feet
"Nityananda is nondifferent from Guru-tattva: without mercy of the Guru you cannot get the mercy of Krishna. When will Nityananda Prabhu give me some mercy? When will He be compassionate to me and relieve me from the mundane illusion?"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min | 20 October 2015)

Vrindavan Das Thakur: A Life of Chastity
"Vrindavan Das Thakur is a disciple of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and is the main servitor of Nityananda Prabhu. He has so much chastity for Him..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 18 May 2015)

Composed by Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur:

• SONG: Nitai amara dayara avadhi | নিতাই আমার দয়ার অবধি
"O brothers! My Lord Nitai's mercy is limitless! Bestowing His mercy upon the souls of this world He wanders from place to place perpetually offering the great treasure of ecstatic spiritual love to all."

• SONG: Bimala hema-jini | বিমল হেমজিনি
"His spotless figure defeats pure gold! Various flowers garlands adorn Him highlighting His beauty, and, in His ecstatic thrill, the hairs on His body standing erect defeat the stamens of kadamba flowers! His body is covered with drops of perspiration..."

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."

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj about fasting on ekadasi and accepting material facilities:

"My Guru Maharaj (Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur) always wanted maximum energy: you should take good food and do good service. That was his maxim. Krishna is not a liquidated party: take full prasadam and do full service. Do maximum service, and you should take whatever is necessary for that. You are to take it for the cause of Krishna, not for your own cause. You are Krishna's, so if you grow weak, His service will be hampered, and both you and Krishna will be losers thereby. 'My soldiers will be well-fed and well-working.' That was our Guru Maharaj's principle. Napoleon said, 'One full-fed soldier is equal to ten half-fed soldiers.'

"So, prasad-seva: if it is service, then it must be taken in a serving mood, of course. But, at the same time, the individual position of a devotee should be taken into consideration. Sahajiyas do not fast on ekadasi at all: "Oh, we are in Vrindavan, and there is no fasting in Vrindavan." But Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Srila Prabhupad did not like that—it is sahajiya (imitation) if you go on feeding your senses in the name of Krishna-bhakti (devotion to the Lord). For the service to Krishna, it is necessary to keep up the body and to provide nourishment to it, so we must take what is necessary for service. We do not like it if by fasting, a loss of energy is effected. If fasting does not hamper your service, you may go on fasting—perhaps, your Gurudev wanted that...

"For service, I must accept what is necessary to make me physically fit so that I can render more service. So, accepting material things is not objectionable. It is fruitful, not detrimental. Rather, it produces something of a pure character, which helps everyone. This is how a disciple receives and accepts things. At that same time, he may even blame himself, 'I cannot go on with my worldly life without the help of this or that!' He will blame himself, but the underlying spirit must be, 'If I do not take it, I shall be unfit; I will not be able to do my bit of service to the Lord, to my Gurudev.'

"Moreover, by taking up renunciation, I will be a loser. I will incur a loss for myself, for the world, and my Guru's service will be hampered. In this spirit, devotees are to take everything. For the cause of Krsna, for the cause of his Guru, they will accept anything.

"Suppose there is a very miserly karmachari (manager). Because he does not want to spend money, he may not attain a particular result; then, some difficulty comes, and the opportunity is lost. This manager will be responsible to the proprietor: 'Why did you not spend money? Why are you afraid of spending money from my store? Because of your miserly habit, the opportunity has been lost!' 'Why should you not spend My money for My interest?' So, to render service to Krishna, to my Gurudev, to Vaishnavs, to the world, to everyone, I must keep up this mundane body, and I am entitled to take something for that.

"Miserliness is mayavada; it is the renunciation spirit, and it will mar Krishna's interest. What we need is yukta-vairagya: I shall take from the store of Krishna to keep myself fit and to do service. It is Krishna's account, and if I do dot do that, I should be a separationist, a mayavadi, a renunciationist. I shall render maximum service to Krishna, and I must take without any hestitation whatever is necessary to make myself fit for the service; otherwise, I shall be punishable."

"You do not need to know the meaning of each ekadasi tithi because if you know it, you will want to get this result, that result, etc."

(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)

Do Not Be Disheartened
"Those who cannot bodily join Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama this year, can make this parikrama from their house. Do not be disheartened. If you have a great desire and a great fortune, you will be able to join Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama next year."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 7 February 2021)

Forthcoming Festivals
"You can come and join Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. You have a great fortune to do so. Join, it is good for you. We are inviting you all—if you cannot come physically, you can join this festival through your heart, through your mind."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.2 Mb, 10 min | 7 February 2021)

On Importance of Chastity
"You have a soul, and you have a relationship with the Lord. Krishna says that He is chaste to His devotees, and if you want to be a devotee of Lord Krishna, then you too must have chastity. We sometimes want to please our parents, husbands, wives, but Krishna says, 'If you please Me, you will please everybody.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (4.3 Mb, 11 min | 7 February 2021)

Study and Learn
"Gurudev always said: I am teaching so many things, but what have they understood? Somebody has been reading Ramayan the whole year, and after that they ask, 'Whose father was Sita Devi?' I have been teaching them Mahaprabhu's conception (be humble, tolerant, and give honour to others), and one year later they are asking such questions..."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | 7 February 2021)

Remembering Their Lordships Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Madan-mohan jiu at Dum Dum Park, Kolkata:

jayatam suratau pangor mama manda-mater gati
mat-sarvasva-padambhojau radha-madana-mohanau

'All glory to the merciful Sri Sri Radha-Madan Mohan! Though I am lame and wicked, They are my sole shelter, and Their lotus feet are everything to me.'

Holy Vasanta Panchami Day
"(1) Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi Prabhu was the incarnation of King Vrisabhanu, and he is a great Vaishnav. (2) Nobody has been able to trace when Sri Vishnupriya Devi left this world. We have not heard it mentioned anywhere in the scriptures. We only know the avirbhav of Sri Vishnupriya Devi..."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.2 Mb, 10 min | 14 February 2021)

Extraordinary Qualities of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami
"Everybody must think about Srila Raghunath Das Goswami's lifestyle, how much austerity he faced. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami is a very extraordinary personality. He was extremely humble, tolerant, and always gave honour to others."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.3 Mb, 8 min | 14 February 2021)

Hanker and Aspire
"If we try to get even one tiny drop of his mercy, that is sufficient for us. We always pray for his mercy because without the mercy of such Vaishnavs we cannot proceed in our spiritual life. We say these things, and it is very easy to say, but it is very hard to do this."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 5 min | 14 February 2021)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!"

Keep Your Head at Vaishnavs' Lotus Feet
"Whether you are staying in a hot area or in a cold area where there is snow, it is not a problem—wherever you are, you must practise properly. We must pray for the mercy of Vaishnavs. Always sing, 'Kripa koro Vaishnav Thakur!'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 14 February 2021)

"Please Forgive Me"
"I do not have any devotion, any qualities or qualification to serve You! I am a fallen soul, and I am always torturing You so much (I cannot serve You properly)... I always make offences to You, but I am begging You to please forgive me my offences."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 3 min | 14 February 2021)

Renounce Pride, Not Practice
"We can read. Reading is not bad. And if you do not read, it is also not bad—then it will be jnana-sunya bhakti, 'I do not want to know anything, I only know service.' Other than this, reading is not a problem, but we must remember that we should not become proud."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 14 February 2021)

Lord's Arrangement
"Gurudev said from time to time, 'If one door closes, another door will open.' This is my hope. If some devotees do not help, it is not a problem—Krishna arranges everything for His service Himself."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 21 February 2021)

Service Field
"In the coming three-four days, thousands and thousands of people will come and take prasadam every day here at the Ekachakra Temple. You also contribute to this festival from far away, it is good for you, and it pleases Lord Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (9.4 Mb, 23 min | 21 February 2021)

Gist of Guru-Mahima
"Try to understand the meaning of these words. That is Guru-Mahima (glories of Sri Guru), and that came from Mahaprabhu's lotus mouth. Even Lord Brahma worships Nityananda Prabhu. And now, so many devotees have come to the holy appearance place of this Nityananda Prabhu..."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.6 Mb, 2 min | 21 February 2021)

Eternal Bond with Sri Ekachakra Dham
"I know many cannot come this year because of the situation, what can I say? It makes me very sad, and I miss them, but I hope that they will celebrate this day in their own centres, at their own homes. Every house should make a programme on this day, that is our happiness because we cannot conceive of anything in our life without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 21 February 2021)

In honour of Sri Baladev Vidyabhusan:

Protected Journey [A chapter from Dignity of the Divine Servitor, by His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.]
"...This is the history of the Govinda-bhasya, and this is how Baladev Vidyabhusana made his commentaries. Since that time Baladev Vidyabhusana, though he was a young man, has been worshipped by the Gaudiya-Vaisnava-sampradaya. His contribution is our wealth."

Instructing Spiritual Masters [A chapter from Sri Guru and His Grace, by His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj.]
"Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan's contribution to the sampradaya is no less important than that of the other great stalwarts in the line. Baladev Vidyabhusan was very akin to the Madhva sampradaya, but when he came in connection with Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur, he showed great interest in Gaudiya–Vaisnavism. He has also commented on the Srimad Bhagavatam and Jiva Goswami's Sat-sandarbha, and that enlightened thought is a valuable contribution to our sampradaya. We cannot dismiss him, he is our Guru."

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu said: "O Jiva, there is no need for a separate commentary on the Brahma-sutra now. The Bhagavatam explains the sutras and is considered the sutras' natural commentary. In time, when there is a need for another commentary, the Sri Govinda-bhasya will be revealed. Sarvabhauma's relative, Gopinath Acharya, heard the Lord's commentary with Sarvabhauma. In time, by the will of the Lord, he will take birth as Baladev Vidyabhusan and conquer Jaipur. There, he will compose a commentary spoken by Sri Govinda, serve the feet of Gauranga, and deliver the souls."

(Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya, chapter 4)

• SONG: Sri Guru Parampara | শ্রীগুরুপরম্পরা
"The foremost devotees of Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur are Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan and Srila Jagannath Das Babaji. Their dear follower is Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur. His associate is the best of the topmost devotees, Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji, whose sole joy is Sri Hari's service."

In honour of Sri Ganga Mata Goswamini:

Ganga Mata Goswamini
"There was once a young girl, a daughter of a good Odisha king, who got much mercy from Jagannath. She always served in the Jagannath temple—made garlands and did whatever other service there was..."
• Download/listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 5 min | 24 September 2009)

In honour of Sri Ganga Mayi:

When the Lord came to the boundary of Antardwip, He showed Sri Ganga Nagar to Jiva. Nityananda Prabhu said, "Listen Jiva, this is Ganga Nagar. It was established by Maharaj Bhagirath, a forefather of Lord Ramachandra. When the Ganga, who is also known as Bhagirathi, came here, Maharaj Bhagirath went ahead of her blowing a conch. Arriving in Nabadwip Dham, the Ganga stopped, and Maharaj Bhagirath saw that she would not proceed. Overwhelmed with fear, Maharaj Bhagirath retraced his course and came before the Ganga. He stayed in Ganga Nagar and began to perform austerities. Pleased by them, Ganga personally appeared before him. Maharaj Bhagirath said, 'O Mother, if you do not continue, my ancestors will never be delivered.' Ganga said, 'Listen, my child, O heroic Bhagirath! Peacefully stay here for some time. We have come to Nabadwip Dham in the month of Magh. At the end of Phalgun, I will deliver your ancestors. O Bhagirath, I am the water that washes the feet of the Lord. Here in His abode, I will first fulfil my own desires. The full moon day in Phalgun is the birthday of the Lord, and I should perform a rite on that day. I will complete this rite, and then certainly I will go with you. Do not be afraid.' Maharaj Bhagirath resided in Ganga Nagar until the full moon day in Phalgun. Anyone who stays in Ganga Nagar on the full moon day in Phalgun, bathes in the Ganga, fasts, and worships Sri Gauranga crosses over material existence, as do their ancestors. Along with one thousand of their ancestors, they attain Sri Goloka, regardless of how or where they died. O Jiva, the glories of this place are unlimited. Sri Chaitanya danced here many times."

(Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya, chapter 6)

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!"

Sri Gauda Mandal Parikrama
"I wanted to make a Gauda Mandal parikrama this year, but I wanted to make it with foreign devotees, and because not so many devotees are coming for Gaura Purnima this year, I cannot make it this year. I have decided to postpone it until next year."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 21 February 2021)

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj about fasting on ekadasi and accepting material facilities:

"My Guru Maharaj (Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur) always wanted maximum energy: you should take good food and do good service. That was his maxim. Krishna is not a liquidated party: take full prasadam and do full service. Do maximum service, and you should take whatever is necessary for that. You are to take it for the cause of Krishna, not for your own cause. You are Krishna's, so if you grow weak, His service will be hampered, and both you and Krishna will be losers thereby. 'My soldiers will be well-fed and well-working.' That was our Guru Maharaj's principle. Napoleon said, 'One full-fed soldier is equal to ten half-fed soldiers.'

"So, prasad-seva: if it is service, then it must be taken in a serving mood, of course. But, at the same time, the individual position of a devotee should be taken into consideration. Sahajiyas do not fast on ekadasi at all: "Oh, we are in Vrindavan, and there is no fasting in Vrindavan." But Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Srila Prabhupad did not like that—it is sahajiya (imitation) if you go on feeding your senses in the name of Krishna-bhakti (devotion to the Lord). For the service to Krishna, it is necessary to keep up the body and to provide nourishment to it, so we must take what is necessary for service. We do not like it if by fasting, a loss of energy is effected. If fasting does not hamper your service, you may go on fasting—perhaps, your Gurudev wanted that...

"For service, I must accept what is necessary to make me physically fit so that I can render more service. So, accepting material things is not objectionable. It is fruitful, not detrimental. Rather, it produces something of a pure character, which helps everyone. This is how a disciple receives and accepts things. At that same time, he may even blame himself, 'I cannot go on with my worldly life without the help of this or that!' He will blame himself, but the underlying spirit must be, 'If I do not take it, I shall be unfit; I will not be able to do my bit of service to the Lord, to my Gurudev.'

"Moreover, by taking up renunciation, I will be a loser. I will incur a loss for myself, for the world, and my Guru's service will be hampered. In this spirit, devotees are to take everything. For the cause of Krsna, for the cause of his Guru, they will accept anything.

"Suppose there is a very miserly karmachari (manager). Because he does not want to spend money, he may not attain a particular result; then, some difficulty comes, and the opportunity is lost. This manager will be responsible to the proprietor: 'Why did you not spend money? Why are you afraid of spending money from my store? Because of your miserly habit, the opportunity has been lost!' 'Why should you not spend My money for My interest?' So, to render service to Krishna, to my Gurudev, to Vaishnavs, to the world, to everyone, I must keep up this mundane body, and I am entitled to take something for that.

"Miserliness is mayavada; it is the renunciation spirit, and it will mar Krishna's interest. What we need is yukta-vairagya: I shall take from the store of Krishna to keep myself fit and to do service. It is Krishna's account, and if I do dot do that, I should be a separationist, a mayavadi, a renunciationist. I shall render maximum service to Krishna, and I must take without any hestitation whatever is necessary to make myself fit for the service; otherwise, I shall be punishable."

"You do not need to know the meaning of each ekadasi tithi because if you know it, you will want to get this result, that result, etc."

(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)