Guru–Disciple
Relationship
'"All life is service life." What service do we do? We always serve Maya
(illusion) – if you think of something in your mind and do that instead of
doing what your Guru tells you to do (in other words, doing anything that is
not an instruction of your Guru), that is Maya.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (36.2 Mb, 80 min | Bengali, English | 12 March
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Mission's
Sustenance
"I want all Gurudev's family members to be good and to be going in the proper
way because they are the ones who will carry the flag of Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Math all over the world. That is my vision. I have not taken up any
other flag—Gurudev gave me his flag, and I am proceeding and going everywhere
carrying that very flag."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 24 January
2021)
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.
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj about fasting on ekadasi and
accepting material facilities:
"One time, a devotee came here from Vrindavan on the day of
ekadasi. He reached in the evening and, after taking a bath in the
Ganges, attended kirtans, danced, circumambulated the temple and so
on. Then, I asked him whether he would take any anukalpa [non-grain
prasadam that is allowed to be taken on ekadasi]. He replied,
'Generally, I do not take anything, but if you like, then, of course, I must
like anukalpa. Your will is greater than my fasting.' That was his
decision.
"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."
•"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..."
"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)
Tue, 2 May 2023
Preaching Guidance
'Sometimes, you live in a grihastha house, but you have to create a temple in
your house – turn your house into a temple. You must create there an
atmosphere of devotional activities. You must progress in your practising
life keeping the sacrificial fire of your service ablaze.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (36.2 Mb, 80 min | Bengali, English | 12 March
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Learn to Tolerate
"Life is very short and life is very uncertain—so many problems will come,
but we will not bow our hear down at the lotus feet of Maya Devi. We must do
our service properly. You will have to face so many things, and it is
necessary to tolerate everything."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.6 Mb, 9 min | 24 January
2021)
Some guidance regarding the forthcoming grand festival in honour of Lord
Sri Nrisinghadev's Appearance and the holy Vyasa Puja festival of His Divine
Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.T. Niriha Maharaj:
According to the rules established at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math by our
worshippable Sri Guru-varga, the holy day of Lord Sri Nrisinghadev's
appearance is observed in the following way:
•Sri Nrisingha-chaturdasi adhivas: devotees follow the daily programme
of the temple engaging in various services and prepare for the festival
(decorating the temple, purchasing and collecting bhoga, inviting
honourable guests, etc.). •Sri Nrisingha-chaturdasi day: devotees follow the daily programme of
the temple, reading scriptures, engaging in various services, and observe
a complete fast until sunset. •Sri Nrisingha-chaturdasi evening (sunset): the evening programme
starts before the evening arati (around 4 p.m.) following which an
opulent bhoga is offered to the Deities in the evening, containing
various grain and non-grain preparations (the grain preparations are made in
small quantities, just for the offering of the Deities). At sunset (the time
of Lord Nrisinghadev's appearance), the Deities are offered the evening
arati and devotees honour anukalpa prasadam (non-grain,
similar to what is taken on ekadasi) before finishing the rest of the
services and retiring for rest. His Divine Grace comments that anything
can be offered on this day, mentioning that our Temple always makes a
nice preparation of sweet rice using best ingredients (best rice, milk,
raisins and nuts) on this day and that dub, fresh coconut water, can
also be offered to provide soothing coolness to the Lord on His appearance
day. •The next day morning and afternoon: the morning daily programme
continues as usual; paran (breaking the fast) is at 5:05:43–9:24:07 a.m. this
year, so after offering bhoga to the Deities in the morning,
devotees break the fast with the grain maha-prasadam remnants from the
day before and from the morning offering. After that, devotees engage in
various services and a little later hold a Vaishnav Seva festival programme
starting from 9–10 a.m. until midday. Following the main programme of
Hari-katha and Hari-kirtan, the Deities are offered another special opulent
offering of bhoga at noon as well as the noon arati, after
which everyone is lovingly served festive maha-prasadam.
•
Because the holy appearance day of Lord Nrisinghadev coincides with the
divine appearance of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.T. Niriha Maharaj,
devotees observe these auspicious days by remembering both the Lord and His
associate, following the programme outlined above.
Below is an extensive collection of photographs taken during the festival
in 2019 which was observed in the shelter and under the guidance of our
beloved Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj at
Sri Nrisingha Palli, Sri Nabadwip Dham, in 2019:
Preparation to Sri
Nrisingha Chaturdasi: Bhoga Collection
(17 May 2019 | 11 photographs, 1 Mb)
Sharing first few glimpses from the temple of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in
Sri Nrisingha Palli where the preparation to the festival is well under way.
Arriving in Sri Nrisingha Palli, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti
Nirmal Acharya Maharaj personally selects and collects bhoga for the
festival.
Sri Nrisingha Chaturdasi
Adhivas
(17 May 2019 | 39 photographs, 3.4 Mb)
Photographs taken during the eve of the festive programme of Lord
Nrisinghadev's appearance and the Temple inauguration anniversary spent by
the fortunate devotees in the shade of the holy lotus feet of His Divine
Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj.
Sri Nrisingha Chaturdasi
Festival
(18 May 2019 | 39 photographs, 5.2 Mb)
Holy Vaishnavs and devotees observe the appearance of Lord Nrisinghadev
and the inauguration anniversary of Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga and Sri Laksmi
Nrisinghadev Sri Prahlad Maharaj under the guidance and in the association of
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj.
Sri Nrisingha Chaturdasi:
Vaishnav Seva
(19 May 2019 | 64 photographs, 3.4 Mb)
Photographs taken during the morning and afternoon programmes following Sri
Nrisingha-chaturdasi at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Sri Nrisingha Palli
arranged by His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya
Maharaj: morning class, first and second initiations, noon programme attended
by holy Vaishnavs of Gaudiya Maths, arati and grand prasadam
distribution. With all the devotees striving heart and soul to please Sri
Gurupadpadma and serve all the Vaishnavs, the festival passes gloriously and
gorgeously.
[Addressing a devotee who did not go to the temple but made a festival at
home.] Why did you have a home festival? You should have gone to the
festival at the temple. If there is a temple in your city or nearby, you
must go to the temple. How do you make a festival alone at home? You only
cook, offer some bhog, and take prasadam—it basically means
cooking too much and eating it yourself... You must always go to the temple.
What did Gurudev make the temple for? For preaching, to arranging festivals
and for giving you a place where you can gather and take devotees'
association. It is necessary to understand this. Everybody have a right to
stay at the temple, everybody has a right to go to the temple, and everybody
must follow the rules and regulations of the temple—be humble, tolerant, and
give honour to others. Follow the rules and regulations that Gurudev has
established, that will be perfect. We cannot make our own rules, it is not
good. The rules must be always the rules and regulations that Gurudev has
set. Always behave very nicely with the devotees, be humble, tolerant,
and give honour to others. This is what Gurudev teaches us, these are the
main qualities we must have. Be humble, tolerant, and give honour to others,
and you must also have proper surrender—do not be a hypocrite, do not
practise false renunciation; surrender must be proper.
— { DAILY
PRACTICE } —
Pages dedicated to the spiritual practices that are recommended for the
spiritual health of a disciple comprised of eternal instructions emanating
from the holy lotus mouths of our Sri Guru-varga:
Wed, 3 May 2023 (Sri Nrisingha Chaturdasi Adhivas)
Meaning of
Surrender
'We are doing false surrender. We pay our obeisance, stand up, and Gurudev
tells us, "Go this way," but we say, "Oh, Gurudev, I have some job, I need to
go that way." This is not surrender.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (36.2 Mb, 80 min | Bengali, English | 12 March
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
"I Want to
Surrender"
"Gurudev, you have been so merciful to me—you have given me a place in
Godrumdwip! You have ordered me to stay in this abode and chant the Holy
Name. But I ask Gurudev, when will you give me the qualification to chant the
Holy Name?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.4 Mb, 11 min | 31 January
2021)
Thu, 4 May 2023 (Sri Nrisingha Chaturdasi; fast until sunset,
then anukalpa)
Demons Among
Devotees
'Everybody says that I am a very angry man, that I kick everybody out. Do you
know what this boy has done? Still, I gave him shelter again. I love
everyone, and I wish everyone well. Everyone can come and join us, but the
problem is when somebody becomes a demon.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (36.2 Mb, 80 min | Bengali, English | 12 March
2020)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Chaturdasi. Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi:
appearance of Lord Sri Nrisimhadev. Full fast until sunset; then no
grains (anukalpa). Sri Vyasa-puja festival in honour
of the divine appearance day of Om Visnupad Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacharya-varya Astottara-sata-sri Sri Srimad Bhakti Tilak Niriha
Maharaj, the current successor President-Acharya of Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Math. Manifestation anniversary of Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda
Prabhu and Sri Prahlad Maharaj and Sri Sri Laksmi Nrisimhadev at Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nrisingha Palli.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "We must fast
from morning until sunset in the evening. Before sunset, you must read about
the glories of Prahlad Maharaj and Lord Nrisinghadev, you can read about the
appearance of Sri Nrisinghadev from Srimad Bhagavatam or any other book you
have."
"It is necessary to offer a daab (a coconut with coconut water) with
the bhog in the evening because Nrisinghadev is sweating very much and
very angry because He had just killed an asura..."
About His Divine
Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Tilak Niriha Maharaj Holy Guidance of Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Those who are fit to be
disciplined are called disciples. They want to be chastised, they get
chastised—such disciples become gurus. If somebody wants to be chastised, has
been chastised, and if Gurudev has made and is making a disciple from them,
then such a disciple has the qualities of a guru."
"Guru is the divine messenger of immortal hope and joy in this
mortal and miserable world. His advent is the most auspicious and happy event
to the suffering animation and can be compared to the rising of the morning
star that can guide the traveller lost in the desert. A gentle touch of Sri
Guru's merciful hand can wipe away the incessant tears from all weeping eyes.
Oh the day when this poor soul realises the causeless grace of Sri
Gurudev."
In honour of Sri Nrisinghadev, Sri Prahlad Maharaj:
ito nrsimha parato nrsimho
yato yato yami tato nrsimhah
bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimho
nrsimham adim saranam prapadye
"Nrsimha is here, Nrsimha is there—Nrsimha is wherever I go.
Nrsimha is outside, Nrsimha is within my heart. I am surrendered unto that
primeval Lord Nrsimha."
Lord
Nrisinghadev's Pastime
"Today is a very auspicious day, today is Lord Nrisinghadev's appearance
day—the Lord appeared in this world on this day to protect His
devotee..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (9.1 Mb, 23 min | 3 May 2015 | Bengali)
Sri Nrisingha-Chaturdasi:
Auspicious Day
"Today is a very auspicious day—the appearance day of Sri Nrisinghadev. Every
year we make a big festival for Lord Nrisinghadev. On this day, I am also
remembering our beloved Gurudev because he joined Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
on the appearance day of Lord Nrisinghadev."
• Download the
audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 6 May 2020)
Festival of
the Lord—for the Lord His Divine Grace speaking on the adhivas of Sri Nrisingha chaturdasi in
2015: "You have all come here to observe this festival tomorrow. Amidst
so many things you have come here thinking about the Lord. You have been
planning it, you have been thinking about it..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 2 May 2015 | Bengali)
Perfect
Attitude To Nrisinghadev
"I heard it directly from the lotus mouth of Gurudev, and these are very
important and confidential words. You must listen to it with your heart
because you cannot understand Nrisinghadev teachings with your common
intelligence..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 20 May 2016 | Bengali)
Lord
Nrisinghadev
"'Please, remove the obstacles to pure devotion and bad elements from our
society'—that is our only prayer to Lord Nrisinghadev."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.6 Mb, 2 min | 5 may 2012)
Using / Serving
"You cannot use Nrisinghadev for your own purpose or benefit—you must
serve Nrisinghadev. We must give something to our Guru and the
devotees, we should not take so much from our Guru or take anything from the
devotees..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 21 May 2016)
Entrance to Service
Planet
"The main lesson today is to pray to the Lord and ask Him to remove material
desires from our hearts. That is the glory of Nrisinghadev's appearance at
Nrisingha Palli. I remember one time Gurudev asked devotees, 'What do you
want?'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | English and Bengali)
Lord's Care For
His Devotee
"The Lord comes whenever His devotee calls for Him. To protect His devotee,
the Lord took the form of Nrisingha—when it comes to protecting His devotees,
the Lord does not remain idle."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 2 May 2015 | Bengali)
Sri Vyasa Puja
Speech
"I hear now they say that I have deviated from the Gaudiya siddhanta
because I installed the Deities of Nrisinghadev in Nrisingha Palli in
Nabadwip, Godrumdwip. What am I? Who am I? Is it possible for me to install
Deities?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.5 Mb, 16 min | 10 October 2018)
শ্রীশ্রীনৃসিংহ-চতুর্দ্দশী
(১৯৯০ সাল)
শ্রীল ভক্তিসুন্দর গোবিন্দ দেবগোস্বামী মহারাজ ভগবান শ্রীশ্রীনৃসিংহদেবের লীলা
আর মহিমা বর্ণনা করিতেছেন এবং শ্রীমদ্ভাগবতম্ থেকে পড়িতেছেন ।
(Extensive Bengali lecture of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, spoken
in May 1990, describing the Pastimes of the Lord in His form of Sri
Nrsimhadev and reading from Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7)
•
Download / listen to the audio (27.5 Mb, 81 min)
(Evening of 22 May
2005)
২২ মে ২০০৫: শ্রীল গুরুমহারাজের বাংলা পাঠ এই শুভ দিনে । রেকর্ডিংটা ডাউনলোড বা
অনলাইন শুনতে পারেন (ডানদিকে)।
Glories of Sri Nrisingha and Sri Prahlad Maharaj
[Bengali Class] His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj relates
the pastimes of Lord Sri Nrisinghadev and reads from the scriptures on the
holy day of Sri Nrisingha-chaturdasi on the evening of 22 May 2005, in the
assembly of holy Vaishnavs at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip.
•
Download / listen to the audio
(20.1 Mb, 56 min | 22 May 2005)
Kirtan
His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj chants kirtan on
the evening of 22 May 2005, in the assembly of holy Vaishnavs at Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip: the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and
glories of Sri Prahlad Maharaj and Sri Nrisinghadev.
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 22 May 2005)
শ্রীনৃসিংহপল্লী(ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ শ্রীল ভক্তি নির্ম্মল আচার্য্য
মহারাজের হরি-কথামৃত)
"শ্রীনৃসিংহদেব ও প্রহ্লাদ মহারাজের কথা খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ কথা, আপনাদের এই
কথাগুলো মন দিয়ে শুনতে হবে এবং সব সময় মনে রাখতে হবে । যে শিক্ষা শ্রীল গুরুদেব
আমাকে দিয়েছেন, সেটা অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ শিক্ষা । যে কথাটা তিনি বলেছেন, সেটা
আমি এখনও মনে রাখি এবং আপনাদের মঙ্গল প্রদান করবার জন্য এখন বলে দিচ্ছি ।"
Sri Dasavatar
Stotram |
দশাবতারস্তোত্রম্ "O Hari! O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! You have assumed a half-man,
half-lion form! All glory to You! You ripped apart the bee-like body of
Hiranyakasipu with the amazingly sharp nails of Your beautiful lotus
hands."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.5 Mb, 14 min)
Sri Nrisingha Palli Arati: (1)Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga arati(Nrisingha Palli) |
জয় জয় গুরুদেব করুণাসাগর "Glory to Srila Gurudev, Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, an
ocean of mercy. He manifested the effulgent service of Sri Nitai Sri
Gauranga-dev in Sri Nabadwip Dham for the benefit of the entire
world."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | 16 March 2019)
Practise Daily
'It is necessary to practise every day, every morning and evening. This is
the rule. It is necessary to chant Hari-kirtan every morning and evening –
you must never stop it, not even for one day. Chant every morning and
evening. Practise Hari-katha and Hari-kirtan, glorification of Sri Guru,
Vaishnavs and the Lord.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (37.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali, English | 13 March
2020)
Today in the calendar:
Purnima. Nrisimha Chaturdasi-vrata paran is at 5:05:43–9:24:07. Sri Krishna’s
Phul-dol and Salila-vihara. Buddha Purnima: appearance of Lord Buddha.
Disappearance of Srila Paramesvari Das Thakur. Appearance of Srila Srinivas
Acharya.
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 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:
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...
"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, 6 May 2023
Our Necessity
'There are some things that are necessary for a temple (for example, a
boundary wall is necessary to protect the temple from external disturbances),
but we must not become attached to such things. Our priority and attachment
must be sravan and kirtan.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (37.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali, English | 13 March
2020)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Pratipad. Disappearance of Tridandi-swami Srimad Bhakti Saranga
Goswami Maharaj.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"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."
"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?"
Sun, 7 May 2023
Seal Your Life
'We are chanting, we are glorifying, we are listening about the Lord. But are
we getting the result? We take prasad every day, but can we overcome
the five diseases? Why not? No matter how much service we do, all result goes
out...'
•
Download / listen to the audio (37.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali, English | 13 March
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Mon, 8 May 2023
Keep Your Ears Open
'Gurudev always said that it does not matter where you are, in India or
outside India. It is not a question. No matter where you are, you must always
stay with sadhus, devotees and maintain your spiritual life anyhow. The most
important thing is that you must maintain your spiritual life.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (37.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali, English | 13 March
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Tue, 9 May 2023
Live for the Lord
'We must be more serious in our practising life. It is very important for us.
I told yesterday also that when sannyasis go for preaching, they may
not always get a temple environment everywhere, but they must make a temple
atmosphere in whichever house they go to. That is good.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (37.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali, English | 13 March
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Wed, 10 May 2023
Move Forward
'We existed before this birth – before this birth, we had got many births and
deaths. After many births and deaths, we have got this very rare human life.
We are born now as humans, but there is no certainty that we will be born as
humans again...'
•
Download / listen to the audio (37.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali, English | 13 March
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Panchami. Disappearance of Srila Ramananda Ray.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Srila Ramananda Ray Prabhu:
sri-svarupa-raya-sanga-gambhirantya-lilanam
dvadasabda-vahni-garbha-vipralambha-silanam
radhikadhirudha-bhava-kanti-krsna-kunjaram
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram
Diving deep into the reality of His own beauty and sweetness, Lord Govinda
stole the mood of Radharani and, garbing Himself in Her brilliant luster,
appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. For the last twelve years of His
manifest Pastimes He was deeply absorbed in union and separation, and He
shared His heart's inner feelings with His most confidential devotees such as
Swarupa Damodara and Ramananda Ray. Volcanic eruptions of ecstasy flowed
from the heart of Sri Gauranga in the agony of separation from Krishna. This
Golden Lord, who appeared like an intoxicated elephant, is none other than
Lord Govinda. I offer my obeisances to that beautiful Golden Lord,
Gaurangasundar, the divine form of Krishna prema.
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): 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)
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)
Chapter 16:Reality
the Beautiful [From Search for Sri Krishna, Reality
the Beautiful]
Ramananda Raya was a married man, but he was recognized by Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu as a master of his senses to the extreme degree. Once a brahmana
priest named Pradyumna Misra came to Mahaprabhu and told Him, 'I would like
to hear about Krishna from Your lips'..."
•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?"
Thu, 11 May 2023
Spiritual Safety
'Seeing all the devotees, I pray to Lord Jagannath and Srila Bhaktivinod
Thakur, "Please give devotees some energy to serve the Lord, to serve you.
Please do not take away their service energy." I always pray to the Lord that
He may give you more and more energy to serve devotees.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Fri, 12 May 2023
Ignore and
Avoid Misconception
'Actually, problems always come. Sometimes, some domestic problems come, but
we must avoid, or ignore, that. Always ignore it. Do you understand? We
should not get involved in politics. We must always be servants of devotees.
That is our main vision.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Sat, 13 May 2023
Practise and Keep
Faith
'There can so many doubts inside us. Doubt is a kind of disease, and it can
be removed through practice. You must remove your doubts by practising. It is
also necessary to have the strongest faith.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
"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)
Sun, 14 May 2023
Family Consciousness
'It is necessary to always keep good association and to always speak
Krishna-katha to each other, not any other katha. Always talk about
Krishna consciousness. If you talk about family consciousness (some family
problems, this problem, that problem), you are wasting your time.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Navami. Disappearance of Sripad Santosh Krishna Das-Adhikari
Prabhu.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of 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."
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?"
Mon, 15 May 2023 (Tomorrow is Sri Apara Ekadasi)
Uncover Yourself
'Ego is like a wall. The sun is rising, but no sunlight comes through because
there is a wall blocking it, so you remain in the dark. Ego is like a wall,
and you must break this wall.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Tue, 16 May 2023 (Sri Apara Ekadasi)
Opportunity to Serve
'Chanting the proper Holy Name means always thinking about the Lord, always
thinking how to please His devotees and our Guru. In our householder life, or
actually in every kind of life – even in the sannyasi and
brahmachari life – we always think about ourselves. We gradually
become selfish and start thinking only about ourselves.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Dvadasi. Fast on Apara Ekadasi. Appearance of Srila Vrindavan Das
Thakur.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of 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)
•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."
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.
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj about fasting on ekadasi and
accepting material facilities:
"One time, a devotee came here from Vrindavan on the day of
ekadasi. He reached in the evening and, after taking a bath in the
Ganges, attended kirtans, danced, circumambulated the temple and so
on. Then, I asked him whether he would take any anukalpa [non-grain
prasadam that is allowed to be taken on ekadasi]. He replied,
'Generally, I do not take anything, but if you like, then, of course, I must
like anukalpa. Your will is greater than my fasting.' That was his
decision.
"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."
•"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..."
"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)
Wed, 17 May 2023
Live in Seva-Kunja
'Always live in seva-kunja (service grove). The twenty-four hours that
you have is for service – the twenty-four-hours' time is not for yourself, it
is for the Lord. It is necessary to always have service attachment.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Thu, 18 May 2023
On Astrology
'In our line, if you are a surrendered soul, you are always controlled by
Gurudev. What for are you even thinking about yourself? Auspiciousness or
inauspiciousness, whatever comes, why will we think about ourselves? We must
not!'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Fri, 19 May 2023
Be Sharp
'(1) You must keep Tulasi in very strong health, and you should do whatever
is necessary for that. (2) If you only follow Nityananda and not follow
Gauranga, or if you sometimes follow Gauranga and sometimes do not follow
Nityananda, it is not good.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Sat, 20 May 2023
Sincere, Keen and
Humble
'Humility is shown through service and through behaviour. For example, you
can be humble when you can tolerate chastisement. The problem is that you
must now show that you are humble outwardly but have much ego
internally.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (43.9 Mb, 80 min | English | 21 June
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Pratipad. Manifestation anniversary of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha
Madan-mohan jiu at Sri Chaitanya Saraswata Krishnanusilana Sangha, Dum Dum
Park, Kolkata.
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."
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.'
'Srila Guru Maharaj commented, "I do not want to go into the jungle of
Acharyyas, rather I will keep myself to myself, maybe in a thatched
house, but that must be very clean and very quiet." And for that he made Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Not only that but he did not want to make many
maths, that was his desire. But I was very enthusiastic to do
something for the devotees and he mercifully gave me the instruction, "Yes,
you can do one in Calcutta as the devotees' transit station, and one you can
do in Puri and one in Vrindavan."'
...'We have assembled to celebrate the anniversary of the Deity installation
and temple inauguration today. As some of you may have heard before, in
Gurudev's time, there was a Deity of Mahaprabhu installed at our temple in
Kolkata, and after some time Sri Sri Guru Gandharva Radha-Raman were
installed. Because at present that service is not running properly, I have
brought the Deities here—I have installed here these Deities and gave Them
the name. I have 'taken' Dum Dum Park Deities to Tarakeshwar (Sri Sri Guru
Gauranga Radha Madan-mohan), and Kaikhali Deities to this temple here in
Bankura (Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Radha-Raman).'
'The Deity of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Madan-Mohan will live here in this
temple [in Tarakeshwar]. Do you know who served Madan-Mohan? There are three
deities in the Gaudiya Vaishnav line—Radha-Gopinath, Radha-Govinda,
Radha-Mohan. Madan-Mohan was served in His Deity form by Sanatan Goswami.
There was a Muslim emperor whose wife became jealous of the grand temples of
Vrindavan, she could not tolerate it and told her husband to break them. The
Jaipur King took the Deity and left for Jaipur. This Madan-Mohan Deity will
be installed here in Tarakeswar on 26 February 2017.'
'The Deity of sambandha is Madan-Mohan; the Deity of abhidheya
is Govinda, and the Deity of prayojan is Gopinath. "Ei tina thakura
gaudiyake kariyachena atmasat—these three Deities have captured the
hearts of Gaudiya Vaisnavs." (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita,
1.1.19) You can see that there are these three Deities (Madan-Mohan,
Govinda, and Gopinath) installed in most places.'
Kirtan-Seva
'The Lord has created such a situation for us externally that we are staying
now in our rooms. All places are closed now. But still, we have got this
opportunity now to hear about the Lord. We are often busy with our work,
family and material life, but by the wish of the Lord, all external work is
stopped now. We must not waste this opportunity.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (42.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali | 10 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Mon, 22 May 2023
Beyond
Surface Understanding
'If somebody cannot overcome Maya, they will have to keep coming to this
material world, wandering all over the universe, again and again – Krishna
keeps Himself and His devotees far away from them.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (42.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali | 10 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Tue, 23 May 2023
Read and Apply
In Your Life
'Sri Gurudev is the only shelter for a disciple. Those who have become
disciples live in complete adherence to their guru. If one retains
independence, they cannot be called a "disciple" – they can take initiation,
but if they do not accept the guidance of Sri Gurudev, they cannot be called
a real disciple.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (42.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali | 10 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Chaturthi. Disappearance of Tridandi-swami Srimad Bhakti Gaurava Giri
Maharaj (Sripad Paramananda Vidyaratna Prabhu, a favourite and intimate
disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur 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. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Srila 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!"
Wed, 24 May 2023
Be a Disciple
'I want to be chastised by Gurudev—I will follow his order to a T. This
should not be merely lip-deep, you must want it in writing, in your heart,
and in your mind—I must hanker to be disciplined with my entire being. If you
can imbibe such mood, you must certainly get benefit.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (42.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali | 10 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Thu, 25 May 2023
Deities' Pastimes
'The Supreme Personality of Godhead come from the transcendental Vaikuntha
Dham to this material world and reveals His pastimes—this is His
avatara-lila (pastimes of His incarnations). In the same way, the
worshippable Deity is also avatara-lila, also pastimes of His
incarnation.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (42.9 Mb, 84 min | Bengali | 10 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
"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)
Fri, 26 May 2023
Love for Service
'Always submit everything at the holy feet of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs. There
is Lord, there is Guru and Vaishnavs above us, and we must leave everything
up to them. We will do our service every day – whether they accept it or not,
it is their matter – we will continue doing it every day. Always remember
this.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (41.2 Mb, 81 min | Bengali | 11 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Sat, 27 May 2023
Practise and Preach
'Call out, "Doyal Nitai! Hare Krishna!" You are staying at home now, during
the lockdown, but you must always engage yourself in reading, chanting,
listening. The Lord has sent us to this world to chant His Holy Name and to
preach about Him.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (41.2 Mb, 81 min | Bengali | 11 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Sun, 28 May 2023
Remember Your
Nitya Svarup
'We did not come to the temple to be temple managers – if we just can become
servants of devotees, that is sufficient. We must not have the ego that we
are devotees. Our ego should be that we are servants of devotees.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (41.2 Mb, 81 min | Bengali | 11 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Mon, 29 May 2023
Life in Remembrance
'Chant kirtans when you are lying down, sitting, eating or doing
anything else. When you chant kirtans, you can remember the Lord. When
you chant 'Gurudev, krpa bindu diya' or 'Sri-guru-charana-padma', you can
always remember Gurudev's face.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (41.2 Mb, 81 min | Bengali | 11 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Tue, 30 May 2023 (Tomorrow is Sri Nirjala Ekadasi)
Priorities in Life
'If you honour (serve) mahaprasad, your soul can become purified. If
people eat unoffered food, the Holy Name will not comes out of their mouths.
Why is it so? Because they eat what their wives feed them...'
•
Download / listen to the audio (41.2 Mb, 81 min | Bengali | 11 July
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Dasami. Dasahara, Sri Ganga Puja. Appearance of Sri Ganga Mata
Goswamini. Disappearance of Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan Prabhu.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of 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."
•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)
শ্রীপুরীধাম মাহাত্ম্য-মুক্তা-মালা: গঙ্গা মাতা গোস্বামিণী
"শচীদেবী রাজকন্যা হয়ে রাজশাহীতে (বর্ত্তমান পূর্ব্বপাকিস্তানে) জন্ম গ্রহণ
করেছিলেন । যখন তাঁর বয়স হয়ে গেছে, তাঁর মা-বাবা তাঁকে বিয়ে দিতে চাইলেন কিন্তু
তিনি দিব্য সুন্দরী রাজকন্যা হয়েও বললেন, 'আমি শ্রীকৃষ্ণের চরণে মনটা দিয়ে
দিয়েছি । আমি কোন মর্ত্ত পুরুষকে বিয়ে করব না যে আমাকে ভোগ করবে, যে আমাকে
ব্যবহার করবে! আমি সে সব চাই না ।'..."
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."
•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!"
Wed, 31 May 2023 (Fast on Sri Nirjala Ekadasi; tomorrow paran is 4:54:55–9:21:03)
Increase
Your Spiritual Life
'Good association cleans devotees' hearts. Sometimes, when we do some
service, we can become tired, or we are practising, but we can become tired
through our practising. If we get good association, we can get some energy
through it and Maya will also not be able to get an opportunity to attack
us.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (11.2 Mb, 23 min | 2 August
2020)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
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)
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.
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj about fasting on ekadasi and
accepting material facilities:
"One time, a devotee came here from Vrindavan on the day of
ekadasi. He reached in the evening and, after taking a bath in the
Ganges, attended kirtans, danced, circumambulated the temple and so
on. Then, I asked him whether he would take any anukalpa [non-grain
prasadam that is allowed to be taken on ekadasi]. He replied,
'Generally, I do not take anything, but if you like, then, of course, I must
like anukalpa. Your will is greater than my fasting.' That was his
decision.
"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."
•"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..."
'Some day your mood is not good, but you should chant the Holy Name, chant
and practise more and more. You should think, 'Why is my mind not good? Why
is my mood not good? I must do more service, I must practise more.''