"Inconceivable, Unbelievable, and Unimaginable"
"Everybody is giving their love and affection and all together making this day for me. Actually, I am getting shy to make my birthday festival, but devotees are always enthusiastic to make this festival, even in this pandemic situation..."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 10 min | 17 October 2020)

Clearing Contradictions
"Everybody's vision and feelings are not the same. Sometimes, you look like a man, but at other times, you deal or talk with others like a demon. Krishna lives in all living entities. However, we sometimes see there is also a demon living in the heart of the jiva soul."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 17 October 2020)

In honour of Srila Srivas Pandit:

Srivas Angan [From Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-Mukta-Mala, page 102] [25 Mb]
An extensive chapter about the numerous pastimes that took place at the holy residence of Sri Srivas Pandit in Sri Dham Mayapur.

Srivas Pandit's Devotion
"Srivas Pandit: 'You can get a son, a daughter, a father, a mother in every birth, but you will not get the Lord in every birth Lord. This life is very important, you can get the Lord in this life, then why should I misuse it? Why should I not use this opportunity?'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min | 19 July 2013)

Malini Devi and Vishvarup
"The name Srivas Pandit's wife is Malini Devi. You know, one time Malini chastised Srivas Pandit. Once, Vishvarup Prabhu, Nimai's elder brother, came to their house to ask Srivas Pandit for help..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 29 July 2012)

Why Can We Not Get It?
"At Srivas Pandit's house there was a maidservant Duhkhi—she got Mahaprabhu's mercy. There was a Muslim tailor near Srivas Pandit's house—he too got Mahaprabhu's mercy. A great sinner Chand Kazi broke a mridanga, but even he got Mahaprabhu's mercy. Why can we not get it?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min | 20 May 2017 | Bengali)

Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:

• SONG: Ei-bara karuna kara | এইবার করুণা কর
"O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of your feet."

• SONG: Ohe Vaisnava Thakura | (ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর
"O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant. Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after you."

• SONG: Ki-rupe paiba seva | কিরূপে পাইব সেবা
"I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"

• SONG: Dhana mora nityananda | ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ
"The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs' name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."

A Very Busy Day
"Phone calls have been coming today from all over the world starting from 3:30-4 o'clock in the morning. Everyone is calling me continuously. Not only in foreign countries they are making big festivals today, but also in all the temples, centres here in India..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 17 October 2020)

Service with Full Enthusiasm
"The most important thing is that all the devotees are with me. 'Maharaj, where you are, that is Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math—and we will go wherever you are!' When I hear devotees say this, my heart overflows."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.3 Mb, 8 min)

My Fortune and My Promise
"Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math is my real family. I am very fortunate and very grateful. I will try to serve all the devotees to the best of my ability until my death, until the moment I leave this body. That is my promise."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 18 October 2020)

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 bath in the Ganges, attended kirtans, danced, circumambulated the temple and so on. Then, I asked him whether he would take any anukalpa. He replied, 'Generally, I do not take anything, but if you like, then, of course, I must take 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 Krishna, for the cause of their 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 held responsible by 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 not do that, I should be a separatist, a mayavadi, a renunciationist. I shall render maximum service to Krishna, and I must take without any hesitation whatever is necessary to make myself fit for the service; otherwise, I shall be punishable."

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

(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)

Rare Jewels
"I always remember so many great souls who are not with us anymore. So many householder devotees have made this kind of sacrifice—actually, they look like householders, but their mind, heart, their everything is more than a sannyasi."
• Download / listen to the audio (7.6 Mb, 18 min | 18 October 2020)

In honour of Sriman Mahaprabhu's auspicious arrival (vijay-mahotsav) at Varaha Nagar (from Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's Sri Sajjan Tosani, Vol 9, Issue 12):

'To the north of the great city of Kolkata, there is a renowned village called Varaha-nagar. Four hundred years ago [as of 1898], there lived a fortunate learned brahman by the name of Raghunath. From his childhood, he received good association, as the result of which he developed faith in the scripture Srimad Bhagavatam. When he studied literature, grammar and other subjects, he tried his best to attain devotion to Krishna, following the advice "sa vidya tan-matir yaya" ("education is meant to awaken one's consciousness about the Lord"; Srimad Bhavagatam). A jiva soul attains taste for Srimad Bhagavatam as the result of great fortune. Srimad Bhagavatam is the crest-jewel among all scriptures that exist in the world. It is said in its second verse of the first canto that Bhagavatam contains the highest religion completely devoid of any deceit – the religion that is attainable by the sadhus who have no envy. The genuine substance that destroys the three-fold miseries and bestows the highest auspiciousness can be found in this Bhagavatam. Srimad Bhagavatam was created by the great sage Sri Narayan. If there is Srimad Bhagavatam in the world, what is the need for any other scripture? The Supreme Lord willingly becomes confined within the hearts of those who want to hear this Srimad Bhagavatam.

'This greatly fortunate brahman who resided in Varaha-nagar started studying Srimad Bhagavatam at a very young age (when he was a teenager). There is no doubt that he studied Bhagavatam from pure devotees because the Lord of our beings, Praneswar Gaurachandra, was extremely pleased with his explanation of Bhagavatam and thereafter named him Sri Bhagavata Acharya. It is easy to understand the quality of the scholar whom Mahaprabhu would give such a position by calling them Bhagavata Acharya. When Mahaprabhu was present in His Nabadwip pastimes, there was a renowned professor in Vidyanagar who was expert in all knowledge. His name was Devananda Pandit, and he was famous as an acharya of Srimad Bhagavatam. Everyone in Nabadwip would come to Vidyanagar to hear his lectures on Bhagavatam. Devananda Pandit was famously called an acharya (great teacher) of commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam even before Sriman Mahaprabhu's birth. Being a teacher Himself and a preacher of devotion, Mahaprabhu was extremely unhappy when He heard Devananda's lectures and nondevotional interpretations. A long time later, Devananda was converted to the pure devotional line by the mercy of Sri Vakreshwar Pandit. Learning later about the genuine meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam, he pleased my Mahaprabhu with his commentary on Bhagavatam.

Mahaprabhu, who would find faults with Nabadwip scholars' interpretation of Bhagavatam and taught the proper meaning of Bhagavatam to various scholars who came from other places – that Mahaprabhu bestowed upon Raghunath the title Bhagavata Acharya after hearing his explanation of Bhagavatam. Based on that, it can be concluded that according to the conception "vidya bhagavatavadhi" ("Bhagavatam is the utmost limit of knowledge"), there was no spiitual scholar at that time who could compare with Bhagavata Acharya.

'In Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata (3.5.109–121), Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur wrote about how Sri Bhagavata Acharya received Mahaprabhu's boundless mercy:

'"So, Sri Gauranga Hari spent several days in Panihati, bestowing His mercy on the entire village. After that, the Lord came to the house of an extremely fortune brahman in Varaha-nagar. The brahman was highly learned in Srimad Bhagavatam, so upon seeing the Lord, he began to recite the holy scripture. Hearing his recitation filled with devotion to the Lord (bhakti-yoga), Lord Gaurachandra Narayan became overwhelmed. Sri Gauranga Ray kept saying, 'Speak on! Speak on!' Overwhelmed, He always shouted and roared for joy, hearing the brahman's recital. Immersed in great happiness, the brahman read on, and the Lord danced, losing all external consciousness. As the Lord heard verses glorifying devotion, He kept fainting and falling on the ground again and again. This is how the Lord manifests divine love. The sight of Him fainting frightened everyone. The Lord, an ocean of qualities, continued listening to Bhagavatam and danced in this way for nine hours through the night. Eventually, He regained external consciousness and embraced the brahman with satisfaction. The Lord said, 'I have never heard such recitation of Bhagavatam from anyone's mouth! From now on, your name will be Bhagavat Acharya ("the teacher of Bhagavatam"). You have no duty other than this.' Hearing the Lord's befitting title for the brahman, everyone loudly chanted, 'Hari! Hari!'"

'After bestowing His mercy onto Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatan in the village of Ramkeli, Sri Mahaprabhu came to Sripat Santipur on the bank of the Ganges and spent there a few days. At that time, Sachi Devi came there, too; she cooked and fed the Lord during those few days. The twelfth day of the bright fortnight (sukla-dvadasi) in the month of Phalgun is the day when Sri Madhavendra Puri is worshipped. After the great festival arranged on that day, the Lord went to Srivas Pandit's house in Kumarhatta and spent there a few days. After that, He spent a few days Sri Raghav Pandit's house in Panihati and then arrived at Sri Varaha-nagar during the dark lunar fortnight (krsna-paksa) in the month of Phalgun. There, together with Sri Nityananda Prabhu and a few other devotees, the Lord stayed at the house of the great devotee Sri Bhagavata Acharya before travelling to Nilachal (Sri Puri Dham)....

'If we consider the associates of Krishna and Gaura, it is discerned that Sri Radhika's sakhi Shyama Manjari is Sri Bhagavat Acharya in the pastimes of Gaura. In the pastimes of Krishna, Shyama Manjari would sing about Krishna (i.e. the pastimes of Shyama) for Sri Radha-Krishna. Becoming Sri Bhagavat Acharya in Gaura's pastimes, he recited Srimad Bhagavatam for Gauranga, fulfilling his service. Sri Radha had bestowed this service upon him in Krishna's pastimes. In Gaura's pastimes, Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami took him as part of his own branch and bestowed upon him a suitable service to Sri Gauranga. The speciality of his service was such that when Sri Gauranga came with His associates to his kunja, he began to perform his eternal service of reciting Srimad Bhagavatam instead of serving the Lord by offering Him water (to wash His feet) and other paraphernalia. Sakhis' duty is the service given to them by Sri Radha – this principle was demonstrated in this pastime.'

'O brothers, residents of the great city of Kolkata! You are fortunate. You are living in a place that can be considered part of the Varaha-nagar village. Wherever Gaura performed His pastimes, all those places are none other than Sri Vrindavan. The seva-bhumi (land of service) of Sri Gauranga's greatest intimate associate Bhagavata Acharya is a highly adorable place. Make your hearts firm and come in touch with the darshan of this Varaha-nagar. O devotees residing in Kolkata! When will we all together become immersed in Krishna-kirtan at the transcendental kunja of Shyama Manjari? Our misfortune is that we leave aside this heaven and roam in search of heaven all over the country and abroad. Why do we forget the words of Sri Narottam Das Thakur Mahasay? He wrote:

'"Those who know this Gaura Mandal as a transcendental wish-fulfilling gem reside in Vrajapur."

'O brothers! The meaning of these words is oceanic! Please consider it attentively. Whether it is manifest or unmanifest, Vrajapuri is a holy abode of eternal pastimes. When Krishna became Gauranga, He came with His own abode, bringing it to Gaura-desh. Sachinandan Krishna performed His pastimes together with devotees in various places according to the devotees' internal divine moods – all those places are parts of Vraja (in other words, they are places of the Lord's pastimes). All are transcendental. Gaura Mandal is not one location: it is manifest externally as various places. The places where the Lord performed pastimes in His youth are situated on the 114.6 miles, or 184.5 km, (sola-krosh) of Nabadwip. Vrindavan, which is situated in Vraja, is also, inseparably, Nabadwip, situated on the nine islands. In the middle of Nabadwip is Sri Gokula Mayapur. Sri Gauranga accepted the service of each sakhi in their various kunjas on this land; therefore, Sri Varaha-nagar is also part of Gaura Mandal as service to Radha-Krishna, who manifest Themselves as Sri Gauranga, is going on there in the kunja of Shyama Manjari.

'We have revealed to you this very hidden secret. We hope that upon learning about this, Vaishnavs residing in Kolkata will show some transcendental mood. We are servants of their intrinsic divine perfection (svabhava-siddha). If we can get to know their mood, we can reveal to them some further hidden secrets about this matter.

'It is very rare to find Srimad Bhagavata Acharya's holy book Krishna-prema Tarangini, composed in Sanskrit. The copy that we have is full of mistakes, and in some places the meaning is not intelligible. If some great soul has another copy, please let us know; we can purchase it from them. We humbly pray that Vaishnavs may bestow their merciful glance on us upon hearing about this matter.'

Root of Devotion
"If you want to conquer illusory environment, it is necessary to have the mercy of Guru and Vaishnavs. Guru-kripa is the root of your creeper of devotion. If you cut your creeper at the root, your devotion, your practice will dry just like a tree dries up when uprooted."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min | 18 October 2020)

Remembering Right Things
"First practise chanting the Holy Name, concentrate your mind on service, and when you come to the highest position in your worship (bhajan), then you can ask such questions. We must first practise Krishna consciousness properly, chant the Holy Name, because our heart, mind is always busy with nonsense things."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.7 Mb, 12 min | 18 October 2020)

Shifting Priorities
"Why is it necessary to be sad? It is maya that always makes us unhappy. Whether you are happy or unhappy, always remember Lord Krishna. That is the ultimate advice. Always chant the Holy Name, never forget the Lord—not when you are happy, not when you are sad."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 6 min | 18 October 2020)

Loving Service
"You are all liberated souls, you are trying to make your Guru happy—you are giving everything for the service of your Guru. You are doing this and getting taste. You can enter your home through your service mood."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 25 October 2020)

Do Not Jump Into Maya
"If you send a letter to the Lord, you will not get any answer, but if you send a letter to your Guru, you will immediately get an answer from the Lord because Gurudev is the closest, dearmost friend of the Lord. We must proceed in our spiritual life following this process."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min | 25 October 2020)

Srila Lochan Das Thakur Mahasay
"Srila Lochan Das Thakur is a follower of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu—he belonged to His line. Srila Lochan Das Thakur was born in Burdwan district and he was a disciple of Sri Narahari Thakur. The name of Srila Lochan Das Thakur's father is Sri Kamalakar Das, and his mother's name is Sri Sadanandi..."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 25 October 2020)

About Sri Sri Gaura-Gadadhar
"Know your place when you serve, do not cross the line. Sri Sri Gaura-Gadadhar are extremely high Deities. They are worshipped only in very rare places, that is because the relationship between Sri Gaura and Sri Gadai is a very confidential, very high."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.6 Mb, 11 min | 25 October 2020)

In honour of Sri Ramanuja Acharya:

• Service: Faith and Surrender
"Gurudev told the story of Dhanur Das and his wife, Ramanuja Acharya's disciples, and how they maintained their family life..."

• How to See the Guru: Chastity
"Ramanuja Acharya heard there was a Guru in Alwar (South India). He came to that Guru and asked, 'You know one mantra that can give liberation. I want to get this mantra...'"

• Odds and Ends: Ramanuja Acharya's bed
"One time Ramanuja Acharya he went to Tirupati and stayed one month at one ashram there. He had a good servitor called Govinda who always served him..."

In honour of Sripad Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj:

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:

When I got sannyas, Sripad Bon Maharaj was present there, as well as many others also. Sripad Bon Maharaj remarked, "Prabhupad has got a high satisfaction by giving you sannyas. We have never seen so much satisfaction in him at the occasion of any other sannyasi. He is highly satisfied with conferring sannyas to you."

....When Sripad Bon Maharaj returned from England, he put so many disturbing questions to our Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad), "What do you know about that country? They are so brave, so gorgeous! Staying here, we cannot have any proper estimation of the civilisation in London at present. We are all ignorant. If we are to preach in London or Europe, we will have to be trained in a different way!" That was his advice to our Guru Maharaj, and Guru Maharaj, being pressed, rather attacked by his own disciple in such a way, withdrew himself by saying, "This is not our way of thinking. Our Guru Maharaj, Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, did not even know how to sign his name, but we think that all the scholarship, wealth, everything is there in a nail of his toe." Guru Maharaj represented himself in a mild and humble way, but there was also professor Sanyal present there, and he came out like a tiger at our Bon Maharaj, "Have you lost all you have got from Guru Maharaj?! You are bold enough to talk in such a boisterous way? Have you forgotten how to behave with your Divine Master?" He was furious; Bon Maharaj had to check himself. Anyhow, Prabhupad said about him, "Bon Maharaj went to preach in my first year in England and in my second year in England." Prabhupad had gone through it using Bon Maharaj.

So, when I heard that Sripad Bon Maharaj had returned from Europe and put forth so many arguments of the Western persons saying that they could not be answered, I wanted to hear what those questions were that could not be answered. He reluctantly spoke about the arguments he had had to face there, and I began to answer them one by one. Then, when Sripad Bon Maharaj could not say anything more, Srila Swami Maharaj [Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj], who was present at that round table meeting, said, "Here, Europe is defeated by Asia!"

* * *

...At that time, all the preachers had been taken back from the compass of the country and were concentrated to work in Kolkata—they used to have to go door to door collecting bhiksa (alms, donations). Sripad Bon Maharaj's party, he and one or two brahmacharis, went to some part of Kolkata for collection. Generally, seeing some gentleman standing by, one of the members of the party would run up to him and say something like, "We come from Gaudiya Math, we want to make some collection. Dear sir, you are a devoted person of this locality, please make some contribution." So, one time, Bon Maharaj asked some gentleman to give him some addresses of good benevolent gentlemen whom they could approach to get some money for their purpose. The gentleman showed Bon Maharaj the way saying, "Just go to that house, you will find the right person there." Bon Maharaj went there in good faith. When he knocked on the door, the door was open. A lady came out. Seeing him, she said, "Oh, you are a sadhu! What do you want from me?" The gentleman who had directed Bon Maharaj there, was laughing behind him—the lady was a prostitute. Bon Maharaj was perplexed—it was a lady. Anyhow, he still gave her the letter of invitation saying, "We have got such and such festival, we want you to come and we want to ask you for some contribution." I do not know if the lady had given him anything or not, but all the people around were laughing. After that, Bon Maharaj came back to Prabhupad and said, "Prabhupad, I will not go for any collection again." Prabhupad asked him, "Why? What has happened?" Bon Maharaj related the incident saying that some rogues had guided him to a prostitute's house. After that, Prabhupad delivered a lecture: "There are many of you who have left their own property, but still I send you out for collection. Do you think that I am doing wrong? I am not. The visayi (materialists) always want to entrap us within their material life, but we must learn to utilise everything and anything in the service of Krishna, then only are we saved; otherwise, if we leave, give everything away, all this visaya (material elements) will be left there and as soon as it gets any chance, it will come to bite me. So, whatever comes to us, we should deal with everything in such a way that rather, 'Whatever I shall come across, it will give me some impression to remember Krishna—everything should utilise me for a particular service to Krishna.' If left there, they will be enemies, but they should all be turned into friends. They will help me, remind me, excite me in the service of Krishna. We must have this kind of adjustment in this world. So, nothing should be left off. 'Nirbandhah Krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam uchyate: when one is not attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Krishna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness.'"

Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:

• SONG: Ei-bara karuna kara | এইবার করুণা কর
"O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of your feet."

• SONG: Ohe Vaisnava Thakura | (ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর
"O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant. Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after you."

• SONG: Ki-rupe paiba seva | কিরূপে পাইব সেবা
"I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"

• SONG: Dhana mora nityananda | ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ
"The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs' name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."

• SONG: Ye anila prema-dhana | যে আনিল প্রেমধন
"Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"

Fundamental Mood of Kirtan
"The perfect mood is humility, tolerance and giving honour to others. Chant the Holy Name without offence, try to engage yourself in the service of the mission, of your guru. Chant without offence, serve without offence, and you will succeed in your spiritual life."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 25 October 2020)

Sincere Ego-Free Relationship
"Everybody's focus must be one—everybody must think that we are all godbrothers and godsisters, and our main goal is to serve our Guru, to please our Guru. This is not a competition. This is not some fight. Do not become jealous. If envy comes to you, then you yourself will be getting pain from that—you yourself will be losing."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 9 min | 25 October 2020)

In honour of Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj:

His Divine Grace Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

"When Kunja Babu [later, Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj] came to meet Srila Prabhupad, Srila Prabhupad could recognise that this young man would be able to help him a great deal. Our Guru Maharaj's nature was like that of a philosopher—he did not like to mix with the public, but Kunja Babu filled that side as he could mix with public and bring persons to Srila Prabhupad, enabling thus Srila Prabhupad to speak about the sastra. Srila Prabhupad wanted to speak about Mahaprabhu, but his temperament was such that he did not like to become involved with inviting people and taking responsibility for looking after them or their accommodation, feeding, etc. So, when Kunja Babu joined, he took up that responsibility. Srila Prabhupad got educated society ready to hear his speech about Mahaprabhu, and his style of speaking was a little philosophical, so he preferred educated society as his listeners. Kunja Babu did that service—he took the trouble of inviting, accommodating, and feeding the public. All these troublesome burdens were taken on by Kunja Babu.

"Gaudiya Mission had gradually grown from this combination—the material help of Kunja Babu and the spiritual work of Srila Prabhupad. They were the father and the mother of the mission, the cofounders of Gaudiya Math. The practical, material side of the service was done by Kunja Babu. Srila Prabhupad once said in Benares (I heard it directly from his mouth), 'I only want a good audience, and Kunja Babu has done that service to me the best. Amongst all my disciples, Kunja Babu has served me the best by bringing to me a good audience. I only want a good audience, nothing else, in this world, and in that direction, Kunja Babu has helped me greatly.'

"In the end, Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's order was to form a governing body of ten or twelve, and Kunja Babu had to manage as long as he lived. 'Kunja Babu's intelligence excells that of all,' this was told about him. We took it as Kunja Babu was the manager during Prabhupad's lifetime, but he was actually managing the whole institution, so he should be respected even though he was a grihastha and we were sannyasis. Later, many complaints were heard against him, but Srila Prabhupad had told us that Kunja Babu had to manage as long as he lived and that he should be respected. Srila Prabhupad did not select anyone as his follower acharya, that is why there was eventually a difference of opinion amongst us. There were also many ambitious sannyasis who were eager to go on as acharyas themselves. There were generally two parties, one accepting Vasudev Prabhu as the acharya, and the other one accepting Kunja Babu..."

His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj:

"Sri Bimala Prasad got initiation from Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj and later, when he took sannyas, he became known as Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. At some point, he promised that he would complete chanting one hundred crores Holy Names and after that start preaching Mahaprabhu's proper conception, but as he was chanting the Holy Name, one day Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Giridhari came in front of him and Srimati Radharani said, 'You must preach pure conception of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, the combined form of Radha-Krishna.' Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, 'I am alone, how will I preach?' After that so many great scholars (dig-pals) came to help him—our Param Gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Vichar Jajavar Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kumud Shanta Maharaj and many others. This is how Prabhupad started preaching the proper conception in this world.

"In Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswat Thakur's time, the secretary of Chaitanya Math was a grihastha, his name is Kunja Bihari Prabhu (affectionately known as Kunja Babu), later he became Srila Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj. Kunja Babu could not always stay at the temple, but he always served Chaitanya Math from his householder life. Moreover, when he would come to visit Chaitanya Math, to see Prabhupad, at that time almost all sannyasis would give him their full obeisance.

Nonsense Sacrifice
"People used to cut people's necks, and now in lieu of that, since it is not possible to kill people, they kill a buffalo... People cannot control their material desires, anger, and many other bad elements within. They will suffer in the age of Kali!"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 25 October 2020)

Our Main Problem
"Our main problem is that we are always busy with our body. Almost the entire world is always thinking about their temporary bodies. Such is our situation. Almost everybody here is very much attached to their body."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 1 November 2020)

In honour of Lord Ramachandra's appearance:

Reading from Guidance 4
"I am writing here something comparing the pastimes of Ramachandra and the pastimes of Krsihna-chandra, as well as Nanda Maharaj and Vasudev's vatsalya-rasa..."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.3 Mb, 13 min | 2 April 2020)

Peculiarity of Lord's Pastimes
"I have read Ramayan, but I am telling you the gist point... There are many incarnations—Narayan, Ramachandra, Vamanadev, Balaram, and others, but Krishna is the full Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, Gaura-lila is even higher..."
• Download / listen to the audio (7.6 Mb, 18 min | 2 April 2020 | Class and Kirtan)

Niti and Priti
"It was Ramachandra's vijay utsav yesterday, and we would like to clarify some things about Rama-tattva and Krishna-tattva. In Rama-lila, rules and regulations are the highest, and love and affection go down, but this is not the highest ideal..."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 9 October 2019)

Laksman's Grudge
"Sita Devi was crying so much, and Laksman could not bear the thought of doing it, but because Ramachandra was his worshippable Lord and his elder brother, he had to do it—but Laksman could not forget the kind of pain he got at that time..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 9 October 2019)

Hanuman's Service Drive
"I will give you some example of Hanuman's love for Rama, of his desire to serve Rama. We can see how much Ramachandra loves Hanuman and how much Hanuman loves Him. It is necessary to have such service desire."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 2 March 2020)

• Sri Dasavatara Stotram | দশাবতারস্তোত্রম্
'To fulfil the wish of great sages, You mercifully fight a battle, pleasing everyone with the tribute of Ravan's ten heads! O Kesava who assumes the form of Lord Rama! Glory to You, O Lord of the universe, O Hari!'

Search For Original Source
"We always want pleasure, happiness, love affection, but we will never get it from this material world. Our Gurudev has told us very clearly how we must practise, how we can attain our destination, where the source is and how to reach that kind of source. Those who can give proper attention to this, must succeed."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 7 min | 1 November 2020)

All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga

— · Announcement · —

Disappearance Festival of Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacharya-varya Ashtottara-sata-sri
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.

Dear Devotees, Vaishnavs, and Well-Wishers,

Bowing down at your holy feet, we would like to extend a humble and earnest invitation to your holy self in eternal memory of our worshippable Sri Gurupadpadma, Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, to join the observance of the divine disappearance day of the supremely worshippable Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, that manifests this year on 20 April 2024 (Saturday).

We pray that devotees can render assistance to the festivals observed in their communities and focus eternally in their lives on contributing the core ingredient of every service endeavour—one's entire being, mind, heart and soul. In the words of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, "Surrender to the Lord. Have full faith. You must surrender and give everything—your shyness, shame, fear, everything; keep everything at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, Srimati Radharani, or Gurudev. Give your everything, cent per cent."

His Divine Grace has many times instructed on how to hold special programmes and taught it many times by his own example. Usually such programmes consist of: kirtans, lecture or reading of scriptures, arati, pushpanjali (offering of flowers to a photograph), and prasad-seva (cooking a special offering, offering it at the altar or to a photograph, and distributing it to devotees).

We hope all devotees find an opportunity to observe this holy day for the satisfaction of Sri Gurupadpadma, keeping the divine Guidance on their heads: "Always sit amidst fire blazing on all four sides. This fire is Hari-katha, kirtan, service to the Lord, and service to the guru. You must progress in your practising life keeping the sacrificial fire of your service ablaze."

Your aspiring servants,
On behalf of SCSMathInternational.com

Email address for enquiry:

Satisfying the Lord
"Bali Maharaj asked Vamanadev, 'O brahman, what do you want? Tell me, and I can give You anything you wish.' Vamanadev replied, 'I do not want much. I know you have everything, but I want only something small.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 30 August 2020)

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 bath in the Ganges, attended kirtans, danced, circumambulated the temple and so on. Then, I asked him whether he would take any anukalpa. He replied, 'Generally, I do not take anything, but if you like, then, of course, I must take 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 Krishna, for the cause of their 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 held responsible by 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 not do that, I should be a separatist, a mayavadi, a renunciationist. I shall render maximum service to Krishna, and I must take without any hesitation whatever is necessary to make myself fit for the service; otherwise, I shall be punishable."

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

(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)

Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Books Online

In honour of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

"I offer my obeisance unto him who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord."

"Do Not Despair"
"You have come to see me. I am your friend, your master, or your everything, I can feel that you feel it. There are so many devotees from different countries here. Different countries means different languages, different cultures, different lifestyles, different food—everything is different; but our conception is one, and that is Krishna consciousness. We have been practising for a long time, then we must have some Krishna-conscious mentality and we can proceed with that to our goal, which is the life of a servitor."

The Pain of Broken Hearts
"We always remember Srimati Radharani, Her associates and other Vraja gopis, but we forget about Nanda Maharaj and Mother Yasomati. It has come out of Radharani's mouth: 'We do not consider our heart's pain, but when we see Mother Yasoda's face and Mother Yasoda's situation without Your presence, our heart is breaking after breaking after breaking.'"

Biography of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
A glorification article that sprang forth from the interpretation of the Pranam-mantra of His Divine Grace and was originally published as an Appendix to the Revealed Truth.

Sri Samadhi Mandir Verses
A series of pages containing the verses that were selected to adorn the samadhi-mandir of His Divine Grace Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. May these pages please and nourish the Vaishnavs' hearts.

Prayers to Sri Gurupadpadma:

• SONG: Sri Guru Parampara
"All the Gurus in this succession are associates of Sri Gauranga. I pray for their remnants."

• SONG: Gurudev! krpa-bindu diya
"When I examine myself for qualifications, I find none. Your mercy is everything. If you are not merciful to me, then, crying, I will no longer maintain my life."

• SONG: Gurudev bada krpa kari
"When, O master, will you mercifully grant this servant the qualification to do this? Then my heart will become steadfast, I will tolerate everything, and I will serve the Lord sincerely."

• SONG: Samsara-davanala
"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, the ocean of goodness who assumes the form of a cloud of mercy to deliver the souls burning in the blazing fire of material existence."

• SONG: Thakura vaisnava-gana
"Narottam Das says, 'Seeing and hearing about my situation, I am stricken with fear. Please rescue me and keep me by your side.'"

• SONG: Nitai-pada kamala
"Always aspire for Nitai's feet. Narottam is very sad: 'O Nitai! Make me happy. Keep me beside your reddish feet.'"

• SONG: Emona durmati
"O Lord! I am very wicked-minded and have fallen into this material world, but You have sent a great soul, Your associate (to rescue me)."

• SONG: Ki jani ki bale
"I do not know by what force I have taken shelter within Your abode. Surely it is by Your mercy alone, for You are ever seeking the purification and deliverance of the fallen souls."

• SONG: Sri Rupa-manjari-pada
"The lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my wealth, my bhajan (service), my puja (worship), the wealth of my life, and whatever ornaments I may have. Her lotus feet are the very life of my life."

• SONG: Ye anila prema-dhana
"Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"

Question: It seems that we have one type of fear that having got some connection with your self we may lose that at death. I do not want to have connection with anyone else, I want to stay with you. So, I feel some type of fear...

(8 June 1992)

Vyasadev's Gift (1)
"When Gurudev was in Australia in 1992, he gave one lecture. I have got the Bengali translation of that lecture and was proof reading it today. It is a very nice lecture, I want to tell you about it."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 9 min | 1 November 2020)

Vyasadev's Gift (2)
"Who we are? What must we do? How can we get relief? This is all transcendental knowledge of atma-tattva. Those who do not see anything [who have no real, transcendental vision] ask so many questions, but we must understand what is the main purpose of this life. If you read Srimad Bhagavatam, you will understand it."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 1 November 2020)

Vyasadev's Gift (2)
"Who we are? What must we do? How can we get relief? This is all transcendental knowledge of atma-tattva. Those who do not see anything [who have no real, transcendental vision] ask so many questions, but we must understand what is the main purpose of this life. If you read Srimad Bhagavatam, you will understand it."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 1 November 2020)

Leave Questioning Mood
"I have told you—there is only one question, and the answer is also only one. Surrender to the Lord. Have full faith. Shyness, shame, fear—keep everything at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, Srimati Radharani, or Gurudev. Do not see things in the mundane, material way. You must see everything in the transcendental way."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 1 November 2020)

Fancy Living, Shallow Thinking
"People live like cats and dogs—they use their life for animal enjoyment and have no appreciation, no time to respect sadhus and to follow Krishna consciousness. All the great sadhus and all scriptures tell us about devotion to Lord Krishna, but we have no time to read about it—we always think about our body."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 1 November 2020)

Service Hankering
"You can make your Guru happy even through some small service. The most important thing is that whatever service you do, you must do it with your heart. Whatever you do, do it properly. This is how you can make your Guru happy with your service."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 8 min | 1 November 2020)

Our Great Fortune
"Today is a very auspicious day because tomorrow is the appearance day of our Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math's Founder Acharya—our Param Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. I am giving my full humble obeisance at the lotus feet of my beloved Gurudev, and our Param Gurudev...."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 8 November 2020)

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Appearance and Early Days
"The name of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's father is Upendra Chandra Bhattacharya. His birthpalce is in Hapaniya. His mother's name was Sri Gauri Devi. By the will of the Lord, when Srila Sridhar Maharaj appeared, he was the eldest son. How did his parents get this kind of son? There is some history behind it."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min)

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Powerful Preaching
"When Srila Sridhar Maharaj left his house and joined Gaudiya Mission, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was very pleased. Even before taking sannyas, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was a great preacher. He was always very enthusiastic to preach."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.3 Mb, 11 min)

In honour of Sripad Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj:

Pranama-mantra:

The Root of Our Fortune
"Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj was a good kirtaniya and a good singer, and that Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj would walk from Nabadwip to Hapaniya and chant Srila Sridhar Maharaj's song..."
• Download (7.6 Mb, 22 min)

Get Cracking
"'Time has passed as I have been busy in my material life, and I have got nothing—only became burdened. What sort of world is this?' In this world there is no want of food, no want of money, no want of anything except only one thing..."
• Download (1.8 Mb, 6 min)

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?"

"Service Is My Vow"
"Many people ask me, many people criticise me, but I am a fallen soul, I only know what Gurudev told me—he told me, 'Service is the vow, service is the life force, and service is the duty.' This is what I am following."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 9 min | 8 November 2020)

From a purport found in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita:

"Sri Ramadas, later known as Abhiram Thakur, was one of the twelve gopals, or cowherd boyfriends, of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (126) states that Sri Ramadasa was formerly Sridam. By the order of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Abhiram Thakur became a great acharya and preacher of the Chaitanya cult of devotional service. He was a very influential personality, and nondevotees were very much afraid of him. Empowered by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he was always in ecstasy and was extremely kind to all fallen souls. It is said that if he offered obeisances to any stone other than a salagrama-sila, it would immediately fracture. It is also said that Abhiram Thakur had a whip and that whoever he touched with it would immediately become an elevated devotee of Krishna. Among his many disciples, Sriman Srinivas Acharya was the most famous and the most dear, but it is doubtful that he was his initiated disciple."