Learn Proper Meaning
'Do not look at what others say – read Bhagavatam. If you talk about
merging with impersonal Brahman, it means that you want to become God. Man
can never become God. First become surrendered, then you can understand these
things. You must study properly.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (24.1 Mb, 67 min | 18 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa:
Breaking Free
"Devotion to Krishna is the primary goal of life. Karma, yoga, jnana
look up to bhakti; these practices have very little
power—without devotion to Krishna, they cannot give the result."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 8 min)
Tue, 2 July 2024 (Sri Yogini Ekadasi; tomorrow paran is
4:58:42–7:01:55)
Come to Nirguna
Plane
'The Lord gives life to every entity, so the Lord is the master, the owner.
Understanding this, if you reject the fruit thinking that it does not belong
to you, you become a false renunciate, but if you offer the fruit to the
Lord, then you become a servant.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (24.1 Mb, 67 min | 18 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Yogini Ekadasi
"Do we fast on ekadasi because of the glories of ekadasi? They
say if you do ekadasi, you will get this result, that result, etc.,
but we do not think about all these results. We follow ekadasi because
our Gurupadpadma told us to. We fast for the pleasure of the Lord."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.5 Mb, 16 min | 20 June 2017 | Bengali)
—{ In Honour of Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival }—
On the Way to Sri Puri Dham
(Divine
Guidance, chapter 2):
"We are not going sightseeing but we are going to a place of pilgrimage, a
holy place. Going there will purify us—body, mind, and soul."
First Visit to
Sri Puri Dham
"This temple was made by the mercy of Gurudev, although it is a very small
temple, but it is very nice and sweet. I came to Puri first time through
service—without service Gurudev would not have sent me here and I would
not come myself."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.7 Mb, 2 min | 6 April 2013)
Parikrama:
Mood, Intention, and Prayer
"People spend so much money to do eye exercise on pretext of spiritual
benefit, but I never want you to have a loss. I want you to get spiritual
benefit. If the Guru cannot direct you to the right path, he cannot be a
Guru."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 19 July 2015 | Bengali)
A Welcome
Austerity
"We do not want Krishna, we want love for Krishna. Whatever problem,
whatever disturbance comes, let it come. The Lord is testing us, 'If I give
you much austerity, will you tolerate it? Will you tolerate this austerity
and do the parikrama with My devotees?'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.9 Mb, 15 min | 20 June 2017 | Bengali)
Sambandha, Abhidheya, and Prayojana of Pilgrimage
"Today is a very good day, a very good occasion—an ekadasi day. On this day
we have come to Sri Puri Dham. Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra are here, Nitai
Chaitanyadev are here, Gurudev is here and Mahaprabhu manifest here His
highest pastimes..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 10 min | 20 June 2017 | Bengali)
Sri Ekadasi Guidance Guidelines on how to observe and honour this holy day: Ekadasi takes an
indispensible part in the life of a sincere practitioner. At Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Math, Ekadasi and paran are observed with affection and without
fail according to the dates given in the Calendar.
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."
•"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, 3 July 2024
Haridas Thakur's
Purity
'When Haridas Thakur came to Puri, he stayed in Siddha Bakul, a small place
near Gambhira. Every day, he would chant 300,000 Holy Names, and until he
finished chanting the Holy Name, he would not touch any food or even drink
any water...'
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.6 Mb, 13 min | 30 June 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ In Honour of Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival }—
On the Way to Sri Puri Dham
(Divine
Guidance, chapter 2):
"We are not going sightseeing but we are going to a place of pilgrimage, a
holy place. Going there will purify us—body, mind, and soul."
Mahaprabhu
Arrives In Puri
"When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyas, He went away with Nityananda
Prabhu, Mukunda and others. On the way, Nityananda Prabhu thought, 'Why will
Mahaprabhu carry Me?'..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.3 Mb, 9 min | 21 June 2017 |
Bengali)
Mahaprabhu
Enters Sri Puri Dham
"Atharnala is the place through which Mahaprabhu first entered Puri after He
took sannyas. Engrossed in the thoughts about Lord Jagannath, Mahaprabhu
began to run from there. He was actually walking, but walking so fast that
the devotees had to run to follow Him."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 5 April 2013)
Mahaprabhu
Settles In Puri
"Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya kept a room for Mahaprabhu at Kashi Misra's house,
and, after Mahaprabhu had travelled all South India, He came back to Puri and
settled in Kashi Misra's house. He always discussed Krishna-katha with Ray
Ramananda and Svarup Damodar—who will one speak Krishna-katha with if not
with one's dear and near ones?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.2 Mb, 9 min | 21 June 2017 |
Bengali)
Raghav's Bags
"In Mahaprabhu's times, Damayanti, the sister of Raghav Pandit, would make so
much food for Mahaprabhu during the whole year, and at the Ratha Yatra time,
on the Gundicha marjan day, they would bring bags full of food for
Mahaprabhu."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.7 Mb, 2 min | 5 April 2013)
Thu, 4 July 2024
Haridas Thakur's
Desire
'Haridas Thakur caught Mahaprabhu"s hand and pulled Him to sit down next to
him on his bed. Then, he said, "Prabhu, I have never asked You for anything,
but I want to ask You for something today. Will you give it to me?"'
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.6 Mb, 13 min | 30 June 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ In Honour of Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival }—
On the Way to Sri Puri Dham
(Divine
Guidance, chapter 2):
"We are not going sightseeing but we are going to a place of pilgrimage, a
holy place. Going there will purify us—body, mind, and soul."
Jagadananda
Pandit: Childhood
"In his Prema-vivarta Jagadananda Pandit tells what prema
(love) is, and the prema (love) that he himself has cannot be seen
anywhere... I will tell his story."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 11 July 2018 | Bengali)
Jagadananda
Pandit's Hot-Headed Heart
"When a man has two wives, the second, younger, wife is always more
temperamental and domineering. Similarly, Satyabhauma is also always
domineering, always controlling, and so was Jagadananda Pandit here..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.2 Mb, 15 min | 11 July 2018 | Bengali)
At Sri
Chatak Parvat and Sri Tota Gopinath Temple
His Divine Grace is speaking at the bhajan-kutir of Srila Bhakti
Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Sri Tota Gopinath temple on the first day of
Sri Puri Dham parikrama, telling the pastimes of Srila Haridas
Thakur's disappearance and Srila Gadadhar Pandit.
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.9 Mb, 13 min | 14 July 2015 | Bengali)
At Sri Alarnath
"In Sri Purusottam Dham, at the shore of the ocean and about twenty-four
miles to the East of Puri, there is a town called Brahmagiri. Here, Brahma
worshipped Lord Vishnu in Satya-yuga. Pleased with his worship, Lord Narayan
appeared here..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 15 July 2015 | Bengali)
Pastimes of Sri
Saksi Gopal
"There were once two brahmans, an old and a young one. They both went
on pilgrimage to many holy places and met in Vrindavan. The old
brahman was very happy with the young brahman and promised in
front of the Deity of Gopal to give his daughter to him."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 4 July 2016)
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 | 5 April 2013)
Strong
Desire
"If you have this kind of strong desire, mercy will come. It is necessary
to have such permanent, unflinching desire for service, for chanting or
anything else." What kind of desire is it?
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 1 January 2011)
Fri, 5 July 2024
Jagadananda
Pandit's Nature
'Jagadananda Pandit was very straightforward with Mahaprabhu. Such was his
nature. He was a very good cook, so he would sometimes cook and forcefully
feed Mahaprabhu. He would also sometimes fight with Mahaprabhu, but he was a
extremely dear to Mahaprabhu.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.1 Mb, 12 min | 30 June 2019 |
Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Amavasya. Disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit Goswami and Srila
Sach-chid-ananda Bhaktivinod Thakur.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Srila Sachchidananda
Bhaktivinod Thakur:
"I offer my obeisance unto Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, the embodiment of
Sri Gaurasundar's potency. He is the king of all knowers of the scriptures of
pure devotion and an ocean of the nectar of devotion to Srimati
Radharani."
Srimad Bhakti Vinodaviraha Dasakam | শ্রীমদ্ভক্তিবিনোদবিরহদশকম্ "Alas, alas! O Bhakti Vinoda Thakura, O Supreme Guru, for twenty-two years
this world has been plunged into misfortune, long grief-stricken in your
intolerable separation. You are the divine potency of Sri Gaura, and you
graciously made your advent in this earthly plane, being attracted by the
living beings' virtuous deeds performed throughout many lifetimes. Where am
I, so lowly and fallen, and where are you, the great soul who delivers the
universe!"
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and the Distinction of the Line He Introduced A beautiful and extensive chapter from Sri Guidance,
Volume 4 (page 245): "Desiring to fulfil the innermost desire of Sri
Gaurasundar to bestow His joyous service onto the souls, Srila Bhaktivinod
Thakur appeared in this world and performed his pastimes. Appearance of a
close associate of Gaura is a blessing for the world. When a king is born,
literary experts and poets sing in his praise, but when a great soul appears
to spread eternal auspiciousness in this world, nobody cares. This is a
deplorable fortune."
Without Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur Our Line Is Nothing
"Today is the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur—he left us and
entered his nitya-lila on this day. He is doing service in his abode
now, but he is still bestowing his mercy on all devotees and on us. We cannot
even think of our line without Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. He is the main
personality in our line."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 21 June 2020)
Mandakini Dhara
"The main thing is that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur brought to us the pure
current of Mandakini, proper consciousness, and this current is still flowing
in this world allowing us to get some taste of the nectar that was
distributed by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. What he has given us has never been
given by anybody in this world."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | 21 June 2020)
Srila Bhakti
Vinod Thakur
"If Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur had not come in this world, where, in whose
lotus feet would we have found our shelter? He gave us all these things and
he gave us Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. If you think about it,
you can understand how much he gave to the jiva souls..."
• Download the
audio (3.6 Mb, 11 min | 3 October 2015)
Recognising Guru:
What Is Your Obstacle?
"Brother, you see Bhakti Vinod Thakur as your father, but I see him as my
spiritual master. That is the difference. What you see is a father
(baba), and that is the obstacle (badha) that prevents you from
getting Radharani (Radha)."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 24 February 2013)
The Seventh Goswami[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
A summary account of
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's service, life, and character. Originally published as an
introduction to the first edition of Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya
published as The Hidden Treasure of the Holy Dhama Nabadwipa.
In honour of Srila Gadadhar Pandit Goswami:
— { Pranam mantra of Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami } —
nilambhodhi-tate sada sva-viraha-ksepanvitam bandhavam
srimad-bhagavati katha madiraya sanjivayan bhati yah
srimad-bhagavatam sada sva-nayanasru-payanaih pujayan
gosvami-prabaro gadadhara-vibhur-bhuyat mad-eka-gatih
"On the shore of the broad blue ocean Gadadhar Pandit used to read Srimad
Bhagavatam to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was suffering from the great
internal pain of separation from Himself (Krishna). Gadadhar Pandit supplied
the wine of Krishna-lila to intoxicate his afflicted friend and give Him
relief. As he read, tears would fall from his eyes like flower offerings onto
the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam. May the pleasure of that brilliant
personality, Gadadhar Pandit, the best of the Goswamis, be my only object in
writing this book."
(Composed by
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)
Service
to Gaura-Gadadhar(By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami
Maharaj)
"Is worship of Gaura-Gadadhar a completely madhurya conception? Yes,
and more than that. This worship is rather related to separation, or union in
separation. Gadadhar Pandit represented Radharani's bhava, but though
he is the possessor of that wealth, it was taken up by Mahaprabhu, so he
stood empty."
Sri Gadadhar Pandit Goswami (A chapter from Srila Acharya Maharaj's Bengali book Sri
Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala)
"Sri Gadadhar Pandit stayed with Mahaprabhu from his childhood. His father's
name was Madhav Misra, and his mother's name was Ratnavali Devi. They lived
in Mayapur near Jagannath Misra's house. Mahaprabhu could never stay without
Gadadhar Pandit, and Gadadhar Pandit could not stay without Mahaprabhu even a
moment too..."
At Sri
Chatak Parvat and Sri Tota Gopinath Temple
His Divine Grace is speaking at the bhajan-kutir of Srila Bhakti
Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Sri Tota Gopinath temple on the first day of
Sri Puri Dham parikrama, telling the pastimes of Srila Haridas
Thakur's disappearance and Srila Gadadhar Pandit.
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.9 Mb, 13 min | 14 July 2015 | Bengali)
Sri Gadadhar Pandit's
Life in Puri
A special discourse given by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj for Sri Gaudiya Darshan, 1995, dwelling on "Puri
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math" and "Jagannathdev and His Dham."
Pandit Sri Gadadhar Goswami[From Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-Mukta-Mala]
Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's article on Srila Gadadhar
Pandit's paramount sacrifice: "Pandit Goswami's life is a special offering
of silent and complete self-sacrifice to his beloved. Only those who can
taste unprecedented joy by appreciating the wonder within the ornament of
contradiction in seeing the bag of a beggar on Laksmi Devi’s shoulder are fit
to appreciate the extraordinary glory of Srimat Pandit Goswami's
unprecedented personality..."
পণ্ডিত শ্রীগদাধর
গোস্বামী["Pandit Sri Gadadhar Goswami," the original
Bengali article]
শ্রীল ভক্তিরক্ষক শ্রীধর দেব গোস্বামী মহারাজের প্রবন্ধ: "পণ্ডিত গোস্বামী
চরিত্র নিজ প্রিয়তমের উদ্দেশ্যে একটী নীরব পূর্ণ-আত্মোৎসর্গময় উপটোকন বিশেষ ।
লক্ষ্মীদেবীর স্কন্ধ ভিক্ষার ঝুলি দর্শনে যাঁহারা বিরোধালঙ্কারের চমৎকারিতা
হৃদয়ঙ্গমে যে অপূর্ব্ব সুখাস্বাদনে সমর্থ, তাঁহারাই শ্রীমৎ পণ্ডিত গোস্বামী
অপূর্ব্ব ব্যক্তিত্বের অসাধারণ মহিমা অনুভবের অধিকারী ।"
Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:
•SONG:
Ei-bara karuna kara |
এইবার করুণা কর "O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the
fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of
your feet."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
•SONG:
Ye
anila prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where
is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"
—{ In Honour of Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival }—
Photographs of Sri Puri Dham pilgrimage from previous years:
Jagadananda
Pandit's Service
'When Mahaprabhu took sannyas and came to Puri, Jagadananda Pandit
came together with Him. Wherever Mahaprabhu went, Jagadananda Pandit stayed
near Him and always thought about service to Mahaprabhu, always making sure
that Mahaprabhu did not suffer from any inconvenience.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.1 Mb, 12 min | 30 June 2019 |
Bengali)
Self-Purification[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
"First, all gross elements are removed, then all subtle elements are removed,
and then the temple is washed. By doing that, we can cleanse the temples of
our own hearts. None can deceive us, none can check our progress except
ourselves, so we must scrutinise and analyse our own inner temples and brush
aside any undesirable things found there. This is Gundicha-marjan, as
Mahaprabhu showed."
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Pratipad. Gundicha Marjan: cleaning at the Gundicha Temple at Sri Puri
Dham, and cleaning of all Temples of the Lord.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "On this day,
you should clean the place where you are staying, and also clean your heart
through chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Clean your hearts through
sravan and kirtan, through practising."
—{ In Honour of Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival }—
Pastime of Gundicha Marjan (A chapter from His Divine Grace's Bengali book Sri Puri
Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala)
"The day before going to Vrindavan-Sundarachal, Mahaprabhu and all the
devotees would clean the temple of Gundicha (that is non-different from
Vrindavan). This is called Gundicha-marjan lila (pastime of cleaning the
temple). Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur wrote very
beautifully about this pastime...."
Observing
Gundicha Marjan
"Tomorrow is Gundicha Marjan, everybody will join it. You should clean the
place where you are staying, and also clean your heart through chanting the
Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Clean your hearts through sravan and
kirtan, through practising."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.8 Mb, 2 min | 21 June 2020)
Buddhi-Suddhi
"You recite mantras for the archan, you chant that the cloth is clean,
the chamara is clean, the peacock fan is clean, the
pancha-pradip is clean, etc. Everything is clean, but do you ever
think, 'Is my mind clean?'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 5 February 2020)
শ্রীপুরীধাম মাহাত্ম্য-মুক্তা-মালা:
গুণ্ডিচা-মার্জ্জন লীলা
"বৃন্দাবন-সুন্দরাচলে যাওয়ার আগের দিন মহাপ্রভু সমস্ত ভক্তগণকে নিয়ে গুণ্ডিচা
মন্দির (যে বৃন্দাবন থেকে অভিন্ন) পরিষ্কার করতেন । এটা হচ্ছে গুণ্ডিচা-মার্জ্জন
লীলা । প্রভুপাদ শ্রীলভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী ঠাকুর খুব সুন্দর ভাবে এই লীলার
রহস্যর সম্বন্ধে লিখে দিয়েছেন :"
Gundicha
Marjan: "Let Jagannath Come to My House"
"Another meaning of Gundicha marjan is cleaning the heart, and Mahaprabhu
Himself was showing how to do it. At first He swept, then poured water and
then with His own cloth, uttariya, He washed the temple. He was showing how
thoroughly you must clean your heart..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 5 April 2013)
Gundicha
Marjan: A Seat for Bhakti Devi
"What is the meaning of this Pastime? We have so much dust in our hearts,
we must remove this dust. Once we clean the place in our heart, we can invite
Bhakti Devi, the Lord, to come there. Unless you clean the place, Bhakti Devi
will not come."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | Kirtan & Bengali class)
Sun, 7 July 2024 (Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival of Lord Jagannath)
Do Not Become
Sahajiya
'How do you become Krishna-bhakta? This is Mirabai"s style. She said, "I have
got Krishna! I have got Krishna-prema!" But even Mahaprabhu, who is the Lord
Himself, said, "I have not got anything! I am only a servant of a servant of
devotees. I have not got even a speck of Krishna-prema!" And here you have
Mirabai saying, "I have got Krishna-prema!" This is a sahajiya
conception.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (19.1 Mb, 39 min | 18 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Srila Svarup Damodar Goswami: Master Acharya [By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
"Srila Svarup Damodar's previous name was Purushottama Bhattacharya. When he
was in Nabadwip, he had much appreciation for Nimai Pandit, Mahaprabhu.
Although in the early pastimes of Mahaprabhu, we do not find much mention
about him, we are told that Purushottama Bhattacharya was closely watching
Mahaprabhu Nimai Pandit's childhood pastimes but, perhaps, from a distance,
with some awe and respect. Later on, when Nimai Pandit took sannyas,
he could not tolerate it anymore..."
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Dvitiya. Sri Ratha Yatra of Sri Jagannathdev (lasts two days this year,
according to the astrological calculations used in Puri). Disappearance of
Srila Svarup Damodar Goswami Prabhu. Anniversary of establishing Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day."
—{ In Honour of Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival }—
"Sri Jagannath is not an object to be seen; Jagannath is the Seer. When the
soul gives up the ego of the seer and becomes fully established in the ego of
an object of Jagannath’s vision or the pure original form of being an object
of enjoyment, it then acquires service temper and can attain the
darshan of Lord Jagannath through the eyes of divine love and service
temper.
"For as long as we think that we will see Jagannath, we will not be able to
see Him, but rather we will only always see wood, stone, an enjoyable idol
maimed by the impersonal or historical accounts; and when we can know with
all our heart and soul that He will see me, that we are materials for His
enjoyment, and there is no covering of our own pleasure when it comes to His
enjoyment, that He is absolutely independent and acts as He pleases, then
only will Jagannath reveal Himself to us.
"But people in this world are consciously and unconsciously deluded by the
idea that, 'I will get to see Jagannath—I will measure the
sach-chid-ananda vigraha with my fleshy eyes and enjoy.' That is why
even after the deception of getting the darshan of Jagannath, their
senses remain captured by the desire to see various bad things of this
world."
Lord
Jagannath: Discovery
"The Lord did not give any direction, so King Indradyumna had to find out
himself where the Lord was. All he knew was that the Lord was there and was
waiting for him."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min)
Darshan of Lord
Jagannath
"By the mercy of Guru and Vaishnavs we completed the Ratha-yatra festival
yesterday in a very beautiful and smooth way. Many thought, 'Oh, I will see
the chariots tomorrow,' but tell me do we have the eyes to see it?"
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | Vandana & Bengali
class)
Appearance of
Lord Jagannath
"Previously, Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra were one Vishnu-murti, and His name
was Nil-Madhav. He was served about a hundred kilometres away from Puri by
one savar named Vishvavasu..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.7 Mb, 15 min | 18 August
2013)
Sri Ratha Yatra
Festival (23 June 2020 | 75 photographs, 5.1 Mb)
On the earnest plea of the servitors of Sri Jagannathdev Temple, the Supreme
Court allows to hold Sri Ratha Yatra in Sri Jagannath Puri without public
attendance. Unable to make Sri Puri Dham parikrama this year due to the
national restriction, our beloved Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj observes the festival from Kolkata. We
are humbly sharing a few glimpses of the festival in Sri Puri Dham.
Puri Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Math: Jagannathdev and His Dham
Chapter 23 from Affectionate Guidance by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj that relates the history of our Puri Temple, Deities and
the proper mood when visiting Sri Puri Dham.
What Is Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Its Distinctions In honour of the anniversary of establishing Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math,
we are presenting an exquisite and profoundly fundamental chapter from the
book Guidance, Volume 3, dwelling on the mission and distinctive
characteristics of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.
Golden
Reflections
Published in 1992 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Math, the book presents a series of reflections of Srila B.S. Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj on how the Math was founded and developed over the
course of time, as well as affectionate guidance for the practitioners on
how to proceed in their spiritual life.
The All-Auspicious
Name of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami
Maharaj, the founder of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, expounds on the
profundity of the Mission's name.
The Math Logo
Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj explains the
meaning of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math's logo, manifest and revealed by His
Divine Grace. (Excerpted from Golden Reflection.)
History of Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math (1)
"You all know ISKCON, but some devotees do not actually know about Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math. When Chaitanya Math had not yet been established,
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad stayed in Kolkata and
preached from there..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min | 6 January 2019)
History of Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math (2)
"Gurudev (Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj)
always went to Kolkata for preaching, and at that time he stayed at the house
of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad at Ultadanga Road. Srila
Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and our Gurudev, Gaurendu Brahmachari, both lived
in that house..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min | 6 January 2019)
শ্রীপুরীধাম মাহাত্ম্য-মুক্তা-মালা:
গম্ভীরা—বিরহের জ্বলন্ত ঘর
"‘গম্ভীরা’ মানে ঘরের মধ্যে ঘর । এই খুব ছোট ঘরেই মহাপ্রভু থাকতেন । এই বিরহের জ্বালায় শ্রীগৌরহরি রাধিকার ভাব ধরে কৃষ্ণের জন্য উন্মাদ হয়ে গিয়েছেন । ব্রজগোপীরা বললেন, 'কৃষ্ণ, তুমি আমাদেরকে বৃন্দাবন ছেড়ে চলে গিয়েছ—আমাদের যত কাঁদিয়েছ, তোমাকেও তত এই জগতে এসে কাঁদতে হবে !'
সেইরকম লীলা গম্ভীরায় হয়েছিল ।"
শ্রীপুরীধাম মাহাত্ম্য-মুক্তা-মালা:
শ্রীল হরিদাসঠাকুর : নামাচার্য্য শিরোমণি
"শ্রীপুরীধামে এসে মহাপ্রভু হরিদাস
ঠাকুরকে তাঁর সঙ্গে শ্রীপুরীতে এনেছিলেন আর তাঁর নিজের ঘরের পাশে একটা ঘর
দিয়েছিলেন । শ্রীলহরিদাস ঠাকুর বলতেন, 'আমার জগন্নাথ দর্শন করবার অধিকার নেই । আমি অতি পাপী, যবন, নিচু জাতি, তাহলে আমি কি করে জগন্নাথ মন্দিরে যাব ?' তাই মহাপ্রভু নিজে প্রত্যেক দিন জগন্নাথদেবের মন্দিরে মঙ্গলারতিতে যাওয়ার পরে হরিদাস ঠাকুরের কাছে আসতেন ।"
শ্রীপুরীধাম মাহাত্ম্য-মুক্তা-মালা
সূচনা : শ্রীজগন্নাথদেব
"শ্রীজগন্নাথ—দৃশ্য নহেন, জগন্নাথ—দ্রষ্টা । জীবের দ্রষ্ট-অভিমান পরিত্যাগ করিয়া
যখন সম্পূর্ণভাবে জগন্নাথের দৃশ্য বা ভোগ্যরূপে শুদ্ধ স্বরূপগত অভিমান হয়, তখনই
জীব সেবোন্মুখ হইয়া থাকেন এবং সেই সেবোন্মুখ-প্রেম-নেত্রেই শ্রীজগন্নাথের দর্শন
লাভ করেন । যতক্ষণ আমরা মনে করি,—আমরা জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, ততক্ষণ আমরা
জগন্নাথ না দেখিয়া কাঠ, পাথর, বৌদ্ধ সাহিত্যিক বা ঐতিহাসিকের ঠুঁটো
ভোগ্য-মূর্ত্তি-বিশেষ দেখিয়া থাকি ; আর যখন সর্ব্বান্তঃকরণে জানিতে পারি,—তিনি
আমাদিগকে দেখিবেন, আমরা তাঁহার ভোগের উপকরণ, তাঁহার ভোগে আমাদের সম্ভোগের কোন
অবগুন্ঠন নাই, তাঁহারই নিরঙ্কুশ যথেচ্ছাচারিতা আছে, তখনই আমাদের নিকট জগন্নাথ
তাঁহাকে প্রকাশ করেন । কিন্তু জগতের লোক “আমি জগন্নাথকে দেখিয়া লইব, আমার
মাংসচক্ষু সচ্চিদানন্দ-বিগ্রহকে মাপিয়া লইবে ও ভোগ করিবে”—জ্ঞাত বা অজ্ঞাতসারে
এই বুদ্ধিতে বিভ্রান্ত হয় । তাই জগন্নাথ-দর্শন ছলনার পরও জগতের নানা কুরূপ
দেখিবার জন্য তাহাদের চিত্তবৃত্তি ধাবিত হইয়া থাকে ।"
Mon, 8 July 2024 (Sri Ratha-Yatra Festival of Lord Jagannath;
day two)
Sincere
and Selfless Service
'We come to the temple to practise Krishna consciousness, so we try to serve
the Lord whenever we can. When somebody serves the Lord, the Lord does not
throw them into any difficult situation – such people do not struggle, do not
suffer so much. It is those who live in another way that suffer.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (19.1 Mb, 39 min | 18 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Think What You
Are Doing
'On this path of devotion, obstacles do come from time to time – we must be
careful to always remove them. We must overcome dangers, obstacles and
whatever miseries Maya Devi sends us to remove us from the Lord's service.
Why does Maya Devi attack us? Because we become weak in our spiritual
life.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (19.1 Mb, 39 min | 18 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Sprout of
Deviation
'You say proudly, "Oh, I have taken initiation from gurudev!" but what
did you take it for? Taking initiation means serving the guru. If you
cannot serve your guru, what is the use of such initiation then?
Service to the guru does not mean washing his feet; service means
following what gurudev says.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (19.1 Mb, 39 min | 18 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Шри Чайтанья
Матх(часть 5)
«Я писал в прошлой статье, а сейчас добавлю ещё несколько происшествий на ту
же тему. Люди не понимают чистую религию вайшнавизма, поощряя материальную
деятельность в обличье вайшнавов, и мой Господин показал всем на собственном
примере, что это крайне гнусно и должно быть прекращено».
Love Others
'We must throw away our own happiness to help others. What does it mean to
help others? Does it mean giving people money or clothes? This is all
temporary help. Love means caring and loving the other person. This is the
most important ingredient in service. We must serve the Lord with heart and
soul, with love.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (19.1 Mb, 39 min | 18 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Panchami. Hera Panchami. Sri Sri Laksmi Vijay.
The Hera-panchami festival takes place five days after the Ratha-yatra
festival. Because Lord Jagannath leaves His wife Laksmi Devi, the goddess of
fortune, and goes to Vrindavan (Gundicha Temple) with Baladev and Subhadra,
she becomes angry and comes to the Gundicha Temple on the fifth day to bring
her husband, Lord Jagannath, back. She causes a row and engages in a fight
with the servitors of Lord Jagannath.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj notes:
'Seeing her anger, Jagannathdev and His servitors admit their defeat and Lord
Jagannath promises, "Yes, I shall go back immediately, do not be angry with
us." In this way, satisfied with her victory and the defeat of the battalion
of Lord Jagannath, Laksmi Devi quickly goes back. This day is called Laksmi
Vijay, or Hera Panchami. Jagannath Himself gives this prestige to Laksmi
Devi – we can see that the Lord is always defeated by His power. We, too, are
situated under the guidance of Supreme Power – Srimati Radharani, the
chit-sakti, or hladini-sakti, of the Lord...'
Fri, 12 July 2024
Dearth of Hari-katha
'There is no lack of food in the world – the Lord has sent you to this world,
and He has also arranged for your food. Even a dog roaming the streets gets
food – does anybody have to provide it? It finds food itself and survives
anyhow. The only shortage in this world is the shortage of Hari-katha. Until
and unless this shortage is fulfilled, all other shortages will never be
fulfilled.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa: Full
Faith
"Sadhus speak Krishna-katha, speak about Bhagavatam, and if
somebody has faith in those talks about the Lord, believes what the
sadhus say, then Krishna gives them devotion."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 9 min)
Sat, 13 July 2024
Follow without
Imitation
'Do not imitate other missions – follow what Srila Prabhupad and Mahaprabhu
told. Nityananda Prabhu told everyone to worship Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He did
not tell anyone to become devotees of Krishna. We must follow what Nityananda
Prabhu told us. Is that not so?'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa:
Power Transmission
"When a devotee surrenders fully and practises Krishna consciousness
properly, Krishna gives them whatever virtues or good qualities He has. This
is called power transmission."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 7 min)
Sun, 14 July 2024
Higher Conceptions
'Our line is service to devotees. Even when one becomes an acharya and
takes disciples, he must not think that the person who taking initiation from
him is his disciple. There should be no acharya-abhiman. Always
remember this. This is the highest conception.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
গুরুদেবের মিশনের পোষণ করা(৮ম শেষ ভাগ | ২৪ এপ্রিল ২০২১)
"আপনারা ভাগ্যবান : এখানে বসেও গুরুদেবের নিত্যসেবা করতে পারছেন । এ সেবা কখনও
ছাড়বেন না । এই সেবাটা চালিয়ে যাবেন । কেউ আসতে না পারলে দুটো পয়সা দিয়ে সাহায্য
করবেন । যার পয়সা নাই, সে দেহ দিয়ে সেবা করবেন ; যার পয়সা নাই, মন বা হৃদয় দিয়ে
সেবা করবেন । যার যেরকম সামর্থ্য, সেই দিয়ে ভগবানের সেবা করতে হয়, গুরুদেবের
সেবা করতে হয় । আমি সব চাইতে খুশি হব যদি আপনারা এই গুরুদেবের সেবা করেন,
ঠাকুরের সেবা করেন । আপনাদের অনেক বাধাবিপত্তি আসবে, সেগুলা সহ্য করতে হয় ।"
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Ashtami. Disappearance of Sripad Ajita Krishna
Brahmachari.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Sripad Ajita Krishna
Brahmachari:
A Miracle and Wealth
of Our Mission[Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj]
"Ajita Krishna Brahmachari was an ideal servitor of Srila Guru Maharaj. I am
surprised to see his mood of service. I did something, no doubt, but he used
ten times more energy for the service of Guru Maharaj! That was his
peculiarity. That type of all-rounder brahmachari was the wealth of
our mission."
The
Tireless Servitor[Sri Gaudiya
Darshan]
An article written by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj in
honour of the passing of Sripad Ajita Krishna Prabhu Seva Saurabh. It was
first published in Sri Gaudiya Darsan on 19 September 1971.
The
Best of All Servitors[Sri Gaudiya
Darshan]
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's tribute to Sripad Ajita
Krishna Das Brahmachari Seva Saurabh.
•SONG:
Ye anila
prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where are the saviours of the fallen souls? Not finding Sri Gauranga, who
performed His Pastimes with all His associates, Narottam Das weeps."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba
seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment
to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the
saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora
nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
Mon, 15 July 2024
Pursuit-Free
Devotion
'You can give up everything in this world, but this subtle desire is
impossible to give up. Such thoughts can come one's mind, but Srila Prabhupad
says that even all such thoughts must be given up. You must do service with
the mood that "I am only a servant, I do not know anything."'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa: Six Limbs of Surrender
"Acceptance of the favorable, rejection of the unfavorable, the faith that
'He will surely protect me,' embracing the Lord's guardianship, complete
dependence on Him, and the perception of one's utter helplessness without
Him."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 5 min)
Tue, 16 July 2024
Dasya-Abhiman, not Prapya-Abhiman
'Service and worship must be done sincerely, without deceit, and selflessly,
without desires. It is not necessary to want anything from the Lord – you
will get whatever is written in your destiny. No matter how hard you work,
you will only get as much as it is written in your destiny.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Gaura Dasami. Disappearance of Tridandi-swami Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj
(a disciple of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad, a sannyas disciple and a
dear associate of Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj). Departure of
Sriyukta Krishnamayi Devi. Punar Yatra of Sri Sri Jagannathdev (return
journey of the Chariots).
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 Kamal
Madhusudan Maharaj:
Pranam-mantra of Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, composed by Srila
Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
"I offer my obeisance unto the great Guru Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan
Maharaj. His tall, tranquil form, adorned with a tridanda and garments the
colour of the newly risen sun, is the embodiment of mercy. He is an
affectionate king amongst the Gaudiya Vaishnava sannyasis, an ocean of
Vedantic knowledge, and always rapt with the ecstatic taste of Sri Sri
Guru-Gauranga's kirtan."
Godbrothers'
Bond
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj tells about
the close and reverent relationship that Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar
Dev-Goswami Maharaj had with his godbrothers, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami
Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, and Srila Krishna Das Babaji
Maharaj.
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 19 September
2009)
Invoking
Vaishnavs' Mercy
"Today is Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj's appearance day. Wherever
he is staying now, whether in Goloka Vrindavan or anywhere else, we are
praying to him, 'Wherever you are now, please give us some mercy.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 13 min)
In honour of Sri Krishna Mayi Devi Dasi:
Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:
"When Krishnamayi Didi's son and son-in-law both died. She was in great
distress and came here to take shelter. Her son and myself were both the same
age. Krishnamayi Didi saw that Srila Guru Maharaj gave me much affection,
therefore she treated me as her son and would always give me much
enthusiasm.
"She came from a very high family. Both her father's family and her husband's
family were very high brahmanas, but they were smarta and so none of them
liked the Vaishnav Temples. Krishnamayi Didi was previously coming here but
hiddenly. Because her family were smarta they did not give her permission to
come, but she came anyway. Her family knew Srila Guru Maharaj since childhood
as Srila Guru Maharaj was their relative and also came from a very prominent
smarta brahmana family. Outwardly, therefore, they did not say anything wrong
to Krishnamayi Didi but they expressed their objection in many ways. She did
not listen to them but told, 'I have a great Guru and I cannot leave his
lotus feet.' When her very good son-in-law died she became very distressed
and could not remain living in her house. She came to take shelter of Srila
Guru Maharaj and offered her house to him. She said to me, 'Please you sell
my house.' I eventually was able to sell it for a good price and, according
to her wish, gave the money to Srila Guru Maharaj. He made one small
single-roomed bungalow for her to live in. It is known as Govinda Dham and is
where she now stays.
"The first lady to help Srila Guru Maharaj in the Math was Rama Didi. When
she would go to stay with her relatives, Krishnamayi Didi would help to look
after Srila Guru Maharaj. It was necessary to cook in a very precise way for
Srila Guru Maharaj otherwise he would get a headache. Krishnamayi Didi learnt
to cook for him from Rama Didi. We would offer Srila Guru Maharaj her
preparations, but after maybe two or three years she herself would take him
his prasadam and offer it directly to him. At that time Srila Guru Maharaj
could not see very well. One day Krishnamayi Didi was giving something to
Srila Guru Maharaj and by chance her finger and Srila Guru Maharaj's finger
touched. Immediately she paid her obeisances to Srila Guru Maharaj saying,
'Oh, I have made a great offence!' I was there and saw Srila Guru Maharaj
smile a little, thinking, 'She has acted perfectly.'
"Srila Guru Maharaj was becoming old, his pulse and blood pressure were low
and his health was deteriorating. And after that incident Krishnamayi Didi
became close in the service to Srila Guru Maharaj. So from that first
situation where no lady could enter his room we have seen how presently
Krishnamayi Didi began rendering service to Srila Guru Maharaj, and later
Rama Didi and so many others also came and served him in various ways."
Digesting
Gurudev's Love
"They cannot understand how much love and affection Gurudev has for them.
They think Gurudev loves his disciples but not his godbrothers and
godsisters, and that is why they left..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 11 March 2016)
Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:
•SONG:
Ei-bara karuna kara |
এইবার করুণা কর "O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the
fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of
your feet."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
•SONG:
Ye
anila prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where
is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"
Wed, 17 July 2024 (Fast on Sri Sayan Ekadasi)
Servant's Stance
'We did not come here to become Vaishnavs – we came here to become servants
of Vaishnavs, to serve them. This mood must be there. None of us has come to
become a devotee of Krishna – we are only servants of Krishna's devotees. If
we can serve His devotees, that is our greatest benefit.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Шри Шридхар
Анган
«Почему Шриман Нитьянанда Прабху сказал, что Шридхар Прабху является великим
обладателем милости Махапрабху? Вы должны знать о том, кто такой Шридхар
Прабху, и вы всегда должны помнить и хранить его настроение в своих
сердцах».
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa: Spontaneous Loving Devotion
"Sanatan, I have described the practices of devotion guided by rules and
regulations (vaidhi-bhakti) to you, now hear about the signs of
devotion guided by spontaneous love and affection
(raganuga-bhakti)."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 6 min)
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 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."
•"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)
Thu, 18 July 2024
Internal and External Mood of Servants
'Do not go to discuss the highest things so much. This is beyond our
qualification. We are simple servants. We only serve Nitai-Gaura and offer
bhoga to Them. Mahaprabhu can say to this, 'This is external, go
further,' but we offer whatever we have to the Deities, take prasad,
preach about the Lord. We speak about simple things.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa: The Path to the Supreme Goal
"Now hear about the fruit of devotion—prema, the ultimate goal of life.
Deep attachment to Krishna grows into what is called love. This prema is the
goal of life, the abode of all possible joy and happiness." It all begins
with sukriti...
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 9 min)
Fri, 19 July 2024
Highest Vaishnavs and Pseudo Vaishnavs
'One does not become a Vaishnav just by adopting some external insignia. They
are always humbler than blades of grass, more tolerant than trees, and they
always give honour to others. These are the signs of a Vaishnav. Vaishnavs
always try to give honour to others, try to show love and affection to
others.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa:
Hero and Heroine
"Vrajendra Nandan Krishna is the best of heroes, and the best heroine is
Radha Thakurani. Hearing about Krishna's qualities, one after another, brings
satisfaction to the ears of the devotees."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min)
Sat, 20 July 2024
Example of
Vaishnav Quality
'Such was Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj, and such are Vaishnavs of the
highest qualification. We do not think about their examples – instead, we
think that we have become Vaishnavs. People do not understand these things. I
am telling you all this so that you can learn something about how we should
serve our guru, Vaishnavs and the Lord.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—
Sanatan-Siksa:
"You Are Mine!"
"You will start the service to Krishna in Vrindavan and preach to others what
the Vaishnav etiquette is. This is your duty—I am giving you this
service. Then Mahaprabhu put His hand on Sanatan's head and blessed him, 'It
will all be revealed to you.'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 7 min)
Sanatan-Siksa:
The All-Attractive Lord
His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj is reading from Sri
Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, Chapter 24: "The amazing qualities
of the Lord are such that even the self-satisfied, the great renounced
persons are also drawn to the causeless devotion to this wondrous Lord.
He is such that anyone's mind can be attracted to Him."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min)
Sun, 21 July 2024 (Sri Guru Purnima)
Action and Reaction
'This is how we survive in this world, killing millions of living entities.
We do all these actions, but do you know what kinds of reaction we will have
to reap as the result? Nothing but hell. For those who live like this, there
is no other way but to go to hell. There is a solution though.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Today in the calendar:
Purnima. Sri Guru Purnima.Appearance of
Srila Vyasadev. Disappearance of Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu.Beginning of Chaturmasya Vrata.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of
Sri Chaturmasya-vrata:
Chaturmasya
"Chaturmasya is good, but chaturmasya does not mean you must
keep a beard, grow long hair and not eat something, but secretly do nonsense.
This life is not for enjoyment only. You must be always careful with the
food..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 4 min | 1 July 2012)
In honour of Srila
Vyasadev:
"You have heard of the Upanisads, Vedas, Vedanta, and the other
scriptures which were revealed in India in written form five thousand years
ago. Previously, this knowledge existed as sruti-mantram, spoken
words, and it was transmitted by rsis and munis to their
disciples through sruti-mantram. At that time there were no books.
Vedavyas has very mercifully given us the written form of
sruti-mantram: the Veda. He divided the Veda (sruti)
into four parts: Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva. He also composed
the supplementary literatures (smrti) like the Mahabharata, which is
called the fifth Veda. The gist of the Vedas can also be found
in the hundreds of Upanisads he wrote. The great rsis, Vedic
research scholars, have also presented the Vedic knowledge in the
Puranas. Thus, through the great rsis, this transcendental
knowledge is being revealed in this mundane world, and when necessary, from
time to time, an incarnation of the Lord manifests by whose divine mercy we
get a connection with that transcendental knowledge.
"These Vedic literatures mainly try to give us transcendental knowledge, and
for our benefit they have proclaimed, "Srnvantu visve amrtasya putra:
you are all the sons of nectar, transcendental nectar; you are from the
nectarean ocean. Dive deep into that nectar!" We are all parts and parcels of
the Lord, therefore we are spiritual relatives."
(Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj,
Original Source)
namo 'stu te vyasa-visala-buddhe
phullaravindayata-patra-netra
yena tvaya bharata-taila-purnah
prajvalito jnana-mayah pradipah
Obeisances unto Srila Vyasadeva—
O Srila Vyasadeva of formidable intelligence, whose eyes resemble the long
petals of the blooming lotus flower, and who ignited the lamp of knowledge,
filled with the oil of the Mahabharata—I offer my obeisances unto
you.
The Greatest Gift of
Sri Vedavyas A wonderful extensive talk by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj describing the holy appearance of Srimad Bhagavatam:
"Srimad Bhagavatam is the oldest and finest book of Krishna
consciousness. Vedavyas had composed all the scriptures, but he still did not
feel happiness in his heart. He started searching what had happened..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (17.7 Mb, 43 min | 17 June 1992)
In honour of
Sri Guru Purnima:
Sri Bhakti
Siddhanta Vani
A quote of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad that is much
appreaciated by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and is
framed and hung in many of the temples: "If someone does not consider it
necessary to faithfully follow their Guru and the Vaishnavs, their endeavour
to serve the Lord is not service to the Lord—it is service to
maya."
Sri
Guru-Tattva: The Captain of Your Boat
"If you serve your Guru properly, if you have devotion to the Guru, then you
will be able to remove the bondage with the modes of material nature, and
through that relationship with your Guru you can get service to the Lord and
finally reach your destination."
•
Download / listen to the audio (8 Mb, 24 min | 22 July 2013 | Mostly
Bengali)
Sri Guru Purnima:
Remembrance Day
"Today is a very good and auspicious day, the day of Sri Guru Purnima. On
this day, we can pray to our Gurudev that he may engage us in service more
and more, so that we could progress in our spiritual life, so that we could
submit ourselves to him as a devotee."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 5 July 2020)
Sri Guru Purnima
Address
"My body is here, but my heart, my mind, my everything is with you. I am
always thinking about you, I am always thinking about your good, how you can
become better and better, how you can run the mission more and more
successfully. Any service I can help you with, I will always try to do it,
and I will try my best. That is my promise on this Guru Purnima day."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.4 Mb, 11 min | 5 July 2020)
Will-O'-the-Wisp of
Worldly Wishes
"If you give Maya chance, then Maya will attack you. As soon as you get a
weak spot, Maya will attack you. It does not matter whether you are young or
old. If you try to control your elements, you can control them
from a young age."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 10 min | 5 July 2020)
Eternal Priorities
"You cannot follow all the very strict rules that the six goswamis
followed properly in Vrindavan. So, think only about doing your service
properly, about practising properly, about avoiding bad association
properly—give much importance to all this."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 7 min | 5 July 2020)
Key to Guru Puja
"Gurudev had explained and taught me that when you make a festival not much
is necessary—a festival means Vaishnav seva, bhakta-seva.
Guru-seva is not engaging your Guru in service—it means serving your
Guru, serving his devotees."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 9 October 2018 | Bengali)
Sri Guru's
Forgiving Mercy
"Gurudev is always merciful. I can give you an example of how merciful
Gurudev is, I can tell you one story. Disciples always do wrong, but Gurudev
is always merciful..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | June 2010)
Part 1:
How to See the Guru: Mercy
Clear guidance on how to understand who the Guru is, and how a sincere
disciple should see the Guru: the Guru is not only a mahabhagavata (a great
devotee), he is nondifferent from Krishna Himself.
•
Download / listen to the audio (6.4 Mb, 14 min | 25 September 2014)
Part 2:
How to See the Guru: Chastity
The main quality of a sincere disciple explained by several examples:
one-pointed attention, rejecting the unfavourable, intense attachment to
service and devotees, faith, and careful choice of association.
•
Download / listen to the audio (7 Mb, 15 min | 25 September 2014)
Sri Guru and His
Grace
His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj has been recently
repeatedly stressing the importance of reading this holy book,
recalling many examples and guidenlines found therein. Presented here
in English for online reading, and in Bengali and English for
downloading.
Sri
Sanatan-Siksa
The first lecture in the cycle of lectures given by His Divine Grace Srila
B.N. Acharya Maharaj in 2015, dedicated to the teachings of Sri Krishna
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu and Srila Sanatan Goswami
Prabhu.
Sri
Rupa-Sanatan Siksa(EPUB file, 0.5 Mb)
"Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Sri Rupa-Satana Siksa, read and expounded by His
Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj." An electronic
version of the published previously online matter available now for download,
reading and worshipping on phones, tablets, eBook readers, etc.
•SONG:
Sri Sad-Goswamy-Astakam |
শ্রীশ্রীষড়্গোস্বাম্যষ্টকম্ "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Goswamis, namely Sri
Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatan Goswami, Sri Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Sri
Raghunath Das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who
are always engaged in chanting the Holy Name of Krishna and dancing. They are
just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle
and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they
do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord
Chaitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver
all the conditioned souls in the material universe."
•SONG:
Ei-bara karuna kara |
এইবার করুণা কর "O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the
fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of
your feet."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
•SONG:
Ye
anila prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where
is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"
Mon, 22 July 2024
In Search of
Reality
'Param Guru Maharaj's commentary on Srimad Bhagavad-gita is called
"Hidden Treasure" – if you read his interpretation, you will discover the
hidden treasure. He also has another book called Search for Sri
Krishna. In this world, you can see a beautiful girl, a beautiful tree or
mountain, but Krishna possesses the highest beauty. So, search for Sri
Krishna, Reality the Beautiful.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Exclusive Conception of Srila Prabhupad's Line (part 1) [By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
'Our Prabhupad did not allow these things. Do your duty on your plane, and
what you deserve will come to you naturally. That was his instruction all
through, not only temporarily but all through. Do not go to be a disbeliever,
very eager to see the final result; otherwise, you will get Maya instead of
Yogamaya.'
Do Not
Compromise with Maya
"So many problems came in their time, and they did not back off—they spoke
the truth; but we are ready to compromise our principles—we compromise what
Mahaprabhu teaches us with other things. Srila Sridhar Maharaj saw a big
dream that Mahaprabhu's proper conception would be preached all over the
world by Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, and that is happening now. We must not
surrender to maya."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.8 Mb, 11 min | 7 June 2019)
Tue, 23 July 2024
Cutting
Illusory Bondage
'Remember this. I want to pull you out of your bondage and engage you in
service to Radha-Govinda and Gaura-Nitai. This is my purpose, and it is for
this purpose that I have take so much trouble to come here.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Exclusive Conception of Srila Prabhupad's Line (part 2) [By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
'Prabhupad's attention was always towards the basis: pour water onto the
root, pour water onto the root, and the fruit will come of itself. Our
training is in this line. The highest ideal is always on our heads, it is the
prospect of our future life, life after life – it cannot be finished; rather,
we shall foster pure hope that one day we may be taken in to that camp.'
Today in the calendar:
Disappearance of Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj (a diksa and
sannyas disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad, the
first Gaudiya Math preacher in the West).
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day."
In honour of Sripad Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj:
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:
When I got sannyas, Sripad Bon Maharaj was present there, as well as many
others also. Sripad Bon Maharaj remarked, "Prabhupad has got a high
satisfaction by giving you sannyas. We have never seen so much satisfaction
in him at the occasion of any other sannyasi. He is highly satisfied with
conferring sannyas to you."
....When Sripad Bon Maharaj returned from England, he put so many disturbing
questions to our Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur
Prabhupad), "What do you know about that country? They are so brave, so
gorgeous! Staying here, we cannot have any proper estimation of the
civilisation in London at present. We are all ignorant. If we are to preach
in London or Europe, we will have to be trained in a different way!" That was
his advice to our Guru Maharaj, and Guru Maharaj, being pressed, rather
attacked by his own disciple in such a way, withdrew himself by saying, "This
is not our way of thinking. Our Guru Maharaj, Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji
Maharaj, did not even know how to sign his name, but we think that all the
scholarship, wealth, everything is there in a nail of his toe." Guru Maharaj
represented himself in a mild and humble way, but there was also professor
Sanyal present there, and he came out like a tiger at our Bon Maharaj, "Have
you lost all you have got from Guru Maharaj?! You are bold enough to talk in
such a boisterous way? Have you forgotten how to behave with your Divine
Master?" He was furious; Bon Maharaj had to check himself. Anyhow, Prabhupad
said about him, "Bon Maharaj went to preach in my first year in
England and in my second year in England." Prabhupad had gone through
it using Bon Maharaj.
So, when I heard that Sripad Bon Maharaj had returned from Europe and put
forth so many arguments of the Western persons saying that they could not be
answered, I wanted to hear what those questions were that could not be
answered. He reluctantly spoke about the arguments he had had to face there,
and I began to answer them one by one. Then, when Sripad Bon Maharaj could
not say anything more, Srila Swami Maharaj [Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Maharaj], who was present at that round table meeting, said, "Here, Europe is
defeated by Asia!"
* * *
...At that time, all the preachers had been taken back from the compass of
the country and were concentrated to work in Kolkata—they used to have to go
door to door collecting bhiksa (alms, donations). Sripad Bon Maharaj's
party, he and one or two brahmacharis, went to some part of Kolkata for
collection. Generally, seeing some gentleman standing by, one of the members
of the party would run up to him and say something like, "We come from
Gaudiya Math, we want to make some collection. Dear sir, you are a devoted
person of this locality, please make some contribution." So, one time, Bon
Maharaj asked some gentleman to give him some addresses of good benevolent
gentlemen whom they could approach to get some money for their purpose. The
gentleman showed Bon Maharaj the way saying, "Just go to that house, you will
find the right person there." Bon Maharaj went there in good faith. When he
knocked on the door, the door was open. A lady came out. Seeing him, she
said, "Oh, you are a sadhu! What do you want from me?" The gentleman who had
directed Bon Maharaj there, was laughing behind him—the lady was a
prostitute. Bon Maharaj was perplexed—it was a lady. Anyhow, he still gave
her the letter of invitation saying, "We have got such and such festival, we
want you to come and we want to ask you for some contribution." I do not know
if the lady had given him anything or not, but all the people around were
laughing. After that, Bon Maharaj came back to Prabhupad and said,
"Prabhupad, I will not go for any collection again." Prabhupad asked him,
"Why? What has happened?" Bon Maharaj related the incident saying that some
rogues had guided him to a prostitute's house. After that, Prabhupad
delivered a lecture: "There are many of you who have left their own property,
but still I send you out for collection. Do you think that I am doing wrong?
I am not. The visayi (materialists) always want to entrap us within their
material life, but we must learn to utilise everything and anything in the
service of Krishna, then only are we saved; otherwise, if we leave, give
everything away, all this visaya (material elements) will be left there and
as soon as it gets any chance, it will come to bite me. So, whatever comes to
us, we should deal with everything in such a way that rather, 'Whatever I
shall come across, it will give me some impression to remember
Krishna—everything should utilise me for a particular service to Krishna.' If
left there, they will be enemies, but they should all be turned into friends.
They will help me, remind me, excite me in the service of Krishna. We must
have this kind of adjustment in this world. So, nothing should be left off.
'Nirbandhah Krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam uchyate: when one is not
attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to
Krishna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness.'"
Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:
•SONG:
Ei-bara karuna kara |
এইবার করুণা কর "O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the
fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of
your feet."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment
to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the
saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
•SONG:
Ye
anila prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where
is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"
Wed, 24 July 2024
Love for
Lord, Love for Yourself
'When you live in Krishna's family, you use everything in His service, so
whatever you do, you do it for the Lord. Did Arjuna not kill all his
relatives? Krishna Himself says, "Arjuna, I have already killed them," but we
see that actually Arjuna did that – it was done through him. So, if you love
the Lord, you must be ready to do anything for Him.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Слава Шри
Симантадвипа
Однажды в Сатья-югу Шивджи Махарадж стал танцевать повторяя Святое Имя
Гауранги. Увидев состояние своего супруга, Парвати Деви спросила у него:
«Почему ты всё время взываешь: „О Гауранга! О Гауранга!“? Кто этот Гауранга?
Когда я вижу, как ты танцуешь, и слышу Имя Гауранги, у меня сердце тает. Мне
кажется, что все мантры, тантры и т.д., которые я слышала до сих пор, — это
всё мусор для души! Расскажи мне о Гауранге. У меня такое чувство, что если я
буду служить Ему, то я обрету жизнь».
Exclusive Conception of Srila Prabhupad's Line (part 3) [By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
'I consider myself a student, a faithful student, so I try my best to stick
to what I have got from my gurudev. I want to keep my position there,
according to what I heard from him, and I do not want to mutilate it in any
way to suit my purpose. I try not to do that. So, of course, others may do
different things for big propaganda as they think better, they are now free,
but I am not a member to that.'
Thu, 25 July 2024
Come to Serve
Devotees
'Please come and do the dham parikrama. Come for a few days, do some
service there. Coming for a festival means engaging yourself in service. If
you do not serve pure Vaishnavs, you cannot become a pure Vaishnav; if you do
not serve devotees, you cannot become a devotee. Remember this.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.4 Mb, 96 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Exclusive Conception of Srila Prabhupad's Line (part 4, last) [By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
'I think I have done something today to give vent to the feeling of my
gurudev, to make his position clear. You are helping me to take so
many beautiful and so many valuable things out of my inner heart. It is
through your help that these old memories are becoming again fresh to me, and
I am forced to take these things that I have got from my gurudev's
wealth out of the inner nature of my previous life. I am again given an
opportunity to see that treasury.'
Fri, 26 July 2024
Self-Realisation
'You have been chanting kirtan here for so many years, but, having
heard that kirtan, how many people are genuinely practising Krishna
consciousness, tell me? Until and unless we realise within our brains that I
and my body are not one and the same thing, we will not be able to understand
what brings benefit to the soul.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.5 Mb, 98 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Love for
Gaudiya[by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad]
"We pray that your practice, behaviour, language, taste, moral regulations
and religious faith become aligned with the precepts of Gaudiya. Please
gradually give up non-gaudiya elements within your Gaudiya identity and show
the ideal of Gaudiya to the entire world. May you not mutilate the paramount
ideal of the Gaudiya precepts by coveting to participate in that which is not
Gaudiya."
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Panchami. Disappearance of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami
Prabhu.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Srila Gopal Bhatta
Goswamipad:
Srila Gopal
Bhatta Goswami's Miracle
"You have heard about the Deity of Sri Radha-Raman in Vrindavan. When Gopal
Bhatta Goswami lived in Vrindavan, he every day worshipped twelve pieces of
Govardhan sila..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 7 September 2013 | Bengali)
Strongest
Faith (2) Gopal Bhatta Goswami
"You have eyes in your heart, and if you have such feeling towards the Deity
in your heart and do your service with such faith, then you can easily see
Krishna everywhere, hear Krishna-nama everywhere, nothing else besides
Krishna-nama will enter your ears..."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 10 March 2015)
Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:
•SONG:
Ei-bara karuna kara |
এইবার করুণা কর "O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the
fallen, without you there is no one. In every birth I aspire for the dust of
your feet."
•SONG:
Ohe Vaisnava
Thakura |
(ওহে) বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর "O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant.
Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. You can give
Krishna, you have that power. Calling, 'Krishna!' 'Krishna!', I run after
you."
•SONG:
Ki-rupe paiba seva |
কিরূপে পাইব সেবা "I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! Prabhu, you see no fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!"
•SONG:
Dhana mora nityananda |
ধন মোর নিত্যানন্দ "The feet dust of the Vaishnavs is where I sport and take bath, Vaishnavs'
name is the water oblation. My mind is intently fixed upon the remnants of
Vaishnavs, and I am elated hearing the name of Vaishnavs."
•SONG:
Ye
anila prema-dhana |
যে আনিল প্রেমধন "Where has Advaita Acharya gone? Where are my Svarup, Rupa, Sanatan? Where
is my Raghunath? Where are the saviours of the fallen souls?"
Sat, 27 July 2024
Seek Soul's Solace
'The Lord has provided us with everything (all tools and senses) to live and
work. We must use these facilities to think about the benefit of our souls.
How can our soul be benefitted? Scriptures explain very nicely how the soul
can be benefitted, but before you understand this, you must know your own
identity – you must understand who you are.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.5 Mb, 98 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Servitor's Livelihood
"Everything we have actually comes from our Guru. Without Gurudev's mercy we
are nothing, we have no power. We are only instruments. I do not think that I
am a Vaishnav, nor do I want to be a Vaishnav. I want to be a servant of the
servant of Vaishnavs. That has been my desire from the beginning, since the
time I started my temple life in 1992."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 12 October 2018)
Sun, 28 July 2024
'Why Am I
Suffering?'
'Human beings have the highest power of consciousness, and as humans we can
think about the Lord. But instead, we only think about these bodies and about
the pleasure of our senses. We only think about our own happiness, but we
forget Him who has given us life, who has given us our souls. That is why we
are suffering.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.5 Mb, 98 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
ক্ষিদা মেটানো(১ম ভাগ | ১ জানুয়ারি ২০২১)
"মহাজনগণের কাছ থেকে যে হরিকথা শুনব, সে দিকে আমাদের কার রতি-মতি নেই । আমরা
সবাই ভোজনের কাঙ্গাল । তার জন্য মঠে আসা কী দরকার ? মঠে আসতে হবে কেন ?
আত্মকল্যাণের জন্য যদি আসতে চান, তাহলে মঠে আসুন—ভোজনের কাঙ্গাল হয়ে নয়, ভজনের
কাঙ্গাল হয়ে আসুন ।"
Life
beyond Renunciation[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami
Maharaj]
'The highest law is that you must not leave anything but try to utilise
everything for His service. You are a servant. You are to serve, and there
are many objects through which you are to serve. It is abnormal to try to
exploit or enjoy a particular thing or to cast it off hatefully thinking that
it will harm me. Both are artificial.'
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Servitor's Livelihood
"Everything we have actually comes from our Guru. Without Gurudev's mercy we
are nothing, we have no power. We are only instruments. I do not think that I
am a Vaishnav, nor do I want to be a Vaishnav. I want to be a servant of the
servant of Vaishnavs. That has been my desire from the beginning, since the
time I started my temple life in 1992."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 12 October 2018)
Preface
'The need for every one of us in this world is to solve the real problem of
suffering caused by our existence in this mortal world. The solution is
well-known to those special souls who are truly acquainted with the eternal
spiritual realm, and they are able to impart that to others. It is the
introduction to these secrets which is being expressed in this new booklet
Inner Fulfillment.'
(1)
Searching for the Solution
'Come to search that thing which will solve your entire problem. Searching
after this, searching after the wants of A, searching after B, searching
after C—dismiss all these mad ideas. Search only after the one thing that
will satisfy everything. It is possible.'
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Astami. Disappearance of Srila Lokanath Goswami Prabhu.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Srila Lokanath
Goswami Prabhu:
In Praise of Srila Narottam Das Thakur
In this chapter of Affectional Guidance, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj is describing the meeting of
Srila Narottam Das Thakur with his Guru, Srila Lokanath Goswami.
Simple
Service, Earnest Heart
"It is necessary to have the strongest faith. You cannot see everything with
your eyes. We will serve Mahaprabhu, devotees, our Guru, and whether they
accept it or not, that is up to them. Simple things are sufficient for
us."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 12 July 2020)
Overpowered by
Service
"You may have everything, but if you do not have mercy of your Guru, then you
have nothing. Gurudev gave you all his blessings, and if we can serve him, we
will get supreme benefit. You must always live remembering Gurudev's
words."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 12 min | 8 April 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."
•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, 29 July 2024
Relief from
Reaction
'What is the goal of life, the highest attainment? It is the abode we have
come from. Conditioned souls, we are struggling, floundering in this ocean of
material existence. This here is not your home. You have lost your address!
The place where you live now is not your home – you are only a guard
here.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.5 Mb, 98 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
On Chastity
"Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj had many qualified scholarly pandit
disciples, but he chose Gurudev. You can read many scriptures many times, you
may know many things, but the Guru can understand who can follow his
conception, who has chastity for him."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 6 min | 12 October 2018)
(2)
The Vision of Goodness
'Not only is the soul immortal, not only does God exist, not only is He the
Absolute Dispenser of good and bad, but we ourselves are units of the
conscious world. So, separate yourself eternally from that mania, from that
misconception and false identification with this material aspect which is the
result of your degraded life, and become reinstated in your glorious position
as a soul.'
All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga
Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Disappearance Festival
Dear respected Devotees, Friends and Well-Wishers,
We are offering obeisance at your holy lotus feet and humbly extend a letter
of encouragement to observe the disappearance day of the most worshippable
Founder Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila
Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, which manifests on 4 August
(Sunday) this year and will be observed in every
branch of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math throughout the world.
Our beloved Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
has many times instructed on how
to hold special programmes and taught it many times by his own example.
Usually such programmes consist of: kirtans, lecture or reading of
scriptures, arati, pushpanjali (offering of flowers to a photograph), and
prasad-seva (cooking a special offering, offering it at the 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."
Make the
Festival, with Heart and Soul
"I am telling to everyone who is staying in the temple, to every centre: you
must make a festival for Srila Sridhar Maharaj. If you want to show that you
want to serve Srila Sridhar Maharaj, then make a good festival on this
day."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min)
Some preparations and items that are known to be favourite to His Divine
Grace Srila Sridhar Maharaj include: natural orange juice (with just a little
sugar), cholar dahl (split chickpea dal) or kolai dal (urad dal), alu bhaji
(deep-fried potato chips), sukta, muri, puri/luchi with alu bhaja, aloo dum,
samosa, pineapple chutney (anaraser chutney), puspanna, figs (dumur), chaunsa
mango.
Tue, 30 July 2024
Escaping Life of
Sin
'How can we give up this life of karma (life of action and reaction)?
We can leave karma if we can enter Krishna's family and do everything
for the Lord. One may work, one may run a business, one may steal, one may
kill, one may do any wrong, but if they do it for the Lord, then there is no
wrong with that.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.5 Mb, 98 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Mercy of Guru
"Without the mercy of the Guru, without the instruction of the Guru you
cannot cross, you cannot overcome the illusory environment. We must
understand clearly what is the mercy of the Guru."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 12 October 2018)
(3)
Happiness in Higher Thought
'Why is happiness eluding us? No matter how much we get, we always hanker for
more. Such is the nature of every one of us in all fields and walks of life.
How then can finite material objects and flickering bodily or intellectual
pleasures satiate our infinite hankerings? Our life is unfulfilled and we
want fulfillment, there is no doubt, but what type of fulfillment should we
hanker for and search after?'
Wed, 31 July 2024 (Fast on Sri Kamika Ekadasi)
Highest Attainment
'Where does this Krishna live? He lives in Goloka Vrindavan. This is also
where we belong to. Coming from that land, we have now fallen into this ocean
of material life as humans and many other kinds of species. To avoid that, we
must practise practise Krishna consciousness. That is why Mahaprabhu comes in
Kali-yuga...'
•
Download / listen to the audio (48.5 Mb, 98 min | 19 January 2019 |
Bengali)
Спасение
Чанда Кази
«Преданные шли и шли по улицам с киртаном, пока, наконец, не пришли к
дому Чанда Кази. Выглянув из окна своей комнаты, Чанд Кази увидел толпу и
испугался: он тут же побежал внутрь дома и быстро запер дверь на засов.
Махапрабху приказал выломать дверь...»
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Guided Life
"Without Gurudev's mercy, we can fall down at any time as it
happened to Eklavya who did not follow his Gurudev's instruction because he
wanted to become more expert than his Guru—he was destroyed. It is necessary
to practise under the guidance of Gurudev."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 13 October 2018)
(4)
The Happiest Form of Life
'What is the necessity of living for ages and ages if we are unconscious of
our own interest? One moment properly utilised is sufficient to solve the
whole problem of our life because of which we are eternally wandering about
in this plane. We must be wakeful to our personal interest, not
negligent.'
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 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."
•"Sri
Ekadasi"
(Sri Sri Prema Vivarta)
"One day, Gaurahari left the Gundicha Temple and sat in the Jagannath
Vallabha garden. It was pure Ekadasi, and the Lord spent the whole day and
night chanting the Name of Krishna..."
•SONG:
Suddha-bhakata |
শুদ্ধ ভকত-চরণ-রেণু "I carefully observe the holy days related to Madhava, they are the mother
of devotion."
•SONG:
Sri hari-vasare |
শ্রীহরি-বাসরে হরি "On the holy day of Sri Hari, Sriman Mahaprabhu, the life and
soul of the universe, began dancing..."
'In Bardhaman district, near Durgapur, there is a small town called Mankar.
In that town, there was once a brahman called Jivan Chakravarti. This
Jivan Chakravarti worshipped Lord Siva..'