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MONTHLY ARCHIVE OF UPDATES

JULY 2024

 

 

Mon, 1 July 2024

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..."

ADDITIONAL READING:

"Observing Ekadasi"
"Ekadasi Vrata: Make Your Guru Happy"
"No Other Shelter"
"Mahadvadasi"
"Ekadasi and liberation"
"Ekadasi Tithi: One of the Practices"
"Yogini Ekadasi"
"Ekadasi: Historical Background"
"Ekadasi: Main Focus Is Service"
Ekadasi Struggle?
"Make the Teachings of Sri Guru Non-Different from Your Heart"
Ekadasi: Devotional Practice
Ekadasi Struggle?

 

"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:

— { Pranam mantra of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur } —

vande bhaktivinodam sri-gaura-sakti-svarupakam
bhakti-sastrajna-samrajam radha-rasa-sudha-nidhim

"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:


Year 2008
(79 photos)
(7.9 Mb)

  


Year 2009
(163 photos)
(17 Mb)

  


Year 2010
(89 photos)
(11 Mb)

  


Year 2012
(84 photos)
(8.2 Mb)

  


Year 2014
(28 photos)
(2.5 Mb)


Year 2015
(5 pages)

  


Year 2016
(5 pages)

  


Year 2017
(6 pages)

  


Year 2018
(6 pages)

  


Year 2019
(6 pages)

 

Sat, 6 July 2024

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."

~ Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad

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)

Lord Jagannath: Deity Appearance
"Kind Indradyumna built the Jagannath temple and thought, 'Where is the Lord?! The Lord said, "I will come," but He is not coming!'"
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 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)

 

—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—

Sanatan-Siksa: Delusion of Liberation
"There are jnanis who think they have already achieved the stage of liberation in their life, but actually without devotion to Krishna their intelligence can never be pure."
Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min)

 

Tue, 9 July 2024

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)

 

—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—

Sanatan-Siksa: Leaving Ulterior Motive
"If those who want enjoyment, liberation or some mystic powers, get good intelligence and practise Krishna consciousness intensely, they get the service to Krishna."
Download / listen to the audio (3.2 Mb, 10 min)

 

Wed, 10 July 2024

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».

 

—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—

Sanatan-Siksa: When Krishna Gives Mercy
"Somebody wants material enjoyment and worships Krishna, but when they get the taste of Krishna's nectar, they leave all their desires and aspire to become a servant."
Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 8 min)

 

Thu, 11 July 2024

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)

 

—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—

Sanatan-Siksa: Awakening Taste for Service
"You may not know anything about Krishna consciousness and have different material desires, but if you practise Krishna consciousness properly, you can get service."
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min)

 


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 ।"

 

—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—

Sanatan-Siksa: Surrender in Good Association
"Giving up all bad association, giving up adherence to social rules of varnas and asrams, thus ridding yourself of all material possessions (attachment), take exclusive shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna."
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min)

 

 


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)

 

—{ Teachings to Sri Sri Rupa-Sanatan }—

Sanatan-Siksa: Sixty-Four Devotional Practices
"Sometimes somebody does only one practice, Ambarish Maharaj and others followed all sixty-four devotional practices, but if you can properly follow at least one of these practices, that is sufficient."
Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 12 min)

 

 


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:

দীর্ঘং সৌম্যবপুর্নবারুণবহির্বাসস্ত্রিদণ্ডান্বিতং
দিব্যং শ্রীগুরু-গৌর-কীর্ত্তন-রসানন্দেন মত্তং সদা ।
শ্রীগৌড়ীয়-যতীন্দ্র-ভক্তিকমলং স্নিগ্ধং কৃপাবিগ্রহং
বন্দে শ্রীমধুসূদনং গুরুবরং বেদান্তবিদ্যাম্বুধিম্ ॥

dirgham saumya-vapur navaruna-bahir-vasas tridandanvitam
divyam sri-guru-gaura-kirtan-rasanandena mattam sada
sri-gaudiya-yatindra-bhakti-kamalam snigdham krpa-vigraham
vande sri-madhusudanam guru-varam vedanta-vidyambudhim

"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."

(From Golden Reflections)

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..."

ADDITIONAL READING:

"Observing Ekadasi"
"Ekadasi Vrata: Make Your Guru Happy"
"No Other Shelter"
"Mahadvadasi"
"Ekadasi and liberation"
"Ekadasi Tithi: One of the Practices"
"Yogini Ekadasi"
"Ekadasi: Historical Background"
"Ekadasi: Main Focus Is Service"
Ekadasi Struggle?
"Make the Teachings of Sri Guru Non-Different from Your Heart"
Ekadasi: Devotional Practice
Ekadasi Struggle?

 

"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.

(Mangalacharanam, Srimad Bhagavad-gita)

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.
 

 

Krsna haite chatur-mukha | কৃষ্ণ হৈতে চতুর্ম্মুখ
Gurudev! krpa-bindu diya | গুরুদেব! কৃপাবিন্দু দিয়া
Gurudev bada krpa kari | গুরুদেব! বড় কৃপা করি’
Samsara-davanala | সংসার-দাবানল
Sri-guru-charana-padma | শ্রীগুরুচরণ-পদ্ম


 

In honour of Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu:

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.'

 

 

 

 

 

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OFFLINE READING, ePub:
(All lectures of His Divine Grace Om Visnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj posted here on the website)
Issue #1 (31 Dec '14)
Issue #2 (2015/1)
Issue #3 (2015/2)
Issue #4 (2015/3)
Issue #5 (2015/4)
Issue #6 (2016/1)
Issue #7 (2016/2)
Issue #8 (2016/3)
Issue #9 (2016/4)
Issue #10 (2017/1)
Issue #11 (2017/2)
Issue #12 (2017/3)
Issue #13 (2017/4)
Issue #14 (2018/1)
Issue #15 (2018/2)
Issue #16 (2018/3)
Issue #17 (2018/4)
Issue #18 (2019/1)
Issue #19 (2019/2)
Issue #20 (2019/3)
Issue #21 (2019/4)
Issue #22 (2020/1)
Issue #23 (2020/2)
Issue #24 (2020/3)
Issue #25 (2020/4)
Issue #26 (2021/1)
Issue #27 (2021/2)
Issue #28 (2021/3)
Issue #29 (2021/4)
Issue #30 (2022/1)

 


 

Do Not Waste Your Time
'When you come to Gurudev and practise under his guidance, you should think that having finished your 84 lakhs of lives you do not have to return there.'

 

If somebody says something bad about my Guru, I believe that and become
crazy—I leave everything and start dancing to that tune. This is not faith, actually!

"HUMILITY, TOLERANCE, GIVING HONOUR TO OTHERS | HUMILITY, TOLERANCE, GIVING HONOUR TO OTHERS"