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Our Disciplic Succession:
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"The Sun Never Sets on Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math":
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Tue, 29 October 2024 (Sri Damodar Month)
Unconditional
Servitude
'Srila Guru Maharaj and Srila Prabhupad said that the niyom-seva month
rules are actually for those who live without following any rules
(aniyom). The main thing is that we must always practise sravan
and kirtan.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (6 Mb, 13 min | 16 October 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Life Sacrifice
"Gurudev told me, 'If somebody wants to chant this Holy Name, if somebody
wants to join the family of Krishna and wants to spend the rest of their life
living a spiritual life, you can give initiation to them.' It is necessary to
sacrifice your life for the service of the Lord."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.6 Mb, 9 min | 3 May 2020)
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—{ Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Treasury }—
• SERMONS OF THE GUARDIAN OF DEVOTION (Vol One)
•
INTRODUCTION
'Here in Koladwip, Nabadwip, we find a happy place where the Absolute is the
most generous in His benevolence. Our highest necessity is distributed from
here, Nabadwip Dham. The key to enter into the conception of our sweetest
home is given from here.'
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SRI KARTIK MONTH: 17 October–15 November
'You think, "You all sing, and I will listen." It will not do. You must sing
yourself. If I eat, will your stomach be full? You must chant kirtans
yourself. When you chant these kirtans, you will be remembering
Nityananda Prabhu. You worry that you do not know the tune, but no tune is
necessary. Because we have drums and karatals here now, we are playing
them, but when I am alone, do you think I sing it like that? I do not. I
recite them. Chanting kirtan is not playing drums and
karatals – even if you read them, that is also kirtan. So,
always chant kirtan.'
(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
KIRTANS SUNG DURING KARTIK MONTH
Morning kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO
[17 min, 8.2 Mb]: Sri Damodarastakam, Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama, Sri
Krsner Vimsottara Sata-Nama.
Evening kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO [27 min, 12.5 Mb]: Sri Siksastakam.
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Today in the calendar:
Krishna Dvadasi. Ekadasi paran is at 5:43:16–9:28:02. Festival in honour of
Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu's auspicious arrival at Sripat Panihati.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav [event] mentioned in the calendar, you
must still give them 'jay' on this day."
In honour of Sriman Mahaprabhu's
arrival in Sripat Panihati:
"Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes are all uncommon. Whoever listens
to His activities becomes glorious, and his life becomes perfect. The Lord
finally reached Panihati, and as an act of mercy He gave the captain of the
boat one of His personal garments. The place called Panihati was located on
the bank of the Ganges. After hearing that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had
arrived, all kinds of men assembled both on land and on the water. At length
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was taken away by Raghav Pandit. There was a great
crowd assembled along the way, and the Lord reached Raghav Pandit's residence
with great difficulty...."
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita)
[On another occasion:] "....After staying a few days at Srivas Pandit's
house, the Lord went to Raghav's house in Panihati. While Sri Raghav Pandit
was engaged in the worship of Krishna, Sri Gaurasundara came there before
him—when Sri Raghav Pandit saw the Lord of his life, he fell to the ground
and offered obeisances. Raghavananda cried in ecstasy as he firmly grabbed
the Lord's lotus feet, which are cherished by Rama, the goddess of
fortune.
"The Lord then embraced Raghav Pandit and soaked his body with tears of
ecstatic love, and Raghav's body was filled with such ecstasy that he did not
know what he should do. When the Lord of Vaikuntha saw Raghav's display of
devotion, He glanced mercifully on Raghav. The Lord said, 'After coming to
Raghav's house and seeing Raghav, I have forgotten all My troubles. I have
obtained the same satisfaction at Raghav's house as one gets by taking bath
in the Ganges.' The Lord smiled and said, 'Listen, Raghav Pandit! Go and
quickly cook for Krishna.'
"Sri Raghav was greatly pleased to receive the Lord's order, and he became
absorbed in the mellows of ecstasy as he went to cook. Following the dictates
of his heart, that brahman cooked unlimited varieties of foods. Mahaprabhu
then came with Nityananda and other associates to eat. Gaurachandra, the
husband of Laksmi, lavishly praised each of the vegetable preparations as He
ate. The Lord said, 'How wonderful is Raghav's cooking! I have never eaten
sak [spinach] like this before.' Raghav knew that the Lord was fond of sak,
so he had cooked various kinds of sak.
"After joyfully finishing His meal, the Lord washed His hands and mouth
and sat down. As soon as Gadadhara Das heard that Sri Gaurasundar was at
Raghav's house, he quickly came there. Gadadhar Das was extremely dear to the
Lord. His body was filled with the happiness of devotional service. When the
Lord saw fortunate Gadadhar, He placed His lotus feet on his head. At that
time Purandar Pandit and Paramesvari Das, in whose Deity Gaurachandra
manifest Himself, quickly came there. On seeing the Lord, they both cried in
ecstasy. Sriman Mahaprabhu manifest in the Gauranga Deity worshiped by
Paramesvari Das, who lived in the village of Tada-antapur. He began the
worship of the Deity form of Sri Gaurasundar. Raghunath Vaidya also came at
that time. He was a great Vaisnava with unlimited good qualities. In this way
Vaisnavas came from wherever they were to meet the Lord. The village of
Panihati became filled with ecstasy, for Lord Gaurachandra was personally
present there.
"Sri Gaurasundar spoke some confidential topics to Raghav Pandit in a
solitary place. 'O Raghav, I have something confidential to tell you.
Nityananda is nondifferent from Me. I tell you, I do whatever Nityananda
wants Me to do. I tell you frankly that all My activities are performed
through Nityananda. There is no difference between Myself and Nityananda.
Everyone in your house will come to know this. From Nityananda you will
easily obtain that which is rarely attained by the best of the mystic yogis.
Therefore you should very carefully serve Nityananda, knowing Him to be the
Supreme Lord Himself.' Sri Gauranga then said to Makaradhvaja Kara, 'You
should serve Sri Raghavananda. Know for certain that your love for Me will be
shown by your love for Raghav Pandit.'
"In this way Lord Gauranga made the village of Panihati glorious by
staying there a few days."
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Mon, 28 October 2024 (Sri Damodar Month; Sri Rama Ekadasi)
Service Is Above
Rules
'For us, the main thing is service. If you think, "I will stay the whole day
fasting, I will not eat anything, and I will not do any service – I will only
stay silent and do nothing the whole day," it is wrong. It is wasting time
and being lazy. We must take what is necessary for the service of the
Lord.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (6 Mb, 13 min | 16 October 2019 |
Bengali)
Renunciation of Renunciation
[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
"To abnegate and cut off our connection with the environment is not our
object. Our object is, rather, to utilise everything for the service of the
Lord. Why should we eliminate anything? Why should we disregard anything? We
must not denounce, reject or dishonour things. We must use them properly,
with reverence, then they will draw benefit from me and bring benefit for me.
Environment can help me earn more, then why should I reject my environment
and all its paraphernalia? Rather, they should excite me."
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 }—
Affection for
Devotees
"Love and affection for devotees increases by serving without offence, by
chanting the Holy Name without offence, by practising properly and by not
keeping in your heart any bad intention: envy is a disease, pratistha
is a very big disease."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.8 Mb, 12 min | 3 May 2020)
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—{ Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Treasury }—
• SERMONS OF THE GUARDIAN OF DEVOTION (Vol One)
•
FOREWORD
'We are insignificant souls attempting to fly across the infinite sky, like
fledglings with so much desire but practically no capacity. Seeing the great
valiant devotees like Garuda effortlessly soaring over forests, mountains,
rivers, seas and oceans, we may realise that we are but neophytes—fledglings
of finite capacity. Nonetheless, ought we not feel the desire to fly?'
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SRI KARTIK MONTH: 17 October–15 November
'You think, "You all sing, and I will listen." It will not do. You must sing
yourself. If I eat, will your stomach be full? You must chant kirtans
yourself. When you chant these kirtans, you will be remembering
Nityananda Prabhu. You worry that you do not know the tune, but no tune is
necessary. Because we have drums and karatals here now, we are playing
them, but when I am alone, do you think I sing it like that? I do not. I
recite them. Chanting kirtan is not playing drums and
karatals – even if you read them, that is also kirtan. So,
always chant kirtan.'
(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
KIRTANS SUNG DURING KARTIK MONTH
Morning kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO
[17 min, 8.2 Mb]: Sri Damodarastakam, Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama, Sri
Krsner Vimsottara Sata-Nama.
Evening kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO [27 min, 12.5 Mb]: Sri Siksastakam.
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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."
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•
"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:
"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)
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Sun, 27 October 2024 (Sri Damodar Month)
Devotion to
Devotion
'Real grihasthas are not devoted to their homes – they are devoted to
Krishna. Real sannyasis are those who do not renounce Krishna and
kasna (servant of Krishna) – they live as members of Krishna's family,
or they are attached to the house of the Lord and His devotees.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (68.8 Mb, 144 min | 16 February 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
Everything Has
Its Limit
"If you do wrong every day and you know it, it is not good. Mercy has its
limit. Gurudev will not say anything, but he can tolerate it for some time,
and if you keep on doing wrong every day, then Gurudev's tolerance has its
limit. One day seva will run away from you."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 3 May 2020)
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—{ Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Treasury }—
• SUBJECTIVE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
•
THE GAYATRI MANTRA
'This must be the meaning of the gayatri mantra, but the problem is
how to extract Srimad Bhagavatam – the Krishna conception – from
within the womb of gayatri. I heard that Jiva Goswami has given such an
interpretation, but I could not find where it is written. I heard that he has
given the meaning of gayatri leading to Krishna consciousness. Anyhow,
the tendency awakened in me to draw the meaning to the Krishna
conception.'
Download (epub)
Download (pdf)
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SRI KARTIK MONTH: 17 October–15 November
'You think, "You all sing, and I will listen." It will not do. You must sing
yourself. If I eat, will your stomach be full? You must chant kirtans
yourself. When you chant these kirtans, you will be remembering
Nityananda Prabhu. You worry that you do not know the tune, but no tune is
necessary. Because we have drums and karatals here now, we are playing
them, but when I am alone, do you think I sing it like that? I do not. I
recite them. Chanting kirtan is not playing drums and
karatals – even if you read them, that is also kirtan. So,
always chant kirtan.'
(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
KIRTANS SUNG DURING KARTIK MONTH
Morning kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO
[17 min, 8.2 Mb]: Sri Damodarastakam, Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama, Sri
Krsner Vimsottara Sata-Nama.
Evening kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO [27 min, 12.5 Mb]: Sri Siksastakam.
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Sat, 26 October 2024 (Sri Damodar Month; Sri Vyasa Puja
Maha-Mahotsav of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami
Maharaj)
Covering Up
Prejudices
'These are all misconceptions; these are the things going on in this world.
If these things did not exist, how would the guru business run then?
If everybody was to hear Srila Prabhupad's teachings of Gaudiya Vaishnavism,
then all this would go away – they would not be such people in this
world.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (68.8 Mb, 144 min | 16 February 2019 |
Bengali)
Biography of Srila B.R.
Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Srila Guru Maharaj's extensive recollections of his childhood and youth,
as well as the coming to the lotus feet of his Gurudev and later on starting
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.
Journey from Misguidance to Absolute Guidance
[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
"It is possible to connect with Him only through surrender, and it will be He
who will decide how He will best suit you. Let Him decide it. 'Hare Krishna'
is not a prayer for anything; it is only an address, 'O Hare Krishna, I want
You. You please consider and decide what will suit me. I only want you. I am
in danger, and I want Your protection; how you will protect me is to be
decided by You, it is not my business.' By embracing His consideration is
where we gain the most. We must only try to increase, if possible, the degree
of our surrender. That is what is actually necessary from us."
—{ Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Treasury }—
• SUBJECTIVE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
•
THE SUBJECTIVE BHAGAVAD-GITA
'Both Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur and Baladev Vidyabhusan have commented on
Bhagavad-gita, and Jiva Goswami has also given his explanation of
different verses. Bhaktivinod Thakur has given his own explanation, and he
has included both Baladev’s and Visvanatha Chakravarti’s commentaries in his
Bengali translation of Bhagavad-gita. Sridhar Swami’s commentary was
the original one, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had great appreciation for his
commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. I have attempted to
shed some new light on some verses in Bhagavad-gita...'
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SRI KARTIK MONTH: 17 October–15 November
'You think, "You all sing, and I will listen." It will not do. You must sing
yourself. If I eat, will your stomach be full? You must chant kirtans
yourself. When you chant these kirtans, you will be remembering
Nityananda Prabhu. You worry that you do not know the tune, but no tune is
necessary. Because we have drums and karatals here now, we are playing
them, but when I am alone, do you think I sing it like that? I do not. I
recite them. Chanting kirtan is not playing drums and
karatals – even if you read them, that is also kirtan. So,
always chant kirtan.'
(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
KIRTANS SUNG DURING KARTIK MONTH
Morning kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO
[17 min, 8.2 Mb]: Sri Damodarastakam, Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama, Sri
Krsner Vimsottara Sata-Nama.
Evening kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO [27 min, 12.5 Mb]: Sri Siksastakam.
|
|
Today in the calendar:
Krishna Navami. The grand appearance day celebration of Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Math's Founder-President-Acharya, Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacharya-varya Ashtottara-shata-sri Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar
Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Appearance of Srila Virachandra Prabhu. Disappearance of
Sripad Sakhi Charan Das Babaji Maharaj.
Spoken by His Divine Grace Om
Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj on this day in
2020:
Our Great Fortune
"Today is a very auspicious day because tomorrow is the appearance day of our
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math's Founder Acharya—our Param Gurudev, Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. I am giving my full humble
obeisance at the lotus feet of my beloved Gurudev, and our Param
Gurudev...."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 8 November 2020)
Srila Sridhar Maharaj:
Appearance and Early Days
"The name of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's father is Upendra Chandra
Bhattacharya. His birthpalce is in Hapaniya. His mother's name was Sri Gauri
Devi. By the will of the Lord, when Srila Sridhar Maharaj appeared, he was
the eldest son. How did his parents get this kind of son? There is some
history behind it."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | 8 November 2020)
Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Powerful
Preaching
"When Srila Sridhar Maharaj left his house and joined Gaudiya Mission, Srila
Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was very pleased. Even before taking
sannyas, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was a great preacher. He was
always very enthusiastic to preach."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4.3 Mb, 11 min | 8 November 2020)
"Service Is My Vow"
"Many people ask me, many people criticise me, but I am a fallen soul, I only
know what Gurudev told me—he told me, 'Service is the vow, service is the
life force, and service is the duty.' This is what I am following."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 9 min | 8 November 2020)
Forgetting Yourself
"Give respect to everybody. Basically, tridandi sannyas means to be
humble, tolerant, and give honour to others. However, I am bound to say that
sometimes they take sannyas or saffron, and their ego becomes very
big. They forget that they must serve more. It makes me very sad."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.2 Mb, 8 min | 8 November 2020)
Joy of Good Association
"I do not want to go preaching alone, when there are only two-three devotees.
I always want devotees' association. 'Ekaki amara nahi paya bala
hari-nama-sankirtane. When I am alone, I get no strength to chant.'
Devotees' enthusiasm gives me inspiration."
•
Download / listen to the audio (5.2 Mb, 13 min | 8 November 2020)
Srila Sridhar Maharaj:
Expanding Gaudiya Math
"Even though I have heard about this a hundred times, it is still my bad
fortune—I am a fallen soul—I still have no quality, no qualification to
glorify Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Despite this, I will try, by the
mercy of Gurudev and devotees, to describe something that I did not mention
yesterday."
•
Download / listen to the audio (4 Mb, 10 min | 9 November 2020)
Srila Sridhar Maharaj:
Scriptural Expertise
"Srila Sridhar Maharaj wrote many articles, many works in this life. Srila
Prabhupad told about his writing, 'If you can publish this kind of Hari-katha
in our monthly newspaper, it will increase the value of our publication.'
Srila Prabhupad also remarked that Srila Sridhar Maharaj was 'sastra-nipun'
[expert in scriptures]."
•
Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 9 November 2020)
Srila Sridhar Maharaj:
Emporium of Greatness
"Even Srila Sridhar Maharaj's godbrothers wanted to hear his Hari-katha
because only he could explain Srila Prabhupad's teaching authentically. Srila
Sridhar Maharaj did not want to be a king, but he made so many kings in his
life. We hear of many symptoms of a Vaishnav, and we see that Srila Sridhar
Maharaj possesses all of them."
•
Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | 9 November 2020)
In honour of Om Vishnupad Srila
Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
~ Pranam-mantra ~
devam divya-tanum suchhanda-vadanam balarka-chelanchitam
sandrananda-puram sad-eka-varanam vairagya-vidyambudhim
sri-siddhanta-nidhim subhakti-lasitam sarasvatanam varam
vande tam subhadam mad-eka-saranam nyasisvaram sridharam
|
"I worship Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, the
bestower of all auspiciousness, my only shelter and the master of all
renunciates. He is my Lord who possesses a transcendental form, whose face
expression is very grave, who is clad in the holy clothes the colour of the
newly risen sun. He is an abode of intense joy; the only genuine master whom
one can accept and surrender to; and an ocean of divine knowledge of
renunciation. He is a repository of holy scriptural teachings and pastimes of
the highest devotion and a great follower of Srila Saraswati Thakur
Prabhupad" |
Biography of Srila B.R.
Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Srila Guru Maharaj's extensive recollections of his childhood and youth,
as well as the coming to the lotus feet of his Gurudev and later on starting
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.
{ What
Is Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Its Distinctions }
An exquisite and profoundly fundamental chapter from Om Vishnupad Srila
B.N. Acharya Maharaj's book Guidance, Volume 3, dwelling on the
mission and distinctive characteristics of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Math.
{ Book Shelf }
An extensive selection of books, articles and poetry by His Divine Grace Om
Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj available for
online reading and download, as well as purchase from any of our temples
worldwide.
The Root of Our
Fortune
"Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj came in this world to rescue us, and he
created our Guru—by his grace we have got shelter of our bona fide
Guru. So, we must worship his lotus feet."
•
Download / listen to the audio (7.6 Mb, 22 min | 22 October 2011)
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 | 15 July 2012)
Photo Album: (35 photographs, 3.4 Mb)
A collection of selected photographs of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak
Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj is now added to the archive of photographs. (Part
1)
•
SONG:
Jaya Guru
Maharaja |
জয় ‘গুরু-মহারাজ'
যতিরাজেশ্বর
"All glory to Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami, the leading general of
the tridandi-sannyasis! You revealed your Pastimes in this world as
the saviour of the fallen and delivered the sinful and unfortunate souls."
Sri-gaura-mandala majhe |
শ্রীগুর্ব্বাবির্ভাব প্রশস্তি
"In Sri Gaura Mandal, there is a village called Hapaniya where my Lord, an
abode of all good qualities, appeared. It stands on the bank of the Ganga,
who is very merciful to the fallen souls; renowned in the whole world, this
abode is a holy repository of knowledge and jewels of logic."
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:
Sri Rupa-manjari-pada |
শ্রীরূপমঞ্জরী-পদ
"The lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my wealth, my bhajan (service), my
puja (worship), the wealth of my life, and whatever ornaments I may have. Her
lotus feet are the very life of my life."
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Fri, 25 October 2024 (Sri Damodar Month; Bahulastami)
Lesson
for Householder Devotees
'I am telling all the householder devotees that you must learn how to live a
proper life. Learn from the example of Srivas Pandit's devotion. Mahaprabhu
told all householder devotees, "Make sure that not a single day passes
without chanting the Holy Name and without vaishnav-seva." How do you
do vaishnav-seva? Does it mean feed Vaishnavs every day?'
•
Download / listen to the audio (68.8 Mb, 144 min | 16 February 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
No Such
Thing As Personal Affairs
"You must be open—you must give everything to your Guru. Keep all your
personal things, everything at your Guru's lotus feet. We must realise how we
can involve ourselves, involve our own things in the service of the
Lord."
•
Download / listen to the audio (0.8 Mb, 2 min | 3 May 2020)
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—{ Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Treasury }—
• SUBJECTIVE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
•
PURE DEVOTION
'Once, Bhaktivinoda Thakur had a dream in which he was wandering in the sky
chanting the holy name. He came upon the court of Yamaraj, where Yamaraj
himself was sitting with Brahma, Narada, and others discussing a point from a
verse in Bhagavad-gita. Then Bhaktivinod Thakur was invited in their
midst and was asked, "How shall we adjust these points?"'
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SRI KARTIK MONTH: 17 October–15 November
'You think, "You all sing, and I will listen." It will not do. You must sing
yourself. If I eat, will your stomach be full? You must chant kirtans
yourself. When you chant these kirtans, you will be remembering
Nityananda Prabhu. You worry that you do not know the tune, but no tune is
necessary. Because we have drums and karatals here now, we are playing
them, but when I am alone, do you think I sing it like that? I do not. I
recite them. Chanting kirtan is not playing drums and
karatals – even if you read them, that is also kirtan. So,
always chant kirtan.'
(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
KIRTANS SUNG DURING KARTIK MONTH
Morning kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO
[17 min, 8.2 Mb]: Sri Damodarastakam, Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama, Sri
Krsner Vimsottara Sata-Nama.
Evening kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO [27 min, 12.5 Mb]: Sri Siksastakam.
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Today in the calendar:
Krishna Astami. Bahulastami. Manifestation day of Sri Radha Kunda. Sannyas
day of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do
not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must
still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and
appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such
great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."
"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned
there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned
there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti,
some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early
in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all
devotees."
"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and
Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up
in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show
respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose
disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can
give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay'
to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today
is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember
him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words
of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."
In honour of Sri Radha Kunda's manifestation day:
"Srila Prabhupad laid a special stress on this and expressed it in
very appropriate Gaudiya terms and conclusions. Unless we serve the
transcendental Govardhan, we will not be able to realise the supremacy of Sri
Radha Kunda that lies beside Govardhan and is inundated with the nectar of
divine love. 'Go' means senses or knowledge. If you serve the external,
physical Govardhan, i.e. cultivate knowledge merely to increase or indulge
your selfish material senses, then you are actually dunking yourself into the
waters of Niraya Kunda (Hell Pond) that is created by the maha-maya, the
external shadow potency of Sri Radha; only when you foster transcendental
senses and cultivate transcendental knowledge can you consider it service to
Govardhan for the pleasure of Krishna's senses."
(Guidance 3, 'Sri Radhastami')
Dear and
Dearmost
"Krishna said to Radharani, 'OK, so Your kunda is better, and My
kunda is all poison, but if we mix some of the water from Your
kunda into My kunda, then the kunda will be purified!'"
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 6 min | 13 August 2009)
•
SONG:
Radha-kunda-tata |
করাধাকুণ্ডতট
"...I know all these things are nourishing the pastimes of the Divine
Couple, I can never leave all these things so dear to me, without them I know
I'll surely die."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb)
"Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur says, 'Sri Vrindavan and
its surroundings so intensely awaken my remembrance of Krishna; and if these
things are taken away from me, I shall lose my very life. They are sustaining
me, because they are encouraging me to take to Krishna consciousness.'
radhakundatata-kunjakutira
govardhanaparvata yamunatira
kusumasarovara, manasaganga
kalindanandini vipula-taranga
vamsivata, gokula, dhirasamira
vrndavana-taru latika-vanira
khaga-mrgakula, malaya-batasa
mayura, bhramara, murali-vilasa
venu, srnga, padachihna, meghamala
vasanta, sasanka, sankha karatala
yugala vilase anukula jani
lilavilasa-uddipaka mani
esaba chhodata kaha nahi yau
esaba chhodata parana harau
bhaktivinoda kahe, suna kana
taya uddipaka hamara parana
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The grove-dwelling on the banks of Radha-kunda,
Govardhana mountain, the banks of river Yamuna;
Kusuma-sarovara lake, Manasa-ganga river,
The rolling waves of Yamuna, daughter of the sun;
Place of the Rasa dance, and Gokula, the gentle breezes,
The trees, vines, and Vetasa palms of Vraja;
The birds and animals, the sweet air of spring,
The peacocks, bumblebees, the flute's sweet song;
Flute, horn, His footsteps, range of clouds in the sky,
Season of spring, the moon, the conch, hand-cymbals;
I know all this nourishes the pastimes of the Divine Couple,
I can feel they arouse the holy pastimes of the Lord;
I can never leave all these things so dear to me,
Without them I know I'll surely die;
Hear me, O Kan, says Sri Bhaktivinoda:
You are the only light of my life.
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This is Vrindavan. Vrindavan is so friendly, so sweet, so near to us, and
such a well-wisher of ours. We are quite at home there—sweet, sweet home.
Svarupe sabara haya, golokete sthiti: in our innate and innermost existence,
we are members of that plane. Now we have come out, and we have scattered our
consciousness all over the surface. Cover, cover, cover—there are so many
layers, and they are all dry things. And the substance, the spirit, is
within. Eliminating this bodily cover, the mental cover, the liberation
cover, the Vaikuntha cover—then I may enter into the land of Vraja. Vrindavan
resides within me, if I can find my friends everywhere. They are my friends
and relatives, and they will give me all-pleasing experience, ecstasy.
Mahaprabhu came with this news for us. 'Oh, you are a child of that soil; why
do you suffer here, my children, my boys? Why do you suffer? Amrtasya-putrah:
you are a child of that soil, and you are suffering so much, coming in the
desert? Your home is so resourceful, so sweet, and you are running in the
desert? What is this? Come! Leave this poisonous charm, this suicidal charm.
This charm, maya-charm, misunderstanding charm—this is suicidal. Leave this
apparent charm! This is poisonous, like a witch. The witch has charmed you
here and made you spellbound. Come along with Me! I shall take you to your
home which is so very sweet!'"
(Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion 1, chapter 11)
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In honour of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's sannyas
day:
~ Pranam-mantra ~
gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam
"I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most
cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev's
associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable
and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami
Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda
Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused
with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the
giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord." |
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"The day after Srila Guru Maharaj gave Srila Govinda Maharaj sannyasa was
Guru Maharaj's own Appearance Day and he was very happy on that day. Early
that morning I went to see him and said, 'Srila Guru Maharaj, yesterday you
gave Srila Govinda Maharaj sannyasa; but I think he took sannyasa many, many
lifetimes ago.' He replied, 'Oh, you want to say that this is only being done
to show the people who he is, but actually he is much more than that?' Srila
Guru Maharaj was smiling and laughing, and on that morning, his own
Appearance Day, he sat on his chair and for maybe two or three hours he
talked about Srila Govinda Maharaj. This was the Appearance Day of the Guru
but the Guru was doing kirtan of the disciple!"
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{ Book Shelf }
An extensive selection of books, articles and poetry by His Divine Grace Om
Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj available for
online reading and download, as well as purchase from any of our temples
worldwide.
Biography of Srila B.S.
Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
A glorification article that sprang forth from the interpretation of the
Pranam-mantra of His Divine Grace and was originally published as
an Appendix to the Revealed Truth.
Sannyas
Day (20 photographs, 2.3 Mb)
Archive photographs taken on 6 November 1985, on the day Srila Bhakti
Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj accepted the sannyas order from His
Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami
Maharaj.
Jaya
jaya gurudever |
জয় জয় গুরুদেবের
"All glory to the effulgent arati of Srila Gurudev taking place at the
foot of Govardhan for the beneft of the world! All glory to the mine of joy,
Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami, who is the crown-jewel of
Gurus!"
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Thu, 24 October 2024 (Sri Damodar Month)
Learn to
Appreciate Service
'How can you get the right to serve Krishna? Whom does Krishna belong to? He
belongs to Radharani, and Radharani is non-different from the guru, so
it is only the guru who can give you the right to serve Lord
Krishna. We must learn what genuine Krishna consciousness is. Krishna
consciousness is not something you do for one day – it is necessary to have
sincerity.'
•
Download / listen to the audio (68.8 Mb, 144 min | 16 February 2019 |
Bengali)
—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—
How to Increase
Surrender
"Saranagati comes when you follow 100% what Gurudev told—you should
try to follow 200%, then if your attempt will perhaps turn out less, it will
be 100%. Always try to listen to what your Guru says, always think how to
fulfil Gurudev's desire."
•
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min)
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—{ Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Treasury }—
• SUBJECTIVE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
•
SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION
'Krishna consciousness means the infinite in the finite: the affectionate
connection of the finite with the Infinite helps him to live in infinity. The
finite backed by the Infinite may become infinitely resourceful.
Intrinsically, a jiva soul is insignificant; it is an infinitesimal
point of a point of a point, but by coming in affectionate connection with
the Absolute, he gets the facility of all the advantages of a life with the
Absolute.'
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SRI KARTIK MONTH: 17 October–15 November
'You think, "You all sing, and I will listen." It will not do. You must sing
yourself. If I eat, will your stomach be full? You must chant kirtans
yourself. When you chant these kirtans, you will be remembering
Nityananda Prabhu. You worry that you do not know the tune, but no tune is
necessary. Because we have drums and karatals here now, we are playing
them, but when I am alone, do you think I sing it like that? I do not. I
recite them. Chanting kirtan is not playing drums and
karatals – even if you read them, that is also kirtan. So,
always chant kirtan.'
(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
KIRTANS SUNG DURING KARTIK MONTH
Morning kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO
[17 min, 8.2 Mb]: Sri Damodarastakam, Sri Sriman Mahaprabhur Sata-Nama, Sri
Krsner Vimsottara Sata-Nama.
Evening kirtans:
TEXT |
AUDIO [27 min, 12.5 Mb]: Sri Siksastakam.
|
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GUIDANCE 2021 (epub)
(Last update: 7 Apr. '24)
Games of Maya Devi
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'Maya always searches for a chance to attack you, and if she gets an
opportunity, you can be easily converted by the illusory environment.'
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CALENDAR FOR 10/2024
DAMODAR
28 OCTOBER (MON).
Krishna Ekadasi.
Fast on Sri Rama Ekadasi.
29 OCTOBER (TUE).
Krishna Dvadasi.
Ekadasi paran is at 5:43:16–9:28:02. Festival in honour of Sri
Gauranga Mahaprabhu's auspicious arrival at Sripat Panihati.
31 OCTOBER (THU).
Krishna Chaturdasi.
Offering and placing of lamps (or candles) on the temples of the Lord.
NOVEMBER 2024
1 NOVEMBER (FRI).
Amavasya.
Dipavali. Offering and placing of lamps (or candles) on the temples of
the Lord.
2 NOVEMBER (SAT).
Gaura Pratipad.
Sri Sri Govardhan Puja (in the morning). Grand
Annakut Mahotsav ('Rice Mountain Festival') at Srila Sridhar Swami Seva Asram
(Govardhan) and Sri Gupta-Govardhan Temple (Nabadwip). Go-Puja (worship of
cows) and Go-Krida (pleasing cows). Worship of Sri Bali Daityaraj.
3 NOVEMBER (SUN).
Gaura Dvitiya.
Disappearance of Srila Vasu Ghosh Thakur. Disappearance of Tridandi-swami
Srimad Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Maharaj. Bhratri-dvitiya krityam (the day
when brothers and sisters honour each other).
5 NOVEMBER (TUE).
Gaura Chaturthi.
Disappearance of Visva-varenya Tridandi-swami Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami
Maharaj Prabhupad.
6 NOVEMBER (WED).
Gaura Panchami.
Disappearance of Tridandi-swami Srimad Bhakti Aloka Paramahamsa Maharaj.
9 NOVEMBER (SAT).
Gaura Astami.
Sri Gopastami, Sri Gosthastami. Disappearance of Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami,
Srila Dhananjay Pandit and Srila Srinivas Acharya Prabhu.
12 NOVEMBER (TUE).
Gaura Ekadasi.
Fast on Sri Utthan Ekadasi.
Disappearance of Om Visnupad Paramahamsa Srila Gaura
Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj. Appearance of Tridandi-swami Srimad Bhakti
Dayita Madhav Maharaj. Sri Bhisma Panchaka. Awakening (utthana) of
Lord Sri Hari.
13 NOVEMBER (WED).
Gaura Dvadasi.
Ekadasi paran is at 5:52:03–9:32:19.
14 NOVEMBER (THU).
Gaura Chaturdasi.
Disappearance of Srila Bhugarbha Goswami and Srila Kasisvar Pandit. Departure
of Srimad Bhakti Pramod Puri Maharaj.
15 NOVEMBER (FRI).
Purnima.
Rasa Yatra of Sri Krishna. Disappearance of Srila Sundarananda Thakur.
Appearance of Srila Nimbarka Acharya. Manifestation anniversary of Sri Sri
Guru Gauranga Gandharva Rasa-Bihari jiu at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and
Mission, Sri Vrindavan. End of chaturmasya, urjja-vrata, damodar-vrata,
kartik-vrata or niyom-seva and Bhisma-panchaka.
KESHAVA
26 NOVEMBER (TUE).
Krishna Ekadasi.
Fast on Utpanna Ekadasi.
Departure of Sriyukta Dhananjaya Das Prabhu.
27 NOVEMBER (WED).
Krishna Dvadasi.
Ekadasi paran is at 10:26:49–14:01:00. Disappearance of Srila Narahari
Sarkar Thakur and Srila Kaliya Krishnadas.
28 NOVEMBER (THU).
Krishna Trayodasi.
Disappearance of Srila Saranga Thakur.
FULL CALENDAR >>
Sri Gaudiya Calendar 2024–2025 (pdf)
THE TEN OFFENCES TO THE HOLY NAME:
1) Criticise sadhus, Vaishnavs
2) Consider Lord Siva and gods to be independent of Lord Krishna
3) Consider Guru to be an ordinary mortal man
4) Criticise scriptures
5) Interpret the Name with the help of a dictionary, etc.
6) Consider the Name imaginary.
7) Sin and chant to remove the sin.
8) Consider chanting equal to pious activities.
9) Instruct faithless people in chanting; inattentive chanting.
10) Remain attached to things, your body, etc.
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"HUMILITY, TOLERANCE, GIVING HONOUR TO OTHERS | HUMILITY, TOLERANCE, GIVING HONOUR TO OTHERS"
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