MONTHLY ARCHIVE OF UPDATES

JANUARY 2018

Protect the Mission, Protect Yourself
"Gurudev's last word is wherever you live, you must maintain your spiritual life, your practitioner's life, but I doubt that everybody is following it. We must follow Gurudev's instruction. We must join the mission and practise properly."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 5 min | 24 July 2013)

Chaste and Sincere Service
"We must be chaste, we must be sincere, we must accept these teachings. Taking shelter of Guru and Vaishnavs, serving the Guru and Vaishnavs is what is called bhajan. What service have we done at the temple of our Guru Maharaj? We must think about this."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 6 min | 8 February 2017 | Bengali)

Highest Benefactors
"A Guru takes a disciple so that the disciple can serve the Lord. So, we must ask ourselves and judge it for ourselves, 'How much service have I done?' Who has the right to do kirtan? Those who have humility, tolerance and who can give honour to others."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 5 min | 8 February 2017 | Bengali)

Sadhus' Target
"Sadhus come to hijack souls from the family of Maya and bring them to the family of Krishna—your father thought I had come to steal something from you, that I had come to take your money, but actually I had come to steal you."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 7 min | 8 February 2017 | Bengali)

In honour of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami Prabhu:

In honour of Srila Ramachandra Kaviraj:

Beyond I and Mine
"We always take untruth as truth—we believe that His things are ours. We always think in terms of 'my' and 'I'. We are slaves of our tongues, but look at the examples of the Vaishnavs."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 4 min | 8 February 2017 | Bengali)

Visiting Sri Nrisingha Palli (19 photographs, 1 Mb | 5 January 2018)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj visits Sri Nrisingha Palli to supervise the progress of the Temple construction. With the nat mandir fully marbled, the works are now progressing smoothly towards their completion with some still under way on the second floor.

"Please Do Not Forget"
"I am requesting you all—please do not forget service to the Lord. You can make a temple in your own room or house. When you do everything for the Lord, when you use your room for the Lord, then your room becomes a temple..."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 4 min | 8 February 2017 | Bengali)

Eternal and Internal Devotion
"The house where the eternal service of the Lord is going on every day, where eternal kirtan is going on, is Goloka Vrindavan. Many of our devotees live like that. They offer the bhog to the Lord and do not take or enjoy anything except prasadam."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 4 min | 8 February 2017 | Bengali)

— · Invitation · — ullanghyanghrim hi yasyakhila-bhajana-katha svapnavach chaiva mithya sri-nityananda-chandram patita-sarana-dam gaura-dam tam bhaje 'ham "By neglecting the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu all sadhana or bhajan (spiritual practices, services or worship) become an illusion, just like a dream. I worship and adore with all my heart that gracious giver of Sri Gaura, the benevolent bestower of His shelter to the fallen souls—Sri Nityanandachandra." Dear Godbrothers and Godsisters, Devotees and Friends, On behalf of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, we humbly bow at your holy feet and extend a cordial invitation to please come and join the annual Festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day that is manifest on 27-30 January 2018 this year and shall be held at Sri Ekachakra Dham. Special programmes of worship, kirtan, parikrama, lectures, prasad distribution, as well as many other devotional activities will be held during the Festival, and we shall feel obliged to have the kind company of you and your friends for this celebration to enhance this great festival at our Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Temple in Sri Ekachakra Dham, as well as the branches worldwide. Sri Ekachakra Dham Sree Chaitanya Saraswata Krishnanushilana Sangha, Garbhabas, Birchandrapur, Birbhum, West Bengal, PIN 731245 Phone: +91 9836051708 If you have any enquiries, you can get in touch with us at Festival in 2015: • Varaha Dvadasi (am) • Varaha Dvadasi (noon) • Varaha Dvadasi (pm) • Appearance Day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu To the joy of all the devotees worldwide, the day has come when the most merciful Lord has made His advent in the sweet and peaceful surroundings of Sri Ekachakra Dham. Fortunate are those who celebrate this day with joy, fortunate are those who come to witness this joy of the Vaishnavs. Festival in 2016: • From Sri Ekachakra Dham • Appearance Day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu This most auspicious day is spent in happy and peaceful service and nourishing Hari-katha here at Sri Ekachakra Dham. Throughout the day His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj speaks to the assembled devotees, telling about the pastimes of the Lord and describing at length the way to attain Lord Nityananda's mercy. Festival in 2017: • Arriving • Sri Varaha Dvadasi • Appearance Day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu • Final Day The most auspicious festival of the appearance day of Lord Nityananda is observed smoothly and happily here at Sri Ekachakra Dham. We bow down at the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and pray for his causeless mercy to get the ability to appreciate and worship this day properly.

In honour of Srila Lochan Das Thakur:

• SONG: Ye anila prema-dhana | যে আনিল প্রেমধন
"Where is my Raghunath Das, my Raghunath Bhatta, my Krisha Das Kaviraj? Not finding the association of Sri Gauranga, who performed His Pastimes with all these associates, Narottam Das weeps."

• SONG: Akrodha paramananda | অক্রোধ পরমানন্দ
"Lochan Das says of one who has not developed attachment to this Avatar of Nityananda, such a sinner simply came and went."

• SONG: Ke yabi ke yabi bhai | কে যাবি কে যাবি ভাই
"All souls have thus been delivered by the winds of divine love. Only Lochan Das has fallen and remained behind, as a result of his sins."

• SONG: Parama karuna | পরম করুণ
"Nitai and Gaurachandra are the two most merciful Lords. They are the best, the crest-jewels, of all Avatars and the only source of joy."

• SONG: Nitai gunamani amara | নিতাই গুণমণি আমার
"Nitai, the jewel of all good qualities, my Nitai! Lochan Das says, 'Anyone who did not serve Nitai knowingly committed suicide.'"

Cheap and Easy
"If you think of quantity, you can say easy things, like everything is equal (if you worship Kali, if you worship Durga, Brahma, Siva, or Krishna, it is all the same). We do not think so. This is a mayavadi conception, and we do not follow that kind of things."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 10 min | 1 June 2013)

Evening Kirtans (Sri Ekachakra Dham, Varaha Dvadasi day)
• Sri Guru charana-padma • Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu daya kara more • Ohe Vaishnava Thakura dayara sagara • Nitai-pada-kamala • Emona durmati samsara bhitare • Janama saphala tara • Jaya Radha-Madhava • Jaya Dhvani
• Download / listen to the audio (14.8 Mb, 42 min | 8 February 2017)

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.

• "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..."

Mahadvadasi
"Mahadvadasi means two tithis (lunar days) coincide on one day. Ekadasi is auspicious, and mahadvadasi is even more auspicious, that is why we observe it. You can fast more, but if you fast and sleep all day and do not do any service, it is not good."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min | 15 July 2012)

• 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" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "Ekadasi Vrata: Make Your Guru Happy" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "No Other Shelter" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "Ekadasi and liberation" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "Ekadasi Tithi: One of the Practices" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)

Dispatching Sri Damodar Pandit
"Mahaprabhu knows devotees—who is a 10% devotee, who is a 20% devotee, who is a 50% devotee, who is a real devotee—He knows all of His associates. Mahaprabhu knew also that Damodar Pandit was very honest, and once He wanted to know..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 1 June 2013)

In honour of Sriman Mahaprabhu's sannyas:

Sannyas Lila: Roaming the Land
"Mahaprabhu would go in a zigzag way—sometimes He went to the East, sometimes to the West, and the devotees followed Him not knowing where He was going..."
• Download / listen to the audio (7.5 Mb, 25 min)

Sri Nimai Sannyas (English, Bengali, an audio recording)
Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's poem expressing the grief-stricken hearts of the residents of Nabadwip: "Vishvambhar, the son of Jagannath Mishra, who resides in Nabadwip, Sachi's Nimai, has taken sannyas. A tumult of cries filled the sky—Sachi's Nimai has taken sannyas!"

From All Walks of Life
"I am not trying to discourage anyone. There are four types of people who come to Krishna consciousness, and in each case, if they practise Krishna consciousness, they can succeed."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 19 June 2013)

Preaching Programme (8 photographs, 0.6 Mb | 16 January 2018)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj speaks at en evening devotional public programme and meets with devotees arriving from Ireland.

Management, Attachment, and Service
"Gurudev always gave examples and his word was very strong. One time, I went to Gurudev and asked him something briefly, without explaining much, but if you heard what Gurudev said, you would run away."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 5 min | 19 June 2013)

Patience Is a Virtue
"If somebody wants to serve the Lord, it is necessary to practise with enthusiasm. If you do not have that eagerness to practise, you will not get the result. Sometimes we become frustrated..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 19 June 2013)

Fishing and Matchmaking
"Guru has connection with the lost servant and with the Lord and, as a middleman, whatever message he gets from the Lord, he supplies it to the lost servant, and when we tell some message to the Guru, he sends it to the Lord. That is the Guru's duty."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min | 19 June 2013)

E ghora samsare
"A person who has fallen into this terrible world never ceases to suffer. If you associate with sadhus and serve Hari, however, your suffering comes to an end."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | Kirtan)

In Honour of Sri Vasanta Panchami:

Sri Guru-Puja: What Is Puja?
"It is necessary to understand what is the meaning of Guru-puja. In this age of Kali, it is very difficult to harmonise. If you think you cannot follow proper etiquette towards other Vaishnavs, if you think it is not necessary to do it, I can give you an example."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 23 July 2013)

On Standby
"It is very difficult, so many austerities will come, but I am tellling you: little by little, slowly, slowly you can harmonise with the devotees. Do not neglect the etiquette. Try to serve in harmony, speaking good about others, without speaking against anybody, etc."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min | 23 July 2013)

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu' Festival: Anxiously Awaiting
"We had waited for this day all year thinking, 'When will this day come in our life? When will this festival come?' We have read about Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, glorified Sriman Nityananda Prabhu for these few days, but it is actually not so easy to glorify Him..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 7 min | 10 February 2017 | Bengali)

Evening at Sri Ekachakra Dham
(24 photographs, 1.3 Mb | 27 January 2018)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj leads the evening arati, parikrama and class, nourishing the fortunate assembled devotees with Hari-katha. (When asked at the end if they were hungry, the devotees jointly replied, 'No,' eager to hear more, and His Divine Grace continued to speak for another half an hour.)

Our Hope and Heart-Felt Gratitude
"After so many long days we have come again to Sri Ekachakra Dham, Sri Virachandrapur and at the appearance place of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu—we are very fortunate. We are staying here for a few days, but those who live here do permanent service to Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. They are very fortunate, there is no doubt about that."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 8 min | 26 January 2018)

Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj (about tomorrow's appearance day of Sri Varahadev): "Varahadev is the master of Koladwip. Make a very nice sweet rice offering for Varahadev, with best rice, nuts, raisins, good milk, etc."

Morning and Noon at Sri Ekachakra Dham
(29 photographs, 2 Mb | 27 January 2018)
Today's morning and afternoon pass busily as devotees prepare for the festival. More and more family members begin to flock and everybody happily meets each other—with obeisances, embraces and joyful hearts, happy to be brought back, happy to again get devotee association.

Arriving at Sri Ekachakra Dham
(13 photographs, 0.8 Mb | 26 January 2018)
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj brings fortunate devotees to the land of Sri Ekachakra Dham to celebrate the annual festival in honour of the appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu.

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.

• "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" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "Ekadasi Vrata: Make Your Guru Happy" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "No Other Shelter" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "Mahadvadasi" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "Ekadasi and liberation" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)
• "Ekadasi Tithi: One of the Practices" (by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)

Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "'O Lord, I always make offences, consciously and unconsciously. Please forgive my offences.' We must always think about this on this day."

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance: Sri Adhivas Day
(56 photographs, 6.5 Mb | 28 January 2018)
As the festival approaches, the temple is becoming filled with devotees and everybody happily prepares for the festival—staying in devotee association and various services, the day passes peacefully and happily in the shade of the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj.

— · Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance Day · —
Morning (35 photographs, 2.4 Mb)	Parikrama (36 photographs, 2.7 Mb)	Noon Programme (45 photographs, 3.7 Mb)
The glorious festival in honour of the divine appearance of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu passes peacefully and beautifully as devotees take part in numerous services and programmes around the temple under the guidance and in the shelter of the holy lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj.

In honour of Srila Narottam Das Thakur's Appearance Day:

Whole-Hearted Service
"Narottam Das Thakur was born in Sripat Keturi (Bangladesh) and in his life he composed many Vaishnav songs. Actually, all our Guru-varga serve the Lord and serve their Guru whole-heartedly, with body, mind, and speech."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 6 min | 16 June 2010)

Narottam Das Thakur: Our Guru, Our Protector, Our Shelter
"Narottam Das Thakur is our Guru-varga. If you think how much he tried to preach, you will wonder, 'How is it possible?' You can understand how much he preached and how he protected our line if you think about his songs."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 9 min | 4 November 2012)

Srila Narottam Das Thakur: Bona Fide Benefactor
"Who will you call a Guru? A Guru is not someone whose profession is to make disciples, who only takes your money. The Guru gives a conception, gives some wealth, property, with which you can go to your real home..."
• Download (2.7 Mb, 6 min | 4 November 2012)

In Praise of Srila Narottam Das Thakur [From Affectionate Guidance]
"Today is the Disappearance Day of Srila Narottam Thakur, so I would like to say a few words to glorify him. Narottam Das Thakur was not just a song writer, he was a great pandit and more than that, he was a devotee of Sri Chaitanyadev."

• SONG: Sri-Guru-parampara | শ্রীগুরুপরম্পরা
• SONG: Thakura vaisnava-gana | ঠাকুর বৈষ্ণবগণ
• SONG: Ki-rupe paiba seva | কিরূপে পাইব সেবা
• SONG: Nitai-pada kamala

 · · • • • · ·

2018

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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)