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MONTHLY ARCHIVE OF UPDATES

NOVEMBER 2022

 

Tue, 1 November 2022 (Sri Kartik Month)

Find Evidence
"Just as it is very hard to find a genuine disciple, it is also very hard to find a bona fide guru. To become a guru, one must first become a disciple. You must judge for yourself: to what extent do I follow Gurudev's instruction? You must examine yourself and find evidence of the extent to which you follow Gurudev's instruction."
Download / listen to the lecture (15.4 Mb, 32 min | 28 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Worshippable Sita Thakurani
"Advaita Acharya's wife, Sri Sita Thakurani, is worshipped by everyone all over the world. I have not read much about her, but we know that when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Prabhu sent her with some gifts to Jagannath Misra's house..."
Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 23 August 2020)

 


Today in the calendar: Gaura Ashtami. Disappearance of Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami, Srila Dhananjay Pandit, and Srila Srinivas Acharya Prabhu. Sri Gopashtami, Sri Goshthastami, Go Puja, and Go Gras-dan.

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 Gadadhar Das Goswami:

Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami, an eternal associate of Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, resided on the bank of the Ganges. In Sri Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, he is stated to be the incarnation of bodily beauty of Srimati Radharani. Although he was a follower of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, he did not manifest sakhya-rasa, instead he manifested the mood of a gopi—sitting on the bank of the Ganges, he would scoop some Ganges water into a pot and cry out with a laugh, "Who wants to buy some milk?", "Who wants to buy some yoghurt?"

When Sriman Mahaprabhu ordered Sriman Nityananda Prabhu to preach Krishna consciousness in Bengal, He sent Sri Ram-das and Sri Gadadhar-das to Gauda-desh with Sriman Nityananda Prabhu.

Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur describes a pastime in which Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami delivers the Kazi of Endiyadaha who vehemently opposed sankirtan:

One day, overwhelmed by divine love for the Lord, Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami came to the house of Kazi chanting sankirtan and said, "Where is that Kazi? Come, chant the Holy Name at once, otherwise I will cut your neck!" Furious, Kazi came out to him, but seeing the divine form and mood of Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami, he became astounded and his anger subsided. Kazi said then,

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to speak to you," answered Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami.

"What do you want to say?" asked Kazi.

"Gaura-Nityananda have appeared on this earth and are giving the Holy Name to anyone and everyone, but why are you not taking this nectarian Holy Name?"

"Go home, I will take it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Why not today? I have come to give you the Holy Name and to rescue you. Take this supremely beneficial Holy Name! It will rescue you from all your sins today!"

Kazi felt embarrassed to refuse him, so he sniggered, "Well, I will say 'Hari' tomorrow."

Then, hearing Kazi say 'Hari', Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami became overwhelmed by divine love and said, "Now why tomorrow? You have just said 'Hari'! All your sins have been removed, you have become supremely pure." Saying this, Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami began to dance.

In this way, Kazi became purified and took shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami. At the end, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur concludes, "Saintly persons did not want to be touched by the air that touched the Kazi, for they felt that such contact would make them lose their caste. Yet Gadadhar Das Mahasaya glanced mercifully on that most sinful Kazi, who took away the caste of any Hindu he encountered. When such a person gives up his envious nature, it is to be understood that this is the potency of Krishna consciousness."

This was how Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami delivered many sinners and inauspicious people by bestowing the Holy Name upon them.

Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami
"Sri Gadadhar Das Goswami is an eternal associate of Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. At first, he lived in Katwa, and later, after Mahaprabhu's disappearance, he moved to a village on the bank of the Ganges...."
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min)

In honour of Srila Dhananjay Pandit:

"Dhananjay Pandita was an extraordinary devotee, and Nityananda always resided in his heart. He is the sixteenth dear servant of Nityananda Prabhu and he was very much renounced and always merged in love of Krishna. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Swaraswati Thakur writes in his Anubhasya, 'Dhananjay Pandit was a resident of the village in Katwa named Sitala (Burdwan district). He was one of the twelve gopalas. His former name, according to the Sri Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (127), was Vasudama. It is said that for some time Dhananjay Pandit was in a sankirtan party under the direction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and then he went to Vrindavan. After returning from Vrindavan to Sitala-gram, he established a Deity of Gaurasundara in the temple. The descendants of Dhananjay Pandit still live in Sitala-gram and look after the temple worship."

In honour of Srila Srinivas Acharya prabhu:

Appearance of Acharya Srinivas
"Having received Mahaprabhu's blessing and mercy, Chaitanya Das and his wife returned to their house in Gaura-desh. Their son was born and, seeing his beautiful son, Chaitanya Das immediately declared, 'I will give this son to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu for His service.'"
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min)

Acharya Srinivas: Collecting Mercy
"Srinivas Acharya received Sri Narahari Thakur and Govinda Gosh Thakur's mercy from his childhood. Later, when Acharya Srinivas's father left his body, Srinivas and his mother then came to his mother's family house in Jajigram..."
Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min)

Acharya Srinivas: Rescuing Scriptures
"So many things are written about Acharya Srinivas. There is a famous pastime of Srila Srinivas Acharya and Raja Birhambir. Srila Srinivas Acharya, Srila Narottam Das Thakur, and Srila Shyamananda Prabhu were once travelling with all the books of Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami, and others..."
Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 5 min)

Time for Sravan
"You must see the sadhu with your ears, because you cannot see a sadhu with your eyes. This is actually not a place for play or tourism, this is a place for sravan and kirtan. You must listen with your heart. One time, Acharya Srinivas was sitting with Narottam Das Thakur in one place..."
Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min)

In Praise of Srila Narottam Das Thakur (From Affectionate Guidance, chapter 17)
Narottam Thakur's close associates and peers were Syamananda and Srinivas. These three great devotees were sent back to Bengal to continue the preaching of Mahaprabhu. The Bengali Vaisnavas were very eager to read the writings of Sri Rupa, Sanatan, Raghunath, Krishna Das Kaviraj, Lokanath Goswami, Gopal Bhatta Goswami, Prabhodananda Saraswati and the other Goswamis; so Narottam, Syamananda and Srinivas travelled from Vrindavan towards Bengal with many copies of those great books...

His Divine Grace
Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
:

"Srinivas Acharya, Narottam Das Thakur, and Shyamananda Prabhu started for Vrindavan to have the darshan of Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami, Srila Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami and others who were there.

"When they were only a few miles away from Mathura, they heard that Sanatan Goswami had passed away. People were saying that that great Sanatan Goswami who was the prime minister and who had captured all people in the whole of Vrindavan within his heart—that Sanatan had passed away, a great disaster for the country. What to do then? Rupa, Raghunath, Jiva and Gopala Bhatta were still living, so Srinivas, Narottam, and Shyamananda dragged somehow on.

When they reached Mathura, they heard that Srila Rupa Goswami had left the night before that. Sanatana left on an ashari purnima, and Srila Rupa Goswami left after that on next dvadasi. They thought, "What hopeless and cursed souls we are! We have come so near, yet we could not see those two generals of Mahaprabhu!" Mahaprabhu sent two of his generals to Vrindavan to carry out His orders and establish the kingdom of the Gaudiya Vaishnavs there... So, they dragged their bodies to Vrindavan and came to Govinda Mandir. When they reached it, they found that an evening aroti was going on there in a very great splendour. There was a great crowd there—Srila Rupa Goswami had just passed away, so with that feeling of high bereavement, everybody was chanting his name madly. Srinivas, Narottam, and Shyamananda Prabhu were there, but Srinivas Acharya could not stand that sort of sentimental wave—he was standing aside and he fainted. When he regained his consciousness, he saw Srila Jiva Goswami with some of his followers...

In this way, Srinivas Acharya, Narottam Das Thakur, and Shyamananda Prabhu stayed in Vrindavan for one year—Srinivas Acharya took initiation from Gopala Bhatta, Narottam Thakur from Lokanath Goswami, and Shyamananda Prabhu from Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu..."

Composed by Srila Srinivas Acharya:

SONG: Sri Sad-Goswamy-Astakam | শ্রীশ্রীষড়্­গোস্বাম্যষ্টকম্
Download / listen to the audio (4.5 Mb)

"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."

Wed, 2 November 2022 (Sri Kartik Month)

Living in Mathura
"Staying in Vrindavan and pretending to be staying in Vrindavan is not the same. We come to Vrindavan for service. Otherwise, your body is in a holy dham, but your mind, heart, and soul are all scattered everywhere else—you cannot stay in a holy dham like this."
Download / listen to the lecture (15.4 Mb, 32 min | 28 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Service Succession
"Will you follow the instruction of the scriptures or will you follow your Gurudev's instruction? That is our question. What is important for you? You will never get the mercy of Krishna without worshipping Radharani..."
Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | 23 August 2020)

Thu, 3 November 2022 (Sri Kartik Month)

Make Your Heart Pure
"If you want to get the Lord in this world, if you want nectar, then you must throw all material desires away. You must have no interest, no desire for anything in this world—you must not even look in this direction."
Download / listen to the lecture (15.4 Mb, 32 min | 28 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

No More Wasting Time
"Now, all countries are one by one lifting lockdown and we are again getting chance to preach and do sankirtan—we must restart our preaching. As it is, we have already lost almost six months of our spiritual time, we do not want to lose another moment."
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | 6 September 2020)

Fri, 4 November 2022 (Sri Kartik Month;
Disappearance of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj)

Run Behind Genuine Krishna Consciousness
"I am explaining these things to you, but you easily become enamoured by illusion. Brahma comes to you with some things, and you become charmed and run there. Indra comes to you with some wealth and opulence, and you run to Indra. We must run after genuine Krishna consciousness, after the Lord and the divine love for the Lord."
Download / listen to the lecture (15.4 Mb, 32 min | 28 January 2020 | Bengali)

 


Today in the calendar: Gaura Ekadashi. Sri Utthan Ekadashi. Fast. Disappearance of Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Sri Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj. Appearance of Tridandi Swami Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj. Sri Bhishma Panchaka.

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. If you remember the glories of Vaishnavs, if you speak about the glories of Vaishnavs, they can rescue you from all kinds of material bondage. We have heard a hundred times that if we glorify Vaishnavs, it gives great benefit, but even though we have heard it a thousand times, how much are we able to glorify Vaishnavs from our heart? How much can we serve Vaishnavs with heart and soul? This is the question."


 

In honour of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj:


namo gaurakisoraya
bhaktavadhuta murtaye
gauranghri padma-bhrngaya
radha-bhava-nisevine

"I offer my obeisance unto the divine form of the devotee-avadhut Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj, who is a honey-bee at Sri Gaurasundar's lotus feet and a servant of Srimati Radharani imbued with deep loving attachment."


SRI NABADWIP DHAM MAHATMYA MUKTA MALA : ANTARDWIP
Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj's Samadhi Mandir
"Before, I knew that anyone who assumes a human form is as contemptible and vile as myself, but when I observed the character of my Lord [Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj], I could gradually understand that a perfect Vaishnav could exist in this world. Through the words and pastimes of saintly persons such deficient jiva souls as myself can become enriched in many ways. Hearing about the character of saintly persons and their pastimes can cleanse many unsaintly hearts. With this hope I am writing a few words about Paramahamsa Babaji."

Departure of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj
"We have visited today the samadhi-mandir of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj. When Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj left his holy body, all the babajis of Nabadwip started to fight for his body as he was a great sadhu..."
Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | 23 March 2021 | Bengali)

Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj
The transcendental pastimes and character of a great Vaishnav of our sampradaya: "'Why are you staying here in Radha Kunda? You must come to Nabadwip. My lila is not in Vrindavan, now My lila is going on in Nabadwip, so you must come here.' And he came here...."
Download / listen to the audio (5.1 Mb, 15 min | 17 November 2010)

Srila Gaurakishoradas Babaji Maharaj
(An article written by Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad and published in the Harmonist in honour of the disappearance day of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj)
"We cannot be eligible for the discipleship of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode, whom we may be disposed to honour on account of his display of scientific scholarship, unless we are cured of all our scholastic vanities through the realisation of the knowledge of transcendence by unconditional submission to the feet of Srila Gaurakishoradasa Babaji."

Sri Srimad Gaura-Kishor-Namaskar Dasakam | শ্রীশ্রীমদ্­গৌরকিশোরনমস্কারদশকম্
"O Divine Master of my Divine Master, my most venerable preceptor, you are supremely worshippable in the group of the foremost associates of Sri Gauranga. Although I remain deep in the mud of offenses, I (a fallen soul) am begging you for your causeless mercy. O Gaura Kisora, again and yet again do I make my obeisance unto you."

 

In honour of Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj:

Reforming Others
Three educational stories from the life of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and his disciple Sripad B.D. Madhav Maharaj.
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 5 min | 12 May 2012)

Guru Consciousness, Service Consciousness
"I heard from Gurudev, one time it was Janmastami, and Madhav Maharaj (his brahmachari name was Hayagriva Prabhu) had some service in Delhi, so he had to travel by train on the Janmastami day...."
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min | 25 December 2010)

SRI NABADWIP DHAM MAHATMYA MUKTA MALA : ANTARDWIP
Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj's Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math
"Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Maharaj was a very dear godbrother of the Founder Acharya of our Math, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Before taking sannyas, Srila Madhav Maharaj's name was Sri Hayagriva Brahmachari. We have heard about him from the lotus mouth of our Srila Guru Maharaj..."

Continuous Service
"It happened after Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's time. One time, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj and one more sannyasi—three disciples of Prabhupad—were sitting in one room..."
Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 5 min | 7 August 2011)

 

Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:

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

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

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

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

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

Sat, 5 November 2022 (Sri Kartik Month)

Serve with Love
"Many serve the Lord, but why is it said that we must worship the Lord and the holy Deity of the Lord with faith? In front of others, people like to show that they are very humble, but there are very few people who will listen to every word and, crying, come to pray. There is no need to show monkey renunciation to impress others."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Guru-Varga's Prasad
"We always tell what Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Gurudev and all the godbrothers of Srila Guru Maharaj told about Srila Guru Maharaj, we always enjoy taking their prasad. That is our happiness. If we hear from our guru-varga and read their lectures, it is good for us."
Download / listen to the audio (4.5 Mb, 11 min | 6 September 2020)

Sun, 6 November 2022 (Sri Kartik Month)

Deep Renunciation
"You can give up everything—you can give up money, you can give up women, but it is not possible to give up pratistha, name and fame. Materialists can come to the Lord's lotus feet, but at this time their minds go, 'Knock-knock. I have given this to the Lord, but what have I got in return?'"
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Devotion to Devotees
"Some preach that you must become a Krishna-bhakta, but we do not preach like this; we preach that you must be Krishna's devotees' devotee. First become a Vaishnav-das, then a Guru-das, and only after that a Krishna-das. First you must be a servant of Vaishnavs."
Download / listen to the audio (4.5 Mb, 7 min | 6 September 2020)

Mon, 7 November 2022 (Sri Kartik Month)

Perverted Taste
"Those who are foolish have no intelligence, and they behave like children. We too are like small children who like to eat soil, but the Lord does not let us eat it because we are His children."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Service Zest
"Now disciples live in the lap of luxury. They blackmail Gurudev saying, "If I do not get this, I will leave the temple!" Such is the service in this world. If your service is conditional, then this is not the proper relationship between the Guru and the disciple. That is why doubts start coming, 'Will I enter that planet?'"
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 6 September 2020)

 


Today in the calendar: Gaura Chaturdasi. Disappearance of Srila Bhugarbha Goswami. Disappearance of Srila Kashishvar Pandit.

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. If you remember the glories of Vaishnavs, if you speak about the glories of Vaishnavs, they can rescue you from all kinds of material bondage. We have heard a hundred times that if we glorify Vaishnavs, it gives great benefit, but even though we have heard it a thousand times, how much are we able to glorify Vaishnavs from our heart? How much can we serve Vaishnavs with heart and soul? This is the question."


 

Tue, 8 November 2022 (End of Sri Kartik Month)

Life of Awakened Consciousness
"What is a temple? A temple is a centre of Hari-kirtan. There are many temples in this world now, but are they all centred on Hari-kirtan? Those who stay at the temples and can understand this know that a life in Hari-kirtan is the life of awakened consciousness of an infinitesimal jiva soul."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Supreme and Inconceivable Glories of Sri Guru
"What are your glories, Gurudev? Your glories are known to all liberated souls—the entire Goloka-mandal sings your glories—but I am a fallen soul, how shall I talk about Gurudev? Gurudev's position is extremely high, talks about him are very high."
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | 6 September 2020)

 


Today in the calendar: Purnima. Rasa Yatra of Sri Krishna. Temple Anniversary: Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Mission, Sri Vrindavan (installation anniversary of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Rasa Bihari jiu). Disappearance of Srila Sundarananda Thakur. Appearance of Srila Nimbarka Acharya. End of Chaturmasya and Niyom-seva vratas.

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."


 

In honour of Srila Sundarananda Thakur:

"It is stated in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata that Sundarananda Prabhu was an ocean of love of Godhead and the chief associate of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (127) he is stated to be Sudama in Krsna-lila. Thus he was one of the twelve cowherd boys who came down with Balarama when He descended as Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The holy place where Sundarananda lived is situated in the village known as Mahespur (Jessore, Bangladesh). Among the relics of this village, only the old residential house of Sundarananda still exists. Sundarananda Prabhu was a naisthika-brahmachari: he never married in his life. Therefore he had no direct descendants except his disciples, but the descendants of his family still reside in the village known as Mangaladihi in the district of Birbhum. In that same village, there is a temple of Balarama, and the Deity there is regularly worshiped. Sundarananda Prabhu is a branch of Sri Nityananda Prabhu; he is Lord Nityananda's most intimate and chief servant. Lord Nityananda Prabhu perceived the life of Vrajabhumi in his company."

 

In honour of Srila Nimbarka Acharya:

"There is an enchanting place within Sri Nabadwip Dham called Bilvapaksa. Everyone calls it Bel Pukhariya. Siva, the lord of bael, resides here. After a group of noble brahmans satisfied him, having worshipped him with bael leaves for a fortnight, Siva gave them the boon of devotion to Krishna. Amongst the brahmans was Nimbaditya, who worshipped Siva exceptionally well. Mercifully, Siva said to him, 'On the edge of this village is a divine bael forest. The four Kumaras are meditating in that forest, and by their grace, you will attain divine knowledge—they will be your Gurus, and through their service, you will attain everything here.'

"Saying this, Siva disappeared. Nimbaditya then searched out that place and there, in the bael forest, saw the sages Sanak, Sananda, Sanatan, and Sanat Kumar seated on a beautiful platform beside Siva, unseen by others. They were unclothed, very young, and of noble character. Greatly excited upon seeing them, Nimbaditya Acharya happily called out, 'Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!' Hearing the Name of the Lord, their meditation broke, and they saw the form of a Vaisnava in front of them.

Seeing the Vaisnava, they were pleased, and one by one they embraced Nimbaditya. 'Who are you? Why have you come here? Please introduce yourself. We will certainly fulfil your prayers.' Hearing their words, Nimbaditya prostrated and humbly introduced himself. Upon hearing Nimbarka's introduction, Sri Sanat Kumar spoke with a smiling face. 'Knowing that Kali-yuga would be dark, the merciful Lord decided to preach devotion. He empowered four devotees and sent them to preach devotion throughout the world. Ramanuja, Madhva Acharya, and Visnu Swami are three of them. You are the fourth of these great devotees. Laksmi Devi accepted Ramanuja, Brahma accepted Madhva Acharya, and Siva accepted Visnu Swami. Today, we have met you personally. We will make you our disciple and thus become fortunate. This is our purpose. Previously, we meditated on nonduality, but by the grace of the Lord such sin has left us. We now understand that pure devotion is supremely relishable, and we have written a scripture about it. Its name is Sanat-kumara-samhita. You will certainly be initiated into its teachings.'

Seeing the grace of his Guru, the wise Nimbarka immediately bathed in the Ganga and returned. He prostrated himself and humbly said, 'O lord! Saviour of the fallen! Deliver this lowly soul.' The four Kumaras gave him a mantra to worship the Divine Couple and taught him how to worship on the path of love. Receiving the mantra, Nimbaditya performed worship in this holy place according to the teachings of the Sanat-kumara-samhita.

Mercifully, Radha and Krishna revealed Themselves to him, and the lustre of Their forms illuminated the four directions. Gently smiling, They said, 'O Nimbaditya, you are fortunate: you have performed worship here. Nabadwip is very dear to Us. Here, We are present in one form as the son of Sachi Devi.' As They spoke, They revealed Their form as Gauranga. Seeing this form, Nimbaditya was overwhelmed. He said, 'I have never seen or heard of this extraordinary form anywhere!' Mahaprabhu then mercifully said, 'O great soul, for now, keep this form a secret. Preach devotion to Krishna and the Pastimes of the Divine Couple. Their Pastimes are My greatest joy. When I appear in the form of Gaura, I will find great pleasure in Pastimes of scholarship. At that time, you will take birth in Kasmir and travel throughout the land of Bharat, conquering all directions. Everyone, everywhere, will call you Kesava Kasmiri and praise you for being highly learned. While travelling, you will come to Nabadwip Dham and stay in the village of Mayapur. Hearing your name, the greatest scholars in Nabadwip will flee. At that time, immersed in Pastimes of scholarship, I will defeat you and feel great pleasure. By the grace of Saraswati, you will understand My identity, take shelter of Me, and give up your pride. Then, I will give you devotion and send you to preach devotion again. So for now, satisfy Me by preaching the conception of dualistic nondualism and keep My identity secret. When I start My sankirtan Pastimes, I will preach the essence of your conception. I will accept two essential principles from Madhva Acharya. One is his refutation of exclusive nondualism. O great soul, know the second essential principle to be serving Krishna's Deity form, knowing the Deity to be eternal. From Ramanuja, I will take two essential principles: exclusive devotion and service to the devotees. From Visnu Swami, I will accept two essential principles: surrender to the Lord and the path of love. From you, I will accept two most essential principles: taking shelter of Radharani exclusively and serving in the mood of the gopis.' Saying this, Gaurachandra disappeared, and Nimbaditya cried profusely with divine love.

Nimbaditya then bowed at the lotus feet of his Guru and travelled elsewhere, intent upon preaching devotion to Krishna."

Wed, 9 November 2022

Genuine Spiritual Life
"There is no difference between entering a temple and entering a house life if you enter it in a spiritual way. Those who live in a spiritual way always make sure that whatever they do is done for the worship of their Supreme Lord."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Entering Transcendental Plane
"You cannot worship the Lord with a mundane body. Only an eternal, transcendental body can worship or serve the Lord. If you serve the Lord thinking that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and you give your everything for the service to Krishna, then your body becomes transcendental."
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 6 September 2020)

Thu, 10 November 2022

Service Through Self-Abnegation?
"Many people say that the Lord is served by inflicting suffering and struggle onto one's soul (through self-abnegation). Others will say, 'There is no point in serving the Lord by making your soul suffer. Eat whatever your soul wants!' What is the soul?"
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Purposeful Preaching
"Preaching is necessary. When you preach, you get pleasure, you get everything. I have told you that when I tell something, I myself get energy—devotees listen to it and I am also listening to it and I myself become purified..."
Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 6 September 2020)

Fri, 11 November 2022

Service Is Not a Play
"We are not afraid to commit a sin for our own pleasure—but when we try to serve the Lord, we always worry whether we are making a sin: 'How can I serve the Lord? What if I commit a sin?'"
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Devotees' Core Principle
"All Gaudiya Vaishnavs follow ekadasi tithi, and it is good for you also to follow it because even Sriman Mahaprabhu Himself told to do so. If we want to follow Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we must follow His instruction."
Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 13 September 2020)

Sat, 12 November 2022

Brahmans' Position
"All Vaishnavs are brahmans, but brahmanism stands on the lowest steps of the ladder of Vaishnavism. If a brahman practises Krishna consciousness in realisation of sambandha-jnana, then he can become a Vaishnav—by the mercy of Vishnu, he can be saved from the hands of impersonalists and become an 'unadulterated brahman', or Vaishnav."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Sustaining Mahaprabhu's Line
"Mahaprabhu's line was maintained by Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Acharya Srinivas, Sri Shyamananda Prabhu. After them, so much darkness came down upon the sky of Gaura-desh. The preaching movement again emerged through Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur."
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 13 September 2020)

Sun, 13 November 2022

Hari-Katha or Self-Deception?
"If, by our great fortune, we are anxious to serve the Lord, then it will enter our ears. We must be able to hear and keep Hari-katha within our hearts. Those who are unfortunate may think they have heard Hari-katha, but they have not actually heard the proper meaning—they were cheated."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

"I Am Proud, I Am Astonished, and I Am Grateful"
"Wherever I may be, I come back to Kolkata on Sunday just to get your good association. I see your smiling faces and I know that your love and affection has no alloy—your love and affection is not cheating, it is actual love and affection."
Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 13 September 2020)

Mon, 14 November 2022

"I Have Come to Help You"
"I have not come here to take your help—I have not come here to give a lecture. I have come here only to let you practise Krishna consciousness. I come to give you some consciousness so that you can practise Krishna consciousness in your own life."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Ekadasi Struggle?
"You think that you will break ekadasi, that you will do what you like in your life, but you do not think that after that austerity will come—you have no idea what hell is like, what kind of austerity you will get there. What austerity is there in following ekadasi?"
Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 13 September 2020)

Tue, 15 November 2022

Do Not Be Duped
"If we listen to non-devotional talks or take advice from non-devotees, then we will spend millions of lifetimes in illusory bondage serving every single atom of this material world. We must not listen to anything non-devotees say."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Redundant Rituals
"Those who do not follow Krishna consciousness, who are not devotees, can do follow as many Hindu rituals and rules as they like, but we do not do it. We know that we are jiva souls—we are eternal servants of the Lord, and we always remember that."
Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 13 September 2020)

Wed, 16 November 2022

Penniless Life
"'Please make me Your slave and pay me the salary of divine love! O Lord! Please engage me in Your service. This will be my salary, this will be my reward.' This is our only prayer."
Download / listen to the lecture (27.5 Mb, 57 min | 29 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Primary and Paramount Necessity
"Teach Srimad Bhagavad-gita everywhere, it will be good. Most people cannot understand Srimad Bhagavatam or Chaitanya-charitamrita, it is very difficult for them, but everybody knows Srimad Bhagavad-gita, so everybody can easily understand its message."
Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | 13 September 2020)

Thu, 17 November 2022

Sincerity in Service
"What is the reward of service? The result of service is getting more service. Gurudev told that the ball will always come to the feet of those who want to play football. But we are scared to play football and hide in the room, how will the ball come to our feet then?"
Download / listen to the lecture (14.2 Mb, 30 min | 12 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Continuing Service Movement
"We can practise Vaishnav-sanga, sadhu-sanga from anywhere. We must always remember Krishna, chant the Holy Name, practise and do our service from wherever we are. We must continue our service movement."
Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 20 September 2020)

Fri, 18 November 2022

Love and Preaching for the Lord
"Desire is there, it is all right, but it should be directed in the opposite direction. Love should be for the Lord. You take so much trouble to walk to a place of pilgrimage, but what is the use? If you do not hear Hari-katha, if you do not hear what the Lord and His devotees say, you will not get anything."
Download / listen to the lecture (14.2 Mb, 30 min | 12 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Keep Your Guru In Your Heart
"Our hearts are always full of kanak, kamini, pratistha—we always think about our own enjoyment, we always think about our own safety. It is necessary to have the strongest faith. You must keep some place in your heart for your Guru."
Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 5 min | 20 September 2020)

Sat, 19 November 2022

Wrong Vision
"When you study in primary school and the teacher talks to you about some university topics, you will say that the teacher is a fool because you do not understand anything. It is necessary to have the capacity to understand the highest things..."
Download / listen to the lecture (14.2 Mb, 30 min | 12 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Unparalleled Vairagya
"Always read the pastimes of great Vaishnavs. We can read their biographies and see how much tolerance they have, how much austerity they got in their spiritual life. If we think about it, we will be astonished—we cannot imagine how austere their life is."
Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 5 min | 20 September 2020)

Sun, 20 November 2022 (Sri Utpanna Ekadasi)

Root of Unhappiness
"Those who steal something may continue stealing, but they feel disturbed inside and worry that their crimes can become exposed. Those who commit offences never feel happiness or peace. Such life is a sign of bad intelligence and bad fortune."
Download / listen to the lecture (14.2 Mb, 30 min | 12 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Pillars of Devotional Life
"We must leave everything for the happiness of the Lord, for the happiness of our Guru. We must learn how previous Vaishnavs maintained their lives, and we must follow their example, their path. We must try to live and maintain our life the way sadhus do. We must try to do that. We must try to practise that."
Download / listen to the audio (3.3 Mb, 8 min | 20 September 2020)

 


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"
"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)

Mon, 21 November 2022

Increase Glory of Temple
"You should print and distribute books. A temple is meant for preaching. When devotees stay at the temple, they must preach the whole day. You must think how you can increase the glory of the temple. You must preach for the temple nicely, beautifully."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Best Behaviour
"Everybody must live in harmony with each other. If we think we have become great devotees, it is wrong because we are fallen souls and we are only trying to serve our Guru under his guidance. This is our main aim in life. We must fight against ourselves."
Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 20 September 2020)

 


Today in the calendar: Krishna Dvadasi. Paran is at 5:59–7:32. Disappearance of Srila Narahari Sarkar Thakur. Disappearance of Srila Kaliya Krishnadas.

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 Narahari Sarkar Thakur:

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj: "Narahari Sarkar belongs to the section of devotees who are more fond of Krishna-lila. Their vision is, 'We do not recognise You to be a sannyasi! You are that Krishna of Vrindavan, we know You well! Here, You have only put on a garment—You are wrapping Yourself in the garment of a sannyasi—but it is Your external acquaintance. We know well who You really are and we must admit that we do not like this forged identity of Yours.' This is their temperament. Rather, they feel much pain, 'What is the necessity for You to be practising penances as a sannyasi, going through so many hardships, not taking food properly, not resting in a proper bed, etc.? Our hearts are aching, but You do not care for that. How can we tolerate all these things?' That is their nature and complaint to Mahaprabhu. They feel that it is all a sham."

Strongest Faith (3) Raghunandan Thakur
"Mukunda's son Raghunandan also has full faith. One day, when he was ten years old, his mother said to him, 'Raghunandan, I am very busy today. I have cooked the offering, but I have no time to offer it to the Deities. You can offer today...'"
Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 10 March 2015)

Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhura Sochaka
A song composed by Srila Narahari Thakur in glorification of Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu's life, character, and service. Bengali verses and English transliteration.

 

In honour of Srila Kaliya Krishnadas:

Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: "Nityananda Prabhu accepted everyone but would chastise those who were offensive. Mahaprabhu showed some caution in distributing Krishna-nama and Krishna-prema: He followed the rules and regulations of sannyas life very strictly and because of this Mahaprabhu could not give shelter to offenders. When Mahaprabhu went to South India He took Kaliya Krishna Das with Him. In Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita he is referred to as Kala Krishna Das. On their tour Kaliya Krishna Das suffered some disturbance with some women and Mahaprabhu rescued him from that. Later when they returned to Jagannath Puri Mahaprabhu said, "I want to leave this boy Kaliya Krishna Das, he was irresponsible and greatly disturbed our mission. I don't want to keep him with Me. I do not want to be responsible for him." Kaliya Krishna Das, as an eternal parsad devotee (of Sri Nityananda Prabhu), played this role in the Lord's drama. At that time Nityananda Prabhu did not leave him, He told Mahaprabhu, "If You do not want to keep him it is no problem, I will take him. I will send him to Nabadwip to give news to Sachi Mata and the other devotees that You have come back from South India." In this way Nityananda Prabhu showed His extreme mercy and Kaliya Krishna Das spent the rest of his life with Nityananda Prabhu. So even when Mahaprabhu is angry, Nityananda Prabhu keeps devotees at His lotus feet. The conditioned souls can have much hope when they see the very deep and merciful character of Sri Nityananda Prabhu."

(The Divine Pastimes of Sri Nityananda Prabhu)

 

Tue, 22 November 2022

Coming to Ganga Sagar
"Many people want to come to Ganga Sagar. There is a common thought that you should visit all the holy places many times but come to Ganga Sagar only once. Why only once? Because it is very hard to come here, so when people came here once, they did not want to come back..."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Repository of Nectar
"Gurudev explains this sloka very nicely. When somebody is taking and relishing honey, some drops fall from their mouth, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj is collecting these drops. This is actually the essence of our spiritual life."
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 3 min | 20 September 2020)

 


Today in the calendar: Krishna Trayodashi. Disappearance of Srila Saranga 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 Saranga Thakur:

"I Am Saranga's Murari!"
"Remembering the last day of Nabadwip Dham parikrama, I want to tell you some very important thing. We always glorify Mamgachhi (Modadrumdwip) and speak about the birthplace of Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur, but there is also one small temple beside it..."
Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 4 January 2020)


Sri Saranga Thakur's Math in Mamgachhi (Modadrumdwip).

Wed, 23 November 2022

Service Eyes
"If you come to the Deity, thinking, 'I am coming to see the Deity,' or, 'I will go to see Jagannath,' you cannot get the darshan of Lord Jagannath or the Deity like this. If you come to see Jagannath, you will see some wooden Deity—you will not see Jagannath, the Lord."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Repository of Nectar
"Gurudev explains this sloka very nicely. When somebody is taking and relishing honey, some drops fall from their mouth, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj is collecting these drops. This is actually the essence of our spiritual life."
Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 3 min | 20 September 2020)

Thu, 24 November 2022

Know Your Place
"Srila Narottam Das Thakur sings, 'My mind dwells within the courtyard of Vrindavan.' We sing it, repeating his words, but does it mean that we also dwell in Vrindavan? We can only think about this high ideal. Those who have the right can meditate on that; otherwise, if you meditate on this without first attaining the qualification, you will be going down the path of imitation. Live according to your capacity."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Awkward Medicines and Health Issues
"You must maintain this body well. If the doctor has prescribed some medicine for your disease, then you should take it because it is necessary for your health, but if the doctor prescribes eating meat, etc., you should not follow it."
Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | 20 September 2020)

 


Today in the calendar: Gaura Chaturdasi. Disappearance of Sri Jagabandhu Bhakti Ranjan (originally on Amavasya, but the previous day is viddha).

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 Jagabandhu Bhakti Ranjan:

Srestharyya Sripad Jagabandhu Das Adhikari (From The Harmonist)
"THE day before the close of the spiritual Exhibition that had been organised in the spacious compound of the Gaudiya-Math, which function formed the concluding, activity of the long series of the festivities of the auspicious Inauguration of the New Buildings of the Math, Srestharyya Sripad Jagabandhu Das Adhikari Bhaktiranjan, the donor and architect of those superb Buildings, took his departure from the scene of unique devotional labours with the supreme satisfaction that his soul had at last found and successfully performed his duty to Godhead and humanity...."

Fri, 25 November 2022

Cannot Have Your Feet in Two Boats
"You must serve and worship Nitai if you are to cross over this ocean of material existence. There are certain things that are against spiritual life, against Krishna consciousness. You must always keep away from anything that is against devotion. Always accept what is favourable to devotion and always reject what is unfavourable to devotion."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Adjusting with Others and Yourself
"If somebody preaches, it is good! Why will we criticise them? People come for Krishna consciousness and we do not care who comes from what country, who is lower, who is lowest. Only if somebody is bad association, you must always avoid such association."
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 20 September 2020)

Sat, 26 November 2022

Our Exclusive Duty
"People can open many temples and do many things, but our duty is to serve devotees, to cook and offer bhoga to the Deities, to take care of all temple services properly. We can see how the great Vaishnavs lived. We must think about their example and follow it."
Download / listen to the lecture (24.3 Mb, 53 min | 12 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Bhakta-Bhav
"We should always remember devotees' service mood. Embracing bhakta-bhav, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as a devotee and He shows what is the mood of a devotee. We can see His teachings and realise what is necessary to have if we want to have the mood of a devotee."
Download / listen to the audio (10.7 Mb, 26 min | 27 September 2020)

Sun, 27 November 2022

Gist of Pilgrimage
"What does it mean to chant the Holy Name? Service to Vaishnavs is at the root of everything. When Gurudev and Vaishnavs say something, you must follow it to a T. This is the meaning of visiting Ganga Sagar."
Download / listen to the lecture (24.3 Mb, 53 min | 12 January 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

"My Nature"
"Whenever I get time, I like to read books. To this day, I still like reading. I have a habit to always read. Whenever some new books come out, I read it. Actually, I do not want to teach anybody, I want to learn myself more and more. That is my nature."
Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 27 September 2020)

Mon, 28 November 2022

Daily Duty
"Make sure that not a single day passes without chanting the Holy Name and serving Vaishnavs. What is service to Vaishnav? Does it mean feeding them? No. Service to Vaishnavs means living following their words. You must make sure that not a single day passes without Vaishnav seva."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Good News
"I have got some good news today, not everybody may have heard it, so I want to tell you about it... I have been praying to Krishna for that—and now they have filed a case, I am sure one day justice will happen."
Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 27 September 2020)

Tue, 29 November 2022

Unfaltering Determination
"The Lord tests His devotees in many ways, He gives them various austerities and pain. But when you get austerities and pain, if you do not leave the Lord, if you do not leave your spiritual life, do not leave your service to the Lord and to your Guru, then you prove that you are a devotee."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

Father-Son Pastime
"It is stated in Sri Hari-bhakti-vilas that those who observe this ekadasi attain a liberated form upon leaving their body. I will be reading about a pastime of Sri Govinda from Gopal-champu by Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu. Listen to it properly. This is a pastime of Nanda Maharaj and Lord Krishna, and it happened tomorrow, the day after ekadasi."
Download / listen to the audio (10.3 Mb, 25 min | 27 September 2020)

 


Today in the calendar: Gaura Shashthi. Oran Shashthi. Grand festival for honouring the appearance of Sri Sri Nitai-Chaitanya Jiu at Sri Puri Dham, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

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."


 

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)

Wed, 30 November 2022

Live Within Service
"Our minds live in all kinds of places and situations, but now we can focus it on chanting the Holy Name. We must always keep our mind within service. As far as possible, avoid outside talks, outside discussions and association with non-devotees, then you will come to the Lord."

 

—{ "Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address" }—

"Try Your Best"
"You must depend upon Gurudev in everything—give everything to your Guru. All Vraja gopis gave everything, their deha (body) and dehi (the very soul), to fulfil the desire of Lord Krishna. Our guru-varga are not ordinary persons. I am sure that those who follow Gurudev and have taken shelter at the lotus feet of Gurudev, will reach their destination."
Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 4 October 2020)

 

 

 

 

 · · • • • · ·

 

 

◄ OCTOBER 2022 DECEMBER 2022 ►

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2022

 JANUARY
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 APRIL
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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)

 


 

Amara Jivana
Sada Pape Rata
Prabhupad Srila Saraswati Thakur said, 'Every day, when you leave your bed, first broom, dust your mind and make it clean through this song.'

 

Sri Sri Prema-Vivarta
“Know your Gurudev to be a recipient of Gaura's mercy, and know Gaura's associates to be limbs of Gaura's body.”

We must engage in and practise more Krishna consciousness—it is necessary to preach,
follow, and practise Krishna consciousness more.

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE | HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE