Gurudev's Insight [Part 6 | 24 April 2021]
"I have heard and learned a lot from Gurudev. Gurudev gave me so many instructions how to maintain the temple, and Gurudev is dur-darasi—he has a great foresight. He always managed everything very tactfully."

Gurudev's Loving Affection [Part 7 | 24 April 2021]
"Sri Sivananda Sen understood it, Sri Jagadananda Pandit understood it, and Srila Sanatan Goswami also realised what is called Guru and Vaishnav's blessing in the world of devotion. I myself realised and understood it gradually too."

In honour of Sri Chaturmasya-vrata:

Chaturmasya
"Chaturmasya is good, but chaturmasya does not mean you must keep a beard, grow long hair and not eat something, but secretly do nonsense. This life is not for enjoyment only. You must be always careful with the food..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 4 min | 1 July 2012)

In honour of Srila Vyasadev:

"You have heard of the Upanisads, Vedas, Vedanta, and the other scriptures which were revealed in India in written form five thousand years ago. Previously, this knowledge existed as sruti-mantram, spoken words, and it was transmitted by rsis and munis to their disciples through sruti-mantram. At that time there were no books. Vedavyas has very mercifully given us the written form of sruti-mantram: the Veda. He divided the Veda (sruti) into four parts: Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva. He also composed the supplementary literatures (smrti) like the Mahabharata, which is called the fifth Veda. The gist of the Vedas can also be found in the hundreds of Upanisads he wrote. The great rsis, Vedic research scholars, have also presented the Vedic knowledge in the Puranas. Thus, through the great rsis, this transcendental knowledge is being revealed in this mundane world, and when necessary, from time to time, an incarnation of the Lord manifests by whose divine mercy we get a connection with that transcendental knowledge.

"These Vedic literatures mainly try to give us transcendental knowledge, and for our benefit they have proclaimed, "Srnvantu visve amrtasya putra: you are all the sons of nectar, transcendental nectar; you are from the nectarean ocean. Dive deep into that nectar!" We are all parts and parcels of the Lord, therefore we are spiritual relatives."

(Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Original Source)

namo 'stu te vyasa-visala-buddhe
phullaravindayata-patra-netra
yena tvaya bharata-taila-purnah
prajvalito jnana-mayah pradipah

Obeisances unto Srila Vyasadeva—
O Srila Vyasadeva of formidable intelligence, whose eyes resemble the long petals of the blooming lotus flower, and who ignited the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata—I offer my obeisances unto you.

(Mangalacharanam, Srimad Bhagavad-gita)

The Greatest Gift of Sri Vedavyas
A wonderful extensive talk by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj describing the holy appearance of Srimad Bhagavatam:
"Srimad Bhagavatam is the oldest and finest book of Krishna consciousness. Vedavyas had composed all the scriptures, but he still did not feel happiness in his heart. He started searching what had happened..."
• Download / listen to the audio (17.7 Mb, 43 min | 17 June 1992)

In honour of Sri Guru Purnima:

Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Vani
A quote of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad that is much appreaciated by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and is framed and hung in many of the temples: "If someone does not consider it necessary to faithfully follow their Guru and the Vaishnavs, their endeavour to serve the Lord is not service to the Lord—it is service to maya."

Sri Guru Purnima: Remembrance Day
"Today is a very good and auspicious day, the day of Sri Guru Purnima. On this day, we can pray to our Gurudev that he may engage us in service more and more, so that we could progress in our spiritual life, so that we could submit ourselves to him as a devotee."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 5 July 2020)

Sri Guru Purnima Address
"My body is here, but my heart, my mind, my everything is with you. I am always thinking about you, I am always thinking about your good, how you can become better and better, how you can run the mission more and more successfully. Any service I can help you with, I will always try to do it, and I will try my best. That is my promise on this Guru Purnima day."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.4 Mb, 11 min | 5 July 2020)

Will-O'-the-Wisp of Worldly Wishes
"If you give Maya chance, then Maya will attack you. As soon as you get a weak spot, Maya will attack you. It does not matter whether you are young or old. If you try to control your elements, you can control them from a young age."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 10 min | 5 July 2020)

Eternal Priorities
"You cannot follow all the very strict rules that the six goswamis followed properly in Vrindavan. So, think only about doing your service properly, about practising properly, about avoiding bad association properly—give much importance to all this."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 7 min | 5 July 2020)

Key to Guru Puja
"Gurudev had explained and taught me that when you make a festival not much is necessary—a festival means Vaishnav seva, bhakta-seva. Guru-seva is not engaging your Guru in service—it means serving your Guru, serving his devotees."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 9 October 2018 | Bengali)

Sri Guru's Forgiving Mercy
"Gurudev is always merciful. I can give you an example of how merciful Gurudev is, I can tell you one story. Disciples always do wrong, but Gurudev is always merciful..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | June 2010)

Part 1: How to See the Guru: Mercy
Clear guidance on how to understand who the Guru is, and how a sincere disciple should see the Guru: the Guru is not only a mahabhagavata (a great devotee), he is nondifferent from Krishna Himself.
• Download / listen to the audio (6.4 Mb, 14 min | 25 September 2014)

Part 2: How to See the Guru: Chastity
The main quality of a sincere disciple explained by several examples: one-pointed attention, rejecting the unfavourable, intense attachment to service and devotees, faith, and careful choice of association.
• Download / listen to the audio (7 Mb, 15 min | 25 September 2014)

Sri Guru and His Grace His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj has been recently repeatedly stressing the importance of reading this holy book, recalling many examples and guidenlines found therein. Presented here in English for online reading, and in Bengali and English for downloading.

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

In honour of Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu:

Sri Sanatan-Siksa
The first lecture in the cycle of lectures given by His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj in 2015, dedicated to the teachings of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu and Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu.

Sri Rupa-Sanatan Siksa (EPUB file, 0.5 Mb)
"Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Sri Rupa-Satana Siksa, read and expounded by His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj." An electronic version of the published previously online matter available now for download, reading and worshipping on phones, tablets, eBook readers, etc.

• SONG: Sri Sad-Goswamy-Astakam | শ্রীশ্রীষড়্­গোস্বাম্যষ্টকম্
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Goswamis, namely Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatan Goswami, Sri Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Sri Raghunath Das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who are always engaged in chanting the Holy Name of Krishna and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Chaitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe."

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

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

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

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

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

Nurturing Gurudev's Mission [Part 8 | 24 April 2021]
"You cannot become a disciple just by taking a mantra from a guru. It is necessary to have and show your love, affection for your Guru, to take him as your own. If you care for and think about your Guru and Vaishnavs, then your Guru and Vaishnavs will care for and think about you..."

Servitor's Livelihood
"Everything we have actually comes from our Guru. Without Gurudev's mercy we are nothing, we have no power. We are only instruments. I do not think that I am a Vaishnav, nor do I want to be a Vaishnav. I want to be a servant of the servant of Vaishnavs. That has been my desire from the beginning, since the time I started my temple life in 1992."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | 12 October 2018)

RUSSIAN TRANSLATION: «Чем живут слуги»

In honour of Sripad Bhakti Hriday Bon Maharaj:

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj remembers:

When I got sannyas, Sripad Bon Maharaj was present there, as well as many others also. Sripad Bon Maharaj remarked, "Prabhupad has got a high satisfaction by giving you sannyas. We have never seen so much satisfaction in him at the occasion of any other sannyasi. He is highly satisfied with conferring sannyas to you."

...At that time, all the preachers had been taken back from the compass of the country and were concentrated to work in Kolkata—they used to have to go door to door collecting bhiksa (alms, donations). Sripad Bon Maharaj's party, he and one or two brahmacharis, went to some part of Kolkata for collection. Generally, seeing some gentleman standing by, one of the members of the party would run up to him and say something like, "We come from Gaudiya Math, we want to make some collection. Dear sir, you are a devoted person of this locality, please make some contribution." So, one time, Bon Maharaj asked some gentleman to give him some addresses of good benevolent gentlemen whom they could approach to get some money for their purpose. The gentleman showed Bon Maharaj the way saying, "Just go to that house, you will find the right person there." Bon Maharaj went there in good faith. When he knocked on the door, the door was open. A lady came out. Seeing him, she said, "Oh, you are a sadhu! What do you want from me?" The gentleman who had directed Bon Maharaj there, was laughing behind him—the lady was a prostitute. Bon Maharaj was perplexed—it was a lady. Anyhow, he still gave her the letter of invitation saying, "We have got such and such festival, we want you to come and we want to ask you for some contribution." I do not know if the lady had given him anything or not, but all the people around were laughing. After that, Bon Maharaj came back to Prabhupad and said, "Prabhupad, I will not go for any collection again." Prabhupad asked him, "Why? What has happened?" Bon Maharaj related the incident saying that some rogues had guided him to a prostitute's house. After that, Prabhupad delivered a lecture: "There are many of you who have left their own property, but still I send you out for collection. Do you think that I am doing wrong? I am not. The visayi (materialists) always want to entrap us within their material life, but we must learn to utilise everything and anything in the service of Krishna, then only are we saved; otherwise, if we leave, give everything away, all this visaya (material elements) will be left there and as soon as it gets any chance, it will come to bite me. So, whatever comes to us, we should deal with everything in such a way that rather, 'Whatever I shall come across, it will give me some impression to remember Krishna—everything should utilise me for a particular service to Krishna.' If left there, they will be enemies, but they should all be turned into friends. They will help me, remind me, excite me in the service of Krishna. We must have this kind of adjustment in this world. So, nothing should be left off. 'Nirbandhah Krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam uchyate: when one is not attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Krishna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness.'"

Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:

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

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

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

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

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

On Chastity
"Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj had many qualified scholarly pandit disciples, but he chose Gurudev. You can read many scriptures many times, you may know many things, but the Guru can understand who can follow his conception, who has chastity for him."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 6 min | 12 October 2018)

RUSSIAN TRANSLATION: «О целомудрии»

Mercy of Guru
"Without the mercy of the Guru, without the instruction of the Guru you cannot cross, you cannot overcome the illusory environment. We must understand clearly what is the mercy of the Guru."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 12 October 2018)

RUSSIAN TRANSLATION: «Милость Гуру»

Guided Life
"Without Gurudev's mercy, we can fall down at any time as it happened to Eklavya who did not follow his Gurudev's instruction because he wanted to become more expert than his Guru—he was destroyed. It is necessary to practise under the guidance of Gurudev."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 13 October 2018)

RUSSIAN TRANSLATION: «Жизнь под руководством»

In honour of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswamipad:

Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami's Miracle
"You have heard about the Deity of Sri Radha-Raman in Vrindavan. When Gopal Bhatta Goswami lived in Vrindavan, he every day worshipped twelve pieces of Govardhan sila..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 7 September 2013 | Bengali)

Strongest Faith (2) Gopal Bhatta Goswami
"You have eyes in your heart, and if you have such feeling towards the Deity in your heart and do your service with such faith, then you can easily see Krishna everywhere, hear Krishna-nama everywhere, nothing else besides Krishna-nama will enter your ears..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 10 March 2015)

Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:

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

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

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

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

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

Service to Gurudev's Mission
"Gurudev told his opinion, told to follow his instruction, and if you do not follow it, then whatever glorification you make it will not give any relief to Gurudev. If you want to help Gurudev's mission, then you must follow his instruction."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | 13 October 2018)

Choose Your Association Wisely
"We should be careful with our association—we must always reject bad association because it can remove us from the spiritual service. We must see who gives a good instruction, who follows Gurudev's instruction and gives Gurudev's conception properly."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 11 min | 13 October 2018)

In honour of Srila Lokanath Goswami Prabhu:

In Praise of Srila Narottam Das Thakur
In this chapter of Affectional Guidance, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj is describing the meeting of Srila Narottam Das Thakur with his Guru, Srila Lokanath Goswami.

Simple Service, Earnest Heart
"It is necessary to have the strongest faith. You cannot see everything with your eyes. We will serve Mahaprabhu, devotees, our Guru, and whether they accept it or not, that is up to them. Simple things are sufficient for us."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 12 July 2020)

Overpowered by Service
"You may have everything, but if you do not have mercy of your Guru, then you have nothing. Gurudev gave you all his blessings, and if we can serve him, we will get supreme benefit. You must always live remembering Gurudev's words."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 12 min | 8 April 2017 | Bengali)

Prayers to Sri Vaishnav Thakur:

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

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

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

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

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

Proper Adjustment
"We cannot understand properly what is necessary for our spiritual life because we are always attacked by the illusory environment—we work under Maya, and Maya always tries to remove us from our service: we always think about kanak, kamini, pratistha."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | 14 October 2018)

Strongest Faith
"There are different kinds of faith—kamala-sraddha, taranga-sraddha, drdha sraddha, sudrdha sraddha. Depending on what kind of faith you have, that kind of devotion will come to you. Not everybody has the same faith for the Lord, for the Guru."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | 14 October 2018)

Beneficial Association
"What is association? What is good association? Sadhus always speak about Krishna-katha, Bhagavat-katha, about spiritual things. Bad association means you should not listen so much to gossips, do not listen to others criticising Vaishnavs."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | 14 October 2018)

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj about fasting on ekadasi and accepting material facilities:

"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 Krsna, for the cause of his 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 responsible to 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 dot do that, I should be a separationist, a mayavadi, a renunciationist. I shall render maximum service to Krishna, and I must take without any hestitation whatever is necessary to make myself fit for the service; otherwise, I shall be punishable."

"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)

Sincerity in Service
"We must understand what is favourable to devotion and accept it, and we must reject what is unfavourable to devotion. Sincerity, nistha, means when you do something, you must do it properly and do it regularly."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.2 Mb, 9 min | 14 October 2018)

Association: Root of (Mis?)fortune
"First we must understand what is good association, what is bad association. When somebody is talking to you, what kind of talk are they doing? Is it actually beneficial to your spiritual life or harmful? Those who are always covered by the illusory environment cannot understand their Guru, their Gurudev's mercy."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 8 min | 15 October 2018)

All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga

Dear respected Devotees, Friends and Well-Wishers,

We are offering obeisance at your holy lotus feet and humbly extend a letter of encouragement to observe the disappearance day of the most worshippable Founder Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, which manifests on 17 July (Monday) this year and will be observed in every branch of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math throughout the world.

Our beloved Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj has many times instructed on how to hold special programmes and taught it many times by his own example. Usually such programmes consist of: kirtans, lecture or reading of scriptures, arati, pushpanjali (offering of flowers to a photograph), and prasad-seva (cooking a special offering, offering it at the altar or to a photograph and distributing it to devotees).

We hope all devotees find an opportunity to observe this holy day for the satisfaction of Sri Gurupadpadma keeping the divine Guidance on their heads: "Always sit amidst fire blazing on all four sides. This fire is Hari-katha, kirtan, service to the Lord, and service to the guru. You must progress in your practising life keeping the sacrificial fire of your service ablaze."

Make the Festival, with Heart and Soul
"I am telling to everyone who is staying in the temple, to every centre: you must make a festival for Srila Sridhar Maharaj. If you want to show that you want to serve Srila Sridhar Maharaj, then make a good festival on this day."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 7 min)

In honour of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

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 and renunciation. He is a repository of holy scriptural teachings and pastimes of the highest devotion and a dear follower of Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad."

What Is Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and Its Distinctions
"To explain to this world what Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math is, what its purpose, preaching matter or distinctions are, is an extremely difficult task, but it is even more difficult to make those who are engrossed in and inspired by the commonplace ideas appreciate it even partially..."

শ্রীচৈতন্য সারস্বত মঠ কি ও তাঁর বৈশিষ্ট্য
শ্রীচৈতন্য সারস্বত মঠ কি ও তাঁর উদ্দেশ্য, প্রচার্য্য-বিষয় বা বৈশিষ্ট্যের কথা জগতে বোঝাইতে হইলে যেরূপ সুদুরূহ ব্যাপার, প্রচলিত ভাব-ধারায় বিভাবিত ও অনুপ্রাণিত বিশ্বের তাহা আংশিকভাবে উপলব্ধি করাইবার চেষ্টাও ততোধিক গুরুতর কার্য্য । কিন্তু এই মঠের প্রতিষ্ঠাতা আচার্য্য ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ শ্রীল ভক্তিরক্ষক শ্রীধর দেব গোস্বামী মহারাজ ও তাঁর স্থলাভিষিক্ত সেবাইত আচার্য্য ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ শ্রীল ভক্তিসুন্দর গোবিন্দ দেব গোস্বামী মহারাজ ও তাঁর মনোনীত বর্তমান সভাপতি আচার্য্য ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ শ্রীল ভক্তি নির্ম্মল আচার্য্য মহারাজ শ্রীল ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী ঠাকুরের পথ অনুসরণ করে শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য মহাপ্রভুর শিক্ষা শুদ্ধভাবে আচার-প্রচারের মাধ্যমে ভারতসহ সারা পৃথিবীতে বদ্ধ জীবকে উদ্ধারের জন্য অক্লান্ত পরিশ্রম করে চলেছেন ।

Do Not Compromise with Maya
"So many problems came in their time, and they did not back off—they spoke the truth; but we are ready to compromise our principles—we compromise what Mahaprabhu teaches us with other things. Srila Sridhar Maharaj saw a big dream that Mahaprabhu's proper conception would be preached all over the world by Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, and that is happening now. We must not surrender to maya."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.8 Mb, 11 min | 7 June 2019)

Autobiography 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.

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.

Our Literary Heritage
An extensive collection of publications and holy books most mercifully presented to us by devotees who tirelessly collected, transcribed, and presented carefully in a book-form the holy transcendental discourses of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj containing unprecedented and much appreciated and extolled by the entire Vaishnava universe siddhanta. We invite everyone to come in touch with the touchstones of these holy books and embrace the supreme nourishment and fulfilment that any sincere seeker shall find therein.

Exalted, Esteemed, and Inimitable
"We have no quality or qualification to glorify Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. He is a super personality. Srila Sridhar Maharaj conquered, possessed the heart of Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur through his service and devotion."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 10 min | 26 July 2014)

Festival of Solemn Service
"Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's disappearance festival is coming soon and all over the world devotees are making some ceremony on this day. No actual disciple wants to see their Gurudev's disappearance day—it is about the love and affection, about a good connection between the Guru and the disciple..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 9 min | 28 July 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)

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)

Relation With Guru: Watch Out
"Srila Gurudev gave much honour and much respect to everybody, both his godbrothers and his disciples. However, a disciple should also understand—if Gurudev gives me respect, it does not mean I will now jump and sit on his head."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 6 min | 19 July 2020)

Spoken on the appearance day of Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj 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)

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)

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)

Suggested kirtans:

This day in 2013 (Bengali):
• Morning Bengali class of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj: (Download, 13.8 Mb, 40 min)
• Morning kirtans: (Download, 15.9 Mb, 47 min)
• Noon class of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj (includes a ten-minute archive recording of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Bengali lecture at the end, which was played during the class to the assembled audience): (Download, 11.5 Mb, 34 min)

Improving Spiritual Life
"We do not think what is the service to the sadhu, what is the sadhu's priority. What for have we come to Krishna consciousness? We must first see to our spiritual life, we must not think about our material interest—we must follow Gurudev's instruction."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 15 October 2018)

Rusty and Nasty
"What is service in spiritual life? The main thing is that you must make your Gurudev happy. If we see how our Guru-varga preach Krishna consciousness, what they do to make their Gurudev happy, how they serve their Gurudev, then we can understand what service is."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 6 min | 15 October 2018)

What Is Service?
"Even if it looks like worship, if it is what our mind tells us to do, it is not bhajan—service is serving your Guru and Vaishnavs under the guidance of your Guru and Vaishnavs; without the guidance of the Guru, it is not service."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 15 October 2018)

Learn Siddhanta
"How much our Guru-varga has been trying to teach proper Krishna consciousness, to teach proper etiquette! Take Gurudev's instruction, take his association and you will become a proper devotee."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 7 min | 15 October 2018)

Lucid Living
"Our life is very short—we can leave our body at any time. What have we got this body for? We must understand it and utilise this human body for the service of the Guru. You cannot conquer maya unless you surrender to your Guru properly."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | 16 October 2018)

What Is Proper Surrender?
"Sometimes you cannot understand the mercy of Gurudev, you cannot understand what Gurudev says—that is because of your ego, because there are so many bad elements within you, because you are not surrendered fully."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.6 Mb, 10 min | 16 October 2018)

Devotional Relationship
"Days are passing very quickly while we waste time on so many nonsense things, on sleeping, eating, enjoying. We must learn something from Gurudev. We must have full surrender, and surrender means not just saying it with your mouth—you must show what your surrender is."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 8 min | 16 October 2018)

Depend On Your Guru
"Krishna has given all His power to our Gurudev, and all you need to do is to listen properly to his advice, his order. We are not independent. If we do some service under the guidance of Guru and Vaishnav, then we can realise everything properly."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min | 17 October 2018)

Greatest Gift
"Who can understand the extent of Nityananda Prabhu's help to us? We can understand easily how merciful Gurudev is, how kind Gurudev is to us. He is giving us, presenting us such good things. We must only accept it."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 7 min | 17 October 2018)

Pure Surrender—Key to Pure Solution
"We should not bargain with the Guru—when Gurudev tells you something, you should listen properly and show with your action, with your service that you are a proper servitor of your Guru. You must show your Guru with your actions, 'I am not independent.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 9 min | 17 October 2018)

Turning Homebound
"We use our life to do nonsense thinking that we will go to heaven... This is not right because we all have come from the same family. We are now separate, going here and there because of our karma, but we must remember that we must get to our destination."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | 18 October 2018)

Price for the Advantage
"There are so many faults in the age of Kali, but there is also one great quality in it: Krishna Himself comes in the form of His Name. If we take shelter of the Holy Name—if we chant properly, without offence—then we can understand the real truth."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 18 October 2018)

Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj about fasting on ekadasi and accepting material facilities:

"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 Krsna, for the cause of his 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 responsible to 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 dot do that, I should be a separationist, a mayavadi, a renunciationist. I shall render maximum service to Krishna, and I must take without any hestitation whatever is necessary to make myself fit for the service; otherwise, I shall be punishable."

"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)

Sarveswar and Nirgun Krishna
"When we are born, our mothers tell me, 'This is your father,' and we believe it because only the mother knows who the father is. In the same way, we must believe properly what the scriptures say."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | 18 October 2018)

Foundation of Surrender
"When one surrenders to the Lord, even if they are unable to understand Krishna consciousness, if they practise sravanam, kirtanam, they too will get a great benefit through that. Through sravanam and kirtanam, we can clean our heart and understand what a devotee of Krishna is."
• Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | 19 October 2018)