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MONTHLY ARCHIVE OF UPDATES

DECEMBER 2023

 

Fri, 1 December 2023

Do Not Deflect
'Unless you praise somebody, it is not necessary to say anything about anybody. We must not say anything except for praise about them. If you say anything, you must speak about the siddhanta.'
• Download / listen to the audio (33 Mb, 79 min | 15 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Be Responsible for Your Spiritual Life
"We must be responsible for our service and for our spiritual life, otherwise Guru and Vaishnavs will not be happy. Being responsible for your service is one of the main qualities of a servitor. It is necessary to have proper dedication and to always accept the advice of your guardian. We should not follow our mind. If we can follow all these things, then it can give a proper solution to all our problems."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 9 min | 28 June 2020)

 

Sat, 2 December 2023

Preserving Purity
'In those days, Gaudiya Vaishnavs' line had very great devotees, but now there are many sahajiyas among Gaudiya devotees who corrupt this line by chanting lila-kirtans, who speak without siddhanta, who chant "Radhe Radhe" without having this right.'
• Download / listen to the audio (33 Mb, 79 min | 15 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Turn Your House Into Temple
"You can turn your house into a temple. Your house can be Goloka Vrindavan. What kind of house is that? It is a house where proper practising is going on every day. You can practise all the things that proper householders practise. What is the problem?"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 28 June 2020)

 

Sun, 3 December 2023

Appreciate Prasad-Seva
'We are alive, so we have to eat something, but what should we take? Prasad. If you make something yourself and offer it the Lord, the Lord will be happier. So, you can bring something from the market, cook it and offer it.'
• Download / listen to the audio (33 Mb, 79 min | 15 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

On Ego and Envy
"Ego can also be good if you think, 'I am a servant of devotees.' However, envy is much worse than ego—envy is not given any place. Envy takes one to a helpless position. If you have envy or jealousy, it is easy for you to go to hell."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 28 June 2020)

 

Mon, 4 December 2023

Change of Mood
'After He took sannyas, Mahaprabhu's mood became different. Even when He took first initiation, His mood also changed. When Mahaprabhu went to Gaya and took initiation from Ishwar Puri, His whole mood and nature changed.'
• Download / listen to the audio (12.3 Mb, 30 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Emotion and Devotion
"Practise and practise, and when you make yourself perfect, then it will manifest in your dealings, in your behaviour, in your humility, etc. that you have become perfect—then you can easily understand what is the difference between emotion and devotion."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.9 Mb, 14 min | 28 June 2020)

 

Tue, 5 December 2023

Baladev's Care
'Baladev is asraya-vigraha, the giver of power. His position is such that He is present within the temple and all service paraphernalia of the Lord. Whatever is required for the Lord's service, Nityananda Prabhu assumes the required form and serves the Lord.'
• Download / listen to the audio (12.3 Mb, 30 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Applying Intelligence
• Is it important to study the meaning of slokas and scriptures? • We should ask our guardian, but I do not want to bother you; • How can we avoid quarrelling and fighting? • If somebody speaks bad about our guru-parampara, speaks nonsense, or does nonsense, how do we see Krishna in that?
• Download / listen to the audio (4.8 Mb, 12 min | 28 June 2020)

 

Wed, 6 December 2023

Mahaprabhu Settles in Puri
'Mahaprabhu visited various places, arranged everything with Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami; having settled everything all over India, He lastly came to Puri and stayed there. He spent His last eighteen years in Puri, performing His internal pastimes during the last four years.'
• Download / listen to the audio (12.3 Mb, 30 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Waning Values
"Gurudev said that the storekeeper or the temple manager will be the one who always thinks about everybody. A manager is a great servant, a big guardian. You must be a real mother. But this kind of love and affection is not there any more..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | 28 June 2020)

 

Thu, 7 December 2023

Spread Gurudev's Mercy
'When a devotee receives Vaishnavs' mercy, they extend, or spread, the influence of that mercy onto others. It is necessary to preach about our gurudev, about his glories and qualities.'
• Download / listen to the audio (12.3 Mb, 30 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Abode of Highest Pastimes
"Whether Vrindavan is a village or a town, it does not matter. What matters is that Vrindavan is the highest place because, firstly, our guru-varga has said so, and, secondly, because we can see what pastimes go on in Vrindavan."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min | 28 June 2020)

 

 

Fri, 8 December 2023 (Sri Utpanna Ekadasi)

Old Service, Spoilt Service
'Whatever the situation is, you must always give up what is unfavourable to devotion. You want to drink milk to get nutrients and you also eat tobacco – you will not get any benefit like that. We must always remember what is unfavourable to devotion.'
• Download / listen to the audio (12.3 Mb, 30 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

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 Ekadasi Guidance
Guidelines on how to observe and honour this holy day: Ekadasi takes an indispensible part in the life of a sincere practitioner. At Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Ekadasi and paran are observed with affection and without fail according to the dates given in the Calendar.

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

"One time, a devotee came here from Vrindavan on the day of ekadasi. He reached in the evening and, after taking a bath in the Ganges, attended kirtans, danced, circumambulated the temple and so on. Then, I asked him whether he would take any anukalpa [non-grain prasadam that is allowed to be taken on ekadasi]. He replied, 'Generally, I do not take anything, but if you like, then, of course, I must like anukalpa. Your will is greater than my fasting.' That was his decision.

"My Guru Maharaj (Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur) always wanted maximum energy: you should take good food and do good service. That was his maxim. Krishna is not a liquidated party: take full prasadam and do full service. Do maximum service, and you should take whatever is necessary for that. You are to take it for the cause of Krishna, not for your own cause. You are Krishna's, so if you grow weak, His service will be hampered, and both you and Krishna will be losers thereby. 'My soldiers will be well-fed and well-working.' That was our Guru Maharaj's principle. Napoleon said, 'One full-fed soldier is equal to ten half-fed soldiers.'

"So, prasad-seva: if it is service, then it must be taken in a serving mood, of course. But, at the same time, the individual position of a devotee should be taken into consideration. Sahajiyas do not fast on ekadasi at all: "Oh, we are in Vrindavan, and there is no fasting in Vrindavan." But Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Srila Prabhupad did not like that—it is sahajiya (imitation) if you go on feeding your senses in the name of Krishna-bhakti (devotion to the Lord). For the service to Krishna, it is necessary to keep up the body and to provide nourishment to it, so we must take what is necessary for service. We do not like it if by fasting, a loss of energy is effected. If fasting does not hamper your service, you may go on fasting—perhaps, your Gurudev wanted that...

"For service, I must accept what is necessary to make me physically fit so that I can render more service. So, accepting material things is not objectionable. It is fruitful, not detrimental. Rather, it produces something of a pure character, which helps everyone. This is how a disciple receives and accepts things. At that same time, he may even blame himself, 'I cannot go on with my worldly life without the help of this or that!' He will blame himself, but the underlying spirit must be, 'If I do not take it, I shall be unfit; I will not be able to do my bit of service to the Lord, to my Gurudev.'

"Moreover, by taking up renunciation, I will be a loser. I will incur a loss for myself, for the world, and my Guru's service will be hampered. In this spirit, devotees are to take everything. For the cause of 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."

 

• "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)

Sat, 9 December 2023

Beyond Material Bondage
'If everyone could come to the temple, it would be good, but you are living in material bondage. That is why, whether you are staying in a house or in a forest, whatever your situation is, you can practise Krishna consciousness.'
• Download / listen to the audio (10.7 Mb, 26 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

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)

 

 

Today in the calendar: Krishna Dvadasi. Ekadasi paran is at 10:32:00–16:46:22. Disappearance of Srila Narahari Sarkar Thakur and 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)

 

Sun, 10 December 2023

Missing the Substance
'Wake up in the morning, offer obeisances to Gurudev, to the Lord and pray, 'My Lord, please guide me down the path of devotion. Please give me unswerving devotion to your holy feet.' If you think about the Lord, the Lord will think about you.'
• Download / listen to the audio (10.7 Mb, 26 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

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)

 

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).

 

Mon, 11 December 2023

Enthrone the Lord in Your Home
'You must enthrone the Lord at your house. Keep the Lord in your house. Wake up early in the morning, offer worship to the Lord, offer obeisance to the Lord. What problem is there for you if you do it?'
• Download / listen to the audio (10.7 Mb, 26 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

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)

 

 

Tue, 12 December 2023

'I Want Your Love'
'In this life, if you do not give something, how can you get something? You must give something if you want to get something; otherwise, you will not get anything. What must you give? Not money and wealth. The Lord says, "I do not want money. I do not want your paisas, rupees, your house or your home."'
• Download / listen to the audio (10.7 Mb, 26 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Questions and Answers
• Should we associate with those who cannot rectify themselves? • What is full surrender? • What is guru-seva? • Can we serve prasadam while it is being offered at the altar? • Do jiva souls have bodies in Vaikuntha? • Can devotees have programmes in meat-eaters' households?
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 5 July 2020)

 

 

Today in the calendar: Amavasya. Disappearance of Srestharya Srila Jagabandhu Bhakti Ranjan.

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...."

 

 

Wed, 13 December 2023

Save Yourself
'We have got this human birth having crossed 8,400,000 species. We have got the highest birth, and none of us wants to go back to all those species again. We all want promotion, not demotion.'
• Download / listen to the audio (10.7 Mb, 26 min | 16 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Price of Mercy
"There are things that money cannot buy. You can never buy love and affection with money. The kind of mercy of Gurudev you will get depends on your devotion, your faith. If you always think about yourself, you will not understand it. If you cannot sacrifice your life properly for the service to your Guru, then what kind of surrender have you done?"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 7 min | 12 July 2020)

Thu, 14 December 2023

Gurudev's Great Mercy
'Bestowing a great mercy on me, you have given me a place in Sri Godrumdwip amidst the forests of Gauda and ordered me to chant the Holy Name. My Lord, when will you grant me the qualification to do that?'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Disciples' Plight
"We have taken initiation from Gurudev, but we do not know what the relation between a Guru and a disciple should be like. You must sacrifice your life for your Gurudev, for your Gurudev's mission, and your Gurudev's devotees. If you can give your life for all this, then you can be considered a proper disciple of your Gurudev."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.4 Mb, 11 min | 12 July 2020)

 

Fri, 15 December 2023

Thwarted At the End
'Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur is telling the truth very nicely. We say, "Oh, I am practising Krishna consciousness!" but what does Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur say? "I cannot practise Krishna consciousness!"'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Plane of Adherence
"Always leave everything to the Lord—whatever His desire is, that will happen. No one can stop it. It is not necessary to be afraid. If we surrender ourselves to the Guru, to the Lord, then we will have no problem."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.8 Mb, 9 min | 12 July 2020)

 

 

All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga

Divine Appearance Day of Sri Gurupadpadma

Dear Devotees and Well-Wishers:

Humbly bowing down at your holy feet, we are extending a cordial invitation to attend the grand festival in honour of the holy appearance day of Param-pujyapad Parivrajakacharya-varya Visva-guru Om Vishnupad Sri Srimad Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj that manifests on 28 December 2023 (Thursday) this year.

Remembering the holy lotus feet of our eternal Divine Master, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, we pray that every devotee of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math may find a possibility to observe this day immersed in Sri Hari-katha, Hari-kirtan and Hari-seva, which are so extremely dear and pleasing to our Sri Gurupadpadma and entire Guru-varga, and remember the transcendental glories of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, by whose mercy the banner of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math was hoisted to fly high all over the world, through his sincere devotees, instructions, lectures and books.

Taking your feet dust on our heads, we humbly wish that this supremely worshippable divine appearance day of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, celebrated with much joy and grandeur by the fortunate souls throughout the entire manifest creation, may pass auspiciously in every house and heart.

Your aspiring servants,
on behalf of SCSMathInternational.com

 

Satisfying the Lord
"Bali Maharaj asked Vamanadev, 'O brahman, what do you want? Tell me, and I can give You anything you wish.' Vamanadev replied, 'I do not want much. I know you have everything, but I want only something small.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 30 August 2020)

We humbly share the following as general guidance on conducting festivals that we have learned from the association and eternal pastimes of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj. Generally, the programmes arranged and hosted by Sri Gurupadpadma would go as follows:

• Assembling, gathering and welcoming all august Vaishnavs and devotees with obeisances, sweet words and garlands;
• A brief introductory opening speech;
• Chanting kirtans:

– Vandana recital
– Sri Guru Parampara kirtan
('Krsna haite chaturmukha')
– Sri Gurudev's kirtan
('Gurudev! Krpa bindu diya' or 'Gurudev bada krpa kari')
– Sri Pancha-tattva's kirtan
('Sri Krsna Chaitanya Prabhu jive' or 'Sri Krsna Chaitanya daya kara')
– Sri Vaishnav Thakur's kirtan
('Kabe Sri Chaitanya more', 'Krpa kara Vaisnava Thakura' or 'Ohe Vaisnava Thakura')
– Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's kirtan
('Nitai-guna-mani amar', 'Nitai-pada-kamala' or 'Akrodha paramananda')
– Sriman Mahaprabhu's kirtan
('Gaurangera duti pada', 'Parama Karuna' or 'Emana durmati')
– Sri Sri Radha Krishna's kirtan
('Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna' or 'Jaya Radha Madhava')
– Hare Krishna Maha-mantra
• Class or reading from scriptures (glorification of Sri Gurupadpadma);
• If other senior Vaishnavs are present, they are given turn to speak;
• Concluding kirtan ('Hari haraye Nama Krsna', Hare Krishna maha-mantra);
• Devotees chant kirtan and offer puspanjali (flower petals) to the picture of Sri Gurupadapadma;
• Offering bhoga followed by arati worship (usually, such programmes take place at noon, so first bhoga arati is chanted, then the arati kirtans);
• Distributing prasadam with care and affection;
• Presenting daksin and/or auspicious items to senior Vaishnavs or devotees in general;
• Affectionate farewell;
• Completing cleaning, tidying and other services as required.

 

 

From the holy lotus mouth of Sri Gurupadapdma Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj:

• "What did Gurudev leave us for? So that we join the festival, give some glorification, take prasadam, and leave? Our service does not finish there. We must distribute to others what Gurudev told all over the world, what Gurudev kept for us—his books, his audio and video recordings. What we invent or discover is not necessary to distribute; distribute what he told, what he invented and discovered, that is sufficient—people will be benefitted through that. That is necessary for us. We should understand what he wanted and what he did not want..."

• "Gurudev, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj always wanted to give some prasadam to the devotees, and I saw in Chaitanya-charitamrita, Prapanna-jivanamritam, and even Jagadananda Pandit's Prema-vivarta that if you have something, you must give it to others—if you have no wealth, you can give others some prasadam, and if you have no prasadam, nothing, you can give others sweet words. That is the main thing. You can make others happy with sweet words."

• "All the devotees know how to cook, what is there to it? When Nityananda Prabhu is in Ekachakra, He likes roasted and mashed eggplant (begun pora), and when Nityananda Prabhu comes to Venezuela or Colombia, He takes arepa there. What is the problem? Nityananda Prabhu's taste is different—He can take different things from everybody and from everywhere as long as you cook it with heart. The main thing is to serve with heart—not to do anything artificially. When you do any service or cook anything, you must do it with heart, then it will be good for everybody, and then Mahaprabhu, or Krishna, or Nityananda Prabhu will be happy—They will enjoy, and Gurudev will also enjoy. This is the main advice how to do everything. It is necessary for us to understand this."

 

 

An extensive guidance on the proper service mood during the Vaishnav seva festivals is kept in the Daily Practice section of the website:

Observing Festivals
A page of the Daily Practice section dedicated to Vaishnav-seva and observing festivals. "Why are you making a festival? Making a festival means you are inviting many people and you are giving them some prasadam, engaging them in Krishna consciousness—it means practising Krishna consciousness."

 

Note: Some of the many preparations known to be favourite to His Divine Grace Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj include rice, mung or chana dal, stir-fried karela, sak, posto bora, aloo siddho (boiled potato, mashed with chilli and salt), cauliflower pakoras, singara (samosa), mixed vegetable subji, paneer rasa, tomato chutney, achar (pickle), avocado salad (with a little salt and olive oil), cucumber salad, mango, paramanna (sweet rice), rasagullas, sandesh, a cake, vanilla ice-cream.

 

 

Sat, 16 December 2023

Unfavourable Urges and Thorns
'We always say that there are things favourable to devotion and things that are unfavourable to devotion. There are also thorns on the path of devotion – thorns and unfavourable things are virtually the same. Do you know what is unfavourable to devotion?'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

'How Much Do You Hanker In Your Heart?'
"It is not necessary to show your devotion externally. Always keep your devotion in your heart. We are not going to talk in a public place about how we worship and how we practise. How much do you hanker within yourself, in your heart? That is the question..."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.8 Mb, 9 min | 12 July 2020)

 

Sun, 17 December 2023

Five Diseases
'What I am explaining now is the pancha-roga, the five material diseases. How does one remove these five diseases? If you honour prasad (the Lord's food remnants), all material diseases will go away from you.'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

No Hopscotchy Devotion
"You can worship Lord Siva, but do not come to Lord Siva with your material things. We must give honour and worship Krishna's expansions, there is nothing bad about it. Devotees should know everything—we cannot jump immediately to Krishna."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | 12 July 2020)

 

Mon, 18 December 2023

Live as Servant
'"O Vaishnav Thakur, please be merciful to me – I want to worship the Lord knowing the relationship." What kind of relationship should there be? This is not a relationship between a father and a son, a brother and a sister or other relatives. We must understand what kind of relationship we have with Vaishnavs. "I am his servant, and he is my Lord."'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

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)

 

 

Today in the calendar: Gaura Sasthi. Sri Sri Jagannathdev’s Odan-Sasthi. Manifestation Anniversary of Sri Sri Nitai Chaitanya at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Sri Puri Dham.

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."

 

Tue, 19 December 2023

Pure and Foul Ego
'Somebody can give up kanak, somebody can give up kamini, but one cannot give up pratistha. We are told that we must establish ourselves in the ego of a devotee. What does this mean?'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Debunking Proximity Complex
"If you become too familiar with the Guru, you can make more offences. It is very difficult to avoid it. Association means a heart-to-heart connection. It is not a bodily association. We always give honour to Gurudev very carefully."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.3 Mb, 11 min | 12 July 2020)

 

Wed, 20 December 2023

Worshipping Prasad
'Do you know that Mahaprabhu never allowed anyone to touch His feet? We also tell everyone not to touch our feet – this is what Mahaprabhu taught. But Mahaprabhu gave one person the right to touch His feet: to Kalidas. Why did He allow Kalidas to do it? There is a reason.'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Devotees' Humility
"Devotees are always humble. Whatever they do, they always think, 'Gurudev is my own'—that is the real connection with Gurudev. Those who are qualified will not tell anything about their practising life—they will only think that they are simple, small persons who have no quality, no qualification. This is how devotees show their devotion."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 19 July 2020)

 

Today in the calendar: Gaura Astami. Disappearance of Srila Madhusudan Das Babaji Maharaj.

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must still give them 'jay' on this day."

 

 

Thu, 21 December 2023

Guru-Varga's Hidden Treasure
'We must practise Krishna consciousness (serve the Lord) earnestly (without duplicity). In our country, people always practise spiritual life to show off in front of others. We must never become gurus – we must always remain disciples.'
• Download / listen to the audio (31 Mb, 74 min | 17 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

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)

 

Today in the calendar: Gaura Navami. Appearance of Tridandi-swami Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj.

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj: "Even if you do not know anything about the Vaishnav mentioned in the calendar, you must still give them 'jay' on this day. We must always remember disappearance and appearance days of all Vaishnavs. If we can remember such personalities, such great souls, it will bring a great benefit to our spiritual life."

"We should always check the calendar, and when we see some dates mentioned there, even if we do not know anything about the Vaishnav or events mentioned there, we can at least give 'jay' to them—that also brings some good sukriti, some purification to us. Seeing the calendar and taking devotees' names early in the morning, from the beginning of the day, is very good for all devotees."

"Wake up, look into the calendar and give 'jay' to your Guru and Vaishnavs. Always pay obeisance to your Guru and Vaishnavs when you wake up in the morning, always give them 'jay'. Always keep faith and show respect to them. Always see the calendar—whose appearance day it is, whose disappearance day it is. Even if you cannot make a festival, at least you can give them 'jay', it will bring you benefit. When you give 'jay' to your Guru and Vaishnavs, it brings you sukriti. For example, today is the disappearance day of a Vaishnav—give 'jay' to him, remember him. We must always remember the words of Vaishnavs. If I remember the words of Vaishnavs, I get some benefit, some deposit through that."

 

In honour of Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj:

Pranam-mantra of Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, composed by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

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

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

"I offer my obeisance unto the great Guru Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj. His tall, tranquil form, adorned with a tridanda and garments the colour of the newly risen sun, is the embodiment of mercy. He is an affectionate king amongst the Gaudiya Vaishnava sannyasis, an ocean of Vedantic knowledge, and always rapt with the ecstatic taste of Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga's kirtan."

Invoking Vaishnavs' Mercy
"Today is Srimad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj's appearance day. Wherever he is staying now, whether in Goloka Vrindavan or anywhere else, we are praying to him, 'Wherever you are now, please give us some mercy.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (4.1 Mb, 13 min)

Godbrothers' Bond
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj tells about the close and reverent relationship that Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj had with his godbrothers, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, and Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj.
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | 19 September 2009)

 

Fri, 22 December 2023 (Tomorrow is Sri Moksada Ekadasi)

Last Rites
'Gurudev always said that if Vaishnavs leave this world, various common rites and ceremonies (kriya-karya) are not very important for Vaishnavs – what is important is vaishnav-seva and vaishnav-hom.'
• Download / listen to the audio (28.8 Mb, 68 min | 19 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Maintaining Gurudev's Legacy
"They do something but they cannot understand how much offence they are making. We must understand how to make Gurudev happy, how to follow Gurudev's line, and how to maintain Gurudev's legacy. We must think about these things."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 19 July 2020)

 

Today in the calendar: Gaura Dasami. Disappearance of Tridandi-swami Srimad Bhakti Kusum Sraman Maharaj (a diksa disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad and the publisher of Nadiya Prakash; later, after Srila B.V. Tirtha Maharaj's disappearance, he presided over Sri Chaitanya Math in Mayapur).

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."

 

Sat, 23 December 2023 (Sri Moksada Ekadasi)

Gist of Fire Sacrifice
'There are many things that can be done if there is time and place. If not, it is not a problem too. I have done today the main work, which is the most important work: wherever Hari, guru and Vaishnavs are present, everything is automatically auspicious.'
• Download / listen to the audio (28.8 Mb, 68 min | 19 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Hari-Kirtan Mahatmya }—

Sri Guru Parampara
'You should know this disciplic succession properly. I yearn for the remnants of all the dear followers of Gaura who are the wealth of this disciplic succession.'

'If you do not understand the meaning of kirtans, it will not stay in your mind then. When you chant, you must understand the meaning of the kirtan, then it will stay in your heart. Common people do not understand the meaning of kirtans: they listen to kirtan bands, enjoy the tune, etc., but this is not the way to practise kirtan. When you chant kirtan, you must understand the meaning of what you are singing – some devotional feeling must come to your heart.'
—Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj

'Some gentleman was singing a song of Srila Narottam Das Thakur. When he finished singing, Srila Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj remarked, "You have only superficially repeated the sound, but the real influence, the real impression, the inner voltage is unknown to you. Those who are hit by strong feeling suggested by this song can know the power underlying it, but you are merely repeating the sound physically, you do not feel the volt, the energy within it. The voltage of the meaning of this song has not struck your heart." He remarked like that. Ordinary men who exist on the surface only repeat sounds, but those whose hearts have been touched by the deep underlying meaning, they can understand what that song contains...'
—Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Worshipful Stance
"We chant the Holy Name, we practise kirtan, and we should do that in a worshipful mood. We can only worship Radha-Krishna's combined form and their lotus feet. We do not want to become sahajiyas. There are things that we must understand within ourselves but cannot express to others."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 19 July 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.

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

"One time, a devotee came here from Vrindavan on the day of ekadasi. He reached in the evening and, after taking a bath in the Ganges, attended kirtans, danced, circumambulated the temple and so on. Then, I asked him whether he would take any anukalpa [non-grain prasadam that is allowed to be taken on ekadasi]. He replied, 'Generally, I do not take anything, but if you like, then, of course, I must like anukalpa. Your will is greater than my fasting.' That was his decision.

"My Guru Maharaj (Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur) always wanted maximum energy: you should take good food and do good service. That was his maxim. Krishna is not a liquidated party: take full prasadam and do full service. Do maximum service, and you should take whatever is necessary for that. You are to take it for the cause of Krishna, not for your own cause. You are Krishna's, so if you grow weak, His service will be hampered, and both you and Krishna will be losers thereby. 'My soldiers will be well-fed and well-working.' That was our Guru Maharaj's principle. Napoleon said, 'One full-fed soldier is equal to ten half-fed soldiers.'

"So, prasad-seva: if it is service, then it must be taken in a serving mood, of course. But, at the same time, the individual position of a devotee should be taken into consideration. Sahajiyas do not fast on ekadasi at all: "Oh, we are in Vrindavan, and there is no fasting in Vrindavan." But Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Srila Prabhupad did not like that—it is sahajiya (imitation) if you go on feeding your senses in the name of Krishna-bhakti (devotion to the Lord). For the service to Krishna, it is necessary to keep up the body and to provide nourishment to it, so we must take what is necessary for service. We do not like it if by fasting, a loss of energy is effected. If fasting does not hamper your service, you may go on fasting—perhaps, your Gurudev wanted that...

"For service, I must accept what is necessary to make me physically fit so that I can render more service. So, accepting material things is not objectionable. It is fruitful, not detrimental. Rather, it produces something of a pure character, which helps everyone. This is how a disciple receives and accepts things. At that same time, he may even blame himself, 'I cannot go on with my worldly life without the help of this or that!' He will blame himself, but the underlying spirit must be, 'If I do not take it, I shall be unfit; I will not be able to do my bit of service to the Lord, to my Gurudev.'

"Moreover, by taking up renunciation, I will be a loser. I will incur a loss for myself, for the world, and my Guru's service will be hampered. In this spirit, devotees are to take everything. For the cause of 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."

 

• "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)

Sun, 24 December 2023

Remembering Departure of Haridas Thakur
'Whoever we may be in this world, what is the use for us living for one hundred or two hundred years? Even if we live for ten years, if we chant the Holy Name properly during these ten years, we can get all benefit.'
• Download / listen to the audio (28.8 Mb, 68 min | 19 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Emotion and Devotion
"If you stay with a great sadhu, if you practise properly, if you follow rules and regulations, then your material desires will be removed. I can challenge anyone that it is so. Devotion comes automatically through humility, tolerance, giving honour to others, through proper practising."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 19 July 2020)

 

All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga

Divine Appearance Day of Sri Gurupadpadma

Dear Devotees and Well-Wishers:

Humbly bowing down at your holy feet, we are extending a cordial invitation to attend the grand festival in honour of the holy appearance day of Param-pujyapad Parivrajakacharya-varya Visva-guru Om Vishnupad Sri Srimad Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj that manifests on 28 December 2023 (Thursday) this year.

Remembering the holy lotus feet of our eternal Divine Master, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, we pray that every devotee of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math may find a possibility to observe this day immersed in Sri Hari-katha, Hari-kirtan and Hari-seva, which are so extremely dear and pleasing to our Sri Gurupadpadma and entire Guru-varga, and remember the transcendental glories of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, by whose mercy the banner of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math was hoisted to fly high all over the world, through his sincere devotees, instructions, lectures and books.

Taking your feet dust on our heads, we humbly wish that this supremely worshippable divine appearance day of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, celebrated with much joy and grandeur by the fortunate souls throughout the entire manifest creation, may pass auspiciously in every house and heart.

Your aspiring servants,
on behalf of SCSMathInternational.com

 

Satisfying the Lord
"Bali Maharaj asked Vamanadev, 'O brahman, what do you want? Tell me, and I can give You anything you wish.' Vamanadev replied, 'I do not want much. I know you have everything, but I want only something small.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 30 August 2020)

We humbly share the following as general guidance on conducting festivals that we have learned from the association and eternal pastimes of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj. Generally, the programmes arranged and hosted by Sri Gurupadpadma would go as follows:

• Assembling, gathering and welcoming all august Vaishnavs and devotees with obeisances, sweet words and garlands;
• A brief introductory opening speech;
• Chanting kirtans:

– Vandana recital
– Sri Guru Parampara kirtan
('Krsna haite chaturmukha')
– Sri Gurudev's kirtan
('Gurudev! Krpa bindu diya' or 'Gurudev bada krpa kari')
– Sri Pancha-tattva's kirtan
('Sri Krsna Chaitanya Prabhu jive' or 'Sri Krsna Chaitanya daya kara')
– Sri Vaishnav Thakur's kirtan
('Kabe Sri Chaitanya more', 'Krpa kara Vaisnava Thakura' or 'Ohe Vaisnava Thakura')
– Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's kirtan
('Nitai-guna-mani amar', 'Nitai-pada-kamala' or 'Akrodha paramananda')
– Sriman Mahaprabhu's kirtan
('Gaurangera duti pada', 'Parama Karuna' or 'Emana durmati')
– Sri Sri Radha Krishna's kirtan
('Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna' or 'Jaya Radha Madhava')
– Hare Krishna Maha-mantra
• Class or reading from scriptures (glorification of Sri Gurupadpadma);
• If other senior Vaishnavs are present, they are given turn to speak;
• Concluding kirtan ('Hari haraye Nama Krsna', Hare Krishna maha-mantra);
• Devotees chant kirtan and offer puspanjali (flower petals) to the picture of Sri Gurupadapadma;
• Offering bhoga followed by arati worship (usually, such programmes take place at noon, so first bhoga arati is chanted, then the arati kirtans);
• Distributing prasadam with care and affection;
• Presenting daksin and/or auspicious items to senior Vaishnavs or devotees in general;
• Affectionate farewell;
• Completing cleaning, tidying and other services as required.

 

 

From the holy lotus mouth of Sri Gurupadapdma Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj:

• "What did Gurudev leave us for? So that we join the festival, give some glorification, take prasadam, and leave? Our service does not finish there. We must distribute to others what Gurudev told all over the world, what Gurudev kept for us—his books, his audio and video recordings. What we invent or discover is not necessary to distribute; distribute what he told, what he invented and discovered, that is sufficient—people will be benefitted through that. That is necessary for us. We should understand what he wanted and what he did not want..."

• "Gurudev, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj always wanted to give some prasadam to the devotees, and I saw in Chaitanya-charitamrita, Prapanna-jivanamritam, and even Jagadananda Pandit's Prema-vivarta that if you have something, you must give it to others—if you have no wealth, you can give others some prasadam, and if you have no prasadam, nothing, you can give others sweet words. That is the main thing. You can make others happy with sweet words."

• "All the devotees know how to cook, what is there to it? When Nityananda Prabhu is in Ekachakra, He likes roasted and mashed eggplant (begun pora), and when Nityananda Prabhu comes to Venezuela or Colombia, He takes arepa there. What is the problem? Nityananda Prabhu's taste is different—He can take different things from everybody and from everywhere as long as you cook it with heart. The main thing is to serve with heart—not to do anything artificially. When you do any service or cook anything, you must do it with heart, then it will be good for everybody, and then Mahaprabhu, or Krishna, or Nityananda Prabhu will be happy—They will enjoy, and Gurudev will also enjoy. This is the main advice how to do everything. It is necessary for us to understand this."

 

 

An extensive guidance on the proper service mood during the Vaishnav seva festivals is kept in the Daily Practice section of the website:

Observing Festivals
A page of the Daily Practice section dedicated to Vaishnav-seva and observing festivals. "Why are you making a festival? Making a festival means you are inviting many people and you are giving them some prasadam, engaging them in Krishna consciousness—it means practising Krishna consciousness."

 

Note: Some of the many preparations known to be favourite to His Divine Grace Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj include rice, mung or chana dal, stir-fried karela, sak, posto bora, aloo siddho (boiled potato, mashed with chilli and salt), cauliflower pakoras, singara (samosa), mixed vegetable subji, paneer rasa, tomato chutney, achar (pickle), avocado salad (with a little salt and olive oil), cucumber salad, mango, paramanna (sweet rice), rasagullas, sandesh, a cake, vanilla ice-cream.

 

 

Mon, 25 December 2023

Seek Devotion
'You cannot buy devotion at the market or with any amount of money. You can buy many things, but you cannot get the Lord through anything except devotion. What must you do to have devotion? Devotion comes from devotion: you must live in the association of devotees.'
• Download / listen to the audio (28.8 Mb, 68 min | 19 December 2020 | Bengali)

"Merry Christmas"
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj is speaking on the Christmas day in 2006: "You must give honour to wherever there is some piety and religious manifestation. This is our religion. Today is a very big festival day here in Bengal as well as all over India. The whole world knows that it is the appearance day of Jesus Christ, and India celebrates this day now too."

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Exclusive Devotional Vision
"We must follow our guru-varga's instruction and ideal. The main thing for us is that we must make our Gurudev happy, so we will not come to pass judgement about what Gurudev has told, we must follow whatever Gurudev says."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | 19 July 2020)

 

Tue, 26 December 2023

Nought in a Knot
'There is no mercy for you yet. First take service. When I give you seva-adhikar (right to do service; service qualification), then you will get mercy. Do not think about yourself, leave everything to the Lord. He is the master, but we do everything bypassing Him.'
• Download / listen to the audio (28.8 Mb, 68 min | 19 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Kali-Yuga's Saviour
"There are so many stories in this world, but we must follow scriptures—we do not follow gossips. We must believe what Srimad Bhagavatam says. In the age of Kali, it is necessary to give Krishna-prema through chanting of the Holy Name."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.4 Mb, 13 min | 19 July 2020)

Wed, 27 December 2023 (Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Sri Vyasa Puja Adhivas)

Spiritual Conscience
'If you want to hear about the Lord and glorify the Lord, you must listen to it with a clean, unobstructed mind, with your heart and soul and with faith. If somebody does not have faith, they will not be able to hear these things.'
• Download / listen to the audio (62.9 Mb, 129 min | 31 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Our Programme
"My service is that I want to make everybody happy. You are all Gurudev's devotees, well-wishers, friends, that is why I want to serve you all. We still cannot gather many people, but we are trying to preach and serve devotees from afar as much as possible."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.2 Mb, 8 min | 26 July 2020)

 

 

In honour of the forthcoming holy appearance day of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

My Service Day
"I am always with the devotees, I am always thinking about the devotees and I am always thinking about Gurudev. Actually, this day is my service day. I must serve my Gurudev more, I want to serve the devotees—this is how I want to celebrate this day. This is my happiness."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.5 Mb, 1 min)

Our Divine Master
"Sometimes some problem comes in our spiritual life, but we should not be disheartened because of that. Gurudev said, 'Wherever you live you must continue your practising life.' We must follow this."
• Download / listen to the audio (4 Mb, 11 min)

Gurudev's Teaching and Pastimes
"Srila Sridhar Maharaj always depended on Gurudev in everything. So many sannyasis, so many great scholars came to him, but he finally chose our Gurudev as his successor. We can see then how much love and affection he had for him."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 11 min)

A Perfect Disciple
"It is those who can take Gurudev's responsibility that can be a Guru. Only taking a mantra does not make one a disciple—one who can take their Gurudev's responsibility, who can take away pain from their Gurudev, is called a perfect disciple."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 7 min)

Golden Time for Golden Purpose
"I know you have taken initiation from Gurudev, I know you are serving Gurudev eternally (strictly every day without fail), you are worshipping the Lord eternally, you are chanting the kirtans eternally, but are you using your golden time to serve the Lord or to do something for your own self?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | Bengali)

Emerging from Darkness
"Sixty thousand sages did a sacrifice for one thousand years(!), but even then they did not feel happy at heart. In the end, Sri Suta Goswami came there and explained that happiness was possible only through chanting the Holy Name. You must always keep this as the object of your eternal meditation."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | Bengali)

Leaving Maya's Shelter
"If some fortunate soul can come to take shelter at the holy lotus feet of Sri Guru severing the illusory bondage and keeping themselves in Guru's service, then they are very fortunate. There is no one in this world more fortunate than them."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | Bengali)

Sitting on Two Chairs
"There are gurus in this world who say, 'We do not prohibit anything. Eat and do whatever your soul pleases.' First know who you are, then do what your soul wants. Always remember this. But what is the use saying all this?... How long I have been telling you all this..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | Bengali)

Deep Chastity
"No matter what you do and how much you do, if the Guru is angry, nobody can protect you. I must understand, 'I have taken shelter in a person, and as long as I stay in that shelter, even the Lord cannot do anything to me.' Remember what I am telling you all the time. Become surrendered..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | Bengali)

Accept and Appreciate
"Whatever the Lord wishes, this is what will happen. You must always leave everything to the Lord. However the Lord keeps you, whatever situation the Lord creates, you must accept it. Do you understand it? Nothing is in our hands. We are only His servitors."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | Bengali)

Thu, 28 December 2023 (Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Sri Vyasa Puja Maha-Mahotsav)

Trust the Lord
'We will not stay in this world for a long time, then why be so proud? Why all these false attachments? Why must you think about your own happiness and enjoyment? It is not necessary to do this. We are not afraid to commit sin for our own enjoyment. Do not be like this. Always remember this.'
• Download / listen to the audio (62.9 Mb, 129 min | 31 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Hari-Kirtan Mahatmya }—

Sri Guru Arati
'Glory to Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, who is our Lord, Master, crest-jewel and a mine of joy. O Master, manifestation of Sri Gauranga, please bestow your mercy! This lowly servant is always offering worship to you.'

'If you do not understand the meaning of kirtans, it will not stay in your mind then. When you chant, you must understand the meaning of the kirtan, then it will stay in your heart. Common people do not understand the meaning of kirtans: they listen to kirtan bands, enjoy the tune, etc., but this is not the way to practise kirtan. When you chant kirtan, you must understand the meaning of what you are singing – some devotional feeling must come to your heart.'
—Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj

'Some gentleman was singing a song of Srila Narottam Das Thakur. When he finished singing, Srila Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj remarked, "You have only superficially repeated the sound, but the real influence, the real impression, the inner voltage is unknown to you. Those who are hit by strong feeling suggested by this song can know the power underlying it, but you are merely repeating the sound physically, you do not feel the volt, the energy within it. The voltage of the meaning of this song has not struck your heart." He remarked like that. Ordinary men who exist on the surface only repeat sounds, but those whose hearts have been touched by the deep underlying meaning, they can understand what that song contains...'
—Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

 

 

In honour of the divine appearance day of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:

 

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

"I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord."

 

Question: It seems that we have one type of fear that having got some connection with your self we may lose that at death. I do not want to have connection with anyone else, I want to stay with you. So, I feel some type of fear...

Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: Fear? But why have fear? I cannot understand it.

Devotee: Because if we do not finish our sadhana nicely, then next life we do not know where we will go—we may not find Govinda Maharaj there.

Srila Govinda Maharaj: What do you think about Govinda Maharaj?

Devotee: We think that we want to serve you.

Srila Govinda Maharaj: No, it is okay that you want to serve Govinda Maharaj, but what do you think about Govinda Maharaj? He is your guru, but in which form do you think about him? Do you think that Govinda Maharaj is a mundane man or an incarnation of the Lord coming in front of you to give you connection with Him? If you think he is an incarnation of the Lord, then he cannot leave your heart and you cannot leave your Lord. Even if you die, you will get that connection in another form, perhaps, but you will not be able to leave your Lord. When you have faith that the Lord always lives with you, then there will be no fear.

That is the main thing. By the mercy of Vaishnavs I also always feel that my Srila Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) is present with us. By the mercy of Vaishnavs and the supremacy of Srila Guru Maharaj, such feeling always comes to us that Srila Guru Maharaj has not left us, that he is with us.

I have service of Srila Guru Maharaj, and I must do that. Service to Srila Guru Maharaj is my only goal of life, and whichever way that service comes to me, I will try to serve.

Devotee: In my next life, I want to forever be a blade of grass wherever you walk...

Srila Govinda Maharaj: I do not want to wait for the next life. Actually, we must finish all our job here this life, then we shall all go to Goloka!

(8 June 1992)

 

Biography of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
A glorification article that sprang forth from the interpretation of the Pranam-mantra of His Divine Grace and was originally published as an Appendix to the Revealed Truth.

 

 

 

This day in 2010

Sri Vyasa Puja, 2010: Bengali Class
Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj's Bengali lecture given on the holy day of Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj on 23 December 2010:
• Download (16.4 Mb, 46 min)

This day in 2011

Sri Vyasa Puja, 2011: Morning Kirtans
• Vandana • Krsna haite chatur-mukha • Samsara davanala-lidha-loka • Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu jive daya kari' • Bhaja re bhaja re amara • Thakura vaisnava gana • Nitai-guna-mani amara • Emona durmati.
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 43 min | 12 December 2011)

Sri Vyasa Puja Offering
"That day, in the heart of Gaura-desh, morning, noon, and evening as if merged and there sounded a stupefying song of flute. On this auspicious day, a ray of light fell from the sky. In the district of brahmans, in the house of a brahman, for the sake of jiva souls there took birth an unprecedentedly beautiful child."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 11 min | 11 December 2011)

Sri Guru's Order
"Wherever you live, you can practise your spiritual life. The main thing is to follow the order of your Guru. When you receive an order from Gurudev, that becomes your duty. Our Rupanuga-sampradaya Guru, he came from the transcendental abode, but when he was here we could not understand that..."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.3 Mb, 16 min | 23 December 2013)

This day in 2014

Gurudev: His Example and Teachings
"Gurudev conquered the whole world with his love and affection. Many people throughout the world do not know English language or cannot fully understand it, but they could understand Gurudev through their heart."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.2 Mb, 15 min | 8 December 2014)

Son of Lord Siva
"When Srila Param Guru Maharaj was a young boy, he worshipped Siva, and our Guru Maharaj, Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, was a son of Siva. That is why we are making a Siva temple on the bank of Govinda Kunda—for their happiness."
• Download (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 11 August 2002)

This day in 2015

Sri Vyasa Puja Festival in 2015
His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj is addressing the assembled Vaishnavs on the appearance day of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj (Bengali classes):
• Adhivas: Download / listen to the audio (32.4 Mb, 95 min)
• Morning: Download / listen to the audio (19.4 Mb, 57 min)
• Noon: Download / listen to the audio (19.3 Mb, 57 min)
• Evening: Download / listen to the audio (19.6 Mb, 57 min)

This day in 2021

শ্রীলগুরুদেবের মঠে আসা ও গুরু-তত্ত্ব-মহিমা
রীল গুরুপাদপদ্ম ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ শ্রীলভক্তিনির্ম্মল আচার্য্য মহারাজের শ্রীনৃসিংহপল্লীতে সকালের সময় হরিকথামৃত:
"আজকে মদীয় গুরুপাদপদ্ম ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ জগৎ-গুরু শ্রীল ভক্তি সুন্দর গোবিন্দ দেবগোস্বামী মহারাজের ৮২তম শুভ আবির্ভাব তিথি । এই শুভ আবির্ভাব তিথির উপলক্ষে আপনারা সবাই এখানে উপস্থিত হয়েছেন । গুরুদেবের এই তিথিতে অবলম্বন করে ৮২ বছর আগে বামুনপাড়ায় অবতীর্ণ হয়েছেন..."
• Download / listen to the audio (16.4 Mb, 40 min | 1 January 2021 | Bengali | ১ জানুয়ারী ২০২১)

Gurudev's Appearance
"Today is 1 January, the first day of the year, and this is the day of my Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's appearance. Choosing this holy dvitiya tithi day, Gurudev appeared in this world 92 years ago."

Gurudev's Coming to Temple
"One day, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj's preaching party came to Nadanghat on their way back from preaching. They did collection during the day, and in the evening they would give a class and chant kirtans at the house of some zamindar. When they came to Nadanghat, Gurudev came and sat at the programme, listening to the Hari-katha."

Perfect Adherence
"Within seven days after Guru Maharaj's coming to the temple, Srila Sridhar Maharaj told him, 'Do not follow what your mind tells you. You must do only what I tell you. Never do what your mind tells you to do.' Remember this."

Who Is Guru?
"Guru is the one whom the Lord has invested all his power. Once you get the mercy of the Guru, you will get all mercy. If Krishna bestows His mercy on any fortunate soul, then Guru teaches that soul everything in his omniscient (antaryami) form."

Sri Guru Tattva
"Souls wander throughout this universe, but if some fortunate souls take by Krishna's mercy the seed of devotion from Gurudev and practises Krishna consciousness, they can reach the Lord's abode! Do you understand what I am saying?"

Guru's Greed, Disciple's Greed
"These are desires or your tongue and mind! The souls never wants all this, but we are so greedy that we think that our mind and our soul are one and the same. People do not understand what is mind and what is the soul..."

Deceivers and Deceived
"If somebody lives in enjoyment, is foolish (ignorant of what one's duty is and what must not do) and lives following any other path except pure devotion, then even if this person is called a guru (in name only), it is the order of the scriptures that he must be given up."

Sri Vyasa Puja Programme: Noon Kirtans
• Gurudev, bada krpa kari • Sri Krsna Chaitanya Prabhu daya kara more • Ohe Vaisnava Thakura • Nitai-pada-kamala • Yadi Gaura na haite • Kena maya-jale paditecho • Nadiya-nagare nitai neche neche • Jaya Radha Madhava • Hare Krishna maha-mantra
• Download/listen to the audio (22.3 Mb, 53 min | 1 January 2021 | Kirtan)

Satiating Hunger
"We have no attachment or love for what the great souls say. We only want food! What is the need to come to the temple for that? If you want to come to the temple for the benefit of your soul, then you can come, but do not come as a beggar for food—come as a beggar for spiritual life! Always remember this."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | Bengali)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (1)
"As you know, my Gurupadpadma came to the Math in 1947. They asked him, 'Will you come to the Math with us?' Gurudev said, 'Yes, I will come.' 'Will you go today?' 'Yes, I will go today itself!' Then, crossing across the river at Nagan Ghat, Gurudev came to this Math on the day of Nrisingha-chaturdasi. This was the first day he entered the temple."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | Bengali)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (2)
"Do you want to hear how Gurudev protected and looked after the temple? There are many naughty people in Kolerdanga, but Gurudev had such a tight grip on them that when he would come down from upstairs, people saw him and...."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 3 min | Bengali)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (3)
"When we offer arati to the Lord, we offer the pancha-pradip lamp and other items, and we always clean those items; in the same way, Gurudev takes us, cleans and polishes us and then uses for the Lord's service."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.6 Mb, 9 min | Bengali)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (4)
"Many of you are older than me, and you have seen there was a big flood in 1987, and there was an even a greater flood in 2000. I had not come to the temple in 1987, so I did not see that flood, but I heard at that time there was no bamboo at the temple..."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.8 Mb, 2 min | Bengali)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (5)
"Srila Gurudev travelled all over the world and established temples in more than 130 places, having travelled twenty-four times on world tours, having visited over a hundred countries total..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 4 min | Bengali)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (6)
"I remember Sripad Shanta Goswami Maharaj told a very nice story about a Guru and disciples. The situation is actually like that everywhere these days. All the disciples that there are now have enjoyment mood..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | Bengali)

Come as a Beggar
"Anyhow, much has been said today. I would like to read one article written by Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Actually, no matter how many times I tell about it, it does not help... You must all listen to what Srila Prabhupad says."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | Bengali)

Know and Love the Lord
"May we love the Lord in the same way that we now love our house, wife, sons, friends, etc. When will this day come? Until and unless this day comes, you will have to keep coming to this material world and material family."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min)

Grand and Joyous Festival
"I am very happy because the festival was very successful. Actually, we have seen such crowds before only in Gurudev's time in Nabadwip, and now is the first time we see it again at this Vyasa Puja festival of Srila Gurudev in 2021. Everybody is very happy with this festival."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min)

Protecting Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
"I have seen how Gurudev protects his temple, Srila Sridhar Maharaj's temple. In one sense, I am very unfortunate because I tried so hard to protect Gurudev's mission after Gurudev but could not do it. In another way, at least I could protect Gurudev's devotees."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 4 min)

Unblemished Sacrifice
"Today is Gurudev's appearance day. You all know everything—where Gurudev was born, how he came to the mission, etc. I do not want to describe so many things now. However, there are some who criticise Gurudev, and I would like to give some message to them."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.8 Mb, 9 min)

"My Pride, My Joy and My Hope"
"I am very proud of you all. I do not know how many days I will be alive, but I want to preach until my death. And I only beg you for one thing—please give me your mercy so that I can serve my Gurudev and his mission like this until my death."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.6 Mb, 9 min)

শ্রীলগুরুদেবের মঠে আসা ও গুরু-তত্ত্ব-মহিমা
রীল গুরুপাদপদ্ম ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ শ্রীলভক্তিনির্ম্মল আচার্য্য মহারাজের শ্রীনৃসিংহপল্লীতে সকালের সময় হরিকথামৃত:
"আজকে মদীয় গুরুপাদপদ্ম ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ জগৎ-গুরু শ্রীল ভক্তি সুন্দর গোবিন্দ দেবগোস্বামী মহারাজের ৮২তম শুভ আবির্ভাব তিথি । এই শুভ আবির্ভাব তিথির উপলক্ষে আপনারা সবাই এখানে উপস্থিত হয়েছেন । গুরুদেবের এই তিথিতে অবলম্বন করে ৮২ বছর আগে বামুনপাড়ায় অবতীর্ণ হয়েছেন..."
• Download / listen to the audio (16.4 Mb, 40 min | 1 January 2021 | Bengali | ১ জানুয়ারী ২০২১)

 

Fri, 29 December 2023

Knowledge of Relationship
'If you imbibe this kind of relationship in your life, your ego will go away – you will not think that you have become a Vaishnav. if you worship the Lord and practise establishing yourself in this relationship, your ego will go away. This is what real relationship is.'
• Download / listen to the audio (28.8 Mb, 68 min | 19 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Sanctity of Initiation
"What is called initiation? What is initiation about? People say, 'We all know the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—we can chant it easily on our own and get our benefit.' This is not so. We can chant, we can do service and other things, but without proper guidance, without a guru, all our attempts will be unscientific."
• Download / listen to the audio (6 Mb, 15 min | 26 July 2020)

 

Sat, 30 December 2023

Worshipful Mood
'Who is called a Vaishnav? It is the one who can give up money, women and fame. When fame comes, it contaminates the heart, and you will clear your road to hell. Do you understand what kind of devotee one must become?'
• Download / listen to the audio (28.8 Mb, 68 min | 19 December 2020 | Bengali)

 

—{ Sri Gurupadpadma's Worldwide Address }—

Cooking: Integral Part of Practising Life
"You must understand that when you come to practising life, you will get some austerity. Try to practise properly. Try to change yourself. This is how you can proceed in your spiritual life. I know it is sometimes very difficult, but you must still try to follow what I am saying, you must still try to cook, try to serve. That is good for you—you will get more energy for service, you will get more happiness in your heart."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.9 Mb, 12 min)

 

Sun, 31 December 2023 (Disappearance of Bhagavan Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad)

Take Advantage of This Chance
'Submit your heart, mind, everything at the holy feet of the Lord. Our mind is fickle, and it is always swayed in different directions. Our mind says many things, it does not want to sit still in one place – it is always restless. But you do not get an opportunity to hear Hari-katha all the time; therefore, having got this opportunity now, we must take advantage of it.'
• Download / listen to the audio (40.7 Mb, 97 min | 20 December 2020 | Bengali)

Blessings and Guidance of Srila Prabhupad (spoken at the time of his departure)
'I have caused anxiety to many people because I was bound to tell the truth candidly; because I have told to practise Krishna consciousness without deceit, many people may even consider me their enemy. To become eager to sincerely serve Lord Krishna, leaving all other desires and deceit, I have caused various anxiety to many people. Some day or another they will understand what I am saying.'

শ্রীল প্রভুপাদের অপ্রকট-কালীন আশীর্ব্বাণী
"আমি বহু লোককে উদ্বেগ দিয়েছি, অকৈতব সত্য কথা বলতে বাধ্য হয়েছি বলে, নিষ্কপটে হরি-ভজন করতে বলেছি বলে অনেক লোক হয় ত’ আমাকে শত্রুও মনে করেছেন । অন্যাভিলাষ ও কপটতা ছেড়ে নিষ্কপটে কৃষ্ণ-সেবায় উন্মুখ হবার জন্যই আমি অনেক লোককে নানাপ্রকার উদ্বেগ দিয়েছি । এ কথা তাঁ’রা কোনও না কোনও দিন বুঝতে পারবেন ।"

Love for Gaudiya [by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad]
"We pray that your practice, behaviour, language, taste, moral regulations and religious faith become aligned with the precepts of Gaudiya. Please gradually give up non-gaudiya elements within your Gaudiya identity and show the ideal of Gaudiya to the entire world. May you not mutilate the paramount ideal of the Gaudiya precepts by coveting to participate in that which is not Gaudiya."

গৌড়ীয়ে প্রীতি (ভগবান ওঁ বিষ্ণুপাদ শ্রীল ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী ঠাকুর প্রভুপাদের হরি-কথামৃত)
"গৌড়ীয় ভাষার পাঠক, গৌড়-দেশের অধিবাসি, তোমাদিগের আচার, ব্যবহার, ভাষা, রুচি, নীতি ও ধর্ম্মবিশ্বাস গৌড়ীয়ের মত হওয়াই প্রার্থনীয় । তোমাদের গৌড়ীয় পরিচয়ে যাহা কিছু অগৌড়ীয়ের মত আছে বা হ’তে চলিয়াছে, তাহা ক্রমশঃ পরিহার করিয়া গৌড়ীয়ের আদর্শ সমগ্রজগতের দেখ্­বার মত কর ।"

 

Today in the calendar: Krishna Chaturthi. Festival in honour of the disappearance of Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad.

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 Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad:

sri-siddhanta-sarasvatiti vidito gaudiya-gurv-anvaye
bhato bhanuriva prabhata-gagane yo gaura-sankirtanaih
mayavada-timingilodara-gatan uddhrtya jivaniman
krsna-prema-sudhabdhi-gahana-sukham pradat prabhum tam bhaje
'I serve my lord, who is known as Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Within the Gaudiya sampradaya's lineage of Gurus, he shines like the sun in the morning sky. Through the sankirtan of Sriman Mahaprabhu he rescues the souls engulfed within the belly of the timingila of illusionism and bestows upon them the ecstasy of swimming in the nectarean ocean of divine love for Krishna.'

On Srila Prabhupad's Disappearance [by Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
"It happened at the meeting point between the two years. So many disciples from all over India flocked then, everybody came in pain and weeping mood. The whole small area of the samadhi was full, everybody was crying and weeping...."

About Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad
A brief biographical compilation dedicated to Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad taken from a lecture of Om Vishnupad Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

 

 

Irreparable Loss
"We can pray, 'Wherever you are staying now, please shower your mercy upon us so we can be servants of the servants of your lotus feet, and so that we may not leave this line of devotion. Please, do not reject me. You can make me your foot dust...'"
• Download / listen to the audio (0.7 Mb, 2 min | 25 December 2010)

Srila Prabhupad's Glory (1)
"Acharya-vandana: If you can realise the meaning this song, you can get all glorification of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Sujanarvuda-radhita-pada-yugam: We sing it but we do not realise its meaning because if we realised its meaning, we would get taste singing it. We must sing it every day and be conscious of it."
• Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min | 25 December 2010)

Srila Prabhupad's Glory (2)
"Mahaprabhu predicted this, and Prabhupad fulfilled it through Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila Gurudev. Now, in every village, all day, all night there is Hari-katha and kirtan going on."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 8 min | 25 December 2010)

Srila Prabhupad's Glory (3): Current of Pure Devotion
"Nobody can give what he gave to the world. He is the holder of suddha-bhakti-mandakini, holy Mandakini River of pure devotion (the very source current of pure devotion) and he brings its flow into the world."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 25 December 2010)

Vaisnav Ke? (An Appeal to Your Mind)
"We do not want to stay in the temple because there are so many rules and regulations—everything has to be maintained at a certain time, and if you live alone, nobody will tell you anything, but you will be losing your devotional activities. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that nirjan bhajan is self-deception."
• Download / listen to the audio (6.3 Mb, 19 min | 6 March 2016)

At Sri Chaitanya Math [Page 157, From Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-Mukta-Mala; 74 Mb]
An extensive article in glorification of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, his mission and teachings compiled from the discourses of Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and our guru-varga.

 

• SONG: Jayare jayare jaya paramahamsa | জয়রে জয়রে জয় পরমহংস
"Glory, glory, glory to Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur, this great swan-like perfect personality, abode of highest mercy, who is the path and refuge for the low and miserable who have no refuge!"

• SONG: Sujanarvuda-radhita-pada-yugam | সুজনার্ব্বুদরাধিতপাদযুগং
"I hold on my head the dust of his tremendous, wondrously purifying feet and eternally offer my obeisance to them."

• SONG: Ye anila prema-dhana | যে আনিল প্রেমধন
"Where has Advaita Acharya, the Lord who mercifully brought the wealth of divine love to this world, gone?"

Sri Sri Dayita Dasa Dasakam (Text and Audio)
A poem composed by Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj after the disappearance of his Divine Master Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad: "O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there."

 

 

 

 

 

 · · • • • · ·

 

 

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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)

 

 

Lord's Reciprocation
'Our fortune is to take Krishna Name in the association of the sadhus. That is our life. Krishna also said, 'I always stay wherever there is the chanting of My Holy Name, wherever there is good association.''

 

“If you lose your faith, if you lose your strength, your service,
the problem is in you, not in the Guru. We have to understand it.”

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