29 JANUARY 2021 [KOLKATA | PART 6]

"Give Me These Alms"
"Practise Krishna consciousness properly. I have only one prayer to you all. I am a beggar, so I have come to you all to beg some alms. This is what I am begging from you..."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI BHAKTISIDDHANTA VANI
'If someone tries to practise Krishna consciousness without faithfully following their guru and Vaishnavs, this is not service to the Lord – it is service to maya. If one does not faithfully follow Sri Gurudev – the eternal embodiment of the Lord’s shelter – and his followers, then one, in essence, only commits the offence of worshipping one’s own self.'

INTRODUCTION
'Known for decades as Kirtan Guide in English, this holy book containing the kirtans chanted at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math has previously been published in English multiple times. As the need arose to reprint this holy book, this edition has been translated reflecting the original Bengali Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali kirtan collection.'

FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION
'By the causeless mercy of Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga, Sri Gaudiya-Gitanjali was published, fulfilling thereby our long-standing need. You will find in this Sri Gaudiya-Gitanjali virtually all kirtans of Srila Bhaktivinod–Saraswatiʹs current that were chanted daily and on special occasions in Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakurʹs time.'

FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION
'The first edition of Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali has finished; and as devotees have been expressing much desire to have this holy scripture, Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali has come out again in a new form to bestow the highest auspiciousness to all living entities, appearing on the merciful order of, along with the editing provided by supremely worshippable Visva-varenya Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Six, chanted on Thursdays)
'Captivated by and afflicted with an intense feeling of separation, He runs swiftly to the simha-dvara gate of Lord Jagannathdev’s holy temple; the next moment He falls down on the spot, His holy figure transformed into that of a tortoise by the influence of deep separation; attracted by the uncommon divine fragrance emanating from His holy figure, the Telangi cows residing at the temple draw near, surrounding Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

29 JANUARY 2021 [KOLKATA | PART 7]

Remembering Haridas Thakur
"We have assembled today to commemorate a disappearance day, so on this occasion, I want to tell something from Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita about the disappearance of Srila Haridas Thakur. I will tell it to you briefly. You all know that Haridas Thakur’s disappearance is on the day of ananda-chaturdasi."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

GUIDANCE
'If you understand the meaning of the song, you will get more pleasure, then it will be kirtan. And we do not actually sing songs – we do kirtan. Singing a song and doing kirtan is not the same. Most people sing songs without knowing their meanings, but if you know the meaning of the song, you will actually get pleasure.'

DAILY KIRTAN GUIDELINES
'Everyone is advised to chant five kirtans every morning and evening. Presented above is the full temple programme followed at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (Nityananda Prabhu vandana, Mahaprabhu vandana and saranagati kirtan or Radha-Krishna vandana may vary; the rest is fixed).'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Seven, chanted on Fridays)
'He is a holy embodiment of the beautiful reality which is beyond the reach of one’s eyes and ears, which paralyses the very necessity of intelligence and which leaves even firmly fixed consciousness dumbstruck when divine love surges up – even Brahma, Sambhu (Siva), as well as their revealed scriptures, Vedas and tantras cannot conceive of such reality, so they merely keep searching after Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

29 JANUARY 2021 [KOLKATA | PART 8]

Poverty of Mind
"We call feeding people ‘service to poor Narayan’, but you tell me – can Narayan, who is the original master of Laksmi Devi, be poor? He is the master of the whole world, He is the owner of all wealth in this world, and they call Him ‘poor Narayan’! Never utter such things."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

VANDANA
'I worship the holy lotus feet of my initiating and instructing guru as well as all predecessor gurus and all Vaishnavs; Sri Rupa Goswami, his elder brother Sri Sanatan Goswami, along with their dear associates Sri Raghunath and Sri Jiva; Sri Advaita Prabhu, Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Krishna Chaitanyadev, along with all His near and dear ones; and Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, along with Their dear associates Lalita, Visakha and others.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part One, chanted on Saturdays)
'Demigods, perfected souls, liberated souls, yogis and Lord’s devotees always sing His praise; He relieves the world from the blazing forest fire of three-fold miseries (caused by the desire for enjoyment, liberation and perfections) brought about by inauspicious actions (performed in aversion to the Supreme Lord); an ocean of generosity, He bestows His own Name from the nectarean storehouse of Lord Sri Krishna’s Names – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

29 JANUARY 2021 [KOLKATA | PART 9]

"Come, Dear Mind, Come"
"One time, there started an annual festival at Sri Gaudiya Math. Many preachers of exclusive genuine religion, exemplary sannyasis and brahmacharis came to the temple from all over India..."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: 'Krsna haite chatur-mukha'
'I yearn for the merciful remnants of all these dear associates of Gaura, who are the very wealth of this disciplic succession. You should know this disciplic succession well.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

Preface
'The need for every one of us in this world is to solve the real problem of suffering caused by our existence in this mortal world. The solution is well-known to those special souls who are truly acquainted with the eternal spiritual realm, and they are able to impart that to others. It is the introduction to these secrets which is being expressed in this new booklet Inner Fulfillment.'

(1) Searching for the Solution
'Come to search that thing which will solve your entire problem. Searching after this, searching after the wants of A, searching after B, searching after C—dismiss all these mad ideas. Search only after the one thing that will satisfy everything. It is possible.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Two, chanted on Sundays)
'Very tall, beautiful and infused with divine love, His holy form increases gods’ joy; the lustre of His body, which puts millions of golden lotuses to shame, is worshipped by the Moon; and His intrinsic form is a holy abode of divine pastimes manifest as eternal ever-increasing transcendental ecstatic transformations that spring up as He revels dancing in Sri Krishna-sankirtan – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [WORLDWIDE ADDRESS | PART 1]

"I Want to Surrender"
"Gurudev! Bestowing great mercy on me, you have given me a place in Sri Godrumdwip! You have ordered me to stay here and chant the Holy Name. But then I ask gurudev, 'When will you give me the qualification to chant the Holy Name?'”

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Sri Gurudev Stuti
'All glory to Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj! Gurudev, you are a pure acharya, and your pastimes are continuing eternally in Koladwip. This lowly soul is always praying for the holy feet of whoever chants your glories.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

(2) The Vision of Goodness
'Not only is the soul immortal, not only does God exist, not only is He the Absolute Dispenser of good and bad, but we ourselves are units of the conscious world. So, separate yourself eternally from that mania, from that misconception and false identification with this material aspect which is the result of your degraded life, and become reinstated in your glorious position as a soul.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Three, chanted on Mondays)
'He ardently preached that service performed in various divine relationships (from dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya- to madhura-rasa) and the (paramount) service beauty of Sri Radha’s servitors in the highest paramour madhura-rasa, as well as any transcendental hankering of the self-realised souls in Sri Vraja Dham, can indisputably be realised in Sri Vrajendra-nandan only – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

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)

In honour of Srila Ramachandra Kaviraj's disappearance:

Power of Good Association
"You must see the sadhu with your ears. Every day you sing, 'Ramachandra-sanga mage Narottama Dasa: Narottam Das prays for the association of Ramachandra Kaviraj.' What does this mean? Why does Narottam Das always ask for the association of Ramachandra?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 12 March 2017 | Gaura Purnima)

31 JANUARY 2021 [WORLDWIDE ADDRESS | PART 2]

Our Plight and Plea
"We have a chaitya-guru in our hearts, and we constantly pray to him, ‘When will Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu give some mercy to me? When will I get the shelter of the guru and Vaishnavs?’ It is not possible to reach the Lord (our real home) without the guru and Vaishnavs."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Sri Guru Arati
'Glory, glory to the effulgent arati of Srila Gurudev that takes place at the holy foothill of Govardhan, spreading benediction for the whole world! Glory to Sri Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, our Lord, Master, crest-jewel and a mine of joy.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

(3) Happiness in Higher Thought
'Why is happiness eluding us? No matter how much we get, we always hanker for more. Such is the nature of every one of us in all fields and walks of life. How then can finite material objects and flickering bodily or intellectual pleasures satiate our infinite hankerings? Our life is unfulfilled and we want fulfillment, there is no doubt, but what type of fulfillment should we hanker for and search after?'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Four, chanted on Tuesdays)
'Overcome with strong bouts of divine love surging through Him and becoming unconscious of the world around Him, He dances madly and chants kirtan; the tears streaming incessantly from His eyes flood His body, the colour of molten gold and tall as the mount Sumeru, His clothes, the colour of the newly risen sun, and the earth in all fourteen directions around Him; He glows as He chants, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’, shouts jumbled up words and relishes various postures and behaviours (roaring with laughter, etc.) under the influence of divine love – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Sripad Yadavendu Bhakti Chandan:

Sripad Yadavendu Bhakti Chandan
"...He was a senior man, he was very experienced and honourable, but he treated me with humility and all his other good qualities. Later, I was his servant for one month in Vrindavan. Sometimes Srila Guru Maharaj told me, 'In the evening, give him a garland.' Guru Maharaj gave him the title 'Bhakti Chandan'."

In Remembrance of Sri Bhakti Chandan Prabhu
"Today, being separated from the direct affection of Srimat Yadavendu Bhakti Chandan Prabhu, we are bearing jewel-less hearts. Personally, I received so much of his auspicious association. When we have teeth, we do not understand their value. Today, if I could meet him again, then, just by getting a touch of his good association, I would attain even greater good fortune."

31 JANUARY 2021 [WORLDWIDE ADDRESS | PART 3]

Wealth of Nanda Maharaj's Yard
"You must worship the Lord through sankirtana-yajna. Practise singing devotional songs, it is good for you. Always remember the Lord and His devotees. Sing five songs in the morning, five songs in the evening – practise in this way, and it will give you much energy for service."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Sri Guru Arati Stuti
'All glory to Srila Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj), the emperor of tridandi-sannyasis! You extended to this world your pastimes of rescuing the fallen and delivered all sinful and bereft souls without discrimination.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

(4) The Happiest Form of Life
'What is the necessity of living for ages and ages if we are unconscious of our own interest? One moment properly utilised is sufficient to solve the whole problem of our life because of which we are eternally wandering about in this plane. We must be wakeful to our personal interest, not negligent.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Five, chanted on Wednesdays)
'He reveals (first, to Sri Sanatan and then to Prakasananda) sixty-two interpretations of the famous verse ‘Atmaramas cha… ittham-bhuta-guno harih’ (‘Even self-realised, self-satisfied souls are moved to worship the Lord’) from Srimad Bhagavatam; interpreting the various lexical meanings of the eleven words of this verse, juxtaposed in different ways, He reveals a treasure-mine of multitudinous meanings of this verse in consonance with the precepts of pure devotional conclusions – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [WORLDWIDE ADDRESS | PART 4]

Pure Sambandha
"We cannot see, ‘He is my master, and I am his servant’ because we do not have this kind of eyes – our eyes are full of material dust, full of ego, full of all kinds of illusion and illusory dust. But the problem is that we hold onto our ego..."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Sri Sri Prabhupada-padma Stavakah
'I am offering obeisance to Prabhupad, whose holy lotus feet are worshipped by millions of pious souls, who is the establisher of the religion of the age, who is the presiding divine successor, and who fulfils the desires of the dispellers of all fears – I offer obeisance at his holy lotus feet. I eternally offer obeisance to the radiance emanating from the toenails of my master.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

(5) A Labor of Love
'You are at present in an adulterated conception of your own life. The mind, intelligence and exploiting energies of different kinds are all adulteration. So, all kinds of adulteration will be eliminated from your existence. When your existence is purified, your real self within will come out in its pristine glory, and you will find that you have a happy devotional connection with the Supersoul.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Six, chanted on Thursdays)
'Captivated by and afflicted with an intense feeling of separation, He runs swiftly to the simha-dvara gate of Lord Jagannathdev’s holy temple; the next moment He falls down on the spot, His holy figure transformed into that of a tortoise by the influence of deep separation; attracted by the uncommon divine fragrance emanating from His holy figure, the Telangi cows residing at the temple draw near, surrounding Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Sri Jayadev Goswami:

"When Laksman Sen was the king of Nadia, Jayadev Goswami was one of His subjects in Nabadwip. The wise Jayadev built a cottage on the bank of Ballal Dirghika and resided there with his wife Padmavati. While there, he wrote the Dasa-avatara-stotram, and this poem once came to the hand of Laksman Sen. The king read the poem with great joy and then asked, 'Who wrote this?' Govardhan Acharya said to the king, 'The great poet Jayadev wrote it.' The king asked, 'Where is this poet Jayadev?' Govardhan replied, 'He lives in Nabadwip.' Hearing this, the king secretly searched for Jayadev's home and then came there in the evening.

Upon hearing the divine voice, Jayadev and Padmavati immediately left, and after some time, they turned and looked back at Nabadwip. They wept, and tears streamed from their eyes. Humbly, they spoke to the residents of Nabadwip. 'Please be merciful to these two souls. Please forgive us for the offences we have committed.' They walked away, looking back again and again at the eight-petalled lotus of Nabadwip. They went ahead and eventually did not see Nabadwip anymore. Crying, they crossed outside the land of Gauda. Some time later, they arrived in Nilachal and saw Jagannath with cheerful hearts. Glory to the poet Jayadev! Glory to Padmavati! Glory to Sri Gita-govinda! Glory to love for Krishna!"

(Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya, chapter 11)

Who Will Understand This? (Continuation of "My Grief")
"Jayadev Goswami started composing this Gita Govinda in some other place, but he could not finish it there, so he came to Nabadwip to finish it. He sat there in Champa-hatti, but then he suddenly forgot what to write next..."

31 JANUARY 2021 [WORLDWIDE ADDRESS | PART 5]

Blessing In Disguise
"Krishna will give us so much austerity, but ‘sukhe duhkhe bhulo nako – in happiness or distress, never forget the Lord’! When you are sad, you think only about Krishna, but when you are happy, you do not remember Krishna, you do not pray to Krishna. That is why Krishna always tests us..."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Sri-guru-charana-padma
'I carefully offer my obeisance at Sri Guru’s lotus feet, which are an abode of exclusive devotion, by whose mercy, brother, we can cross this material world, and through whom we can come to Krishna.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

(6) Homeward Bound
'It is easy, and it is also difficult. It is easy because it is our inborn tendency, it is our home, and we will not find satisfaction anywhere else, so we must go there and there is hope that we may reach there one day. But the difficulty is that we are far away from that home comfort now, we have lost that land.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Seven, chanted on Fridays)
'He is a holy embodiment of the beautiful reality which is beyond the reach of one’s eyes and ears, which paralyses the very necessity of intelligence and which leaves even firmly fixed consciousness dumbstruck when divine love surges up – even Brahma, Sambhu (Siva), as well as their revealed scriptures, Vedas and tantras cannot conceive of such reality, so they merely keep searching after Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [WORLDWIDE ADDRESS | PART 6]

Unconditional Life
"It is like selling ghee mixed with dalda. You think, ‘No problem! I can sin the whole day, and in the evening I will just chant the Holy Name, and all my sins will be removed!’ If you think that you can make the same offence day after day, and, gurudev being merciful, all your offences will be forgiven, it is not good. We must try to serve gurudev without any offence."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Sri Gurvastakam
'I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, by pleasing whom one can please the Lord, and by displeasing whom one has nowhere to go; I sing and meditate on his glory at the three junctions of the day.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

(7) The Land of Beauty
'It is easy, and it is also difficult. It is easy because it is our inborn tendency, it is our home, and we will not find satisfaction anywhere else, so we must go there and there is hope that we may reach there one day. But the difficulty is that we are far away from that home comfort now, we have lost that land.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part One, chanted on Saturdays)
'Demigods, perfected souls, liberated souls, yogis and Lord’s devotees always sing His praise; He relieves the world from the blazing forest fire of three-fold miseries (caused by the desire for enjoyment, liberation and perfections) brought about by inauspicious actions (performed in aversion to the Supreme Lord); an ocean of generosity, He bestows His own Name from the nectarean storehouse of Lord Sri Krishna’s Names – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Srila Lochan Das Thakur:

About Srila Lochan Das Thakur
"We must pray to Vaishnav Thakur, 'Wherever you are, Prabhu, please bestow your mercy on this fallen and low soul so that I may live this life serving you.' Srila Lochan Das Thakur composed Sri Chaitanya-mangala that contains even more pastimes of the Lord than Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata..."
• Download / listen to the audio (5 Mb, 12 min | 2 February 2021 | Bengali)

Srila Lochan Das Thakur Mahasay
"Srila Lochan Das Thakur is a follower of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu—he belonged to His line. Srila Lochan Das Thakur was born in Burdwan district and he was a disciple of Sri Narahari Thakur. The name of Srila Lochan Das Thakur's father is Sri Kamalakar Das, and his mother's name is Sri Sadanandi..."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 25 October 2020)

31 JANUARY 2021 [WORLDWIDE ADDRESS | PART 7]

Jewel of Sincerity
"They say that they are searching for Sri Krishna, but in lieu of that they are actually searching for boyfriends or girlfriends. These are very hard words for me to say. If you want a wife, go outside and take some girl from outside – why do you do this at the temple?"

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Gurudev! krpa-bindu diya
'O Gurudev! Please give a drop of your mercy and make this servant very humble, humbler than a blade of grass. Please give me the power to tolerate everything and to be free from any selfish desires.'

• INNER FULFILLMENT •

Epilogue: The Key to it All
'It is not fixed where you will be carried after death by the current of your previous karma; therefore, try make best use of whatever time is available to you before your death. You have freewill, so the days before your death are, to some degree, in your hand to use: use this time with the utmost care for God realization. There is nothing as important for all of us as this.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Two, chanted on Sundays)
'Very tall, beautiful and infused with divine love, His holy form increases gods’ joy; the lustre of His body, which puts millions of golden lotuses to shame, is worshipped by the Moon; and His intrinsic form is a holy abode of divine pastimes manifest as eternal ever-increasing transcendental ecstatic transformations that spring up as He revels dancing in Sri Krishna-sankirtan – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 1]

In Search of Hidden Treasure
"You can hear all kinds of things in this world – there are so many talks, so many discussions, so much criticism going on in this world – but there is a dire scarcity of Bhagavad-katha (discourses about the Lord), and there is a dire scarcity of devotees who would speak and listen to such Bhagavad-katha..."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Gurudev! bada krpa kari'
'Gurudev! Bestowing great mercy on me, you have given me a place in Sri Godrumdwip amidst the forests of Gauda. You ordered me: "Reside in this abode that is non-different from Vraja and chant the Lord’s Name." But when, O Master, will you mercifully grant this servant the qualification to do this?'

• HOME COMFORT •

Foreword
'Sincere practitioners are themselves an introduction to the subject of genuine, joyful, spiritual life, but they are not able to visit everyone personally. Therefore, we are taking the opportunity afforded by the modern scientific age to print books to broadcast such wisdom widely.'

Part One
'Please listen attentively to what I shall explain. I shall try to explain the subject to you in a scientific way, in general, independent of all religious conceptions. First of all, we are to understand that there are three planes of life: the plane of mundane enjoyment, the plane of renunciation, and the plane of dedication.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Three, chanted on Mondays)
'He ardently preached that service performed in various divine relationships (from dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya- to madhura-rasa) and the (paramount) service beauty of Sri Radha’s servitors in the highest paramour madhura-rasa, as well as any transcendental hankering of the self-realised souls in Sri Vraja Dham, can indisputably be realised in Sri Vrajendra-nandan only – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Sriman Maharabhu's last day in Nabadwip:

In a lecture about Sriman Mahaprabhu's sannyas-lila, Srila Govinda Maharaj commented: "We have seen that Srila Guru Maharaj was always deeply intoxicated with Mahaprabhu’s sannyas-lila. He established as a rule in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math that for the three days [after Mahaprabhu takes sannyas and leaves Nabadwip] the devotees will live very simply and eat only some rice and dalma (dal cooked with mixed vegetables)."

Heart-Breaking Decision
"Mahaprabhu's mother, Gadadhar, Brahmananda, Chandrasekhara, and Mukunda. Mahaprabhu told Nityananda Prabhu, 'Nobody except them knows about it.' Sri Sachi Mata cried so much and other devotees also tried to dissuade Mahaprabhu in so many ways..."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min)

Srila Lochan Das Thakur Mahasay
"Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur did not write in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata very clearly or broadly about the time prior to Sriman Mahaprabhu's taking sannyas, but in his Sri Chaitanya-mangal, Srila Lochan Das Thakur, for example, tells about the talk between Sriman Mahaprabhu and Vishnupriya Devi."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | 25 October 2020)

Vishnupriya Devi's Sacrifice
"We must remember in our life the sacrifice that Vishnupriya Devi made. This life is not for enjoyment, this life is for service. We should learn from the sacrifice of Vishnupriya Devi..."

"If You Love Me..."
"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, 'You think I am going to take sannyas and go far away from Nabadwip, but this is not so. You are always with Me. If you love Me, if you have any love and affection for Me, then always think about Krishna, always chant Hare Krishna and tell others to chant it.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 11 October 2020)

The Pain of Broken Hearts
"We always remember Srimati Radharani, Her associates and other Vraja gopis, but we forget about Nanda Maharaj and Mother Yasomati. It has come out of Radharani's mouth: 'We do not consider our heart's pain, but when we see Mother Yasoda's face and Mother Yasoda's situation without Your presence, our heart is breaking after breaking after breaking.' In Mahaprabhu's pastimes, we can see a similar situation."
• Download / listen to the audio (9.2 Mb, 36 min | 14 June 2007)

Ditching the World
"We have come here by a great fortune. Not everybody can come here. We must take the dust of this place, we must take prasad at this place. Do you see our condition? We must cry, 'When will material attachment be removed from my heart? When will that happen?'"
• Download / listen to the audio (5.2 Mb, 15 min | 29 January 2018 | Bengali)

According to solar calculation, it was on the day of Makara-sankranti, an auspicious conjunction of the stars, that Nimai Pandit went to Katwa to take sannyas, the renounced order of life. After this, He would become known as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Just before this, He told only a few of His friends, including Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara Pandit, Mukunda, and others, "The time when I will accept the robe of renunciation is very near."

Just a few days before this, an opposition party had been raised against Nimai Pandit. Those who believed that material nature is the highest principle, and that consciousness is a product of matter, began to abuse Nimai Pandit. He thought, "I came to deliver the lowest of men, but if they commit offenses against Me, there will be not hope for their upliftment." Suddenly, He said, "I came with that medicine which gives the greatest relief, but now I find that their disease is rapidly growing worse and seems beyond treatment. It will take its own course towards doom. The patients are committing offenses by abusing their doctor. They are making arrangements to insult Me. They take it that I am a family man—their nephew. They take Me as one of them. I came with the best medicine for the present degraded age, but now I find that they are plotting against Me. Now they are doomed. At least I have to show them that I am not one of them." He thought, "I shall leave family life and take sannyas and wander from village to village, town to town, preaching the Holy Name of Krishna." That was His decision, and within a few days He went to take sannyas at Katwa from Kesav Bharati Maharaj.

Just the day before He left to take sannyas, from the afternoon until the evening, there was a spontaneous gathering of devotees in the home of Nimai Pandit. Every year in Bengal, that day was celebrated as Laksmi-puja, worship of the goddess of fortune, when special cakes are prepared and distributed. Nimai, knowing that early the next morning He would leave Navadwip to take sannyas, attracted His followers in such a way that almost every leading devotee came to see Him that evening.

They came with flower garlands and many other offerings to be presented to the Lord. Nimai accepted their garlands and then placed them on the necks of the devotees who gave them. Only four of His most intimate devotees knew He was leaving; the ordinary devotees did not know this would be His last night in Navadwip. With His own hands He garlanded the necks of His devotees and appealed to them, "Always chant the name of Krishna. Under no condition should you give up this krsna-nama. And don't do anything else. While working, eating, sleeping or walking, day or night—in whatever you do—continuously take the name of Krishna. Always talk about Krishna—nothing else. If you have any real attraction for Me, then don't do anything without chanting the name of Krishna.

"Cultivate Krishna consciousness. Krishna is the origin of us all. He is our father; we have come from Him. The son who shows no gratitude towards the father is sure to be punished birth after birth. Always chant these names of the Lord:

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

No other religious principle is required. Chant Hare Krishna. This is not an ordinary mantra, but this is the maha-mantra, the greatest of all the great mantras, the very essence of all the mantras known to the world. Only take to this, always. No other prescription is to be followed.

"Remember your Lord, your home. This is a foreign land; you have nothing to aspire after here. Try always to go back home, back to Godhead." In this way, the Lord spoke, and all His devotees intuitively came because it was Nimai Pandit's last night in Navadwip.

Late at night, one devotee named Kholaveca Sridhara arrived. He used to make trade on the plantain tree and its fruit. He would sell the fruit, ripe or green, and the big leaves which are used as plates. Sometimes Nimai would pay him less for his fruits than what they were worth, and sometimes He would snatch the best fruits from him. Sridhara came to see Him late at night to offer Him a choice lau (calabash/bottle gourd). And Nimai thought, "I have spent almost My whole life snatching so many things from him, and now, on this last night he has brought this wonderful lau. I can't resist." He asked Sacidevi, "Mother, Sridhara has given me this lau. Please think of how it can be prepared." At bedtime, someone came with some milk. Nimai said, "Mother, with this milk and this lau, please prepare some sweet-rice." So Sacidevi prepared some lau sweet-rice: lau boiled with milk, rice and sugar.

Late at night, at about three o' clock in the morning, Nimai went away.

From Golden Volcano of Divine Love

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 2]

Know Your Own Identity First
"We must first know who we are – we must first understand our own identities. This body is not who I am. Identifying yourself with the body is ignorance. You must forget it. What is our mistake? Our mistake is that we have forgotten that we are eternal servants of Krishna."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Gurudev! kabe tava karuna prakase
'Gurudev! Sri Gauranga’s pastimes continue eternally – keeping firm faith in this, when will I, by your mercy, roam the forests of Godrum, chanting, "Hari! Hari!" in hope of seeing those pastimes?'

• HOME COMFORT •

Part Two
'Higher things do exist, but the general man in this world has no knowledge about them. We are indeed experiencers and have some knowledge, but only to a particular degree and standard. We cannot venture to calculate what is beyond our reach. But if those who actually have experience of that plane come to us and give us some information, then we can gain some understanding from their investigation and their real connection with the subject matter.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Four, chanted on Tuesdays)
'Overcome with strong bouts of divine love surging through Him and becoming unconscious of the world around Him, He dances madly and chants kirtan; the tears streaming incessantly from His eyes flood His body, the colour of molten gold and tall as the mount Sumeru, His clothes, the colour of the newly risen sun, and the earth in all fourteen directions around Him; He glows as He chants, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’, shouts jumbled up words and relishes various postures and behaviours (roaring with laughter, etc.) under the influence of divine love – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

SRI EKADASI GUIDANCE

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.

Renunciation of Cowards and Misers
[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
'What we need is yukta-vairagya: we shall take from the store of Krishna to keep ourselves fit and to do service. It is Krishna's account, and if we do not do that, we will be separatists, mayavadis, renunciationists. We must render maximum service to Krishna, so we must take without any hesitation whatever is necessary to make ourselves fit for the service; otherwise, we 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)

Today's events:

Clearing the Obstacles
"When Mahaprabhu left His family, do you know who came at that time? Kalanidra. Kalanidra came to the Lord and asked, 'Prabhu, I have come. Why did You call me? What is my duty?' Mahaprabhu told her, 'Now do your duty.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 12 December 2010)

Late at night, at about three o' clock in the morning, Nimai went away. He left Visnupriya Devi asleep in bed. His mother Sachi Devi, sensing what was to come, was staying awake all night guarding the door. Nimai bowed down to her and went away. And like a stone figure, Mother Sachi Devi sat there by the gate as Nimai left. She could not say anything, but was struck dumb.

The ordinary public was very much enraged, saying to Kesav Bharati, "We can't allow you, Swamiji, to give sannyas to this young boy. It is impossible! If you do, then we shall smash your ashram." Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu began performing kirtan, chanting Hare Krishna and dancing madly. And the angry mob grew, sometimes creating a disturbance. In this way the whole day passed with no decision. The night passed in sankirtan.

From Golden Volcano of Divine Love

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 3]

Sambandha-Jnana: Launching Pad
"Remember these things. You must learn it by heart: ‘I am a soul. My identity is that I am an eternal servant of Krishna.’ We have forgotten that we are eternal servants of the Lord. It is necessary to eradicate ignorance and material attachment from ourselves."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Gurudev! kabe mora sei dina habe?
'Gurudev! When will this day come? When will I chant Lord Krishna’s Holy Name, steadying my mind and residing in a solitary place? When will the tumult of this material world stop entering my ears and the body disease (any memory of the body) go away?'

• HOME COMFORT •

Part Three
'So if you want to get out of this dreaming life and enter reality, then raise yourself to the standard of finding the plane of reality, however subtle it may be, for that cannot be devoured by death. Collect your energy to build up something permanent. At present you are investing your energy in something that is going to be demolished at the next moment—a foolish attempt.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Five, chanted on Wednesdays)
'He reveals (first, to Sri Sanatan and then to Prakasananda) sixty-two interpretations of the famous verse ‘Atmaramas cha… ittham-bhuta-guno harih’ (‘Even self-realised, self-satisfied souls are moved to worship the Lord’) from Srimad Bhagavatam; interpreting the various lexical meanings of the eleven words of this verse, juxtaposed in different ways, He reveals a treasure-mine of multitudinous meanings of this verse in consonance with the precepts of pure devotional conclusions – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

Today's events:

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)

...The next day, Nimai's will prevailed, although there was still some opposition.

In this way, the sannyas of Nimai Pandit took place. What is the meaning of His sannyas?....

From Golden Volcano of Divine Love

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 4]

Utter Desperation
"We must cry and tell Vaishnav Thakur about our unhappiness, about our austerities. Do not come as beggars for food, but come as beggars for spiritual life: come begging to hear about the Lord, sadhus, gurus and Vaishnavs."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Gurudeve vraja-vane
'Make an extraordinary effort to become lovingly attached to gurudev, Vrindavan, the residents of Vraja, pure devotees, brahmans, the worshippable mantra, the Holy Name and the intense hankering to serve the Divine Couple.'

• HOME COMFORT •

Part Four
'You can discuss the entire position in the company of saints and, in this way, make progress in your life and save yourself. But if, having received a human birth, you lose this chance (you do not try to help yourself properly, do not try to attain a wholesale relief), then you are committing suicide or even worse than that.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Six, chanted on Thursdays)
'Captivated by and afflicted with an intense feeling of separation, He runs swiftly to the simha-dvara gate of Lord Jagannathdev’s holy temple; the next moment He falls down on the spot, His holy figure transformed into that of a tortoise by the influence of deep separation; attracted by the uncommon divine fragrance emanating from His holy figure, the Telangi cows residing at the temple draw near, surrounding Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In memory of today's events related to Sriman Mahaprabhu's sannyas-lila:

Remembering Mahaprabhu's Sannyas-Lila
"Srila Param Guru Maharaj said that during this time Nabadwip was covered by thick clouds—there was no sun in the sky and everything was very dark. Even the sun too cried because the Lord had left Nabadwip. It was such a sad time, everybody felt very deep separation."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.4 Mb, 6 min)

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

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

From Sri Sri Prema Dhama Deva Stotram:
laksa-lochanasru-varsa-harsa-kesa-kartanam
koti-kantha-krsna-kirtanadhya-danda-dharanam
nyasi-vesa-sarvadesa-ha-hutasa-kataram
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram
"Amidst a rain of tears shed by thousands of eyes, eager to see the Lord, He happily (for the benefit of people) shaved His head; His beautiful pastime of accepting the mendicant’s staff (sannyas) was enhanced by millions of people chanting Sri Hari-sankitan all together; the whole land wailed inconsolably at the sight of His sannyas garb – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love."

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 5]

Path to Qualification
"If you do not become a Vaishnav, it is a problem, and if you think you have become a Vaishnav, it is also a problem. Both is not right. You must become a servant of Vaishnavs, a servant of your guru. The road to hell is open – if you think you have become a Vaishnav, you will go to hell."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI GURU VANDANA: Sri-rupa-manjari-pada
'The holy feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my wealth, my service, my worship, the very treasure of my life, my ornament and the very life of my life. O Master! Please give me shelter in the shade of your feet!'

• HOME COMFORT •

Part Five: Sri Guru and His Grace
'A gentle touch of Sri Guru’s merciful hand can wipe off incessant tears from all weeping eyes. A patriot or a philanthropist makes the problem only worse in his frantic and futile attempt to alleviate the deep-rooted pain of a suffering soul, as an ignorant doctor does in eagerly handling an unfortunate patient. O the day when this poor soul realizes the causeless grace of Sri Gurudev!'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Seven, chanted on Fridays)
'He is a holy embodiment of the beautiful reality which is beyond the reach of one’s eyes and ears, which paralyses the very necessity of intelligence and which leaves even firmly fixed consciousness dumbstruck when divine love surges up – even Brahma, Sambhu (Siva), as well as their revealed scriptures, Vedas and tantras cannot conceive of such reality, so they merely keep searching after Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In memory of today's events related to Sriman Mahaprabhu's sannyas-lila:

Ten Days in Shantipur
"...When Mahaprabhu came to Shantipur and the news about it spread everywhere, so many devotees started coming there—so many boats, full of people, came to Shantipur to see Mahaprabhu..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min)

Mahaprabhu's Stay in Shantipur
"Nityananda Prabhu understood devotees' feeling and somehow managed to take Mahaprabhu to Shantipur instead of taking Him straight to Vrindavan. In Shantipur, Mahaprabhu gave lecture, He sang and danced the whole day and night without stop..."

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 6]

Sincere Devotion
"The guru applies the ‘kajal’ of divine knowledge to remove the darkness of ignorance from my eyes. If somebody understands the meaning of this sloka, their mind can never go in any other direction. It is necessary to have sincere devotion to Sri Gurupadpadma."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: (Ohe) vaisnava thakura
'O Vaishnav Thakur! You are an ocean of mercy; please be merciful to this servant – grant me the shade of your feet and purify me. I am clasping your feet.'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Foreword
'We love to read a book which we have never read before. We are anxious to gather whatever information is contained in it, and with such acquirement our curiosity stops. But this is not study. The student is to read the facts with a view to create, and not with the object of fruitless retention. Students, like satellites, should reflect whatever light they receive from authors, and not imprison the facts and thoughts just as the magistrates imprison the convicts in the jail!'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part One, chanted on Saturdays)
'Demigods, perfected souls, liberated souls, yogis and Lord’s devotees always sing His praise; He relieves the world from the blazing forest fire of three-fold miseries (caused by the desire for enjoyment, liberation and perfections) brought about by inauspicious actions (performed in aversion to the Supreme Lord); an ocean of generosity, He bestows His own Name from the nectarean storehouse of Lord Sri Krishna’s Names – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 7]

Highest and Rarest
"Vraja gopis’ devotion is incomparable. It is impossible to even utter anything about it. If Gauranga had not come, who would have even known about it? Gauranga Mahaprabhu came to this world having taken Sri Radha’s heart and halo, and He is the one who revealed the glory of Radharani in this world."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Ei-bara karuna kara vaisnava gosani
'O worshippable Vaishnav, please be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the fallen! I have no one except you. In every birth, I aspire for the dust of your feet. Please mercifully consider Narottam your own.'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Preface
'For spiritual advancement of life we must go to someone who is actually practicing spiritual life. So if one is actually serious to take instructions from a siksa guru, or instructing spiritual master, I can refer him to one who is the most competent of all my Godbrothers. This is B.R. Sridhar Maharaj. I consider Sridhar Maharaj to be even my siksa guru, so what to speak of the benefit that others can have from his association.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Two, chanted on Sundays)
'Very tall, beautiful and infused with divine love, His holy form increases gods’ joy; the lustre of His body, which puts millions of golden lotuses to shame, is worshipped by the Moon; and His intrinsic form is a holy abode of divine pastimes manifest as eternal ever-increasing transcendental ecstatic transformations that spring up as He revels dancing in Sri Krishna-sankirtan – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 8]

Rivet Yourself to Sadhu-Sanga
"Be humble, surrender yourselves and always aspire for the association of pure devotees. You can never get any result or any perfection without the association of saints (sadhu-sanga). Good, saintly association is our only path, our only way."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Thakura vaisnava pada avanira
'The holy feet of Vaishnav Thakur are the greatest wealth on earth. Brother, listen one-pointedly to this. Krishna never leaves those who have taken shelter in His devotees and serve them; everyone else simply dies in vain.'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Introduction
'“What you are searching for, that is! Don’t be disappointed.” The Vedas say that the object of our inner search exists. The common search of all your hearts is existing, and your thirst will be quenched. So prepare yourself, after your long search, to receive that long missing nectar in its full form and quality. Awake! Arise! Search for your fortune and you cannot but have that. It is your birthright. It is the wealth of your own soul. It cannot but be within you. You have no other business, no other engagement but Krishna-anusandhana, the Search for Sri Krishna: Reality the Beautiful.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Three, chanted on Mondays)
'He ardently preached that service performed in various divine relationships (from dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya- to madhura-rasa) and the (paramount) service beauty of Sri Radha’s servitors in the highest paramour madhura-rasa, as well as any transcendental hankering of the self-realised souls in Sri Vraja Dham, can indisputably be realised in Sri Vrajendra-nandan only – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 9]

Genuine Benefit
"‘Benefit to others’ means distributing the consciousness of Krishna to the souls who forgot Krishna. There is no happiness, no peace in this material world – we are only suffering from various miseries here. If we surrender to the Lord, we will not like anything in this external world anymore."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Thakura vaisnava-gana kari
'O worshippable Vaishnavs! I am submitting this prayer to you. I am very lowly and wretched. Providence has dunked me into this vast ocean of material existence – please grab me by the hair and pull me out to the shore!'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Krishna Consciousness: Love and Beauty
'We have to sacrifice ourselves for Krishna, because He is the absolute good, beauty, and love. Faith and selflessness are required to such a high degree. If we accept Krishna consciousness as our highest ideal, then so much sacrifice is necessary, but sacrifice means life: “Die to live.” There is no loss by sacrifice. We can only gain by giving ourselves.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Four, chanted on Tuesdays)
'Overcome with strong bouts of divine love surging through Him and becoming unconscious of the world around Him, He dances madly and chants kirtan; the tears streaming incessantly from His eyes flood His body, the colour of molten gold and tall as the mount Sumeru, His clothes, the colour of the newly risen sun, and the earth in all fourteen directions around Him; He glows as He chants, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’, shouts jumbled up words and relishes various postures and behaviours (roaring with laughter, etc.) under the influence of divine love – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 10]

Great Gift
"To distribute this Krishna-katha, Krishna personally comes in this Kali-yuga as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. There is no other religion except the gift of transcendental love, and there is no one else except Sri Gauranga who has ever given anything like this in this world!"

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Krpa kara vaisnava thakura
'Please be merciful, Vaishnav Thakur! May my ego go away by always worshipping you in full knowledge of the relationship. I pray to always remain your disciple and not accept worship from anyone.'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Saints, Scriptures, and Gurus
'We are in such an area. What is to be done? Try to get out. Try your best to get out of this mortal area. The saints inform us, “Come home dear friend, let us go home. Why are you suffering so much trouble unnecessarily in a foreign land?” The spiritual world is real; this material world is unreal: springing and vanishing, coming and going, it is a farce! From the world of farce we must come to reality.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Five, chanted on Wednesdays)
'He reveals (first, to Sri Sanatan and then to Prakasananda) sixty-two interpretations of the famous verse ‘Atmaramas cha… ittham-bhuta-guno harih’ (‘Even self-realised, self-satisfied souls are moved to worship the Lord’) from Srimad Bhagavatam; interpreting the various lexical meanings of the eleven words of this verse, juxtaposed in different ways, He reveals a treasure-mine of multitudinous meanings of this verse in consonance with the precepts of pure devotional conclusions – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

About His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj:

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj first joined the Krishna Consciousness Movement around 1970 in Europe, where he took shelter of the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. He remained there actively helping with the preaching activities until Srila Swami Maharaj asked him and many other disciples to go to India to help expand the Mission there. Seeing that this was very important service Srila Janardan Maharaj immediately went there and helped with his full energy.

After serving in India for two years, Srila Swami Maharaj conferred the sannyas ashram on him and thus he began to lead various preaching and collecting programs throughout the length and breadth of India.

After doing all he could in that environment, he was asked by Srila Swami Maharaj to organize the program in Hong Kong, then finding that Srila Janardan Maharaj was fluent in Spanish, he was dispatched to South America where he headed many preaching programs and finally took full charge of the large Mission in Mexico.

After the disappearance of Srila Swami Maharaj in 1977, Srila Janardan Maharaj continued to preach, publish and manage the mission, but in his heart, he felt something lacking. So in 1987, his internal inspiration sent him to the lotus feet of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, an intimate friend and associate of Srila Swami Maharaj and whom Srila Swami Maharaj had described as “My siksa-guru.” After establishing a deep, heart connection with Srila Sridhar Maharaj, he was given the sannyas title of Sripad Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj. Shortly after this, he purchased the first “owned” Temple of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Mexico and he also began to spend more time preaching and inspiring the devotees in the United States.

It was around this time that due to a financial crisis, the former San Jose Temple was lost. So with great endeavor, and under the instruction and guidance of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila Janardan Maharaj, together with Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram, were able to reestablish the San Jose Temple and a short while later, with the order and backing of Srila Govinda Maharaj, were able to purchase the magnificent Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram, located in the hills of Santa Cruz, California.

During this period, Srila Janardan Maharaj continued to travel and preach on behalf of Srila Govinda Maharaj and his relationship with him developed more and more and became deeper and deeper as the years went by. Srila Janardan Maharaj would visit India regularly and personally collected donations on behalf of the central Math. He would also participate in the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Nabadwip Dham parikrama in a glorious way bringing so much inspiration to the devotees and much joy to Srila Govinda Maharaj’s heart.

Finally, before leaving this world, Srila Govinda Maharaj declared in his Last Will and Testament “And in America Sripad Janardan Maharaj is a perfect personality. He is a perfect gentlemen. He will be Acharya. He is Acharya already but has given all the respect to me; I am giving in return to him. Sripad Janardan Maharaj will become the Acharya and Sevaite of the Soquel Math.” So, under Srila Govinda Maharaj’s instruction, Srila Janardan Maharaj has continued to care for and serve his divine mission.

(From Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram website)

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 11]

Enter the Land of Faith
"Leave material talks. We try to practise sadhu-sanga, but there is one very important matter. If you want to develop a proper mood in this good, saintly association, you have to enter the land of faith. When you practise something, you must have faith."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Ki-rupe paiba seva
'I am so vile – how will I ever get service? I have not got any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! O Master, you never see any fault in others, you are the saviour of the fallen. Please deliver Narottam this time!'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Fossilism vs. Subjective Evolution
'Science means not to extend the jurisdiction of exploitation, knowing fully well there will be a reaction. By extending the space of exploitation, we will also surely be exploited. If one knowingly commits an offense, then he is charged with more punishment. So, so-called scientific advancement is suicidal.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Six, chanted on Thursdays)
'Captivated by and afflicted with an intense feeling of separation, He runs swiftly to the simha-dvara gate of Lord Jagannathdev’s holy temple; the next moment He falls down on the spot, His holy figure transformed into that of a tortoise by the influence of deep separation; attracted by the uncommon divine fragrance emanating from His holy figure, the Telangi cows residing at the temple draw near, surrounding Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Sri Vasanta Panchami:

An extensive chapter "A HOLY DAY" from the Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion, Volume II, by Om Vishnupad Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

Holy Vasanta Panchami Day
"(1) Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi Prabhu was the incarnation of King Vrisabhanu, and he is a great Vaishnav. (2) Nobody has been able to trace when Sri Vishnupriya Devi left this world. We have not heard it mentioned anywhere in the scriptures. We only know the avirbhav of Sri Vishnupriya Devi..."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.2 Mb, 10 min | 14 February 2021)

• Sri Vishnupriya Devi:

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj's class on this day in 2019:

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Seven, chanted on Fridays)
'He is a holy embodiment of the beautiful reality which is beyond the reach of one’s eyes and ears, which paralyses the very necessity of intelligence and which leaves even firmly fixed consciousness dumbstruck when divine love surges up – even Brahma, Sambhu (Siva), as well as their revealed scriptures, Vedas and tantras cannot conceive of such reality, so they merely keep searching after Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 12]

Unchaste Faith
"This is Mahaprabhu’s conception. It is necessary to study His Siksastakam. ‘I want to have causeless devotion to You, O Lord, birth after birth. Even if I am born as an insect, may I be Your devotee.’"

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Dhana mora nityananda
'My wealth is Nityananda, my master is Gaurachandra, and my very life is the Divine Couple. Advaita Acharya is my strength, Gadadhar is my family, and Narahari is my play and pastimes.'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Origin of the Soul
'How does the soul first appear in this world? From what stage of spiritual existence does he fall into the material world? This is a broad question, which requires some background information. Because the soul is atomic, his freewill is imperfect and vulnerable. The result of that free choice is that some are coming into the material world, and some are going to the spiritual world. So, the responsibility is with the individual soul.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part One, chanted on Saturdays)
'Demigods, perfected souls, liberated souls, yogis and Lord’s devotees always sing His praise; He relieves the world from the blazing forest fire of three-fold miseries (caused by the desire for enjoyment, liberation and perfections) brought about by inauspicious actions (performed in aversion to the Supreme Lord); an ocean of generosity, He bestows His own Name from the nectarean storehouse of Lord Sri Krishna’s Names – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu:

Sri Advaita Astakam
'I surrender to Srila Advaita Acharya who sat on the bank of the Ganges and worshipped Lord Gaura, longing for His descend, with Ganges water, Tulasi leaves and flowers and deep, loving cries. Those who every morning recite this poem in praise of Sitanath Sri Advaita Acharya with affection and a pure mind, surrendering at his holy lotus feet, become dear to him.'

Sri Advaita Acharya Bhavan [From Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-Mukta-Mala]
An extensive article in glorification of Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu: "Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu is the main trunk of the wish-fulfilling tree of devotion. He has two other names, Mangal and Kamalaksa. After his parents departed, he went to Sri Vrindavan, becoming immersed in the worship of Lord Krishna. Later, he returned to Shantipur, and his manifestation (his glory) became known in Nabadwip."

Mad Nimai Pandita [From the Golden Volcano of Divine Love]
"Advaita Acarya was a great scholar and the most senior among Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's followers. He appeared in Navagrama in Sri Hatta, in the eastern province of Bengal, and resided in Santipura..."

Love for Guru, Not Yourself
"To test Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Advaita Prabhu one time started preaching mayavadi conception, and Mahaprabhu came to his house and beat him. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explained the glory of Sri Advaita Prabhu...."
• Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 7 min | 14 June 2020)

The Eyes to See, the Heart to Feel
"In Mahaprabhu's time, Advaita Prabhu had a son called Achyutananda. One day, when Mahaprabhu came to Advaita Prabhu's house, Achyutananda asked his father..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | 18 June 2010)

31 JANUARY 2021 [SITALPUR | PART 13]

A Test of Faith
"You say, ‘I cannot do it,’ but gurudev thinks you are fit to do it and tells you to do it, then you must do the service, you must try your best. It is necessary to leave everything to Krishna. This is what faith is, that is what surrender is."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Mana tumi tirthe sada rata
'O mind! You are always attached to places of pilgrimage. I never go to a place of pilgrimage if there is no Vaishnav in that place – what is the use walking so far? Vrindavan is where Vaishnavs are – in such places, there is no end of joy.'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Knowledge Above Mortality
'When knowledge comes in connection with the absolute, it loses its filthy characteristic. Then we can have full knowledge, which will lead us to prema-bhakti, love of God. Everything is meant for Krishna. He is the only enjoyer of everything. He is the absolute autocrat, and He is the absolute good. We are all His servants, and everything is meant for His satisfaction. We must come to this understanding.'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Two, chanted on Sundays)
'Very tall, beautiful and infused with divine love, His holy form increases gods’ joy; the lustre of His body, which puts millions of golden lotuses to shame, is worshipped by the Moon; and His intrinsic form is a holy abode of divine pastimes manifest as eternal ever-increasing transcendental ecstatic transformations that spring up as He revels dancing in Sri Krishna-sankirtan – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

3 FEBRUARY 2021 [NRISINGHA PALLI | PART 1]

Have You Forgotten?
"We must engage our hearts, our minds and entire beings in service. How many people can serve their guru, can serve their Lord in this way? What we do is mostly karma instead of service. It is necessary to serve the Lord, the guru and Vaishnavs with all our hearts."

• SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI •

SRI VAISHNAV VANDANA: Bhaja re bhaja re amar
'O my extremely foolish mind! Serve, serve the Lord! Serve Radha-Krishna’s lotus feet in Vrindavan. Embracing the pure path of divine love, stop pursuing knowledge and material life! If you want to live in Vraja, remember sadhu followers of Sri Rupa.'

• SEARCH FOR SRI KRISHNA REALITY THE BEAUTIFUL •

Six Philosophies of India
'Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the nineteenth century founder of the Krishna consciousness movement, sings in one song: “O my Lord Krishna, I see that everything is available in Your world, which has an infinite, variegated nature. Separated from You, however, we are always feeling miseries. A continuous flow of suffering has swallowed us from birth to death, and we cannot tolerate the pain of such misery. And so many relief agents: Kapila, Patanjali, Gautama, Kanada, Jaimini, Buddha, are running towards us, offering their solutions.”'

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Three, chanted on Mondays)
'He ardently preached that service performed in various divine relationships (from dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya- to madhura-rasa) and the (paramount) service beauty of Sri Radha’s servitors in the highest paramour madhura-rasa, as well as any transcendental hankering of the self-realised souls in Sri Vraja Dham, can indisputably be realised in Sri Vrajendra-nandan only – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Srila Madhva Acharya:

"Madhvacharya also stayed here with his disciples for some time as a resident of the Nabadwip Dham. Gauranga-sundar mercifully revealed His most enchanting form to him a dream. Smiling, Gaurachandra said to him, 'Everyone knows that you are My eternal servant. When I appear in Nabadwip, I will follow your lineage. Now, carefully eradicate illusionism and false scriptures from all regions, and establish the glory of the Lord's Deity form. Later, I will develop your pure conception.' Saying this, Gaurachandra disappeared. Madhvacharya awoke and then fainted. He cried, wondering, 'Will I ever see that beautiful golden form again?' Then a divine voice came from the clear sky, 'Serve Me secretly, and you will come to Me.' Madhvacharya became resolute and defeated the mayavadis in all directions."

From Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya, Chapter 15

In honour of the forthcoming grand festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day (this Saturday):

— { YEAR 2015 } —

Arriving at Sri Ekachakra Dham
"Today, by our great fortune we have arrived here at Sri Ekachakra Dham, the land of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. The Lord Himself appeared here as Nityananda Prabhu, a son of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati..."

Varaha Avatar
"Today is the day when we must worship Varahadev. He is the master of Koladwip, so today at the time of His worship we must make a special offering. The Lord took the form of a boar and killed Hiranyaksa..."

Disturbance In Service A short educational story that illustrates that there is no need to be afraid of obstacles. Even opposing elements can be seen as favourable.

Ekachakra Festival: Attachment To Prasadam
"The festival in Ekachakra this year was very successful, and we are also very happy that we could give some prasadam to the devotees. Yesterday by the evening everything had finished, but still, at 5-6 o'clock people came asking for a drop of prasadam."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 8 min | 3 February 2015)

The Supreme and the Tiny
"Who Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and Srimati Radharani will take service from, that is Their matter, but we should try heart and soul. We must do our duty."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 9 min | 3 February 2015)

Photographs taken during the Festival:

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Varaha Dvadasi (Morning)
Pictures of a chilly late winter morning at Sri Ekachakra temple of Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda on the adhivas day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day and Varaha Dvadasi, the appearance of Lord Varahadev.

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Varaha Dvadasi (Noon arati and prasad seva)
As the day unfolds, a few hundred devotees arrive at the Math, and are just in time for the noon arati and prasad seva.

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Varaha Dvadasi (Evening arati and class)
The busy day ends with a crowded arati, temple parikrama, and the lengthy class by His Divine Grace Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj and the assembled Vaishnavs.

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Appearance Day of Sri Nityananda
To the joy of all the devotees worldwide, the day has come when the most merciful Lord has made His advent in the sweet and peaceful surroundings of Sri Ekachakra Dham. Fortunate are those who celebrate this day with joy, fortunate are those who come to witness this joy of the Vaishnavs.

— { YEAR 2016 } —

Sri Ekachakra Dham: History and Glory
"Our fortune is very good—we have come to the holy Dham of Nityananda Prabhu. You cannot come here unless you have a great fortune. Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day is on Saturday, but we do not know, we cannot recognise who will join the festival..."
• Download / listen to the audio (7.7 Mb, 23 min)

At Nityananda Prabhu's Feet
"Today in a very beautiful way we have concluded the celebration of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's appearance festival. It is not every day that we can come to the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu: we must pray to the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 9 min)

Photographs taken during the Festival:

From Sri Ekachakra Dham (25 photographs, 1.8 Mb)
One day is left before the festivals begin and we are sharing drops of service activities here at Sri Ekachakra Dham, performed under the guidance and for the pleasure of the embodiment of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's mercy, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj.

From Sri Ekachakra Dham: Sri Varaha Dvadasi (47 photos, 3.8 Mb)
As the devotees keep on arriving, the atmosphere becomes more and more festive—joyful smiles, warm embraces, humble obeisances and sweet words are the ornaments of the Vaishnav family of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Everyone is so very happy to reunite with Vaishnavs, friends and family and celebrate the most auspicious appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu in the shelter of the cooling shade of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj's lotus feet. Despite the unusual for this time of the year heat this year, the days here pass in busy and peaceful service and association: devotees clean the temple and paraphernalia, decorate the temple, prepare the huge pots and subji tubs to again serve during the festival, and do many other services. Everybody is eagerly looking forward to tomorrow's parikrama around the Holy Dham of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu that should start at about 10 a.m. after the morning programme, grand arati, and honouring prasadam (breaking the fast).

Appearance Day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Ekachakra
(55 photographs, 5.6 Mb)
This most auspicious day is spent in happy and peaceful service and nourishing Hari-katha here at Sri Ekachakra Dham. Throughout the day His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj speaks to the assembled devotees, telling about the pastimes of the Lord and describing at length the way to attain Lord Nityananda's mercy.

— { YEAR 2017 } —

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Exclusive Land
"By the mercy of our Gurupadpadma, by a great fortune, we have arrived today at the holy land of Nityananda Prabhu. If you want to get the Lord, you must want the mercy of Lord Nityananda—without His mercy we cannot proceed, cannot progress in our spiritual life."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 8 min | 7 February 2017)

Cry and Call, "Doyal Nitai!"
"Who will give mercy to such a low fallen soul as myself except Nityananda? Except Nityananda, there is no one in this world who can give mercy to me. We must worship this Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.3 Mb, 12 min | 7 February 2017)

Clean Heart, Open Door
"We are sitting in the nat mandir and this is not a place for idle talks. If you engage yourself in sravan and kirtan, then all dirt from your heart will go away, but if you do not clean the dirt from your heart, Bhakti Devi will never come there."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 8 min | Bengali | 8 February 2017)

Nityananda: Our All in All
"It is necessary to always meditate on this in your heart: 'When will Nitaichand give His mercy to me? When will my desires become insignificant? When will Nityananda be merciful to me and relieve me from the material illusion?'"
• Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 7 min | Bengali | 8 February 2017)

Mercy Through Surrender and Service
"There is only one way how to get out of this suffering—we must take shelter of the lotus feet of Nitai. We must not use Nitai, we must serve Him. Only when you serve Him can you get His mercy."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 8 min | Bengali | 8 February 2017)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pandav Tala
"There is also Pandav tala near our temple. When the Pandavs were exiled from their kingdom, they started travelling to many different places, and when a few years passed, they came here to Ekachakra..."

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

Photographs taken during the Festival:

Arriving | Sri Ekachakra Festival 2017
(24 photographs, 1.5 Mb | 7 February 2017)
This morning, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, accompanied by about fifteen devotees, arrives from Sri Nabadwip Dham in Sri Ekachakra Dham to observe the holy appearance day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

Sri Varaha Dvadasi | Sri Ekachakra Festival 2017
(40 photographs, 3 Mb | 8 February 2017)
Photographs of Sri Varaha Dvadasi, paran and Sri Nityananda Trayodasi adhivas observed at Sri Ekachakra Dham in the shade of the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj.

Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance Day
(68 photographs, 5.4 Mb | 9 February 2017)
The most auspicious festival of the appearance day of Lord Nityananda is observed smoothly and happily here at Sri Ekachakra Dham. We bow down at the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj and pray for his causeless mercy to get the ability to appreciate and worship this day properly.

Final Day | Sri Ekachakra Festival 2017
(32 photographs, 2 Mb | 10 February 2017)
Taking the footdust of Sri Gurupadpadma Sri Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, devotees slowly start leaving and yet one more annual festival at Sri Ekachakra Dham draws to its end leaving the devotees nourished and yet hungry for the mercy of Lord Nityananda.

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Four, chanted on Tuesdays)
'Overcome with strong bouts of divine love surging through Him and becoming unconscious of the world around Him, He dances madly and chants kirtan; the tears streaming incessantly from His eyes flood His body, the colour of molten gold and tall as the mount Sumeru, His clothes, the colour of the newly risen sun, and the earth in all fourteen directions around Him; He glows as He chants, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’, shouts jumbled up words and relishes various postures and behaviours (roaring with laughter, etc.) under the influence of divine love – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

In honour of Srila Ramanuja Acharya:

Service: Faith and Surrender
"Gurudev told the story of Dhanur Das and his wife, Ramanuja Acharya's disciples, and how they maintained their family life..."

How to See the Guru: Chastity
"Ramanuja Acharya heard there was a Guru in Alwar (South India). He came to that Guru and asked, 'You know one mantra that can give liberation. I want to get this mantra...'"

Odds and Ends: Ramanuja Acharya's bed
"One time Ramanuja Acharya he went to Tirupati and stayed one month at one ashram there. He had a good servitor called Govinda who always served him..."

Unswerving Devotion
"I will tell you some examples of Guru-seva. There cannot be anything more important in your life than this. You must always remember this, then you will get supreme benefit. I always pray to the Lord that you may get relief from the illusory environment and come to serve the Lord."

In honour of the forthcoming grand festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day (this Saturday):

— { YEAR 2018 } —

Our Hope and Heart-Felt Gratitude
"By the mercy of our Gurupadpadma, by a great fortune, we have arrived today at the holy land of Nityananda Prabhu. If you want to get the Lord, you must want the mercy of Lord Nityananda—without His mercy we cannot proceed, cannot progress in our spiritual life."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 8 min | 26 January 2018)

Learn from Mahajanas
"When I read about mahajanas (life history of many highly qualified gurus), I see how their life went and how difficult it was in so many ways. We can learn from them—we can learn to be humble, to be tolerant and give honour to others."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 8 min | 26 January 2018)

Seeking Mercy
"Be humble and try to understand the proper teachings that Gurudev gave you, and preach in this way. We did not come to this world for buildings or other things. Wherever we live, we must follow spiritual practice, that is the main thing in our spiritual life."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | 26 January 2018)

Revealing Nityananda Prabhu
"Chandrasekhar Acharya and Srivas Pandit went to search for Nityananda Prabhu, but they were unable to find Him because Nityananda's glories are actually very guro—very sacred and of a very high level. It is not easy to find Him."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min | 26 January 2018)

Mahaprabhu's Stay in Shantipur
"Nityananda Prabhu understood devotees' feeling and somehow managed to take Mahaprabhu to Shantipur instead of taking Him straight to Vrindavan. In Shantipur, Mahaprabhu gave lecture, He sang and danced the whole day and night without stop..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 8 min | 26 January 2018)

Preaching Ideal
"Our duty is to learn what the main teachings of Mahaprabhu are. For as many days you are alive in this world, you must preach Krishna-katha, Gauranga-katha, Guru-katha, Guru Maharaj's katha. If you preach that, what is the need for you to worry about your future?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 4 min | 26 January 2018)

Learn and Distribute
"You must learn from Visvanath Chakravarti, from Prabodhananda Saraswati, from Gopal Bhatta Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami. If you learn what they teach, what they do, what their lifestyle is like, you can understand everything easily then."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 5 min | 26 January 2018)

Great Good Fortune
"By the mercy of Guru and Vaishnavs, by the mercy of the Lord, we have arrived in this Sri Ekachakra Dham where our most beloved Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared. This is not a matter of small fortune—not everybody gets such fortune."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 10 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Bhava-Rog Doctor
"When you get sick, you see a doctor—the doctor gives you medicine, you take it and get well. Here, to cure your disease of material existence, the doctor actually comes to your house and tells you what things you must avoid to remove your illusory environment."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 3 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Foster Devotional Feelings
"What do I want? I do not want wealth, knowledge, beautiful companions—all these things that the outside people are so proud of... If you run behind the illusory environment—enjoyment and liberation—Krishna will give it to you, but what will you think after that?"
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Association and Assimilation
"Remember Nityananda Prabhu's tolerance and patience. If somebody tells you something bad, you become upset, you get angry, but this is not your conception—your Gurudev never taught you this, Nityananda Prabhu never taught you this."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 8 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Enthusiasm for Service
"It is necessary to do eternal daily service with sincerity. 'How can I use myself in the service of the lotus feet of my Gurudev? What service can be done through me?' We must think about this at every moment. We must live thinking about this."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

All Loss, All Gain
"There are so many people, so gurus—they all stand in one line, but Bhakti Devi is guarding the door and does not let anyone enter. Bhakti Devi will let on the boat only those who have devotion, who have earned the qualification, who have the ticket, and others will be denied entry, they will have to go back."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Crest Jewel
"Mahaprabhu gave Gaura-dham, Gaura-nam—He gave everything to Nityananda Prabhu. It is by the unlimited mercy of this Nityananda Prabhu that we have come to His dham and have got this opportunity to chant His glories. Come, come for Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Capital Misjudgement
"A thief thinks every man steals. We think that everyone is like us. Some shave their heads during the shraddha ceremony and some shave their heads on Nityananda trayodasi—do you think it is the same?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Muddled Mind
"Srila Prabhupad also told another story about Lalu and Kalu. We are like that too—even though we are taught to chant the Holy Name, but nobody wants to say Hare Krishna."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Clasping for Shelter
"It is said that Nityananda Prabhu is actually very hidden (esoteric)—it is very difficult to find Him. Unless one is a very fortunate soul, one can never find Him."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

You Be an Instrument
"Gurudev and the Lord are the drivers and we are only Their instruments. If you serve Vaishnavs, then the Lord Himself will come to serve you—the Lord Himself will come and do the service through you. It is necessary to have such faith, to always think about this."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 8 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Hidden Practice and Broad Preaching
"We pray to you—wherever you go, wherever you stay, only chant Krishna's Name, chant 'Nitai Gaura Hari bol' to yourself. You do not need to show anything to others. If people criticise you, it will be your offence. You must keep your spiritual practice to yourself."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Love to Death
"When the ego of servitors increases, the Lord can get annoyed. It happened to Uddhav Maharaj also—he thought, 'I always stay with Krishna, I am a big devotee!' but the Lord showed him that the gopis were the greatest devotees. But what are nowadays' wives like?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 27 January 2018)

Ditching the World
"We have come here by a great fortune. Not everybody can come here. We must take the dust of this place, we must take prasad at this place. Do you see our condition? We must cry, 'When will material attachment be removed from my heart? When will that happen?'"
• Download / listen to the audio (5.2 Mb, 15 min | Bengali | 29 January 2018)

Masterminding the Escape
"If you take a tip of a hair and divide it ten thousand times, this is the size of the soul—but we are so proud, we think we are so great. It is all useless. Only if you get the mercy of sadhus and Guru, can Maya be defeated. Otherwise not. Maya always surrounds us."
• Download / listen to the audio (4 Mb, 12 min | Bengali | 29 January 2018)

Look for Purity
"You have two cups with milk. Both look the same, but if you drink one you will get nourishment and if you drink the other one that has snake poison in it you will die. If you hear the Holy Name, you will get benefit, but if you hear Nama-aparadh, you will die."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 11 min | Bengali | 29 January 2018)

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Sakti
"The Lord has tried to save the souls bounded by maya in so many ways in this Kali-yuga. He was the only child of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Devi and He left them when He was twelve. Later, He was introduced to Jahnava Devi."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.7 Mb, 14 min | Bengali | 29 January 2018)

Photographs taken during the Festival:

Arriving at Sri Ekachakra Dham
His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj brings fortunate devotees to the land of Sri Ekachakra Dham to celebrate the annual festival in honour of the appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu.

Morning and Noon at Sri Ekachakra Dham
The morning and afternoon pass busily as devotees prepare for the festival. More and more family members begin to flock and everybody happily meets each other—with obeisances, embraces and joyful hearts, happy to be brought back, happy to again get devotee association.

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

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

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

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Five, chanted on Wednesdays)
'He reveals (first, to Sri Sanatan and then to Prakasananda) sixty-two interpretations of the famous verse ‘Atmaramas cha… ittham-bhuta-guno harih’ (‘Even self-realised, self-satisfied souls are moved to worship the Lord’) from Srimad Bhagavatam; interpreting the various lexical meanings of the eleven words of this verse, juxtaposed in different ways, He reveals a treasure-mine of multitudinous meanings of this verse in consonance with the precepts of pure devotional conclusions – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

SRI EKADASI GUIDANCE

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.

Renunciation of Cowards and Misers
[By Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj]
'What we need is yukta-vairagya: we shall take from the store of Krishna to keep ourselves fit and to do service. It is Krishna's account, and if we do not do that, we will be separatists, mayavadis, renunciationists. We must render maximum service to Krishna, so we must take without any hesitation whatever is necessary to make ourselves fit for the service; otherwise, we 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)

In honour of the forthcoming grand festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day (this Saturday):

— { YEAR 2019 } —

Remembering Our Fortune
"We have come here by the mercy of Gurudev, by the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Without their mercy we cannot be present here. Out of His mercy, Nityananda Prabhu has given us some small place at his birthplace where we can stay."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 7 min | 14 February 2019)

Place of Pivotal Pastimes
"Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj was empowered to protect and distribute Sri Rupa-Raghunath line. He came here in Sri Ekachakra Dham before starting to take disciples, and every year he would send some small donation for the service of Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 8 min | 14 February 2019)

First Memories of Sri Ekachakra Dham
"I had heard Ekachakra's name before and wanted to come here many times, but when I told about it to Gurudev, he said, 'What will you go there for?' Later, in 2004, Gurudev finally allowed it—he said, 'You can go with devotees and do some parikrama there.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 6 min)

His Mercy Is Essential
"Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is essential in our lives. Mahaprabhu showed that it is not so easy to find this kind of personality, but Mahaprabhu found Him easily because They are very intimate."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 6 min)

His Service Is Essential
"We must be humble, tolerant and we must give honour to others. It is necessary. Chant with heart and soul—it is necessary to serve Nityananda Prabhu with heart and soul."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 6 min)

Servant or Merchant?
"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that instead of serving Gurudev, Nityananda Prabhu, Krishna, we make Them serve us—we must not make Nityananda Prabhu, Gurudev our servants. Do not make Guru and Krishna your servant, a bribe-taker."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 14 February 2019)

Serve Nitai without Deceit
"By the mercy of Gurudev we have got an opportunity to serve this place—Nityananda Prabhu's appearance place—we must take advantage of this opportunity. We must understand how necessary it is to serve Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and His devotees."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 15 February 2019)

Nitaichand: Spotless Moon
"It is said that if someone cannot understand the character of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, then they are making so much offence—because of that devotion can be removed from her or him."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min)

Nitaichand: Our Eternal Shelter
"We cannot conceive of it, but Guru-Nityananda is our eternal shelter. Gurudev is the eternal shelter of our life. Unless we can understand what the reality is, there is no other way for us to get relief from suffering."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 5 min)

Nitaichand: Our Only Hope
"Our only hope is Sri Guru-Nityananda—if we serve Their lotus feet, we can increase our devotion, our spiritual life. That is the main thing about Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min)

Beware Imitation
"If you follow Narottam Das Thakur's advice, this is good, but if you think you want to do what Narottam Das Thakur did, if you want to become Narottam, then it is a very big problem. Do not imitate Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.7 Mb, 2 min)

Householders' Hypocrisy
"People think, 'If I become a sannyasi, I may fall down later, so better I become a householder!' Those who are interested in spiritual life do not live like that. One can never prosper or develop their spiritual life by hypocrisy."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min)

Bhakti Siddhanta Vani
"'How can we get qualities of a Vaishnav?' Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur told that many people do not want to be servants of Vaishnavs, but they want to be Vaishnavs—he said it is impossible to become a Vaishnav without service to a Vaishnav's servant."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.9 Mb, 3 min)

Eternal Rememberance
"When you remember devotees' pastimes, your heart becomes clean in this way—and this must be eternal. Sincerity is necessary. The main thing is 'kirtana prabhave smarana haibe'—you can remember the Lord's and the Lord's devotees' pastime through kirtan."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.6 Mb, 5 min)

Engage Yourself In Service
"Why are you afraid of me? If somebody is making some offence inside or doing something wrong, they will be afraid of me, otherwise no one should be afraid of me. I am sometimes angry with those who do not follow properly, but other than that I am not an angry man."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min)

Worship Nityananda
'You have arrived at the holy abode of Lord Nityananda Prabhu as the result of great fortune. If you discuss what Srila Narottam Das Thakur, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami wrote, you will see how they describe the qualities and pastimes of Nityananda Prabhu, and if you study these things, you will understand how necessary Nityananda Prabhu is in our lives.'

Immerse Yourself in Exclusive Worship
'Do not follow your mind. What we practise is not the kirtan you find in this world – it is not the kirtan that is chanted to please your mind and the minds of others or for the sake of flowery words; this kind of kirtan cannot bring your highest benefit.'

Fill Your Heart with Kirtan
'If you do not want to fall prey to Maya, if you do not want to live in Maya's bondage, then you must always chant kirtan. Not only once a day, not only one time! You must always chant. We must genuinely hold onto Nitai's feet. It will not do if you just clasp His feet and then sit aside.'

Mahaprabhu's Caution
'How necessary Nityananda Prabhu is in our lives! We must understand it. We must know why we worship Nityananda Prabhu. Seeing His external behaviour and clothes, people called Nityananda Prabhu "avadhut". Externally, "avadhut" is a person who does not follow any rules, who is beyond any standards or rules of this world; and internally, "avadhut" means He who can clean dirty, bad things – who can rescue and clean the fallen.'

Adjust Your Aspiration
'Many of us want to become Vaishnavs, but we do not know how one becomes a Vaishnav. Many want to become Vaishnavs without serving Vaishnavs, but Srila Prabhupad says that without service to Vaishnavs, you can never become a Vaishnav.'

Meaning and Value of Fortune
'When Srila Raghunath Das Goswami fell at Nityananda Prabhu's holy feet in a prostrate obeisance, and Nityananda Prabhu put His feet on Raghunath Das Goswami's head. Nityananda Prabhu also kicked Sivananda Sen! He also sent Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, an elderly brahman, to Vrindavan. What does it mean?'

Have You Found What You Are Looking For?
'We have lost our address, but the Lord is searching for us everywhere. There is a book called Loving Search for the Lost Servant: we are the Lord's lost children, but we have lost our Lord, so we are now searching for the Lord, and the Lord is also wandering everywhere, looking for us.'

Follow and Preach
'It is not necessary to think about the water of a whole ocean – you can drink a glass of water and your thirst will be satiated. So, when we have our gurudev, Vaishnavs, the Lord and Nityananda Prabhu, what else do we need then?'

Our Real Necessity
'In this world, there is much greed, lust, etc. for many things, but if we can leave this greed aside and practise Krishna consciousness, if we can serve devotees, if we can serve Nityananda Prabhu, then we will get the highest benefit. There are some spiritual things in this world, and if we come in touch with those things, then we will understand what the main gist, the main essence is.'

Seek Soul's Fulfilment
'The mind and the soul are not the same. The soul is a particle of the Lord – what does the soul want? The soul wants to serve Paramatma, and the soul knows what the Lord wants – the mind does not know it. The soul is a particle of the Lord, but the mind is not (the mind is not related to the Lord).'

Stay on Right Track
'Unless you practise Krishna consciousness, you can never get rid of anarthas. When other thoughts come to your mind, when bad thoughts come to your mind, when you are anxious because of some trouble, always loudly chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and kirtan. Sing loudly, strongly. If you do this, all evils within you will diminish.'

Genuine Advice of Genuine Guru
'We are in great danger – we have fallen into this ocean of material existence. Wake up! Wake up! Do not waste your time! You must think about Nityananda Prabhu, you must think about your guru, you must think about your service. There is no time at all for all those other things. We must always talk only about Krishna.'

style="padding-top:20px" Sincere, Firm and Ardent
'Faith (the strongest faith) is the most important thing in our spiritual life. We must ardently pray at Nitai's feet and always remain firm. You must love with your heart. External show of love is not love! We must love our guru with our hearts, we must have sincere love for Nitai's holy feet. Such love must come to us.'

Immerse Your Life in Kirtan
'You have heard glorification of Nityananda Prabhu, and you must also chant these kirtans yourself. You think, "You all sing, and I will listen." It will not do. You must sing yourself. If I eat, will your stomach be full?'

Gayatri Initiation
'I am giving you initiation now, and I do not want to ever hear that you behave like chandals in your speech and actions. Even if somebody tells you something, you must tolerate everything.'

The Holy Sannyas Order
"You are all already serving Gurudev, and I am only helping you by giving you this sannyas. I know you took initiation and shelter from Gurudev many years ago and you have been doing much service in his mission, but now the time has come to take more and more service."

Students' Chastity
'If you want to get Nityananda Prabhu's mercy, you have to put up with some austerity. The Lord is testing your tolerance. This king of material world is a place of examination for devotees. We all must pass this examination.'

Parikrama Outline
'Remember these things. You must grasp them and keep them in your hearts. You must not listen to Hari-katha with your mind – you must listen to it with your hearts. It must get through your ears to your hearts, and when you later speak about these things, they should come out of your hearts to your mouths, then it will be sravan and kirtan.'

We Cannot Ignore Nityananda Prabhu
'If we ignore Nityananda Prabhu, all our spiritual life, all our practices and attempts will become as false as a mere dream. Nityananda Prabhu is so very necessary in our lives! If we cannot understand this, then all our attempts, all our spiritual life is a dream-like farce – there is nothing left then. We want Nitai's mercy!'

Reaching Out to Nityananda Prabhu
'You have been living in your family your whole life, wasting time. We ended up in this world because we chose to live in Maya's family, but we must try to come out of it and become members of Krishna's family. That is why we must cry, "When will Nityananda Prabhu take pity on me? When will this illusory environment let go of me?"'

Dasya-Abhiman
'This is not something that we say only with our mouth – we must always serve the Lord with heart and soul. Many of us do not know these things. We say that we have taken initiation from our gurudev, but our initiation is just a show. That is why we cannot become genuine servitors of our gurudev and cannot serve our gurudev properly.'

Be Sincere and Serious
'We must live following gurudev's instruction. You are always thinking about your own interest, about material world, but is there time left for all that? A few more days, and your time will be up. How long do you think you will live in this world? You can leave this world at any moment. There is no time! We must aways practise Krishna consciousness.'

Worship Nitai!
'There will be another festival next year and you will be thinking about Nityananda Prabhu, but you must not think about Nityananda Prabhu only a year later. Even when you go to your houses, you must always call out to Him, "Doyal Nitai! Doyal Nitai!" Will you do it? Call out to Him and cry, shed tears. We need Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. If you serve Nityananda Prabhu, I will always stay with you.'

Illusion of Devotion
'Service to devotees is the root of devotion. If a tree has no root, it cannot live; in the same way, without service to devotees, there can be no hope to come to the Lord or to even know the Lord. Many people sing kirtans, but how many people actually practise what they sing, tell me?'

Vaishnavs' Qualities
'Many people want to become Vaishnavs without serving Vaishnavs, but it is not possible to become a Vaishnav without service to Vaishnavs, just as it is not possible to become a devotee without service to devotees. When you serve devotees or Vaishnavs, you become a devotee or a Vaishnav yourself.'

Who Are You Serving?
'We live in this world as servants and maidservants of Maya! By the mercy of\ the guru and Krishna, some fortunate souls get the seed of the devotional creeper. But there are many gurus and sadhus roaming this world to satisfy their own senses and desires – they never think about your benefit.'

Learn to Appreciate Service
'How can you get the right to serve Krishna? Whom does Krishna belong to? He belongs to Radharani, and Radharani is non-different from the guru, so it is only the guru who can give you the right to serve Lord Krishna. We must learn what genuine Krishna consciousness is. Krishna consciousness is not something you do for one day – it is necessary to have sincerity.'

Lesson for Householder Devotees
'I am telling all the householder devotees that you must learn how to live a proper life. Learn from the example of Srivas Pandit's devotion. Mahaprabhu told all householder devotees, "Make sure that not a single day passes without chanting the Holy Name and without vaishnav-seva." How do you do vaishnav-seva? Does it mean feed Vaishnavs every day?'

Covering Up Prejudices
'These are all misconceptions; these are the things going on in this world. If these things did not exist, how would the guru business run then? If everybody was to hear Srila Prabhupad's teachings of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, then all this would go away – they would not be such people in this world.'

Devotion to Devotion
'Real grihasthas are not devoted to their homes – they are devoted to Krishna. Real sannyasis are those who do not renounce Krishna and kasna (servant of Krishna) – they live as members of Krishna's family, or they are attached to the house of the Lord and His devotees.'

Approaching Nityananda
'I am very low! I am lower than Jagai, Madhai, outcasts and Muslim people! I do not have any qualities. I have committed too many sins in my life, that is why Nityananda Prabhu will not give me His mercy!'

Ardent Appeal
'If you can understand the meaning of what we have been singing just now, you will like it very much. Take Sri Nityananda Mahimarita with you and read these songs – sing them every day at home. Singing them just once will not do; you must sing them every day.'

How to Attain Mercy
'Not everybody can find Him. Nityananda Prabhu is a very hidden, esoteric personality. Everybody is looking for the treasure of divine love, but not everybody finds it – everybody finds treasures of lust, treasures of Maya, but it is not so easy to find the treasure of divine love.'

Nityananda Prabhu's Campaign
'Nityananda Prabhu would embrace and give divine love to the untouchable, the worst kinds of people. He never considered who is high and who is low – He rescued everything. Today is the appearance day of this Nityananda Prabhu...'

Varahadev's Appearance
'Today, the Lord appeared as Varahadev, assumed the form of a boar. Lord Varahadev is actually Lord Narayana or Vishnu. The original form of Lord Narayan or Vishnu is four-armed. I told you earlier that the body of the Lord is one but it manifests itself as two forms...'

Vishnu, Krishna and Nitai
'If you understand this, nobody will be able to defeat you. Otherwise, people will say, "Oh, Vishnu and Krishna are the same", or, if you go even lower, people say, "Oh, Kali and Krishna are the same!" What kinds of things people say!'

Raghunath's Release
'Srila Raghunath Das Goswami tried to come to Mahaprabhu again and again, but he could not come to Him. Only having got Nityananda Prabhu's mercy could Srila Raghunath Das Goswami finally get service to Mahaprabhu.'

Flow of Nityananda Prabhu's Mercy
'There was one more person who received Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's mercy in a very wonderful way. That person is Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami. Although he had never personally met Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, he received Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. How?'

Shower of Nityananda Prabhu's Mercy
'If somebody ever says anything about Nitai behind His back, they will have no relief in this world – there is nobody in this world who can save them! Go and be careful, and tell everyone what you have heard from Me.'

Photographs taken during the Festival:

Arriving in Sri Ekachakra Dham
At long last, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj arrives in Sri Ekachakra Dham bringing devotees for the annual festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day. To participate and witness the innumerable services and devotional programmes at this very special place, devotees start flocking from all over the world.

From Sri Ekachakra Dham
The day before the beginning of the festival is filled with service: devotees clean the Temple and Smriti Kunja buildings, cook, set rooms and welcome the fortunate devotees coming for Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's festival as His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj gives morning and evening classes and goes out for collection in the afternoon.

Auspicious Morning in Sri Ekachakra Dham
Photographs from a very special morning in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat: our family is rejoicing at seeing three new generals taking up the vows and order of renounced life to dedicate their holy lives to the service of the holy lotus feet of Sri Gurupadpadma. With joy and hopeful pride, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj confers sannyas order onto Rohini Nandan Prabhu (Venezuela), Vesudev Krishna Prabhu (India/Malaysia), and Vraja Kishor Prabhu (Venezuela/UK).

Evening Programme in Sri Ekachakra Dham
Photographs taken during the evening programme: with most of the devotees having arrived from all corners of India, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj is quite pleased with the grand attendance of the festival.

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's Festival in Sri Ekachakra Dham
Photographs from the grand annual festival in honour of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance observed in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat in the shade of the holy lotus feet of Sri Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj.

Concluding the Festival in Sri Ekachakra Dham
Much to the joy and satisfaction of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, the festival has passed in a smooth and happy mood, with an unprecedented attendance this year. Today, having relished kirtans, sadhu-sanga, and holy service to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs, the festival finishes and the devotees start leaving Sri Ekachakra Dham. His Divine Grace repeatedly asks everyone to always remember Sriman Nityananda Prabhu—not only one-two days a year during the festival, but day after day, to cry and pray to Lord Nityananda Prabhu all the time: "You have your Guru, you have your Nityananda Prabhu, what else do you need?"

Evening Programme in Sri Ekachakra Dham
Photographs taken during the evening arati of Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda Prabhu and the class of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj during which His Divine Grace gives final guidance on proper practice of Krishna consciousness for the devotees to keep it in their hearts while serving at their homes.

Sri Sri Prema-Dhama Deva Stotram (Part Six, chanted on Thursdays)
'Captivated by and afflicted with an intense feeling of separation, He runs swiftly to the simha-dvara gate of Lord Jagannathdev’s holy temple; the next moment He falls down on the spot, His holy figure transformed into that of a tortoise by the influence of deep separation; attracted by the uncommon divine fragrance emanating from His holy figure, the Telangi cows residing at the temple draw near, surrounding Him – I am singing in praise of this beautiful Lord Sri Gauranga-sundar, a worshippable Deity of divine love.'

His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj's Holy Guidance:

"The holy appearance day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu is coming soon—there will be a big festival in Ekachakra on Nityananda Prabhu's trayodasi tithi. Ekachakra is the birthplace of Nityananda Prabhu, and we have a temple of Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda Prabhu there that was founded on the appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu.

"We are inviting you all to join this festival—if you cannot come physically, you can join this festival through your heart, through your mind. I know that you cannot come for the Ekachakra festival this year [...] but you must observe this day from your house. Make glorification of Nityananda Prabhu, speak about His glories, make some good prasadam for Nityananda Prabhu. Observe this day in this way, it will be good for you. You can make this festival from your house, you can remember this day very nicely. The festival is on [...] a working day, but what can you do? Make the festival in the evening or in the morning then, it will be good, but you must remember Sriman Nityananda Prabhu all day, it will be good for you. We are very fallen souls – we cannot proceed in our spiritual life without Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. Therefore, we must remember Nityananda Prabhu properly, full day, on His appearance day."

In honour of the forthcoming grand festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day:

— { Year 2020 } —

Facing Austerity
"Whatever you want to do, you must have the strongest desire. Even in the material life, does anything come without austerity? No. Therefore, 'I want austerity! I want problems! If more problems come, it is OK, let them come! I want to see how many problems you can give me, Prabhu.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 5 February 2020)

Distinction of Sri Rupanuga Line
"In this world, people serve the Lord in three ways. First, somebody worships the Lord because they are afraid. Second, people worship the Lord because have some material desire. Third, somebody worships the Lord out of duty. This is not right."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 5 February 2020)

Treacherous Desires
"If you have some material desire and want it to be fulfilled, Krishna will give that to you happily. On the other hand, Krishna says, 'I am not a fool—why will I give them visaya? Instead, I will give them My lotus feet and make them forget visaya!"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 5 February 2020)

Inconceivable Mercy
"We can understand Krishna consciousness if we have a desire to serve the Lord—if we have enthusiasm. You can see how merciful Lord Krishna is, but Mahaprabhu is more merciful than Krishna, and Nityananda Prabhu is even more merciful than Gauranga."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 5 February 2020)

Victory over Visaya
"If we take prasad, all kinds of bad elements, bad diseases will be removed; if we chant the Holy Name, all Nama-aparadhas will go away; if we do service, all seva-aparadhas will go away—we do it, but why are we not getting the result?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 6 min | 5 February 2020)

Power of Sukriti
"Sanda and Amarka taught Prahlad Maharaj nonsense things, but Prahlad Maharaj did not take that association. Prahlad Maharaj had some previous sukriti (actions related with the Lord), and through that sukriti he could receive the proper teaching from Narad Goswami."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 5 February 2020)

Atma-Buddhi
"If you have fifty kilogrammes of rice on your head, you feel so much pressure—even if you come into an A/C room, you will not get any comfort there because you have heavy things on your head. We still have ego, we still cannot even understand that we are eternal servants of the Lord."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 5 min | 5 February 2020)

Buddhi-Suddhi
"You recite mantras for the archan, you chant that the cloth is clean, the chamara is clean, the peacock fan is clean, the pancha-pradip is clean, etc. Everything is clean, but do you ever think, 'Is my mind clean?'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 5 February 2020)

Zest for Service
"I think that the Lord arranges everything that is necessary for His service—only our desire, wish, will is necessary. If you have desire ('I will do it!'), you will succeed. It is necessary to have desire, otherwise sitting idle, laziness will not take you far."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 6 min | 5 February 2020)

Service Quality
"It is necessary to always be alert and make sure there is no defects in your service. When you are giving something to your Guru, you must always see if that thing is clean and neat or not. We make sure everything is clean, but last we should see whether our mind is clean or not."
• Download / listen to the audio (7.2 Mb, 17 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Deeply Anxious to Serve
"Many of you are householder devotees, living in your homes—you also offer bhog to the Lord every day and take prasad, but can you say that your material illusion (prapancha) has gone away? Why is it not going away?"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Spiritual Trade-Off
"Dhruva Maharaj went to the forest and spent there five years sitting in one place, unswervingly meditating on Krishna. He did not meditate on the Lord to get the Lord—he actually meditated on the Lord to get the throne of his father's kingdom!"
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Greatest Wealth
"We say all these big, big things, we give lectures, but to what extent are we able to practise it? Just think about it—how hard it is to practise atma-nivedanam, how hard it is to give everything to the lotus feet of the Lord..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Never Too Early, Never Too Late
"If you serve and run behind the Lord's devotees—then the Lord Himself will run behind you to serve you! You will not have to run behind the Lord, the Lord Himself will run behind you to catch you—if you can serve devotees properly. However, you cannot serve devotees without being a devotee yourself..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Capturing Lord's Heart
"Krishna is very merciful. If you can do just some small service to Him with heart and soul, you can capture the Lord. Krishna is saying, 'I do not give My mercy to anyone so easily, but when I do give My mercy to someone, I do not leave them.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Life of Loving Service
"You must remember one thing. There is no relationship between our bodies and the Lord. It is our soul, what we call 'I', that has a relationship with the Lord, and the soul (atma) knows perfectly well what Paramatma wants, what Paramatma needs. The body does not and cannot know this."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.2 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Our Dearmost
"Who is there in this world who is truly close and dear to you except for Nityananda Prabhu? Who else can you call your dear and near? If you can get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, you will get the mercy of Gauranga. Nityananda Prabhu is Guru-tattva. You cannot get anything without the mercy of Gurudev..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Worshipful Mood
"...We worship Suddha Saraswati, it is necessary if you want to get the result. Unless we get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, we will not have any brain. We must have the mercy of Nitaichand. When will we attain His mercy?"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Eternal Life Membership
"What makes the Lord happy? Where does the Lord mostly stay? He is there where devotees speak about Him. When such discussions take place here in Sri Ekachakra Dham, Nityananda Prabhu becomes very happy, and Hadai Pandit, Padmavati Devi become even happier—devotees comes and talk about their son, glorify their son. If you listen to such talks with heart and soul, very attentively, Nityananda Prabhu truly becomes happy and pleased with you."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.2 Mb, 13 min | Bengali | 5 February 2020)

Evening Kirtans
• Sri Guru-charana-padma • Kabe Sri Chaitanya more karibena daya • Ohe Vaisnava Thakur • Nitai-pada-kamala • Emana durmati • Suddha-bhakata-charana-renu • Jaya Radhe Jaya Krishna • Hari Haraye Nama Krsna • Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
• Download/listen to the audio (17.5 Mb, 42 min | Kirtan | 5 February 2020)

At Sri Ekachakra Dham: Morning Kirtans
• Sri Krsna Chaitanya Prabhu jive daya kari • Thakura Vaisnava-gana • Nitai-guna-mani amara • Gaurangera dyuti pada • Dasavatara Stotram • Gaya Gora madhur svare • Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
• Download/listen to the audio (12.1 Mb, 34 min | Kirtan | 6 February 2020)

Spiritual Diligence
"Students study a little by little every day and at the end of the year they take an exam, when it is understood whether or not they have been studying diligently or not. In our spiritual life also, we must study and learn little by little every day."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Perfect Chastity
"You are always so busy with your work—you are always so busy only with the happiness of your body, with money, food, clothes... You must follow this. If a doctor gives you prescription but you do not follow it, your disease will not be cured."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.9 Mb, 12 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Follow Mahaprabhu's Teachings
"It is not easy to understand how much devotion who has. That is why, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu always taught others, and it is necessary to discuss what Mahaprabhu taught us. We must always try to understand it and follow it."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.8 Mb, 10 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Lord Varahadev's Appearance
"Today is the appearance day of Lord Varahadev. There were two gatekeepers, Jay and Vijay, in Vaikuntha. They guarded the door of Lord Narayan's room and made sure no disturbance came to Lord Narayan and Laksmi Devi."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Embracing Hardships
"Troubles, problems, disturbances—so many things will come. If you run away, then you must know that you could not do any service. If you can overcome all obstacles and troubles, then you will be a gainer. The most important thing is to have patience."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.8 Mb, 7 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Service: Labour of Love
"If you spend your days in laziness and sleep, this is not Krishna consciousness. We do not want to live amidst austerity, but those who are truly Gaudiya Vaishnavs, they want austerity. 'O Lord, whatever austerity You give me amidst Your service, give it! I do not mind any unhappiness as long as You are happy.'"
• Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Parikrama Plans
"One year, I want to make a parikrama of Gauda Mandal. I will see if I get an opportunity this year, after Gaura Purnima. We have not made this parikrama for a very long time. Also, I have told you before that I will extend the parikrama by one day, and then we will be able to take darsan of all places."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Service Plans
"Now all works are finished here, and I had one more thought last night when you were taking prasad. During the festival, you have to sit in the cold. I am looking now for a place where I can make a place for a prasadam hall..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Spend Your Time Wisely
"When your eyes close (when you die), you will have to leave everything behind. You must all try to do some service. Even if you just sweep the dust of this holy abode, it is good. Nobody knows what kind of sukriti you get when you clean the temple of the Lord..."
• Download / listen to the audio (6 Mb, 15 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Chasing Away Ghosts and Nonsense
"You know, sometimes you become possessed by a ghost—this is when you start thinking about your house or you think about other things. What is the remedy for this?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.9 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Devotion Is Not Cheap
"Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is such that He rescues whoever simply falls before Him—He does not consider who is higher, who is lower. However, the problem is that if you fall at His feet but think about other things in your mind, then what result will you get?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Hens, Bats, and Bananas
"The Lord does not want any tune, melody or anything like that. If you just call the Lord by chanting His Name ('Krishna! Krishna!'), that is sufficient. He does not want any tune. The Lord wants to know if your heart, mind, soul and everything else is at His feet or not."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.5 Mb, 9 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Nityananda Prabhu's Arrangements
"When Mahaprabhu took sannyas in Katwa, Mahaprabhu became extremely agitated and anxious to go to Vrindavan, and Nityananda Prabhu confused Him and took Him from Katwa to Shantipur. Another time, when Sivananda Sen, together with Nityananda Prabhu, was taking all the devotees to Puri, they were passing a village called Denur..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Importance of Hearing and Listening
"Those who hear about the Lord from their Gurudev with heart and soul, very quickly become fixed in their spiritual life and develop attachment to the Lord and their service. Those who do not listen will not get this result."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Fighting Prejudices
"The Holy Name of the Lord can be chanted at any time. It means that there is no certain time when you can chant the Holy Name and there is no certain time when you cannot chant the Holy Name. If you can chant the Holy Name even at the time of death, you will reach perfection."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.7 Mb, 9 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Eagerness and Enthusiasm
"It is those who have eagerness and enthusiasm that have come. You cannot get Nityananda Prabhu's mercy by sitting at home and doing nothing—it is necessary to step forward. You must come forward..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Clean Hearts
"Because we cannot give up these small things, we will not be able to get Nitai—we will not get Gauranga. Until and unless your heart becomes pure, how can Bhakti Devi come to your heart? You must have place for her to come—she wants to come to a clean place."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Material Perils
"If you dig in the west, you will get one thing, if you dig in the south, you will get another thing; if you dig in the north, you get something else; but if you dig in the east, you will get the true wealth—you will get devotion. Desires for enjoyment, liberation, and perfections will be all around you, but the real treasure—devotion—is only in one direction."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 5 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Learn to Rely on the Lord
"What a bad position the jiva souls of this world are in! They cannot rely and depend on the Lord. They do not understand that the Lord is the protector. As soon as you think, 'I have no guardian,' enemies will attack you from all sides and enter your heart."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Digesting Mercy
"If somebody accepts a guru but does not accept the guru's chastisement and guidance, then you can understand that this is not a disciple. There is a seed of spiritual benefit planted within chastisement and guidance."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Our Primary Need
"We must understand how necessary Sriman Nityananda Prabhu is for our spiritual life. Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's glory is unlimited. It is not possible at all for such a low soul as myself to speak about them, so I am finishing here and I am again begging you all—please engage yourself in the service of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (5.7 Mb, 23 min | Bengali | 6 February 2020)

Value Your Time
"We have time to practise Krishna consciousness now, and we must value this time. Time and tide wait for none. Day by day, our age is not increasing—it is decreasing. We have to spend half of the time we are alive on sleeping, but how much of the other half of our time do we give to the Lord?"

Gaudiya Vaishnavs' Service
"Taking shelter of Gurudev and surrendering to him, we should come to Gurudev and listen about the glories of the Lord not with the hope to get something but out of love. Gaudiya Vaishnavs and the Vaishnavs of Sri Rupanuga Sampradaya worship and serve the Lord out of love."

Perverted and Transcendental Charm
"What will you get by going there and staying in a hotel? All kinds of wrongdoings and atrocious things happen there. You will find only all dirty things there, but there is a very beautiful place right next to it, a place where Nitayananda Prabhu's worship is going on eternally."

Our Greatest and Only Friends
"Gurudev and Nityananda Prabhu are your greatest friends. They show us the road to Krishna, 'If you take this road, you will come to the Lord.' The holy lotus feet of Sri Guru and Nityananda are our only hope! There is nothing in this world except their holy lotus feet. Do you understand it?"

Faith vs Acceptance
"It can be seen in this world that those who are proud of their knowledge can develop faith in the Supreme Lord, but when they debate about the basics of grammar, it can be detected whether they have accepted the Lord. When our material desires stop completely, then the teachings and pastimes of Sri Rupa-Raghunath will enter our ears—not before that."

Pull of Maya
"Having opened many temples, our Guru-varga has given us many opportunities for service, but what of that? Are you able to stay without illusory bondage? It is not easy for us to leave the world of Maya and come here. Maya will keep pulling you in the other direction."

Wrong Preoccupation
"We always think about our bodies and homes—we always think how to live and sleep comfortably. We feel attached to trifle things. That is why it is necessary for everyone to take shelter of Nityananda Prabhu. The problem is that because of small, trifle things, because of various obstacles and problems, we cannot come to this line easily."

World of Uncertainty
"'I will practise spiritual life at the end of my life, but now I will enjoy family life at home.' Intelligent people will never say this. You can never say when one is going to die..."

Inglorious Life
"It is necessary to do first of all that without which your life will pass in vain. If you do not do other things, there is no loss. Those who sacrifice their life for the service of the Lord are very fortunate, and their life is glorious."

Life in Sadhu-Sanga
"If we practise sravan and kirtan in sadhu-sanga, if we hear Hari-katha from the holy mouth of Sri Guru and sadhus, we will get supreme benefit. If you do not have taste for hearing it, then discourses about the Lord will never enter your ears. It is necessary to hear about the Lord the whole day, twenty-four hours a day."

Immerse Yourself in Kirtan
"The most important for us is Nama-sankirtan in sadhu-sanga: chanting the Holy Name in holy association. Even if you practise meditation or yoga, you will not feel as much joy as you can get by singing kirtans."

Path to Promotion
"If you can get this job and can do it properly, then you will always be promoted, never demoted. If we can stay at the temple and practise Krishna consciousness, if we can serve Sri Guru and Vaishnavs, then all difficulties, pain, struggle and suffering will be nothing."

Service Is Not Formality
"The Lord is so merciful—He will never suck your blood. He does not want your blood. If you can give your heart and soul to the lotus feet of the Lord and His devotees, then you will get the highest benefit."

Eternal Service Consciousness
"Service must be eternal. Just as we eat, sleep and go to the bathroom every day, we must similarly serve the Lord every day. It is necessary to think what is necessary for the Lord; you must think about the interest of the temple and Gurudev, then it will be service to Gurudev."

Giving and Taking Prasad
"We will not stay in this world for long. We have crossed innumerable lifetimes—even if we live for one hundred years, what is one hundred years compared to eternity? If you spend your time laughing and playing, gossiping and talking nonsense, then such a life is useless."

Control Your Urges
"Nobody prohibits you to sleep, but remember that the more you increase your sleep, food, fear and sex (ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam cha), the more it will increase. The more you eat, the more you will want to eat; and the less you eat, the less you will want to eat."

Sinful Souls' Scrape
"Is there anyone as merciful as Nitai in this world? He rescues all the fallen, lowly souls like ourselves. We are stricken with so many faults and flaws. We live committing so many mistakes, amidst so many faults! How long we have been living committing mistakes, how many offences we have been committing birth after birth!"

Two Unexpected Questions
In the middle of the class at the holy Sri Ekachakra Dham, on the holy appearance day of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, an elderly devotee suddenly gets up and ardently asks His Divine Grace...

Do Not Lose This Pull
"I pray at the holy feet of Nityananda Prabhu that everyone may practise Krishna consciousness, so that you may feel this pull towards Nityananda Prabhu every day and that you may not fall into the bondage of the illusory environment once you return to your homes."

Great Mercy for Great Hearts
"You say all the time, 'Please give me mercy,' but these are just some words you learn by heart and keep repeating. 'Gurudev, please give me your mercy', 'Gurudev, please give me your mercy'—but do you really want mercy? Ask yourself this. Do you really want your Guru's blessing?"

Kali-Yuga Servants
"When we do service, we do not think it is service—we do it as a duty. We always think about our own happiness. We do not do service; instead, we dump work on our Gurudev, expecting him to do it, because we do not have the qualification to do service. This is our situation in this Age of Kali."

Why Have You Come?
"You have come to Lord Nityananda Prabhu. I saw people coming to Nityananda Prabhu and throwing money at Him. Is this service, tell me? People also throw prasad, and it sometimes falls somebody's leg. People used to often do this before. Do you know why?"

Practise and Pray
"It is necessary to always maintain chastity. We must not go anywhere and everywhere. everyone has come with a return ticket and will jump back into the ocean of Maya again—drowning and struggling in that ocean, you will become busy with your lives. Leave this family of Maya and come to the family of Krishna."

Grand Festival
"Without Nityananda Prabhu's mercy, without Gurudev's mercy, we are not able to do it. We do not know for how many days in this life we can do this service like this, but we are always enthusiastic, we are always trying to serve Gurudev or Nityananda Prabhu, and it is Their matter whether they will accept our service or not."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 7 min | 8 February 2020)

My Gratitude
"So many devotees are helping us with this festival—somebody cannot help physically, but they are helping through their mind, through their funds, etc. I am not only thanking them, I am very grateful to them because they are doing so much for Gurudev."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.1 Mb, 3 min | 8 February 2020)

Guard Your Service Life
"Whatever problem comes, we will not run away from our service. Problems will always come—we are in the battlefield, and we will fight against maya until our death. That is our conception. We will not fight against men, but we will fight against ourselves."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.6 Mb, 8 min | 8 February 2020)

Do Not Fear Sacrifice
"Life should be for service. What the guru and Vaishnavs tell, that is service, and you must serve with love. You must sacrifice in your life. Those who can make sacrifice in their life, they get the real benefit."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 8 February 2020)

Hidden Service
"Srivas Pandit's faith is super strongest. Everybody's faith is not like that. When somebody puts some poison in others' brain, they change their mind. Our faith must be strong. Practise, practise and practise."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.2 Mb, 3 min | 8 February 2020)

Spiritual Promotion
"You struggle so much in your life, but how many days have we got in this lifetime? We do not want to be demoted. We want to be promoted, and this promotion will come through service—through the service to the guru and Vaishnavs. That is the main thing."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 8 February 2020)

Puja with Love
"Pujari must serve with love and affection. When you do puja, you must do it with love, wearing clean clothes, etc. Actually, I have always been afraid to do puja. I never go inside the Deities' room. Gurudev also said he was afraid..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min | 8 February 2020)

Photographs taken during the Festival:

Sriman Nityananada Dvadasakam "O Nityananda Prabhu, the emperor among the Lord’s associates! Please bestow upon this lowly soul strong faith in and devotion to Sri Gauranga, the embodiment of the sweet nectarean taste of ecstatic pastimes of Sri Radha-Krishna. If somebody dismisses Nityananda Prabhu’s lotus feet, all their desires and spiritual practices become a dream-like sham. I worship this Sri Nityananda-chandra, the giver of shelter for the fallen and the giver of Gaura." • Download or listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 6 min)

The Nectarean Glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu
Compiled from lectures of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, accompanied by a compilation of scriptural verses, kirtans, and Sanskrit compositions glorifying Lord Nityananda Prabhu, the book is now available for online reading.

At Sri Ekachakra Dham: Nityananda Prabhu's Kirtans
• Vandana • Krsna haite chaturmukha • Gurudev! Bada krpa kari • Sri Krsna Chaitanya daya kara • Kabe Sri Chaitanya more karibena daya [The following eight kirtans, rarely sung, are from Sri Nityananda Mahimamrta] • Nitai amara dayara avadhi • Nitai mora jivana dhana • Daya kare more Nitai • Jayare jayare jaya Nityananda Raya • Rarha majhe eka-chaka name achhe grama • Iha Kali-yuga dhanya • Ei bara karuna kara Chaitanya Nitai • Nitai Chaitanya donhe bara avatara • Hari Hari viphale • Jaya Radha Madhava • Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
• Download/listen to the audio (23.3 Mb, 56 min | 24 February 2021 | Kirtan)

In honour of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's holy appearance

— { Year 2021 } —

Lord's Arrangement
"Gurudev said from time to time, 'If one door closes, another door will open.' This is my hope. If some devotees do not help, it is not a problem—Krishna arranges everything for His service Himself."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min)

Service Field
"In the coming three-four days, thousands and thousands of people will come and take prasadam every day here at the Ekachakra Temple. You also contribute to this festival from far away, it is good for you, and it pleases Lord Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (9.4 Mb, 23 min | Class & Kirtan)

Gist of Guru-Mahima
"Try to understand the meaning of these words. That is Guru-Mahima (glories of Sri Guru), and that came from Mahaprabhu's lotus mouth. Even Lord Brahma worships Nityananda Prabhu. And now, so many devotees have come to the holy appearance place of this Nityananda Prabhu..."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.6 Mb, 2 min)

Eternal Bond with Sri Ekachakra Dham
"I know many cannot come this year because of the situation, what can I say? It makes me very sad, and I miss them, but I hope that they will celebrate this day in their own centres, at their own homes. Every house should make a programme on this day, that is our happiness because we cannot conceive of anything in our life without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.1 Mb, 8 min)

Sri Gauda Mandal Parikrama
"I wanted to make a Gauda Mandal parikrama this year, but I wanted to make it with foreign devotees, and because not so many devotees are coming for Gaura Purnima this year, I cannot make it this year. I have decided to postpone it until next year."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min)

Construction Pastimes
"They have finished the goshala today. We have made a new goshala here in Ekachakra, because there are so many cows now, and the old goshala had become too small. So, I have expanded it..."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.7 Mb, 4 min)

Pride in Our Identity
"It is unfortunate that people become big, great Ph.D. and become very proud of that. What should we be proud of? We must be proud of being eternal servants of the servants of devotees. This is our main pride. Yet we become proud of our mundane education. Real education is when you learn to be a devotee."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min)

At Sri Ekachakra Dham: Evening Kirtans (Part One)
• Sri Guru-parampara • Gurudev bada krpa kara • Sri Krsna Chaitanya Prabhu daya kara
• Download/listen to the audio (10.5 Mb, 25 min | Kirtan)

This Is Not a Playground
"You must come here surrendering your all—all your heart, soul, mind, everything—at the lotus feet of the Lord. We always blame the Lord for making us suffer, but we do not blame ourselves for not being able to surrender to the Lord. You blame the Lord, but have you become surrendered to the Lord? You must ask yourself this question."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.3 Mb, 6 min | Bengali)

Wrong Worries
"You have no faith, that is why you have no devotion. Bhakti Devi always wants a clean place. Devotion (Bhakti Devi) does not stay where there is no faith—she runs away from such places. If you stuff the room with other things, then where will you seat your Thakur?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.5 Mb, 4 min | Bengali)

Pure Identity
"We must have jnana-sunya bhakti—'I do not know anything, I do not understand anything. O Lord, I am a low and fallen soul.' We must watch out that we do not get the ego that 'I have become a big Vaishnav!' What did Mahaprabhu say when describing His own identity?"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.8 Mb, 5 min | Bengali)

Worshipful Devotion
"I will consider myself your slave, and I will leave all ego of guru. When Vaishnavs take prasadam, I will take the remnants of their prasadam. Such was Kalidas's character. How beautiful this is. Such are Nityananda Prabhu's associates."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | Bengali)

Meaning of Discipleship
"If you tell one word to the disciple, they get angry. They live as they please. We think that we sing a song and this is it, we have practised Krishna consciousness. No. Krishna consciousness means following what your Gurudev says and serving your Guru and Vaishnavs; it means to please them."
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Free Mercy, Exclusive Rights
"There is no one as merciful as Mahaprabhu is! To rescue such low and fallen souls as ourselves, He came to this world performing human pastimes. He went door to door calling out to everyone. But who has the right to chant kirtan?"
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Path of Devotion
"If I had not come to your house, you would not have come here today, you would not have got a chance to hear these holy talks, you would not have been able to get the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. That is why I roam the land, going house to house. This is all that I tell everyone: practise Krishna consciousness."
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Krishna Conscious Life
"We are alive in this world at the expense of killing so many jiva souls. The only way out of this kind of life is to turn your whole life into Krishna conscious life. It means that you will cook, you will work, you will do everything, but you will do it for the Lord."
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Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (1)
"A low and fallen soul such as myself is not capable of glorifying Sri Nityananda Prabhu; however, if Gurudev and Nityananda Prabhu give their mercy and say something through my mouth, then only can it be possible."
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Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (2)
"Many worship Gauranga bypassing the Guru, but Nityananda Prabhu said that this was thievery. It is impossible to get mercy without Nityananda Prabhu. We have not got there yet; we do what our minds wants. Gurudev gave me initiation, so this body is now his—I will do whatever Gurudev wants me to do."
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Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (3)
"Apart from Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, there were other great personalities who received Sri Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. Two of them are Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami and Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur. You know that Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur was the son of Narayani, Srivas Pandit Prabhu's niece..."
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Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Glory (4)
"Another person who received Sri Nityananda Prabhu's mercy was Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami. Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami said that there were only three persons in this world who knew Mahaprabhu, but Gurudev said that there was one more person. Who is it? Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami himself."
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Clean Mood
"Always chant the Holy Name—when you are eating, when you are sleeping. Always keep your heart and mood clean. If we practise Krishna consciousness with proper decorum, then our ego will be removed."
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At Sri Ekachakra Dham: Morning Kirtans (Part One)
• Sri Dasavatara Stotram • Gaya Gaura madhur svare • Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
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Clear Your Path
"It is necessary to always chant Krishna-kirtan. You are worrying about your money, food, clothes, gossips at every moment passing your whole life like that. It is necessary to control the six urges, it is necessary to correct six defects in yourself, and it is necessary to keep good association. Keep enthusiasm for Hari-katha, for the Lord's service. If you do not read about it, if you do not follow it, you will not get any result."
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Nurture Exclusive Desire
"Can you control all these senses? How is it possible to do it? If senses become very strong and we feel too much lust, anger, greed, illusion, etc., we will be removed from Krishna consciousness. There is ananya-abhilas (exclusive desire) and there is anya-abhilas (other desires)..."
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Sri Ekachakra Dham: Our Fortune To Be Here
"We have come here by a great fortune. If you only think about the dust of this holy dham, then you will think that you must circumambulate this holy abode walking on your head. The Lord Himself wandered in this land. Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Mahaprabhu, the Lord Himself."
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Forging Your Destiny
"Not everybody comes to practise Krishna consciousness. Some come to goggle, some come for entertainment. There are different kinds of desires. Everybody does not have the same desires. That is why, we cannot bring everyone to this path. Those who have such fortune, who are destined to come, they come."
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Extreme Mercy
"Krishna is so merciful, but Gaura is even more merciful than Him.Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu distributed Krishna-prema without any price! They gave Krishna-prema to the entire world. This is so beautiful."
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About Nityananda Prabhu
"Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says that Nityananda Prabhu's glory is unlimited; if you get a slightest touch of His mercy, you will understand His glory. Nityananda Prabhu freely scattered His mercy to all fallen souls. The Lord came to this world to deliver all fallen souls."
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Sri Ekachakra Temple
"It was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur's desire to establish a temple in Sri Ekachakra Dham, but he did not live a long life—he only stayed in this world for sixty-four years—and he did not live to fulfil his desire. Yet by his mercy, by the mercy of Param Gurudev and by Gurudev's desire, we managed to acquire this land here in 2008."
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Parental Sacrifice
"Nityananda Prabhu's parents could not let the sannyasi go empty-handed, so they agreed to give him whatever he would ask for. However, the sannyasi asked for their only son, Nityananda Prabhu. They made such a great sacrifice in their life!"
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Full Service Sway
"Balaram (Nitai) arranges to appear as the elder brother to be able to serve the Lord. This is the glory of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu is hidden and extremely esoteric. We actually have no quality or qualification to speak about His glory."
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Life in Kirtan
"You have your mouth, but one will not hear the Holy Name coming out of it, only other talks come out of it. That is why, I always keep on telling you about Mahaprabhu's advice to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu..."
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Please Give These Alms
"Our consciousness is covered by illusory environment, but Gurudev and Vaishnavs mercifully give us an opportunity to hear and speak about the Lord. I am asking you to give your mind, body, heart, everything at the holy feet of the Lord as alms for one-two hours. One day you will understand the benefit..."
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Remembering Glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu
"This Sri Ekachakra Dham is a pure land. Sri Jagannath, Baladev, and Subhadra are also here. There is also Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda here. Here is also Sri Ekachakleswar Sivji Maharaj.Here is also Kadam Khandi..."
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Sri Sivananda Sen's Mercy
"Sivananda Sen's house is in Kulingram. Mahaprabhu said, 'I love Kulingram devotees so much. I love even the dogs from Kulingram! I love even the parrots from Kulingram for they chant the Holy Name of Krishna!' It is near Jogram station. I have been to that place a few times when I was doing collection..."
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Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Eccentricity
"When Mahaprabhu took sannyas, He first came to Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu's house, and from there He was going to go to Vrindavan. However, He changed His mind and finally went to Puri. On the way to Puri, Sri Nityananda Prabhu contrived a plan...."
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Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami's Gratitude
"Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami writes, 'I have got Sri Vrindavan Dham by the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. He ordered me to Vrindavan saying I would get all possible benefit there. When I came there, I attained the mercy of Mahaprabhu's dearmost devotees.'"
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Unblemished Nitai
"If Nityananda Prabhu had not come, we would not have known anything about the transcendental pastimes of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Fire can remove all impurities, but fire is not affected by that. In the same way, even if Nityananda Prabhu transgresses the religion of a sannyasi, He has no fault. He is higher than any rules and regulations."
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Sri Nityananda's Supreme Mercy
"Sri Nityananda Prabhu is my only hope. He is supremely magnanimous, He is merciful, and it is easy for us to receive His mercy. Sri Gaura Hari cannot reject somebody who has been approved by Sri Nityananda Prabhu..."
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Our Only Wealth and Shelter
"I am telling you that He is the greatest and most qualified personality on this path of devotion, and if we throw ourselves at His holy feet, our life will be successful. Our only wealth in spiritual life is to surrender everything and take exclusive shelter at the holy lotus feet of Sri Nityananda and Gurudev, who is non-different from Him."
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Mahaprabhu's Private Order
"One day, when They were in Sri Puri Dham, Mahaprabhu called Nityananda and spoke to Him privately. In those days, it was not possible for a sannyasi to mix with public closely, there were many rules and regulations for renounced persons. However, Sriman Mahaprabhu wanted the Holy Name to be preached in every corner of the world..."
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Nityananda Prabhu's Campaign
"Such was Sri Nityananda Prabhu's enthusiasm. From the beginning, He raised the banner of rescuing the fallen souls of this world and cleared the path for them to become attracted to the holy lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu."
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Humility and Deep Faith
"We must always be humble. I have told you before: the higher a Vaishnav is, the more humility they have. Those who understand what Nabadwip Dham is, who have deep internal faith live in the land of Vraja."
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Save Yourself
"When will Sri Nityananda Prabhu give His mercy to me? When will I be free from material illusion? How can I save myself from this ocean of material existence? You must practise Krishna consciousness giving up all bad practices and embracing Krishna's family. You are uselessly wasting your time..."
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Supremely Worshippable Day
"Today is the holy appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu—He without whose mercy this world is plunged into darkness, He without whose mercy we do not see and will never see any light, He without whose mercy the door of Goloka Vrindavan will never open for us, He without whose mercy we can never save ourselves from this illusory environment."
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Do Not Pass Your Life in Vain
"Each of you lives in a house—you are all proud of the place where you stay and call it 'home'—you live comfortably; but you come here and struggle so much. If you want this struggle to be worth it, you must take advantage of Hari-katha and kirtan."
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Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness
"You can see how you make your own bed—every day you first dust and clean it nicely, then you lie down. You must treat the Lord, the Deities like that too. The archan of the Deities means to keep the Deities' room clean. It is necessary to keep everything clean. Temple must be always clean and neat."
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Meaning of Discipleship
"You live at your house and you know how you serve your husband, wife, and children. In the same way, you must love the Lord with your heart and soul; you must love the Lord's temple with your heart and soul."
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Ask Yourself, "Am I Practising?"
"You must ask yourself, 'Have I become a surrendered soul?' I do not come to examine or test you, but you should ask yourself, 'Am I really practising Krishna consciousness? Do I live following what my Guru tells? Do I live in strict adherence to my Guru or not?'"
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Become Pure
"You must prepare yourself so that the Lord could accept you. If you do not clean yourself, do not make yourself pure, the Lord will not accept you. You do not become pure just by bathing in the Ganges. Your heart must become clean."
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Who Is Nityananda Prabhu?
"There is Gaurasundar, the original personality of Godhead, and there is also His personal expansion, Sri Nityananda Prabhu. So, Sri Nityananda Prabhu is Sriman Mahaprabhu's dearmost associate and the Lord Himself."
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How and When?
"When will my mind become pure and I behold Sri Dham Vrindavan? When will material desires leave me? There is meditation, knowledge, etc. in this world, but when will I leave all material things, when will my mind become pure and when will I be able to feel, see, know, etc. the wealth of Vaikuntha world?"
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Scattered Heart
"Just as an ant always crawls everywhere looking for a hole, Maya is also always around us, always looking for hole to catch you. As soon as you forget the Lord and think about something else, Maya will jump on you."
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Learn the Truth
"It is necessary to know what the truth is. Everything in this world that you see is false; the Holy Name is the only truth. Everything else that is created will go away. It is said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita also that everything in this world will be destroyed one day."
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What Do You Need?
"Those who desire the highest benefit need only one thing—the shelter of Sri Nabadwip Dham; their duty is to take shelter at the holy lotus feet Sri Gaura Nityananda; their duty is to serve Their Name, holy dham, and desire."
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Sri Advaita Prabhu's Nityananda Stuti
"One day, Nityananda Prabhu came to have a meal in Sri Advaita Prabhu's house... Mahaprabhu saw them and laughed thinking, 'Maha Vishnu and the Lord have met, and They are having a fight!'"
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Sriman Mahaprabhu's Nityananda Stuti
"When Sriman Mahaprabhu was in Panihati, He sang in praise of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Mahaprabhu says, 'Those have faith for Nityananda Prabhu, actually have faith in Me. You can never get Me without faith in Nityananda Prabhu.'"
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Approaching Nityananda Prabhu
"Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says, 'I am not fit to speak about Nityananda Prabhu's glory, which are as sacred as the topics of the Vedas, but I am speaking about it to reveal His mercy to the world. If there is any fault in what I say, please forgive my offence.'"
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Know Your Place
"Those who have the right to do something, they can do it. Many imitate Nityananda Prabhu and take two wives, for example. Those who have the right can do that, they can eat everything, but you do not have this right to cross the viddhi-marga. That is why we do not eat anything and everything without discrimination..."
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Amidst 'Dal' and 'Gal'
"People want very good quality ghee and good quality of rice. They say, 'Oh, I do not want to live at the temple! I would rather stay at home and eat nice ghee and nice rice!' Our life is not eternal: we will have to leave one day; but we are all eternal servants of Krishna, and not for two-three or four days only. No. We are eternal servants."
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Increase Your Fortune
"We have to leave this world, but how much have you chanted the Holy Name? How much have you listened to Hari-katha? You will have to answer these questions. You have come to this holy abode of Nityananda Prabhu by a great fortune."
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At Sri Ekachakra Dham: Evening Kirtans
• Gurudev, bada krpa kari • Krpa kara Vaisnava Thakura • Parama Karuna pahu dui jana • Emana durmati • Janama saphala tara • Jaya Radha Madhava • Hare Krishna maha-mantra
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Free Yourself From Deceit
"In one or another, many do some service, and those who do service are very fortunate. If you behave deceitfully and try to cheat, you can never succeed like that—you cannot hide anything from Gurudev, you cannot hide anything from Nityananda Prabhu."
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Be Truthful, Pious, and Sincere
"You wear tilaks, wear beads on your necks, but inside you do wrong—one day, sooner or later, your character will be exposed. You will not get anything by hiding something from the Lord, and you cannot hide anything from Gurudev. What you do at your home or not do—Gurudev can understand everything. When you come to practise Krishna consciousness and do something wrong, keep some fault inside, then all fault falls on the body of your Guru. Your Guru has to suffer for your wrongdoing..."
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Chastity In Preaching
"We must serve Gurudev—we must not use Gurudev. We have not come here to do business, and we do not want to do anything covering up with the name of Gurudev. We must preach in the same way that Gurudev preached, and we must preach his teaching—we must understand properly, truly what Gurudev's teaching and preaching mood are."
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Cry, Pray, and Serve
"When will I leave material world and my mind become clean? When will material desires be removed from me? We must always cry and pray for this. We have become entangled in the material life just as ants get stuck in molasses..."
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Service: Labour of Love
"How many things one person must see to! Making temples, buildings is not a big matter, but it is important to maintain them. It is necessary to have service mood. Tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena, sevaya."
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Service: Adherence and Attachment
"There is no Krishna consciousness without anugatya. You must remember this. If somebody practises Krishna consciousness without strict adherence and devotion to a Guru, it is Maya (illusion). Krishna consciousness means we must please our Gurudev."
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Forging Fortune
"It is natural one will leave; rather, it is unnatural (uncommon) that one would stay. How many people can stay at the temple? Who can tolerate the austerities and practise Krishna consciousness, do service? Who has such a fortune?"
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Concentrate Your Mind on Nityananda Prabhu's Service
"Many say, 'I will leave my family' by mouth, but in the meantime, the poison of material life is slowly growing... but if you listen to what the Guru and sadhus say and can put aside material desires—if Nitaichand gives His mercy—then all desires will become trifle. Therefore, concentrate your mind on the service of Nityananda Prabhu, always serve Nityananda Prabhu."
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Direct Your Mind to Bhagavatam
"Loving search for the lost servant. When a son is lost, the father searches for him—he gives an advertisement on TV, in newspapers, declares the boy missing, etc. In the same way, the Lord has lost His children, and He is searching for us everywhere, 'When will these souls start practising Krishna consciousness and come back to Me?'"
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Keep Yourself On Track
"Those who have wealth should serve with wealth; those who have a body should serve with their body; those who have a mind should serve with their mind; those who have life in them should serve with their life. Whatever your capacity is, whatever your qualification is, everyone must serve your Guru in that capacity. Actually, we have no qualification: Gurudev's mercy is everything. How can we get that mercy?"
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Are You Getting Off?
"Gurudev has got you a ticket to Vrindavan, but you get off half way to Vrindavan and go to Kashi. You must understand what I am saying. Gurudev has given you a ticket to Vrindavan, but you get off in Kashi. We must get on the train that Gurudev is taking us in. You must go with your Guru."
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Gentle Clean Hearts
"Many say with their mouth, 'I will leave my material life!' but you must get there to feel with all your being, all your heart that your family (your material life) is trifling. You must make so that all material desires become insignificant. May only attachment and devotion to the Lord come to you."
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Do Not Give Up
"Param Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) always said, 'Start the fire, and the wind will come on its own,' 'Even if your boat is sinking, keep rowing!' Srila Prabhupad also said, 'When you go to preach, you must sweat and fight to preach about the Lord!'"
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False Attachments
"We want to leave the material life, but the material life does not want to leave us. It is not so easy to practise Krishna consciousness. In Sri Bhakti Raksak Harikathamrita, Srila Guru Maharaj wrote about one story...."
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Evening Kirtans: Sri Ekachakra Dham
• Gurudev, bada krpa kari • Ohe Vaisnava Thakura • Nitai-pada-kamala • Gaurangera duti pada • Yasoda Nandana Krsna • Hare Krishna maha-mantra
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Main Festivals
"Without Nityananda Prabhu's mercy, we cannot enter the kingdom of spiritual life. It is first necessary to have Nityananda Prabhu's mercy, and Nityananda means Gurupadpadma. They are asraya-vigraha (worshippable embodiment of shelter)."
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Serve with Faith
"Initiation means service to the Guru. Service can be different—one can serve close to Guru, and one can serve from far too. We must have this faith: Krishna is my protector, Krishna is my maintainer. As soon as you lose this faith, Maya will catch you."
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Service Duty (1)
"We love our wife, sons, brothers, sisters, we have a relationship with them, but that kind of love must be there for our Guru, the temple, and the Lord. This is the Lord's house—this is what must be our consciousness like. We must prepare (mould) ourselves. If we can serve the Lord twenty-four hours a day, we will get the highest benefit."
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Service Duty (2)
"You are spending your life thinking all the time about material things, but one day will come when you will be asked, 'You have been at My place for so many days, what have you been doing there? How did you take care of My house?'"
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Heed My Word
"There is no lack of anything. Those who think this is some want are the ones who lack a lot: those who run behind money always feel they lack, and their lack will never be fulfilled. If you rely and depend on the Lord, then the Lord will no doubt arrange everything for you."
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Perverted Tastes and Habits
"Listen to what I am saying. If you do not learn to be like that, you will never be able to practise Krishna consciousness. Those who make offences against Vaishnavs can never get any good result—they cannot even chant the Holy Name no matter how much they count the beads."
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Snowball of Offences
"If you keep making and making offences, then these offences will go up to the Guru. You can never get any benefit like this. Such people become alienated from others—nobody likes them..."
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Path to Indigestion
"Can you eat the same amount as a young person? You cannot. Therefore, a young person has more qualification and right to eat than you. If you speak about things that are beyond your right, you will have indigestion—your devotion will be destroyed."
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Memorable Pastimes
"I have remembered one story that Srila Gurudev told me. The name of Srila Prabhupad's guru was Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj. When Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj came to Nabadwip from Vrindavan, people thought he was like a madman..."
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Kali Yuga Brahmans
"Who is great, a brahman or a Vaishnav? If you have 100,000 rupees, it automatically means you have 1,000 rupees as well. So, 1,000 rupees is brahman, and 100,000 rupees is Vaishnav—it means that those who have the qualities of a Vaishnav automatically have all qualities of a brahman."
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Overflowing and Grand Festival
"I was very busy with the festival of Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day in Sri Ekachakra Dham last week. So many devotees came to this festival—crowds and crowds of people. The temple was overflooded. This is only the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and Gurudev."
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Mission in Sri Ekachakra Dham
"Nityananda Prabhu bestowed his mercy all over the world. We can see the influence of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu even in Srila Sridhar Maharaj's life also and we can understand from all of this how glorious Sriman Nityananda Prabhu is."
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Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's Line
"Mahaprabhu said to the effect, 'If you worship Nityananda Prabhu, it is the same as worshipping Me, but if you worship Nityananda Prabhu, I am pleased by that more than by anything else.' So many nice things are told about Sriman Nityananda Prabhu...."
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Sriman Nityananda Prabhu: Ocean of Mercy
"May those who desire to cross over the material existence and dive in the ocean of devotion serve Sri Nitaichand. Nityananda Prabhu does not consider who is good and who is bad, He saves anyone who falls before Him."
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Sri Ekachakra Festival: Beyond Imagination
"The festival lasted finally four days—ekadasi, dvadasi, trayodasi, and chaturdasi; and everybody started coming one day before that. 2,500 kg rice total for this festival, and 1,000 on Nityananda Prabhu's day. Everything was finishing all the time. Our idea of the scope of this festival proved a failure."
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Real Family Life
"You must force yourself. Do everything properly. Wake up early in the morning, do mangal arati, cook bhoga, do the offering, etc. It must be a real family life without attachment. Ask yourself—do you worship Krishna or do you worship your material life?"
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"My Life Is for My Gurudev"
"So many things happened, I even risked my life, everything, but I know that my life is not for me—my life is for my Gurudev, for the devotees. If I run away with my life, what is this? I have never run away and I never will. I am still alive and I am with you all because I live for the devotees and you also live for me and for Gurudev's service."
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Photographs taken during the Festival:

From Sri Ekachakra Dham
Photographs from the pre-festival day at Sri Ekachakra Dham. As devotees busily engage in various services around the temple in preparation to the festival, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj makes final arrangements for the festival and spends the evening with the devotees bestowing upon all fortunate souls the nectar of Sri Hari-kirtan and Sri Hari-katha.

Sri Ekachakra Festival: Day One
The first day passes gloriously as hundreds of devotees flock in and busily partake of the service festival in the shelter of the holy lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj. Sharing photographs taken throughout the Bhaimi Ekadasi day.

Sri Ekachakra Festival: Day Two (Festival Adhivas)
Photographs from the Varaha-dvadasi and adhivas (eve) of the Grand Festival of Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda Prabhu observed by the most fortunate devotees in the shade of the holy lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, who is non-different from Sriman Nityananda Prabhu Himself.

Sri Ekachakra Festival: Appearance of Lord Nityananda Prabhu
Supremely fortunate to be in the shade of the holy lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj, devotees observe the holy appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu in a lavish current of Sri Hari-katha and Sri Hari-kirtan gushing in all four directions. We are honoured to share droplets of the nectar of this holy festival in photograph form. May this holiest of days bring auspiciousness to every heart of the universe.