In honour of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu:

Srimad Rupa-Goswami-Prabhura Sochaka
শ্রীমদ্রূপগোস্বামি-প্রভুর শোচক
"O my very goal of life, Sri Rupa Goswami! He is extremely merciful, an ocean of great qualities. Whoever gets his mercy, gets the feet of Chaitanya and attains Radha and Krishna in Vraja Dham (Vrindavan). His nature is such that he gave mercy to the worst, most sinful, fallen, miserable souls. How much more can one mouth possibly say? Please accept me! May I always, at every moment, remember your lotus feet—please hear this prayer of mine!"

Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu (1)
"Tomorrow is Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's and Srila Gauridas Pandit's disappearance day. We want to say something about them because our Guru Maharaj Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and our Gurupadpadma are Rupanuga-dhara—they are holding Srila Rupa Goswami's flag."
• Download / listen to the audio (1.4 Mb, 4 min | 29 July 2012)

Srimad Rupa-pada-rajah Prarthana Dasakam
"Srila Rupa Goswami is the mine of the most precious treasure, the leader of the associates of Lord Chaitanya. Despite my lowliness, when will—disregarding all my various qualifications and disqualifications—Srimad Rupa Prabhu grace me with the dust of his holy lotus feet?"

Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu (2)
"We must all pray to Srila Rupa Goswami, 'Prabhu, wherever you are staying now, please forgive our offences. Please engage us to serve your servant, please tolerate us. Prabhu, please accept us as a dog at your lotus feet!'"
• Download / listen to the audio (1.3 Mb, 4 min | 29 July 2012)

Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu
"He is actually an associate of Mahaprabhu. Before that, in Dvapara yuga, he was an associate of Krishna, and Krishna Himself sent him to teach us, the fallen souls. On his disappearance day we can ask him for some mercy so that we can continue our service to the Lord."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.9 Mb, 9 min | 18 August 2013)

Rupa Sanatan: First Encounter
"Rupa and Sanatan stayed in Ramkeli-gram in Malda district, Gauda Mandal and worked for the emperor Hussein Shah. They heard that somebody tried to start kirtan, and, understanding that it had to be Mahaprabhu, they went to meet with Him."
• Download / listen to the audio (2 Mb, 6 min | 13 June 2015)

Service Subordination
"We start service by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, by the mercy of Radharani. Without Their mercy we cannot do anything. One day, Sanatan Goswami came to Rupa Goswami. He asked him, 'For so many days I have not taken sweet rice..."
• Download (1.7 Mb, 5 min | 21 September 2009)

Dignity of the Divine Servitor: Descent of Knowledge
"When in Vrindavana, Rupa Goswami wanted to offer his Guru, Sanatan Goswami, some sweet-rice. He thought, 'My Gurudeva likes sweet-rice. If I can secure some milk, sugar, raisins, nuts, etc., I shall be able to make some sweet-rice, offer it to Krishna, and then to my Gurudeva.' A little later, a young girl, perhaps twelve or fourteen years of age, came to Rupa Goswami's bhajan-kutir in Kadam Kandi..."

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

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

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

• SONG: Sri Guru Parampara | শ্রীগুরুপরম্পরা
"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is nondifferent from Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and is the very life of Sri Rupa's followers. Srila Svarup Damodar Goswami, Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu, and Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu are dear to Visvambhar."

• SONG: Ei-bara karuna kara | এইবার করুণা কর
"O worshippable Vaisnava, be merciful to me this time. O saviour of the fallen, without you there is no one. If anyone comes to you, their sins go away."

• SONG: Vaisnava thakura dayara sagara | বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর দয়ার সাগর
"O worshippable Vaishnav, ocean of grace, be merciful to this servant. Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I clasp your feet. Mercifully give me a drop of faith and bestow upon me the wealth of Krishna's Name."

• SONG: Ki-rupe paiba seva | কিরূপে পাইব সেবা
"I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! It is not possible to conquer maya by engaging in maya. I see no other way to get relief except for the mercy of sadhus."

• SONG: Ye anila prema dhana | যে আনিল প্রেমধন
"I will break my head on a rock, I will enter into fire. Not finding the association of Sri Gauranga, who performed His Pastimes with all these associates, Narottam Das weeps."

• SONG: Sri Rupa-manjari-pada | শ্রীরূপমঞ্জরী-পদ
"The lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my wealth, my bhajan (service), my puja (worship), the wealth of my life, and whatever ornaments I may have. Her lotus feet are the very life of my life."

In honour of Srila Gauri Das Pandit Goswami:

At Gauri Das Pandit's House
"Gauri Das Pandit was a grihastha devotee who lived in Kalna. His brother was the father of Jahnava and Vasudha. Once, Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu came to Kalna by boat and decided to visit Gauri Das Pandit's house..."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 8 min)

Srila Gauri Das Pandit's Gaura Nitai
The story of how Srila Gauri Das Pandit's Deities manifested Themselves at his house in Kalna.
• Download / listen to the audio (1 Mb, 3 min)

Question: We hear that Sri Hari Smaran festival has begun. What activities or reading do you recommend for us?

You can read Srila Sridhar Maharaj's book Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam, that will be good. Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam is a good book, you can read it and remind yourself of many good things (practise smaran). I have also given you some books—Guidance 4, Guidance 3. You can read all these books and you can get everything in them. My books are very easy to understand, I am not writing in very high language, it is easy to understand.

(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj)

(8 August—10 September)

Follow Rules and Regulations
"You must follow rules and regulations. Always. Follow rules and regulations properly. This is good for everybody. Our line is strict about it and we should follow these things. I know it is easy to say it, but it is hard to follow it."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.7 Mb, 12 min | 23 June 2020)

"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)

Special Day of Special Mercy
"By the mercy of Gurudev and Lord Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra, we are present here today, and, even though we are so far, we pay our obeisance to Them from here. I spend this Ratha-yatra time in Puri every year, but even though this year we could not go there, my mind, my heart, and everything is still in Puri with all the devotees."
• Download / listen to the audio (4.7 Mb, 12 min | 23 June 2020)

Observing Gundicha Marjan
"Tomorrow is Gundicha Marjan, everybody will join it. You should clean the place where you are staying, and also clean your heart through chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Clean your hearts through sravan and kirtan, through practising."
• Download / listen to the audio (0.8 Mb, 2 min | 21 June 2020)

Mandakini Dhara
"The main thing is that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur brought to us the pure current of Mandakini, proper consciousness, and this current is still flowing in this world allowing us to get some taste of the nectar that was distributed by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. What he has given us has never been given by anybody in this world."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.9 Mb, 10 min | 21 June 2020)

Without Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur Our Line Is Nothing
"Today is the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur—he left us and entered his nitya-lila on this day. He is doing service in his abode now, but he is still bestowing his mercy on all devotees and on us. We cannot even think of our line without Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. He is the main personality in our line."
• Download / listen to the audio (3.4 Mb, 8 min | 21 June 2020)

Questions and Answers
• How to be tolerant internally, not just show it externally? • What is sahajiya bhajan? • How can we use everything in service, even sad and dangerous things? • How can we know that Gurudev is happy with us? • Western style offerings are out of place in India? • How can my child get sukriti to live in Krishna consciousness? • How to concentrate on Krishna consciousness when mind is distracted?
• Download / listen to the audio (12.8 Mb, 31 min | 14 June 2020)

Treasure of Devotion
"Everybody will die one day, but you have got this human body, so what is your duty? We are not meant to live like cats and dogs. We have got so many facilities—eyes, mouth, ears, etc. What will we do with them?"
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 14 June 2020)

Our Greatest Aspiration
"We sometimes cannot consider ourselves a proper disciple—we always consider ourselves a guru. That is the problem in our life. We have no quality, no qualification to serve Vaishnavs, but the Guru and Vaishnavs are always very kind, they will accept our service, so relying on their kindness, we will try to serve them properly."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.5 Mb, 6 min | 14 June 2020)

In honour of Srila Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj:

"In 1914, when Srila Prabhupad arrived a few days before the festival of Sriman Mahaprabhu's appearance, he met with Srila Vamsidas Babaji Mahasaya, an affectionate associate of Srila Gaurakishor Das Goswami Maharaj, in the yard of a large gymnasium in Kuliya. At that time, Srila Vamsidas did not speak to anyone—he would only constantly sing on his own the verses from ‘Prarthana’ written by Srila Narottam Thakur Mayasaya for his holy Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nityananda, whom he served with pure loving devotion. Seeing Prabhupad, Srila Vamsidas Babaji Maharaj became extremely happy and, overcome with feelings, said, 'My Gaura's very own has come.' After that, he cordially welcomed Prabhupad, gave him a place to sit and began to sing ‘Prarthana’ by Thakur Mahasay. It was heard that he would every day somehow gather champaka flowers, string them into two garlands and offer them onto the necks of Sri Sri Gaura Nityananda. After Srila Prabhupad had seen this service, he told us much about the loving service of Srila Vamsidas Babaji Maharaj and said that he was constantly engaged in a much cherished service in ardent adherence to Srila Narottam Thakur Mahasaya. Prabhupad also said at the time that outside people could not grasp the unholy practises that Srila Vamsidas Babaji Maharaj displayed in order to deceive the outside people. The activities and actions of a perfected Vaishnav of an unfathomable character can never be perceived by enjoyers, renunciates and imposter devotees."

(From 'Saraswati Jayasri')

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

Srila Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj was the only sadhu who was recognised by our Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad) as a sadhu. Indifferent to the world, Srila Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj lived a strict life of a babaji. He would be seen smoking publicly and living in his ashram with so many things scattered around it (fish scales, etc.) as he wanted to keep himself aloof from the society. He was indifferent to all those worldly things; he was actually searching after Krishna in his heart. Despite so many contradictory symptoms in his character, he had the recognition of our Guru Maharaj as a real living Vaishnava. Our Guru Maharaj rejected so many Vrindavan babajis as being imitators, but Srila Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj was not an imitator—he really hankered for Krishna.

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

"For a particular purpose it may be all right to keep a beard, but that is not the custom, neither with the sannyasis, nor with the babajis. Srila Sanatan Goswami had a full beard and Mahaprabhu ordered, 'Take him to a barber and remove it.' Neither sannyasis, nor babajis keep such things. So, we do not like to keep it either. During the Chaturmasya, for the vrata, it is mentioned in the sastra that we can keep hair and beard, otherwise generally not. At the same time, it is not that if one keeps long hair and long beard he cannot be a Vaishnav. There was Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj, an independent Vaishnav. Our Guru Maharaj (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad) also gave respect to him as a Vaishnav, but he had a big beard and did not shave at all. He was very negligent, he did not follow any sort of fashion—he did not allow any barber to shave him. Still, he was a respectable Vaishnav. As for yourself, if you keep a beard only to satisfy the Muslims for the purpose of your service—if you approach them to collect money and you can render good service to your Gurudev through that, then, for this purpose, to keep the safety of your vocation, you may keep a beard."

(Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

It can sometimes be very hard for us to accept the different natures of the devotees in this Krishna consciousness mission. If someone will stick to only one attitude, then he must be doomed to failure. There are many devotees—and many different natures. As an example, you can see in our own Sri Guru-varga that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has one kind of nature, Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj has another kind of nature, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's nature is of another type, and Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj's nature is yet another. But they are all siddha-mahapurusas—perfected souls. Also Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj has another type of nature, and our Srila Guru Maharaj yet another. So who are you to follow?

Srila Govinda Maharaj: Yes, They accepted. Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj's position was such that he was a paramahamsa Vaishnav in vatsalya-rasa, so Nitai-Gaura could not ignore his offering. But you cannot imitate him.

(Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Golden Reflections)

Question: It was the disappearance day of Vamsi Das Babaji yesterday. Could you tell us something about that?

Actually, there are many followers of Mahaprabhu. Not so much is written about many of them, but because they are followers of Mahaprabhu we give their name in the panjika (calendar). We always pay obeisance to them because they serve Mahaprabhu. Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj and others are our line and like many previous Gurus and babajis in our line, they lived and did bhajan in Radha Kunda, but after that they came to Nabadwip. We respect them as our Guru-varga, and that is sufficient for us, it is not so important to know the detailed history of their lives. Sometimes, the description of their life is not written anywhere in the scriptures, but we always follow our Srila Sridhar Maharaj's panjika and we give their name in it.

(Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj, Odds and Ends)

Service Eagerness and Attachment
"This pure conception of Krishna consciousness is very sweet. It is necessary to connect with it and to have faith, proper surrender, humility, tolerance, and to give honour to others. Be patient. Do not be proud. Always reject pratistha. We are tiny servitors, but we will try to do small service."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.7 Mb, 7 min | 14 June 2020)

Love for Guru, Not Yourself
"We are becoming very selfish—we always think about ourselves, about our own happiness, but we do not know whether happiness will come or not. The happiness you get in this material life is very temporary. We must realise what it means to be a proper disciple and we must try to be proper disciples of our Guru."
• Download / listen to the audio (3 Mb, 7 min | 14 June 2020)

Service Code
"We always do service with some little fault, little mistake, and the Lord does not easily accept such service, but if we ask great Vaishnavs, Gurudev, for forgiveness, they will always forgive us. That is why, it will be good if we serve the Lord through Gurudev."
• Download / listen to the audio (2.1 Mb, 5 min | 14 June 2020)