Mayapur

Gurugata Pran - Presented By Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math Gurugata Pran - Presented By Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math ( Sree Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj )

Appearance Day of Lord Chaitanya...

Gopinath Gaudiya Math

Boat to Nabadwip.

Mayapur Parikrama

To be unqualified means to not have qualifications to do it. To be disqualified means not allowed to do it. We may be unqualified but we are never disqualified.

Sri Chaitanya Math

Image of Floods in Mayapur (2006)

Sree chaitanya gaudiya math Mayapur

Iskcon Mayapur

Mercy is higher than justice. Justice only exists where there is the
necessity of laws, rules, etc., but in the realm of the Absolute
Autocrat, who is the Absolute Good, there can be no question of any apprehension about Him. He is Absolute Good, and Absolute Good is Absolute Love and Affection, and that is home! Back to God, back to home. What is home? It is where we find that we are in the midst of our well-wishers. If we do not care for our own benefit, then there are so many who will take care of us – in fact the whole environment will take care of us – and that is home. That is the domain of the Absolute, and we can enter into His service, the highest position, and thereby see the affection, love, harmony, and beauty that exist there. All these qualities are similar and they constitute the nature of the Prime Cause and Good, and we are to go there.

-- Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja

Once Kṛṣṇa came to Vidura’s house while he was absent. Vidura’s wife was taking a bath at the time. She was also a devotee of high type. When she understood that Kṛṣṇa had come to her house, she forgot herself her in ecstasy and came out undressed. She did not know that she was naked.

Kṛṣṇa quickly threw His upper cloth over her body, and she managed to cover herself with it. Then she sat Kṛṣṇa in the most comfortable position possible and went to find something in her house that she could feed Kṛṣṇa. She found two or three bananas. She took them and removed their peels. Then she left aside the fruits and started to put the peels into Kṛṣṇa’s mouth. Kṛṣṇa ate them. Just then, Devarṣi Nārad and Vidura arrived. Vidura said, “What are you doing? You are leaving aside the fruits and feeding Kṛṣṇa peels!” Vidura become very repentant.

Then Nārad came to the relief of Vidura’s wife, “She is beside herself. She is so ecstatic that her beloved Lord has visited her home that she is beside herself. But why is Kṛṣṇa accepting these peels?” Nārad put the charge against Kṛṣṇa, “She is mad. She is outside of herself. She is madly doing something, having lost her consciousness. But Kṛṣṇa is all-conscious. Why He is swallowing all those banana peels?”

Kṛṣṇa answered, “Nārad, I am eating neither the fruit nor the peel. I am accepting her devotion.”

Bhāva-grāhī Janārdanaḥ [the Lord accepts His devotee’s sentiments.] The material aspect of what a devotee offers to the Lord, the Deity, may not always be acceptable, yet the bhāva, the feeling that arises in the heart of the worshipper, can still satisfy the Lord.

-- Srila BR Sridhar Deva Maharaja

khanda khanda haï deha jay jadi prana tabu ami vadane na charii hari-nama ”You may cut my body to pieces, and the life may leave it. But I will never abandon the Holy Name which my tongue will ever continue to chant.” (Chaitanya Bhagavat 16.91)

When the Nawab saw that Hari Das Thakur’s determination to continue chanting the names of Krishna was unbreakable, he asked the Kazi what should be done. The Kazi answered, “He should be given such a severe punishment that other Muslims will be afraid to convert. He should be flogged publicly in 22 market places until he is dead. If after being beaten in 22 market places he is still alive, then we will know that he really has some kind of spiritual power and that he has been telling the truth!” The Nawab gave the order and several infantrymen took Hari Das Thakur from marketplace to marketplace, giving him a cruel flogging with a cane in each one. Even so, he did not die. Just like Prahlad, He himself, though being ruthlessly flogged by these sinful people, did not stop praying to the Lord for the well being of his torturers. ”Be merciful to all these poor souls, O Lord! Though they treat me like an enemy, do not consider this to be an offense.” (Chaitanya Bhagavat 16.110)

Normally, the type of beating that was being given to Hari Das would have killed an ordinary man after only two or three marketplaces. When his torturers saw that he was still alive after 22 marketplaces, they began to worry. When Hari Das saw that they were inconvenienced by his remaining alive, he went into a deep trance of meditation on Krishna, appearing to everyone as though dead. On the Kazi’s order, Hari Das’s body was flung into the Ganges. To everyone’s surprise, Hari Das floated to the other shore where he climbed onto dry land and started chanting the Holy Names in a loud voice, walking in the direction of Phuliya. Both the Nawab and the Kazi realized that he was a real saint or pir and they fell to the ground in obeisances and begged him for forgiveness. By his grace, they were able to become free of their evil misdeeds.

Vrindavan Das Thakur writes that while Hari Das was being cruelly beaten, Mahaprabhu descended with his discus, intending to destroy the demons, but was unable to do so on account of Hari Das’s prayers. So he shielded Hari Das’s body with his own. Then he revealed to Hari Das the cane marks on his back. When Hari Das heard the Lord recount this story, he immediately fainted. The Lord then showed him his divine form. He glorified Hari Das himself: “Anyone who even sees Hari Das becomes free from all bo***ge. Even great gods like Brahma and Shiva desire Hari Das’s company. Even the Ganges desires his touch.”

Thakura Bhaktivinoda took Vaisnava diksa from Sri Vipinvihari Goswami in the line of Sri Jahnava Mata. Afterwards, he received spiritual inspiration and direction from Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji. Holding an exalted government post, vast erudition, and spiritual accomplishment never disturbed Bhaktivinoda Thakura. He remained prideless, always humble, friendly to all. Charity seekers at his home always left happy and satisfied. A well-wisher to everyone, he never kept grudges, even with opponents to his preaching. In fact, he never spoke a word that would hurt another's feelings.
Bhaktivinod Thakur


"The Thakura was always courageous and acted for everyone's welfare. Keeping personal needs to a minimum, he led the simplest of lives," said one pandit. In the following entry from Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinoda, who had all pure divine qualities, takes the role of a conditioned soul to teach us how to advance in Krishna consciousness:

"You should always absorb your mind in attentively chanting Krishna's glories. By performing Krishna kirtana you'll gain mastery over the mind. Give up all false pride. Always think yourself to be worthless, destitute, lower and more humble than straw in the street. Practice forgiveness like the tree. Giving up all violence toward other living beings, you should maintain them. Throughout your life you should never give anxiety to others. But do good to them, make them happy, and forget about your own happiness.

"Thus when you become a pious good soul by possessing all good qualities, you should give up desires for fame and honor. And just make your heart humble. Knowing that Lord Sri Krishna lives within all living beings, you should respect and honor everyone at all times. You will attain virtue by being humble, merciful, respecting others, and renouncing desires for fame and honor. In such a state, you should sing the glories of the Supreme Lord. Weeping, Bhaktivinoda submits his prayer at the lotus feet of the Lord. '0 Lord, when will You give me such qualities as these?' "

Always anxious to use every moment in loving service of Krishna, he followed a strict austere daily schedule:

8 p.m.-10 p.m. Rest (two hours)
10 p.m.-4 a.m. Write
4 a.m.-4:30 a.m. Rest
4:30 a.m.-7 a.m. Chant Japa
7 a.m.-7:30 a.m. Correspondence
7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Study sastras
9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Bath,prasadam (half-liter milk, fruit, 2 chapatis)
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Court Duties
1 p.m.-2 p.m. Refresh at home
2 p.m.-5 p.m. Court Duties
5 p.m.-7 p.m. Translate Sanskrit sastras to Bengali
7 p.m.-8 p.m. Bath,prasadam (half-liter milk, rice, 2chapatis)

Summary Daily Schedule:

Sleep 3 hours
Write 8.5 hours
Japa,study 4.5 hours
Work 6 hours

Sri Radhastami - Appearance day of Srimati:

Srimati Radharani is the eternal consort of Lord Krishna. Five thousand years ago, when Lord Krishna came to this planet to perform His pastimes, Srimati Radharani also appeared.

"On a half-moon night in the month of Bhadra, King Vrishabhanu came to the Jamuna to bathe and found himself engulfed in a golden aura, the golden aura of pure love. It was emanating from a lotus, which had a baby girl standing on its whorl. When the king returned to the palace with the baby, Queen Kirtida was delighted. She was also shocked that the girl was blind.

"Lord Krishna's mother, Yashoda, heard that her best friend Kirtida had a baby, so she came to visit along with her husband and her son. Krishna crawled up to the cradle and pulled Himself up and looked in. At that moment, Srimati Radharani's eyes fluttered and opened wide and blossomed like lotuses. It seems that she did not want to see anything of this world, only the form of Sri Krishna.

Everyone was delighted. "Srimati Radharani is the mother of the universe, the spiritual mother of all
souls. And the concept of mother is the most sacred symbol—that of purity, selflessness, caring, sharing, nurturing, and love. That is why our sacred mantra is the holy names. It is the holy names in the vocative.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

When Krishna wants to enjoy, He expands the potency or energy within Himself that gives him enjoyment. This potency is a person. Her name is Srimati Radharani.

Radharani is not a different person from Krishna, or, rather, she is both one with and different from Him. How could two people be one person or one person be two? A simple example will illustrate how
this is so. The sun cannot exist without the sunshine, nor the sunshine without the sun. We say, "the sun is in my room"—even though the sun itself is ninety-three million miles away because the sun appears in the form of its energy. Therefore the energy (the sunshine) and the energetic (the sun) are simultaneously one and different.

Similarly, Radha and Krishna are simultaneously one and different. Krishna, the self-effulgent Lord, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Srimati Radharani is His supreme pleasure energy. Together They constitute the complete Absolute Truth. Srimati Radharani is the embodiment of pure devotional service. No one can be a greater devotee than She. The very name Radharani comes from the Sanskrit word aradhana, which means "worship." Her name is Radharani because She excels all in worshiping Krishna. Although Krishna is so beautiful that He can attract millions of Cupids and is therefore called Madanamohana, "the attractor of Cupid," Radharani can attract even Krishna. She is therefore called Madana-mohana-mohini—"the attractor of the attractor of Cupid."

One can best worship Lord Krishna, theSupreme Personality of Godhead, through Srimati Radharani, His supreme pleasure energy. Krishna says in Bhagavad- Gita,

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." (Bg. 9.26).

But rather than offer a flower directly to Krishna, better to offer the flower to Srimati Radharani,
requesting, "My dear Radharani, please recommend me to Your Krishna."

Krishna is the supreme controller, yet he is controlled by the pure devotion of Srimati Radharani. Krishna is therefore also known as the "property of Radharani." If one can please Radharani, therefore, one can very easily please Lord Krishna. Therefore Radha is the supreme goddess, is worshipable for everyone. She is the protectress of all, and She is the mother of the entire universe."
-Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi 4.89

Krsna sometimes challenges the gopis in the forest: "Why have you come here? Don't you know I am Vrajendra, the King of Vrndavana? By picking flowers here, you are destroying My Vrndavana!"

At that time Lalita-devi says, "We know what kind of 'protector' You are. Actually you have never planted one seed or watered one tree. Instead, with Your hundreds of thousands of cows, it is You who destroys Vrndavana. We are the real owners of Vrndavana. We have planted every seed and watered every tree."

Krsna then says, "Don't you know who I am? I am a very religious person and I have never told a lie."

Then Srimati Lalita-devi says, "Yes, we know what type of religious person You are. We heard that when You were only seven days old, You killed a woman named Putana, who came as a mother to You. And which house in Vrndavana have You not stolen from? Are You the same religious person who stole all the clothing of the gopis? Are You the same religious person who performed rasa-lila with all the married gopis of Vrndavana?" Krsna then becomes ashamed.

vatsalya-vrnda-vasatim pasupala-rajnyah
sakhyanusiksana-kalasu gurum sakhinam
radha-balavaraja-jivita-nirvisesam
devim gunaih sulalitam lalitam namami

[I offer pranama unto the supremely charming Sri Lalita-devi, who possesses all divine qualities; who is also the recipient of Yasoda-devi's parental affection; the guru of all the sakhis, instructing them in the art of friendship; and the very life of both Srimati Radhika and the younger brother of Baladeva. (Sri Lalitastakam, verse 6)]

-- Srila Bhakti Vedanata Narayana Maharaja.

Kothaya go premamyi radhe radhe
Radhe, radhe go, jaya radhe, radhe

Where is She who is full of prema? All glories to Sri Radha. (1)
O Radha! Please give me Your darsana and save my life. Your wretched beggar calls out to You, "Radhe, Radhe!" (2)
O Radha, You enjoy pleasure pastimes in the forest of Vrndavana, wherein You enchant the mind of Krsna. (3)
O Radha, You are the crest-jewel among Your eight principal sakhis. O Radha, daughter of Vrsabhanu Baba. (4)
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was always calling out, "Radhe! Radhe!" (5)
…sometimes at Kesi Ghata, sometimes at Vamsi Vata. (6)
…sometimes in Nidhuvana, sometimes at Seva Kunja. (7)
…sometimes at Radha K***a, sometimes at Syama K***a. (8)
…sometimes at Kusuma Sarovara, sometimes at Giriraja Govardhana. (9)
…sometimes at Talavana, sometimes at Tamalvana. (10)
Raghunatha dasa wears simple cloth which appears to be dirty because he is always rolling on the earth crying out, "Radhe! Radhe!" (11)
Calling out "Radhe! Radhe," his eyes are bursting with a flood of tears. (12)
He wanders throughout the lanes of Vrndavana crying out, "Radhe! Radhe!" (13)
He knows nothing but Radha-Govinda throughout the day and night (56 dandas: 1 danda= 24 minutes). Radhe! Radhe! (14)
He takes rest for only 4 dandas (1 hr. 36 min.) At that time he receives darsana of Radha-Govinda in his dreams. Radhe! Radhe! (15)

Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has heard from Srila Svarupa Damodara, Srila Raya Ramananda, Srila Rupa Gosvami, and especially from Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and thus he is presenting this tattva. Srimati Radhika's name is Govinda-nandini (She who makes Sri Krsna happy), and there is nothing higher than this.

Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has revealed some of the names of Radhika in his Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila chapter four. One of Her names is Govinda-nandini. Govinda is the controller of everything. He is the extreme limit of the conception of the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna. He is full with unlimited opulence and sweetness. Who can give happiness to Him? Only one personality can do so - Krsna Himself in the form of Srimati Radhika.

She is Govinda-mohini. Krsna attracts all living entities, including animals, trees and creepers. He especially attracts all the Vraja gopis, but Radhika can attract Him. Krsna bewilders everyone in this world by His maya-sakti, and in the spiritual world He bewilders all by His beautiful form, qualities, and pastimes. He can bewilder everyone; yet Srimati Radhika can bewilder Him.

Radhika is Govinda-sarvasya. She is everything to Krsna. She is the be-all-and-end-all of Krsna; for Him, nothing remains

--Srila Bhakti Vedanata Narayana Maharaja

"~ It harms one’s bhakti to consider a non-devotee to be a Vaiṣṇava
or to believe that a pure Vaiṣṇava belongs to a particular caste ~

O readers! To the exact degree that you honour and respect a pure Vaiṣṇava in accordance with the awakening of bhakti within him, disregarding any apparent shortcoming in his birth, you will be liberated from the mundane conception that Vaiṣṇavas belong to any worldly caste.

There is no other way to attain bhakti than through the association of pure Vaiṣṇavas. Yet if we associate with anyone and everyone considering them to be Vaiṣṇavas, or if we dishonour a genuine Vaiṣṇava by calling attention to the inferiority of the dynasty in which he was born, then we will be left with no hope of attaining the association of a pure Vaiṣṇava. It is therefore imperative that we become unbiased and simple in all activities. If you dread being in a state of self-deception, then you should never adopt the belief that a Vaiṣṇava belongs to some mundane caste."

"Krishna's mercy descends only through the Vaishnavas.

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, a nitya-siddha (eternal associate) of the Lord, instructs the devotees to pray to Mahaprabhu. He says that we should seek shelter in the shade of a Vaishnava's lotus feet, shed tears of remorse with total humility, submitting to him the plight of our material existence, which is the result of turning away from Krishna. The Vaishnava is an ocean of compassion and feels the pain of others. When he pleads on our behalf to the Lord, Krishna responds and kindly accepts us as the followers of his favorites. Krishna's mercy descends only through the Vaishnavas.

There is Krishna and karsna. Krishna's mercy is embodied in pure devotees, who are known as karsna. The lotus feet of a Vaisnava guru represents the mercy of the Lord. Krishna is the priceless treasure enthroned in Sri Guru's heart. The Lord can easily give this treasure to those who are surrendered to his devotees. There is no other way to receive Krishna's grace than to serve and take shelter at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava."

--Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj

Question : Who is our most benevolent friend?

Answer: There is no truer or more benevolent friend in this world than he who causes us to become attracted to chanting the holy names of the Lord. All of the charity done by a million philanthropists, each as great as Karṇa*, seems very ordinary and small when compared to the immense benevolence of those who engage in preaching the glories of the holy names.

-- Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura.

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* C.f. Mahābhārata. Karṇa is renowned as the most charitable character in Mahābhārata. He famously donated his armour, which was a part of his own flesh, to Indra without hesitation.

In this world, human beings experience the results of their own karma, and Śrī Bhagavān arranges for us to experience it. He has created my situation just so I may listen to people criticizing me, and He has sent someone into this world to criticize me. Souls in this world are always found in one of these positions. Some follow the example of a renounced mendicant and tolerate everything while maintaining faith in the Supreme, knowing that human beings suffer the results of their own actions. Others, considering themselves lords, enjoyers, perfect, invincible, and materially happy, become arrogant and thus utterly deluded. This world is the learning ground for human beings of un-awakened consciousness. All is well if we can adopt the lessons we learn throughout our time here. Otherwise, grave misfortune will befall us.

Instead of saying someone else is at fault, if we simply accept that ‘I have done something wrong’, everything will be so much easier. With that kind of attitude, in most cases, it is seen that the likelihood of us getting into arguments and quarrels with others is comparatively very slim.

--Srila Bhakti Vedanata Vamana Goswami Maharaja

In human life various difficulties arise at every moment, reminding us that this world and all its pleasures are in fact of a temporary nature. But for demigods, whose life is comparatively full of uninterrupted sensual pleasure, realization of the temporary nature of the world is not easily attained. Thus, by taking birth as humans we are granted these interruptions in pleasure and, consequently, we can make preparations for our true welfare by correctly identifying what is actually, ultimately beneficial, and distinguishing it from what is not.

-- Sirla Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada

Narottama das Thakur says 'Balaram haila Nitai'.

After wandering through this entire universe, birth after birth, some fortunate souls receive the seed of devotion (bhakti-lata-bija) by the mercy of Krishna and the guru. Upon receiving the seed of devotional service, one should take care of it by becoming a gardener and sowing it in his heart. If he waters the seed gradually by the process of sravana and kirtan [hearing and chanting], the seed will begin to sprout. As one waters the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed sprouts, and the creeper gradually increases to the point where it penetrates the walls of this universe and goes beyond the Viraja River between the spiritual world and the material world. It passes through the Brahma-loka, the Brahman effulgence until it finally reaches the spiritual sky and the spiritual planet Goloka Vrindavan where it takes shelter of the desire tree of the lotus feet of Krishna. There the creeper expands greatly and produces the fruit of love for Krishna, while the gardener continues to regularly sprinkle the creeper with the water of hearing and chanting here in the material world.

An offense to the Vaishnavas is like a mad elephant that uproots or breaks the creeper, causing its leaves to dry up.

The gardener must therefore take care to protect the creeper by making a fence around it so that the elephant of offenses may not enter. Even so, unwanted creepers, such as the weeds of desire for material enjoyment or release from the world, may grow along with the creeper of devotional service. Such weeds are countless in their variety. Some examples are forbidden activity, faultfinding and duplicity, causing suffering to other creatures, seeking wealth, adulation or mundane importance. All these weeds grow alongside the main creeper as one waters it, causing its growth to be curtailed.

As soon the devotee sees one of these weeds growing beside the original creeper, he must cut it down instantly. Then the real bhakti-lata can grow nicely all the way to Vrindavan where it will find shelter under the lotus feet of Krishna.
-CC 2. 19. 151-61 (Maharprabhu instructs Srila Rupa Goswami)

While in Prayag, Mahaprabhu gave Rupa the direct order to write Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu.

Particularly relevant in this connection is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur's commentary on the importance of studying and writing books as an element of devotional practice: "The lives of the Goswamis were exemplary in their renunciation. Sometimes they would engage in chanting the holy names of the Lord, sometimes they would worship him by writing books on divine aesthetics, and sometimes they would remember or glorify Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

There is an idea which has some currency amongst the prakrta-sahajiyas that devotional practice entails the renunciation of studying and writing devotional scriptures, indeed that any kind of scriptural study should be stopped so that one can attain to a state of ignorance. Those who follow in the footsteps of Rupa Goswami have no patience with such ideas. However, if a devotional practitioner studies or writes devotional scriptures for the sake of making money through which to satisfy his material senses or attain material fame, respect or any of the other insignificant and superficial goals which are classed as distractions or weeds in the garden of devotional service, then he will not attain the auspicious results which are the real fruit such activity. A real Rupanuga has no fruitive ambition for such petty results." (Anubhasya, 2.19.131)