Question: I always understood that by practising sādhana-bhakti, one comes to the spontaneous, or rāga, platform. But I’ve heard here at Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh that our line is rāga-mārg from the beginning. Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj: Yes, from the beginning. There are two mārgas : one is rāga, and the other is...
I’m not here to make a Temple
Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj address to the devotees in Australia on the last night of his visit during his first world tour “We are not here to make a building, or a Temple, or anything like that. We want to make everyone‘s heart a Temple. We want that Mahāprabhu’s Mission will be...
Popular Death Cults of the 3rd Millennium
Zarathustra is a very ancient philosopher. His philosophy never found followers in India until relatively recently, but Zarathustra preached successfully in Iran long ago. It was by the influence of Zarathustra’s ideas that Satan, an equally powerful rival to God, first made his imaginary appearance in the religion of the Jewish people and...
Joy Maa
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj: Why do I say “Joy Maa Kali” from time to time? I should not say why, because if you hear then you will feel very shy. It is because it is not appropriate to discuss Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s pastimes in the place where we are living at present....
Sad-bhuja Mahaprabhu
The life and teaching of Sri Krishna Chaitanya are not merely the concern of a curious sect that paint lines on their foreheads with coloured ochre. The knowledge Sri Krishna Chaitanya revealed to the world is the purest, radiant spiritual knowledge. A knowledge that reveals the truth about this life we are all struggling...
Sri Adi Shankaracharya Bhagavatpada
दुर्लभं त्रयमेवैतद्देवानुग्रहहेतुकम् । मनुष्यत्वं मुमुक्षुत्वं महापुरुषसंश्रयः ॥ durlabhaṃ trayamevaitaddevānugrahahetukam | manuṣyatvaṃ mumukṣutvaṃ mahāpuruṣasaṃśrayaḥ || Vivekachudamani, verse 3. There are three things which are rare indeed and are due to the grace of God, namely a human birth, the longing for liberation, and the protecting care of a perfected sage....
Shankaracharya’s Great Error
Bhagavad Gita 13.14: “Paramatma is omniscient and omnipresent, His faces and eyes are seeing everything. His ears hear everything. His reaching hands and feet go everywhere. He is all-pervading and all-powerful. That divine, infinite Being resides within the heart of every jiva-soul.” सर्वत: पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् । सर्वत:श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ॥ १४ ॥ sarvatah pani-padam...
A Guru should be a Jnani (self-realized)
Bhagavad Gita 4.34 tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah Know the Supreme Lord. Know Him by surrendering to Him, by questioning and by service. A seeker of truth will realize divine knowledge when they approach an enlightened jnani and accept them as their Guru. A self-realized jnani can impart knowledge...
Kulashekhar’s prayer
कृष्ण! त्वदीय पदपङ्कजपञ्जरान्तम्अद्यैव मे विशतु मानसराजहंसः।प्राणप्रयाणसमये कफवातपित्तैःकण्ठावरोधनविधौ स्मरणं कुतस्ते श्रीकुलशेखरस्य krishna! twadiya pada-pankaja-panjarantamadyaiva me visatu manasa-raja-hamsahprana-prayana-samaye kapha-vata-pittaihkanthavarodhana-vidhau smaranam kutas te Kulashekhar’s expression of anguish in the suspense of delay in achieving the shelter of Lord Krishna, by one who realises such shelter to be the only good fortune— O Krishna! Please allow my...
Sri Ram’s promise to the demon Vibhishana
सकृदेव प्रपन्नो यस्तवास्मीति च याचते। अभयं सर्व्वदा तस्मै ददाम्येतद्व्रतं मम ॥४॥ श्रीरामायणे sakrd eva prapanno yas tavasmiti cha yachateabhayam sarvada tasmai dadamy etad vratam mama It is My pledge that if anyone just once sincerely petitions Me for shelter, saying ‘I am Yours,’ then I grant him courage for all time to come. —Sri...
Bhagavad Gita 9.21
ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्गलोकं विशालं क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति । एवं त्रयीधर्ममनुप्रपन्ना गतागतं कामकामा लभन्ते ॥ २१ ॥ te tam bhuktva svarga-lokam visalam ksine punye martya-lokam visanti evam trayi-dharmam anuprapanna gatagatam kama-kama labhante After enjoying heavenly delights their merit is ultimately exhausted and they take rebirth in states of mortal existence. In this way...
শরণাগতি Sharanagati
श्रीगुरुगौरगान्धर्व्वागोविन्दाङ्घ्रीन्गणैः सह।वन्दे प्रसादतो येषां सर्व्वारम्भाः शुभङ्कराः ॥१॥ sri-guru-gaura-gandharva-govindanghrin ganaih sahavande prasadato yesam sarvarambhah subhankarah I make my obeisance unto the lotus feet of my Divine Master, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Sri Gandharva-Giridhari (Sri Sri Radha and Krishna), and Their associates. By Their grace, all endeavours are successful. गौरवाग्विग्रहं वन्दे गौराङ्गं गौरवैभवम्।गौरसङ्कीर्तनोन्मत्तं गौरकारुण्यसुन्दरम्॥२॥ gaura-vag-vigraham vande...
Uttam-adhikari, Madhyam and Kanistha
Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur: Knowing Krishna and His Name to be identical truth one will embrace the Holy Name whole-heartedly; and thus, one who is initiated into chanting the Holy Name properly should be respected as a member of the devotee family. And one who serves Krishna by constant worship of the Name cherished...
Atma-Nivedanatmika (8)
1. With a mind so evil,In the midst of this world, Forsaken, As I lay, Thy Own servant, A superior person, Thou didst send. 2. Pitying me, Fallen as I was, He came to me and said,— Thou seem’st humble, Listen to good words That will cheer thy heart. 3. To deliver TheeSri Krishna ChaitanyaHas...