Sri Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Srila Bhativinode Thakur has said in his writing `Hari he, prapance pariya,
agati hayiya, na dekhi upaya ara…'- `O Supreme Lord Sree Hari ! Being helpless
due to fall in the pit of tremendous worldly suffering, I am at a loss to find
out a way to get out of it. I take shelter at Your Lotus Feet because you are
the only resort of a miserable and helpless person like me. I have got no
qualities by which you can grace me. I have got no good deeds, no knowledge, no
quality of performing devotional forms and worshipping you. I am devoid of all
qualities but only hope for me is that you are All-Merciful, graceful. I am a
destitute. I can only pray your causeless mercy. I am immersed in the ocean of
births, deaths and threefold afflictions being drifted by the forces of evil
words, evil mind, anger, relishing delicious food and also forces of desires to
fill the stomach with good dishes and for sex-enjoyments. I am tremendously
tormented by these evil desires. I am trying my utmost to control these evil
propensities but I am undone, I have lost all hopes. You are the Lord of the
helpless, I am calling You. I can only depend on You, there is nobody else to
rescue me.' These words of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur are applicable to me and
also to other sincere souls who want to be rescued.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Srila Rupa Gosvami has written this song:
bandhu sange jadi taba ranga pariahs thake abhilas
tabe mor katha rakha jeyo naka jeyo naka
vrndavane kesitirtha ghater sakas
nayane bankina-drsti mukhe manda-has

"If you still desire to amuse yourself with your friends, you should not go to
Vrndavana. And if you go to Vrndavana, you should especially not go to Kesi
Ghat. There is a danger lurking there. What is that danger? It is Sri Hari,
Krishna Himself, who has taken the form of Govinda, Govinda vigraha dhari. The
danger is that if you go there and see Him, if you have a vision of Govinda, you
will not be able to return to the customary amusements of your ordinary
household life.

The look of His eyes, His crooked glance, is very dangerous-- nayane
bankima-drsti mukhe manda-has. He is not standing straight, but tri-bhanga, with
three curves. If this Krishna enters you, He will not come out. If Narayana
enters, He may come out. Narayana is straight. But Krishna is curved like a hook
and that is dangerous.

His color is like the color of a rain cloud-- varna samujjvala syama. You will
find that in the springtime the leaves of the trees are so fresh. Similarly,
Krishna is not old, but rather, a young adolescent. The lips of His mouth are
very dangerous and if you see the peacock feather on His head, you will not be
able to come back to your household life. So, if you want to have fun with your
friends, you should not go to Vrndavana, and should not see Krishna.

Unfortunately, we go to Vrndavana and still come back. We do not have such
devotion. If anybody truly had the greed for Govinda, he could not return to his
mundane life. His worldly relations would be destroyed. Greed for devotion is
developed by associating with the pure devotees of the Lord. By their grace it
becomes possible for us to attain Krishna prema, divine love for God, the
ultimate goal of life.
--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, I have two kinds of potencies: bhumirapo analo
vayuh, kham mano budhir eva ca, ahankaram itiyam me, bhinna prakritir astada.
Krishna says I have two kinds of potencies – one is para and the other is apara.
Para means superior, apara means not superior - inferior. Apara, inferior
potency, means material energy. In material energy you will find eight elements:
earth, water, fire, air, sky, and mind, intelligent and false ego, not real ego.
The eight elements of the apara potency is the material energy of Supreme Lord
Sri Krishna. Energy belongs to Sri Krishna. Whatever is created by the energy
also belongs to Sri Krishna. This body is the outcome of the apara potency of
Sri Krishna! Who is the master of this body? As for example - I am the master of
my own potency, Supreme Lord is the master of His own potency, His potency. I am
the part of the potency of Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna. This body is part of the
material potency and the astral body is also part of the material potency. The
possessor of the potency is Sri Krishna. Who then is the possessor of this body?
`He!' I am not even owner of my own body, it does not belong to me. This house
belongs to Sri Krishna. But out of nescience, ignorance when we become adverse
to Sri Krishna, illusory energy of Sri Krishna envelops us to think we are the
masters of this world, we are the enjoyers. We are here now, after 400 years
somebody will take this and he will say that I am the proprietor. After 500
years another person will come, he will demand that he is the proprietor. Out of
ignorance we, human beings, have some rules and regulations, laws - if you can
purchase this you can register then you become the owner. Humans beings got some
laws which are made, but dogs do not require any such laws. At the Calcutta
Math, there is one junction. Our math is there - 5 storied building and there
are many dogs. In that side 4 dogs and in that side 5 dogs. They have made some
demarcation - that side dogs should not come this side. If that side dogs enter
there they will wow..wow..wow..attack -  always disturbing. There is no
recurrent law, so this is the nescience. Actually we belong to Sri Krishna. It
has been stated by our Parampujyapad Sri Bhaktivedenta Swami Maharaj in his own
writing and I have gone through those writings. Somewhere he was delivering
sermons. He said, "Once Lord Indra was cursed by his Gurudev, Brajaspathi. He
committed an offence to his Gurudev, Brajaspathi and so got cursed `go and take
birth as a hog.' By his curse Devaraj Indra became a hog and he has got his own
children and family. The throne of heaven became vacant, empty. Brahmaji was
thinking who will replace Devaraj Indra, the foreman of the heaven become hog.
Then Brahma went there. `My dear sir, you are emperor of heaven. Why are you
here in the hog family? You go and govern the heaven. There is nobody there. You
go there. Come with me.'
`No!, I have got this nice hog family - many children, wife etc. I have got no
time. I don't believe. You go.'
Like that we have forgotten. We belong to Sri Krishna. If Sri Krishna comes to
us and says, `You are my eternal servant. Come to me.'
`No!, I have got this nice building, and this children, wife etc., I have no
time to go to you. I don't believe you. Where from have you come? Why are you
demanding me? I don't believe.'
As far as I remember I have gone through this stage. So we have forgotten that
we belong to Sri Krishna. We have forgotten this. We think we are of this world.
We are in illusion. By the grace of Guru, Vaishnavas and Bhagavan, among crores
of humans beings one or two persons, fortunate persons, will know that they do
not belong to this world and that they belong to Sri Krishna. For that you
should perform bhajans. It is very difficult to get sudha bhakta. Among the
emancipated souls and those who achieve their goals, person who has taken
absolute shelter of Narayan and performs exclusive devotion to Narayan is
self-realized. Those who have that attitude to serve Krishna are blessed.

  --- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

In Padma puran it is instructed what is to be done and what is not to be done.
What we have to do, that which reminds us of Sri Krishna. Always we must
remember Sri Krishna, Vishnu. Whatever action reminds us of Sri Krishna that is
allowed and what not to do? - by which we forget Sri Krishna. We should never
forget Sri Krishna. If any action makes us forget Sri Krishna that is a crime.
That we should not do. There are list of commandments and list of prohibitions -
64 kinds of principle devotion you will find in the science of devotion,
Bhakti-rasamirta-sindhu, in Srimad Bhagavatam nine forms of devotion are
described and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has further said five forms of principle
devotion - Sadhu Sanga, Nama Kirtan, Bhagavat Sravan, Mathuravas, Sradhaya Sri
Murti Seva. Association of bonafide sadhus, sadhu sanga, is the first one. Nama
Kirtan, chanting of the Holy name of Sri Krishna. Bhagavat Sravan, listening to
Srimat Bhagavatam from a Bhagavat, from a sudha bhakta. Sudha bhakta is also
designated as Bhagavat. You will have to hear Bhagavatam from a Bhavagat,
vaishnava. Mathuravas - where shall we stay? Holy place of pastimes of Sri
Krishna. We have to stay in the transcendental realm. Wherever devotees sing the
glories of Supreme Lord that is also considered as transcendental realm, you are
to stay there. And with faith, firm faith you worship Sri Krishna. Among these 5
principle forms of devotion He has given foremost emphasis to Nam Sankirtan. Nam
Sankirtan is the best. If anybody can perform Nam Sankirtan, chanting of the
holy names without offences, it is the best. It removes all afflictions. Why?
Why you should perform bhajans? Why you should hear? Why you should chant? Why
you should worship deity? What for? The root cause of our afflictions is
forgetfulness of our relationship with Sri Krishna. So you are to undo this. We
have forgotten Sri Krishna. For that reason Sri Krishna's maya, illusory energy
has entrapped us and we have been curtailed in the three primal qualities of the
external potencies. We have been held down in this world in birth, death and
three-fold afflictions.


--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.

Kindly join the video conference of Srila Gurudev's transcendental darsan on 11
October 2012 (Holy Indira Ekadasi) at 6.30 PM IST on www.sreecgmath.org

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

The original quality or kife of the sadhu is to have one-pointed devotion. The
one who serving krishna is serving all. The most elevated stage is to serve
Krishna. If you pour water to the roots, the whole plant will be nourished. If
you give food to the stomach, the whole body will be nourished. If you serve
Krishna, you serve all. This is the fundamental original quality of a sadhu.

Will the aquatic animals living in the rivers, seas and oceans get Bhagawan? No.
There are many vegetarians like the goat etc. By simply becoming vegetarians,
you cannot get Bhagawan. Without one-pointed devotion, nobody can get Bhagawan.
We perform japa of Bhagawan and we get something else. A person, who wants
Bhagawan from the core of his heart, will immediately get Him. One, who has the
one-pointed devotion to the Supreme Lord, is a sadhu. He does not worship any
demigod. But he knows that by serving Krishna, he serves all. A chaste wife, who
has got love for her honest husband, will serve the servant for the satisfaction
of her husband. Like that, sadhus have got respect for all but they respect in
relation to Sri Krishna. They do not go and worship any demigods. All the
demigods are satisfied with the sudha bhaktas. The demigods are congenial to all
those who have devotion to Lord Hari. So we should have one-pointed devotion.
Krishna has said: mam ekam saranam vraja.

Sadhus cannot live without hearing and speaking about Krishna. Just like a fish,
cannot live without the water. Without hearing about Krishna's name, fame,
pastimes and without engaging their senses in the service of Krishna, sadhus
cannot live in this world. But some are doing for business. They speak about
Krishna for another motive. Bhagwan is omni-potent. If I take shelter of
Bhagawan, will He not protect me? Everywhere there are mishaps, but when God
protects, nobody can do anything. Sadhus know that God will protect them.
Therefore, they are calm and serene.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

A sadhu should have tolerance, the quality of forgiveness and forbearance
because sadhus have got no desires except Krishna's satisfaction. When there are
other ulterior desires, motives or obstructions, a person becomes enraged.
Sadhus have got no desires except Krishna's service. They are dedicated to the
service. They do not want money, name and fame. So if there is any obstruction
in getting money, name or fame, a sadhu will not be enraged. Those who have the
desires will be enraged. Their minds will be destroyed.

But nobody can destroy the mind of a sadhu. Titiksvah – sadhus have the
tolerance. Sadhu is compassionate to all the jivas. They are seeing that the
jivas are getting afflictions in this world. The jivas have got the heart to see
Krishna and they have got no reason to be afflicted. We are the sons and
daughters of the same Supreme Father. Why should we cry? We are not remembering
Him and taking shelter. So sudha bhaktas go from one place to another.

Our coming here is a great mistake – running after phantasm. It is like living
in desert. Your requirement is Krishna. Worship Him and you will get everything.
For this reason, sadhus are compassionate to all – titiksvah karunika, suhrdah
sarve dehinam.

Sadhus are most beloved to Sri Krishna. They have got no notion of friend or foe
– ajata satravah santah. All are coming from the beloved Sri Krishna. I am the
enemy of myself. There are no enemies in this world and my mind is my greatest
enemy. Most beloved is Sri Krishna and all are serving Sri Krishna in a positive
or negative way. Hiranyakasipu is serving in a negative way and Prahlad is
serving in a positive way. I am not serving Krishna. I am most unfortunate. The
sadhu always thinks like this.

There is no enviousness in the sadhu – ajata satravah santah. Sadhus have got
tranquility of mind. They are calm and serene. They have got no desire except
the sesire of fulfilling the desire of Sri Krishna. Their duties are enjoined by
the scriptures. They are simple hearted and are not crooked.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Lust is the heart disease of all conditioned souls of the world. Our Most
Revered Gurudeva used to give an illustration of the dog. If the tail of the dog
is made straight by pulling and when pulling will be stopped, the tail of the
dog will return to it's curled state. In the like manner, at the time of
associating with sadhus, we think we have become alright but the moment we give
up the company of the sadhus, we forget everything and we come to the same state
what we were before. It is a long journey, all of a sudden we cannot get the
desired fruit. As Rupa Goswami has said in the Upadeshamrita – Without
earnestness, firm belief that Krishna will surely grace, patience, practicing
devotional forms, disassociating from non-sadhus, accepting scriptural
prescripts, we cannot get success in our devotional
spiritual life.

In your worldly life also, if you loose patience, you cannot succeed. So for
spiritual amelioration, immense patience is necessary.

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Conditioned souls pass through cycles of births and deaths, so naturally they
have got their previous non-eternal impressions of non-eternal material
relations. After passing through 80 lacs of species, a conditioned soul luckily
gets the precious human birth. God has given discriminating power in human birth
to know what is good and what is bad, what is eternal and non-eternal, etc. So
human beings are eligible to worship Supreme Lord Who is All-Existence,
All-Knowledge and All-Bliss. But a novice, who starts bhajan is always in the
trouble of tug of war between attraction to worldly things and attraction to
spiritual culture. Nobody can get the realised state all of a sudden. It depends
upon the intensity of sincerely practising devotion to Supreme Lord. As much we
can increase our eternal devotional impressions in our heart, to that extent we
can detach ourselves from our attraction to non-eternal relations and
non-eternal impressions. Even Ambarish Maharaj, who was a great devotee, could
conquer all worldly desires gradually.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayath!

Conditioned souls have got currents of thoughts in their minds imbibed
from previous impressions of millions of births - holy thoughts and
unholy thoughts. This human birth is given by Lord to fight against
unholy thoughts and to enhance holy thoughts. Unless root cause of
committing sin is eradicated, the aptitude to commit sin cannot be
removed. The cause of sin is desire for committing sin and the cause of
desire for committing sin is misconception of self, cause of
misconception of self is nescience (ignorance), cause of nescience is
aversion to Supreme Lord, who is All-Existence, All-Knowledge and
All-Bliss. Therefore root cause of sin is aversion to Sree Krishna. So,
Sree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said, "The conditioned souls of the world,
due to forgetfulness of their relation with Supreme Lord are averse to
Sree Krishna since time immemorial." Therefore it is advised to
cultivate devotional forms principally to chant the Holy Name for
remembrance of Sree Krishna. We have forgotten Krishna from time
immemorial, we are to undo it and for this we are to take the help of
bonafide Shuddha Bhaktas. `Sadhan bina sadhya vastu keho nahi paye' -
Without devotional practice nobody can get the objective.

After passing through 80 lacs of births of different species, we have
got this human birth. God was satisfied by creating human being as human
being has the capacity to discriminate between eternal and non-eternal
and can worship Supreme Lord who is All-existence, All-knowledge and
All-bliss. This human birth is not meant for eating, sleeping, defending
and mating like birds and beasts. In Srimad Bhagavatam, 9thCanto, Ved
Vyasa Muni has said that Ambarish Maharaj, who was most favorite devotee
of Supreme Lord Sree Krishna could remove all desires of this world
gradually, by performing bhajan without deceitfulness. A conditioned
soul cannot get the desired result all of a sudden. If he is sincere in
his efforts, by the grace of Supreme Lord Sree Krishna and His devotees,
he will be ultimately successful.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.

Kindly visit the photo and audio sections in www.sreecgmath.org for latest
updates.

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Kartika is the best, the purest of purifiers, and most glorious of all months.
Kartika month is particularly dear to Lord Sri Krsna. This month is full of
bhakta vatsalya. Any vrata, even the smallest, will yield huge results. The
effect of performing a Kartika Vrata lasts for one hundred lifetimes, whereas
ordinary vratas only last for one lifetime!

Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math devotees observe the intense sadhana of eight period
of devotional service as mentioned in Bhajan Rahasya. Srila Gurudev advises that
everyone should try to participate in the Kartik Vrata observance. They can go
to any branch of the math near to them.

For the devotees not living near the Math, Srila Gurudev advises the following
practices for Kartik Vrata. Everybody should try to follow as much as possible
according to their capacity.

-- Daily offer a ghee lamp to Supreme Lord Sree Krishna and sing Sree
Damodarastakam, while meditating on the meaning. Srila Guru Maharaj has
translated the Damodarastakam in English. It is included in the Kartik Handbook.
-- One should always remember Supreme Lord Hari. Devotees should try to chant
Harinam correctly.
-- Hear Srimad Bhagavatam, daily in association of exalted Vaisnavas, if
possible. Preference should be given in favor of hearing the scriptures from
sadhus during this month. It is most beneficial to recite and read Sree Gajendra
Moksha Lila-stava from 8th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, which teaches complete
surrender/dependence on Supreme Lord.
-- Eat only the food offered to Supreme Lord. There are some food restriction to
be followed in the month of Kartik.
-- Daily recite Siksastaka of Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and meditate on its
meaning. Read the commentary on Sikastaka by Bhaktivinode Thakur as recommended
by Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada. In the Bhajan Rahasya
translation, Srila Gurudev has covered the commentary of Sikastaka (In Kartik
Handbook).
-- Daily Read the the Updeshamrata of Srila Rupa Goswami as recommended by Srila
Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada.
-- Daily offer lamp to Sree Tulsi devi and pray for eternal residence in
Vrindavana and eternal service of the lotus feet of Sree Radha and Sree Krishna.
-- Do four parikrama (circumbulation) of Tulasi.
-- Make nice offerings for Krishna. Devotees should observe the festival of
Annakuta, Giriraj Govardhan Puja. Srila Gurudev has written about the the
Giriraj Goverdhan in Kartik Handbook.
-- Associate more with devotees.

This year Kartik's important tithis and festivals
25 Oct: Sri Pashankusa Ekadasi, Beginning of Kartik Vrata
29 Oct: Saradiya Rasayatra of Sree Krishna
07 Nov: Sree Bahulastami, Appearance of Sree Radhakunda
13 Nov: Deepavali
14 Nov: Goverdhan Puja, Annakuta Mahotsav
21 Nov: Gopastami, Go-puja
24 Nov: Utthan Ekadasi, 108th Annual appearance of Srila Bhakti Dayita
Madhava Goswami Maharaj
25 Nov: Kartik Vrata ends, Feast

Kartik Hanbook in PDF format is available at:
http://www.sreecgmath.org/CMS/pdfs/kartik_handbook.pdf

If you face any problem in downloading or you want it in your email, please
write to us at : info@... (info at sreecgmath.org)
Kartik Yam kritans are available for download from www.krishnacast.org (kirtan
section).

Sree Sree Guru Gauranagau Jayatah!

Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.

The last one week's stay in Sreedham Mayapur has been very eventful and
magnanimous. Every soul that reached Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math did not leave
disappointed. With the charm, magnanimity and care of Srila Gurudev everybody is
feeling blissful and surcharged with spiritual energy. Those who are not present
here are sure to envy the blessed fortunate souls here.

Srila Gurudev would come out for worshiping Sree Tulsi everyday and speak for
more than 20 minutes to all the devotees. With Sree Akinchana Prabhu His Divine
Grace's loving exchange had drenched not only him but also others around him.
Srila Gurudev sang series of bhajans (audio uploaded) on 22nd October. Today the
Shyam Kunda in our Math was inaugurated, in which Srila Gurudev's presence and
His sweet singing of 'Radha Kunda Tata' took the center stage (Video and
pictures will be uploaded soon). Srila Gurudev offered water brought from Sri
Shyam Kunda in the pond and later arati was performed.

Tomorrow, on the 26th of October, Most Revered Srila Gurudev will speak
Harikatha in the evening. The webcast will begin at 7.00 PM IST from Mayapur.
There will be live English translation of Harikatha. Kindly join chat for
assistance during the video conference.

Visit: www.sreecgmath.org

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Root cause of frustration is that a person chants Harinam, worships deities,
reads scriptures etc. and follows the rules and regulations but not being
surrendered to Supreme Lord, instead with the ego that we are the doers. So when
some Sadguru engages some jivas in devotion to Supreme Lord or teaches worship
of deities, the first lesson taught is that he is not of this material world,
actually he is the servant of the servants of the servants of Supreme Lord
Gopinath. All actions done without the feeling that, `I am the servant of Sree
Krishna, I am the servant of the Absolute Counterpart of Sree Krishna-
Gurudeva', may outwardly seem to be devotional practices, but actually all are
auspicious Karmas, and their fruit is `punya'. Nobody can attain realisation of
Supreme Lord by `Punya', it can only be attained by pure devotion. Without
getting any realisation of the Supreme Lord or higher taste, it is natural to
become frustrated under strict restrictions, rules and regulations. So in
western countries it is often seen that people see something new, they accept
and practice it, but then give up after some time. One gets the higher taste,
realisation of Supreme Lord only by Guru Kripa, but Guru Kripa is impartial.
Kripa is `Nimnga' like water naturally flows from higher to lower positions,
similarly Guru Kripa comes upon a surrendered disciple. Since we have been
averse to Supreme Lord since time immemorial, our actions and  thoughts are also
averse to Supreme Lord. So we are to follow the Absolute Counterpart of Supreme
Lord, Gurudeva and revered vaishnavas only.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.

Words fall short for describing the nectar Srila Gurudev is distributing to all
of us here in Mayapur, this time especially. Without fail, He is giving
instructions to everyone for at least 20 minutes in a day when He comes out to
worship Sree Tulsi.

Srila Gurudev, almost after many years, had sung a bhajan in public for such a
long time accompanied with devotional instruments and chorus. That happening on
the opening day of Kartika Vrata, on the holy Ekadasi Tithi and on the day of
inauguration of Sri Shayam Kunda surcharged the devotees and predicted only a
auspicious and completely blissful Vrata ahead. What could one ask for more than
this?

Some of the transcendental moments are captured for the benefit of everyone. We
are trying to put in our best to make them available for those who are not
personally present in Mayapur. We have posted the video of this beautiful event
at http://youtu.be/A2I1zo7Obio

Also, we have uploaded the audio of Harikatha by Srila Gurudev delivered on 26
Oct. 2012 at
http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmaudio.php?category=fullkatha&aid=101&med\
iaid=347

Drink the nectar and share it with everyone else. This nectar will only
increase.

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Our Most Revered Gurudeva used to advice not to take any decision by own
initiative, as mind and intellect of a finite being is always incomplete
and defective. Any decision taken by finite mind and finite intellect
will increase more problems. The correct way is to take absolute shelter
to the Lotus Feet of Supreme Lord and His Absolute Counterpart -
Gurudeva or Shuddha Bhakta, who are omniscient and All-Merciful. A light
of Transcendental Divine Knowledge will enter into the heart of the
surrendered soul and remove all doubts. All problems will be solved by
it immediately and effectively. I mean to say in short, we should not be
carried by our finite, mental and intellectual feeling. One should be
guided by the realised souls. Finite individual souls of the world, by
their finite intellect can never solve their own problems and also
problems of other finite living-beings, as they are enveloped by
illusory energy. They have got misconception of self and wrong knowledge
of their actual requirements, but the difficulty is this, association of
a bonafide Shuddha Bhakta or Sadguru is very scarce. Our only hope is
this, Supreme Lord Sree Krishna has said in the Gita – `If anybody
is sincere, he will never be deceived'. God exists in the heart of every
soul and knows everything. Nobody can do good or bad acts without His
knowledge and Supreme Lord is controlling the fruits of the actions of
all. We can do  actions, but can have no hold over the fruits of
actions.

'Those who always worship Sree Krishna with sincerity of heart, Supreme
Lord bestows them wisdom to understand the way to attain Him' – Gita
10.10.

Narada Goswami's instruction to Dhruva – `(If conditioned soul wants
to attain God) One should never blame others for his own troubles and
worries. The conditioned souls reap the fruits of their own actions'
–Srimad Bhagvat, 4th Canto.

Last message of His Divine Grace Most Revered Paramgurudeva Srimad
Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur to His disciples before His
disappearance:– `Don't be disheartened seeing that majority of the
people of the world are not accepting service of Sree Krishna (Devotion
to Sree Krishna) without deceitfulness. Don't give up your worship and
your only spiritual wealth of hearing and chanting Krishna-Katha. Always
do Hari-Kirtan being humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant
than tree. All arrangements in this world are momentary'.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

                                                                                  Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Supreme Lord is Transcendental, His Absolute Counterpart Grace-incarnate Form Gurudeva is also Transcendental. They are both beyond comprehension of the conditioned souls of the world. Only a bona fide surrendered soul can narrate Transcendental qualities of Supreme Lord and His Absolute Counterpart Gurudeva, to the extent of his degree of submission. There is no end of degree of submission and therefore there is no end of realisation of Transcendental qualities. As such, even a surrendered soul cannot say, whatever he has realised about Supreme Lord and Gurudeva is the end of his realisation, what to speak of conditioned souls of the world. The realisation of God and His Personal Associates has got no end, it will go on ad infinitum. With humbleness when we sincerely endeavour to write or speak about the glories of Supreme Lord and Gurudeva, They will accept our service with satisfaction, forgiving our shortcomings. 

1. Remembrance of Guru, Vaishnavs and Bhagavan will remove all obstacles and bestow devotional objective.

 2. Praying of the Grace of Vaishnavs and Gurudeva can bestow all attainments.

3. One can get emancipation from worldly bondage by singing the glories of Vaishnavsa and Guru, but difficulty is this — as Guru and Vaishnavas are Transcendental, without their grace, we cannot remember Them, we cannot pray for Their grace, we cannot sing Their glories. Yet if we are sincere and humble, we shall get Their grace as They are All-Merciful.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.

It has been an eventful Kartik till now in Sreedham Mayapur, the main attraction
being Srila Gurudev's Tulsi worship and His instructions to devotees for 30
minutes or more everyday. Many devotees gather during that time and very
attentively listen to His Divine Grace's instructions. He too, with lot of
affection and care, would speak everyday without fail. This reminds of the
golden days when He used to give discourses everyday.

Those who are present here are getting drenched with the rain of mercy. By the
mercy of Srila Gurudev we would cover this entire event via video conference
starting from tomorrow (5 Nov 2012). So through video conferencing the mercy
would flow outside Sree Mayapur too. The Tulsi worship time is nearly about 12
mid-noon and we will start webcast at around 11.45 AM IST. Kindly join the daily
webcasts and get blessed by His Divine Darsan and listening to His instructions.

Webcast details:
Date: Daily between 5 Nov. and 23 Nov. 2012
Time: 11.45 AM IST
Meeting place: www.sreecgmath.org
Webcast from: Sree Mayapur Dham
Language: Bangla to English translation
Assistance: Via Chat messages

Hope to have your participation.

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!


Supreme Lord descends in the sanctified heart of a bonafide surrendered
soul. The Transcendental Name, Form descends to the tongue etc. of
surrendered devotee inclined to serve Sree Krishna. It is never possible
to have contact with the Transcendental Reality - Supreme Lord, Who is
All-Existence, All-Knowledge and All-Bliss, by the process of ascension.
Only through the descending process, Transcendental Name, Form,
Attributes and Pastimes of Supreme Lord can be realised. Conditioned
souls have got the aptitude to know things with their own endeavour. The
only way to realize Absolute Spirit, is unconditional surrender to Him,
or more correctly, to His Grace-Incarnate Form — shuddha bhakta or
Sadguru. Nirguna Bhagwan, Who is Absolute Reality, descends through
bonafide preceptorial channel. Hence, without submission to bonafide
preceptorial channel, cultivation of Mantra, of Holy Name, will not be
fruitful. As stated in Padma Purana —  Sampradaya-vihina ye mantras
te nisphala matah. We should have clear understanding about the
distinction of material conditioned soul and a sincere blessed soul
aspiring for eternal, real welfare, shuddha bhakti.

Our previous Acharya, Srila Jagannatha Das Babaji Maharaj had two
sevakas. The sevaks were aggrieved of getting order from their Gurudeva
(Srila Jagannatha Das Babaji Maharaj), to work in the vegetable garden,
inspite of their praying to Him for giving them scope to go through
Bhagvat. Ultimately they submitted their mental agony to Srila
Bhaktivinod Thakur about the behaviour of their Gurudeva, for not giving
scope to them to read Bhagvat and to do Harinam. Srila Bhaktivinod
Thakur, after hearing them, smiled and told them that their Gurudeva was
not an ordinary human being. "Actually, He is personal associate of
Supreme Lord Sree Krishna. He is directly serving Supreme Lord Sree
Krishna. Out of compassion, he has given you the order to go to the
vegetable garden to grow vegetables there, to make you fit to do
Harinam. His garden is not an ordinary garden for the enjoyment of
enslaved householders. If you accept the order of Gurudeva and serve,
that will be direct service of Supreme Lord. By that, your sense-organs
will be engaged actually for the service of Sree Krishna and ultimately
they will be able to utter Name of Sree Krishna correctly. While doing
work in the garden you can also chant Harianm simultaneously".

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

                                                                   Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

It is not that japa of Harinam can be done only by chanting loudly.

namaparadha-yuktanya

namany eva haranty agham

avisranti-prayuktani

tany evartha-karani ca

- Padma Purana

Diksha mantra japa  can be done only mentally and Harinam can be done mentally as well as loudly. Material non-eternal sense-organs have got drawbacks, but there cannot be any defect in the spiritual sense-organs of a Tattvik Guru, who is established in the realised state. One who is established in the eternal nature of the real self, can chant correctly. Enslaved jivas with material egos and material sense-organs can never do any kind of bhajan, whatever they do that is only Karma, for material benefits.

We find evidence by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur -

siddha-deha diya vrndavana.majhe sevamrta karo dana,

piyaiya prema matta kari more suno nija guna gayea

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur has submitted his prayer to Supreme Lord Sree Krishna to bestow the embrosia of loving service to Him, by giving realised spiritual form. Supreme Lord, actually, by imparting prema to His associate, sings His own glories through the devotee and also hears His own glories. With material ego and material endeavour, actually you cannot do any kind of service to Supreme Lord.

Also, Srila Rupa Goswami has written in Bhakti Rasamrit Sindhu (1.2.234) -

atah sri-krishna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

The Name of Supreme Lord is not material sound. In this material realm, material sound denotes a thing, material sound itself is not the thing. As word 'water' denotes the thing 'water'. Uttering water you cannot quench your thirst, you are to take the 'water' thing. So in material world material sound and the thing indicated by material sound are different, but in Transcendental Spiritual Realm, Transcendental Name of Supreme Lord and Transcendental Entity of Supreme Lord are non-different. Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes, and therefore, naturally, is Self-effulgent. His Transcendental Name is also Self-effulgent. Transcendental Name descends to a completely surrendered soul.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

There is no doubt Param Pujyapad Puri Goswami Maharaj had some
exceptional affection for me, for which I am not worthy to get. In fact,
when Puri Goswami Maharaj was living, I cannot remember whether I did
any service to Him. This is the best instance of realising that suddha
bhakta's grace is always causeless. Although now we have got no direct
contact with Him but indirectly He is doing everything. I have got no
capacity to pay back my debt to Him, as I am incompetent in every
aspect. I have got no realisation of His ontological aspect, but
morphologically what I had seen, He was always performing all devotional
functions sincerely and wholeheartedly and it was His desire that others
should also be sincere in their worship of Sree Krishna. I accept
submissively with reverence, His advice to me in His affectionate letter
dated 9/6/1995 - "There is no doubt Srila Gurudeva is always protecting
you everywhere and will protect you in future. Srila Bhaktivinode
Thakur, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur and Sree
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu expressed Their desire that Their message of
Transcendental Divine Love should be propagated in all quarters of the
globe. It is my belief, They will surely protect you. Gurudeva, inspite
of His disappearance is always regulating everything [His pastimes of
appearance and disappearance are eternal]. You yourself said you had
personal experience of it. Therefore, if you serve Them, taking shelter
at Their Lotus Feet, there cannot be any impediment to your getting the
objective.

I pay my innumerable prostrated obeisances to the Lotus Feet of Most
Revered Siksha Guru Sreemat Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj to
forgive me for my offences which I might have committed knowingly or
unknowingly and always to shower His causeless mercy unto me so that I
am capable of fulfilling the desire of Sree Guru and Gauranga.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

When we suffer from uncertainty to the extreme, we shall hanker for connection with Guru, the reliable source. I cannot put an inquiry to him with faith and trust, but Guru is a guardian who is my well-wisher more than I am to my own self. 'Guardian' means a friend who thinks more of me than I think of myself. He knows more about my welfare than I do. Such is the position to have a guardian, a friend, a Guru.

Narottama Thakura says, asraya laiya bhaje tare krsna nahi tyaje: "If one can get a bona fide guardian, his future is ensured." Krsna cannot very easily dismiss the guardian, because the guardian has a solid position in the Lord's relationship; so if I enter into the domain of my guardian's care, my position will be ensured.

Ara saba mare akarana. Others, who have not yet been able to tie themselves with the Holy Feet of their guardian or Guru are in an uncertain position, and they may be deviated by any agent. Their future is deplorable.

If through our sraddha we can have a real ideal in life and acquire a real guardian, then certainly our future is ensured practically. Our only duty will be towards our guardian, our Gurudeva, and all other duties will be automatically accomplished.

 So, to run throughout the length and breadth of this wide world, this land where nothing but various types of exploitation of various planes are existing, is to run as a ship without a rudder that can be swept away by sea-storm this side and that, endlessly, without purpose. It is through sraddha that we can connect with our highest goal of achievement and fulfillment. This matter must be solved. Then, real life begins.

Krishna consciousness is the cause of Krishna consciousness! And we have to get help from the sadhus who have got Krishna consciousness within them. Just as, from one candle another cadle may be lit. A candle cannot produce light from within, but it is to be lit from another candle - it is something like that. We are to awaken our buried Krishna  consciousness, which is covered by 'anyabhilasa-karmma-jnana'; so, that light, that association, will come to help the sleeping Krishna consciousness within us, and our consciousness will arise from it's sleep and show itself, as it is. So, the method is that: to take sadhu-sanga - "krsna-bhakti janma-mula, haya sadhu-sanga" - association with the sadhu, devotee of Krishna, is the root-cause of Krishna consciousness.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gauranagau Jayatah!

Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.

Most Revered Gurudev will speak Harikatha on the holy Utthan Ekadasi (Nov. 24,
2012), also the 108th appearance anniversary of Most Revered Paramgurudev
Nityalila-pravista Om Vishnupad 108 Sree Sreemad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami
Maharaj. The next video conference will be on that day forenoon. Kindly follow
our website for announcement.

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gauarangau Jayatah!

On the holy Utthan Ekadasi, also celebrated as the 108th appearance anniversary
of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, about 1000
devotees from various maths and organizations took participation. Srila Gurudev
sat in the Samadhi temple of revered Paramgurudev for one hour amid kirtans and
arati, after which His Divine Grace spoke the glories of His Revered Gurudev for
2 hours continuously and untiringly, continued with another hour of sitting
while listening to the glorification by acharyas from other institutions. 4
continuous hours at this age........... Rest is left to you.

We should also express our sincere apologies for not having webcast the event
yesterday (24 Nov.) due to technical, infrastructural as well as internet
issues. We have uploaded the audio of glorification of Srila Paramgurudev by our
most revered Gurudev (2 files) on www.sreecgmath.org

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Before I joined the institution, I had the impression that whatever I learnt in
the schools and colleges should be excluded or forgotten because all these
teachings were for material benefit and had no connection with spiritualism. In
fact, in my life in the family, I had no aptitude to speak to many friends and
to recite or speak in any meeting. I used to hear and did not speak. After
joining the institution, I had great interest in hearing hari-katha from Most
Revered Srila Gurudeva and Gurudeva used to take me with Him everywhere at a
stretch for a year and He wanted me to write letters as per His dictation. By
that I had the opportunity to know many answers of the questions of the
aspirants. After one year all of a sudden, He ordered me to speak in a meeting
at 'Sri Shyamananda Gaudiya Math ', in Midnapore (West Bengal). I was perturbed
because I had no aptitude and no capacity to speak in the meetings. I thought
that delivering speech was not a qualification of worshipping Krishna. If I
would have known earlier that the qualification of delivering speech is also
required for Krishna-bhajan, I might not have joined the institution. I became
unbalanced on hearing this direct order from Most Revered Gurudeva. Due to
spiritual obligation, I had to stand in the meeting and I was incessantly
praying for the grace of Nityananda Prabhu to rescue me from this peril. I could
remember the first hymn written by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur in `Saranagati' and
explained that for 15 minutes. I was a bit astonished how I could speak.
After that Gurumaharaj used to order me on several occasions to speak in the
meetings. To remove my doubt, Gurumaharaj, said that aspirants of devotional
practice should not have the aptitude to deliver speeches, but they must do
hari-kirtan, meaning that they should recapitulate what they had heard from Guru
and Vaishnavas. The target of speaking should be for satisfaction of Krishna and
not for any other ulterior motive. Hari-kirtan is the highest devotional form in
Kaliyuga, which is confirmed by Srila Jiva Goswami:

'yadyapi anya bhaktih kalau kartavya tada, kirtanakhya-bhakti-samyogenaiva'

"Although practices of other devotional forms are proper in Kaliyuga, but it
should be done with Kirtan bhakti."

One can speak about the glories of Sri Hari after hearing from a bona fide
devotee-adau Sravanam. Without hearing from a realized soul, nobody can properly
perform kirtan-bhakti. In the explanation of the verse of Gita (4.34), tad
viddhi pranipatena paripraSnena sevaya, upadeksyanti te jďanam jďaninas
tattva-darSinah, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has interpreted
Pranipat (or Saranagati) as follows: "One who hears hari katha intently from
shuddha bhakta, actually has submitted to Supreme Lord Sri Hari." Even in the
highest Transcendental Realm Goloka Vrindavana, the foremost devotees (gopis)
relish the Sweetness of the Name, Form, Attributes and Pastimes of Sri Krishna,
always afresh. Narration and also hearing of the glories of Sri Krishna never
becomes stale. That transcendental sweetness of Sri Krishna always remains
afresh and new. Entrance to that
Transcendental Realm is only through hearing. Here in this world, sound is the
finest element, but in Transcendental Realm sound is the first appearance of
getting contact of the Transcendental Reality. That transcendental sound is
designated as Sabda brahman, which is completely distinct from material sound.
Sound emanating from material egos is material
sound, but sound emanating from transcendental ego is transcendental sound.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Revered Vaishnavas,

This calender year is very special in the sense that His Divine Grace Srila
Gurudev has spent more than 3 months of this year in Sridham Mayapur - about 50
days during Gauramandal parikrama and Sri Rama Navami and now 42 days for
observing Kartik Vrata.

This year's Kartika is also special considering the causeless mercy He showered
--- His Divine Grace had spoken almost 45 minutes a day for close to 20 days,
devotees got the opportunity to listen Him sing beautiful kirtans enchantingly
on few occasions, gave numerous darsans. His 4 continuous hours of harikatha
singing, kirtans, listening to glorification on the culmination day of Kartik
Vrata is befitting the event and indicates the mood He carried for the entire
month.

During the grand feast on 25 November more than 1000 devotees took part in the
glorification ceremony of our most revered Srila Paramgurudev. On 26 November
there was Harinam initiation ceremony and the next day His Divine Grace spent
time answering sincere queries of devotees and guiding them in devotional path.

After a well deserving rest on 28th November (today) His Divine Grace will leave
for Kolkata Math on Thursday, the 29th of November at 10.30 AM IST from Sreedham
Mayapur. With rest on the way Srila Gurudev will reach Kolkata Math during the
evening hours on the same day. His Divine Grace will stay in Kolkata for a
while. No tours and trips are scheduled in the near future.

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

Conditioned souls have got currents of holy and unholy thoughts in their minds,
imbibed from previous impressions of millions of births. This human birth is
given by Lord to fight against unholy thoughts and to enhance holy thoughts.
After passing through millions of births in different species, we have got this
human birth. God was satisfied by creating human being as human being has the
capacity to discriminate between eternal and non-eternal and can worship Supreme
Lord who is All-existence, All-knowledge and All-bliss. This human birth is not
meant for eating, sleeping, defending and mating like birds and beasts.

Unless root cause of committing sin is not eradicated, the aptitude to commit
sin cannot be removed. The cause of sin is desire for committing sin and the
cause of desire for committing sin is misconception of self; cause of
misconception of self is nescience (ignorance); cause of nescience is aversion
to Supreme Lord, who is All-Existence, All-Knowledge and All-Bliss. Therefore
root cause of sin is aversion to Sri Krishna. So, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has
said, "The conditioned souls of the world, due to forgetfulness of their
relation with Supreme Lord are averse to Sri Krishna since time immemorial."
Therefore it is advised to cultivate devotional forms, principally to chant the
Holy Name for remembrance of Sri Krishna. We have forgotten Krishna from time
immemorial, we are to undo it and for this we are to take the help of bonafide
Shuddha Bhaktas. 'Sadhan bina sadhya vastu keho nahi paye'. Without devotional
practice nobody can get the objective.

In Srimad Bhagavat, 9th Canto, Ved Vyasa Muni has said that Ambarish Maharaj,
who was a most favourite devotee of Supreme Lord Sri krishna, could remove all
desires of this world– gradually, by performing bhajan without deceitfulness. A
conditioned soul cannot get the desired result all of a sudden. If he is sincere
in his efforts, by the grace of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and His devotees, he
will be ultimately successful.


--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.

Kindly join the webcast of Srila Gurudev's darsan at 6.00 PM IST on
www.sreecgmath.org on December 2, 2012 (Sunday).

Please join chat for assistance.

Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das

Sree Sree Guru Gaurang Jayatah!

You should understand the difference of this material world and the
Transcendental Spiritual Realm. Sree Krishna is the only Master and Enjoyer in
the Transcendental Spiritual Realm – Vrindavana Dham and there, all others are
His servitors in different love-relations. The target of the servitors there is
only for the satisfaction of Sree Krishna and for nothing else, whereas in this
world, the conditioned souls all think themselves as masters and enjoyers
and they want to enjoy and lord it over others. This whole material world is the
place of forest fire, where all are egocentric and they are fighting with each
other for material interests. When centers of interests will be many, clashing
is inevitable. We remain in this world with misconception of self and for the
fulfilment of material non-eternal desires and with this thinking we can be
happy – it can never be possible.

You have already heard several times from Vaishnavas that the real self of the
Jiva is the eternal servant of Supreme Lord Sree Krishna and when he forgets his
relation with Sree Krishna and is enveloped by the illusory energy, he is hurled
down in this material world for getting the punishment for his aversion to Sree
Krishna — for his reluctance to serve Krishna. The conditioned souls, due to
forgetfulness of their relation to Sree Krishna, are passing through cycles of
births and deaths from time immemorial. It is not so easy for them to change
their propensity to enjoy this world. Even a person who starts drinking wine and
becomes habituated to it, cannot give up his bad habit all of a sudden,
understanding fully well that intoxication is bad for his eternal welfare. In
the like manner, we have imbibed through cycles of births and deaths, so many
various propensities in this world. It will take time to change our habits. For
that if we loose patience, we cannot get the objective.

----His divine grace Srila Bhakti Vallabh Tirth Goswami maharaj