Author Archives: H.H. Ramai Swami

srivas-pandito dhimaan yah pura narado munih purvataakhyo muni-varo ya aasin narada-priyah sa rama-panditah srimams tat-kanistha-sahaodarah “Intelligent Srivaasa Pandita had previously been Narada Muni, the best of the sages. Srivaasa’s younger brother, Sriman Rama Pandita, had previously been Narada’s close friend … Continue reading →

Sri Vakresvara Pandit was present with Sriman Mahaprabhu during His pastimes in Navadwipa and after his acceptance of Sannyasa he also accompanied Him to Jagannath Puri. During the time of the Lord’s residence in Puri he continued to live with … Continue reading →

Born as Duhkhi Krishnadasa in Orissa, Shyamananda Prabhu was raised in a humble, pious family. From a young age, he displayed detachment from material pleasures, deep love for the Holy Name, and sincere devotion.  He was sent by his guru, … Continue reading →

Snana Yatra is one of the most sacred and visually delightful festivals of Lord Jagannatha, celebrated on Purnima (full moon) of the month of Jyestha. On this day, Lord Jagannatha, along with Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi, receive a grand … Continue reading →

Once Bhimasena, the younger brother of Maharaja Yudhisthira, asked the great sage Shrila Vyasadeva, the grandfather of the Pandavas, if it is possible to return to the spiritual world without having observed all the rules and regulations of the Ekadasi … Continue reading →

Our Radha Kunjavihari temple is in the Klungkung area of Bali about 90 minutes from Denpasar. It is one of the eight regencies of Bali and home to the famous Klungkung palace, which used to house the old kings. The … Continue reading →

It was wonderful to again visit Jagannatha Gauranga temple, which is one of our six major temples in Bali. The devotees have worked hard to worship the deities nicely and build up the facilities for programs and festivals. Besides the … Continue reading →

From her childhood Princess Sachi devi, the daughter of King Naresh Narayana of Bengal, showed unalloyed devotion to Lord Sri Krishna. She even refused to marry on account of her genuine attachment to Krishna. After her father’s demise she ruled … Continue reading →

Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana appeared in the 1600’s near Remuna, Orissa. In his youth, he mastered Sanskrit grammar, poetry, and logic. After carefully studying the commentaries of Sankara and Madhva he took initiation in the Tattva-vadi disciplic succession of Sripad Madhvacarya. … Continue reading →

The mother of Srila Vrindavana dasa Thakura’s was Sri Narayani devi, the niece of Srivasa pandita. In his Sri Caitanya Bhagavata, Vrndavana dasa has described how his mother attained the affectionate fervour of Sri Gaurasundara. Vrindavana dasa was born four … Continue reading →

Five hundred years ago in the district of Puri, in the village of Bentapur, there lived a great devotee named Bhavananda Raya. Bhavananda had five sons, the eldest of which was Ramananda. It is said that Lord Caitanya visited the birth-place of … Continue reading →

Before Lord Caitanya appeared He sent His eternal associates like Sri Advaita Acarya, Sri Jagannatha Misra, Saci Mata, Madhavendra Puri, Isvari Puri to earth. Sri Madhavendra Puri took initiation from Sri Laksmipati Tirtha in the Madhvacarya sampradaya.  He had many but … Continue reading →

Sri Narasimha Jayanti is the auspicious appearance day of Lord Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Narasimha appeared at dusk on the Shukla Chaturdashi (the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight) in the month of Vaishakha. The … Continue reading →

Sri Narasimha Jayanti is the auspicious appearance day of Lord Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Narasimha appeared at dusk on the Shukla Chaturdashi (the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight) in the month of Vaishakha. The … Continue reading →

On May 1, 1977, the day before the festival honoring the appearance of Lord Nrisimha, Srila Prabhupada’s dear disciple Jayananda Dasa passed from this world.  Shortly thereafter, Srila Prabhupada wrote in a letter, “Jayananda’s death is glorious. . . . … Continue reading →

Sita devi was not born of a woman but of the Earth Goddess, Bhumi devi herself. In Maharishi Valmiki’s own words, Ramayana is known as the noble story of Sita — “Sita-ayah Charitam Mahat”.  Janaka Maharaj, the king of Mithila, … Continue reading →

One of the Saptadevalyas (seven ancient temples) of Vrindavan, Shri Gopinath Mandir was founded by Madhu Pandit whose glories are sung in the Bhakti Ratnakar. His Samadhi is found near the temple courtyard.  Madhu Pandit was the disciple of Shri Gadadhar Goswami … Continue reading →

The very word Akshaya means, “that which never diminishes”. Any service or charity one performs on this day will be paid back many times over. Most devotees know it as the beginning of Candana-yatra, but actually many of Lord Krishna’s … Continue reading →

Sri Gadadhar was the consant companion of Mahaprabhu from the time of their childhood. His father’s name was Sri Madhva Misra and his mother’s name Sri Ratnavati-devi. They lived very near the house of Sri Jagannatha Misra in Mayapura. Ratnavati-devi … Continue reading →

All glories to the Vyas of Chaitanya Lila, Srila Vrindavan das thakur, a dear devotee of Shri Chaitnaya Mahaprabhu and the disciple of Shrila Nityananda Prabhu, who wrote the Sri Chaitanya bhagawat, a book greatly treasured by all the vaishnavas.  … Continue reading →

Shri Abhirama Gopal Thakura  was also known as Shri Rama Das. He was a great devotee of Lord Nityananda.  On the order of Shri Nityananda Prabhu, he became a great acharya and preacher of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.  He was a very … Continue reading →

“Jesus Christ was such a great personality—the son of God, the representative of God. He had no fault. Still, he was crucified. He wanted to deliver God consciousness, but in return they crucified him—they were so thankless. They could not … Continue reading →

Shri Rupa Goswami mentions that one should bathe in Radha-kunda on Kartika Bahulastami. In “Mathura Mahatmya” (420), He cites the Padma Purana: “One who bathes in Radha Kunda on Bahulastami in Kartika becomes Haripriya, very dear to Shri Krishna.” However, … Continue reading →

Sri Syamananda Prabhu, Srinivasa Acarya and Sri Narottama dasa Thakura were the internal associates of Sri Gaurasundara. They incarnated in this world in order to spread the teachings of Sri Gaura-Krsna after His departure from it. Sri Syamananda made his … Continue reading →

The Bhakti Centre, which was formerly in Surfers Paradise, moved to a new location due to the building sustaining serious damage from Cyclone Alfred. It was a good opportunity for the devotees to find a new location because the old … Continue reading →

Some years ago, Medhavi das from Brisbane, bought a house in the regional town of Toowoomba with the idea of using it as a centre for cultivating new persons interested in Krsna Consciousness. He is now adding an extension temple … Continue reading →

SB 2.7.23 asmat-prasada-sumukhah kalaya kalesa  iksvaku-vamsa avatirya guror nidesetisthan vanam sa-dayitanuja avivesa  yasmin virudhya dasa-kandhara artim arcchat TRANSLATION Due to His causeless mercy upon all living entities within the universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His plenary extensions, … Continue reading →

Sajjani dd and Daksa das had their wedding at New Govardhana in front of the Deities, Srila Prabhupada, their families and the assembled devotees. I remember when they were both new devotees and I was always enthused to see them … Continue reading →

Ramanujacharya was a foremost teacher of the bhakti tradition. His example and teachings have shaped the bhakti movement in South India for over a thousand years. He was born on April 13, 1017 at Sriperembudur, twenty-five miles west of modern Chennai. He was … Continue reading →

Govinda Ghosh was one of the three brothers Govinda, Vasudev and Madhav, who were all dear associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. According to Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (188), Sri Govinda Ghosh is a sakhi named Kalavati in Goloka Vrindavan, who … Continue reading →

Srivasa Thakura is understood as tatastha-shakti, a marginal energy of Bhagavan, Krishna in person. Devotees who are headed by Srivasa Thakura are described as ‘parts’ of transcendental body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (his eyes, ears, hands, disc/cakra, etc.). They all participated in … Continue reading →

The day after Gaura Purnima, Jagannath Mishra festival is celebrated. Just as Nanda-baba celebrated Nandotsava on the appearance of Lord Sri Krishna, similarly, the wonderful appearance of the Lord increased the happiness of everyone in Srimati Sacidevi’s house. Both Sri … Continue reading →

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna (1407 Sakadba), answering to the 18th of February 1486 of the Christian Era. The moon was eclipsed at the … Continue reading →

Before Lord Caitanya appeared He sent His eternal associates like Sri Advaita Acarya, Sri Jagannatha Misra, Saci Mata, Madhavendra Puri, Isvari Puri to earth. Sri Madhavendra Puri took initiation from Sri Laksmipati Tirtha in the Madhvacarya sampradaya.  He had many but … Continue reading →

After Kurukshetra we made our way back to Delhi and then on to Govardhana for a tour of the holy places in the area. I hadn’t visited in many years so it was our great fortune to again have the … Continue reading →

After visiting our Iskcon Jyotisar temple, we went for a tour of some of the holy sites at Kurukshetra. Of course, the most important was the holy place where Lord Krishna spoke Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna five thousand years ago. With … Continue reading →

After the Mayapur meetings I traveled with my god-brother, Vasusrestha, to Delhi and then drove up to Jyotisar, where Krsna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna 5000 years ago. I haven’t visited here in over twenty years and I was … Continue reading →

Many devotees came from all over the wold to attend the 2025 Leadership Sanga in Sridham Mayapur. The conference went for four days with morning and afternoon sessions. The first part of each day comprised presentations like empowering future leaders, … Continue reading →

On the fifth day of the dark lunar fortnight of the month of Govinda [corresponding to February 6th, 1874 A.D. by the western calendar], at 3:30 in the afternoon, Bimala Prasad Datta, later to be known as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati … Continue reading →

The GBC body, Sabha, GBC Deputies and other leaders once again assembled in Sridham Mayapur for the annual conference. The first day comprised of many topics and one was a progress presentation of the Temple of Vedic Planetarium. A construction … Continue reading →