Author Archives: H.H. Ramai Swami

Every year on the Labor Day weekend, the devotees from Seattle organize a Rathayatra parade and festival for Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra in the Redmond area of the city. I was asked to start off the kirtan and after … Continue reading →

This has been my first international trip since the Covid pandemic began and after Indonesia I had the good fortune of visiting ISKCON Seattle. Sri Radha Nila Madhava are the main deities here and as always They look beautiful along … Continue reading →

Subhaga Maharaja and I were invited to attend HH Gaura Govinda Maharaja’s Vyasapuja celebration at Radha Rasesvara temple in Bali. Maharaja appeared in the year 1929 and left this world at Sridham Mayapur in1996. Devotees from all over Bali came … Continue reading →

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada appeared in a family of pure Gaudiya Vaisnavas in 1896 in Calcutta. From early childhood he showed signs of pure devotion to Lord Sri Krishna. At the tender age of five, he single-handedly … Continue reading →

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who is always ready to protect His unalloyed devotees, entered within the mind of Vasudeva as the Lord of the whole creation, with full inconceivable potencies. It is understood in this connection that Lord … Continue reading →

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who is always ready to protect His unalloyed devotees, entered within the mind of Vasudeva as the Lord of the whole creation, with full inconceivable potencies. It is understood in this connection that Lord … Continue reading →

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the fountainhead of all incarnations. Lord Balarama is his second body. They are both one and the same identity. They differ only in form. Balarama is the first bodily expansion of Krishna, and He assists … Continue reading →

“Shri Nityananda Prabhu is the topmost branch of the indestructible tree of eternal love of Godhead, Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I offer my respectful obeisances to all the sub-branches of that topmost branch.” Gauridasa Pandit is one of the most … Continue reading →

Srila Prabhupada: “Regarding Jhulanayatra Ceremony, during these five days the Deities’ clothings should be changed everyday, and there should be nice Prasadam distribution and Sankirtana as far as possible. If you are able to do it, a nice throne may be constructed … Continue reading →

Sri Mukunda Das, Madhava Das and Sri Narahari Sorkar Thakur were three brothers who lived in the village of Sri Khanda. Raghunandan was the son of Sri Mukunda Das. [C. C. Mad 15] In the house of Sri Mukunda Das, … Continue reading →

Vamsidasa was born as Bhairab Chandra in the year 1859 in the village of Majitpur in current Bangladesh. He was the oldest of the seven children of Sanatana Mallabrahma and Srimati Sarvasundari. He would stop at a Gaura-Nitai temple and … Continue reading →

Devotees from the Bhakti Centre on the Gold Coast once again organised Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra festival at Broadwater Parklands, Southport, which is a popular family recreation park. Unfortunately, the weather had been windy and rainy right up until an hour … Continue reading →

lokanathakhya-gosvami shri-lila-manjari pura    Lokanatha Goswami was known as Lila Manjari in Krishna lila. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 187)    Lokanatha is considered to be Mahaprabhu’s direct disciple and associate. Prior to coming to Navadwip, he lived in the village of Talakharii in … Continue reading →

Shri Vyenkatta Bhatta was a Vaishnava brahmana and an inhabitant of Shri Rangakshetra. He belonged in the disciplic succession of Shri Ramanujacharya. Shri Rangam is one of the places of pilgrimage in the province of Tamila-desha. The inhabitants of that … Continue reading →

Sri Sanatana Gosvami appeared in 1488, five years before Sri Rupa Gosvami, in a Sarasvata brahmana family in Bengal. Sanatana and his two brothers, Rupa and Anupama, were always absorbed in bhava bhakti from early childhood. Remembering Vrndavana, they named the forests … Continue reading →

In the greater Sydney area there are many Bhakti Vrksa and Nama Hatta programs amongst the devotee community. Every month one group, in the Glenfield area, has a program in the community centre there. Venu Vadak prabhu, who is one … Continue reading →

The great festival of Hera Panchami is held on the fifth day after Rathayatra. Lord Jagannatha departs the temple in Jagannatha Puri (representing Dwarka) on the day of the Rathayatra and travels to the Gundica temple (representing Vrindavan). Before departing, … Continue reading →

 Every year one month before caturmasya (four month period of the rainy season) Sivananda Sena would lead a party of two hundred devotees from Bengal to Jagannatha Puri to attend the annual Ratha-Yatra festival. He would pay for everyone’s food, tolls, ferries, … Continue reading →

Sri Sacidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura appeared in 1838 in a wealthy family in the Nadia district, West Bengal. He revealed that he is an eternal associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by his extraordinary preaching activities and prolific writing. Living as a … Continue reading →

For many years the country town of Lismore has had its annual “lantern festival and parade” with tens of thousands of people filling the streets and parks. Over the last few years the festival has had to be cancelled because … Continue reading →

Srila Srivasa Pandit, the fifth member of the Panca-tattva, appeared in Srihatta, West Bengal, about 30 years before the appearance of Lord Gauranga. Srivasa Pandit lived in Navadvip before the advent of Lord Chaitanya.  Living the traditional brahminical life, he … Continue reading →

CC Adi 6.49-50: Śrīvāsa, Haridāsa, Rāmadāsa, Gadādhara, Murāri, Mukunda, Candraśekhara and Vakreśvara are all glorious and are all learned scholars, but the sentiment of servitude to Lord Caitanya makes them mad in ecstasy. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (71) it is stated that Vakreśvara … Continue reading →

Srila Shyamananda Prabhu was a great devotee of Lord Chaitanya. He was a contemporary of the great Acharyas Srinivasa Acharya and Narottama Dasa Thakura. The three were eternal associates of Lord Chaitanya incarnated to spread His teachings after the Lord’s … Continue reading →

Snana-yatra is an important pastime of Lord Jagannatha. On this day, Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra allow Themselves to be bathed by all following the original tradition of worship at Jagannatha Puri. This bathing goes on for a few hours in the … Continue reading →

The Chida-dadhi Mahotsava, also known as the Chipped Rice Festival of Panihati, is a yearly celebration of the pastimes of Srila Raghunatha dasa Goswami and Lord Nityananda Prabhu. This astonishing pastime took place on the banks of the Ganges at … Continue reading →

Shrimad Baladev Vidyabhusan Prabhu was a pure devotee of the highest order, who cared for nothing but the service of the Lord.  He didn’t have a spot of desire for name and fame. He was the composer of many scriptures … 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 →

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 →

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 →

The Gauraganoddesadipika (120-124) states that Ramananda Raya was Arjuna in his past incarnation.He is also considered to have been an incarnation of the gopi Lalita, although in the opinion of others he was an incarnation of Visakha devi.He was a … 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 →

shri nrisimha, jaya nrisimha, jaya jaya nrisimha prahladesha jaya padma-mukha-padma bringa “All glories to Nrisimhadeva, who is the Lord of Prahlada Maharaja and, like the honey bee, is always engaged in beholding the lotus-like face of the goddess of fortune.” … Continue reading →

Janaka Maharaja did not have any children, so the Brahmins suggested to him to do a hola-yajna.  “You take a plough and draw a line around the palace.  When you move the plough, it will get stuck in the mud, and every time it gets stuck you … Continue reading →

Maharaj Bhagiratha had, after great penances, been successful in bringing the most purifying Mother Ganges, whose waters wash the lotus feet of the Lord and are therefore his charanamrita, from the heavenly planets to this earth for the purpose of … Continue reading →

Very important, and related to the name of the festival itself, is the presentation of the Akshaya Patra to Draupadi by Lord Krishna during the visit of numerous saintly guests, including the sage Durvasa. During their exile in the forest, the Pandava princes were famished due to the … Continue reading →

Gadadara Pandit was a childhood friend of Nimai and both were students in the same ‘Tol’ or school. Gadadhar’s parents Madhav Mishra and Ratnawati were natives of Chattagram district but later on moved to Navadwip. Gadadhara Pandit was born in … Continue reading →

vedavyaso ya evasid daso vrindavano’dhuna sakha yah kusumapidah karyatas tam samavishat Vedavyasa became Vrindavan Das Thakur. Krishna’s friend Kusumapida also entered into him for special purposes. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 109) Vedavyasa described Krishna-lila in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Non-different from Vyasa, Vrindavan Das … 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 →

On the Caitra Purnima, the full moon day of the month of Caitra, Sri Vamsivadananda Thakura took birth within this world. It was a sweet moon in 1466, and everyone sang in great joy at the appearance of such a … Continue reading →

Tulasi Jala Dan can be followed for one month during the hot season in the northern hemisphere. One may hang a pot with a hole in it, fill it with water and drip water over Tulasi and Shaligrama Shila. As … Continue reading →