THE DEVOTEES IN UKRAINE EXPRESS THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM NORTH AMERICA
→ Dandavats

Here is how the funds have been used: By Doyal Gauranga Dasa A complete solar power plant was already unloaded at New Mayapur yesterday. Tomorrow we start installation. We plan to install in a week. This station will provide all our emergency needs (water, heat, sewerage, communications). It will also become the basis of an
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Sat-tila Ekadasi and the TOVP, 2023
- TOVP.org

Sat-tila Ekadasi is also known as Trisprisha Ekadasi. This Ekadasi occurs in the dark fortnight of the month of Magha (January/February). The glories of Sat-tila Ekadasi are narrated in the Bhavisyottara Purana in a conversation between the sage Dalbhya and Pulastya muni.

This is the first Ekadasi of the year 2023. It is an auspicious start for the rest of the year, and we encourage devotees reading this to kindly consider donating on this day to help complete Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Wing in the TOVP, scheduled to open October, 2023. Please go to th Give To Nrsimha 2023 Fundraiser page on the TOVP website and select one of several new and unique seva opportunity options.

  NOTE: Sat-tila Ekadasi is observed on January 17 in most of North America and January 18 in India. Please refer to your local calendar through www.gopal.home.sk/gcal.

  View, download and share the TOVP 2023 Calendar​.

 

The Glories of Sat-Tila Ekadasi

From Bhavisyottara Purana

Sri Dalbhya Rishi said to Palastya Muni, “When the spirit soul comes in contact with the material energy, he becomes sinful and performs such heinous acts as stealing, killing, and illicit sex. He may even go to the extent of killing a brahmana.

“O purest of personalities! Please tell me how these unfortunate souls may escape hellish punishments by just simple austerities as offering a little charity.” Pulastya Muni replied, “O fortunate sage, you have asked me an important, confidential question. Please listen very carefully as I reply.

“At the arrival of the month of Magha (January – February), one should carefully control his senses by giving up lust, anger, pride, jealousy, fault-finding, and greed, and meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna. On the day when the constellation of Purvashadha nakshatra arrives, he should bathe, collect some cow dung before it touches the ground and after mixing it with sesame seeds and cotton, prepare 108 balls from it. Then he should strictly observe Magha-krishna Ekadashi as I will now describe.

“After bathing, the aspirant should worship the Supreme Lord. Praying to Lord Sri Krishna by chanting His holy name, he should vow to observe the Ekadashi fast. The devotee should perform an Arati to the Lord – the holder of the conch, disk, club, and lotus – which includes applying sandalwood paste to his feet and offering incense, camphor and a bright ghee lamp. Naivedya (an offering of tasteful food preparations) should then be offered to the Lord. He should keep awake all night and perform a fire sacrifice (homa). The devotee should offer the 108 balls of cow dung, sesame seeds, and cotton wool into the sacrificial fire of the homa while chanting the Purusha-sukta hymns and the Lord’s holy names. He should then offer the Lord pumpkin, coconut, and guava. If these items are unavailable, betel nut may be substituted. Throughout the day and night, the devotee should observe the standard Ekadashi vrata of fasting from all grains and beans.

“The devotee should pray to Lord Sri Janardana, the benefactor of all living beings, thus: ‘O Lord Sri Krishna, You are the most merciful Personality of Godhead and the giver of liberation to the fallen souls. O Lord, we have fallen into the ocean of material existence. Please be kind to us. O lotus-eyed Lord, please accept our humble, affectionate and respectful obeisances. O Supreme Spirit, origin of all forefathers, may You and Srimati Laxmi-devi, Your eternal consort kindly accept our humble offerings.’

“The devotee should then try to please a qualified brahmana with a warm welcome, a pot full of water (purna kumbha), an umbrella, a pair of shoes, and clothes (dhoti, and anga vastra). The devotee should request the brahmana to bestow his blessings for developing unalloyed love of Godhead. If means permit, one must also donate a black cow to the brahmana, particularly if he is well versed in the injunctions of Vedic scripture. One should also offer him a pot of sesame seeds.

“O exalted Dalbhya Muni, black sesame seeds are especially suitable for formal worship and fire sacrifices while white or brown ones are meant to be eaten by a qualified brahmana. One who can arrange to give both kinds of sesame seeds (black and white or brown) on this Sat-tila Ekadashi day will be promoted at least to the heavenly planets after leaving this present body and will live there for as many thousands of years as the number of seeds that would be produced if the seeds he donated were sown in the ground and grew into mature, seed-bearing plants. On this
Ekadashi a faithful person should:

  • bathe in the water mixed with sesame seeds,
  • rub sesame seed paste on his body,
  • offer sesame seeds into the fire in sacrifice,
  • eat sesame seeds,
  • give sesame seeds away in charity,
  • accept charitable gifts of sesame seeds.

These are the six (sat) ways in which sesame seeds (tila) are utilized for spiritual purification on this Ekadashi. Therefore, it is called Sat-tila Ekadashi.”

Palastya Muni continued, “The great Devarishi Narada Muni once asked the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, about the result one obtains by observing Sat-tila Ekadashi. Lord Krishna replied, ‘O best of the twice born, I shall narrate to you an incident I personally witnessed.

“‘Long ago on earth there lived an old brahmana lady who worshipped Me every day with controlled senses. She faithfully observed many a fast, especially on the days honoring Me (Janmasthami, Rama-navami, Vaman Dwadasi, Nrisimha Chaturdasi, Varaha Dwadasi, Gaura Purnima, etc.) and selflessly served Me with full devotion. Her austerities made her quite emaciated and weak. She gave charity to brahmanas and to young maidens (kanyas), and even planned to give away her house in charity. Yet, although the spiritually minded woman gave charity to worthy people, oddly, she never offered food to the brahmanas or devas (demigods).

“’I reflected about the woman and felt she had purified herself by offering Me strict devotional worship by fasting on all auspicious occasions. She certainly had become eligible to enter My personal abode, which is a rare achievement. So, I came down to this planet to understand her queer behavior. Disguising Myself as a follower of Lord Shiva, complete with a garland of skulls draped around My neck and a begging pot (bhiksha patra) in My hand, I approached her.

“’She said, “O respectful one, please tell me truthfully, why you have come here.” I replied, “O beautiful one, I have come to beg for some alms.” Hearing this, she got angry and threw a lump of mud into My begging pot! O Narada Muni, astonished at the miserliness of this otherwise magnanimous lady, I wordlessly returned to My personal abode.

“’Eventually this austere lady reached the spiritual world without discarding her earthly body. So great was her fasting and charity! I transformed the lump of mud she had offered Me into a beautiful home for her. However, O Narada, this house was just like the mud devoid of any edible grains. It had no furniture or ornamentation, and when she entered it was only a bare structure. She approached Me and said, “I have fasted on so many auspicious occasions, making my body weak and thin. I have worshipped You and prayed to You in so many different ways for You are truly the master and protector of all the universes. Yet despite all this there is no food or wealth to be seen in my new home, O Janardana, please tell me why?”

“‘I replied, “Please return home. The wives of the demigods will pay you a visit out of curiosity to see the new arrival. Do not open your door until they have described to you the glories of Sat-tila Ekadashi.”
“‘The wives of the devas arrived at her home in due course as I had foretold and called out to her, “O beautiful one, we devapatnis have come to see you, please open the door.”

“’The lady replied, “O dear ones, if you want me to open the door, please narrate to me the merit of observing the sacred fast of Sat-tila Ekadashi.” One of the wives beautifully related the sublime nature of this sacred Ekadashi. And when the brahmana lady finally opened her door, they saw that she was not a celestial being like a demigoddess, a Gandharvi, an asuri, or even a Naga-patni. She was just an ordinary human being.

“’The lady observed Sat-tila Ekadashi, which awards both material enjoyment and liberation at the same time. She finally received the beautiful furnishings and grains she had expected for her spiritual home. Her ordinary material body was transformed into a beautiful, spiritual sac-cid-ananda form with a fine complexion. By the grace of Sat-tila Ekadasi, both the lady and her new home in the spiritual world were radiant with gold, silver, jewels, and diamonds.

“’O Narada, a person should not ostentatiously observe Ekadashi out of greed, with the hope of attaining wealth dishonestly. He should selflessly donate sesame seeds, clothes, and food according to his capacity, for by doing so he will achieve good health and exalted spiritual consciousness, birth after birth. Ultimately, he will be released from the bonds of this world (liberation) and granted admittance into the Lord’s supreme abode. That is my opinion, O best of devarishis.’

“O Dalbhya Muni,” Pulastya Rishi concluded, “One who properly observes this wonderful Sat-tila Ekadashi with great faith becomes free of all kinds of poverty – physical, mental, intellectual, social, and spiritual – as well as all kinds of ill luck and evil omens. Indeed, observing this Ekadashi fast by donating, sacrificing, or eating sesame seeds, undoubtedly frees one of all past sins. One need not wonder how this happens. The rare soul who properly performs these acts of charity in the right devotional mood, following the Vedic injunctions, will become free of all sinful reactions and go back home, back to Godhead!”

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Magh-krishna Ekadasi or Sat-tila Ekadasi from the sacred Bhavishya-uttara Purana of Srila Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa.

 

 

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Jayadeva Goswami Disappearance
→ Ramai Swami

Shri Jayadeva Goswami appeared in either the eleventh or twelfth century of the Shaka era. There is a difference of opinion about his place of birth. The majority opinion holds that he was from the village of Kendubilva, presently in the district of Birbhum. Others claim that he was born in either Orissa or South India.

Kendubilva is situated about twenty miles south of Siuri on the banks of the Ajaya River. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana, it is stated that Jayadeva found his Radha Madhava Deities in this river’s waters. It is also stated there that he used to rest and worship at the temple of Shiva known as Kusheshwar, which is also on the banks of the Ajaya River. Jayadeva’s father was named Bhojadeva and his mother, Vama Devi.

Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur writes in his Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya that Lakshman Sen was delighted when he heard Jayadeva’s hymn to the ten incarnations, the Dasavatara-stotra. When Govardhan Acharya notified the king that it was Jayadeva who had composed the hymn, he became desirous to meet the poet.

He went incognito to Jayadeva’s house and when he saw him, he noticed that Jayadeva possessed all the characteristics of a great and powerful spiritual personality. Deeply impressed and attracted to Jayadeva, the king revealed his identity to him and invited him to come and live in the royal palace. Jayadeva was leading a very renounced life and was therefore unwilling to live in the opulent environment of the palace. He told the king that he preferred to live in Jagannath Puri.

Lakshman Sen was disappointed by Jayadeva’s intentions. He quickly suggested that he take up residence in the village of Champa Hati, saying that it was a place suitable for a person who wished to lead a meditative life. He also promised him that he would never come to disturb him again.

When Jayadeva agreed, Lakshman Sen had a cottage built for him in the village that was formerly known as Champaka-hatta, named after the beautiful garden of champa trees and the village market where Mahaprabhu’s associate Dvija Baninath received a vision of Him in the Satya Yuga, seeing Him in the form of a Brahmin whose skin was the color of champa flower.

Similarly, Jayadeva had a vision here, first of Radha-Madhava, then of Their combined form as the golden champa-colored Gauranga Mahaprabhu. 

After the Lord gave Jayadeva this vision, He told him to go to Jagannath Puri. Although Jayadeva was sad to leave the future abode of his Lord, he obeyed the Lord’s command and made his way to Puri, where it is said that he was engaged as the king of Orissa’s court poet.

He spent the remainder of his life in the abode of Lord Jagannath, where he wrote the transcendental poem based on the sentiment of love in separation known as Gita-govinda or Astapadi. Indeed, Mahaprabhu told Jayadeva while giving him the vision of Navadwip that after appearing there, He would take sannyas and go to Jagannath Puri where He would relish the Gita-Govinda.

According to legend, Jagannath Himself ordered Jayadeva to marry his wife, Padmavati. The story is told in the Visvakosa as follows: there once was a Brahmin who was without offspring despite having worshiped Jagannath for many years in the hope of having a son. Finally, he and his wife had a daughter and they named her Padmavati.

When she came of marriageable age, the Brahmin brought her to Lord Jagannath to offer her to his lotus feet. When He saw them, Jagannath said to the Brahmin, “I have a servant whose name is Jayadeva. He has given up family life and has dedicated himself to chanting My names. Give your daughter to him in marriage.”

The Brahmin took his daughter to Jayadeva and asked him to marry his daughter. However, since Jayadeva had no desire to get married, he refused to agree to any such arrangement. The Brahmin then told him that it was Jagannath Himself who had arranged this marriage; and without another word, he left, leaving his daughter behind. Jayadeva found himself totally unprepared for this situation and told the girl, “Tell me where you want to go and I will take you and leave you there. You cannot stay here.”

Padmavati started to cry and said, “My father brought me here to marry you on Jagannath Deva’s order. You are my husband, my all in all. If you do not accept me, then I will fall down at your feet and die right here. You are my only hope, my Lord.” The poet and scholar Jayadev could not abandon her after such a heartfelt plea. So he became a householder.

[Later], Jayadeva took his Deities Radha and Madhava with him, and set off on a long journey. Once in Vrindavan, he began to serve his Deities in an area near Keshi Ghat. When the residents of the Dham heard Jayadeva sing the Gita-Govinda in his sweet voice, they were entranced. One merchant built a large temple for the Deities on that site.

It is said that Jayadeva returned to his birthplace in Kendubilva after living in Vrindavan for many years. He spent the rest of his life there, worshipping his Deities and performing his bhajan. He would make the long walk to the Ganges every day to take his bath there. One day, for some reason or another, he was unable to make it. Ganga Devi was so kind to him that she came personally to the village of Kendubilva so that he would bathe in her holy waters. It is said that Jayadeva died in Kendubilva and every year on the first day of the month a Magh, a large festival, is held there in his memory.

There is, however, a difference of opinion about where Jayadeva finished his life. Though some say he returned to Kendubilva, others claim it was Puri, and still others say that he went to Vrindavan. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur has stated his opinion that Jayadeva left this world from Jagannath Puri.

Though some people say that Jayadeva returned to Kendubilva to spend his last days, there is no indication anywhere that he brought his Radha-Madhava Deities with him. In fact, these Deities were taken by the king of Jaipur to a place named Ghati sometime after Jayadeva’s passing away and they are still being served in the Jaipur area.

Strive to become a Parantapah!
→ Dandavats

By Brajanath Dasa Arjuna is known as Paranthapah because he is a chastiser of the enemy. He enters the Kurukshetra battlefield with a fighting spirit on a chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanumān being driven by Krsna and drawn by white horses. He wanted to see the combatants and asked Krsna to maneuver the
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Finding mercy amidst struggle
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2 January 2023, Vrndavana, India, Balarama Hall Q&A Program)

A lot of time in our movement is spent with struggles and discussing struggles – struggles with chanting, struggles with following the regulative principles, struggles with living with devotees, struggles with the institution, struggles with accepting every aspect of the philosophy, struggles with our anarthas, struggles with old habits – so there is so much struggle. There are groups of devotees who are meeting because they have a problem with the internet – they go to the wrong websites and then they try to meet and overcome such struggles together – this is widespread. So, we are all struggling. And with these struggles, sometimes people also become hopeless. One person was expressing to me in a message how they are struggling, and they do not want to live anymore, and this is not an isolated incident where people feel like they can no longer cope. So, we have on one side the element of struggle and on the other hand we have the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now this mercy is not something abstract that we are reading about, and we are saying how amazing it is, but it is something that is very tangible that we need in order to make everything worthwhile. This mercy is not a luxury, but it is essential to all that we do.

On this topic, I am thinking of some verses where Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami is saying, “I am more fallen than a worm in stool. I am so fallen that anyone who comes in contact with me loses all his pious credit.” So, hearing this, one might think how this is a serious case of low self-esteem and how this will not have a happy end. But then he says, “Despite all this, how amazing is it that someone as fallen as I am, has received the mercy of Lord Nityananda.” So, this is the case. With all of our weaknesses and with all of our shortcomings, there is that unique mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, and it is that mercy and the mercy of their representatives like Srila Prabhupada, who then add their own bit of mercy, that this movement is growing and carrying on. And in this way, we are sustained in spiritual life.

You can watch the full program on our YouTube channel or by clicking below:

The article " Finding mercy amidst struggle " was published on KKSBlog.

Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s Appearance Day
Giriraj Swami

For Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s appearance day, I thought to read a verse and purport about him from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Ten, “The Branches of the Caitanya Tree”:

TEXT 105

sri gopala bhatta eka sakha sarvottama
rupa-sanatana-sange yanra prema-alapana

TRANSLATION

Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great and exalted branches of the tree. He always engaged in discourses about love of Godhead in the company of Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was the son of Venkata Bhatta, a resident of Sri Rangam. Gopala Bhatta formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the Ramanuja-sampradaya but later became part of the Gaudiya-sampradaya. In the year 1433 Sakabda (A.D. 1511), when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was touring South India, He stayed for four months during the period of Caturmasya at the house of Venkata Bhatta, who then got the opportunity to serve the Lord to his heart’s content. Gopala Bhatta also got the opportunity to serve the Lord at this time. Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was later initiated by his uncle, the great sannyasi Prabodhananda Sarasvati. Both the father and the mother of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami were extremely fortunate, for they dedicated their entire lives to the service of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They allowed Gopala Bhatta Gosvami to go to Vrndavana, and they gave up their lives thinking of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was later informed that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami had gone to Vrndavana and met Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami, He was very pleased, and He advised Sri Rupa and Sanatana to accept Gopala Bhatta Gosvami as their younger brother and take care of him. Sri Sanatana Gosvami, out of his great affection for Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, compiled the Vaisnava smrti named Hari-bhakti-vilasa and published it under his name. Under the instruction of Srila Rupa and Sanatana, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami installed one of the seven principal deities of Vrndavana, the Radharamana deity. The sevaits (priests) of the Radharamana temple belong to the Gaudiya-sampradaya.

COMMENT

Actually, one of the families entrusted with the Deity service at the Radha-ramana Mandir has a history of relations with the line of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Visvambhara Gosvami’s father or grandfather had relations with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the family maintained relations with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and then Visvambhara Gosvami had very friendly relations with Srila Prabhupada. And he spoke very nicely about Srila Prabhupada. Now Visvambhara Gosvami’s son Padmanabha Gosvami is also very favorable to ISKCON. In fact, ISKCON devotees often honor prasada at his home at the Radha-ramana Mandir. I took prasada there with His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami, and Padmanabha Gosvami showed us a letter that Srila Prabhupada had written to his father, Visvambhara Gosvami, about how all Vaishnavas should cooperate. So, not only does the Radha-ramana temple belong to the Gaudiya-sampradaya, but at least some of the sevaits have had close relations with the line of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

PURPORT (concluded)

When Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami took permission from all the Vaisnavas before writing Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami also gave him his blessings, but he requested him not to mention his name in the book. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has mentioned Gopala Bhatta Gosvami only very cautiously in one or two passages of the Caitanya-caritamrta. Srila Jiva Gosvami has written in the beginning of his Tattva-sandarbha, “A devotee from southern India who was born of a brahmana family and was a very intimate friend of Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami has written a book that he has not compiled chronologically. Therefore I, a tiny living entity known as jiva, am trying to assort the events of the book chronologically, consulting the direction of great personalities like Madhvacarya, Sridhara Svami, Ramanujacarya, and other senior Vaisnavas in the disciplic succession.” In the beginning of the Bhagavat-sandarbha there are similar statements by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami compiled a book called Sat-kriya-sara-dipika, edited the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, wrote a foreword to the Sat-sandarbha and a commentary on the Krsna-karnamrta, and installed the Radharamana Deity in Vrndavana. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (184) it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Krsna was Ananga-manjari. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of Guna-manjari. Srinivasa Acarya and Gopinatha Pujari were two of his disciples.

COMMENT

Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami ki jaya!

One story about Gopala Bhatta Gosvami is that on the eve of Nrsimha-caturdasi all the other Gosvamis and Vaishnavas in Vrindavan were preparing to worship their Deities and hold festivals. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami had only a salagrama-sila; he didn’t have a Deity with arms and legs and a body that he could dress and decorate. So, he was feeling deprived of the opportunity to serve like the other devotees who had Deities they could serve in these ways. And out of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s strong desire, a salagrama-sila became manifest in the form of Radha-ramana. Radha-ramana is considered the most beautiful Deity of Krishna. He is the one original Deity of the Gosvamis that has remained in Vrindavan, while the others had to be taken elsewhere for fear of the Muslim invaders. And near the temple of Radha-ramana in Vrindavan is the samadhi of Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami.

Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s uncle and guru was Prabodhananda Sarasvati. His samadhi is also located in Vrindavan, just off the parikrama path near Kaliya-ghata, which is quite near our Krishna-Balaram Mandir. So, often when we go on parikrama down the path near the Yamuna, we visit Prabodhananda Sarasvati’s samadhi and bhajana-kutira. And then we proceed to Srila Sanatana Gosvami’s samadhi. Srila Sanatana Gosvami was the most senior of the Gosvamis and was also a close associate and instructor of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. In fact, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami worked with Sanatana Gosvami to produce the great treatise Hari-bhakti-vilasa.

I feel that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami has been especially merciful to me on two occasions. On one, I visited his bhajana-kutira at Sanketa, a place between Nandagrama and Varsana where Radha and Krishna used to meet and sometimes perform rasa-lila. Gopala Bhatta would sit and chant underground in a deep cavern, accessible only through a long, narrow passage. At the end of the passage was a somewhat roomier place where Gopala Bhatta used to chant, now marked as his bhajana-sthala. I remember going there with Tamal Krishna Goswami and others on a very hot day and struggling to crawl through the passage to the bhajana-sthala. It was difficult, but when I finally reached there, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was very merciful. He allowed me to chant with a glimpse of taste. And after all the devotees emerged from the cavern, I stole back in. I crawled back to Gopala Bhatta’s lotus feet, and I sat there chanting. I will never forget his mercy to me there, and I pray that he will enable me to chant with relish and love.

On the other occasion, in Kartik of 1999, shortly before my surgery, I visited Gopala Bhatta’s samadhi near the Radha-ramana Mandir. We arrived just after raja-bhoga-arati, and the pujari was closing the doors to the samadhi-mandira. But he was kind enough to open the doors for us, to allow us darshan of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. He gave us some flowers and caranamrta, and invited us to stay for prasada. Thus our small party, along with some local sadhus, honored Gopala Bhatta Prabhu’s maha-maha-prasadam with great relish, and we even stayed to take a little rest before, filled with bliss, we continued on our way. So, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami is very kind.

 Years later, when some of my disciples from Bombay went to Vrindavan on pilgrimage, they visited the samadhi. They told the pujaris about me, how my health no longer allowed me to visit Vraja, and asked for some prasada for me. And one of the pujaris kindly gave them a piece of cloth from the samadhi. It is very special. Now, twice a year, once on his appearance day and once on his disappearance day, we bring it out and touch it. So now we shall pass it around and touch it to our heads and to our hearts—and pray to Gopala Bhatta Gosvami for his sublime mercy.

Thank you.

Hare Krishna.

[ A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s appearance day, July 31, 2002, Carpinteria, California]

Srila Ramacandra Kaviraja Disappearance
→ Ramai Swami

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung: “daya koro sri acarya prabhu srinivasa, ramacandra sanga mage narottama dasa—O Srinivasa acarya Prabhu, kindly have mercy upon me; Narottama dasa always prays for the association of  Ramacandra Kaviraja.”

Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja was one of the internal associates of Narottama Thakura. The two of them were practically inseparable. Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja had obtained the full mercy and blessings of Srinivasa acarya. Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja’s father’s name was Ciranjiva Sena—his mother’s name was Sri Sunanda. 

At first Sri Ciranjiva Sen lived in Kumara Nagara. After he married the daughter of the poet Sri Damodara Kavi, he moved to the village of Sri Khanda. Ciranjiva Sen was a Mahabhagavata, a topmost devotee of the Lord. The devotees of Sri Khanda, headed by Narahari Sarakara Thakura all had great affection and respect for Ciranjiva. 

One day, Ramacandra Kaviraja was on the road to Yajigrama, on his way home from his wedding. At that time, Srinivasa acarya was passing on the road, accompanied by his followers.

Later, Shrinivasa Acharaya was in Yajigrama at his own house, where many devotees had gathered to hear him lecture on Shrimad-Bhagavatam. At that time, passing by the house of Shrinivasa Acharya was Ramachandra Kaviraja the son of Chiranjiva Sen (one of Mahaprabhu’s eternal associates).  He had just been married, and he and his new bride were on their way back from the wedding. 

From a long way off, Shrinivasa Acharya saw Ramachandra Kaviraja, and Ramachandra Kaviraja also saw Shrinvasa Acharya from a distance. Upon seeing each other from a distance a deep mood of friendship arose within the hearts of those two eternally perfect devotees of Shri Gauranga.

After seeing each other they were eager to meet one another.  Shrinivasa Acharya inquired about Ramachandra Kaviraja from the local people.  They told him that he was a great pandita named Ramacandra—a learned poet and expert doctor from a family of doctors and scholars. Hear all this, Srinivasa acarya smiled, for he was greatly pleased. 

Ramachandra Kaviraja had heard about Shrinivasa Acharya and was eager to have his darsana.  In this way, he finally went to the house of  Srinivasa acarya along with his new bride and were introduced by some of the local people.  The day passed quickly in discussion of Hari-katha. They spent the night where they had been staying since coming to Yajigrama, at a brahmana’s house near the home of Shrinvasa Acharaya, and the following morning went to Shrinivasa Acharya and fell before his feet offering prostrated obeisances. 

The Acharya bade Ramachandra Kaviraja to get up from the ground, and heartily embraced him saying, “Life after life you have been my friend.  Providence has brought us together again today by arranging our meeting.” Both of them felt great happiness as a result of their having met. 

Seeing that Ramchandra had an acute and  deeply learned transcendental intelligence, Shrinivasa was very happy.  He began to make him hear the Goswami scriptures. Ramacandra’s pure behavior  which was always in accordance with the scriptures very much pleased Srinivasa acarya, and after a few days the Acharya initiated him in the divine Radha-Krishna mantra.

Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja delivered many sinners and nonbelievers to a life of auspiciousness as a result of his mercy. At the festival in Kheturi-grama, he was one of the leaders. On the order of Narottama dasa Thakura and Srinivasa acarya he went to Vrndavana.

When he arrived there, he found that almost all the Goswamis had passed away. When he found that so many great souls had passed away, his heart was deeply pained. 

After some days in Vrndavana, feeling the pain of separation in this way, while deeply meditating upon the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Govinda, he entered into their eternal Vrndavana pastimes.  His disappearance day is on the third day of the dark moon in the month of Pausa.

GBC Meeting Report January 4, 2022
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* A New Year Message from the ISKCON Governing Body Commission * Dear ISKCON Members and Friends, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Looking back on 2022, we want to thank you for your many continued services to Srila Prabhupada, and to Lord Caitanya’s mission of spreading Krishna consciousness to every
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