Planet ISKCON

Answer Podcast

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 April 2020, Durban, South Africa, Vyasa Puja Lecture)

Srila Prabhupada would describe how sometimes during the rainy season in Mayapur, the Ganga is flooding its banks and the entire area goes underwater. And sometimes, Mayapur is almost two months in a lockdown underwater, imagine that! I remember spending some time in that flood during a year and it was quite an experience. We would have to swim from one building to another and we were not the only ones swimming. There were also cobras swimming to add some excitement. Some had rubber boats and the pujaris were taking the water and just using it by filtering it through the cloth and bathing the deities during the abhisekha on Radhashtami.

So I remember that flood vividly, and I also remember how Srila Prabhupada described that the floods in Mayapur symbolise the mercy of Lord Caitanya flooding the entire world. And that mercy of Lord Caitanya has reached everywhere. That mercy came through the disciplic succession, through the six Gosvamis, to Krsna das Kaviraj Gosvami, Narottama das Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura and so on, up till the present date – Srila Prabhupada – and here we are! That knowledge has touched the lives of so many people and everything has changed. Suddenly, everything has become auspicious. Suddenly, we are walking on the blessed path. Even those who are touched only a little, they become blessed!

The article " Flooding with mercy " was published on KKSBlog.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 April 2020, Durban, South Africa, Vyasa Puja Lecture)

Srila Prabhupada would describe how sometimes during the rainy season in Mayapur, the Ganga is flooding its banks and the entire area goes underwater. And sometimes, Mayapur is almost two months in a lockdown underwater, imagine that! I remember spending some time in that flood during a year and it was quite an experience. We would have to swim from one building to another and we were not the only ones swimming. There were also cobras swimming to add some excitement. Some had rubber boats and the pujaris were taking the water and just using it by filtering it through the cloth and bathing the deities during the abhisekha on Radhashtami.

So I remember that flood vividly, and I also remember how Srila Prabhupada described that the floods in Mayapur symbolise the mercy of Lord Caitanya flooding the entire world. And that mercy of Lord Caitanya has reached everywhere. That mercy came through the disciplic succession, through the six Gosvamis, to Krsna das Kaviraj Gosvami, Narottama das Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura and so on, up till the present date – Srila Prabhupada – and here we are! That knowledge has touched the lives of so many people and everything has changed. Suddenly, everything has become auspicious. Suddenly, we are walking on the blessed path. Even those who are touched only a little, they become blessed!

The article " Flooding with mercy " was published on KKSBlog.

Рады сообщить, что Амбхода деви даси завершила роспись мурти Джая у входа в храм. В этом видео показано нанесение тилака.

Последние штрихи Джая – тилак

 

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We are happy to report that Ambhoda devi dasi has completed the painting of the 15’ Jaya murti for the entranceway of the temple. This video shows you the final application of tilak on his forehead.

 

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“There is a candle in your heart ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul ready to be filled. You feel it, don’t you?” -Rumi

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By the TOVP

After eight months of lockdowns in India last year due to the pandemic, the TOVP resumed construction in September and has been steadily increasing the work pace. We will be providing regular updates and reports from our Project Management Consultancy (PMC), Cushman & Wakefield, and below is the first photo update showing progress in the following areas: Outdoor Hydrant Erection Sprinkler Completion Storm Drains Electrical Wiring Air Conditioning Ducting Audio/Video Cabling Coffered Ceiling Progress Continue reading "TOVP Project Management Consultancy (PMC) Photo Update
→ Dandavats"

N Vrindavan

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By Ramcharan Das

On 10th February 2006, the beautiful temple of Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan ji, Krishna Balarama and Gaura Nitai was inaugurated in the auspicious presence of many GBCs, sannyasis and senior devotees of ISKCON. HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja had constructed this beautiful marble temple in a very short time of 9 months and 20 days, which is an unbeatable record in itself. Some people say just like the time a child takes to get shaped in the womb of a mother, this beautiful temple took shape in the heart of Ujjain in garbha-kala. Continue reading "ISKCON Ujjain’s 15th Anniversary and Mega Youth Event ‘UDDIPAN’ Attracts 10000 Participants
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Podcast:

Video:

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Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura prayed to Lord Caitanya to send him an assistant and a successor from the Lord’s personal staff of preachers. Answering the prayer of the Thakura, a son was born to him on February 6^th, 1874 while he was serving as the government magistrate in the holy city of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa. Through various signs the Lord showed Thakura Bhaktivinoda and his good wife that this was the great soul that had been sent by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to carry on the preaching work that Bhaktivinoda Thakura had started.

It was witnessed by all present that when the child came out of the womb, his umbilical cord was wrapped around him like the sacred thread worn by brahmanas. Everyone was very amazed by this sign. Six months later at the annual Jagannatha Puri Rathayatra festival, the Jagannatha cart, being pulled by hundreds of people, came to a stop in front of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house.

When all the people were trying to get the cart moving again, Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s wife took the opportunity to take the child, whose name then was Bimala Prasad, out to see Lord Jagannatha and because she was the wife of Thakura Bhaktivinoda, who was the manager of the Jagannatha temple, everyone respected her and she was allowed on the cart for darshana of the Lord.

She then placed the child at the lotus feet of the Jagannatha deity and immediately one of the huge flower garlands hanging around the neck of the Lord fell down and encircled the child. Thakura Bhaktivinoda’s heart was filled with joy, for he knew beyond all doubt that this child was the answer to his prayers.

As the boy grew, the Thakura instructed him in the science of Krishna Consciousness. At the age of only seven Bimala Prasad Datta, who was later to be known  as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, had memorised all seven hundred verses of the Bhagavad-gita and could explain each one.

One day the boy took an unoffered mango from the room of the family Deity and ate it. Thakura Bhaktivinoda chastised him for it and told him that it was not proper Vaishnava behaviour to eat food that had not first been offered to the Lord. At that time Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, taking his father’s words very seriously, made a vow that he would never eat mango again. Through his whole life he kept this vow very faithfully. Whenever someone would offer him a mango he would say, “No, I cannot take, I am a great offender”.

At the age of ten, while attending the Serampore Missionary School, he was initiated by his father into the Hare Krishna mantra and a Narasimhadeva mantra. In school he invented a novel kind of phonetic alphabet which he called Bikranti or Bicanto. Later on he attended a special Sanskrit college where he became expert in Sanskrit grammar, Vedic shastra and different views of philosophy.

Due to his lifelong celibacy he had such a clear memory that even in his last days he could reproduce word for word any passage of any book he had read fifty years back.

In 1901 Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura requested his son to become initiated in the Gayatri mantra and accept a spiritual master. Srila Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maha­raja was a very renowned Vaishnava saint of Navadvipa. It was therefore he who the Thakura requested his son to take initiation from. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura then approached the babaji for getting initiated, but Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji, who hadn’t any disciples, out of his infinite humbleness refused to accept such an erudite pandita as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Disappointed, Sarasvati Thakura went back to his father and related to him what had happened, but Thakura Bhaktivinoda sent him out again, and again Srila Bhaktisiddhanta came back with the same news. So this time the Thakura told his son, “Unless you take initiation from Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji your life is useless and no longer may you enter this house.”

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati then set off with great determination, and meeting Srila Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji on a bridge along the road told him that he would jump off the bridge and kill himself if the babaji did not accept him as a disciple. He said to him, “My father has told me that human life is worthless without a spiritual master, so if you refuse to accept me as your disciple I must kill myself”. Upon hearing that and seeing the young man’s sincerity of purpose, the babaji accepted him as his only disciple.

From that year, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta traveled with Thakura Bhaktivinoda in his pilgrimages to all the principle holy places in India. During this time he compiled a Vaishnava encyclopaedia named Vaisnava-manjusha. In 1900 he was staying in Puri where he began to publicly preach the holy precepts of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In 1904 Srila Sarasvati Thakura traveled in East Bengal. In 1905 he travailed to the far southern provinces of India, lecturing, preaching, writing, debating, fully absorbed  in the fire of propagating the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

One time a big impersonalist Vedanta society in Calcutta invited him to a debate, on the condition that he could not use Srimad-Bhagavatam as scriptural evidence and so he agreed to come to the debate. Then after a short time they called him again and said he could not speak on Mahabharata, Ramayana, or any of the Puranas or Pancharattnas. He also agreed to come on those conditions. Then they called him and said that he could not use as evidence any of the Vedas, Upanisads or smriti texts, but could speak only from the Vedanta-Sutras. And so he agreed to that also. Then they called him up and said that he could not come at all.

In 1914 on the disappearance of Thakura Bhaktivinoda from this mortal world, the task to carry on the movement of Sri Caitanya now lay in the hands of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada. He took over as the editor of his father’s journal, the Sajjana toshani, a monthly Vaishnava paper in Bengali. Later on in 1927 he converted it into an English fortnightly called the Harmonist.

In 1918 at the age of fourty-four, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati accepted the title Gosvami Maharaja by taking the renounced order of life, sannyasa. On that same day  he established his first Vaishnava monastery, the Caitanya Math at Sridhama Mayapura, which became his preaching headquarters. 

At the time of his passing from this world he had opened sixty-four Gaudiya Maths for the propagation of spiritual life and Bhagavata philosophy. In all these maths he established the worship of the archa-vigraha (Deity) form of the Lord so that his disciples wouldn’t become impersonalists. This deity worship was executed according to the principles of Sanatana Gosvami’s book of Vaisnava activities, Sri-hari-bhakti-vilasa.

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Yonge St., Toronto

 

Prominent Persons

 

A prominent sun dominated the sky and when it was time for it to make its ever so graceful exit a reigning powerful king in the form of the moon set itself firmly in the heavens.

 

During the hours of light devotional activities prevailed at the temple, beginning with a guru-puja; honouring of the guru just after darshan; the viewing of the deity of Krishna. As the sun rose I was feeling gratitude to the devotees from the Atlantic zone for sending that sun to us. The sun enlivens.

 

I thought of our younger couple stationed at their bhaktipost in Saint Johns, New Brunswick, and their kind gesture of reaching out to all of us. Nakula and Sara are doing a marvelous job at connecting with the local Maritimers.

 

On my mind also was Gaurachandra and Vani Priya, from Calgary, who submitted some great messages through today’s Instagram frame for The Walking Monk.

 

I also conducted an interview with god brother, (Go Bro) Yajanahotra, from Vancouver, who told me about his life story — in brief — about his being raised in Winnipeg and his first meeting devotees in Regina. Coincidentally a group of five to six brahmachari monks had occupied the rented house where he had lived with his parents and sister previously. How neat!

 

What really shone today was the spiritual luminary, of whom today was His birthday. His name is Nityananda and He’s from the 15th century. He is the epitome of kindness. Virtual presentations were made in memory of this divine soul.

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI

 

 

Rosedale, Toronto

 

Higher Taste

 

Much of the snow has turned into water, trapped between heaps of white and bordered by slush. The reason is the mild temperature. It got up to 8°C and that meant wrapping my jacket around my left arm, leaving a full orange cloth exposure. People noticed. It stands out; especially with snow patches as a backdrop. It’s been a while since I strolled into the daytime. There’s a lot more pedestrians out.

 

“Hey, that attire really is something,” said one service/repair person.

 

Monks are rare. Period. I sometimes wonder if I’ll be a last Mohican. I do keep in touch with some single men by phone — men who hold a thorough interest in Krishna Consciousness, who are potential monk material. However, they are not ready for the long-haul of renunciation. Maybe monk for a month, a week or a weekend?

 

I do keep in contact with some fairly mature persons who are in a relationship or who are married and at the same time they maintain some level of higher consciousness. It is very gratifying for me and I hope, mutually for them, that a certain segment of their life can be channeled toward the spiritual component by our communication.

 

The style or colour of garment is rather irrelevant to the person wearing them. State of mind is what is permanent. It is known in Sanskrit as Param, which means supreme.

 

Param drstva nivartate from The Gita is defined as enjoying a higher taste.

 

May the source be with you!

3 km

 

Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI

 

 

The balcony at 243

 

Chain of Fools

 

Tuesday afternoon is my time for an in-depth look at the Bhagavad-Gitaand currently my two other callers from the Stratford/London, Ontario district are looking at chapter four.

 

Chapter four opens with the topic of parampara, which translates as a school of thought. Sometimes it is referred to as a chain of thoughtful teachers; a disciplic succession. When broken this chain becomes reconnected by Krishna Himself. Apparently, at the time of Kali Yuga’sdawn, Krishna manifests to reset this chain. About five millennia ago Krishna was born for three main purposes. 1) to give support to devotional people 2) to subdue dark forces and 3) to establish this wisdom of dharma that runs along this chain we are talking about. 

 

Truth does become obscured in time by the sheer nature of the world, which becomes clouded in avidya, ignorance. We are definitely living in unenlightened times. Instead of operating on a chain of succession steeped in a disciplined love, what very much is the case today is linking with the “Chain of Fools” (Aretha Franklin).

 

The lyrics to that song of soul are very simple. They echo the voice of one being used. And “used” we are, because that is the nature of a whimsical, directionless, confused life.

 

I urge you all to be in the link, the parampara, a chain of an illustrious company of angels and saints.

 

May the source be with you!

2 km

 

Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI

 

 

The balcony at 243

 

Seeing Through Windows

 

My balcony pacing continues, usually in the evening and from either of the three arch-shaped windows. I can see the weather conditions quite clearly on this west end of our building. What is there to be seen these days?

 

The street lights reveal, at least the last few evenings, snow flurries coming down like pretty little avatars descending from the heavens. They come down in the multitudes and contribute to a kind of merging whiteness; always with a soft landing.

 

Through the day I am more stationary, at work for Krishna, seated in our guru’s quarters. From there I can observe the compounding and diminishing layers of snow. Pedestrians are not deterred by the soft assault. They go about their business; to work, to the skating rink, to shop or just to walk.

 

It really is a full view that I can capture each day even from this arched window. I used to be able to see the gigantic CN Tower at a distance. It still ranks as the second tallest structure globally. More recently a condo building came up, blocking the view of that tower of glory. It wouldn’t be so bad if the high-rise itself was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Instead, this squarish edifice adds to what could become a depressing skyline. That condo to the right is just plain bland.

 

I was able to share the snow scene through the window over this morning’s Zoom call with a Miami group. It’s another world down there. That one hour with them, by phone, however, harmonized our efforts and thoughts as we reflected and spoke about one of the very best passages from the book Bhagavatam, 1.8.21. Check it out!

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI

After eight months of lockdowns in India last year due to the pandemic, the TOVP resumed construction in September and has been steadily increasing the work pace.

We will be providing regular updates and reports from our Project Management Consultancy (PMC), Cushman & Wakefield, and below is the first photo update showing progress in the following areas:

Outdoor Hydrant Erection
Sprinkler Completion
Storm Drains
Electrical Wiring
Air Conditioning Ducting
Audio/Video Cabling
Coffered Ceiling Progress

Mahatma Prabhu is well known in ISKCON for his recorded and live music, most notably his recording of Brahma Samhita, but also for his workshops on such essential topics as Japa, Forgiveness, Humility, Vows and Marriage.

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This is a current working video report on the temple room relief panels.

There are four major relief panels in the TOVP temple room. Two are completed and two are in the process of being made. This is a video of the third panel work over the course of several days. I hope you like it. Another report about the next stage of progress is forthcoming.

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

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Painting of Jay (one of the Gatekeepers of Vaikuntha) done! ToVP, ISKCON, Mayapur

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Сегодня благоприятный день явления Шрилы Бхактисиддханты Сарасвати. В своих комментариях к Шри Чайтанье Шикшамрите он пишет: «В учении Шримана Махапрабху всего два принципиальных наставления: развивать вкус к воспеванию святых имен и проявлять сострадание к падшим обусловленным душам».

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10219224835874666&set=a.3707173840886

 

Today is the auspicious appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. In his purports to Sri Caitanya Siksamrta he writes:

“In the teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu, there are only two principle instructions: develop a taste for chanting the holy names and display compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.”

Due to the lock-down in the UK as a precaution against the Coronavirus, unfortunately, the community of Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK could not have a 'physical festival' this year. However, amongst other events, a stage program was broadcast live on Mayapur.TV and the Manor's media website.

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nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktisiddhānta-sarasvatīti nāmine śrī-vārṣabhānavī-devī-dayitāya kṛpābdhaye kṛṣṇa-sambandha-vijñāna-dāyine prabhave namaḥ mādhuryojjvala-premāḍhya-śrī-rūpānuga-bhaktida śrī-gaura-karuṇā-śakti-vigrahāya namo ‘stu te namas te gaura-vāṇī-śrī-mūrtaye dīna-tāriṇe rūpānuga-viruddhāpasiddhānta-dhvānta-hāriṇe I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. I offer my respectful obeisances to Srī […]

The post Srila Bhaktisidanta Saraswati Appearance Day! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Painting Srila Prabhupada’s murti (23 min. video)
This is an instructional video abou...
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By Giriraj Swami

Today is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada’s appearance day. We have heard about His Divine Grace already. Today is also the disappearance day of HH Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja. He left on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day Continue reading "Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Appearance Day
→ Dandavats"

By Gauranga Darshan Das

Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gīta that He descends in every yuga as an incarnation for three purposes: to protect the righteous, to punish the mischievous, and to establishes dharma. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended in the current age of Kali as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Śrī Gaurānga. In this incarnation, the Lord appears in the form of a devotee to teach how to perform loving devotional service (bhakti) unto Him. Continue reading "Nine Glories of Lord Gauranga’s Lotus Feet
→ Dandavats"

Today is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada’s appearance day. We have heard about His Divine Grace already. Today is also the disappearance day of Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja. He left on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day.

I remember the first time we celebrated Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s appearance day. I was a new devotee in Boston temple in early 1970, and Srila Prabhupada instructed us how to observe the appearance day of the spiritual master in the ceremony called Vyasa-puja. Up until then there had never been any observance of Vyasa-puja in ISKCON. Apart from the actual ceremony on that day, when one offers bhoga and puspanjali and guru-puja, Srila Prabhupada instructed us to write appreciations or homages for his guru maharaja. We collected and published them. I was so new in Krishna consciousness I didn’t know much about His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura but I thought about him deeply and I had two realizations, two thoughts. First, he must have been a most wonderful personality because someone as great as Srila Prabhupada surrendered to him. And second, it was by his mercy that we came in touch with Srila Prabhupada and Krishna consciousness. He gave Srila Prabhupada the instruction to preach Krishna consciousness in the English language in the Western world, and in accordance with his divine instructions Srila Prabhupada came to America to deliver all of us. So I felt great appreciation for His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and gratitude to him.

Today I thought to focus more on His Holiness Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja, who may be less known to many of you. Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja was born in a Vaishnava family in Orissa. His family were Gaudiya Vaishnavas—worshippers of Krishna—and they worshipped the family Deity named Gopal Jiu. So Gour Govinda Maharaja grew up in that atmosphere hearing Caitanya-caritamrta, singing songs of Narottama dasa Thakura and Bhaktivinoda Thakura and worshiping Gopal Jiu. In due course, as was the custom, he married. He was educated in Hindi and other languages and other subjects. To maintain his family he taught in school as a school teacher. But within his heart, his desire to serve the Lord fully without any distraction grew stronger and stronger and, as noted in his diary, he began to pray to his Deity to relieve him of the encumbrance of family responsibility and free him—to preach and serve Krishna fully.

In response to his sincere desire and prayers the circumstances became such that he was able to leave the family. He adopted the name Gour Gopal and began to travel like a sannyasi although officially he was not initiated into the sannyasa order. But he began to travel as a mendicant and at the same time he was looking for a spiritual master who could properly enlighten him and engage him in devotional service. One event led to another and he came to Vrindavan to the Krishna-Balarama temple. At the Krishna-Balarama temple he wanted to meet Srila Prabhupada, the great person who had spread Krishna consciousness all over the world and made persons from outside India into pure Vaishnavas. Eventually he did meet His Divine Grace and at the very first meeting Srila Prabhupada asked him if he would like to take sannyasa. At that moment Gour Govinda Maharaja, then Gour Gopal, realized that Srila Prabhupada was his spiritual master—he knew his heart—and could help him to fulfill his spiritual desires.

So, Gour Gopal accepted Srila Prabhupada as his spiritual master, and soon thereafter Srila Prabhupada initiated him. Srila Prabhupada gave him his first and second initiation and, within six months, at the opening of the Krishna-Balaram temple in Vrindavan, sannyasa. Because Gour Govinda Maharaja was educated, Srila Prabhupada wanted Maharaja to translate his books into Oriya, and Maharaja took that service very seriously. He was regularly translating, but specifically for Srila Prabhupada’s Centennial in 1996 he wanted to complete the entire Srimad-Bhagavatam and took a vow not to take food until he had translated his quota for the day—perhaps one hour. And he was so strict in his vow that even when he couldn’t translate because of circumstances, such as when he would travel on long flights overseas, even then he would not eat until he had completed his quota, even if it was late at night. So, he took that order to translate very seriously.

Srila Prabhupada also wanted him to establish a temple in Bhubaneswar. Somebody had given us some land that at the time was in the wilderness. The area was completely overgrown and infested with snakes, mosquitoes, scorpions, and other creatures. Gour Govinda Maharaja took up the challenge, took up the order, took up the service, and lived in extremely austere conditions. Srila Prabhupada predicted that one day that area would become the center of the city and so it came to pass. Sometime later the government decided to run a major highway right past the property that we had been given. And naturally along the highway shops came up, residences came up, and now that area is the fastest growing area in Bhubaneswar, and a major location. In time Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja did raise the funds and built the beautiful temple there. In 1977 after the Maha-kumbha-mela in Allahabad Srila Prabhupada himself went to Bhubaneswar to stay on the land. Gour Govinda Maharaja was living in a grass hut where he would do his bhajana and his translation work and Srila Prabhupada stayed right next to him in another grass hut or an extension of the same grass hut for seventeen days.

On the auspicious occasion of Sri Nityananda-trayodasi Srila Prabhupada laid the cornerstone for the temple. He also completed an important phase of his own writing in Bhubaneswar, maybe the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In any case, after Srila Prabhupada left, Gour Govinda Maharaja was ready to execute another important instruction from Srila Prabhupada to him that he should travel and help Prabhupada’s devotees. So he began to travel overseas and preach. Seeing the needs of the society and the needs of the devotees he evolved in mission in pursuance of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to him. His mission in his own words were:

(1) To show that everything is in Srila Prabhupada’s books,
(2) To show that you can get everything within ISKCON, and
(3) To encourage the devotees and protect them so that they don’t fall down,
go away.

Gour Govinda Maharaja said that Srila Prabhupada books are like an ocean filled with gems but that in order to get those gems one must go very deep. Gour Govinda Maharaja’s own books, which are actually compiled from his talks by his disciples, especially Madhavananda Prabhu . . . His talks are all classes based on Srila Prabhupada’s books, and in them he reveals just what gems there are in Srila Prabhupada’s books and that one can get from Srila Prabhupada’s books the highest realizations of Krishna consciousness. They are expressions of what is our relationship with God and how to act in that relationship and how to actually realize love for God—Krishna.

In a similar way he showed that you can get everything within ISKCON and he himself gave much to the society of devotees in ISKCON in terms of his krsna-katha and his realization of Krishna consciousness. He was an example of a pure devotee who had ecstatic love for Krishna and who had direct perception of Krishna. From his liberated platform of pure devotional service he could guide and encourage and enlighten us and also give us hope that if we follow the same process as disciples of Srila Prabhupada or followers of Srila Prabhupada we can also attain the same result.

I have had the opportunity to hear other advanced Gaudiya Vaishnavas from outside ISKCON speak about Krishna, krsna-katha, and I can honestly say that the level of krsna-katha spoken by Gour Govinda Maharaja is as high or as good as any of them. But hearing from Gour Govinda Maharaja is different because he is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a member of ISKCON. So we are getting it in our line, in the line of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada. Therefore it is most congenial for advancement in Krishna consciousness in ISKCON. Hearing from him or reading his books, one actually can get everything that one could ever want right within ISKCON. And the result of his association, through his talks and books and followers, is that one can feel very enlivened in Krishna consciousness, be greatly nourished and make tangible progress, what to speak of not falling down and going away. One can get a glimpse of the actual perfection of Krishna consciousness and have hope that one can actually reach the goal in this lifetime by following the process of bhakti-yoga given to us in our line from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to Srila Prabhupada and then to his followers.

So Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja is significant not only to those who knew him personally but to those who serve in Orissa where he had his base which was actually given to him as his prabhu-datta-desa by Srila Prabhupada. His instructions are available to all of us even now and his mercy is available to us.

Now we come to his disappearance pastimes. It was on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day in Mayapur in 1996. That morning I met him and fortunately I offered my obeisances to him. I placed my head on his feet, and out of his mercy and kindness he very affectionately rubbed my back and head. And that was the last time I saw him. For certain reasons I was obliged to leave Mayapur on that day to fly to America for some urgent business, and so I went. After offering my obeisances to him and packing and getting ready for the journey I went to the temple room around noon for the puspanjali and guru-puja in honor of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Vyasa-puja and took darshan of the Deities, took blessings from the Deities, and prepared to go. Some devotees prevailed upon me to honor the feast offered to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, which I did, and still I reached the airport in Calcutta in plenty of time. But it wasn’t until much later—because where I was in America I had no opportunity to get news about ISKCON. I didn’t have a computer, or if I did I was just starting to use it and wasn’t very regular. It was only later when I met His Holiness Radhanath Swami in Chicago that I received the news that he had left this world.

It so happened that later on the day of Maharaja’s departure, two senior devotees  came to meet him in his room, and inquired why Lord Chaitanya chose Jagannatha Puri as the place to perform His final pastimes. Maharaja began to narrate the pastimes of Krishna and how Krishna in the mood of separation from Radharani and His other friends in Vrindavan assumed the form of Jagannatha. It was a very ecstatic description, and, because of Maharaja’s advanced stage of Krishna consciousness, he felt transcendental ecstasy remembering the pastimes of Krishna. He became overwhelmed and excused himself from continuing the narration. He laid down flat on his bed and in a very deep state of Krishna consciousness left this world.
His disciples, of course, were greatly aggrieved feeling intense separation from him and they decided to bring his body to Bhubaneswar to place him in samadhi, at the site of his bhajana-kutira just near the Radha-Gopinatha temple that he established on ISKCON land in Bhubaneswar. So the disappearance day of an acharya is a sad occasion because we think of him and his wonderful association and we miss him. We miss his association. But at the same time, it is, from another point of view, not just a glorious occasion, but a jubilant occasion, because the pure soul has been reunited with the Supreme Soul as the eternal servant of Krishna and returned to his eternal service with Krishna. And certainly it is an occasion of great jubilation in the spiritual world. On the absolute platform, as Srila Prabhupada explained, there is no difference between meeting and separation—both are beautiful. Once on his Guru Maharaja’s disappearance day in Surat, Srila Prabhupada said that on the absolute platform the appearance of the spiritual master and the disappearance of the spiritual master are the same—both are beautiful. Just like the sunrise and the sunset—both are beautiful.

Now there is a very specific connection in service between Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Of course, there is a general connection in terms of the mission, in terms of the general mission. Srila Prabhupada explained that preaching means distributing books, establishing temples, and making devotees. So Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did all three and Srila Prabhupada also did all three and he wanted ISKCON to do all three. He wrote in his concluding words to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has formed to execute the will of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So all followers of Srila Prabhupada within ISKCON, whatever their particular service may be are furthering that mission which ultimately results in the publication and distribution of books, establishing and maintaining the temples, and the making and maintaining of devotees. But Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja served Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in a very specific way as well. And that relates to the Deity and temple of Alalanatha outside Jagannatha Puri.

When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was residing in Puri for the last eighteen years of His manifest pastimes, He would daily go to the temple of Lord Jagannatha for darshan, and He would see Jagannatha not in the form that we see Him, but as Krishna Himself, Syamsundara, His beautiful threefold bending form, tribhanga-lalita. But every year Lord Jagannatha is bathed in the snana-yatra ceremony, and thereafter it is said that He catches a cold and is taken into seclusion for two weeks. And for those two weeks Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and all other devotees would be deprived of Jagannatha’s darshan. So, feeling separation from Lord Jagannatha, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would walk fourteen miles to Brahmagiri to the temple of Alalanatha. The Alalanatha Deity is a four-handed Vishnu form of the Lord that was installed by Lord Brahma many ages ago, and thus that area is called Brahmagiri. So, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would spend the fourteen days when Lord Jagannatha was in seclusion (anasara) at Alalanatha, and daily He would take darshan of the Deity Alalanatha.

As it happened over the course of time, the temple structure grew old and was in need of repair and renovations. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura came to Alalanatha in 1927 he took up the project of renovating the temple and he was so keen on the work being done expeditiously that he would personally roll bidis (cigarettes) for the workers so that they wouldn’t take time to roll their own bidis, take time away from their work on the temple renovation to roll their own bidis. That’s how sincere and intent he was in his purpose. In the course of a previous excavation, workers came upon the utsava Deity of Lord Alalanatha. In all major temples where there are large Deities, there are also smaller Deities called utsava Deities, which are used for festivals. The large Deities are never moved but the small utsava Deities may be handled conveniently and brought forward for abhiseka, taken on a procession, and put on swings and other things that the large Deities cannot move, cannot do. So the pujari put the utsava Deity of Alalanatha on the altar but that night the Deity came to him in his dream and told him that, “My very dear devotee is staying nearby and I want to go to him, I want to be in his care, I want him to worship Me.”

The next morning, the pujari, in obedience to the order of the Deity in the dream searched the area looking for the saintly person and eventually he found Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and gave the Deity to him. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta constructed a beautiful temple for the Deities of Alalanatha on the land just next to the Alalanatha temple compound.

Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja also took up service at Brahmagiri for Lord Alalanatha. For the Srila Prabhupada Centennial he wanted to build something and decided to build a kirtan hall within the Alalanatha temple compound, which was much needed. And he did. It opened in the Srila Prabhupada Centennial year in 1996 and so he continued this specific line of service of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to Alalanatha.

Another service that His Holiness Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja did for Lord Jagannatha was that he created a forest of trees to be used for constructing Lord Jagannatha’s chariot for Ratha-yatra every year. Lord Jagannatha’s chariots are huge and they require huge amounts of wood to be constructed. According to shastra and tradition, the wood must be of a certain type of tree. That tree grows very slowly and with the advent of Kali-yuga the forest of those trees has been encroached upon. The supply of that kind of wood has been reduced to such an extent that it appeared that within a number of years there wouldn’t be enough wood to build Lord Jagannatha’s chariots. So His Holiness Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja took up the project. The government gave him the land because they were also concerned, and with the help of his disciples and supporters he started growing a forest of these trees to produce wood for Lord Jagannatha’s chariots. The production of the wood has been so successful that now there is no immediate threat, no immediate danger that they won’t have enough of the prescribed kind of wood for Lord Jagannatha’s chariot. So Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja is a great personality, munificent personality.

He did much not just for Prabhupada and ISKCON and the devotees of ISKCON in a limited sense but for the entire sampradaya and in fact for the larger cause of Krishna consciousness of devotional service to Lord Krishna, to Lord Jagannatha. Through his speeches and his books he explained the esoteric significance of Jagannatha Puri, of Alalanatha, of Lord Jagannatha: that Jagannatha Puri is a place of separation. Lord Jagannatha feels separation from Srimati Radharani and His other friends in Vrindavan and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in the mood of Radharani after Krishna left Vrindavan for Mathura and Dvaraka, is also in the mood of separation. So Jagannatha is in separation of Srimati Radharani and His other friends in Vrindavan and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is in the mood of separation, Radharani feeling separation from Krishna after He left Vrindavan. So it is a place, bhumi, for separation, for crying, but as Srila Prabhupada taught us and as Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja has confirmed and fully explained in his books, service in separation is the highest, the ecstasy of love of God in separation is the highest. Therefore devotees relish that mood of separation, especially in Jagannatha Puri.

So we too are feeling separation from Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja today. We miss him. We miss his personal presence, his merciful glance, his affectionate touch, and we miss sitting at his feet and hearing his krsna-katha. But at the same time we know that he is present and that he is pleased when we chant the holy name with attention and devotion, that he is pleased when we chant and hear about Krishna, engage in krsna-katha, and he is pleased when we serve Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON, and endeavor to spread Krishna consciousness following in the footsteps of guru-parampara—Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada’s exalted followers. So we pray to both, to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and to His Holiness Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja, that we may serve them eternally as they desire. This is parampara, serving Srila Prabhupada, his predecessors and followers, and we pray for their mercy that we may actually relish the internal moods of Krishna consciousness and fulfill their desire to bring others to Krishna consciousness—by their grace.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day and Srila Gour Govinda Swami’s disappearance day, February 26, 2008, Carpinteria, California]

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From the time he was a small boy, Purusottama dasa Thakura was dedicated to constantly meditating on the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

In Caitanya-Caritamrta Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami has written: “The twenty-third and twenty fourth prominent devotees of Nityananda Prabhu were Sadasiva Kaviraja and his son Purusottama dasa, who was the tenth gopala. Since birth, Purusottama dasa Thakura was merged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, and he always engaged in childish play with Lord Krsna.” 

The Caitanya-Bhagavata records: “Sadasiva Kaviraja was greatly fortunate. His son was named Sri Purusottama dasa. Purusottama dasa Thakura had no concern for his external body; Sri Nityananda Prabhu always resided within the core of his heart”.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada writes: “Sadasiva Kaviraja and Nagara Purusottama, who were father and son, are described in the Caitanya-Bhagavata as maha-bhagyavan, greatly fortunate. They belonged to the vaidya caste of physicians.”

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HH Niranjana Swami and I participate—and interact—until 1:13:26.

 

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The post Video – BG 16.9 Asuras Are Destructive 2/28/2021 first appeared on Prahladananda Swami.

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