Sri Vaishnava Toshani Special Vyasa Puja Edition, Nov–Dec 1993, Vol 2 #10 is presented here. pdf file epub file Contents I Cannot Forget My Love For You by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Everyone Knows His High Position by His Divine Grace B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Offerings From The Sannyasis Offerings From Seva Vikram And Seva Sundar Offerings From The Assembled Devotees Offerings From The Children
In one sense he was really a man of the world: he knew the world, he knew everything, and he was able to relate to the world in every possible way. But at the same time he was completely from another world and he was able to convey that to us in the simplest way, and as he would say, ‘heart to heart’, in a ‘heart to heart’ way. It wasn’t so much about the theory, although he knew that better than anybody, but just in his dealings with everybody we saw spiritual life in reality. I think that this is his unique contribution.
Sriman Devashis Prabhu speaks with profundity on his appreciation for Srila Gurudev.
The great clouds of the sādhus always shower this nectar over the garden of the world, and as a result, fruits produced by this nectar ripen. The devotees constantly eat these fruits, and by their love the people of the world live.
Mp3 audio file śrī-chaitanya-sama āra kṛpālu vadānya
bhakta-vatsala nā dekhi trijagate anya
We do not see anyone throughout the three worlds who is more merciful, magnanimous, and affectionate to devotees than Śrī Chaitanya.
śraddhā kari’ ei līlā śuna, bhakta-gaṇa
ihāra śravaṇe pāibā chaitanya-charaṇa
O devotees, listen to these Pastimes with faith! By hearing them, you will attain the feet of Śrī Chaitanya.
By their grace, you will understand the essence of Kṛṣṇa’s nature and you will reach the culmination of the conclusions of all the scriptures.
kṛṣṇa-līlā-amṛta-sāra tāra śata śata dhāra
daśa-dike vahe yāhā haite
se chaitanya-līlā haya sarovara akṣaya
mano-haṁsa charāha tāhāte
Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes are the essence of nectar, and Śrī Chaitanya’s Pastimes are the inexhaustible reservoir from which hundreds and hundreds of streams of that nectar flow in the ten directions. May the swan of your heart play there.
(In the reservoir of Śrī Chaitanya’s Pastimes) The principles of devotion to Kṛṣṇa are the forest of blooming lotus flowers and the rasa of divine love is the forest of lilies blooming there night and day. May the bees of your hearts play amongst them, tasting their nectar.
Devotees of various moods sport there as swans and chakravāka birds. For eternity, these devotee-swans find and eat the lotus flowers of Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes.
sei sarovare giyā haṁsa-chakravāka hañā
sadā tā̐hā karaha vilāsa
khaṇḍibe sakala duḥkha pāibā parama sukha
anāyāse habe premollāsa
May you all go to that reservoir and play there forever as swans and chakravāka birds. All your suffering will end, you will experience the greatest happiness, and easily you will feel the joy of divine love.
ei amṛta anukṣaṇa sādhu mahānta-megha-gaṇa
viśvodyāne kare variṣaṇa
tāte phale amṛta-phala bhakta khāya nirantara
tāra preme jīye jaga-jana
The great clouds of the sādhus always shower this nectar over the garden of the world, and as a result, fruits produced by this nectar ripen. The devotees constantly eat these fruits, and by their love the people of the world live.
chaitanya-līlā—amṛta-pūra kṛṣṇa-līlā—sukarpūra
duhe mili’ haya sumādhurya
sādhu-guru-prasāde tāhā yei āsvāde
sei jāne mādhurya-prāchurya
When the condensed milk of Śrī Chaitanya’s Pastimes and the fine camphor of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes combine, they become very sweet, and those who taste them by the grace of Śrī Guru and the sādhus know the magnitude of their sweetness.
ye līlāmṛta vine khāya yadi anna-pāne
tabe bhaktera durbala jīvana
yāra eka-bindu-pāne utphullita tanu-mane
hāse, gāya, karaye nartana
Without the nectar of these Pastimes, even if devotees eat rice, their vitality remains weak, but by drinking just one drop of this nectar, their bodies and minds flourish, and they laugh, sing, and dance.
e amṛta kara pāna yāra sama nāhi āna
chitte kari’ sudṛḍha viśvāsa
nā paḍa’ kutarka-garte amedhya karkaśa āvarte
yāte paḍile haya sarva-nāśa
So drink this nectar, of which there is nothing equal, with firm faith in your heart. Do not fall into the ditch of false argument. If you fall into this foul and harsh whirlpool, you will lose everything.
I hold on my head as an ornament the divine feet of Śrī Chaitanya, Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, the devotees, and all the devotee-listeners, by whom all desires are fulfilled.
śrī-rūpa-sanātana- raghunātha-jīva-charaṇa
śire dhari—yāra kari āśa
kṛṣṇa-līlāmṛtānvita chaitanya-charitāmṛta
kahe kichhu dīna kṛṣṇadāsa
I hold the feet of Śrī Rūpa, Sanātan, Raghunāth, and Jīva on my head. Aspiring for them, the poor Kṛṣṇadās narrates something of the nectar of Śrī Chaitanya’s Pastimes infused with the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes.
Verses 2.25.268–281 of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta by Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami. Translation originally published on premadharma.org by Sripad B.K. Tyagi Maharaj.
Sri Vaishnava Toshani, May–June 1994, Vol 3 #1 is presented here. pdf edition ePub edition Contents: I Have Only One Successor by His Divine Grace B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj I Am Your Unknown Friend by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad Safely On The Path Of Devotion by His Divine Grace Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj The Serving Mood by Swami B.P. Janardan The Path Of Divine Descent by Swami B.A. Sagar Religion Means Proper Adjustment by Swami B.S. Tridandi Letters Response by Srutasrava Das The Beauty Of His Smile by Braja Mohini Dasi Previous editions uploaded: Jan–Feb 1992 Vol 1 No 1 March–April 1992 Vol 1 No 2 May–June 1992 Vol 1 No 3 Nov–Dec 1992, Vol 1 #6 May–June 1993, Vol 2 #2 Sept–Oct 1993, Vol 2 No 3
An inspiring example of father following son: an interview with Raghunandan Prabhu of Olgiate Molgora, Italy.
Download mp3 audio
Photo: Raghunanda Prabhu stands with his son Madhurananda Prabhu, daughter Krishna Sakhi Devi Dasi, son-in-law Rituraj Prabhu, and grandson Sundar in the gardens of Villa Govinda Ashram.
It is our good fortune that we were able to participate in the festivals which concluded last week at our Villa Govinda Ashram on the outskirts of Milan, Italy. The focus of the festival was the inauguration of our Gurudev’s, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj’s, pushpa samadhi, which took place on Sunday 12 August, the day after Srila Param Guru Maharaj’s, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj’s, disappearance anniversary. Sripad Tyagi Maharaj acted as the priest and performed a fire sacrifice at the start of the ceremony; afterwards Sripad Madhusudan Maharaj spoke for some time in glorification of Srila Gurudev. Finally, with a flower which had been preserved from one of Srila Gurudev’s personal garlands on the day of his departure, Krishna Kanta Didi inaugurated the new pushpa samadhi for His Divine Grace. Munindra Mohan Prabhu then concluded by performing an arati to His Divine Grace, accompanied by the singing of Sri Guru Arati and heartfelt offerings of flowers from the devotees and sincere seekers present who had travelled from Italy, USA, England, Brazil, Venezuela, Portugal, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, and Ukraine to be a part of this momentous occasion.
We are blessed to have been associated with the Villa Govinda Ashram since its beginnings in 2003, and were present when our beloved Srila Gurudev visited both in 2003 and then again in 2007. On those occasions Srila Gurudev appeared very happy, relaxed, and at home, and many felt that his mercy was flowing very freely there. Srila Gurudev was particularly pleased with the service of the Italian devotees headed by Krishna Kanta DD and Munindra Mohan Prabhu, and was greatly moved by the sacrifice of Krishna Kanta, who manifest the ashram while facing a life-threatening illness. It was there at Villa Govinda that Srila Gurudev revealed his inner heart and pain of separation and openly shed tears on the disappearance day of Srila Param Guru Maharaj in July of 2003. He had also been very specific, when the tour was in the planning stages, about wanting to observe that day with the devotees in Italy.
At Villa Govinda Srila Gurudev had no pressure to give formal lectures or instruction, and rather when he spoke it was when he wanted to, as if with his close friends, and there would be long periods when he would sit in a comfortable silence with the devotees at different places around the ashram. He liked to observe the beautiful panoramic view surrounding the ashram, perched on the corner of a hilltop.
The presiding Deity at the ashram is Sri Giriraj, of whom Srila Gurudev commented, “Bala Gopaljiu is playing inside there”. He is worshipped with natural faith and affection, without much formality, mantras, and so on, as per Srila Gurudev’s direction.
Srila Gurudev would sometimes speak of “the bright future” that is awaiting all the sincere practitioners of this line. One day during his visit to Villa Govinda in 2007, speaking with the devotees about the charm of Sri Krishna’s aprakrita-lila, Srila Gurudev commented, “We give honour to everyone, we must give our full daṇḍavat to everyone, but after that we will go to our playground and with Kṛṣṇa play in śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya- rasa, vātsalya-rasa, and madhura-rasa; parenthood, and servitorhood, friendship, and even paramour love is possible with God. Who can believe it?”
Srila Gurudev himself embodied the aprakrita mood of sweetness, charm, and simplicity.
They are not conscious of their own exalted position. A king, when he is not very conscious of his power, thinks of himself as an ordinary person. It is something like that. Someone may be a great doctor but through affection he may do the work of a nurse for his patient. Out of his love and affection for the patient, he may come down to do such work, but still he is great. This is the beautiful nature of Vṛndāvan life. It is great without the attitude, the air of bigness. Although they are really great, they appear to be simple. Power dressed in affection and love, couched in humility—that is Vṛndāvan. And that is also Nabadwīp. (Srila Sridhar Maharaj, The Golden Volcano of Divine Love)
As the perfect ambassador of that Goloka plane, Srila Gurudev revealed its sweetness and charming glory, and awakened some attraction within our densely covered hearts for Reality the Beautiful.
At present we cannot begin to properly conceive of what kind of “bright future” is awaiting us, but we are confident that if we can remain, or become, faithful followers of our Srila Gurudev, we must attain it.
We are so fortunate that we have one little thread or rope with His Divine Grace [Srila Sridhar Maharaj]. If we can hold on tightly to that we will have no problem with our spiritual life. That is our good fortune.
When the sincere seeker is trying to get initiation within the line of Guru Maharaj, at that time I am thinking that this boy or this girl does not know what they have got. But one day will come when they will feel this connection and they will understand what they have got. But it is necessary to follow some process, and that is:
Tṛṇād api su-nīchena taror iva sahiṣṇunā—humility is the best quality of Vaishnavism—tṛṇād api su-nīchena. And taror iva sahiṣṇunā—tolerance. Tolerance in this material world gives so much benefit. We will be tolerant remembering Sriman Mahaprabhu’s directives. And if we give honour to others then everyone will be my friend. No one will be my enemy. That is the best procedure.
Anyhow, we will at once be qualified if sincerity and chastity is with us, and love and affection will give us the super benefit of our spiritual life. (Srila Gurudev speaking on Govardhan Puja in Soquel, California, USA, 10 November 2007)
All glories to our Srila Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and all glories to his faithful followers, whom we humbly aspire to serve. A few photos from the pushpa samadhi inauguration, Sunday 12 August 2018:
Video of part of Sripad Madhusudan Maharaj’s talk, and the following ceremony, arati, and pushpanjali:
https://www.facebook.com/villagovinda/videos/10155812813391909/
Featured image: Gauranga Prabhu of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Other photos and video: the devotees of Villa Govinda Ashram
Between October 2014 and July 2017, in poor health and with insufficient funds, but with a strong desire to satisfy Sri Guru, Damodar Prabhu of Sao Paulo, Brazil boldly demolished his family home and built a beautiful temple in its place. In this in-depth interview Damodar Prabhu also speaks about his beginnings in Krishna consciousness, challenges faced in service life, and the special relationship he had with His Holiness Sripad B.V. Tapasvi Maharaj (Bhuvan Mohan Prabhu).
1 hour mp3 audio file
Portuguese and English with translation by Raseswari Devi Dasi.
You have come to fight as a soldier, to save your country, or your people, or your honor. What your environment is, that does not depend on your whim. It may appear in any way, but you have to face that. However complex the battlefield may be, as a soldier you are to approach that. Otherwise you have no real faith in your own cause.
Sri Vaishnava Toshani, Sep–Oct 1993, Vol 2 #3 is presented here. pdf edition ePub edition Contents: Beyond All Rituals by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada The Environment Is Your Friend by His Divine Grace B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj We Have Something Very Special by His Holiness B.P. Janardan Maharaj Mahaprabhu’s Divine Succession by His Divine Grace B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami, President Acharya We Can Get Everything Through Love by His Holiness B.S. Tridandi Maharaj Our Saint From Above Visits Down-Under by His Grace Mohanananda Das, World Tour Coordinator Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Ashram Comes To Santa Cruz by Sriman Hasyapriya Das Sweet Distribution by Sriman Mathuranath Das Nourishing The Creeper by Dinadhama Srutasrava Das Previous editions uploaded: Jan–Feb 1992 Vol 1 No 1 March–April 1992 Vol 1 No 2 May–June 1992 Vol 1 No 3 Nov–Dec 1992, Vol 1 #6 May–June 1993, Vol 2 #2
