B.P. Janardan Maharaj :: Sermon Tags :: Seva Ashram News of the Vaishnava Seva Society

Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita – Daily Readings by Srila Janardan Maharaj

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Sushila Devi Dasi

His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj reads from the holy scripture Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita by Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami every day when he is at the Santa Cruz Seva Ashram. The recordings below include commentaries and stories throughout the readings. Listen to lecture…

Adi-lila Ch 1 The Spiritual Masters

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Sushila Devi Dasi

The first chapter begins with fourteen Sanskrit verses giving ontology so that we can understand the pastimes and what is going to be presented in the Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. The first six verses describe Mahaprabhu, then the next five describe Nityananda Prabhu. The next two verses describe the truth of Adwaita Prabhu and the following verse describes the Pancha-tattva. Listen to lecture…

Informal Description of Vasant Panchami

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Sushila Devi Dasi

After reading Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita this morning, Srila Janardan Maharaj gave an informal description of the the special appearance days that our Math is honoring today. Vasant Panchami is the first day of spring, it is also Saraswati Puja, and the divine appearance day of Sri Vishnu Priya Devi, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, Raghunandan Thakur, and Pundarik Vidyanidhi. Today is also the disappearance day of Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur and two of Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s honorable godbrothers. Janardan Maharaj gives a brief description of the glories of these different divine personalities. Listen to audio…

Antya-lila Ch 18 Rescuing the Lord from the Sea

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Sushila Devi Dasi

On an autumn evening when the moon was full, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu walked along the seashore near the Aitota temple. Mistaking the sea for the Yamuna River, He jumped into it, hoping to see the water pastimes Krishna enjoyed with Srimati Radharani and the other gopis. As He floated in the sea, however, He was washed away to the Konarka temple, where a fisherman, thinking that the Lord’s body was a big fish, caught Him in his net and brought Him ashore. Listen to lecture…

Antya-lila Ch 14 Mahaprabhu’s Feelings of Separation from Krishna

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Sushila Devi Dasi

“Sometimes all the transcendental ecstatic symptoms were manifest in Him. One night, Govinda and Swarup Damodar noticed that although the three doors to the Lord’s room were closed and locked, the Lord was not present inside. Seeing this, Swarup Damodar and the other devotees went outside and saw the Lord lying unconscious by the gate known as Simha-dwara.” Listen to lecture…

Bhakti Is Surrender In Love, Not Surrender By Force

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Sushila Devi Dasi

We’re very fortunate to be able to come under his [Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj] divine shelter and that of Srila Govinda Maharaj. We really consider this will give success to our otherwise feeble attempts at gaining some entrance into the plane of dedication, the divine plane. Srila Govinda Maharaj once told me, “I am never hopeless. I am always hopeful.” It is very good to have the association of somebody like that who always is seeing the hopeful side of things and the intrinsic worth of everyone. Listen to lecture…

Looking for a Place in the Heart of a Saint

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Sushila Devi Dasi

“What I’ve found with our divine spiritual masters is they’re always interested in what will help us. I feel myself fortunate to have had and have that kind of association, because our best interest is in the heart of a saint. If you can find some place in a saint’s heart–it’s not enough just to think, ‘Who is the true qualified spiritual master?’ It’s not enough that you will accept a spiritual master, you must be accepted by the spiritual master. One thing is to find who is a sat guru, a true spiritual master; another thing is to find a place in the heart of a saint.”

Madhya 20 Instructions to Sanatan Goswami – Expansions of the Lord

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

While discussing the Absolute Truth, the Lord analyzed Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan, as well as the expansions of the Lord called svayam-rupa, tad-ekatma and avesha, which are divided into various branches known as vaibhava and prabhava. Listen to lecture…

Janardan Maharaj Talks About His Trip to China and Kartik Month

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

Having recently returned from a trip to China and India, Srila Janardan Maharaj shares his experiences and discusses the super auspicious month of Kartik. This lecture was recorded at the Saturday evening public program at our San Jose Seva Ashram. Listen to lecture…

The Appearance of Sri Vamanadev

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

In a Sunday feast class earlier this year Srila Janardan Maharaj recounted the pastimes of Bali Maharaj and Sri Vamanadev to illustrate the meaning of yukta vairagya, proper renunciation as well as sharanagati, surrender. Sri Vamanadev is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appears to be a brahmin, bramachari dwarf. This is just a nine minute clip from that lecture that pertains to the pastimes of Sri Vamandev. Listen to lecture…

Janardan Maharaj’s Lecture at Ponderosa Park in Sunnyvale, California

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

“Everything about Krishna is eternal. Before our eyes He appears and disappears, but actually Krishna is existing eternally. For that matter, so are we. The living entity is always existing…. Of all the living entities who are nitya there is one who is supreme, nityo nityanam. Chetanash chetananam, and we are conscious but our consciousness is limited. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that we are kshetrajna; we have consciousness of this body. But the Lord is conscious of all living entities. Therefore He says, “I am maintaining all these living entities in this world and everywhere.” The Lord is maintaining everyone.” Listen to lecture…

Divine Disappearance Day of Srila Sridhar Maharaj

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

“It is described how all those present could see there was occurring what was termed a ‘power transmission,’ a transfer of the responsibility for the Sri Rupanuga Sampradaya from Srila Saraswati Thakur to Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj. Srila Sridhar Maharaj acknowledged and said, ‘I considered that I was being posted as a gatekeeper.'”
Listen to lecture…

Morning Talk on the Disappearance Day of Srila Sridhar Maharaj

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

Today is the Divine Disappearance Day of Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. After leading mangal arotik, the morning kirtan, and the daily class on Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Srila Janardan Maharaj spoke briefly to honor the pastimes and qualities of Srila Sridhar Maharaj. Listen to lecture…

Even Liberated Souls are Attracted to Krishna

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

In this wonderful Sunday Feast lecture, Srila Janardan Maharaj tells many stories from the Srimad Bhagavatam to explain the famous atmarama verse. The verse is generally understood to mean that even liberated souls are attracted to Sri Krishna but in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Lord Chaitanya explains the verse in myriad ways to show that everyone is attracted to Sri Krishna, even bees and birds. Listen to lecture…

Antya-lila Ch 6 Raghunath Das Goswami

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

Raghunath Das went to Panihati, and following the order of Nityananda Prabhu, he observed a festival (chida-dadhi-mahotsava) by distributing chipped rice mixed with yogurt. The day after the festival, Nityananda Prabhu gave Raghunath Das the blessing that he would very soon attain the shelter of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Listen to lecture…

Antya-lila Ch 5 Pradyumna Mishra Receives Instructions from Ramananda Raya

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

Pradyumna Mishra, a resident of Srihatta, came to see Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to hear from Him about Lord Krishna and His pastimes. The Lord, however, sent him to Srila Ramananda Raya. Srila Ramananda Raya was training the deva-dasi dancing girls in the temple, and when Pradyumna Mishra heard about this, he returned to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord, however, elaborately described the character of Srila Ramananda Raya. Then Pradyumna Mishra went to see Ramananda Raya again to hear about the transcendental truth from him. Listen to lectures…

Antya-lila Ch 4 Sanatan Goswami Visits the Lord

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

One day Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said to Sanatan Goswami, “Your decision to commit suicide is the result of the mode of ignorance. One cannot get love of God simply by committing suicide. You have already dedicated your life and body to My service; therefore your body does not belong to you, nor do you have any right to commit suicide. I have to execute many devotional services through your body. Listen to lectures…

Antya-lila Ch 3 The Glories of Haridas Thakur

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu once inquired from Haridas Thakur, who was known as Brahma Haridas, how the yavanas, or persons bereft of Vedic culture, would be delivered in Kali-yuga. Haridas Thakur replied that their deliverance would be possible if they very loudly chanted the Hare Krishna mantra, for hearing the Hare Krishna mantra chanted loudly, even with but little realization, would help them. Listen to lecture…

Antya-lila Ch 2 The Chastisement of Junior Haridas

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu delivered almost all the fallen souls by directly meeting them. He delivered others by entering the bodies of great devotees, such as Nakula Brahmachari. And He delivered still others by appearing before them, as in the case of Nrsimhananda Brahmachari. Listen to lecture…

Antya-lila Ch 1 The Examination Hall of Srila Rupa Goswami

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Sushila Devi Dasi

“Srila Govinda Maharaj has called this [meeting between Srila Rupa Goswami and Sriman Mahaprabhu in Jagannath Puri] ‘the examination hall of Srila Rupa Goswami’…Mahaprabhu wanted to show the highest ability [of Rupa Goswami] and that examination hall was to ask all the devotees to bless Srila Rupa Gowami as the leader of the sampradaya.” Listen to lecture…