The Appearance of Thakur Bhakti Vinod
Author Archive for Sushila Devi Dasi – Page 8
120527 Vamanadev Lila Excerpt.mp3(9 minutes, 4.3 MB)
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. Lord 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.
All Glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!
Dear devotees and friends,
This is a very special week. Please join the devotees in Santa Cruz on Thursday for the Appearance of both Sri Vamandev and Srila Jiva Goswami, Friday for the Appearance of Srila Sachidananda Bhakti Vinod Thakur, and Saturday for Srila Haridas Thakur’s Disappearance. The schedule is posted below:
For information about the programs in San Jose, please call the San Jose Seva Ashram: (408) 288-6360.
Appearance of Sri Vamanadev and
Appearance of Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu
Thursday, September 27
Morning class – reading about Lord Vamanadev
Evening class – reading about Srila Jiva Goswami
Appearance of Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu
Thursday, September 27
Morning class – reading about Lord Vamanadev
Evening class – reading about Srila Jiva Goswami
Appearance of Srila Sachidananda
Bhakti Vinod Thakur
Friday, September 28
Evening class
vande bhakti-vinodam
sri gaura-shakti-svarupakam
bhakti-shastrajna-samrajam
radha-rasa-sudha-nidham
“I offer my obeisance unto Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, the embodiment of the potency of Sri Gaurasundar. He is the king of all knowers of the scriptures of pure devotion and an ocean of the nectar of devotion for Srimati Radharani.”
(Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaj)
Browse many resources including a video about this day…
Disappearance of Srila Haridas Thakur:
the first preacher of Krishna Consciousness
Saturday, September 29
Morning class
Special noon feast
Morning class
Special noon feast
If you are unable to make it to the temple I hope you take this opportunity to follow the links above. They lead to wonderful text, audio, and video resources.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila devi dasi
Sushila devi dasi
After Saturday’s hike everyone went downtown for more nagarsankirtan on the streets of Salt Lake City. There are also photos here of the Mormon temple’s beautiful visitors’ center, and of the fire sacrifice.
Photos by Braja Mohini Devi Dasi
All glories to Sri Sri Guru Gaurachandra!
All glories to all the assembled devotees!
Sri Lalita Saptami~Divine Appearance of
Lalita Devi
Saturday, September 22
5:30 pm in San Jose
11 am in Soquel (Santa Cruz)
Sri Radhastami~Divine Appearance of
Srimati Radharani
Sunday, September 23
10 am in San Jose
Noon in Soquel (Santa Cruz)
Dear devotees and friends of the Ashram,
Please join us for the very auspicious celebrations of Sri Lalita Saptami, the appearance day of Srimati Lalita Devi on Saturday September 22nd and Sri Radhastami, the holy appearance day of Srimati Radharani on Sunday September 23rd.Recently Srila Janardan Maharaj said, “This will be a big festival and everyone is invited to both of our temples, our San Jose Ashram and the Soquel Ashram. We got the title to our property on Radhastami; it was delivered to us on that day so it is a special day for us Soquelites.”Below Bhakti Lalita Devi Dasi cautiously and humbly shares her insights about Srila Govinda Maharaj’s appreciation for Sri Lalita Saptami.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila devi dasi
~~~~~
“This is the favorite day of Srila Gurudev…. We’ve heard him say how Lalita Saptami was in his personal opinion more exclusive than Radhastami. More specific. We are in the line of Lalita Devi and anyone who has connection to Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and his mission through Srila Gurudev and our acharyas will automatically go to the service group of Lalita Devi….
It’s a very exclusive day that we observe with care and attention. Some cautiousness…. We take our Gurudev’s lotus feet on our head and try to remember the glories he shared with us and pray not to make any offense in the attempt…. In Gurudev’s language she is the chief super-guardian of the service and the pastimes of Radha and Govinda.”
120826 Bhakti is With Our Senses Serving Krishna.mp3 (44 minutes, 20.4 MB)
The following is an excerpt from this lecture:
Krishna is giving so much love and as Srila Govinda Maharaj would say, the bhakta is depositing it in Krishna. He is not keeping it in the pocket because the liberated soul is not an enjoyer, the liberated soul is a servant–but not the way we think of service in this world, as being oppressive. In that [spiritual] world it is the most liberating eternal connection.
sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrishikena hrishikesha-sevanam bhaktir ucyate
(Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu: 1.1.12)
“Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.”
The service of your senses to Hrishikesh, the Lord of the senses, the enjoyer–that is bhakti. Bhakti is with our senses serving Krishna. Now we are spiritualizing our senses in the material world. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that in the practice of bhakti the Lord, the individual, and the things that are being offered–all of them merge into transcendence. Which is to say, this is all Krishna’s property. When you are offering a flower to Krishna it becomes spiritualized because it is of Krishna’s nature. It is his energy: “Everything is strung upon Me like pearls strung upon a thread.”
Everything becomes transcendent. Srila Sridhar Maharaj, Srila Prabhupad, and Srila Govinda Maharaj also talk about how everything is spiritual because everything is connected with Krishna… It is not disconnected. The disconnect comes with material consciousness. That is the only disconnect. But with Krishna consciousness everything is Krishna’s property and everything rises to that level of spirituality. The thing which is being offered is no longer mundane because it is Krishna’s energy. You can see like that. Everything is part and parcel of Krishna.
om purnam adah purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate
(Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad: 5.1.1)
Everything is perfect and complete but the perfection is not realized until we have connection with the complete which is purnam Krishnam.
Last weekend’s public program at Ponderosa Park in Sunnyvale, California was very nice. New guests came as well as many members of our local community. Vidura Krishna Prabhu organized the program for the second year in a row. Jai Ram Prabhu and Abha Devi Dasi also gave assistance as well as other devotees. Thanks to everyone who helped!
Srila Janardan Maharaj and Sripad Sarvabhavana Prabhu led beautiful kirtan and Srila Janardan Maharaj gave a lecture. The lecture has been posted online as an audio file that you can stream or download at your convenience: listen to lecture
Photos by: Vidura Krishna Prabhu
Srila Janardan Maharaj conversing with guests while honoring prasadam
Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram
Abha Devi Dasi shares information about our community with a guest while her daughter Lavanika organizes the book table
Srila Janardan Maharaj with Jai Ram Prabhu and Vaidehi Devi Dasi. Ramananda Prabhu is in the background
120825 Janmastami in Ponderosa Park.mp3 (37 minutes, 16.9 MB)
The following is a transciption of the first few minutes of the talk Srila Janardan Maharaj gave at Ponderosa Park in Sunnyvale, California on August 25th, 2012:
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.
na tv evaham jatu nasam
na twam neme janadhipah
na chaiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param
(Srimad Bhagavad-gita: 2.12)
“Never was there a time when you, I or all these kings did not exist. Just as we exist in the present so we have existed in the past and shall continue to exist in the future. ”
We are existing eternally as souls and Krishna is also existing eternally and His pastimes are eternal, but there’s a difference between us as conditioned living entities and the Lord.
nityo nityanam chetanash chetananam
eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman
(Katha-upanishad: 2.2.13)
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.
nityo nityanam chetanash chetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman
These things can be understood if we come in contact with the devotees.
Normally in this world everyone is making some plan for happiness. They’re trying to get something out of this world but they don’t know what actually is their own real interest. Happiness and unhappiness coming and going; this is normal in this world. One day we’re happy one day we’re not. What is giving them some real happiness, not just something sukha dukha?
An excerpt from Affectionate Guidance:
Devotee: In Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Krishna has explained about karmma-yoga. Can karmma-yoga ever be seva, or devotional service?
Srila Govinda Maharaj: Karmma and seva, action and divine service, are identical from the external perspective. Bhakti-yoga and karmma-yoga are the same apart from one thing—and that is the inner mood of the practitioner. The inner intention is the all-important, differentiating factor.
…
Dear devotees and friends,
If you come to the evening classes at the Soquel Seva Ashram please note that Sarvabhavana Prabhu’s classes will now be Monday (instead of Tuesday) and Thursday nights at 7:30 pm. Sarvabhavana Prabhu reads the books of Srila Govinda Maharaj and Srila Sridhar Maharaj such as Affectionate Guidance, Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion, etc.. Lately he has been reading the most recent book published by Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Sharanagati: Surrender by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.
Vidura Krishna Prabhu’s class will be held Tuesday nights (not on Mondays). He also reads the books of our acharyas such as Sri Guru and His Grace and Search for Sri Krishna: Reality the Beautiful. Vidura’s classes are especially good for younger members of the community.
Every other night of the week Sripad B.C. Parvat Maharaj reads a chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita: the Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute at 8pm. Bhagavad-gita is an essential scripture and it’s very wonderful and nourishing to hear a chapter every day.
Also, the morning classes are amazing. Srila Janardan Maharaj reads through Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita from cover to cover, which takes about three months. He is particularly interested in making sure that listeners catch the sequence of the story and lila. He has been reading Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita for decades and clearly has very great appreciation for the scripture.
If you have questions, please call us: (831) 462-9471. If you don’t have questions because you’ve been involved for many years, please forgive any offenses I may make in trying to present the subject of the classes for new people.
–Sushila devi dasi
Current Class Schedule in Soquel
Mornings at approximately 7:45 every day:
Srila Janardan Maharaj reads Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita
Evenings:
Monday: Sarvabhavana Prabhu 7:30
Tuesday: Vidura Krishna Prabhu 6:30
Wednesday: Sripad Parvat Maharaj 8:00
Thursday: Sarvabhavana Prabhu 7:30
Friday: Sripad Parvat Maharaj 8:00
Saturday: Sripad Parvat Maharaj 8:00
Sunday: Sripad Parvat Maharaj 8:00
This beautiful 13 minute news video captures the excitement and spiritual current that overflowed at the recent festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. It covers highlights from the grand festival inaugurating the service of Sri Sri Guru Gaurachandra at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Mission and was created by Indulekha Devi Dasi, Nrsingha Chaitanya Prabhu, Lila Sundari Devi Dasi, Krishnananda Prabhu, Shyama Sundar Prabhu, Saki Sharan Prabhu, Jonathan Kelen, and Haridas Prabhu. It was originally posted on RealitytheBeautiful.com with links to a smaller video size as well as a report on the festival from SCSMission.com.
Vrinda Devi Dasi has also posted a report and some pictures from the festival. Read article…
Inauguration Festival of Sri Sri Guru Gaurachandra-jiu, SLC, USA from RealityTheBeautiful.com on Vimeo.
The following short video (2 minutes) was prepared by the talented devotees in Salt Lake City to commemorate the auspicious arrival of Srila B.P. Janardan Maharaj and Sripad B.C. Parvat Maharaj. Srila B.K. Ashram Maharaj had arrived from Mexico earlier in the week for the grand Inauguration festival of Sri Sri Guru Gaurachandrajiu on August 5th.
The two vaishnava acharyas, Srila Janardan Maharaj and Srila Ashram Maharaj, joined with the local devotees and many guests from other parts of the United States at the temple (which is located at 745 S 700 E). Srila Janardan Maharaj and Srila Ashram Maharaj brightened up the city and enlivened the devotees with their radiant devotional energy and good humor. In the video you’ll catch a glance of Janardan Maharaj’s heartwarming smile and hear Ashram Maharaj’s beautiful chanting.
To see more about the festival in Utah look at the events listing on SCSMission.com.
120801 Srila Janardan Maharaj Arrives from RealityTheBeautiful.com on Vimeo.
“Everyone can be satisfied to the highest degree in their hearts only
by the nectar of Krishna’s words and the nectarine descriptions of His activities.”
by the nectar of Krishna’s words and the nectarine descriptions of His activities.”
Srila Sridhar Maharaj
Please join us at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram to celebrate two wonderful festivals
Sri Krishna JanmastamiFriday, August 10, 2012
6 pm – 1 am in Soquel
5:30 – 9 pm in San Jose
and
Sri Nandotsava and
The Appearance Day of Srila Prabhupad,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj
Saturday, August 11, 2012
10:00 am in Soquel
5:30 pm in San Jose
Dear devotees and friends,
Please join us for this wonderful and important two-day festival celebration. Sri Krishna appeared at midnight thus there will be a beautiful arotik and sankirtan at midnight and then an anukalpa feast (without grains). Saturday the festivitites will include the glorification of Srila Prabhupad, His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj and a sumptuous feast. We hope that everyone will be able to attend this most auspicious celebration. If you would like to do some seva please send an email to info@sevaashram.org, or consider giving a donation for the seva of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharvika Giridharijiu here.
Yours in the Lord’s Service,
Sushila devi dasi
The following is an excerpt from Sri Guru and His Grace by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
It is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.31.9):
tava kathamritam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmashapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad atatam
bhuvi grinanti ye bhuri-da janah
“O, Krishna, the nectar of Your words and the narrations of Your pastimes give life to us, who are always suffering in this material world. This nectar is broadcast all over the world by great souls, and it removes all sinful reactions. It is all-auspicious and filled with spiritual power. Those who spread this message of Godhead are certainly doing the greatest relief work for human society and are the most magnanimous welfare workers.”
This is what is necessary and this is what is universal. Everyone can be satisfied to the highest degree in their hearts only by the nectar of Krishna’s words and the nectarine descriptions of His activities. This is because Krishna is raso vai sah, the reservoir of all pleasure, and akhila rasamrita murti, ecstasy Himself.
Selected references to this day, on Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math’s websites:
For the devotee children:
Illustrated seven page article about Sri Krishna Janmastami, prepared in 2006 by Parama Bhakti Dasi: 440 K PDF file.
Audio:
An informal morning discourse by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj at the Dum Dum Park Temple in Kolkata, India. Later in the day His Divine Grace did indeed accept the invitation mentioned in this talk, and went to lead the Festival at our Kaikhali Temple, near Kolkata Airport.
“We will take anukalpa (a small amount of non-grains food) on Ekadasi, twice we are taking. But on Janmastami we are not taking that. On Janmastami we are completely fasting.”
“Vedavyasa very cleverly expressed the character of Lord Krishna… Then we can understand what is the position of Lord Krishna and what is the position of Krishna’s Rasa-lila. First we will see Him like a sun, from far, the fireball. The sun is a big fireball, but lookable from far, not near. Krishna’s character is like that.”
(First uploaded on 16 August 2006, Sri Krishna Janmastami.)
Download, or listen online (27 minutes, 3.1 MB mp3 audio)
or:
higher quality (6.2 MB mp3 audio).
Audio:
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj speaking on 26th August 2005 from Nabadwip, the eve of Sri Krishna Janmastami, for Madhusudan Prabhu’s Internet Radio website krsna.cc. (14+ minutes, 2.5 MB mp3 audio)
Audio:
Janmastami evening class in St. Petersburg by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj during his 2007 World Tour.
Download, or listen online (40+ minutes, 4.6 MB mp3 audio)
or:
higher quality (7.3 MB).
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram invites you to a grand festival in celebration of
The Appearance of Lord Baladev
Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 6:30 pm in Soquel
5:30 pm in San Jose
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
Please join us Thursday, August 2nd at six-thirty in the evening for a grand festival in celebration of Lord Baladev’s Divine Appearance Day. Since Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj is currently in Salt Lake City, Sripad Sarvabhavana Prabhu will lead the program. Please come for sankirtan and to honor a sumptuous feast prepared by our famous cooks with love and devotion for the satisfaction of Lord Baladev.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
~~~~~~
The following is an excerpt from one of Srila Janardan Maharaj’s morning classes last week at the Soquel Seva Ashram:
…That is why Nityananda Prabhu is also avadhut; Balaram is a little avadhut-ish. For instance, Krishna goes to fight on the side of the Pandavas. Well, Balaram is the guru who taught club fighting to Duryodhana. Duryodhana is his disciple so Balaram also has a little partiality to the Kurus. But he is not going to fight against Krishna. Instead he goes on pilgrimage rather than fighting in the battle of Kurukshetra. He is not going to take the side of the Kurus and he is not going to fight against Krishna.
…When Bhima fights agasint Duryodhana, Krishna gives some indication, He slaps his thigh. Bhima hits Duryodhana in the thigh and breaks his leg, more or less. Then the fight is over and Balaram is furious. He practically wants to kill Bhima, “You hit him below the waist, that’s not proper in ksatriya warfare.” He is furious. So Balaram, he is also a little avadhut. He is not considering, “Krishna is the Lord and these Kurus are unwanted. They are all being uprooted because they are actually usurpers and the Pandavas are the proper recipients of the throne. The world has to be cleared of the Kurus’ unlawful dynasty.” Balaram’s a little different…
Balaram, he’s unusual. He gets somewhat intoxicated with varuni and he talks to the Jamuna. His activities are not always completely sober. And Nityananda Prabhu has that quality of avadhut. So Guru Maharaj says the first 14 verses [of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita], in addition to offering prayers, they are expressing ontology so you can understand who is Mahaprabhu, who is Nityananda Prabhu, and who are all their followers. Who are all these personalities? So you can understand. Ontology is, if you understand the source then you’ll understand the qualities of the person.
110626 Antya 6 Mahaprabhu Meets Raghunath Das Goswami.mp3 (43 minutes, 19.9 MB)
Raghunath Das Goswami had been attempting to come to the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for a long time, and finally he left his home and met the Lord. When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had gone to Shantipur on His way to Vrindavan, Raghunath Das Goswami had offered to dedicate his life at the Lord’s lotus feet. In the meantime, however, a Muslim official became envious of Hiranya Das, Raghunath Das Goswami’s uncle, and induced some big official court minister to have him arrested. Thus Hiranya Das left his home, but by the intelligence of Raghunath Das the misunderstanding was mitigated. Then 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.
(Excerpt from the summary of Chapter 6 from Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita by Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami, translation and commentary by Srila Prabhupad)
120719 pm Srila Sridhar Maharaj Disappearance Day.mp3 (56 minutes, 32.3 MB)
An excerpt from Srila Janardan Maharaj’s lecture:
…Guru Maharaj [Srila Sridhar Maharaj] was doing guard duty early in the morning. He had done his guard duty and then retired but Srila Saraswati Thakur asked that the devotees would get him and bring him. Srila Sridhar Maharaj was called before Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and asked to sing sri rupa manjari pada.
We heard how Guru Maharaj at first was hesitant because in the words of Srila Govinda Maharaj, “Guru Maharaj, he wasn’t known so much as a singer. He was known more as a dancer.” That was the way that Srila Govinda Maharaj phrased it. So Guru Maharaj began to sing but hesitatingly, and seeing that hesitation Kunja Babu, who was Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj–at that time Kunja Babu–he saw that hesitation and he asked another exalted vaishnava to sing. But, when he sang Srila Saraswati Thakur stopped him and said “No, I am not just interested in hearing the melody of the song. I want Srila Sridhar Maharaj to sing.” Then Srila Sridhar Maharaj began singing sri rupa manjari pada.
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.”
After that time so many of the exalted vaishnavas in the line of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur came to get Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s association at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. A multitude of many exalted vaishanvas. For instance Srila Govinda Maharaj said that Bhakti Sharanga Goswami Maharaj, who was senior to [Srila Sridhar Maharaj], he took sannyas from Srila Sridhar Maharaj and he would come and offer his dandavat pranams to Srila Sridhar Maharaj. Srila Govinda Maharaj jokingly once said to him, “Why are you offering dandavats to Srila Guru Maharaj when you are senior to him?” Bhakti Sharanga Goswami Maharaj said in return, “You do not know what is in the sannyas mantra that he has given. It is the entrance into Radha dasyam. Actually Srila Sharanga Goswami Maharaj, he always looked to Srila Sridhar Maharaj…
120719 am Srila Sridhar Maharaj Disappearance Day.mp3 (13 minutes, 7.6 MB)
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.
120127-1-JivanaDidi.mp3 (4 minuntes, 2.1 MB)
This is of course a super auspicious and happy occasion for us, to be able to celebrate the divine appearance of Srila Janardan Maharaj in our otherwise miserable wretched lives. I am sorry that I am so disqualified due to so many insincerities. There is a huge long list of disqualifications and we don’t want to go there. I am not the best person to properly glorify Srila Janardan Maharaj but even a someone like me can always say something about such a glorious personality.
We have had the supreme good fortune of knowing Janardan Maharaj for so many years in ISKCON and even beyond. Not to embarrass Janardan Maharaj, but his depth of humility is so astonishing and so deep and so inspiring. Even when he was in ISKCON he was very well known and he had temples and money and all kinds of devotees at his disposal, but when Srila Prabhupad departed and he heard about Srila Guru Maharaj, he wanted to come to Srila Guru Maharaj. He felt something in his heart so strong for Srila Guru Maharaj and he very easily just left everything behind him to come to Srila Guru Maharaj. I may be telling this story really wrong and Srila Janardan Maharaj has such a great memory; he’s given us so much nectar. Krishna gives him such good memory, so if I am saying it wrong just feel free to correct me and I will just try to go over the high details.
At that time he left everything behind and came to Srila Guru Maharaj and even I believe that one time he told the story that someone asked him, “Wow how can you leave? If you have Srila Prabhupad in your heart, what percentage is Srila Prabhupad and what percentage is Srila Guru Maharaj?” Janardan Maharaj said “Prabhupad is a hundred percent and Srila Guru Maharaj is a hundred percent.” That is always how Janardan Maharaj has been cent percent devoted to the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Mission and Srila Prabhupad, and given us so much inspiration. He said, “When someone is in your heart you really can’t take them out.” So he had a hundred percent for both of them. Thorughout all the years, his stalwart dedication to the mission, his inspiration, always staying so close to the devotees, and always staying so close to his Gurudev, has given us much inspiration.
He has so much affection for Srila Gurudev and Srila Gurduev loved Janardan Maharaj so much. He would always say so many beautiful things about him and just considered him one of his dear-most friends as well as a very qualified person for our mission. We are very fortunate for that. Srila Gurudev would sometimes comment how Janardan Maharaj at one point turned everybody over to Srila Gurudev with no hesitation, with great happiness, and Srila Gurudev was always very astonished at his beautiful humble mood and his genuine affection for him. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Janardan Maharaj, how much love and affection he’s given us, how much guidance he’s given us. He’s stuck through so many things, through thick and thin–never caring that we give him the proper respect or not. So many times we are always joking with him in so many ways, but deep in our hearts we are very grateful for Janardan Maharaj and I know that Yudhamanyu Prabhu would really wish to be here on this day. He could speak so eloquently about Janardan Maharaj. I am not such a good representative for him but on behalf of Yudhamanyu Prabhu I will say Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj ki jaya!
Disappearance Day of Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacharya-varya Astottara-sata
Sri Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar
Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 6 pm in Soquel
5:30 pm in San Jose
Please join us Thursday, July 19th at six in the evening in Santa Cruz to honor Srila Sridhar Maharaj on the holy occasion of his Divine Disappearance Day by hearing from Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj. The program in San Jose will begin at 5:30 pm.
The following is the Pranati Dasakam: Ten Prayers in glorification of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, composed by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj:
~~~0~~~
naumi sri-gurupadabjam, yatirajesvaresvaram
sri-bhaktiraksakam srila-sridhara-svaminam sada
I eternally offer my humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of my Most Worshipful Divine Master, the Supreme Emperor of the Sannyasi Kings: Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Swami. (1)
sudirghonnata-diptangam, supibya-vapusam param
tridanda-tulasimala-, gopichandana-bhusitam
He possesses a lofty, dignified, divinely effulgent, incomparable holy form, so charming to behold. Adorned with Gopichandan and a necklace of Tulasi beads, he holds the triple staff of the Vaisnava ascetics. (2)
achintya-pratibha-snigdham, divyajnana-prabhakaram
vedadi-sarvvasastranam, samanjasya-vidhayakam
Although he possesses the qualification of inconceivable potency, he is full of the utmost affection. All the ten directions are illuminated by the effulgence of his supramundane unalloyed perception. He is the dispenser of the genuine proper harmonious adjustment of all the Scriptures — the Vedas, the Vedanta, the Upanishads, the Puranas, etc. headed by the Srimad-Bhagavata-Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam) which holds equal importance with the Vedas. (3)
gaudiyacharyya-ratnanam, ujjvalam ratna-kaustubham
sri-chaitanya-mahapremon-, mattalinam siromanim
In the necklace of the jewels of the Acharyyas in the Sri Gaudiya Sampradaya he shines resplendently like the brilliant Kaustubha gem, and he is radiant in his glory as the Crown-jewel of the bumblebee-devotees who are mad in the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s love supreme. I eternally offer my obeisances unto him, my Most Worshipable Divine Master. (4)
gayatry-artha-vinirjyasam, gita-gudhartha-gauravam
stotraratnadi-samrddham, prapanna-jivanamrtam
apurvagrantha-sambharam, bhaktanam hrd-rasayanam
krpaya yena dattam tam, naumi karunya-sundaram
By his grace, he brought to full bloom the deepest underlying purport of Gayatri, the Mother of the Vedas; by his grace he opened the hidden treasure-house of the glorious internal purport of Srimad Bhagavad-gita — and he distributed these gifts to one and all, even the lowest of the low. He revealed the supreme holy book (Sri Prapanna-jivanamrtam, which is a treasure of many types of precious gems of holy stanzas (the wealth of holy stanzas compiled from Stotra-ratna by Sri Yamunacharya and many other valuable sources) sung by the Lord and His devotees. He revealed an unprecedented collection of holy books (Search for Sri Krishna–Reality the Beautiful, Sri Guru and His Grace, The Golden Volcano of Divine Love, etc.) that are the very life nectar for the devotees’ hearts and spiritual senses — he gave these gifts to the world. I eternally offer my obeisances unto him, my Most Worshipful Divine Master, the beautiful Deity of mercy incarnate. (5-6)
sankirttana-maharasarasabdhes chandramanibham
sambhati vitaran visve gaura-krsnam ganaih saha
He revels in his full-blown splendour as along with and through his intimate servitors he distributes in the entire universe the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Gaura-Krishna, the moon risen from the nectar ocean of the Grand Dance of the congregational chanting of Sri Krishna’s Holy Name. (7)
dhamani sri-navadvipe, guptagovardhane subhe
visvavisruta-chaitanya-, sarasvata-mathottamam
In Sri Nabadwip Dham, which is non-differet from the holy abode of Sri Vrndavan, His Divine Grace established the world-renowned Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math at Sri Koladwip, the selfsame ‘Hidden Govardhan Hill’ (Gupta-Govardhan), which is the sacred place where all offenses are absolved (Aparadha-bhanjana-pat). (8)
sthapayitva-gurun gaura-, radha-govindavigrahan
prakasayati chatmanam, seva-samsiddhi-vigrahah
There, he revealed the beautiful devotional service of the Worshipful Deities of Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga-Gandharva-Govindasundar, divinely manifesting his very self as the Deity of service in perfection. (9)
gaura-srirupa-siddhanta-, divya-dharadharamgurum
sri-bhakti-raksakam devam, sridharam pranamamy aham
Eternally do I offer my obeisances unto the holy lotus feet of my Divine Master Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj who carries the divine current of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati coming in the line of Sri Rupa, the object of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s divine affection. (10)
sraddhaya yah pathen nityam, pranati-dasakam muda
visate ragamargesu, tasya bhakta-prasadatah
One who with pure faith happily sings this Pranati-dasakam every day, gains the qualification to serve the Supreme Lord on the path of spontaneous love (Raga-marga), by the grace of the associate-servitors of that Srila Gurudeva.
More resources are available in glorification of Srila Sridhar Maharaj in the calendar section SCSMath.com: Click here