Archive for Events – Page 3
All Glories to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharvika Giridhari!
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math’s energetic Parikrama party.
Watch Virtual Parikrama
on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/SevaAshram/
Monday-Thursday
February 26-March 1
6:30 to 8 pm
“If we want to rescue ourselves from this world and become members of the holiest place within Vaikuṇṭhaloka—Śrī Goloka Vṛndāvan Dhām, where infinite auspiciousness and happiness are always existing—then we must surrender in this place of Śrī Koladwīp Dhām within Śrī Nabadwīp Dhām.”
-Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Dear *|MERGE3|*,
You will be able to watch Srila Janardan Maharaj’s virtual parikrama on our Seva Ashram Facebook page. His multimedia presentation will describe the Divine Pastimes associated with each of the holy sites which pilgrims visit in the holy land of Sri Nabadwip Dham during the week long festival of Sri Gaura Purnima.
Watch around 6:30 pm next Monday-Thursday.
If you are local, Janardan Maharaj warmly invites you to attend in person.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Sri Gaura Purnima
Friday, March 2 at 6 pm
(total fast until moonrise)
Anandotsav of Sri Jagannath Mishra
Saturday, March 3rd at 11 am
| nadiya udayagiri purna-chandra gaura-hari krpa kari ha-ila udaya papa-tamo haila nasa, tri-jagatera ullasa, jagabhari hari-dhvani haya |
“By His causeless mercy the full moon Gaurahari arose in the district of Nadia, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomes visible—His rising in the sky destroyed the darkness of sin; all three worlds became joyful and chanted the Holy Name of the Lord.”
Sri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya and Sri Nabadwip-bhava-taranga. Two books of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur including verse by verse translations: free pdf download. Very helpful for following the Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikramas taking place now in Nabadwip.
The Land of Sweetness. Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj explains the essence of Sri Gauda Mandal.
“Gauda Mandal is Vraja Mandal. The word ‘Gauda’ comes from the word ‘gud’. ‘Gud’ means misti, sweet. When something is sweet, it may be described by the synonym ‘gud’. Gud represents sweetness. So Gauda Mandal: “the sweet land”. There is no sweetness anywhere like that found in Vrndavan and Nabadwip.” Read more… (Posted on the Math’s gaudiyadarshan.com website.)
Celebrating Sri Gaura Purnima. Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj describes the joy in the devotees’ hearts. (Posted on the Math’s gaudiyadarshan.com website.)
All Glories to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharvika Giridhari
Disappearance of
Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram
Wednesday, February 14th
6 pm in Santa Cruz
Dear *|MERGE3|*,
This Wednesday, February 14th, please join us at the Santa Cruz Seva Ashram for a program in honor of Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram, who dedicated his whole life to spreading Krishna Consciousness around the world.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Video on Youtube:
With Srila Govinda Maharaj in Kolkata.
Offering arotik in China.
In San Jose.
Link to the calendar on our homepage
Upcoming festivals:
- February 14– Sri Sri Shivaratri (optional fast). Disappearance of Sri Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram.
- February 25 – Fasting on Amalaki Ekadashi
- February 26– Sri Nabadwip Dham Parikrama Begins
- March 2 – Sri Gaura Purnima
Important Links:
• Seva Ashram Homepage (news from California)
• Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Homepage
• Seva Ashram Post (spiritual reading material)
• SCS Math International (news from India)
Vyasapuja of Srila Bhakti Pavan
Janardan Maharaj
Sunday, January 21st
12 noon in Santa Cruz
Srila Janardan Maharaj’s biography
Read his articles
Stream his lectures
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
Please join us Sunday at 12 noon to honor the appearance of our dear spiritual guide and acharya, Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj.
The following is an excerpt from Srila Janardan Maharaj’s biography:”With great endeavor, and under the instruction and guidance of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila Janardan Maharaj, together with Sripad Yudhamanyu Prabhu Seva Vikram, were able to reestablish the San Jose Temple and a short while later, with the order and backing of Srila Govinda Maharaj, were able to purchase the magnificent Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram, located in the hills of Santa Cruz, California.
During this period, Srila Janardan Maharaj continued to travel and preach on behalf of Srila Govinda Maharaj and his relationship with him developed more and more and became deeper and deeper as the years went by. Srila Janardan Maharaj would visit India regularly and personally collected donations on behalf of the central Math. He would also participate in the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Nabadwip Dham Parikrama in a glorious way bringing so much inspiration to the devotees and much joy to Srila Govinda Maharaj’s heart.
Finally, before leaving this world, Srila Govinda Maharaj declared in his Last Will and Testament “And in America Sripad Janardan Maharaj is a perfect personality. He is a perfect gentlemen. He will be Acharya. He is Acharya already but has given all the respect to me; I am giving in return to him. Sripad Janardan Maharaj will become the Acharya and Sevaite of the Soquel Math.” So, under Srila Govinda Maharaj’s instruction, Srila Janardan Maharaj has continued to care for and serve his divine mission.”
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Important Links:
• Seva Ashram Homepage (news from California)
• Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Homepage
• Seva Ashram Post (spiritual reading material)
• SCS Math International (news from India)
145th Divine Appearance Festival of Bhagavan
Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad
6 pm in Santa Cruz and San Jose
Get inspired with materials from SCSMath.com
My Advice. Principles taught by Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur published in the Bengali magazine Sri Gaudiya Darshan in 1956. Posted here in Bengali with English translation on the Math’s gaudiyadarshan.com website. Succinct, clear and very important.
Audio: Glories of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Informal discourse by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj in which he describes how Srila Saraswati Thakur changed the impression society had of the Vaishnavas – who used to be seen as low class. He established grand temples and utilised everything, including all the “fruits of technology”, to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. Now everybody sees how great is Vaishnava dharma: greater than great.Informal discourse by Srila Govinda Maharaj on Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s avirbhav, 1990:
53 minutes, 15 MB mp3 audio
Important Links:
• Seva Ashram Homepage (news from California)
• Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Homepage
• Seva Ashram Post (spiritual reading material)
• SCS Math International (news from India)
Dear Devotees and Friends of the Ashram,
Tuesday evening at 6 pm there will be a special program in the Santa Cruz temple to honor Sripad Bhakti Sharan Vaishnava Maharaj, formerly Srutasrava Prabhu. He spent a great deal of time with our divine master, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. He was widely respected for his preaching and for kindly encouraging others in devotional service.
Join us for arotik at 6 pm followed by discussion, kirtan, and prasadam.
Disappearance of
Sripad Bhakti Sharan
Vaishnava Maharaj
Tuesday, January 2nd
6 pm in Santa Cruz
A few of Sripad Vaishnava Maharaj’s lectures are posted on our website. Click here…
The Meaning of Yoga
World-renowned Bhakti Yoga instructors, Srila B.P. Janardan Maharaj and Vishakha Devi Dasi, will be at Wave Street Studios for a discussion on Bhakti, devotion, and its relation to Yoga and food. Bringing their vast knowledge of the ancient scriptures from India and their love and devotion to their spiritual masters, they have enlightened and enthused spiritual seekers from all over the world with their heart-warming talks.
Starts at 6pm with live question and answer!
The Love of Vegetarian Cooking
Indian vegetarian cooking is filled with variety—exotic spices, countless choices of vegetables, and an endless range of preparations—passed down from generation to generation.
Abha Sharma learned the art of cooking from her family as an integral part of living a devotional lifestyle. Mixing traditional recipes with her own unique flair, Abha joyfully produces delicious dishes of all kinds and shows us how to do it as well.
Join us in person or live online on Nov. 10th at 6PM at Wave Street Studio, 774 Wave Street, Monterey, for an opportunity to ask your own questions in real time!
Streaming live at youtube.com-Wave Street Live channel
Visit our website and facebook page:
www.facebook.com/BhaktiConnect/
Contact Info:
Chris Pollard
2900 North Rodeo Gulch
Soquel, CA 95073
Email: bhakticonnect@gmail.com
Phone: 831-239-0235
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
On behalf of Vrinda Devi Dasi I humbly invite you to please join our Ashram’s Istha Goshti on Monday evening at 6:30 pm. This is a great way to get and stay involved in devotional service in the sweet association of all the many dedicated servitors of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharvika Giridharijiu.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Istha Goshti
~
Monday, November 6th
6:30 pm
@ Santa Cruz Seva Ashram
Cultivating gratitude in all aspects of our lives leads to improved health, relationships, success in our endeavors, and overall fulfillment. But how do we feel it when things are difficult? Is it possible to feel grateful for the unexpected, for adversity, for the dualities of gain and loss, pleasure and pain, success and failure? With practice and an adjustment of our outlook, we can proceed on this dynamic path of Bhakti Yoga that enables us to appreciate everything we encounter in life, with a positive and progressive outlook, as coming for our ultimate benefit.
Join us for an evening of thought provoking discussion accompanied by kirtan* and a vegetarian dinner led by Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj, a spiritual leader and community builder based locally in the Monterey Bay area.
*Kirtan: We will be singing and chanting devotional songs from West Bengal, India. In this case it will be in the call-and-response style where everyone is encouraged to participate, using the traditional instruments, Mrdanga drum and karatals. In this practice kirtan is a form of meditation and devotional practice, rather than a performance.
Saturday, April 29th
6-8 pm
774 Wave St. Monterey, CA
Spring~Summer Sankirtan 2017
Sankirtan Tour with Sripad Tyagi Maharaj~USA
Retrieved from: BHAKTICONNECT WEDNESDAY on APRIL 12, 2017.
Check here for updated information…
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!
2017 SPRING-SUMMER TRAVELING SANKIRTAN
TOUR DATES
April 20 Tyagi Maharaj arrives Bay Area.
April 20 – April 25- Soquel Seva Ashram & Local Bay Area Programs
April 21, Seva Ashram
April 22, Santa Cruz, Divinitree Yoga, 6 pm
April 23, Soquel Sunday Program
April 24-25-Seva Ashram
April 26-29 Cal Poly & San Luis Obispo, Monterey
April 26, CalPoly University Program, Noon- 3 pm
April 27, SLO Farmer’s market, booktable and kirtan, 6-9 pm
April 28, SLO Yoga Center program, 6:30-9:30 pm.
April 29, Monterey, Wave Street Studios, 6-9pm, $10 at door
April 29-May 1 ~ Soquel Seva Ashram
May 2-May 11 ~ Chico, Ashland, Mt. Shasta, Eugene
May 2- Chico, Hinduism Class, Chico State University, 5-6:15 pm
May 3- Chico, Public program, Unitarian Universalist Church, 6-9 pm
May 5-Ashland, Studio Z, 7-10 pm
May 6th—Mt. Shasta, Temple of Intention, 6PM (EKADASI)
May 7th-Ashland, Rasa Yoga, 1-4 pm
May 9th, Eugene, Heartwise Center, Nrisimha Chaturdasi, 7 pm
May 12-14, Whole Earth Festival, Davis, Book Table
May 14 11am-1 pm, Kirtan Workshop in the Experiential Space.
3:30-5:00pm, Organic Thought: Wellbeing Talk in the Experiential space.
May 15-21- Bay area programs (TBA)
May 15-21-Soquel Seva Ashram
May 21, Program at Shiv-Durga Hindu Temple, Sunnyvale
May 22-28 Tijuana/Las Vegas (TBA)
May 22, EKADASI
May 22-26 Tijuana
May 26-28-Lightning in a Bottle, Kirtan and Bhakti Yoga Classes
May 29-June 8, Salt Lake City
June 2-SCS Mission Evening Program
June 3-Wasatch Ayurveda &Yoga Upstairs, Bhakti Yoga Class & Kirtan, 7-9 pm
June 4-Sunday Program followed by Harinam Sankirtan in Liberty Park
June 8-11, Boulder
June 11-21, East Coast-Florida/NY/NJ
June 11-14 Florida, VA
June 16-18 New York City
June 18-21 New Jersey
June 21-return to Denver
June 22-return to SLC
June 23-25, SLC – California & Oregon
June 24-Drive, SLC-Pittsburg, CA
June 25- home program at Devahuti didi’s, Pittsburg, CA
Subject to change by the Will of Providence!
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
Happy New Year. I’m so excited to start this year with a Vyasapuja celebration for our dear guardian and acharya Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj.
Your sweet presence will enhance the devotional atmosphere. I hope you will come on Tuesday, January 31st beginning at 6 pm in Santa Cruz.
Yours in the Lord’s Service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
Please accept my affectionate obeisances. I’m just sending a reminder that there are two beautiful holy days next week.
On Thursday, December 15th at 6 pm please join us in either Santa Cruz or San Jose for a beautiful celebration of the Divine Appearance Day of our beloved Srila Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharyya-varyya Astottara-sata Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.
Please come back again on Saturday, December 17th for the Disappearance festival of the founder of the Sri Chaitanya Math and worldwide Sri Gaudiya Maths, Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad.
These festivals are wonderful opportunities to honor our perfect divine masters. I pray you will be able to attend and enhance the mood of joyful devotion in our celebrations.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Srila Gurdev’s Vyasa Puja
Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacharyya-varyya Astottara-sata
Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Thursday, December 15th, 2016
Santa Cruz @ 6 pm
San Jose @ 6 pm
guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam
sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam
vara-tanum bhakty anvitam sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha
divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
“Exclusive devotion must come from the disciple towards the guru. It is said in the Svetasvatara Upanisad
(6.23):
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah
Read all of Sri Guru and His Grace in a PDF…
Bound by Affection An article by His Divine Grace, Srila Govinda Maharaj about his arrival at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in 1947.
Audio: Sri Vyasa Puja, 1989. Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj is glorified by Sripad Janardan and Sripad Ashram Maharaj, then Srila Govinda Maharaj speaks to the devotees in English and in Bengali. “Now Guru Maharaj is not in form of human body in front of us, but I know that his divine direction is always guiding us… We shall try to maintain our devotional life with the service of Guru, Vaishnava, Bhagavan. This is my birthday and I am very happy that all the Vaishnavas are very merciful and blessful to me. I am giving my full dandavats to all the Vaishnavas, Gurudevas and well-wishers. They do not take my offences, I know. My prayer is that, until death, if i can serve the Deities, devotees and the Math I shall be very happy.”
Informal discourse by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, introduced by Sripad B.P. Janardan Maharaj and Sripad B.K. Ashram Maharaj. Nabadwip, 14 December 1989: 33 minutes, 7+ MB mp3 audio
Audio: Sri Vyasa Puja discourses by Sripad B.B. Avadhut Maharaj and Sripad Mahananda Prabhu with translation to Bengali by Sripad B.P. Tirtha Maharaj, on Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj’s 84th Appearance Festival. In addition Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj, Sripad B.P. Tirtha Maharaj and Sripad B.K. Tyagi Maharaj all spoke extensively, mainly in Bengali, chanting Srila Gurudev’s glories. Nabadwip, 30 December 2012: 31+ minutes, 7+ MB mp3 audio
Audio: Srila Govinda Maharaj speaking two days before his Sri Vyasa-Puja in 1999. “I am expecting so many devotees to come to my birthday festival and they will bring so many gifts to me, but what shall I give to them? … I think I can give some relief to them if they will follow me. … What is necessary to remove the obstacles in the path of devotion? Obstacle is asat-sanga, bad association. How much it can do wrong, we cannot conceive it.”
22 December 1999: 11+ minutes, 2 MB mp3 audio
Audio: Sri Vyasa-Puja 2009. English discourses at Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj’s Sri Vyasa-Puja Festival in the nat-mandir here at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Includes Srila Govinda Maharaj’s own short talk in English as well as discourses by Sripad Goswami Maharaj, Sripad Acharya Maharaj, Sripad Avadhut Maharaj, Sripad Ashram Maharaj, Sripad Giri Maharaj, Sripad Parvat Maharaj and Mahananda Das. Nabadwip, 4 December 2009: 69 minutes, 12 MB mp3 audio
Audio: Preparing for Sri Vyasa-Puja.Morning class by Srila B.N. Acharya Maharaj two days before the grand 82nd Appearance Festival of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.
Nabadwip, 21 December 2010: 30 minutes, 5+ MB mp3 audio
Video slides. Sri Vyasa Puja festival of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj celebrated in Nabadwip on 4th December 2009, with soundtrack of ‘Sri Guru Arati’. Srila Gurudev graced the devotees with his divine presence in the nat mandir on this historic occasion. 8 minutes, 14 MB ‘wmv’ video slide-show
(Download, or stream if you have the speed. View with VLC, Windows Media Player, etc. Mac users can also view with QuickTime Player after installing the free Flip4Mac.)
Srila Gurudev visits Sripat Bamunpara, the village of his holy appearance, and Nadanghat from where he came to Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in 1947. Much to the delight of the devotees His Divine Grace Srila Govinda Maharaj personally attended these festivities continuing the celebrations of Sri Vyasa-Puja. Five web-pages including pictures, synopsis of events and interviews with devotees about the significance of Bamunpara.
Talk by Pujyapada Satprasangananda Prabhu (later to become Sri Nayanananda Das Babaji Maharaj) in glorification of Srila Govinda Maharaj in Nabadwip in 1986.
“Our Govinda Maharaj is now the chief inspiration behind that [Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s] preaching … He was an expert in kirtan and playing the mrdanga; his kirtan was always ecstatic. From the time of his coming here to Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, the Transcendental Service of the Deities Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govindasundar became manifest more and more beautifully and gloriously. This gave us much joy. For this, Srila Sridhar Maharaj delegated all service responsibility of his Math, preaching and devotees to Govinda Maharaj…”
Vaishnava Thakur. Excerpt from Dignity of the Divine Servitor. Glorification of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj from a lecture given by Sripad B.S. Goswami Maharaj on the Appearance Day of Srila Govinda Maharaj in San Mateo, California, 1990. (2.2 MB pdf file.)
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
Thanksgiving is coming right up. Please note that it falls on Sri Utpanna Ekadasi, a fast day. For that reason we will join together on Friday, November 25th at 12 Noon for our Thanksgiving feast at the temple. The way we prepare for this holiday is different than for Vaishnava festivals. We require everyone to sign up ahead of time and request a $20 donation from everyone over age 12.
Thanksgiving
Friday, November 25th, 2016
Santa Cruz Seva Ashram @ 12 Noon
Call now to get your name on the list
Recommended donation: $20
If you would like to participate, you must sign up now. The sign up list hangs in the Prasadam Hall at the temple and your name must make it onto that list. You can call the Ashram (831) 462-4712 and ask anyone who answers to write down the names of everyone in your party. Please sign up for some service too. One of the delights of Thanksgiving is that everyone works together to prepare.
We need many more devotees and friends to sign up for service, especially for prepping the feast; cleaning and set-up. To join in the service, call the temple or Vrinda Devi Dasi.
I pray you can join us and that this finds you well.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Divine Appearance Day of
Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya varya
Astottara sata
Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar
Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Monday, October 24th, 2016
in Santa Cruz @ 6 pm
and in San Jose @6 pm as well
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
Please join us Monday, October 24th, at 6 pm for the Divine Appearance of Srila Guru Maharaj, Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya varya Astottara sata Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Read about this day on the Math website…
The month of Kartik began on October 16th. The Math website http://scsmath.com has many wonderful print and audio resources posted about the deep spiritual significance of this time in the year.
Yours in the Lord’s Service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Honorable Vaishnavas, God Brothers and Sisters, Devotees and Friends,
We would like to invite you to the celebration of the Vyasapuja of Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj on Saturday, October 1st. First we will celebrate at 11 am in Santa Cruz, then again at 5:30 pm in San Jose. Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj will have returned from India.
Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj is the Successor President Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Navadwip. He was publicly appointed by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj in his declaration to the grand international assembly at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math on his own Sri Vyasapuja Day, December 4th, 2009.
Please take a minute to scroll down and the see mantrams honoring Srila Acharya Maharaj that Srila Govinda Maharaj composed himself. Visit Srila Acharya Maharaj’s website SCSMathInternational.com to hear a short and sweet talk he gave on his Vyasapuja in 2013.
We will be very honored to have your association for this celebration. We will sing the mantrams posted below, offer flowers, and honor a lovely mid-day feast.
Yours in the Lord’s Service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Appearance Day of
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Saturday, October 1st, 2016
San Jose ~ 5:30 pm
Santa Cruz ~ 11 am
Stay connected through Srila Acharya Maharaj’s website with talks, songs, photos and more:SCSMathInternational.com
During our program, we will sing the following verse Srila Govinda Maharaj has composed in honor of Srila Acharya Maharaj within our Guru-Parampara song:
We will offer flowers reciting the pranam mantram Srila Govinda Maharaj composed for Srila Acharya Maharaj below:
News from the Dham:
Vrinda Devi Dasi is starting a series of posts on our local website SevaAshram.com with good news from Sri Navadwip Dham.
Vrinda Devi Dasi is starting a series of posts on our local website SevaAshram.com with good news from Sri Navadwip Dham.
- Read the second post, a brief letter from Srila Acharya Maharaj himself.
- Read the first post, a short message from Sudevi Devi Dasi.
Upcoming Events:
Please note all the big festivals coming up later this month that are highlighted in red in the calendar below.
Please note all the big festivals coming up later this month that are highlighted in red in the calendar below.
Vaishnava calendar:
- October 1, 2016 – Appearance of Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
- October 11, 2016 – Fasting on Papankusha Ekadasi. Ramachandra Vijay Utsav, Appearance of Sri Madhva Acharya
- October 12, 2016 – Paran from 10:06 to 11:00
- October 13, 2016 – Disappearance of Srila Raghunath das Goswami, Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Krishna Das Kaviraj
- October 16, 2016 – Purnima. Disappearance of Srila Murari Gupta. Beginning of Damodar Vrata, Kartik Vrata
- October 20, 2016 – Disappearance of Srila Narottam das Thakur
- October 23, 2016 – Bahulastami. Manifestation of Sri Radha Kunda. Sannyas day of Srila Govinda Maharaj and Srila Janardan Maharaj. Anniversary of Pushpa Samadhi Mandir inauguration in Soquel.
- October 24, 2016 – The Grand 122nd Appearance Day Celebration of Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya-varya Ashtottara-shata-sri Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Appearance of Srila Virachandra Prabhu.
- October 31, 2016 – Sri Govardhan Puja
- November 3, 2016 – Disappearance of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad
September 7 – Arrival in Santa Cruz
September 8 – San Jose: Harinam Sankirtan & Sri Lalita Saptami Program
September 9 – Santa Cruz: Sri Radhastami at 11 am and tentatively in the evening as well
September 10 – San Francisco: Harinam Sankirtan
I’m pleased to announce that Sripad Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj will probably be arriving today, September 7th at the Santa Cruz Seva Ashram. He’ll go to San Jose on Thursday the 8th for Harinam Sankirtan and Sri Lalita Saptami at the San Jose Ashram. Friday he will be in Santa Cruz for Sri Radhastami at mid-day and hopefully for the smaller evening program as well. Saturday he plans to go to San Francisco for Harinam Sankirtan.
Everyone is warmly encouraged to join with the Sankirtan parties in San Jose and San Francisco and of course to attend all the spiritual programs in the Ashrams.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Sri Radhastami
Divine Appearance of Srimati Radharani
Friday, September 9, 2016
San Jose ~ 12 Noon
Santa Cruz ~ 11 am
(Read the invitation below for details about the evening option and Sri Lalita Saptami classes)
Dear Devotees and Friends of the Ashram,
I hope you and your family will be able to attend the holy day of Sri Radhastami, the Divine Appearance of Srimati Radharani in San Jose or Santa Cruz. There will be programs at mid-day as well as a modest program in the evening in Santa Cruz led by Vidura Krishna Prabhu, Vrinda Devi Dasi, and hopefully Sripad Bhakti Kamal Tyagi Maharaj.
There will be modest programs for Sri Lalita Saptami on Thursday, September 8th. In San Jose Sripad Tyagi Maharaj will go downtown for Harinam Sankirtan and give a class at the temple. In Santa Cruz Sripad Sarvabhavana Prabhu will offer an evening class beginning around 7 pm.
“Srila Swarup Damodar Goswami said, ‘For the divine play of the Sweet Absolute, He wants to divide Himself as Power and Powerful, and that is Radha Krishna.’ When it was manifested we cannot say because it is eternal, it cannot be counted by our time and space theory, it is achintya, inconceivable. Radharani is the divine potency of Lord Krishna and She is giving all the happiness, love and all the affection to everyone for the service of Lord Krishna.”
–Srila Govinda Maharaj
(scroll down to listen to this discourse)
Yours in the Lord’s Service,
Sushila Devi Dasi
Spiritual Nourishment from our Divine Guardians:
Audio. Sri Radhastami, Vrindavan, 1999. Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj explains that Radhastami is when Lord Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s divine potency Radharani appears in a form for playing with the Lord. Srila Swarup Damodar Goswami said, “For the divine play of the Sweet Absolute, He wants to divide Himself as Power and Powerful, and that is Radha Krishna.” When it was manifested we cannot say because it is eternal, it cannot be counted by our time and space theory, it is achintya, inconceivable. Radharani is the divine potency of Lord Krishna and She is giving all the happiness, love and all the affection to everyone for the service of Lord Krishna. Improved quality audio of Srila Gurudev speaking by phone from Vrindavan to Madhusudan Prabhu in Hawaii on Sri Radhastami, 18 September 1999:
7+ minutes, 1.8 MB mp3 audio
Our Lord’s Beloved Power. “Today is Sri Radhastami, the Appearance Day of Srimati Radharani. In the Scriptures, especially Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita there is much glorification of Srimati Radharani … Where we see the supreme manifestation of madhura-rasa, there we see the manifestation of Srimati Radharani.” Chapter 12 of Affectionate Guidance by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj: 150 KB pdf document.
Radharani’s Paramour Love. Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj describes the glory of madhura-rasa in Vrindavan. Posted on the Math’s gaudiyadarshan.com website.
Audio: Sri Radhastami. Today’s beautiful, special morning discourse by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj at our Dum Dum Park Temple, Kolkata. 1 September 2006:
Download, or listen online (46+ minutes, 5.4 MB mp3 audio)
higher quality (10.7 MB mp3 audio)
Video: Sri Radhastami darshan, 2006, the full discourse by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj at our Dum Dum Park Temple, Kolkata. QuickTime video posted by Jamuna Priya Devi Dasi on her verandaviews.com website.
Audio: Sri Radhastami Discourse 2004 by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.
“Everything you want to know, you can understand through your Gurudev. And Gurudev’s position is always supreme. In the Scriptures it is said, (sloka) ‘If Krishna will be angry, Gurudev can save that person, Radharani can save that person. But if Radharani will be angry, Krishna cannot save him.’ (Sloka). Then our protection, our environment – everything – through Radharani’s mercy if it will come to us we will be so grateful, so fortunate and so good practitioners. We are practising service to Radha Krishna, and that is called Krishnanushilana: practising the procedure of satisfying Radharani and Sri Krishna.”
21 September 2004, Soquel, USA:
35+ minutes, 8 MB mp3 audio
Audio: Sri Radhastami discourses 2004 by Spd Goswami Maharaj and Spd Janardan Maharaj at the request of Srila Govinda Maharaj.
Then Srila Govinda Maharaj talks briefly then sings Sri Radhika-stava and Sri Radhastaka. 21 September 2004, Soquel, USA:
40+ minutes, 9+ MB mp3 audio
Video. Sri Radhastami discourse 2013, at Villa Govinda given by Srila B.S. Goswami Maharaj who has just arrived in Italy to join the extended 10th Anniversary celebrations of Villa Govinda.
Other video recordings as well as live coverage of particular events there, are available on the Italian Math’s ustream channel.
Vaishnava calendar:
- September 8, 2016 – Sri Lalita Saptami
- September 9, 2016 – Sri Radhastami (fast until noon)
- September 12, 2016 – Fasting on Parshva Ekadasi
- September 13, 2016 – Paran from 6:51 to 10:58 am. Appearance of Sri Vamanadev and Srila Jiva Goswami
- September 14, 2016 – Appearance of Srila Sachidananda Bhaktivinod Thakur
- September 15, 2016 – Disappearance of Srila Haridas Thakur
- September 16, 2016 – Visvarup Mahotsav
- September 26, 2016 – Fasting on Indira Ekadasi
Dear Friend of the Ashram,
Dandavats. Kids’ camp is quickly approaching and we are looking forward to having all your association here at the Ashram. Camp is a wonderful opportunity to get the association of devotees and participate in some seva. We are asking families for a suggested donation of $50 per child to purchase food and materials for the duration of the camp. You can pay securely through the Ashram website, or give the money directly to Sripad Hasyapriya Prabhu or Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj upon your arrival. Of course all are welcomed to attend and no one shall be turned away. In addition if you have any desire to teach an activity or have materials that you can bring for the camp please email or call me at your earliest convenience. Camping is recommended. If you need a bed please contact Krsna Priya at kpdd8@yahoo.com.
Sincerely,
Radhika Devi Dasi
radhikirk@yahoo.com
(831) 566-5419
radhikirk@yahoo.com
(831) 566-5419
To donate online for kids’ camp go to SevaAshram.net/donate, choose “other” from the drop-down list of reasons, and type in “kids’ camp.”
- June 15, 2016 – Fasting on Nirjala Ekadasi. Dashahara. Sri Ganga Puja. Appearance of Sri Ganga Mata Goswamini. Disappearance of Srila Baladev Vidyabhushan Prabhu
- June 16, 2016 – Break fast 5:51 – 10:42 am
- June 16-19, 2016 – Kids’ Camp
- June 18, 2016 – Grand Festival of Srila Raghunath das Goswami at Sripat Panihati
- June 20, 2016 – Snan Yatra (bathing) of Sri Jagannath Dev. Disappearance of Srila Mukunda Datta and Srila Sridhar Pandit.
- June 21, 2016 – Disappearance of Srila Shyamananda Prabhu and Sripad Rishabdev Das Adhikari
- June 25, 2016 – Appearance of Srila Vakreshvar Pandit
- June 30, 2016 – Fasting on Yogini Ekadasi. Disappearance of Sriyukta Rama Devi.
- July 1, 2016 – Break fast between 5:54 – 10:18 am
- July 4, 2016 – Disappearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur