” As far as my blessing is concerned it does not require my physical presence. If you are chanting Hare Krishna there and following my instructions, reading the books, taking only Krsnaprasadam etc., then there is no question of your not receiving the blessings of Lord Caitanya whose mission I am humbly trying to push on.” (from letter to Bal Krishna June 30, 1974)
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This morning I was going through some files and came across this important verse from the Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila Chapter 22, text 100 describing the process of surrender. I always liked this verse because it describes the simple process of surrender; namely accepting things favorable to devotional service, rejecting things that are unfavorable to devotional service, and developing the faith that Krishna will give protection.“
’The six divisions of surrender are the acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service, the rejection of unfavorable things, the conviction that Kṛṣṇa will give protection, the acceptance of the Lord as one’s guardian or master, full self-surrender and humility.
One who is fully surrendered is qualified with the six following characteristics. (1) The devotee has to accept everything that is favorable for the rendering of transcendental loving service to the Lord. (2) He must reject everything unfavorable to the Lord’s service. This is also called renunciation. (3) A devotee must be firmly convinced that Kṛṣṇa will give him protection. No one else can actually give one protection, and being firmly convinced of this is called faith. (from purport)
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I love all the “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas“, particularly the ones written by Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Śrīla Prabhupāda was also very fond of this song and sang it just before his lectures. We share it with you today.
Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava
by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
(jaya) rādhā-mādhava (jaya) kuñja-bihārī
(jaya) gopī-jana-vallabha (jaya) giri-vara-dhārī
(jaya) jaśodā-nandana, (jaya) braja-jana-rañjana,
(jaya) jāmuna-tīra-vana-cārī
Kṛṣṇa is the lover of Rādhā. He displays many amorous pastimes in the groves of Vṛndāvana, He is the lover of the cowherd maidens of Vraja, the holder of the great hill named Govardhana, the beloved son of mother Yaśodā, the delighter of the inhabitants of Vraja, and He wanders in the forests along the banks of the River Yamunā.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was very fond of this song and sang it just before his lectures. In Allahabad and Gorakhpur Śrīla Prabhupāda fell into a trance after singing the first two lines, and after some time he came back into external consciousness and said, “Now just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.” Śrīla Prabhupāda said that this song is “a picture of Vṛndāvana. Everything is there—Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Vṛndāvana, Govardhana, Yaśodā, and all the cowherd boys.
Prahlāda Mahārāja loudly chanted the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. May Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, roaring for His devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja, protect us from all fear of dangers created by stalwart leaders in all directions through poison, weapons, water, fire, air and so on. May the Lord cover their influence by His own transcendental influence. May Nṛsiṁhadeva protect us in all directions and in all corners, above, below, within and without.
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Today marks the disappearance day of my dear friend and Godbrother, Jayananda das. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to honor his memory. In a letter he wrote shortly after Jayananda’s passing, Srila wrote:
Letter: Ramesvara
77-05-11.Ram 318337/530501
Jayananda’s death is glorious. It is very good that he had stated, what is the use of such a useless body, better to give it up. He has left his body very wonderfully, and he has been transferred to Vaikuntha. I have already sent a condolence letter for publication in Back To Godhead. Everyone should follow the example of Jayananda. I am very proud that I had such a nice disciple. If possible Jayananda’s picture should be hung in the ratha of Lord Jagannatha, and in all of our temples a day may be set aside for holding a festival in his honor, just as we do on the disappearance day of the other great Vaisnavas.
We should remember him and his service to Srila Prabhupada. He was an inspiration to all he met.
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of His Grace Pankajanghri Prabhu, the beloved Nrsimhadeva pujari, and twin brother of His Grace Jananivasa Prabhu. He died of Covid-19 complications in Mayapur, India.
HG Pankajanghri Prabhu has Departed
By the GBC Executive Committee
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
HG Pankajanghri Prabhu, ISKCON’s most beloved Nrsimhadeva pujari, has departed from this world in Sri Dham Mayapur.
Having joined ISKON in the footsteps of his twin brother, HG Jananivasa Prabhu, in 1973, the two brothers dedicated their lives to serving the Lordships of ISKCON’s International Headquarters in Lord Caitanya’s divine abode of Sri Mayapur.
Pankajanghri Prabhu served not only the Lord, but devotees worldwide, who would turn to him in their time of need, begging him to offer their hearts’ prayers at Lord Nrsimhadeva’s feet. Every devotee who has visited Mayapur Dham will hold fondly the image of Pankajanghri Prabhu standing on Nrsimhadeva’s altar, offering prayers and puja on behalf of the devotees, and in turn, offering the Lord’s mahaprasadam to the devotees.
Not many of us, however, were aware that in the background, Pankajanghri Prabhu was also managing the pujari department for many years, ensuring that the service to Their Lordships continues efficiently while expanding and deepening exponentially. We are all indebted to Pankajanghri Prabhu for the great inspiration we derive from the beautiful darshans and festivals that can be experienced only in Sri Dham Mayapur.
Pankajanghri Prabhu also graced the devotees with weekly classes on Srimad-Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrita. He was a founding board member and inspiration for Mayapur Academy, an international school for brahminical training, where he taught the proper mood and method of deity worship to hundreds of students as instructed by Srila Prabhupada.
Along with fifty years of steadfast service as a pujari, manager, speaker, and educator, Pankanjanghri Prabhu was also a dear brother, uncle, and friend to both the Mayapur community and ISKCON worldwide. Today is a heartbreaking day especially for the generations of Mayapurvasis who grew up in the affectionate shelter of such a loving and playful uncle.
It is rare indeed to find a personality with the combination of such dedication, humility, joviality, and kindness. As Srila Prabhupada himself said in 1976, “The two brothers Pankajanghri and Jananivasa – there is no comparison.”
We join the worldwide family of Vaisanvas, especially HG Jananivasa Prabhu and the Mayapur community, in grieving the loss of a beloved godbrother and friend while simultaneously feeling gratitude for the mercy of Sri Nrsimhadeva, who kindly brought His dear servant home to Sri Dham Mayapur for a glorious departure befitting a dedicated devotee like Pankajanghri Prabhu.
Hare Krsna,
Today we honor the Appearance of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with a fast until moon rise, followed by a nice vegetarian feast. We also will be chanting and reading about some of the many pastimes of the Lord. You can read about some of the very important teachings of Lord Caitanya in the book “Teachings of Lord Chaitanya” which we have included as a free download, (just click of following link to view or download. Hare Krishna!
Govinda Prayers
HH Mukunda Goswami Maharaja relates:
There is an interesting story that I wrote about. It took place when”Govinda” first came out, when the recording was first released. I was inEngland, and Yamuna was in England, and we sent this recording to the devotees in Los Angeles to show how we were really preaching big time to the Beatles and had done this record. But the devotees in Los Angeles didnít want Prabhupada to hear this, because they thought it was very strange that a womans voice would be leading the Hare Krishna mantra. And so they didnít let Prabhupada hear it. So, one morning, just before the greeting of the Deities, Prabhupada was sitting on his vyasasana. When the Deity doors open in Los Angeles, there is a big billow of incense smoke from the charcoals. The devotees use a lot of incense, and when they open the doors, it kind of pours out like a big cloud coming out.So, right before this, Prabhupada said, “What about that record that the devotees sent from London?” He had heard about it. So they told him, “It is just Yamuna singing; we don’t want you to hear it.” And they added, “There is no place to play it.” So he said, “Just play it on the system, the speakers.” They said, “Okay” and very reluctantly went and fetched the recording and played it. And it was just at the right time, and the song is about five minutes long. As the Deity doors opened, Prabhupada was sitting on his vyasasana, and he didn’t say a word. He just listened with his eyes closed. And devotees got to see streams of tears coming down his cheeks. And that day Prabhupada ordered that the song be played in all temples all over the world at the time of greeting the Deities.
“Srila Prabhupada was poetic, not only in the literary sense, as evidenced by his beautiful poems glorifying his spiritual master and Lord Krsna, but in every aspect of his personality as well. His gesturing, walking, talking, singing, smiling, dancing andarcana were all performed with an extremely natural poetic grace, befitting a swanlike pure devotee of Lord Krsna. For those sensitive souls who had embarked upon a pilgrim’s progress in search of truth, beauty and ultimate happiness, association with Srila Prabhupada marked their journey’s end, and they happily gave up all mundane pursuits and engaged in his service. Such was the attractive force of Srila Prabhupada’s poetic nature, which manifested fully due to his superexcellent level of Krsna consciousness.” (from In Praise of Srila Prabhupada by Ajitananda das)
The following is a poem written by Srila Prabhupada entitled “Vrndavana Bhajana”
Vṛndāvana Bhajana
Written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in 1958,
Published December of that Year in Gauḍīya Patrika,
The Magazine of the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti.
Verse 1.
I am sitting alone in Vṛndāvana-dhāma
In this mood I am getting many realizations.
I have my wife, sons, daughters, grandsons, everything,
But I have no money so they are a fruitless glory.
Kṛṣṇa has shown me the naked form of material nature,
By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today.
yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ
“I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful.”
How was I able to understand this mercy of the All-merciful?
Verse 2.
Everyone has abandoned me, seeing me as penniless,
Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, everyone.
This is misery, but it gives me a laugh. I sit alone and laugh.
In this māyā-saṁsāra, whom do I really love?
Where have all my loving father and mother gone to now?
And where are all my elders, who were my own folk?
Who will give me news of them, tell me who?
All that is left of this family life is a list of names.
Today is Lord Nityananda’s appearance day, we honor it with a half day fast, followed by a feast at noon. We also like to read and remember the glories or Sri Nityananda who donned the role of Lord Chaitanya’s principal associate for spreading the chanting of the holy names of Lord Krishna in the form of Harinama-sankirtana.
Narottama Dasa Thakura, one of the acharyas in the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya writes in glorification of the Lord that one will get the soothing moonlight of millions of moons when one takes shelter of Lord Nityananda’s lotus feet. If one really wants to enter into the dancing party of Radha-Krishna, he must firmly catch hold of His lotus feet.
In the age of Kali-yuga, Lord Krishna advents in this material world as Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu along with Balarama appearing as Lord Nityananda. Lord Nityananda is also known as Nitai, Nityananda Prabhu and Nityananda Rama. He donned the role of Lord Chaitanya’s principal associate for spreading the chanting of the holy names of Lord Krishna in the form of Harinama-sankirtana. He distributed the mercy of Lord Krishna to all the fallen, materially conditioned souls of this age by congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names. According to the teachings of the acharyas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu cannot be approached or understood without taking shelter of Nityananda Prabhu, who is the original guru of all the universes. He serves as an intermediary between Lord Chaitanya and His devotees. He is the second body of the Lord, manifesting as Balarama to Sri Krishna, Lakshmana to Sri Rama and Nityananda to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
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