Shri Gopala Bhatta Goswami.

   Shri Gopala Bhatta Goswami (the son of a Vyenkata Bhatta, a Shri Vaishnava brahmana) appeared in Shri Rangam, South India. Lord Chaitanya once stayed four months in his home, and converted the family to Gaudiya Vaishnavism. A mere boy at this time, Gopala personally served the Lord. Shri Chaitanya treated him affectionately giving His remnants and blessings to' become an acharya.

   During His four month stay, Lord Chaitanya developed a close friendship with Vyenkata Bhatta, which Krishna Dasa Kaviraja describes as "sakhya rasa." Freely conversing with each other, they would often laugh and joke together. One day in a humorous mood Lord Chaitanya asked Vyenkata:

   "Why does your worshipable goddess of fortune, Shri Lakshmidevi, abandon the happiness of Vaikuntha and her service to Her Lord Narayana? Why does she go to Vrindavana and perform severe austerities to attain the association of My Lord Gopala, the cowherd boy of Vraja?"

   "I can't understand thes

"Whether blind or dumb, anyone can drown in this flood of prema. In this way, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has filled everyone with love of God. But Ramachandra Dasa is so unfortunate that he couldn't even taste a drop of that nectar." (In the image: Shrila Ramachandra Kaviraja).

   Ramachandra Kaviraja, the son of Shri Chiranjiva Sena (eternal associate of Lord Chaitanya), appeared in Shri Khanda. "Ramachandara Kaviraja was especially earnest, beautiful, intelligent, energetic, and enthusiastic," said one biographer. Although married, Ramachandra and his wife, Ratanala, had no material attachments. They stayed fully engaged in the loving service of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They had no children. With steadfast devotion he served his spiritual master, Shrinivasa Acharya. In Vrindavana, Shri Jiva Goswami gave him the title, kaviraja, "king of poets." He wrote the following beautiful verse:

According to this book Festivals, Fairs and Fasts of India regarding the Ganga Sagara Mela it says, "In Bengal, the Ganga Sagara festival (Mela) is held on Makara Sankranti (15th January when the sun goes from kumbha [Aquarius] rasi to makara [Pisces] rasi) on Sagara Island. Sagara means the ocean, and the island is located where the river Ganga enters the ocean. A well-attended fair is held and people come from long distances to bathe here. After the bath Ganga Ma or the Goddess Ganga is worshipped. It is believed that Ganga entered the ocean at this point to wash the bones of the 60,000 sons of Sagara, in whose memory the island is held sacred. There were reportedly killed by a curse from sage Kapila
(see Ganga Dussehra)"page 17.

Ganga Dussehra:
"Festivals connected with rivers are essentially bathing festivals. Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day of Jyeshtha. River Ganga is worshipped as a mother as well as a Goddess, particularly by people of Uttara Pradesh, Bihar, and Benga

The Sun enters the Makara raasi (the zodiac sign of Capricorn - the goat), on Sankranti day, signifying the onset of Uttarayana Punyakalam.

Steve Perry

What is the difference between a pure devotee and a mixed devotee ?

Srila Prabhupada..."The sunrays are open to everyone, but the capacities of the receptacles differ. Foolish people think that devotional service is flattering the Lord to get special mercy. Factually the pure devotees who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord are not a mercantile community. A mercantile house renders service to someone in exchange for values. The pure devotee does not render service unto the Lord for such exchange, and therefore the full mercy of the Lord is open for him. Suffering and needy men, inquisitive persons, or philosophers make temporary connections with the Lord to serve a particular purpose. When the purpose is served, there is no more relation with the Lord. A suffering man, if he is pious at all, prays to the Lord for his recovery. But as soon as the recovery is over, in most cases the suffering man no longer cares to keep any connection with the L

‎Biren Chauhan‎ to ONLY PRABHUPADA

"The real question is, How can we remain unpolluted by material contamination while in the material world? It was Rūpa Gosvāmī who explained that we can remain uncontaminated while in the world if we simply make it our ambition to serve Kṛṣṇa. One may then justifiably ask, "How can I serve?" Obviously this is not simply a matter of meditation, which is just an activity of the mind, but of practical work. Love of Kṛṣṇa's service can be attained only by working for Kṛṣṇa. In such work, we should leave no resource unused. Whatever is there, whatever we have, should be used for Kṛṣṇa. We can use everything: typewriters, automobiles, airplanes, missiles-anything. If we simply speak to people about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are also rendering service. If our minds, senses, speech, money and energies are thus engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, we cannot be con

Better Than Chanting Hare Krishna

prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada: “When you go, preach, talk, put your arguments, logic, to the opposing elements, and you are sometimes forced

backward, sometimes you are defeated. Sometimes in arguments it happens. So

this is... Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura has commented that a devotee, when he goes to preach and he is attacked by the opposing elements, that is also culture of bhakti, devotional service. Not that when you go to preach, don't think that "I am wasting my time. Better to sit down in a place and chant

Hare Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Krsna." These are all nonsense. You have to preach, face the opposing elements. That is better than chanting Hare Krsna.”

 That is my Guru Maharaja's policy.

dusta mana! tumi kisera vaisnava?

pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare,

tava hari-nama kevala kaitava

[Dusta-Mana 1]

["My dear mind, what kind of devotee are you? Simply for cheap adoration you sit in a solitary place and pretend to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mant

   "Shri Jagadisha Pandita is the saviour of the world. He distributes the nectar of love of Krishna just like a dense mass of dark clouds in the sky distributes rainfall." [C.C. Adi 11.30]

   Shri Jagadisha Bhatta took his birth in the region of Gaihati. His father's name was Shri Kamalaksha Bhatta, who was the son of Bhatta Narayana, who hailed from Goyghar Bandyaghata. Both the mother and father of Jagadisha were very devoted Vishnu-bhaktas. After his parents passed away he came with his wife to live on the banks of the Ganges. His wife's name was Dukhini devi. (His younger brother Mahesha also came with him to reside on the banks of the Ganga.)They built their house near the home of Jagannatha Mishra.

   Shri Gaurasundara instructed Jagadisha to preach Hari Naam at Nilachala. Thus he took shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Jagannatha. At that time he prayed at the feet of Lord Jagannatha and was rewarded by obtaining a Deity of the lotus-eyed Lord. This he brought to Yasora, on the ba

Adi Deva Das nityananda-gadadhare ye priti antare taha kahibare sakti isvare se dhare

The transcendental affection between Nityananda and Gadadhara can be described only by the Supreme Lord. (CB 3.7.113)

ki adbhuta pìti nityananda-gadadhare ekera apìya are sambhasa na kare
gadadhara-devera saìkcdpa ei-rupa nityananda-nindakera na dekhena mukha
nityananda-svarupere priti yara naìi dekha o na dena tare pandita-gosaìi

What wonderful affection there is between Nityananda and Gadadhara! Neither of them would ever speak to anyone who was disliked by the other.
This was the vow of Gadadhara: he would never see the face of one who offends Nityananda.
Gadadhara Pandita would avoid being seen by anyone who had no love for Nityananda Svarupa. (CB 3.7.123-125)

Text 125 indicates that Radharani would not allow anyone to enter Her camp until and unless that devotee develops love for Nitai.

gadadhara subha-drsti karena yahare se janite pare nityananda-svarupere
nityananda-svarupo yahare prita mane laoyayena ga

If one is actually educated in Vedic knowledge, is famous for performing prescribed activities and has been born in a great aristocratic family, why should he be called a demon? The answer is that one may be highly educated and may have been born in an aristocratic family, but if he is godless, if he does not listen to the instructions of God, then he is a demon. There are many examples in history of men like Hiraṇyakaśipu, Rāvaṇa and Kaṁsa who were well educated, who were born in aristocratic families and who were very powerful and chivalrous in fighting, but who, because of deriding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, were called Rākṣasas, or demons. One may be very well educated, but if he has no sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no obedience to the Supreme Lord, he is a demon.

‎Bi

The wives of the sacrificing Brahmins in Vraja took birth as Jagadisha and Hiranya. The Lord (Mahaprabhu) asked for and ate their Prasad on the Ekadashi day. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 192) (In the image: Wives of Brahmins are giving food to Krishna and His Friends).).

   apare yajna-patnyau shri-jagadisha-hiranyakau

Sri Sanatana, Sri Rupa and Sri Vallabha were three brothers,all employed in the service of the Badsa Hussain Shah. Amongst the three, there was only one descendent, Sri Jiva. Having been
rewarded richly by the Badsa for their sevices, their household life was very opulent. There was nothing lacking in whateverwas necessary for the upbringing of the only son. The house was
illuminated by the effulgence of the child's golden complexion;his eyes were like the expanded petals of the lotus; every part of his body was gracedwith a lusterous, radiant splendor.

When Sri Gaurasundara came to Ramakeli, Sri Jiva was blessed by having darshana of His worshipable lord, though he was just ababy at the time. Placing the dust of His lotus feet on the child's head, Mahaprabhu indicated him to be the future sovereign preceptor of theGaudiya sampradaya. Though he was only a child, Sri Jiva kept the formof the Lord, which fascinates all the world, within his heart. Ashe
grew up, while eating, lying down, in h

He mentions an especially touching conversation Shri Gaurasundara had with Vishnupriya Devi the night before He took sannyasa. Being a talented musician, Lochana Dasa told Mahaprabhu's pastimes in beautiful poetry filled with fire and rhythm. Common people could easily understand the divine character of Shri Chaitanya and awaken their religious feelings. As Devotees regularly chant the Vedic epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, Gaudiya Vaishnava's still wander through Bengal reciting the Chaitanya Mangala. (In the image: Shri Gaurachandra, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai).

   Shri Lochana Dasa Thakura was a disciple of Shri Narahari Sarakara Thakura, a dearest associate of Lord Gaura Raya.
 
   "My hope of hopes is to be near the lotus feet of Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura and serve him with my very life. The cherished desire of the fallen Lochana Dasa is to be allowed, by Narahari's grace, to sing the glories of Lord Gauranga. My Lord is Shri Narahari Thakura, I am His servant. Bowing before him I b