Friday 3/18/2022. Sri Gaura-Purnima. Divine Appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

We humbly invite you to participate in the grand festival of Sri Gaura-Purnima (The appearance day of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the most magnanimous incarnation of Sri Krishna who appeared in this age of Kali to introduce Harinama-sankirtana — the congregational chanting of the Maha Mantra — as the most simple and sublime method for attaining love of God.) This day is also the beginning of the 537th Gaurabda year.

Celebrations will take place at Sri Gaura Vinoda Saraswat Sanga Headquarters in New Jersey.

Festivities will include Harinama-sankirtana, readings from Chaitanya-caritamrta, discourses and prasadam.

Fasting is observed until moonrise when some light prasadam (anukalpa) is distributed so that we may receive the blessings of prasadam and break the fast.

Please RSVP via the contact page.

Srila Giri Maharaja “For Ukraine, the World and Ourselves”

3/12/22

Dear Srimati Chintāmaṇī devi Dāsī,

Please accept my blessings in remembrance of my Divine Masters.

We received your donations and will respond shortly, as you requested, with a supply of a variety of books including Loving Search.

The current news of the massacre of civilians in Ukraine by Putin’s military is greatly disturbing.

My inability to help them also weighs heavily on my mind. It is a great tragedy that the most powerful countries in the world stand by and watch as Putin systematically slaughters the men, women and children, grandmothers and grandfathers of Ukraine’s citizenry using demonic means; weapons that should never be used against civilians.

The tragedy is not confined to the people of Ukraine. It is a tragedy for the so-called Western democratic countries which refuse to allow their warriors to intervene in order to stop the carnage, which they could do if given a free hand and a little encouragement.

The duty of a warrior to protect is not confined to the borders of any particular country. The idea it should be has been manufactured by cowardly leaders whose only real interest is to protect themselves. As such, they cower like rats in a hole to the demands of evil men, like Putin, who dictate to them the terms by which they will be allowed to protect the innocent; terms that inevitably permit evil to be carried out in the full view of the world.… Read More...

Srila Giri Maharaja “A Word to the Wise”

In the eighth grade I had an English teacher who often told us “A word to the wise is sufficient.” He said it to give emphasis to some point he was making.

I have wanted to speak to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine directed by the evil President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Each time I attempt to write or speak to the subject the territory of the discussion spreads out so broadly — due to a wide variety of pro and con arguments — I find it difficult to condense it into a form brief enough to hold what I suspect is the attention span of a potential audience.

In its simplest terms Russia is an aggressor to Ukraine. Such aggressors should be killed.

“Enemies, aggressor, they should be killed. There is no ātatāyī. Ātatāyī means one who is aggressor. One who kidnaps one’s wife, one who take away by force one’s wealth, one who sets fire in one’s house, these are called aggressor. So aggressor should be killed.”

— Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Bhagavad-gītā 2.2–6, Lecture, Dec. 11, 1972

My word to the wise? “[An] aggressor should be killed.”

I have come to refer to Vladimir Putin as evil, a demon.… Read More...

Srila Giri Maharaja “Putin: the Evil Minded Son of Stalin”

To My Friends in Ukraine.

I just heard what I had hoped not to hear: Putin, the evil minded son of Stalin, has made an unprovoked attack on the peaceful country of Ukraine.

Although not a direct son of Stalin this verse makes me think President Putin of Russia is deserving of such a characterization.

Bg. 1.23

yotsyamānān avekṣe ’haṁ
ya ete ’tra samāgatāḥ
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher
yuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ

Translation:
Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Purport

It was an open secret that Duryodhana wanted to usurp the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas by evil plans, in collaboration with his father, Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Therefore, all persons who had joined the side of Duryodhana must have been birds of the same feather. Arjuna wanted to see them on the battlefield before the fight was begun, just to learn who they were, but he had no intention of proposing peace negotiations with them. It was also a fact that he wanted to see them to make an estimate of the strength which he had to face, although he was quite confident of victory because Kṛṣṇa was sitting by his side.

Like Dhrtarastra who sought to usurp the kingdom of the Pandavas, Putin seeks to take by force that which is not his and dominate the free people of Ukraine, a democratic sovereign nation.… Read More...

Preaching to the Choir

Date: 2/2/22

Dear Sriman Madhava dasa,

Please accept my blessings and well wishes in remembrance of my Divine Masters.

Thanks, you are wholeheartedly serving the divine masters and you are distributing the nectar through the website.

Your kind words are greatly appreciated.

I feel bad, because it is Vaishnava etiquette to give donation. Unfortunately, I have not been working since start of Covid two years ago. But when I get my finances back together by the grace of Krishna, I will send you donation to your website.

ŚB 1.5.11

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo
yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo ’ṅkitāni yat
śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

Synonyms

tat — that; vāk — vocabulary; visargaḥ — creation; janatā — the people in general; agha — sins; viplavaḥ — revolutionary; yasmin — in which; prati-ślokam — each and every stanza; abaddhavati — irregularly composed; api — in spite of; nāmāni — transcendental names, etc.; anantasya — of the unlimited Lord; yaśaḥ — glories; aṅkitāni — depicted; yat — what; śṛṇvanti — do hear; gāyanti — do sing; gṛṇanti — do accept; sādhavaḥ — the purified men who are honest.

Translation

On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc.,… Read More...

12/21/21: Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaja’s Appearance Day Celebration


Dear devotees and friends, we humbly invite you to participate in the festival for the Grand 93rd Appearance Day Celebration of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math’s Sevaite President Acharya, Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya-varya Astottara-sata Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaja which will take place at SCSM Global Headquarters in New Jersey, USA and worldwide centres on Tuesday, December 21, 2021.

This festival will include kirtana, discourses and other all-auspicious activities. Please RSVP by clicking on the contact page and using one of the methods available there.

Addressing Hugh Hewitt’s slander of Hare Krishna

The slander and the slanderer—

From: Hugh Hewitt Radio Show, 12/6/21

Date: 12/6/21

Hugh Hewitt: Long ago when I was an undergraduate, Michael, our, at Harvard in 1974-75, the Harvard Law student who lived in the dorm with us warned us on the first night, the Hare Krishna are in Harvard Square, and they will love bomb you if you get near them. And you know, it was just…

Michael Shellenberger: Oh, my gosh. Wow.

Hugh Hewitt: Yeah. It was a warning. Do not go near those. They look nice, they will take you out to a nice place on the Cape, and we’ll never see you again, because that’s what they, they love bomb people, and it takes a long time to get out of a cult.

Swami B.K. Giri’s email to Hugh Hewitt

Re: Your Slander of Hare Krishna

12/6/21

Dear Mr. Hewitt,

Hare Krishna.

I listen to your show almost every morning to track the news and newsmakers you interview.

All was well this morning as I agreed with most points made by you and your guest, Michael Shellenberger, the author of Sanfransicko.

Then you took a dangerous turn when, while discussing the Jim Jones technique you described as “Love Bombing”, you warned your audience that the Hare Krishna’s applied the same methods in Boston Square; as if they posed a danger to the public equal to that of the Jim Jones group and Jonestown.… Read More...

Srila Giri Maharaja (Email Archive) “Right Attitude”

Date: November 20, 2012

Dear Sriman Subal Vilasa Prabhu,

Please see my answers below.

Giri Maharaja

On Nov 20, 2012, at 3:31 PM, Subal Vilasa wrote:

Dandavats Maharaj

I agree with your points here. I think maybe Tridandi Maharaj saw fit to give the booklets as a reminder that he was giving connection to Srila Gurudeva and not himself. Perhaps also reminding that Mantram also gives divya jnanam as such as can be found in the books.

This raises a vital question for me:

Past two days I’ve been watching videos via your site. I particularly liked the 1997 discussion about Japa and mala video ( I could hear you asking some of the questions ).

During watching the video I realised that Gurudeva was present in the video. I could not perceive any sense that he was not present in the world as he was there in the video.

Some devotees say that one must be in direct physical presence of a maha bhagavat and that videos/ audio/ books are passive..but I feel that these things could well bring forth the full presence of the Acarya if the recipient has the right attitude.

Yes. Right attitude is everything. Even without video, etc.,… Read More...

“Ghosts: Reliance on Nameless, Faceless Authority”

Date: November 1, 2021

Dear Sriman Svarup Shakti dasa,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

You wrote this to me:

I have read your reply and also shared it with a disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj. . . . The reply from the disciple is below :

I would thank you for your response but you have not really offered one. Instead you presented the supposed response of an anonymous, possibly fictitious, person or disciple of Srila Sridhara Maharaja.

Since you are hiding the identity of the person you refer to as “a disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj”, I do not know if it is a male or female. For convenience sake I will refer to this person as a male, unless you tell me it is otherwise.

You want this person to stand in your place, making your arguments for you, while you stand on the sidelines watching the fun. But I do not argue with ghosts, shadowy personalities who cannot be identified and are comprised of no tangible substance. If this person wants to take issue with what I say he should contact me directly and I will engage with him. Alternatively, give me his name and address. I will contact him directly, rather than having him remain as your personal ghost which you conjure out of the ether to argue on your behalf when the mood suits you.… Read More...

“Criticism of a Highly Revered and Exalted Vaishnav”

Date: October 31, 2021

All glories to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga.

Dear Sriman Svarup Shakti dasa,

Please accept my humble obeisances in remembrance of my Divine Masters.

Thank you for your email and the opportunity to respond to your criticisms and remarks.

In reference to the statements about Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Thakur in your article talks between Acharyas…

You do realise you have published criticism of a highly revered and exalted vaishnav?

If you object, you should be more specific. Provide me with the exact text you are referring to and I will respond to it.

Are there direct recordings or trancripts of said statements?

Does it matter? What do you hope to achieve by me offering the proof you ask for?

If I produce transcripts and recordings of Srila Sridhara Maharaja saying what you question, will you accept it? I suspect you will not. I suspect you will, instead, criticize Srila Sridhara Maharaja; or, perhaps, you will start crying, having your dream shattered, and look for some way to revive the dream.

In either case, what have you gained?

So, please tell me why I should go to the trouble of researching the reference you ask for (the words of which I’ve personally heard from Srila Sridhara Maharaja)?… Read More...