110508 Looking for a Place.mp3 (2 minutes, 1.6 MB)

In honor of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s Disappearance Day, here is a two-minute audio clip of Srila Janardan Maharaj on the subject of Sri Guru’s grace:

“What I’ve found with our divine spiritual masters is they’re always interested in what will help us. I feel myself fortunate to have had and have that kind of association, because our best interest is in the heart of a saint. If you can find some place in a saint’s heart–it’s not enough just to think, ‘Who is the true qualified spiritual master?’ It’s not enough that you will accept a spiritual master, you must be accepted by the spiritual master. One thing is to find who is a sat guru, a true spiritual master; another thing is to find a place in the heart of a saint.”

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?

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], took sannyas from Srila Sridhar Maharaj. 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.

110910 Bhaktivinod Thakur Appearance.mp3 (38 minutes, 26.3 MB)

Srila Janardan Maharaj glorifies Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur and Sripad Parvat Maharaj reads from the writings of Srila Sridhar Maharaj and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. They mention just some of the super excellent qualities of this great spiritual personality in the Sri Rupanuga line.