Appearance Day of Lord Nrsimha

Lord Nrishima

Today we honor the Appearance of Lord Nrsimha with a full day fast followed by an evening feast. To to help remember Lord Nrsimha we are posting “Five Prayers to Lord Nrsimha” written by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written five beautiful prayers in “Sri Navadvipa Bhava Taranga” for receiving the mercy of Lord Narasimha. These prayers are certainly assurance to all sincere devotees that the worship of Lord Nrsimha is purely in the line of aspiring love and devotion to Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Those prayers are as follows:

Five Prayers to Lord Nrsimha
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

e dusta hrdaye kama adi ripu chaya
kutinati pratisthasa sathya sada raya
hrdaya-sodhana ara krsnera vasana
nrsimha-carane mora ei to’ kamana

Within my sinful heart the six enemies headed by lust perpetually reside, as well as duplicity, the desire for fame, plus sheer cunning. At the lotus feet of Lord Narasimha, I hope that He will mercifully purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Lord Krsna.

kandiya nrsimha-pade magibo kakhana
nirapade navadvipe jugala-bhajana
bhaya bhaya paya yan’ra darsane se hari
prasanna hoibo kabe more daya kari

Weeping, I will beg at the lotus-feet of Lord Narasimha for the benediction of worshipping Radha and Krsna in Navadvipa, perfectly safe and free from all difficulties. When will this Lord Hari, Whose terrible form strikes fear into fear itself, ever become pleased and show me His mercy?

 

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Suddha Bhakata

Sudabhakta

Just to borrow a page from the “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas” songbook…

Suddha-Bhakata

by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

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Five Prayers to Lord Nrsimha

Lord Nrishima

 

Five Prayers to Lord Nrsimha

By Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written five beautiful prayers in “Sri Navadvipa Bhava Taranga” for receiving the mercy of Lord Narasimha. These prayers are certainly assurance to all sincere devotees that the worship of Lord Narasimha is purely in the line of aspiring love and devotion to Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Those prayers are as follows:

e dusta hrdaye kama adi ripu chaya
kutinati pratisthasa sathya sada raya
hrdaya-sodhana ara krsnera vasana
nrsimha-carane mora ei to’ kamana

Within my sinful heart the six enemies headed by lust perpetually reside, as well as duplicity, the desire for fame, plus sheer cunning. At the lotus feet of Lord Narasimha, I hope that He will mercifully purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Lord Krsna.

kandiya nrsimha-pade magibo kakhana
nirapade navadvipe jugala-bhajana
bhaya bhaya paya yan’ra darsane se hari
prasanna hoibo kabe more daya kari

Weeping, I will beg at the lotus-feet of Lord Narasimha for the benediction of worshipping Radha and Krsna in Navadvipa, perfectly safe and free from all difficulties. When will this Lord Hari, Whose terrible form strikes fear into fear itself, ever become pleased and show me His mercy?

 

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Appearance Day of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Srila Bhaktivinoda holding young Bhaktisiddhanta

Today marks the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, the spiritual master of our Srila Prabhupada. We honor his appearance day with a half day fast, and this short post.

Or he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this world.
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 6.42)

Birth in a family of yogīs or transcendentalists—those with great wisdom—is praised herein because the child born in such a family receives spiritual impetus from the very beginning of his life. It is especially the case in the ācārya or gosvāmī families. Such families are very learned and devoted by tradition and training, and thus they become spiritual masters. (From purport)

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Śrī Nāma-kīrtana

Sri Krishna

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In honor of the disappearance day celebration of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, we are posting one of his famous songs, entitled “Śrī Nāma-kīrtana”.

Krishna is very pleased when we call on Him by His Names, which are associated with His devotees, qualities and pastimes. This song by Bhaktivinoda Thakura is composed of the Nanes of Krsna in different aspects. (from the Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas)

Śrī Nāma-kīrtana
Chanting of the Holy Names
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

full song with synonyms and translations More

How the Teachings of Lord Caitanya Came to the Western World (Part 2)

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

This is Part 2 of the very informative article by Sriman Brahmananda Prabhu as it appeared in Back to Godhead Magazine in 1974, which gives not only some of the History of Lord Caitanya’s Mission, but on the preaching of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, and the Hare Krishna Movement here in the West.

How the Teachings of Lord Caitanya Came to the Western World
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine
Vol.1, No. 68, 1974
Part 2
by His Holiness Brahmananda Svami

[Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself in the form of His own pure devotee, appeared 500 years ago in Bengal, India, to teach—by His own example—how one can become fully Krsna conscious. The teachings of Lord Caitanya were recorded and transmitted by many faithful disciples, but they were virtually unknown in the West until 1896, when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great spiritual master in the disciplic line from Lord Caitanya, published a short book entitled Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu—His Life and Precepts and sent copies to the Western world. The following is the second of three articles depicting the pioneering efforts of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and those who have followed him, in spreading the great benediction of Krsna consciousness to the West.]

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How the Teachings of Lord Caitanya Came to the Western World

BTG_Year-1974_Volume-01_Number-63_Page_01

This is a very informative article which gives not only some of the History of Lord Caitanya’s Mission, but on the preaching of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, and the Hare Krishna Movement here in the West.

How the Teachings of Lord Caitanya Came to the Western World
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine
Vol.1, No. 66, 1974
Part 1
by His Holiness Brahmananda Swami

“He reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die When thou art living still in Sound! The Vaisnavas die to live and living try To spread a holy life around!”—verse by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura on the tomb of the great saint Thakura Haridasa at Puri, India

In Calcutta in 1896, the teachings of Lord Caitanya began their journey to the West. In Bengali-speaking Calcutta on August 20th of that year, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura published a small English treatise entitled Lord Caitanya—His Life and Precepts. Seventyone years later, in 1967, in Montreal, Canada, a graduate student came across a copy of this book while browsing through the rare-book collection of the McGill University library. The book was a wonderful find for him because he was a dedicated follower of Lord Caitanya’s, having been convinced of Lord Caitanya’s teachings by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, whom he had accepted as his spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada was born in Calcutta on September 1, 1896, only a few days after Lord Caitanya-His Life and Precepts was published. Thus by a transcendental arrangement this significant book and he who would fulfill the purpose of the book appeared together.

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Narada Muni Bajay Vina

Narada Muni

Narada Muni Bajay Vina

This is one of my favorite Vaisnava Songs, written by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, with a puroprt by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We post it today in honnor of the 24 Hour Kirtan that will start this evening at the New Vrindavan Community.

…This is a song sung by Bhaktivinoda Thakura. The purport of this song is that the great soul Narada Muni is playing on his stringed instrument, called the vina, and vibrating Radhika-ramana, one of Krsna’s names. So, as soon as he plucks the strings and chants, all the devotees immediately respond to him, and it becomes a very beautiful vibration. Amiya-dhara, barise ghana. As the singing goes on with the stringed instrument, it appears that there is a shower of nectar, and all the devotees then dance in ecstasy to the fullest extent of their satisfaction. Then, as they dance, it appears that they become intoxicated by drinking the beverage called madhuri pura. And as one becomes almost mad by drinking, similarly, all the devotees became mad in ecstasy. And some of them are crying, and some of them are dancing, and some of them, although they cannot dance publicly, are dancing within their hearts. Then Lord Siva embraces Narada Muni and begins to dance and cry out in ecstasy, and when Lord Brahma sees Lord Siva dancing with Narada Muni, he joins in and says, “All of you kindly chant ‘Haribol! Haribol!'” Then gradually the king of heaven, Indra, also joins in with great satisfaction and begins to dance and to chant “Hari hari bol!”

In this way, by the influence of the transcendental vibration of the holy name of God, the whole universe becomes ecstatic, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “When the whole universe becomes ecstatic in this way, my desires are satisfied, and I therefore pray unto the lotus feet of Rupa Gosvami that the chanting of harinama may go on nicely like this.” (from purport)

Narada Muni Bajay Vina
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Full song with Bengali lyrics, translation and purport. More

Arunodaya Kirtana

Lord Gaurasundara

When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened, and, taking His devotees with Him, He went all over the countryside towns and villages. The mṛdangas (khol) resounded “tāthaī, tāthaī,” and the jhājas [large metal karatālas that look like small cymbals] in that kīrtana played in time. Lord Gaurāńga’s golden form slightly trembled in ecstatic love of Godhead, and His footbells jingled. All the devotees chanted the names Mukunda, Mādhava, Yadava and Hari, their mouths being filled with the vibrations. They would announce to the still sleeping people, “You spend your nights uselessly sleeping and your days decorating your bodies! You have achieved such a rare human body, but you do not care for this gift. You remain not serving the darling of Yaśodā and slowly fall through your last moments to death. With every rising and setting of the sun, a day passes and is lost. Then, why do you remain idle and not serve the Lord of the heart? This temporary life is full of various miseries. Take shelter of the holy name as your only business. To penetrate the darkness of ignorance and bless everyone’s heart, the holy name has risen like the shining sun. Drink the pure nectar of the holy name. There is nothing but the name to be had in the fourteen worlds. It has filled the soul of Srī Bhaktivinoda Thākura.

Full Song with Bengali translation and word for word transliteration. More

Sri Nama Sankirtana

…The Lord ordered all the citizens of Navadvīpa to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and in each and every home they began performing saṅkīrtana regularly.

[All the devotees sang this popular song along with the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.] “Haraye namaḥ, kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana.”

When the saṅkīrtana movement thus started, no one in Navadvīpa could hear any sound other than the words “Hari! Hari!” and the beating of the mrdaṅga and clashing of hand bells.

Song lyrics and text More

Brief Biography of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura


Today is the appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Brief Biography of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, then known as Kedarnatha Datta was born in 1838, in Birangara (Bengal). The youngest of seven sons, his father Raja Krisananda Datta was a great devotee of Lord Nityananda. The family lived in fairly wealthy circumstances, until Kedarnatha’s father passed away in 1849, when they were reduced to poverty. In 1850, Kedarnatha’s mother arranged a marriage with the five-year-old daughter of Madhusudana Mitra Mahasaya; a resident of Rana Ghata.

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108 Imporant Slokas from the 1972 Bhagavad-gita As It Is

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The Hare Krishna Cookbook

Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1972 Edition “Online”

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Srimad Bhagavatam Online

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Raja-Vidya the King of Knowledge

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Important Slokas from the Brahma-samhita

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Slokas from the Sri Isopanisad

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Prayers By Queen Kunti (Slokas)

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Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender (Slokas)

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A Short Statement of the Philosophy of Krishna Consciousness

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July 9th Letter

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The Hare Krishna Explosion

Reference Material/Study Guide

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