Śrī Gopinātha vijñapti (A Fervent Petition to Śrī Gopīnātha)
Śrī Gopīnātha Vijñapti is a deeply personal prayer of surrender by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, composed in 1946. Beginning with glorification of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the supreme mercy of nāma-saṅkīrtana in Kali-yuga, it gradually becomes an intimate plea to Gopīnātha to free the heart from material attachment, offences and hardness, and make the devotee wholly dependent upon divine mercy. Central to the prayer is guru-tattva – through Śrī Guru's grace, one gains access to Rādhā-dāsyam and the path of Rūpānuga-bhakti.
Swami Narasiṅgha and Śrī Narasiṁha
In this article, Swami Bhaktivijñāna Giri responds to a question regarding the history of Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja’s personal Deity of Śrī Yoga-Vīra Narasiṁha and Narasiṅgha Mahārāja’s intimate relationship with and worship of the Deity, as well as the significance of Narasiṁha worship within the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition.
A Song of Vraja (Vrajera Gīti)
In this article, Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī contrasts the spiritual atmosphere of Vraja-maṇḍala and Gaura-maṇḍala, arguing that Vraja-maṇḍala has preserved exclusive devotion to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, whereas Gauḍa-maṇḍala has been influenced by Śākta ideas. Its central theme is that the name ‘Śyāmā’ properly refers to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, not Mahāmāyā. To illustrate this point, he quotes a traditional devotional song from Vraja in which ‘Śyāmā’ unmistakably refers to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. This article was first published in The Gauḍīya in 1950.
Śrīmatī Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī – The Daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu
For Śrī Rādhāṣṭamī, we present this lecture by Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura given on Thursday, 26th August, 1925, at Kolkata Gauḍīya Maṭha, on the occasion of Rādhāṣṭamī. Amongst other topics, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura talks about the pre-eminent position of Rādhārāṇī, how Rūpa Gosvāmī’s descriptions of the afternoon pastimes of Rādhā-Govinda surpasses the narrations of Nimbārkācārya, the prerequisite to understand higher topics, and Śrī Rūpa and Jīva Gosvāmī’s opinions on Svākiya and Parakīya-rasa.
What is the Process to Understand Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Appearance?
On the eve of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, we present this article, which was first published in Śrī Caitanya Vāṇī magazine (Vol. 1, issue 7) in 1961. Herein, Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Mahārāja discusses the realisation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa through the process of bhakti and how the heart must be fully pure in order to become conscious of the ‘eternal Janmāṣṭamī.’
The Proper Standard of Deity Worship
In this previously unpublished article from May 1999, Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha explains to an ISKCON devotee the proper standard for worshipping Govardhana-śilā (or any Deity) as established by our previous ācāryas. Śrī Caitanya gave Govardhana-śilā (Kṛṣṇa) and guñja-mālā (Rādhārāṇī) to Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, setting the standard for worship. Swami Narasiṅgha stresses that independent of guru or senior Vaiṣṇava guidance, one should not engage in deity worship.
Śrī Śrī Rādhāṣṭamī
For the upcoming Rādhāṣṭamī festival, we present the following article written by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī which was originally published in Caitanya-vāṇī magazine (Vol. 16, Issue 8) in 1968. Śrīla Purī Mahārāja describes the glories of observing Rādhāṣṭamī, the various accounts of Rādhārāṇī’s appearance, and the importance and efficacy of rādhā-nāma.
The Birth of Śrī Kṛṣṇa
In this early article by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda from The Gauḍīya (Vol.1, Issue 1) published in 1922, Sarasvati Ṭhākura compares Kṛṣṇa’s appearance during the rainy season in Vṛndāvana to His appearance in the heart of a receptive jīva. He also gives a warning about neglecting to observe the appearance of the Lord.
‘The Best of Thieves’ – An Illumination
Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī comments upon a Sanskrit prayer attributed to Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura entitled Caurāgragaṇya-Puruṣāṣṭakam (Eight Prayers to that Personality Who is the Best of Thieves). In his explanation, Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja explains that Kṛṣṇa’s inherent nature as a thief is in the jīva’s best interests.
The Ontological Position of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda
In 'The Ontological Position of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda', Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja describes the glories of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govindadeva, and the special characteristic of Govinda within the Gauḍīya sampradāya in relation to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu and in comparison with Gopīnātha and Madana-mohana. This article is based upon a talk given in January 1982.
