Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Nitaai Gaura Hari Naama Sankirtan ki Jaya! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All Glories to Shri Guru Parampara!

The first step in our spiritual journey is that we must find and surrender to a spiritual master who may lead us in this path of devotion and teach us this science of bhakti. A person who has faith in the Lord and spiritual master attain all fortune:

yasya deva para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah prakasante mahatmanah

"One who has unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord and the spiritual master, all the purports of the scriptures become revealed."

With a faithful service to the spiritual master, the Supreme mercy of Lord Gauranga-Krishna is attained. It is not possible for us to directly approach the Supreme Lord, but only via spiritual master.  All the principles of bhakti are becoming automatically manifested in a person who has faith in the spiritual master:


tatra bhagavatan dharman siksed gurvatmadaivatah
amayaya anuvrtya yai tusyed atma 'tmado harih

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.22

"One should always view the spiritual master as the expansion of Lord Hari and one's best friend and well wisher. Only be obedient service of Srila Gurudeva without any hypocrisy can he be able to please Lord Hari in which case all the principles of 'bhagavta-dharma' will become automatically understood."

This is possible, because  Lord Gauranga-Krishna is actually present in front of us as spiritual master.

acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyasuyeta sarva-deva-mayo guru'

"Oh Uddhava! The spiritual master is known to be My very form. At no time should one neglect or disrespect the Guru as an ordinary mortal by envy, nor should he be viewed as having any faults. For this reason the Guru is the sum total of the demigods."

Therefore the spiritual master is sum and substance of our spiritual life. His teachings are our breath, his desires our orders. Whatever a disciple may do, he is doing it in order to please his spiritual master. We are fallen and spiritually blind, but fortunate to be under the shelter of such glorious spiritual master.

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso’smi,
Ishana Thakura dasa
Edited by Jagannatha dasi

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Nitaai Gaura Hari Naama Sankirtan ki Jaya! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All Glories to Shri Guru Parampara!

Our lineage belongs to Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya. It originates from the Supreme Lord, via Brahma etc. Shrila Madhvacarya was an unique spiritual master who gave unparalleled contribution in spreading of this sampradaya and gave theological explanation about the eternal position of the jiva, separated from the Lord. Impersonalists falsely think that a jiva and God are the same by quality and quantity, Shrila Madhvacharya explained that the living entities are not God, but distinct from God.

He gave us nava-prameya-siddhantha or nine truths of evidence and the direct order of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for us is to absorb those Truths.

These Truths are as follows:

1) Bhagavan alone is the Supreme truth, one without a second.
2) He is the object of knowledge in all the Vedas.
3) The universe is real [satya].
4) Differences [between Isvara, jiva and matter] are real.
5) Jiva souls are the servants of Lord Hari.
6) All souls are different according to their different situations.
7) Liberation [moksa] is the name of attainment of Bhagavan's feet.
8) Bhagavan's pure worship [amala bhajana] is the only way to attain liberation.
9) Pratyaksa [direct perception], anumana [logic], and sabda [spiritual sound] are the three types of evidence.

By understanding these nine truths a devotee may easily defeat any impersonalist or any other philisopher who does not accept the Supreme Position of  Bhagavan Shri Gauranga-Krishna and speculates about this world, soul and God. Each of these statements may be supported by thousands verses from Vaishnava literature.

Even great philosophers and scholars are bewildered by such topics. Our advice for them is to read these Truths  that Shrila Madhvacharya gave to us and to try to understand deeply by reading Vaishnava literature. Then they will understand the nature of the universe, knowledge, soul and matter and become engaged in devotional service chanting Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna Maha Mantra.

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso’smi,
Ishana Thakura dasa
Edited by Jagannatha dasi

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Nitaai Gaura Hari Naama Sankirtan ki Jaya! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All Glories to Shri Guru Parampara!

Lord Nityananda is always blissful, unparalleled in  His devotion to Lord Gauranga-Krishna. His Pastimes are glorious and unique and we should swim in that river of pure love.

Sometimes Lord Nitaaichandra was so deeply absorbed in bhakti, that he was behaving like an innocent child, totally unaware of external surroundings. He would speak sweetly and anyone who heard His divine voice would melt in pure ecstasy. In great bliss, Lord Nityananda would chant, dance or laugh with His Associates.

Even in the rainy season, when the Ganges is turbulent and full of crocodiles Nityananda Prabhu swam in the water without any kind of fear. When people saw that Nityananda is swimming in the river full of crocodiles they start to shout -"Alas, alas, what is He doing? Crocodiles are everywhere! Alas, alas!" Everyone was frightened but Lord Nityananda just smiled and joyfully swam.

Lord Nityananda is no other then Lord Balarama, and He likes to do heroic acts. He likes to swim with Krishna and Their friends and perform different sport activities in the water. He is also the source of Lord Ananta Shesha who floats in the causal ocean.

ankarsanah karana-toya-shayi
garbhoda-shayi cha payobdhi-shayi
sheshash cha yasyamsha-kalah sa nitya-
nandakhya-ramah sharanam mamastu

Shri Chaitanya Charitamrta Adi.1.7.

"May Sri Nityananda Rama be the object of my constant remembrance. Sankarshana, Shesha Naga and the Vishnus who lie on the Karana Ocean [Maha-Vishnu], Garbha Ocean [Garbodakashayi Vishnu] and ocean of milk [Kshirodakashayi Vishnu] are His plenary portions and the portion of His plenary portions."

In that way Lord Nityananda used to joyfully swim in the Ganges full of crocodiles. Similar if a person takes shelter of His Name - Nityananda, huge crocodiles of this age, impersonalists, cheaters and mundane speculators who are just like envious beasts will not be able to even come near to the devotee who is under the protection of Lord Nityananda.

Let us always swim in the river of devotion by chanting Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna Maha Mantra.

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso’smi,
Ishana Thakura dasa
Edited by Jagannatha dasi

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Nitaai Gaura Hari Naama Sankirtan ki Jaya! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All Glories to Shri Guru Parampara!

Sometimes we may see that impersonalists, mayavadis are also chanting Hare Krishna in kirtana or speak about Bhagavad-Gita or Shrimad Bhagavatam. But we should clearly understand that their glorification of Lord Krishna and chanting His Name are most offensive and pure devotees do not approve their chanting of Krsna's names, nor even listening of such chanting.

ataeva krishna-nama na aise tara mukhe
mayavadi-gana jate maha bahir-mukhe

“The holy name of Krishna does not come from the mouths of the Mayavadis, for they are completely opposed to the Lord.”
Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.17.143


The Holy Names are always pure and transcendental. The power of the Name is so great that it has impact on sinners, materialistic people etc. The only exception are the Mayavadis whose chanting of the Name is pratibimba-namabhasa that means harmfull and very offensive. According to the Mayavadis opinion, Lord Krishna is formless and without any variety. They are thinking that Supreme Lord Gauranga-Krishna is imaginary and that His Name, Form, Pastimes etc are material, non-eternal, ans that in order to manifest such things the Absolute Truth must take shelter of illusion.

In this verse it is confirmed that the holy name of Krishna does not come from their mouths because they are offenders. Even they are such offenders, mayavadi krishne aparadhi. The Holy Name is giving them sayujya mukti according to their desires, but that position is actually a fall down and non-permanent position.

Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu personally said:

prabhu kahe mayavadi krishne aparadhi
brahma atma chaitanya kahe niravadhi
ataeva tara mukhe na aise krishna-nama
krishna-nama krishna-svarupa duita samana
nama vigraha svarupa tina eka-rupa
tine bheda nahi tina cid-ananda-rupa
deha-dehira, nama-namira krishne nahi bheda
jivera dharma nama-deha-svarupe vibheda

“Mayavadi impersonalists are offenders to Krishna. They constantly repeat words like Brahman, atman, and Chaitanya. As a result, they are unable to utter Krishna’s holy name. Krishna’s name and His essence are the same. Krishna’s name, His form and His essential being are all one. They are spiritual and there is no distinction to be made between them. In Krishna, there is no difference between body and soul, nor between the signified and signifier as is the case with the jiva, in whom all these distinctions are present.”
(Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.17.129-132)

Therefore we must conclude that mayavadis' chanting of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra is offensive and we should always try to listen to the sound of the Holy Name from the lips of pure devotees.

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso’smi,
Ishana Thakura dasa
Edited by Jagannatha dasi

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Nitaai Gaura Hari Naama Sankirtan ki Jaya! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All Glories to Shri Guru Parampara!

To take full shelter of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga means to fully accept and regularly chant Their Names, worship Them, study Their glories, serve Their devotees, visit Ekachakra and Navadvipa etc. In that way a person may take full shelter of Their Mercy.

In order to fully absorb the wonderful pastimes of Lord Nityananda we should always read Chaitanya Bhagavata by Shrila Vrindavana dasa Thakura.

‘chaitanya-mangala’ shune yadi pashandi, yavana
seha maha-vaishnava haya tatakshana

Chaitanya Charitamrta Adi 8.38:

"If even a great atheist hears Shri Chaitanya-mangala, he immediately becomes a great devotee."

Shri Chaitanya-mangala is the original title but later another book with the same title appeared, so devotees like to call it Chaitanya Bhagavata. If a person hears wonderful descriptions from this book he or she will become maha-vaishnava, a great devotee.

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to discuss philosophy in very elaborate manner, but he advised that Chaitanya Bhagavata is more important than Chaitanya-charitamrita because it is a lila-grantha. It describes the wonderful lila of Gauranga Mahaprabhu without describing so much about philosophy, so common people may absorb the sweetness of Mahaprabhu's pastimes from Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura also said that the first Vaishnava literature that a person should read is Chaitanya Bhagavata and recommended to anyone to read this most exalted book at least 100 times!

Therefore, we should embrace this sublime, Gauranga lila-grantha:

krishna-lila bhagavate kahe veda-vyasa
chaitanya-lilara vyasa--vrindavana-dasa

"As Vyasadeva has compiled all the pastimes of Lord Krishna in Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Thakura Vrindavana dasa has depicted the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya."

There are numerous verses and pastimes  in the Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata that are establishing the process of chanting Nityananda and Gauranga as a firm fact.

If a person may have any doubt about Nityananda and Gauranga such ghostly impurities are running under the shining rays of Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata. Let us eternally drink the nectar of this gaura-lila grantha and chant Nityananda, Gauranga, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso’smi,
Ishana Thakura dasa
Edited by Jagannatha dasi

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Nitaai Gaura Hari Naama Sankirtan ki Jaya! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All Glories to Shri Guru Parampara!

Bhakti means unalloyed devotion to God, pure love for Lord Gauranga- Krishna. Devotional service means to render different activities in order to satisfy Krishna, to give Him some pleasure. It is very difficult to translate the term bhakti, because there is no parallel word in material sense. It is pure, unconditioned surrender to Lord Krishna, devotion, love and much more.

If we are searching for a closest definition, Shrila Rupa Goswami is saying to us:

anyabhilashita-shunyam jshana-karmady-anavritam
anukulyena krishnanu-shilanam bhaktir-uttama

Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu Verse 11

"Actively serving Krishna and all that is related to Krishna with real liking and relish and in a way that is agreeable or pleasing also to Krishna, and serving Krishna in the above manner without any desires of the usual extraneous motives other than the desire for Bhakti itself, and without any adulteration by the ways of karma (as expounded in the Purva-Mimamsa) or the way of knowledge or jnana (as expounded in Uttara-Mimamsa) or the way of yogic realization (as expounded in Patanjali's yoga-philosophy) is pure, unadulterated Uttama-Bhakti,"


At the beginning we need to train ourself how to develop and increase our connection with the Lord, with Krishna. Sometimes a person thinks - "Oh, why I need to learn everything, any activity. It is enough that I am feeling something for God, therefore I love God. I do not need to chant, do arati, read. I am simply loving God and God is loving me."

But when you really love someone you will be constant with that person and do what that person likes. You will try to satisfy that person and try to avoid what that person does not like. There are so many activities. Just like a mother, she is not sitting the whole day saying - I love my child. No, she is running the whole day, cooking, dressing her baby, singing songs for her baby- so many activities to please a baby. Activities are manifestations of love. A teenager who is in love, he is doing so many, many things just in order to please his dear one. So many things. He doesn't just say, - I love you and do nothing. That is not real love.

In the same way, God is the Supreme Person. He likes something and dislikes the other. If we are about to love Him, we must know what He likes, what He does not like, how we may please Him, what is our relation with Him etc. That is the process of bhakti, we are doing so many things in order to please, satisfy Krishna, not ourselves. Like in love, a person is always negating itself in order to give love.

By sadhana we are becoming pure, and gradually learning about Krishna, who He is, what devotional service is, who we are etc. The first step is to approach a bonafide siritual master, to surrender unto him and under his guidance to practice nine basic processes of devotional service. In that way we are able to make rapid advancement in spiritual life.

Those nine processes or devotional activities are in short:

1. Shravanam - listening about the Lord, reading spiritual literature, carefully chanting  the Naam, learning and listening from devotees and spiritual master.

2.Kirtanam - chanting and singing about Lord Krishna, describing His glories, speaking about Him to others.

3. Smaranam means remembrance, meditation. When a devotee dives deep in the process of shravanam and kirtanam, he constantly meditates on the Form, Qualities, Pastimes, Associates of the Lord in every position, at any  time.

4. Vandanam means offering prayers. A devotee is praying to the Lord in different ways and glorifies Him.

5.Pada-sevanam means worshiping the lotus feet of the Lord.

6.Dasyam - rendering favorable service to the Lord. When a devotee is established in the knowledge of Lord Krishna he or she is eager to do something for His satisfaction, to render some service, cook some nice subji, or dress the Deity nicely, or distribute books. There are unlimited ways how devotees are serving the Lord and His Associates.

7.Pujanam means worshiping Deities. It is an elaborate process of worshiping from early morning to evening.

8.Sakhijanam - when a devotee fully realizes that the Lord is His friend. That kind of devotional activities is called sakhijana

9.Atma-nivedanam means total surrender of oneself to Lord Krishna. When a person surrenders all that he or she posses, mind, body, words etc in the service of the Lord, and wants only bhakti, That is called atma-nivedana.

Those nine primary, eternal processes of Bhakti are so powerful that even following just one may give us full success. King Pariksit attained all perfection simply by listening, Shri Sukadeva Gosvami by singing and glorifying the Lord, Prahlada Maharaja by remembrance, Shri Lakshmi-devi by serving the Lotus Feet of the Lord, King Prithy by worshiping the Lord, Akrura by offering prayers and hymns of adoration, Hanumana by rendering services as a servant, Arjuna by his friendship and Bali Maharaja by complete surrendering of everything.

Each and every one of those nine activities have unlimited divisions and subdivisions within. Those activities are performed both, in the beginning levels  and on the level of spontaneous devotion. The difference is in quality and intensity, for example at the beginning a person must force himself to read for 30 minutes, at the level of raga-nuga bhakti a devotee is constantly searching and diving deep into  spiritual topics, unaware of time, place or circumstances. At the beginning, a person is struggling to chant 4 rounds, on an advanced level a person wants to chant extra rounds after he or she chanted 32 or 64 rounds in great bliss. In that way every activity is eternal, but has many layers and stages.

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso’smi,
Ishana Thakura dasa
Edited by Jagannatha dasi

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Nitaai Gaura Hari Naama Sankirtan ki Jaya! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All Glories to Shri Guru Parampara!

We are so fallen, and our heart is full of dust like greed, lust, anger, etc. Therefore we need to undergo the process of spiritual cleaning. We may not see our real nature in this condition, otherwise we would be happily engaged in blissful service to the Lord.

This process is described in Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.2.17-18.

srinvatam sva-kathah krishnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hridy antah stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrit satam

nashta-prayeshv abhadreshu
nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naishthiki

"Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering  service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact."


On the level of pure love we do not need to learn how to relate to Krishna, or how to love Him. It is just as natural as a mother to relates to her son, or a lover to his mistress. Nobody teaches them how to act as comes natural. Similar on the level of raga-nuga, spontaneous attachment for Krishna, the love of the devotee and his affection naturally flow toward Krishna.

There are five basic rasas, or relationships, mellows that a jiva may have with Krishna. By cultivating bhakti, devotion, on the advanced stages jiva is fully aware of its position, the relation to the Lord. There are santa-rasa, neutrality, dasya-rasa, relation of servant, sakhya-rasa -eternal friendship with the Lord, vatsalya - parentship and madhurya - conjugal relationship. Activities in those rasas are unlimited and ever-increasing.

The activities of devotional service are unlimited. It is such an unique activity that the Lord Himself appeared as Lord Chaitanya to relish the process of devotional service. It cannot be compared in anyway, but to assume that if we would combine together all pleasure and varieties of activities in the material world  they would represent one tiny seed of mustard. Activities and the ways of bhakti will be like ever-increasing ocean of love and difference. Mundane activities are always the same, repetitive and temporary, as where devotional activities are always dynamic, fresh and full of joy and happiness. In this activities a devotee really feels greatest happiness - ramante yogino anante. We have so many examples of great devotees that are saying to us - "Come, here is real happiness, here is what you are searching for. Here are unlimited activities."

We may just try to understand how glorious those activities are, when the Lord Himself appeared to taste this processes of shravanam, kirtanam, smaranam. It is so ecstatic that the Lord's Associates are appearing in two different forms just to serve and relish that transcendental ecstasy. They are saying, "Oh, how I may perform my service with only one body, it is so limited..." Therefore even in Gaura-lila, 500 years ago we may see those Associates of the Lord appearing in two  different forms.

This process of bhakti is nonparallel and the eternal activity of the soul. It is our original position, and only by doing it we are fully satisfied. At the beginning stages of devotion we are learning to love, later on the love is guiding us. This process of bhakti may be relished only by applying it. Only if we are in the fire of devotional activities, we will feel and understand that. It is not possible to realize it by knowledge, tapasya, meditation, simply it is not possible. Only if you are applying those activities under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master, our understanding about bhakti will come and become manifested within the heart.

Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu ordered Shrila Rupa Goswami to describe this process of bhakti in detail and a person may find all information about this path of devotion in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. Shrila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gave us a wonderful summary version of that book - Nectar of devotion. We should use such literature and learn and practice this top-most, transcendental process of bhakti.

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Daaso’smi,
Ishana Thakura dasa
Edited by Jagannatha dasi