Gaurangapada

Q. Please explain about Gaurangapada?

Answer by BRS Swami Gaurangapada:

Gaurangapada is not a title in my case even though it looks like a pada title. It is a name. When I was brahmachari, my Gurudeva used to lovingly call me Gaurangapada dasa as one of his favorite songs was "gaurangera duti pada" by Shrila Narottama Dasa Thakura. I do not consider myself even a dust particle at the lotus feet of all greats Acharya Prabhupadas. I am the aspiring servant of their servants.

I knew that some devotees would develop doubts and think I am after cheap name and fame when I accepted this name "Gaurangapada" after Swami and they may maintain a distance from me or be critical of me because of this. But my intense desire was that everyone should chant the Holy Name of Gauranga when they speak my name so that I can give them the highest spiritual benefit of attaining Krishna Prema. ..gaurangera naam laya, taara haya premodaya. If my Sannyasa Gurudeva would have given a name of Gauranga or Nityananda in my sannyasa name, I would not have accepted this brahmachari name of Gaurangapada after Swami. But since I did not receive a name of Gaura or Nitaai in my sannyasa name, I desired to keep my brahmachari name Gaurangapada given by my Diksha Gurudeva added to my sannyasa name.

I knew that some devotees may think I have a big ego in accepting a title of Gaurangapada. But I myself never think that it is a title for me or anything like that. It is just my brahmachari name and it also reminds of the "pada" lotus feet of Lord Gauranga and it reminds everyone who speaks it of the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga. This is all what I desire. I am not Gaurangapada. I am Gauranga-pada-dasa. I am a servant of the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga. This is what I always meditate on.

By accepting the name of Gaurangapada, my only intense desire was to make everyone chant the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga somehow or the other and if it involves other devotees misunderstanding me and being critical of me, I was ready to even accept even that because it gave me a chance to become more and more humble. I thank all the devotees for their mercy upon me in different ways. I pray that Saragrahi Vaishnavas will see my consciousness and understand. I have written this from the bottom of my heart and I can assure you with great humility that there is no duplicity in what I have written. I wanted to write about this for a long time but it is only now I could do so. Thank you.

Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

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Orignal From: Gaurangapada

Gaura Vishnupriya and Gaura Gadadhara

Q. by Matus: Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura states in Jaiva Dharma (Chapter 14) that:
On
the path of arcana, Sri Gauranga is worshiped with Visnupriya, and on
the path of bhajana, Sri Gauranga is worshiped with Gadadhara.

Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:

This is a deep question. Bhajana normally goes deeper than Archana and is for more advanced sadhakas and Archana purifies the mind and heart for Bhajana. Thus, those who are on the path of Archana or Deity Worship, should worship the divine couple Shri Shri Gaura Vishnupriya to first purify their heart and prepare to enter the higher platform of Bhajana. Shri Shri Gaura Gadadhara worship is vaichitra vilasa or very advanced and can be only performed after a soul attains a high level of advancement, purity and insight in Bhajana. Otherwise the soul may end up speculating and committing an offense that Gaura Gadadhara worship is Gauranga Nagaribhava.

Thus it is important that the soul worships the Deity of the couple Shri Shri Gaura Vishnupriya via Archana vidhi to realize that Lord Gauranga is an ideal householder and His worship does not include amorous relationships with other females associates like in the case of Lord Krishna. Only then can the soul properly understand the pastimes of Shri Shri Gaura Gadadhara in meditation as being fully pure of any mundane contamination, lust and any distorted relationship. As I have explained earlier, Shri Gadadhara is Shrimati Radha Herself but They do not enact those same pastimes iof Krishna lila in Gaura lila. Rather They remember and relish Their pastimes in Krishna lila by Naam Sankirtana.

The second reason for this is Gaura Vishnupriya's pastimes are an integral part of Gaura lila and Gaura Gadadhara's pastimes have more intimate connection with Krishna lila. So Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada wants the devotees to first immerse themselves in Gaura lila via the worship of Shri Shri Gaura Vishnupriya and then slowly ascend to the platform of Krishna lila via the Bhajana of Shri Shri Gaura Gadadhara as the heart is gradually purified. I am sorry for the delay in replying to this question. As the previous forum was down for some time, it has missed my attention.

Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

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Orignal From: Gaura Vishnupriya and Gaura Gadadhara

Service to the Devotees

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara! Pranams! The more we increase the happiness of other devotees in Bhakti, the more the Lord increases our own spiritual happiness. Devotees are very closely linked to the Lord, thus they are the easiest way to touch the heart of the Lord. According to Shrila Vishwanatha Chakravarti Thakura, Bhakta is the vehicle for Bhakti. Without Bhakta, Bhakti cannot be transmitted from one heart to another because Lord Gauranga Krishna rarely gives Bhakti directly.

The greatest service to enable other devotees experience the bliss of Bhakti. But for that, first we have to ourselves become absorbed in the nectarean ocean of remembrance of the Lord by Naam Bhajana. Then we can serve the devotees in the proper way. So again, Naam is the root of Vaishnava seva also. :)

Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

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Orignal From: Service to the Devotees

Jahnava Devi in the Name

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara! Pranams! As I was chanting yesterday, I realized myself offering prostrated obeisances to Shrimati Jahnava Devi. She was absorbed in divine love for Lord Nityaananda and Shri Shri Radha Krishna. She is so intimate to Shrimati Radhika as Her younger sister Ananga Manjari. It was Ananga Manjari who brought Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to Rupa Manjari in Siddhi Lalasa...shri nitaai jahnava pada chaaya jaara aasha...Jahnava Devi is the most merciful eternal consort of the Lord. Her mercy is boundless. She made a blind man witness the Sankirtana. She was the leader of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas.

I pray that one day I will be actually able to serve the servants of Her servants and behold Her beauty like I did while chanting. She is residing at the center of Shri Radha Kunda in her own beautiful jewelled kunja (grove). We should pray to Lord Nitaai to grant us shelter of the lotus feet of Shrimati Jahnava Devi and vice versa.

Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

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Orignal From: Jahnava Devi in the Name

All Prayers in the Name

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara! Pranams! As I chant, I find myself spontaneously praying to the Lord with my innermost prayers. The prayers just arise without any effort and become one with the Name while chanting. There is no extra effort for this. And my eyes get filled with tears. O Naam, I realize that the process of Vandana or offering prayers is included in Thee! nava vidha bhakti naam haite haya...

Naam is the greatest prayer of all. It is the inspirer of all other prayers. One who does not chant, cannot pray properly to the Lord. I feel stunned in bliss when I chant with deep concentration. Prayer means to communicate with the Lord. The channel of communication of the soul with the Lord is opened by chanting of Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna Naam. The Lord does not listen to those who don't chant His Name.

The great 5-year old devotee Dhruva Maharaja could compose and recite choicest prayers due to constantly chanting His Name for six months. When the pure nature of the soul is revealed by chanting the Names, then prayer to the Lord begins because prayer is a natural function of the soul.

Oh Naam Prabhu, my only prayer to you is, "You are the prayer of all prayers. Please let me always float in Your bliss 24-hours!!! The time during which I forget Thee is eternally lost for my soul so I cry that I cannot chant Thee constantly. Please reside on my tongue constantly even though I am not qualified for Your presence."

Daaso'smi, Swami Gaurangapada.

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Orignal From: All Prayers in the Name

Non different!

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna
All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All glories to Srilla Prabhuapada!

Lord Nityananda is non different from Lord Krsna, Shyamasundara. This fact is confirmed in Chaitanya Bhagavata on following way:

krsnera dvitya-nityananda bai nai
sangi, sakha, sayana, bhujana, bandhu, bhai

"Lord Nityananda is not different from Lord Krsna. Lord Nityananda is Lord Krsna's associate, friend, couch, ornaments, and kinsmen." (C.Bhag. Madhya 12.27)

When two objects are identical, scientifically speaking, all their characteristics and qualities are same. That is definition. If we accept that Lord Krsna is non different from His Holy Name, we must also accept that Lord Nityananda is not different from His Holy Name, as it is described in this verse. Simply by quoting this single verse every devotee is able to prove that Nitaai Naam is non different from Lord Nityananda, because He is not different with Lord Krsna - krsnera dvitya-nityananda bai nai.

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna

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Orignal From: Non different!