20220315 Śāntipur Festival Address

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda  
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare 
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim 
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam 
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

This is Śāntipur dhāma. Lord Caitanya came here, after taking sannyāsa. Here He had union with Śacīmātā and the congregational devotees. Here is Śantipur-nātha, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī-nātha, Advaita Gosāñi’s home. And here Advaita Gosāñi did special worship to His spiritual master, Śrīpada Mādhavendra Purī. He did an elaborate arrangement for prasāda. The Caitanya-bhāgavata gives a detailed explanation of this. And here Lord Caitanya said that whoever honors prasāda on this tithi, in this place, he will achieve Govinda-bhakti! Earlier, the sevaite who was here, Śānti Sakha Goswami, he asked that is there any place where just by honoring prasāda, one get Govinda-bhakti? That is why he told me that ISKCON should organize this event. Every year I come, and I pray for the special mercy of Advaita Gosāñi. Now his son who is serving there is a very dear friend of mine. His father used to call me his younger brother, so I am his uncle. Anyway, I hope that you will follow in the footsteps of Advaita Gosāñi and devotional service to Lord Caitanya.

I will now speak a little in English for those who have come from abroad.

This place is Advaita Gosāñi’s house. Lord Caitanya after taking sannyāsa, He came here several times. And He was asked by His Mother Śacī to stay in Jagannātha Purī. But here He told all the devotees that those who were gṛhasthas, please return to your houses and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. He also said, seeing the amazing arrangements of prasāda, that Advaita Gosāñi is not an ordinary person, and those who take prasāda here, on this tithi, will get Govinda-bhakti. So please help to distribute prasāda and take some prasāda too!

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Śāntipur Festival kī jaya!

Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!