Sri Sita Navami – The appearance day of Srimati Sitadevi, the consort of Lord Rama.

Sitadevi represents chastity, service attitude, commitment, humility, spiritual strength and unlimited beauty. Let us pray to Her to bestow the above qualities on them in their service to Sri Rama.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya lila, Chapter 9, 201-206

pativrata-siromani janaka-nandini
jagatera mata sita–ramera grhini

Srimati Sitadevi is the mother of the three worlds and the wife of Lord Ramacandra. Among chaste women she is supreme, and she is the daughter of King Janaka.

ravana dekhiya sita laila agnira sarana
ravana haite agni kaila sitake avarana

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Pujyapada Sri Saurīndranāth Bhakti Vāridhi Prabhu

Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj remembers an exalted servant of Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga.

The Departure of Param Bhāgavat
Śrīpād Saurīndranāth Bhakti Vāridhi Mahoday

by Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj

Translated from the Bengali article published in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan, Volume 13, Issue 1, Sunday, 24 August 1969.

There is a village named Madla not far from Bogra. In this village is the opulent home of the renowned and powerful landholder Yogendranāth Sarkār Mahoday. Yogendra Bābu himself was a very clever and forceful administrator. He twice fought in lawsuits that went up to the Privy Council (Supreme Court of Great Britain) between a landholder in Bogra and Śrī Mohamed Ali, the former chief minister of Pakistan [Bangladesh]. Once, he also invited the Bahadur governor of Bengal at that time to his home and honourably hosted him.

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SARANAGATI

About Surrender to the Supreme Lord

sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma suchah

Abandon all forms of religion and surrender exclusively unto Me. I will liberate you from all sin. Do not despair.

—Sri Gita

tasmat tvam uddhavotsrjya chodanam pratichodanam
pravrttin cha nivrttin cha srotavyam srutam eva cha
mam ekam eva saranam atmanam sarva-dehinam
yahi sarvatma-bhavena maya sya hy akuto-bhayah

O Uddhava, abandoning the Vedas and their auxiliaries, all of their prescriptions and prohibitions, and everything you have heard or may ever hear, with all your heart take exclusive shelter of Me, the life of all beings. By My grace you will become completely fearless.

—Srimad Bhagavatam

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There was once a maker of Deities, who made three Deities, all exactly the same in every way.

Each was made using 100 grams of gold.

He brought it to the court of King Vikramaditya and told him I am not asking money for these; but I want to know if there is any one in your court who can put a price to them, and who can tell which of these is more valuable?

Many learned persons ( Vidhvans) were sitting in the court, and many of them came up to inspect the Moortis, but none of them could make out any difference at all!

The Karigar, or moorti maker told the king that I am disappointed that there is no one in your whole court who can make out the difference.

Then the King told Kalidas, who was also present, to check the moortis.

Kalidas discovered that the Moortis had a hole in the ear and he was intrigued.

So he took a thin wire and picked the first moorti and put it into the ear. It came out in the other ear.

Kalidas said this Moorti is totally useless.

Then he put the wire in the second Moorti, and it came out in the mouth.

Kalidas said this Moorti is worth a Thousand gold coins.

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Divine words of His Divine Grace
Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhar Dev Goswami

The siksa-guru parampara should be considered the most substantial thing. Eliminating the sahajiya-vada which gives much importance to the outer cover, try to look within, and see things more deeply. Try to understand the deeper vibrations of the outside environment, and see within yourself also. Dive deep, and you will find the plane of the finest vibration which will carry that news to you, and you will see that truth.

We are slaves of the truth. We are beggars for the pure current of truth that is constantly flowing: the fresh current. We are not charmed by any formality. I will bow down my head wherever I find the river of nectar coming down to me.

Maya means ‘local interest’, to see things or read the environment by local interest, not from the standpoint of universal interest.

So if my inner voice, my spiritual conscience decides that a type of company cannot really help me, then I will be under painful necessity to give it up, and to run away towards my destination, in the direction that my spiritual conscience guides me. Otherwise it will be hypocrisy, and it will check our real progress.

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