Tamal Krsna Goswami: Actually, Prabhupada never appointed any gurus. He didn’t appoint eleven gurus. He appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement the last three years because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus.
[…] YOU CANNOT SHOW ME ANYTHING ON TAPE OR IN WRITING WHERE PRABHUPĀDA SAYS: ‘I APPOINT THESE ELEVEN AS GURUS.’ IT DOES NOT EXIST BECAUSE HE NEVER APPOINTED ANY GURUS. THIS IS A MYTH…”
The Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja asked by Dharmaraja that “What is the most wonderful thing in this world?” he said, “This is the most wonderful thing.” What is that? Ahany ahani lokāni gacchantīha yama… “Every moment people are dying.” Lokani, every planet. Not that in this planet there is death; in other planet there is no death. No. Within this material world every planet, either Brahmā or the small, insignificant ant, must die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam [Bg. 13.9]. Everyone has to die. There is no excuse. So, and still they are planning permanent settlement. So, this is their vimūḍhaka.
Anyone who is engaged in preaching this confidential science of Bhagavad-gītā,” na ca tasmād manuṣyeṣu kaścid me priya-kṛttamaḥ, “nobody is dearer to Me than he is.” So if you want very quickly recognition by Kṛṣṇa, go on preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even if it imperfectly done, but because you are sincere in your capa…, whatever capacity you have got, if you preach, then Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased.
I have seen practically. In my Guru Mahārāja’s day there was a paper, Dainika Nadiyā Prakāsh. It was being published daily, a piece of paper, just like I was publishing Back to Godhead. And if a small brahmacārī would go to Navadvīpa and would sell a few copies, one paisa a copy, that would be taken as a great preaching by Guru Mahārāja: “Oh, you have sold five copies? Very good.” Because people are so reluctant—they are not at all interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—therefore we become very much engladdened when we see that some of our books and literatures are sold. They will read and be benefited.
So this is the mission of high-class Vaiṣṇava, how to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness among the suffering humanity, and this is the purport of this verse said by Prahlāda Mahārāja, and we are following the footprints of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Never mind even it is imperfectly done, we must execute the orders of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. I may not be so very expert in delivering the message of Kṛṣṇa, but my duty is to try to my best capacity how to distribute this knowledge to the suffering humanity.
Thank you very much.
(Excerpt from Śrīla Prabhupāda lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.44 — Delhi, March 26, 1976)
🔗 Link to the full lecture: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/7/9/44/delhi/march/26/1976
Panakam, also known as Panagam or Panaka, is a traditional South Indian drink that is especially prepared during the festival of Rama Navami. It’s a refreshing and cooling beverage made with jaggery, water, and spices, perfect for the summer season when Rama Navami is celebrated.
Here’s a simple recipe to make Panakam:
Ingredients:
½ Cup Jaggery – chopped
2 Cups Water
2 Tablespoon Lemon juice (or juice of one lemon)
¼ Teaspoon Ginger powder (or fresh ginger)
⅓ to ½ Teaspoon Green cardamom powder
⅛ Teaspoon Black pepper powder
1 Pinch Edible camphor (optional)
4 to 5 Tulsi leaves (holy basil, optional)
1 Pinch Salt
Instructions:
Dissolve jaggery in water until it is fully dissolved.
Add lemon juice, ginger powder, green cardamom powder, salt and black pepper powder to the jaggery water.
You can add tulsi leaves and a pinch of edible camphor.
Mix well and adjust the flavors according to your taste.
Offered it to Lord Rāma or krsna
This drink not only quenches thirst but also acts as a body coolant, making it a healthy alternative to soft drinks. It is traditionally offered to Lord Rama (specially on Rāma-Navami) and then distributed among devotees as prasadam.
“One must perform sacrifices as prescribed in the śāstras, and they must give in charity their hard-earned money for Kṛṣṇa’s cause. That is called dāna. Yajña, dāna and tapasya. Tapasya. Just like tomorrow is Śrī Rāma-navami. The tapasya will be that all the devotees will observe fasting from morning till evening. This is called tapasya.”. (Pandal Lecture, Bombay, April 7, 1971)
“Lord Caitanya’s Birthdate is on the Phalguna Purnima between 15 of Feb. and 15th of March. The full moon day is Lord Caitanya’s Birthday. I think you can send for Rayarama’s calendar which he has published. The exact day is 14th March, Thursday, 1968. The procedure is that you should fast from morning to evening (about 7:00) after that there should be offering to Lord Caitanya and prasadam should be accepted just like on Ekadasi day, and next day, Friday, full love feasting may be provided to as many devotees as you can.” (Letter to: Janardana — Los Angeles, 21 January, 1968)
“Our next ceremony is Lord Ramacandra’s Birthday, on the 7th of April. It should be observed in the same way as Lord Caitanya’s Appearance Day, namely, fasting up to evening and then accept Prasadam, and all our ceremonies should be performed with continuous Kirtana, of Hare Krishna, Hare Rama. That will make all our functions successful.” (Letter to: Mukunda — San Francisco, 26 March, 1968)
“So far the Advent Day of Lord Rama Candra, it should be celebrated as Lord Caitanya’s Birthday was done. Fasting up to evening, and then take prasadam, and chant Hare Krishna whole day, and be engaged in reading and chanting off and on, chant for some time, then read for some time, then again have Kirtana and so on, throughout the day. If you have not got a Ramayana, then you can read Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, that is all right.” (Letter to: Mahapurusa — San Francisco, 28 March, 1968)
“Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So there will be an initiation on Rāma-navamī.
Prabhupāda: Rāma-navamī is upavāsa up till the… Go to observe fasting up to the evening.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So moon.
Prabhupāda: Sunset.” (Room Conversation, March 26, 1977, Bombay)
Sunday, 06 April 2025 [Mayapura, West Bengal, Indian Time]
Sri Rama Navami – The Appearance Day of Lord Ramacandra
Srila Prabhupada: “The Personality of Godhead Śrī Rāma assumed the form of a human being and appeared on the earth for the purpose of doing some pleasing work for the demigods or the administrative personalities to maintain the order of the universe. Sometimes great demons and atheists like Rāvaṇa and Hiraṇyakaśipu and many others become very famous due to advancing material civilization by the help of material science and other activities with a spirit of challenging the established order of the Lord.
For example. the attempt to fly to other planets by material means is a challenge to the established order. The conditions of each and every planet are different. and different classes of human beings are accomodated there for particular purposes mentioned in the codes of the Lord. But, puffed up by tiny success in material advancement, sometimes the godless materialist challenges the existence of God. Rāvaṇa was one of them, and he wanted to deport ordinary men to the planets of Indra (heaven) by material means without consideration of the necessary qualifications.
He wanted a staircase to be built up directly reaching the heavenly planet so that people might not be required to undergo the routine of pious work necessary to enter that planet. He also wanted to perform other acts against the established rule of the Lord. He even challenged the authority of Śrī Rāma the Personality of Godhead and kidnapped His wife Sītā. Of course Lord Rāma came to chastise this atheist, answering the prayer and desire of the demigods. He therefore took up the challenge of Rāvaṇa, and the complete activity is the subject matter of the Rāmāyaṇa.
Because Lord Rāmacandra was the Personality of Godhead, He exhibited superhuman activities which no human being, including the materially advanced Rāvaṇa, could perform. Lord Rāmacandra prepared a royal road on the Indian Ocean with stones that floated on the water. The modern scientists have done research in the area of weightlessness, but it is not possible to bring in weightlessness anywhere and everywhere. But because weightlessness is the creation of the Lord by which He can make the gigantic planets fly and float in the air, He made the stones even within this earth to be weightless and prepared a stone bridge on the sea without any supporting pillar. That is the display of the power of God.”
Srila Prabhupada explains the amazing story of Sri Mula Rāma
“In the book known as Adhyātma-rāmāyaṇa, there are statements in Chapters Twelve to Fifteen about the worship of the Deities Śrī Rāmacandra and Sītā. There it is stated that during Lord Rāmacandra’s time there was a brāhmaṇa who took a vow refusing to accept breakfast until he saw Lord Rāmacandra. Sometimes, due to business, Lord Rāmacandra was absent from His capital for a full week and could not be seen by citizens during that time. Because of his vow, the brāhmaṇa could not take even a drop of water during that week. Later, after eight or nine days, when the brāhmaṇa could see Lord Rāmacandra personally, he would break his fast. Upon observing the brāhmaṇa’s rigid vow, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra ordered His younger brother Lakṣmaṇa to deliver a pair of Sītā-Rāma Deities to the brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa received the Deities from Śrī Lakṣmaṇajī and worshiped Them faithfully as long as he lived.
At the time of his death, he delivered the Deities to Śrī Hanumānjī, who, for many years, hung Them around his neck and served Them with all devotion. After many years, when Hanumānjī departed on the hill known as Gandha-mādana, he delivered the Deities to Bhīmasena, one of the Pāṇḍavas, and Bhīmasena brought Them to his palace, where he kept Them very carefully. The last king of the Pāṇḍavas, Kṣemakānta, worshiped the Deities in that palace. Later, the same Deities were kept in the custody of the kings of Orissa known as Gajapatis. One of the ācāryas, known as Narahari Tīrtha, who was in the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya, received these Deities from the King of Orissa.
It may be noted that these particular Deities of Rāma and Sītā have been worshiped from the time of King Ikṣvāku. Indeed, they were worshiped by the royal princes even before the appearance of Lord Rāmacandra. Later, during Lord Rāmacandra’s presence, the Deities were worshiped by Lakṣmaṇa. It is said that just three months before his disappearance, Śrī Madhvācārya received these Deities and installed them in the Uḍupī temple. Since then the Deities have been worshiped by the Madhvācārya-sampradāya at that monastery.
As far as the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas are concerned, beginning with Rāmānujācārya, they also worshiped Deities of Sītā-Rāma. Sītā-Rāma Deities are also being worshiped in Tirupati and other places. From the Śrī Rāmānuja-sampradāya there is another branch known as Rāmānandī or Rāmāt, and the followers of that branch also worship Deities of Sītā-Rāma very rigidly. The Rāmānuja-sampradāya Vaiṣṇavas prefer the worship of Lord Rāmacandra to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.”
