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Shri Jiva Goswami displayed all the charming features of a mahapurusa (divine person). He had lotus eyes, a high nose and forehead, broad chest, long arms, and a radiant golden body.

Sri Sacidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura appeared in 1838 in a wealthy family in the Nadia district, West Bengal. He revealed that he is an eternal associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by his extraordinary preaching activities and prolific writing. Living as a, mahabhagavata Vaisnava, he stayed in the grhasta ashram until the last few years of his life. Then he renounced everything, accepted babaji, and entered samadhi, totally absorbed in the loving service of Gaura-Gadadhara and Radha-Madhava. “He had a responsible government position as the District Magistrate (high court judge), maintained a Krishna conscious family, and wrote almost one hundred books on Krishna consciousness. At the same time, he served the Supreme Lord in so many ways. That is the beauty of his life. After a full day of government service he would sleep four hours, get up at midnight and write until morning. That was his daily program.” (Srila Prabhupada)

There are no indications that Gaudiya Vaisnavas perform any extra functions or austerities for this vrata. The fourteenth day in the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada is known as anantana vrata.The Lord Ananta Padmanabha is invoked in a pot filled with water and decorated with coconut and flowers. Special puja is celebrated with fourteen varieties of dishes. Of all the vratas assigned to caturdasi, the Anantacaturdasi-vrata (Bhadrapada sukla caturdasi) seems to be the most important and widely observed. It is also called ‘Anantapadmanabha-vrata’. Lord Visnu is believed to have appeared on this day as Padmanabha lying on the couch of Ananta (the thousand-hooded serpent).

Sri Haridas Thakur appeared in this world in the village of Buron, in the present district of Sat-kira, which was previously a sub-division of Khulna, Bangladesh. By this great fortune that land has been blessed, in that the chanting of the Holy Names of Hari-Nam Sankirtan, became revealed there. After remaining there for some time, he came to the banks of Ganga at Fulia, near Santipur. Advaita Acarya was overjoyed to get his association and roared very loudly. The two of them thus began to float in the waves of the mellows of pastimes of Sri Krsna – Govinda. [C. B. Adi 16.18] Sri Haridas Thakur is an eternally liberated associate of the Lord. The associates of the Lord are worshipable wherever they make their appearance. Just as Garuda appeared as a bird, and Hanuman as a monkey, Haridas Thakur appeared in a family of Yavanas (Mohammedans). From his very birth he was very deeply devoted to the Holy Names of Sri Krsna.

Today is a very sacred day in our line. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and began to search for his brother Visvarupa. While searching, on this day He found out that he was in Pandarapur, and that he had left his body. He had taken samadhi on the bank of the river Bhima. Then, on this day, though Mahaprabhu was observing Caturmasya-vrata very strictly for four months, He shaved his hair. Before this year, He never shaved for these four months, nor did He cut his nails. He observed all the rules and regulations of Caturmasya.

“One night, Abhay had an unusual dream. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta appeared before him, beckoning. He was asking Abhay to leave home and take sannyasa. Abhay awoke in an intensely emotional state, “How horrible!” He thought. He knew it was not an ordinary dream, yet the request seemed so difficult and unlikely. Take sannyasa! At least it was not something he could do immediately. Now he had to improve the business, and with the profits he would print books. He went on with his duties, but remained shaken by the dream.” (Satwarup Goswami. 1980. Prabhupada Lilamrta. Page 118.)

Third month: No milk (if required, it can be mixed with a drop of lemon juice). Caturmasya stands for ‘four months’. It is the period between sayana and uttana ekadasis. The scriptures refer to this period as the duration of Lord Visnu’s sleep in this universe. The main goal of observing Caturmasya is to decrease attachment to material things and to increase devotion to Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada arrived in Boston on September 17, 1965.

The delightful exultations of Indira Ekadasi are described in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana in the conversation between Sri Krsna and Maharaja Yudhisthira. Maharaja Yudhisthira enquired: "O Krsna! O Madhusudana! O Killer of the demon Madhu! What is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the waning moon in the month of Asvina (September/October), what is the process for following this sublime vrata (vow), and what merit is obtained by observing it?" Lord Krsna replied, "The name of this sacred and clement Ekadasi is Indira Ekadasi. By Observing this Ekadasi the sinful reactions of all one's forbearers as well as one's own sinful reactions are entirely eradicated.

Durga Puja is one of the significant Hindu festivals, celebrated with much joy in the entire country. The occasion marks the occassion of Lord Rama and brother Lakshman approaching Mother Durga to ask her for her blessings in His planned attack on the demon Ravana. It is therefore considered that the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s approaching her for blessings to remove material impediments to His spiritual goals should be the approach of the humble devotee of the Lord to clinche the important triumph of Lord Rama over the demon king, Ravana, the victory of good over evil.

Lord Ramacandra’s victory over the demon Ravana. A large effigy of Ravana is ceremoniously burned.

Madhvacharya is the principal acharya, or spiritual teacher, in in the Brahma-sampradaya, the Vaisnava disciplic line from which the Gaudiya sampradaya descends. He was born in Udupi, South India, in the early thirteenth century. At the age of five he took initiation and at the age of twelve left home to take sannyasa. Madhvacharya studied the Vedas under the compiler of the Vedas, Vyasadeva, in the Himalayas. Madhvacharya’s Vedanta- sutra commentary Purnaprajna-bhasya establishes the doctrine known as Suddha-dvaita-vada. Madhva used his erudite scholarship to crush the Mayavada (impersonalistic) philosophy and establish devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (See Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 9.245.)