Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, a great spiritual master who appeared in the mid-17th century, says, "One who recites this beautiful prayer to the spiritual master during the brāhma-muhūrta portion of the day obtains direct service to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of Vṛndāvana, at the time of his death."

Nirañjana Swami leading chanting of Śrī Gurvastakam

This collection of devotional prayers of the Vaishnava acharyas was recorded in the early 90s with Dwarkadish das at Paradise Shift studios in Watford, UK.

4 Guru Parampara (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur)

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Oh Govinda 
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Oh Lord the sun's effulgence hides Your face,

Your blissful form lies far beyond my eyes,

But now Your wonders call my heart's embrace,

As dawn displays your beauty in the sky.


The rainbow shows the colors of Your dress,

The movements of the moon reflect Your mind,

Your smiling is the cause of happiness,

And love exists because You are so kind.


Oh Govinda within my heart, Celestial herdsman lotus eyed one,

Your precious gift of love impart, Oh you who stand behind the sun,

You're the one, You're the one in my heart.


Rolling rivers flow forth from your veins,

The clouds that fill the sky come from Your hair,

The seeds of life are watered by Your rains,

And from Your breathing blows the might air,

My Lord you are the source of all I see,

Your movements are the passing days of time,

You are the resting place of all that be,

And love exists because you are so kind.


Oh Govinda within my heart, Celestial herdsman lotus eyed one,

Your precious gift of love impart, Oh you who stand behind the sun,

You're the one, You're the one in my heart.


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Lyrics: Jeffrey Armstrong 
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Music: Michael Cassidy
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Oh Govinda

Musician Jahnavi Harrison explores why chanting the name of God can be such a powerful devotional practice.

Drawing on her own bhakti yoga tradition, she recalls hearing her parents chanting and how important it became to her from an early age. "The name of God," she explains, "is said to be the panacea for whatever ails the mind, body and soul. It was the ever present soundtrack to my life - night, day, birthdays, funerals, weddings and road trips."

Her experience at a Christian school also showed her that other religious traditions say and sing the God's name. She notes that she was "thrilled to discover this common thread, and the myriad ways that this praise was expressed."

Using the words of the Psalms, the Sufi poets and a number of Hindu saints and mystics, Jahnavi celebrates the power of chanting in different ways and locations and, alongside the music of Vivaldi and Rachmaninov, she relishes in the most famous of all Hindu songs, My Sweet Lord by George Harrison, who is quoted in the programme:

"My idea was to sneak up on them a bit. The point was to have the people not offended by 'Hallelujah' and, by the time it gets to 'Hare Krishna', they're already hooked."

Presenter: Jahnavi Harrison
Producer: Michael Wakelin
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.

BBC Radio 4 'Something Understood' - Hallowed Be Thy Name - August 2017

Ceto Darpana Marjanam

Udilo Aruna - Jahnava New Braj 2012

Super Ecstatic Lecture given by Sankarshan Das Adhikari and Vishnupriya Devi Dasi in the Alytus, Lithuania public library on 13 May 2019.  The audience was so inspired that many of them purchased Srila Prabhupada's books.

Alytus, Lithuania Library Lecture - -13 May 2019

Revive Your Lost Loving Relationship with God

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