Our Line

Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh Philippines
Śrī Nāma Haṭṭa Center
U.P. Campus, Diliman, Quezon City 1101
November 2020
Our Line
mātala hari-jana kīrtana raṅge
pūjala rāga-pātha gaurava-bhaṅge
“Intoxicated with the joy of sankirtan, the devotees worship raga-marg, the
path of loving service unto Radha-Krishna, from within the posture of vidhimarg,
the path of scripturally regulated devotional practice.”

Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
explains the practice of devotion within
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
Our Math is located in Gupta-Govardhan, Hidden Govardhan, in Sri
Nabadwip Dham. Giriraj Govardhan is the highest, most worshippable
place of Radha-Krishna’s Pastimes, and Radha-Krishna’s
highest lila happens in the groves around Govardhan Hill. Thus Govardhan
is the primary place of raga-marg worship of Radha-Krishna. Srila Das
Goswami Prabhu prays,
pramada-madana-līlāḥ kandare kandare te
rachayati nava-yūnor dvandvam asminn amandam
iti kila kalanārthaṁ lagnakas tad-dvayor me
nija-nikaṭa-nivāsaṁ dehi govardhana tvam
(Sri Govardhana-vasa-prarthana-dasakam: 2)
(“Oh Govardhan, the Divine Couple liberally enact Their Pastimes of maddened
love within your caves. Please grant me a dwelling beside you so I can observe
Their Pastimes.”)
When I wanted to make a diorama expressing our siddhanta on the front
of our Math in Nabadwip, I engraved two lines on our nat-mandir. I wanted
to show in the diorama that it is through Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan that we
must worship Radha-Krishna in kali-yuga.
mātala hari-jana kīrtana raṅge
pūjala rāga-pātha gaurava-bhaṅge
This verse means that devotees are intoxicated with the practice of
Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan—they are hearing and chanting the Holy Name and the
glories of Mahaprabhu—and through that they are serving and satisfying the Divine
Couple Radha-Krishna. Gaurava-bhange means that there are some rules and
regulations and from afar we worship the raga-path; in the formal posture

(gaurava-bhange) of Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan the devotees worship Radha-Govinda
and Their intimate servitors.
At present we do not live in the domain of Radha-Krishna and we are not
trying to forcefully enter that abode. Rather we are trying to honour that
abode through our life in kali-yuga under our proper shelter in the practice
of sankirtan at the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So we are
proceeding systematically towards the goal of our lives, the service of
Radha-Govinda, under the guidance of Their intimate associates headed by
Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu.
We presented our diorama on the front of our Math to show everyone
that through the sankirtan of Mahaprabhu we can properly honour the most
worshippable plane of raga-marg service of Radha-Krishna—Govardhan—
and that we will automatically enter there when we become qualified
through our sincere practice of sankirtan.
mātala hari-jana kīrtana raṅge
pūjala rāga-pātha gaurava-bhaṅge
Our target is the service of Radha-Krishna under the guidance of
Radharani’s associates. But if we immediately think we will get it very
easily then we will be cheated. It is first necessary to practise Hari-namsankirtan
properly and try to attract Radha-Krishna to appear in our heart
by the grace of Their associates.