All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math had a stall filled with the transcendental literature of our divine Guru-varga at the annual Nabadwip Sri Chaitanya Book Fair or Boi Mela. Sripad Bhakti Nirmal Acharyya Maharaj arranged to have our Math's name, contact information and Srila Govinda Maharaj's beautiful photo prominently displayed on the large gateway to the fair which thousands of visitors passed through.

When Srila Govinda Maharaj viewed photos from the book fair he commented that our Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math stall stood out from all the others as the brightest and most attractive. He was pleased to hear that with each passing year, more and more visitors to our stall are recognising the name Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and many have visited Sri Govinda Kunda and our Temple. One recent visitor told us that Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math and the beautiful water mandir of Sri Giriraj are the pride of all of Nabadwip.

We had record sales this year. Bestsellers were the Bengali editions of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Chaitanya Bhagavat, Bhagavad-gita and Sri Harinam Mahatmya. But His Divine Grace often reminds us that this is not a business venture for us. We are different from the other book stalls. We are there to share something which cannot have a price. The divine knowledge contained in the books of the pure Vaisnavas is so valuable. To the ordinary visitor the Vaisnava literature is of impenetrable depth, but to one who has acquired sufficient pious credit, sukriti, each page of these books contains valuable jewels of divine wisdom. They are our purest, our sweetest necessity.

Srila Govinda Maharaj was pleased to hear of the preaching that took place at the book fair this year and Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj has said, "To preach means this: 'I sincerely have faith in Krishna consciousness and relish it to the utmost. I find that my future prospect is also here. Because I feel that it is very tasteful, useful, and wholesome, I have come to distribute it to you, my friends. We should guide our lives according to the principles of Krishna consciousness as taught by the Spiritual Master. Take it, and you will be successful in fulfilling the goal of your life.' "

Despite the long hours, the commotion and noise of the loudspeakers, and the cold, we felt blessed to be in our bookstall surrounded by the ever-present grace of our divine guardians and our holy books. They were and are constant reminders of our purpose and our sweet goal. Many visitors to our stall wanted to see and interact with the Westerners. They are fascinated by Western culture, but again and again we told them, "You are born and living in the holy land of Nabadwip. You are living in the place of Mahaprabhu's divine Pastimes. We are coming from so far to touch our head to this holy land, but you do not realise your true wealth. Please, read this book and see what a wonderful golden gift Mahaprabhu has given."

Hare Krishna.

I offer my dandavat pranam to His Divine Grace Srila Govinda Maharaj, to our divine Guru parampara and to all the devotees worldwide who are teaching me by their example.