20200507 Zoom Session with Nagarkoil Devotees

The following is a talk given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 7th, 2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur,India.

The talk was given to the Nagercoil Devotees via zoom

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Vanakkam!

So, it is the lockdown period in India.

How many days now?44 or 45 days.

So, we are staying at home, because they don’t have a vaccine or we don’t have a treatment.

So we hope that all of you stay healthy,

because the virus may stay alive on some hard surface like a road, or table or elevator or lift panel for up to three days.

Therefore, they say repeatedly wash your hands with soap and water.

Observe social distancing

and wear mask.

Like this, that is the material side of the disease.

Because we have broken the laws of nature,

we are killing animals and are eating them,

so the disease of the animals has crossed into the human beings.

And thus we don’t have any antibodies to protect ourselves from this.

That is why we don’t have any vaccine or treatment as yet.

We have some alternative treatment

which has worked for devotees.

They are vegetarian, they chant the mantras

and this alternative therapy seems to work!

Especially if we get it early.

We had 37 devotees in Bangladesh who got the virus, and then after 5 days of treatment, 36 were virus free!!

So if you know anyone who is COVID-19 positive and wants to try this alternative therapy, we can give you their web page.

But I am very glad that many devotees are giving classes online.

Men and women in this way are using their time in their home to read books,

to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa

and to take Kṛṣṇa prasādam.

We saw many devotees have very nice altars in their houses.

We want the husband and wife to work together to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.

How Kṛṣṇa Caitanya said, He is very merciful,

no matter how sinful one was, how fallen they were, He would deliver them!

But we should avoid any offence, any criticism of any Vaiṣṇavas.

Lord Caitanya travelled in South India and all over India for six years.

He went to Kanyakumari.

And He was also in Nagercoil.

He went to Trivandrum.

He went to the Kerala coast.

If you get the mercy of Lord Caitanya now,

don’t waste this human form of life.

Śrīla Prabhupāda was said, how in the jungle you get all kinds of wood.

You may use that wood for cooking or firewood.

But sandalwood is a very special wood.

Not to be used for cooking or firewood!

Sandalwood is very expensive, very costly.

Like that, human life is very special.

In human life, we can go up or we can go now.

So we want to take everyone and send them up! Back to Godhead!!

So, this is a great opportunity you have as human beings, to not just live life like animals.

South India is a very special place.

The Lord has many pastimes here.

There is the Ādi Keśava temple,

the Padmanābha temple,

the Guruvayoor temple,

also the Rameśvaram temple,

so many temples!

How one Śiva devotee came and was chanting the names of Lord Śiva.

Lord Caitanya took the form of Lord Śiva.

He climbed on the shoulder of the devotee

and that devotee was singing the glories of Lord Siva and dancing.

Lord Śiva always chants the name of Lord Rāma.

On His rudrākṣa, he chants Rāma Rāma!

Thus He is most sacred, that is why His name is Śiva!

So He is described like yogurt.

And Kṛṣṇa is like milk.

So Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa can take into Śiva.Milk can turn into yogurt.

But yogurt cannot be turned into milk.

So, Lord Caitanya was experiencing extreme bliss after hearing the glories of Lord Śiva.

So we were reading in the Hari Bhakti Vilāsa that all kinds of suffering of human kind can be mitigated by chanting the name of Lord Hari.

And that if one chants the name of Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Kali kalmaṣa nāśanam –

all the bad effects of Kali could be defeated.

So, we hope that you are all chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

In this way, by chanting and reading

and preaching,

you can be using this lockdown period in a very productive way.

Some are working from home,

some have a paid leave,

some have lost their job,

but everybody should chant.

Use the time at home to chant and read.

Those who have knowledge, use the time to do some online preaching.

I am very happy to be here

and if you have any questions, you can ask.