19880828 New Temple Address

Following is the New Temple address, given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on August 28^th 1988 in Bangalore, India.

On this auspicious occasion a one-week spiritual festival celebrating. Yesterday the appearance day of Lord Balarāma with abhiṣekams ,mahāpujā and Ratha-yātrā. And today leading up to Janmāṣṭamī and appearance Vyāsa-pūjā day celebration of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder ācārya of International society for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Bangalore branch has organized all of these, programs especially for the life members and for all of the devotees in the area. The land that we are holding this program on is dedicating to the service of Śrī  Kṛṣṇa Balarāma, the Lord Himself is residing here for all of these functions. According to Bhagavad Gītā whatever we do, whatever we give away in charity, whatever we eat everything should be done as an offering for the satisfaction of the Lord. So, this land is also dedicated for the service of the Lord, dedicated for uplifting the people educating them and spreading the culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness of the Vedas.

Five hundred and two years ago in India Lord Caitanya appeared in order to give the message of pure bhakti a pure devotional service to the condition souls. There are many great teachers who have revealed the absolute truth from different angles or vision. Even Vyāsadeva himself after writing, has written so many literatures like the four Vedas, hundred and eight Upaniṣads, eighteen Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, Vedānta-sūtra. After he had completed everything seventeen puranas and all the other books mention he was still feeling dissatisfied. He was feeling dissatisfied, but he didn’t know, why! He asked his guru Nārada Muni what could be the cause of his dissatisfaction? After discussing it was revealed that the real cause was, he had not fully expanded the role and the glories of pure bhakti above forms of yoga, bhakti-yoga is considered to be the supreme. Above forms of education and religion bhakti-yoga is considered to also be the topmost. The most confidential of all knowledge "rāja-vidyā  rāja-guhyaṁ rahasyaṁ idam uttamam”. So, therefore Vyāsadeva wrote the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu although He was the greatest scholar, He did not write many literatures. In fact, He only wrote eight verses. But He instructed all of His followers to especially study two books The Bhagavad Gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Mahāpurāṇa. Because within the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam essence of the Vedic literature is revealed and the human beings can achieve all perfection just from the comprehensive study of these two literatures. Today in America, in Russia, in Europe, in Japan, in Australia, in Africa, in south America in all parts of the world The Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, has been translated and published in the various languages, above over seventeen countries in the world.

As such everyone has found it easily accessible, and who ever gives their patience hearing to The Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as translated and explained by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupāda, they are able to easily understand what is the purpose of life. They are able to achieve pure bhakti for the Supreme Personality of Godhead Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This way we find now, all over the world people are chanting ”Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare”, mahā-mantra. The mahā-mantra has been accepted the culture, has been accepted in all of these countries. This is astonishing for many people here in India.

How could this happen? This is actually however a prediction fulfilled, five hundred year ago, when Lord Caitanya appeared. He predicted that the day will come, when everywhere in the world, all of the people in every town and village, will have within their earshot accessible to them the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra that this message will be spread everywhere. So, there is nothing surprising that this is happened. But unfortunately, many people do not know much about Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He appeared in West Bengal in a place known as Mayapur Navadvīpa, at that time it was under the Mughal rule.

After twenty-four years where He was claimed as Nimāi Paṇḍita the greatest scholar of His time. He took sannyāsa. First He first took dīkṣā from the Madhva school, then He took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four. And He travelled throughout the entire India to South India to Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and then on his way to Vṛndāvana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and so on. Possibly touch parts of Rajasthan as well. In this way, wherever He went, He instructed the people should take to the chanting of the names of Kṛṣṇa, that in the Kali-yuga the names of the Kṛṣṇa is especially recommended as universal process. In Bṛhad Nāradīya Purāṇa it is mentioned "harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā" That to chant the Holy name, chant the Holy name, chant the Holy name, The Hari nama; iva kevalam is the only recommended process, “kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā”.  in this age of Kali there is no other suitable process, no other suitable process, no other suitable process.

Sometimes people wonder why this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement recommend chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Simply because this is the recommendation of the Vedas. Actually we respect all religion, we respect all process in yogas, for dharma is simply good. There is nothing bad in dharma. Just like if we go to drug store and you ask the medicine attendees, the druggist, please give me a good medicine. He will say all my medicines is good. Dharma is medicine to cure our disease, to cure our suffering in material life.  But if you go to the drug store and say give me a good medicine. The pharmacist will say which medicine you want. No, I want a good medicine. He said all my medicine is good you think I have a bad medicine. what is wrong with you? Never mind what wrong with me.  just give me one good medicine. I think what wrong with you. You tell me what your illness is? What your disease? Appropriate medicine I must give. One medicine is for skin, one is for the fever, one is for the stomachache, one is for the constipation, one is for diarrhea. What is your problem, tell me I will give you right the medicine.

I think you are druggist, I want a good medicine. Achha aushadh dijiye. So, in this way that druggist will say you a crazy man get out of here. So, like that dharma is all good anyone is thinking dharma is bad they don’t know the truth. But each type of dharma got a specific use and benefit. So, in this age of kali we have got, particular type of materialistic tendency; that causes us to suffer lot of mental stress, physical disease and various problems like quarrelling arguing etc. Therefore, the solution is also given that the medicine made for age of kali is harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam. In kali santaraṇa Upaniṣad it said, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare iti ṣoḍaśaka nāmanāma these sixteen names kali kalmaṣa nāśanam destroy all the suffering and contamination of this age of kali. nātah parataropāyaḥ, there is no more appropriate or better alternative sarva-vedeṣu dṛśyate this is seen in all of the Vedas.

So, therefore although it seems a very simple by process it is simple, but it is sublime. Sometimes  something which simple may also be very sublime. So, in this age we need a simple process we need a powerful sublime process. So, the process recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu by all of the Vedas is to chant the holy names. So, we are very glad to night Hari om sir is presenting bhajanas to Lord Kṛṣṇa. He has also you see blessings from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. He is also well connected with this Kṛṣṇa conscious society, as a life member and supporter, and of course he is a very well renounce famous artist. We are very honored, he had agreed to come and present his songs before the Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma also before all the life members.

So, this chanting of bhajana of the holy name is something, that one can easily listen to for hours. While listening you are in samādhi, you did meditation, without any stress or strain. Without any difficult āsanas necessary. So, this process can be performed everyday. Morning, noon or night. And this is the basic process, that while we work, while we sleep, while we are doing our walking we can go on chanting. In the morning when we wake up, sitting and doing some pūjā, reading Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, we can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.

So, although the process is very sublime and simple as given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, there is also very great philosophy behind it. The philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is revealed to the chanter of Hare Kṛṣṇa. Simply by studying something specially studying one of this great spiritual books it is not possible to realize the matter. But to open the consciousness by chanting, then one can bring this knowledge in to the heart. So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended we should open the heart give our ear, give our oral reception, listen with full attentiveness, and this way we can take in the transcendental vibrations, that purifies the heart. It is like taking the bath in sound. The body gets dirty we wash it. If the mind gets dirty how do we wash it? Everyone has experience, anxiety, frustration, anger, lust, greed and various type of mental impurity. How to purify the consciousness? Caitanya Mahāprabhu’sfirst verse glorifies the chanting of the name of Kṛṣṇa ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ The consciousness is cleansed by chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa, just like we clean a mirror with the cloth from the accumulated dust.

Just puts out the fire. The mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ, put out the fire on material existence. You don’t have to change your activities what you are doing whether you are grihastha, whether you are student, whether you are retired, whatever you may be. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. And you can feel very quickly the sublime effect. Then study the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and clearly understand, what is life, where are we coming from, where we going to, who is Kṛṣṇa, who is Balarāma, who is Rāmacandra, who is Sītā, who is Rādhā, who are we? understand everything. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was travelling in South India, He stayed for the rainy season in Śrīrangam. At that time, He was a guest of the Venkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, the head priest of the Ranganātha temple.

Sometimes, the priest of the Rāmānuja sampradāya would ask Him. Why do You worship Kṛṣṇa? Why don’t You worship Nārāyaṇa? You should worship Nārāyaṇa, because Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme. He is the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. You see amongst the Advaita’s, the Advaita’s and Vaiṣṇavas there is always some discussion. The followers of Śankara says that, the brahma-jyoti or nirākāra is supreme. They do not understand about the personality of Godhead. But all the Vaiṣṇavas accept that Viṣṇu, the personality of Godhead Bhagavān is the full form of the Parabrahma.  Within the Vaiṣṇava, there is Rāmānuja, there is Madhva, Caitanya Māhāprabhu also coming and other sampradāyas as well.

Amongst them there is some time discussion. Who is Supreme? Someone saying Nārāyaṇa. Madhva, Lord Caitanya.  Lord Caitanya stresses Kṛṣṇa. So, Rāmānuja priest they said why don’t You worship Nārāyaṇa?  Then Lord Caitanya, He replied to them, that in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa it says, other Purāṇas as well that Lakṣmī, She wanted to enter the rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṇa. But to do so, She was performing tapasyā, penances, austerity. She being the consort of Nārāyaṇa, why would She doing austerity to go to the rāsa-līlā? if Kṛṣṇa is not superior to Nārāyaṇa, then She will be satisfied with Nārāyaṇa not want to go Kṛṣṇa.

They didn’t have any answer for this. Then Lord Caitanya, He asked a further question, why was Lakṣmī refused entrance into the rāsa-līlā? She was not allowed to go. You see there is no difference between Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa or Rāmacandra.  They are all the different forms of the Personality of Godhead. But difference is there in a higher sense, that Kṛṣṇa is the confidential form, the familiar form, the original form, where Nārāyaṇa is the majestic form. Just like a high court judge. A high court judge is respected in the court as my honour!  your Lord!  But when you go to his house, his wife, his children, they treat him with affection, with familiarity, which will not be possible in the court. Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa is one, but He expands Himself to different forms: ananta-rūpam.

Although each of the forms has got unlimited power, They have the different pastimes and qualities, in terms of Their viewpoint or activities or līlās. So, Kṛṣṇa is the confidential Original form just like high court judge at his house. While Nārāyaṇa is the form like the high court judge in the court. So, we like to meet great people also, as they are in a familiar way.  Not only in the formal manner.

So, I mean the Lord is most familiar intimate form, when He came as cowherd boy as Gopāla, Govinda, that is the highest form. Nārayaṇa although having all majestic powers, does not have the same sweetness of pastime, is not as accessible as Kṛṣṇa, Govinda. In this way in the age of Kali also we require to take the benefit Kṛṣṇa has just appeared in Dvāpara-yuga, now we can worship Him very easily by chanting His holy names. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. So, we hope that all of you will enjoy listening to the chanting ofHare Kṛṣṇa and bhajans to Kṛṣṇa and that you all chant every day.

So, Lord Caitanya in the initial stages, He faced many obstacles. There were cast brāhmaṇas, who object Him that You are brāhmaṇa, You are chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari this is good. But You are bringing kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras and You are bringing even out caste or scheduled caste, or non – case, even Muslims and others all You are bringing together for chanting these names, this is not good. Lord Caitanya said, Jagannātha, Kṛṣṇa, is Lord of the universe, He is everyones Lord. You cannot say that the sun, because the sun is shining over our head in India, that the sun belongs to India, it’s an Indian sun.

Now the sun is moved to the west and now it shining over Europe, does that means that is European sun? And what is now shining in America, become American or Canadian sun? No!  Sun is above all this description. Sun is for everyone. Similarly Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān, He is everyones Bhagavān. He is the Lord of universe, Jagannātha. Not only on India, but of everywhere, of all people, all culture. Therefore, everyone has the right to chant His name. So, in this way Lord Caitanya spread His movement to everyone and everyone became filled with the pure devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, today we are having very special guest, His Holiness Prabhaviṣṇu Swami Mahārāja, who is come here for this function all the way from Australia, New Zealand, where he is guru and governing body commissioner zonal secretary.  So, we would like to request him to just give a few words on this auspicious occasion

His Holiness Prabhaviṣṇu Swami:           

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

So, I feel very honored to be present here at this auspicious occasion when their Lordships Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had come to their new home here in Bangalore Their permanent home. It’s very wonderful that by the arrangement of the Supreme Lord this beautiful sight has been made available for ISKCON. I am sure if our founder ācārya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda were present here today, he would be highly satisfied, because this is surely one of the nicest pieces of land that ISKCON has acquired in the whole of India. Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was born in Kolkata in 1896. He met his spiritual master His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura while he was still young man in Kolkata. His spiritual master requested him on the first meeting that you are an intelligent young man, why not take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and preach.

So, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was a gṛhastha a family man, so it wasn’t possible for him to full time join the mission of his spiritual master. But still in his home he used to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness and as far as possible he would preach and encourage others to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, after some time he went to Allahabad, where he was running a pharmaceutical business and at one time the members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha which was mission of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura came there to establish a centre and he helps them. In this way, he became gradually involved more and more  in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it was just before the departure of his spiritual master from this world in 1936. He wrote to him asking him that how I can best serve you?  I am a gṛhastha, I am not full-time member like a sannyāsī, but how I can best serve you.

And the spiritual master wrote back to him, that you try to preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the English language, this will benefit you, and this will benefit the whole world as well. So, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda began to translate various articles on Kṛṣṇa consciousness in to English, and in 1944 he establishes the Back to Godhead magazine. Of course, it had a very humble beginning, just some sheets of newsprints with articles on Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which Śrīla Prabhupāda would personally translate, types it, gets printed, and then go and distribute himself in Delhi in the cafes. So, in the very humble way he starts his preaching and he became a vānaprastha retired from family life and went to Vrṇdāvana. There he absorbed himself in translating the holy books like Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā into the English language. So, he was always looking for the opportunity to go to the western world, but he didn’t have sufficient funds.

But finally, in 1965 he got the opportunity, one wealthy owner of steam ship company, the Scindia steam ship company, Śrīmatī Morārjī give him a free ticket aboard the Jaladūta which was a cargo ship going to America. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda availed the opportunity, he was at time 69 years old, his health was trailed. In fact on the journey, he suffered a heart attack, but still he was determined to carry out the order of his spiritual master. He reached America with only forty rupees in his pocket, he had one trunk of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam which he had translated into English, and he has the address of an Indian gentleman who was his sponsor in Pennsylvania. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda went there for a short time, and stayed with that family, and then he moved to New York and began to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, he used to sit in the parks with his karatālas, and simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. A prominent inquisitive people would gather, and he would preach to them the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā.

In this way gradually he attracted some followers, some young people, and they started the first temple of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in New York city. Very quickly the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement started to grow and expand. And Śrīla Prabhupāda was able to establish the San Francisco centre, and gradually many other centres throughout North America.  Then he spread the movement to Europe and then to other parts of the world Australia, South America, Africa, Japan etc. And Śrīla Prabhupāda also established the Ratha Yātrā festival first in San Francisco then gradually many cities throughout the world London, Sydney, Los Angeles, today so many places where the ISKCON movement is holding Ratha Yātrās probably more than a hundred places annually.

So, in 1971, Śrīla Prabhupāda decided that he would like to establish some important centres here in India, for the benefit of the worldwide community of devotees. So, he brought some of his western followers with him, and he began to travel and preach throughout India. So, he established three very important centers one in Vṛndāvana, the birthplace of the childhood pastime of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Balarāma Mandir, with international guest house. Another he established in Śrī Dhama Māyāpur it’s just of the north of Kolkata, that is the International headquarters of the International society for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and the birth place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the golden avatāra the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa who appeared five hundred years ago to establish the yuga dharma and the recommended process of religion in this kali yuga which is none other the chanting of the holy names,Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.

And Śrīla Prabhupāda established another very beautiful temple in Bombay which is perhaps the most important city, the most important city here in India, he established Hare Kṛṣṇa land in Juhu. So, these three major projects were started. And addition to others he also builds the very beautiful temple in Hyderabad, and he established many other centres like Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmadabad, Chandigarh, there are many other also. So, gradually in some of these cities we been able to acquire very nice properties and construct temples. In Gujarat ISKCON has constructed several temples.  Surat, Baroda, Ahmadabad, in Bhubaneswar, in Guwahati.

Now ISKCON has quite some nice property in Kolkata and, also in the capital in Delhi. So we are very pleased that here in Bangalore such a nice property has been donated, purchased rather (excuse me) partially you can say, purchase that at reasonable price, by the grace of the Lord. And we hope that with cooperation of all the life members, and all the devotees here, that very swiftly a very beautiful temple and cultural complex can be constructed for the glorification of the Lordships, Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa Balarāma and also for the welfare of all the inhabitants of Bangalore. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is performing the highest welfare work. There are many kinds of welfare work being performed, like opening hospitals, schools, this of course is necessary, but this kind of welfare work is temporary, because it benefits only the material body. It benefits us in this lifetime. But what about of our eternal life? Because Lord Kṛṣṇa has explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that each and every one of us is an eternal spirit soul. We are transmigrating from one body to another due to our material desire and due to the karma of our previous lifetime.

So, in this way we are bound up in the cycle of birth and death So, the Bhagavad-gītā actually explains to us how we can get free from the cycle of birth and death, and return to the spiritual world, and reside there eternally in the service of the supreme Lord. So, this is actually; the highest science, the highest subject matter and Śrīla Prabhupāda was very keen to establish a movement, a society, and a class of man, who will distribute this knowledge in the society at large.  So, for this reason he established these different centres of Kṛṣṇa consciousness so when anyone might come and learn this process of spiritual life. So, this temple which is going to be constructed it is meant for everyone. Everyone is welcome and to come and participate in the functions to chant congregationally the holy names of the Lord to hear to transcendental topics of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.