19900515 Evening Arrival Address

The following is an evening arrival address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on May 15th, 1990 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Get from here to there was very tight because at the last minute the region we have made from through, somehow, I reached on the day of the Ratha Yatra Madras airport coming straight from London 4 or 5 in the afternoon when the Rath already began at 3. So then in the middle of the Rath Yatra, procession I could come before Lord Jagannath and fall at His lotus feet.

There was tens of thousands of people that could see the Rath procession may be five or ten thousand people were walking along with the Rath which was very nice festival. Devotees did come from all different parts of India, different countries as well. There was a three-day pandal program.

One of the days at Lupcha Loṭā, the famous bhajan singer, he came. It was packed. So, every night some cultural program, dancing or before that there was a lecture, session sometime with chief guests like ministers or big government officials. Then, can't remember all the details that happened after that but [not clear 1:59] things also happened. Highlights you know, I remember that, of course we had ah GBC ah, meetings. This year because of the timing of the GBC meetings, it fell the same time as the [Mardigras], so I couldn't be here.

I heard we had ah participated [Mardigras] session. It's nice to hear about that. I didn't get any pictures or anything. Then, there was a Gaur Pūrṇimā festival which was previous whole time I was like completely preoccupied with different services. Then, right after Gaur Pūrṇimā festival, we had West Bengal namahatta tour. 10 days we went around Māyāpur into the village areas and bearing cities and towns. But then 10-hour drive in Māyāpur [not clear 02:42], we take about 30 devotees to different countries. So, it was very interesting for the namahatta people.

Jayādvaita from our local area here went and then there was devotees of South America from Equador, from Chile, from Peru, devotees from different countries. [not clear 2:58] devotees 4 days or 3 days went with her gurukul students and they sing bhajans. They wrote nice letters and they appreciated the experience. I apologized for other austerities they had through to drive many hours to go from one place to next although the distance may only be 70km. It may take 6 hours to cover that 70km or 40 miles is averaging 6 miles an hour. Say some kind of incredible thing here, nonstop driving at 60, 70km an hour, we don't reach for 5, 6 hours.

Of course, on the way, there is break downs, so many things happened. Roads are bad. But each day the namahatta festival, there was in India maybe four, five, six thousand people. So, may be one day was even twelve, fifteen thousand people.

So then after that tour, then almost immediately we went to Bangladesh. I had difficulty getting my VISA.

So, the devotees went ahead with Bhakti, His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami. Then I reached two, three days later. For the North Bengal part of Bangladesh tour, there another five six days programs. Each day there was ah very big attendance, sometimes even twenty thousand people.

So, all these, the people in India, by ten or eleven O' clock, twelve O' clock, you could complete the program if you wanted to end it then. But in Bangladesh you couldn't stop the program to give, going into, 4am, to the next day. To have that program continue the whole night. So, we had two shifts.

Sometimes they'd wake me up at midnight and give a lecture, just like different shifts. I don't know if it was this time or last time but, we we went to one place where there was low tide. We couldn't get up. It was all mud. So, the villagers came and lifted the devotees on their back through knee deep mud from the river up to the bank. And, then one devotee jumped on the back of one person and they ppkkk!!! they both fell on the mud (devotees and Guru Maharaj laughing).

So, after that they took two per person. For me, they had six people (devotees laughing). Join their hand and then they lifted me up 20 feet up the bank. Lot of adventures! Māyāpur, there was, must be four, five hundred devotees were present for the Vyāsa pūjā celebrations and they had offered, the disciples offered to me. They had completed and those devotees left and then after a few days about, my ah, almost a thousand namahatta members came and we had a big namahatta celebration. [ not clear 5:34] conference and many highlights. One padayatra after completing 14,000kms returned to Māyāpur this year and now it's going off again.

So, all the 1000 namahatta devotees saw the procession off. There enthusiastically preaching in the villages. After that, I immediately went to Hyderabad because the GBC asked me that we have a very big farm project there. 568 acres which only were given in 20 years ago or twelve, sixteen years ago. It was only worth Rs 1000 an acres or Rs 500 an acre [not clear 6:13] not so expensive but now land prices have shot up and it's worth mainly Rs 35000 or 1500$ an acre. So, it's 2000$ an acre.

So, the original people that had donated the land, they are trying by hook and by crook to get the land back from us even though we spent already over 100000$. Fixing the place up, so the GBC asked me and ah, different temples were sent, man, to make a special program for trying to regain the land. So, we got the possession of the land as much as was legally possible and still many devotees are there preserving that possession. But there are few incidents where they are trying to push the devotees off forcefully with higher thugs and things. That's why the devotees are still there. Now there is police [not clear 6:58]. So, I wanted to come, of course, in April but I couldn't come because of this intense situation had developed in Hyderabad. They didn't want to release me. They said that, even they didn't want to release me now. If it is not for them, I'd still be there.

But I was concerned that I kept hearing how the situation here in New Orleans was precarious and situations and other problems exist in other temples had to be solved. And if I didn't come now, I wouldn't be able to visit all the temples.

So really grateful for the devotees here in helping keep this service of Nitāi Gaur, Rādhā Rādhā kāntā, Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadrā continuing them, keep the temple operating where this was once a high degree like a mahā large temple. At least a large temple with the, at that time farm was in such a nice place to stay.

So, everyone was staying here. Now the farm is so nice and everybody likes to stay in the farm. No one likes to stay in the city. Can't blame people. City is hellish place. Remember how Prabhupad once he, Gargamuni Maharaj wrote the ah and he may wanna, he wants to close the Calcutta temple because Calcutta was so hellish. Then, Prabhupad wrote back, how can you close my birth place temple. And the devotees said return back now we wanna keep it open.

Prabhupad said actually even I cannot stay in Calcutta. It's too difficult. But you are all staying here and I am very grateful. Give you ten thousand times the blessings for serving here. I don't know how times more blessing one gets serving in New Orleans but I am sure they get special blessing because Prabhupad personally came here. This is a opportunity to preach to the people.

Prabhupad was very concerned. He told us in Māyāpur that when I open many temples, so at least if you can maintain whatever I opened, even if you can't expand it, you just maintain it. I'll be very pleased and if you can do more, if you can make things better and expand the temple, that's very nice. Usually, what happens in India is some big acharya comes and opens many temples and after he leaves the temples start to become run down and you see in India like this. Nobody paints the temples. Nobody takes care of them.

So Prabhupad was concerned that whatever temples he opened, they wouldn't be closed. Whatever standard he had established, it wouldn't be reduced. Saying that Śrīla Prabhupad is very pleased that the devotees are co-operating together, I am very grateful to all the devotees they have been helping, and continuing to help, don't have like to think of their personal, especially a long-standing temple that Prabhupad visits, if it closes due to lack of enthusiasm, that's more dedication and a really to keep it open and certainly be a source of great lamentation.

So, very grateful that temple is still going on. In fact, in spite of so many difficulties, you have the Mardigras festival procession there. It's a very auspicious. Some, I get some messages, some messages I didn't get. Obviously, but oh!! to think of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Radhakantha, very merciful deities, very charismatic.

So, because ah, after Panihati festival, 2nd of June, 3rd of June. 2nd and 3rd. And after that, there's going to be various kind of GBC meetings and things here in North America that I have to attend and I haven't been to South America. Some places even for a year or more. Other places for almost 6, 8 months. So, I thought the only opportunity I have would be just now for fourteen, fifteen days. Not not enough for them. They'll be fine but anyway what to do.

To make a worldwide tour of South America for a couple of weeks and then come back, that will be after a couple of, after 3 days. Come back for the Panihati festival and then be here North America for another, to attend some meetings and then come back here also again. And then to be back in India by the Rath Yatra festival.

So, I'll leave maybe a week or ten days before there, a week before that. So that's the basic program that we are envisioning but the immediate future. My body is [not clear 11:23] consider what time it is right now (devotees laughing). I think we are in the transcendental realm (devotees laugh). How are all the devotees? [not clear 11:28] new bhakta it seems (devotees laughing) bhakti. [not clear 11:41].

Any questions?

Question: What's the date of Rath Yatra?

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: 24^th

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: pardon

Question: [not clear 11:56]

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Are you okay to go there also. I was gonna go back on the 16th. But then I heard that the 16^th &17^th is the North American GBC meetings. So, I may have to leave on 17^th May neither 18^th to Europe. Make a pit stop for few days and then going back to India. So, from the 2nd to the 16th is quite a bit of time but I think I may able to fit in between the 2nd and 3rd,4th,5th probably be in Atlanta. Then 6^th,7^th,8^th, 9^th I'm supposed to be in Lenin, New York or somewhere for international GBC meeting, I'm making the ISKCON constitution. I don't know where I'll spend the weekend. Maybe I'll go to Toronto, maybe I'll come here, I don't know. How, to see. Then in the week, the 11th to the 16th, that's when I probably go to Tennessee, North Carolina. Come back here. And then apparently the meetings will be in Detroit. Then I have to go there for those 2 days and then from there go out. I just heard this on the phone. So, in my mind this is the basic thing originally, I am thinking about. Han! [not clear 13:15] Yes.

Devotee: [Not Clear – 00:13:18]

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: So many, 65 devotees came from Russia, Soviet Union and of course you can't see Russia anymore, Soviet Union. [not clear 13:28] , Georgia, all the different states of Russia. And another 60 to 70 people from eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Polland, all the different eastern many other different countries. Lot of people came. Up to a total of 125. That was very ecstatic. Do you have the newspaper clippings I sent? I faxed to Vanarupa, newspaper clippings. She got a letter and the letter was a newspaper clipping. She never showed to anybody. I asked her to show everybody.

Question: Did you see the clipping of the damage in the grass?

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: A what?

Question: damage done in the grass by [not clear 14:11]

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: That's some thousand-year-old temple in the bank of the ocean. Some big tidal waves hit it. Everything in the Harvard temple on the beach may be not such a [not clear 14:29] Devotees like to for a swim [not clear 14:37]

Any other question?

I had an earring [not clear 14:40]. When I was preaching in Bangladesh, it was very cold in North Bengal. I didn't have enough warm clothes at that time. I got a cold which ended up finally in my ear and then I got a fever for a couple of days during the namahatta festival. And that ear is still a little week. Still inside the cold still not, I never had a chance to fully rest and get rid of the cold completely, although it is 90% good.

So, I have to be little careful. Apart from that thing, injury seems to be pretty well healed up. I had an operation and before I came here in Malaysia and that seems to helped. Generally, gradually the strength was building up. Some of the nerves still are cut. So, not all the feeling is there. Sometimes it swells up when I get tired.

Yesterday Śivarāma Maharaj said, looked swollen. He told me, go take rest. Of course, he told me at 11 O' clock at night [devotees laughing]. Last night, one of the, I think the 6th large, 6th wealthiest person either in England or the world. He is a multibillionaire. India, maybe the richest Indian family. They are on major share and I think it's Shell or Gulf, oil in the Gulf. Many other businesses there contributing you know half a, 5 million rupees for Delhi temple and he said he'd help in London. So, we invited him to Māyāpur. He agreed to come in December. [not clear 16:23] prasādam for about 20 of his family members. They will take a big prasādam feast. It was his daughter's birthday. So, they came to the temple had [not clear 16:33] Lord and lecture. Lokanāth Swami was there then [not clear 16:38].

So, he agreed to come to Māyāpur. So that's why we were late last night. And this morning gave class and ah we left at temple at 9am and travelling for 22 hours. England, what time is it? I think it's about 6am. Ha!

 Hare Kṛṣṇa!