19950610 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.38

The following is a talk given at a house program by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on June 10^th, 1995 at Maha Bhudi’s house in Miami, Florida.

 

itthaṁ nṛ-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaṣāvatārair

lokān vibhāvayasi haṁsi jagat pratīpān

dharmaṁ mahā-puruṣa pāsi yugānuvṛttaṁ

channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo ’tha sa tvam

 

Translation

 

In this way, my Lord, You appear in various incarnations as a human being, an animal, a great saint, a demigod, a fish or a tortoise, thus maintaining the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac principles. According to the age, O my Lord, You protect the principles of religion. In the Age of Kali, however, You do not assert Yourself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore You are known as Triyuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas.

 

Purport:

 

As the Lord appeared just to maintain Lord Brahmā from the attack of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, He also appeared to protect the great devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja. Similarly, Lord Caitanya appeared in order to protect the fallen souls of Kali-yuga. There are four yugas, or millenniums — Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali. In all the yugas but Kali-yuga, the Lord appears in various incarnations and asserts Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but although Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who appears in Kali-yuga, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He never asserted Himself as such. On the contrary, whenever Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was addressed as being as good as Kṛṣṇa, He blocked His ears with His hands, denying His identity with Kṛṣṇa, because He was playing the part of a devotee. Lord Caitanya knew that in Kali-yuga there would be many bogus incarnations pretending to be God, and therefore He avoided asserting Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, in many Vedic literatures, especially in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32):

 

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ

 

In Kali-yuga, intelligent men worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is always accompanied by His associates such as Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa. The entire Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement is based on the principles of the saṅkīrtana movement inaugurated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore, one who tries to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the medium of the saṅkīrtana movement knows everything perfectly. He is sumedhas, a person with substantial intelligence.

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Thus, ends the Bhaktivedenta Swami translation purport of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7^th canto 9^th chapter 38^th verse.

 

The specific word used here is called channaḥ kalau and they come in different millenniums as incarnations of Godhead.

 

But in Kali Yuga, you are coming in a covered way. Channah means covered, disguised. Not for [NOT CLEAR 00:04:36]. Although the Lord comes in Kali Yuga, but He comes disguised. He doesn’t declare himself to be God. If anybody declares himself openly to say I am God, I am an incarnation, by definition in Kali Yuga he can’t be God. Because God doesn’t openly declare Himself in this age. Because this is the age when everybody declares himself. So, He reverses the rules. In other ages, nobody has the audacity to declare themselves to be God [NOT CLEAR 00:05.16]. And those two people He could take care of.

 

But in Kali Yuga there are so many people claiming to be God, so He just changes the rules. In Kali Yuga, if I come, I never declare myself to be God. So, if you know anyone declaring that I’m an incarnation of God, you know by definition he is not God. It makes it very easy. Anyone declaring himself to be God, he’s not God. It’s very easy in this age. So that disqualifies thousands already [Devotees: laughing].

 

Now you can see like we did a fire sacrifice. Initiations are a little easier than weddings. Weddings are more complicated. Easier to get warm than it is to [Devotees: laughing]… but fire sacrifices are a bit complicated and actually during the sacrifice you should have been… everyone should have been quietly chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

 

This fire sacrifice was a sacrifice recommended two millenniums ago. Now this age, the sacrifice recommended is chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. The reason we do the fire sacrifice is we want to preserve the Vedic culture; we want to preserve all the practices that are given. We everyday chant Hare Kṛṣṇa but only on very special occasions do we do a fire sacrifices along with the chanting.

 

Of course, in Māyāpur, for the Gurukul they do every morning and night but that’s a part of [NOT CLEAR 00:07.01] but under ordinary circumstances… even then they are chanting japa two hours, they’re doing kirtan a long time and the Homa only take ten minutes.

 

So, in another Yuga, another millennium they were depending on the fire sacrifice as a form of self-realization. They were so expert at doing the fire sacrifice they would chant the mantras so perfectly, that it was a type of meditation. It was a type of sacrifice by which Kṛṣṇa Himself appeared. Vishnu appeared in many sacrificial arenas to please the performers of the sacrifice. The Lord is not different than His holy name so He can appear before us as the holy name.

 

So, wherever we are, you can be driving on the I75, or the I95 or the whatever or any one of the I’s or S’s, or county roads, or streets, roads or you can even be in your own driveway. Or in your house. Or under your bed or anywhere you want. You can chant

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare,

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

 

There’s no hard and fast rule, it can be chanted anywhere, anytime, anyplace, any circumstances.  That’s what we need in the age of Kali Yuga. In fact, all the mantras, all sacrifices, all agamas, have been combined into the mantra Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is stated in Nārada-pañcarātra. It’s kind of like a capsule. You’re taking so many herbal medicines that you combine them into a capsule form. So, this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra known as the Mahā-mantra, everything is combined in a very transcendental organic manner.

 

What it means is that it’s very easy for us to get in touch with Kṛṣṇa. Just like you dial your country code, area code, number you can get to. Do you ever dial a telephone, who you want to talk to? Kṛṣṇa has got His own number, that’s His holy name. You can use that to serve Him. It’s like here you have carriers; Strand, MCI, AT&T, and so on and so forth and so many. I don’t want to give any you know [NOT CLEAR 00:09.42] here [Devotees: laughing]. But just for example there’s different carriers. How do we want our mantra to get to Kṛṣṇa? If we first invoke the name of Lord Caitanya then it goes very smoothly and without offences to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa accepts the Holy name chanted by devotees who take shelter of Lord Caitanya very easily. Because that’s the blessing of Lord Caitanya. He’s ordered everyone you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa I’ll do the rest. So, we’re routing or saying we are chanting on the order of Lord Caitanya.

 

jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya

prabhu Nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadadara

śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

 

You say that once. If you don’t know the mantra, Mahā Bhudi or any of the other devotees will be happy… (aside): everyone… who knows that mantra? Sri Kṛṣṇa Chaitanya…everyone knows it? Anyone doesn’t know, wants to know? You’ll get it written down. [NOT CLEAR 00:10:46] You’re teasing? How do you do that?

 

Then we chant:

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

 

We were discussing the past few days that there’s been a lecture I’ve been discussing with [NOT CLEAR 00:11:14] about the temple in Māyāpur. We are constructing a Vedic planetarium which will be having thousands and thousands or so different types of exhibits. So, we’re trying to present many different aspects of the observable universe as well as dimensions within the material universe which are normally beyond the perception of the moving entities. And then finally the different spiritual existences. Now Kṛṣṇa is able to be simultaneously everywhere at the same time. That’s His unique power. At the same time, He remains aloof from the material world, He doesn’t involve himself.

 

Like we were discussing this morning in the class, someone asked that why is it that we suffer. Why is it that if we are pure consciousness, if we are a pure spirit, why is it that we experience suffering and unhappiness. Actually, the spirit, we ourselves in the spiritual sense, we never suffer. We don’t go through any changes. What’s happening, is like a person who’s dreaming? Someone may be dreaming that his head is cut off. But actually, his heads not cut off. He’s lying in the bed and his head if still there. But he had this horrible dream that someone chopped his head off and he’s watching himself in the dream with his head cut off. And he’s suffering like anything. He may even be screaming and then someone wake him up and he wakes up and still there [Devotees: laughing].

 

So, the point is that we’re in the material world we become unconscious of our original spiritual nature. So, we’re in the dream and we don’t know how to wake up. That’s the problem. Liberation or pure Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is the state of being awakened and actually seeing ourselves as we are coming out of this material consciousness. That’s the gradual process of awakening. What happens is that the pure consciousness is seeing everything through the mundane senses. It’s kind of like a virtual reality.

 

In fact, because I’m starting to see different museums and things exhibitions to get some idea of how we will present our themes. So, I went to one museum, a simple interactive science museum. They had you put on some funny binoculars and there was a whole row of sticks, all white sticks and one was red. Underneath the table you were supposed to flick the red stick to make it go up.

 

But the binoculars were purposely bent out so that when you think you’re looking at the red one, you’re really looking over here at another one. So, you go to hit the red one and instead a white one comes up. So, you keep doing it until you get the red one coming up. So, after a while you figure it out and your mind adjusts, and you can figure out here’s the red one. Unless you take off the binoculars. Now push the red one. Then you go to push the red one, and already you’ve gone over to the right and pushing about four over from the red one your brain has adjusted. It’s a very common thing.

 

You can also wear glasses that make you see everything upside down, after about twenty minutes you’ll see everything right side up and you take the glasses off and everything is upside down again.

 

Actually, we see everything in the [NOT CLEAR 00:15:18] upside down but our brain switches everything over. It will be very confusing seeing everyone upside down.

So, what’s happening is that there’s an interface between the consciousness and the body that’s called the ahaṅkāra or false ego. And through the false ego, through the intelligence, the mind and the material senses we are perceiving everything. We are understanding but the understanding is distorted.

 

Just like if you look at the reflection of the light or the moon and water. If the water is very calm, then you can see the moon almost as it is. If it was a windy night, in many ways the moon wouldn’t look so clear anymore. He’s moving around. This is what is happening to our consciousness. The more we give in our consciousness to ignorance or passion the more aGītātion is there. The less we can see things as they are. The more we bring our mind under control by yoga, by Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, bhakti yoga, then the mind becomes more subtle and we are able to see things as they are.

 

And eventually we can transcend this whole level of consciousness and come up to the spiritual level where there is pure happiness and pure ānanda, pure bliss all of the time. So, Lord Caitanya He wanted everyone to achieve this happiness. Before it was very great yogis, sages, kings and really special personalities, they achieved this kind of success.

 

Some queens and some very austere personalities who were able to go to great endeavors and control their senses and do some process of yoga and achieve this.

 

So, Lord Caitanya has made the process very easy. He said I want every man, woman, elder, child, let them all be free from the suffering of birth and death and old age and disease. All this material suffering I want them to be free. I want them all to experience the highest happiness of pure love for Kṛṣṇa. Pure spiritual happiness.

 

The process is like coming in contact with Kṛṣṇa. In this, you are all practicing for a long time, so you know the examples I’m sure just like putting the iron in fire. It’s a very common example. You put the iron in fire, long enough it becomes just like fire. If we stay in contact with Kṛṣṇa we become spiritualized because He is pure spirit.

 

So, Lord Caitanya, He was spreading this process of let everyone chant the name of Kṛṣṇa [Not Clear 00:18:18] thus always being in association with Kṛṣṇa. Now these gatherings are to equip all of you to be able to go and practice in your own homes, practice in your own personal life. I think many are already practicing.

 

How many of you are chanting every day? How many chant [Not Clear 00:18:36]? What are you chanting in the future [Devotees: laughing]?

 

So, chanting is very sublime. The process is very confidential. All the scriptures in the world glorifying the name of God: “Oh God, in heaven hallowed be Thy Name”. You’ll find even in the Quran it mentions about Allah’s name. Everywhere throughout the different scriptures the name of God is glorified.

The Jewish Rabbi system never speak the name aloud. I don’t know if they speak it now. The secret names that only the rabbis could speak.

 

So, the name of God, there is a whole type of practice. Esoteric practice that the priests would practice in various religions in the world behind the name of God. Lord Caitanya, He made it public domain. He took away all the copyrights. He took away all the limitations and He said everyone can chant these names. People don’t know that there’s a very very esoteric significance of chanting the names of God and meditating on His name. Unless one does it, they won’t know.

 

Just like the story about the English man who was trying to tell his children what a mango taste like. You know that story?

 

In the British Raj in India before the airplanes came to be, many British were working in India and then they came back to England. So, there was one British with a big beard and he was telling his children about mangos. He said they’re a very sweet fruit, those days they didn’t reach England very much.

 

Only the few Lords could get it, or nobody got it. I don’t know. They didn’t reach, it took too long. No air freight. So, the children all wanted to know well what does a mango taste like. So, then he did this. He got a bowl and put sugar water in it and dipped his beard in it and said you suck on my beard [Devotees: laughing]. This is like a mango. What do you think? Do you think they will get a true idea? [Devotees: laughing].

 

I found some mangos here have a lot of flavors and some have no flavors so this must be a flavory mango [Devotees: laughing]. Very flavory. So obviously this…you’re not really going to get an idea of what a mango tastes like by sucking on somebody’s sugar-soaked beard. You’re not going to be able to appreciate what is spiritual happiness by any other means then by actually experiencing it directly. It’s something that one has to taste. Now people do tend to hesitate, to do that.

 

There’s a story about the boy who wanted to learn how to swim without going into the water. You know that story?

 

It’s a very famous Indian story. There was a mother who had a…who was told by an astrologer when their son was born, that his son, that for the son water was dangerous. So therefore, the whole life she wouldn’t let her boy go near water.

 

No bathtubs, no swimming pool, no rivers, no beaches, only showers. Because she was afraid of what might happen if he went into the water because water was dangerous.

 

So, the boy got to be around ten years old and he wanted to go into the water. She was frightened a lot. A wise person from the village, he said yes water is dangerous. The worst thing is that he didn’t know how to swim. Because sooner or later he’s going to have to go into the water and then if he falls surely it will be dangerous because he’ll drown. At least if he knows how to swim, he could be protected when he goes into the water because it will neutralize the danger to some extent.

 

So, it seemed like a pretty good idea. But the mother was like torn whether to let him go and learn swimming, at the same time, the water, not to let him go near the water.

 

So, then the boy asked the wise person, is it possible that I can learn how to swim without going into the water?

 

So, I’ll just stand at the side and practice these strokes [Devotees: laughing].

 

What do you think?

 

Is it possible?

 

No. What do you think?

 

Not possible.

 

So, it’s very difficult to learn how to swim without going into the water. It’s a little bit of a different environment. Similarly, the way to learn about bhakti yoga is by even practicing a little bit. In fact, the Bhagavad Gītā says: “Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt”.

 

Even a little practice from bhakti yoga can save one from the greatest dangers. Now somehow, we are confined in the material body, we have to take care of the body, we have to utilize the body, but ultimately, we also have to leave the body. If we are able to develop a love for God, a love for Kṛṣṇa or pure Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, we go back to Kṛṣṇa.

 

Or otherwise if we partially develop, we can go to some higher existence in the universe or take another birth in a pious family. And again, it would be a good opportunity to take up Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. So, the objective is to be as Kṛṣṇa Conscious as possible in the lifetime.

 

We can do that even by taking baby steps. Just try to progress forward. Try to be more serious about spiritual rites. So eventually we can be in a better situation spiritually, we can achieve full consciousness.

 

Now normally people don’t make much spiritual progress, people don’t generally endeavor very much to actually realize their spiritual identity and the relationship with God. More or less the relationship we usually see is people give their shopping list like for Christmas time, what I want, God please give me this or give me that. And that’s the first basic relationship with the Lord.

 

But in bhakti yoga there are much higher relationships with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can be one’s friend, just like we see here in some picture there He is running with his friends. Kṛṣṇa can be also… You can also be the parent of Kṛṣṇa and take care of Kṛṣṇa. One can be serving Kṛṣṇa [aside]: Hare Kṛṣṇa, infinitely. So, one as they progress in devotional service, they’re able to understand the very many mysterious things about life and about Kṛṣṇa which normally people don’t have so much access to.

 

So, this is why Lord Caitanya came. He came five hundred years ago. Five hundred and nine years ago He appeared in this world. Just a few years before Christopher Columbus sailed around Florida somewhere. In 1486 Lord Caitanya appeared.

 

In 1492, six years…so Lord Caitanya was six years old when Columbus came around the America. It’s a recent figure, modern history, a not so distant past. The Lord came down as a devotee for delivering the modern people. It’s said that this movement would really take effect five hundred years after His departure. Now its five hundred and nine.

 

It’s said it will be like a golden age of ten thousand years where people all over the world would give up the mundane designations of the body and all see each other as one unified race, all devotees of the same Supreme Lord. You see in the paper, the Bosnians, the Serbs, the [NOT CLEAR 00:28.12], people who are friends killing each other.

 

In Miami sometimes there’s race riots, even here in America because people are identifying with the body. How do we get over that? Politicians don’t have the solution. Nobody has a very clear solution. But this type of spiritual understanding is the solution. If we understand I am not the body, then we won’t identify ourselves by the bodily designations.

 

So, one of the characteristics of the advanced devotee is “sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ” He becomes free from all material designations.

 

Upādhi means designations.  “sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ, tat-paratvena nirmalam”. His consciousness becomes purified. “hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa, sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate”. So devotional service is when we are engaging our senses in the service of the master of the senses. So here you offer to Lord Kṛṣṇa foodstuff. He’s the Lord of the senses, now you have to engage your senses in eating the prasādam. This is a sacrifice.

 

We hope all of you will participate. So, the sacrifices are not, when you think of sacrifice you think what do I have to give up. While were taking prasādam we have to give up eating other things instead of eating prasādam. Prasādam frankly much better than other things but maybe for someone who is not habituated they may initially not like the taste. But for most people after a while they find that prasādam is very wonderful. It’s not really a hardship to eat prasādam.

 

In fact, I wouldn’t have anything else. I don’t have anything else other than prasādam . So, it’s a very simple process. A very simple thing.  But they have remarkable effects on our consciousness. Simple things like eating spiritual food, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa every day, reading a little bit of these spiritual books, associating with devotees like this, having friends who are devotees, and then telling others about Kṛṣṇa. Telling others about the Bhagavad Gītā. As much as they can take, little bits at a time. Gradually bringing them to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. To Kṛṣṇa. Liberating them from their karma, from their material situation. It has a tremendous spiritual uplifting effect.

 

So, Lord Caitanya wasn’t understood at the beginning when He started the movement and He told everyone that they could chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. There were many caste priests, kind of established priests at the time who obstructed Lord Caitanya’s movement as best as they could. They told people that they’re going to be ruining everything because they’re singing the names of God which were secret before and no one was allowed to speak them out allowed publicly except on very special occasions. Certainly not the non-brahmanas and the public.

 

They even went to the government and they complained and had the government pass an order, no chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa publicly.

 

Then Lord Caitanya did a big public disobedience of over two hundred thousand people and protested and then things have worked out. So, at the beginning there was a lot of confusion, people didn’t know what to believe, who to believe. But then after a while people started chanting and they could see people were improving themselves.  This is a self-improvement program.

 

And then there were the people who were criticizing before, they came, and they fell at Lord Caitanya’s feet and they begged for forgiveness. They said we have committed many offences to you, we misunderstood what you were doing, who you are, now we understand that you are doing the greatest welfare so please forgive us and guide us.

 

So, Lord Caitanya was so merciful that He forgave all these people. And then He instructed everyone you also chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, it will also be effective for you.

 

So, I’m very glad that you are meeting at Mahā Bhudi’s house every Thursday. We have gathered here tonight for this wedding ceremony and this gathering. We hope that everyone will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy.

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

 

Questions and Answers.

 

Jayapatākā Swami: Any question?

 

Devotee: Few questions, how can one be free from falling down from this position?

 

Jayapatākā Swami: See by nature we are energy of Kṛṣṇa, we are spiritual energy. But we are very small. We are very weak. We compare everything with the material energy.

So Kṛṣṇa says it’s very difficult for us to cross over the influence of material energy on our own speed, on our own strength. But when we take shelter of Him, He will cross us over.

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

 

But we have to really take shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So Prabhupāda recommended we grabbing on the lotus feet of Guru and Gaurāṅga. By holding on the lotus feet figuratively of the spiritual master of Lord Nityānanda, Lord Caitanya they will help us to pass over the material world. They’ll do the rest. So, we have to cling to them, to their instructions, to their service and be very humble.

 

Just like Prabhupāda said, “we have to be like a deep diving fish. Some fish can dive very deep in the ocean so when the fishermen come with their net, the net just skim the top. Fish that can go very deep the nets can’t get. Ocean is two miles deep; they don’t have two-mile-deep net. The fish that jump around on the top, they get scooped up.

 

So, you can consider that Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is the ocean of nectar. You want to dive deep in the ocean, go deep into the nectar. Get that spiritual bliss, that experience. Then maya will not get you. But if you’re kind of like a little bit in, a little bit out, flipping around on the surface, then it’s more likely that you’ll be captured by the fishermen. Learn how to dive deep, for protection.”

 

Any other questions?

 

Devotee: So, which one, most favorite Chaitanya Mahāprabhu is chanting?

Kṛṣṇa Kesava Kṛṣṇa Kesava Kṛṣṇa Kesava that or Gītā Govinda or Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Which favorite? [Not Clear 00:35:58]

 

Jayapatākā Swami – Well, as a mantra He would daily chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and He would count how many times He chanted it.

 

In kirtan, He would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. He would also occasionally chant ‘hari haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa” and He would in his meditation sometimes He would chant different songs praising Kṛṣṇa which are dealing more with the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. That wouldn’t be in a [Not Clear 00:36:30] that would be with a small group of devotees.

 

So according to the time and circumstances. But His daily sadhana was to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and then with some really advanced devotees in Jaganath Puri He would hear [Not Clear 00:36:48] and other Kṛṣṇa pastimes [Not Clear 00:36:51]

 

So, He recommended for us we should daily chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra some fixed number of times. Initiated devotees and those who are aspiring to take shelter of Prabhupāda; His representative, they chant sixteen malas, it takes about one and a half to two hours.

 

Someone can chant any number of rounds, whether even ten minutes a day or any number. It’s up to a person just to see how much they could do as a minimum every day. It’s a special kind of a sacrifice to fix that I’ll chant a hundred- and eight-times Hare Kṛṣṇa or two hundred and sixteen or whatever, any number a day. Whatever the minimum we have fixed, whether sixteen, or eight, or four, or one, we should do that as a minimum every day. There is no maximum. Whatever minimum we set for ourselves we should keep up with that amount. That’s a sign that you can say someone is chanting any number of rounds a day, they are already very serious about their spiritual life.

 

So, Lord Caitanya He did encourage to chant as a practice some, counting a certain number of Hare Kṛṣṇa’s a day.

 

Devotee: There are many people here that are actually working, then that are working for a living and they’re not looking a temple. And a lot of times devotional service, they surrender and just live in a temple. And sometimes it’s not practical if they have families. [Not Clear 00:38:25]

 

Jayapatākā Swami: (aside): You have those slides in the black bag. There’s many quotes of Prabhupāda. I didn’t bring my overhead projector; I could have showed you a few quotes. Before it comes let me [Not Clear 00:38:45] Anyway, I’ll answer more when it comes.

 

In the meantime, Prabhupāda , he said its better if obviously someone can live in an environment where they can be directly doing Kṛṣṇa’s service all the time and not have to deal with many other things. But [Not Clear 00:39:08] one cannot practice Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in their home. In fact, mostly everybody in the world will be practicing in their homes. And he wanted people to make their homes a temple. Like this home is a real temple. You can see the deities wall here. So, if we can have many little temples like this, home temples and many gatherings of people getting together, in this way Lord Caitanya’s movement can spread and reach so many people very easily.

 

So, although, actually this is how Lord Caitanya’s movement started in the beginning. He didn’t build any temples. He just went from home to home and got people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. And that’s basically where we see the biggest growth will come in the future is by, devotees like all of you, taking up the order of Lord Caitanya.

 

Lord Caitanya gave an order that every human being should practice Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and spread it to others. That’s His order. Already… everyone’s authorized. He didn’t say only this caste, or only this creed, or only this age group, or this sex, or this…no limitations. Every human being should take up Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and spread it to others.  Kṛṣṇa Consciousness the definition is very broad.

 

Even Prabhupāda said: “what people practice, various religions are all part of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness”.

 

We’re discussing the direct process, which is the direct link with Kṛṣṇa. So, I’m actually the Worldwide Minister for congregational preaching and we’re trying to encourage this type of home worship. Worshipping Kṛṣṇa in front of the home.

 

Prabhupāda he said many things about that. He said: “what does all of the temple. The temples are like a training center where people can come and see the deities and get trained so they can go and practice in their own home. So, we don’t want thousands of people to stay in our temple”.

 

These group of devotees staying in the temples for preaching and for maintaining the service of the deities and the congregation but there will be unlimited numbers practicing in their homes. This is the paradigm. The new world vision of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.

 

We needed the temples, or we wouldn’t have got trained up. Prabhupāda established temples for training. So now the next stage is to get people to practice in their homes. We want thousands of temples in Miami, Coral beach area, Fort Lauderdale, everywhere, in everyone’s homes. And then everyone is chanting the mantra, then you will see that the whole world will become changed very easily by the vibration.

 

You had your hand up…I don’t want you to…

 

Devotee – I wanted to ask what was the most wonderful experience you had in India, you were in India for a long time.

 

Jayapatākā Swami: Still having it! I live in India, I live there eight months of the year, and then come out here to the West a couple of times in the year. I’m having experiences all the time. It’s very difficult for me to say what is the most… I take devotees on tours of different holy places, in [Not Clear 00:43:05] Bengal and South India. When we went to Śrīraṅgam  in South India that time, the Jeeyar of Śrīraṅgam  he was very kind to receive us. He had about fifty devotees and we all bathed in the Kaveri River where Ramanuja Acharya bathed. And we saw the Śrīraṅgam Deity, Ranganath Deity. The head priest there is the descendant of Venkat Bhatta Goswami whose son is Gopal Bhatta Goswami, one of Lord Caitanya’s six principal Acharyas of Vṛndāvan. The six Goswami’s. So, they were kind to us, gave us good reception and we had a very good darshan of the deities. And… So, then we also made a visit to Ramanuja Acharya [Not Clear 00:43:52]. That means he’s the Guru.

 

There’s four Vaishnava successions. We are coming in the Brahma Madhva succession, through Lord Caitanya. Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya. But philosophically we practice many things that are very much in common with the Śrī Sampradāya which is coming from Lakṣmī Devi then to Ramanuja Acharya who is the incarnation of Ananta Deva. And one thing is in Śrīraṅgam, there, Ramanuja Acharya at one point he just sat down in meditation and he said that this is the last. And he just sat there. And he didn’t go through…he just said cover me up with sandalwood. And he just sat. And he’s still sitting there, for over a thousand years. And they show you his thumb never decomposed or anything. Just [aside]: you sure you got the right one? There’s more. I want the Prabhupāda quote.

 

Devotee: So, his samadhi, they just covered him with sandalwood?

 

Jayapatākā Swami: Yeah and they do worship and his state form is there. Samadhi is in front for processions and things. Behind that is his actual form, covered with sandalwood. It’s a very wonderful thing and overwhelming.

 

Then we went to see this Acharya of the Ramanuja Sampradaya. [aside]: it’s not the books of Prabhupāda, it’s the other thing. So, he didn’t speak English, he was speaking Tamil. And… this Jeeyar. And he asked what we were doing, we explained what we were doing. We all chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. And then he mentioned that in his Sampradaya one of the alvars, who was one of the original saints is called Andal.

 

She’s one of the famous lady saints of South India. She would always sing bhajans to Kṛṣṇa. And she told everyone to chant the holy name. She would go and request everyone to chant. So, he said actually what you’re doing is you’re fulfilling the desires of Andal. I see all of you as representatives of Andal.

 

So really, he was bringing us closer and he was also recognizing the oneness between our two Sampradayas. Which is usually an experience people point out the differences. Well you’re different, we’re different. But he was pointing out that oneness that actually in their tradition. It’s not known to us, not the name thing. But one of the most prominent saints was also doing this promotion of chanting the holy name. But it kind of died down with time.

 

So, he could see it, saw that it was a very positive revival and he encouraged all of the followers there that they should cooperate with the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.

 

So now we have a center in Śrīraṅgam  and we’re getting a lot of support from the Sri Vaishnavas. So, at night when you go around and you see as many different cultures in the Indian tradition but Hare Kṛṣṇa is being very nicely received by everyone and people are revealing how there are cultural backgrounds which are linking all of us together.

 

But I have so many different experiences. I live on the side of the Ganges and there have been twice or thrice the Ganges has flooded. Here in Māyāpur, my home. [aside]:  Here is the Ganges. So, bathing in the Ganges is very special.

 

Devotee: Do you speak Hindi or any other language?

 

Jayapatākā Swami – speaks in Hindi. [Devotees: laughing] [Not Clear 00:48:12]

 

Now we’re planning to build this big temple [Devotees: exclaiming]. The Vedic Planetarium. So, all of you will have a bigger place to visit. This temple now is finished with Prabhupāda ’s Samādhi. Hope you come.

 

[aside]: Devotee asks: “Will that be the biggest temple in India?”

 

Jayapatākā Swami: Probably the biggest in the world. 350 feet high. We haven’t measured the… compared the floor area. Anyway, it’s not a competition who gets higher. But were trying…anyway if you see this magazine, you get an idea of things happening in Māyāpur.

 

But I think probably the most wonderful thing was serving Prabhupāda in Māyāpur. I had the opportunity to personally serve him there and he would go on walks. He would tell how he wanted the spiritual city to be developed. He wanted this temple to be developed So that people all over the world would be able to be accommodated in Māyāpur and visit.

 

We were discussing today how we; you see we are pure spirit, but we are seeing things through this body. This body is designed that we can only see certain things, we can only perceive with our senses a certain range of…just like we can’t see the radio waves or the tv waves, we can’t see ultraviolet or infrared. What to speak of the other vibrations?

 

So, it’s designed like that. There’s are higher entities that can see in higher dimension in the universe. Psychics, they can see people’s aura. Right?

 

So even to a certain degree we can develop our senses to perceive in a higher level. But then there is a totally higher dimension in the universe and in a material sense and there is another higher spiritual dimension. The spiritual world also is simultaneously manifested in the material world. In certain places.

 

So Vṛndāvan and Māyāpur. Holy places like Śrīraṅgam. To different degrees. And the areas they have…they’re like…although they are visible to our mundane eyes but spiritually, they are also manifesting a spiritual dimension that’s simultaneously there. So, someone who goes there and does devotional service they can start to experience that spiritual dimension in sublime ways. And for very fortunate persons they can actually see, that there is beyond what we can see with our mundane vision, there is a whole other spiritual realm manifested right there.

 

So great Acharya’s they have seen that in Māyāpur. But even simple devotees we are able to experience some spiritual enlightenment from being in the Holy Dham of Māyāpur and Vṛndāvan.

 

So, I hope that all of you take advantage sometime and come for a pilgrimage.

 

[Not Clear 00:51:46] Ki Jai!