19960301 Utsava-vigraha Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva Deity Installation Day Address

The following is a morning class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja Govinda Dvādaśī (March 1) in 1996 in the New Śrī Pañca-tattva Mandir in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India. The class was given during Śrīla Prabhupāda’s centennial year and the occasion of the Hare Kṛṣṇa World Convention.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.30

tad etan me vijānīhi
yathāhaṁ manda-dhīr hare
sukhaṁ buddhyeya durbodhaṁ
yoṣā bhavad-anugrahāt

Translation: My dear son, Kapila, after all, I am a woman. It is very difficult for me to understand the Absolute Truth because my intelligence is not very great. But if You will kindly explain it to me, even though I am not very intelligent, I can understand it and thereby feel transcendental happiness.

Purport: Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is not very easily understood by ordinary, less intelligent men; but if the spiritual master is kind enough to the disciple, however unintelligent the disciple may be, then by the divine grace of the spiritual master everything is revealed. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura therefore says, yasya prasādād, by the mercy of the spiritual master, the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bhagavat-prasādaḥ, is revealed. Devahūti requested her great son to be merciful towards her because she was a less intelligent woman and also His mother. By the grace of Kapiladeva it was quite possible for her to understand the Absolute Truth, even though the subject matter is very difficult for ordinary persons, especially women.

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Jayapatākā Swami: Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, third canto, twenty-fifth chapter, thirtieth text.

Harihi oṁ tat sat

Spoken on the Govinda Dvādaśī in Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir, during the the Hare Kṛṣṇa World convention.

Jayapatākā Swami: Devahūti was desperate, she wanted to learn the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness of the Absolute Truth. Her husband had already gone taken sannyāsa. Now her son the incarnation of Godhead, Kapila, He was her hope. So very humbly she presented herself to her son to get the mercy of instruction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Actually, Devahūti was a daughter of a great king. She was the wife of a great ṛṣi. She was the mother of the Personality of Godhead. She had enough reason to be quite proud of her heritage, of her qualifications. But she presented herself in a very humble way like the ordinary woman. This is a recommended process for approaching the guru and the saintly person or Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Prabhupāda once mentioned to me that, first you should always go and praise the spiritual master, offer him more glorification and then you should humble yourself. I remember one time, I went to Śrīla Prabhupāda and I said, “Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are so wonderful!” Next, I said, “Prabhupāda, I am such a fool.” And he said, “Yes!” (laughter) Should not be something just mechanical. Then the guru may say such a thing to put you in your place. It has to be hot milk. Normally great ṛṣis, brāhmaṇas and great kṣatriyas or great kings in the history of this world, you find that (9:28) they were the ones who get spiritual knowledge mainly. And since women are . . . And the businessmen with their business and the workers with their work, it was difficult for them to really understand the spiritual purpose of life. But if one has a modified guru and if one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then anyone by mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa can get the transcendental wisdom, the understanding. We cannot imitate what others do. Just like Lord Caitanya, when He was asked by the Māyāvādīs, Why He wasn’t studying the Vedānta-sūtra, He said my guru said, “I was a fool!” Said, “I was not qualified to read the Vedānta-sūtra, that I should chant: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. He gave me a mantra.

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Cc. Ādi 17.21]

Like that, we have to maintain our faith in our previous ācāryas, in Śrīla Prabhupāda then our own spiritual master, if you are a spiritual descendant of Prabhupāda, not the direct disciple, because that is the whole system of the paramparā, that is how we are given our service. Śrīla Prabhupāda has given us the service by which we can reach to Kṛṣṇa. These verses that we have been reading, we can get so many wonderful insights. Prabhupāda, in verse 27, in the purport said,

“Unless one has good engagements in spiritual service, it is not possible to get out of the attachment to material service.”

So the guru gives us service, He gives us hope, distribution, he gives us Deity worship, he gives us many kinds of service. He said that, especially the Māyāpur project was meant to engage his advanced disciples and followers in a devotional service, utilizing all of their abilities. In other way, he said that, “If I give you this service, then how will you all be engaged?” And actually, when we think about what it is going to take to construct the Temple of Vedic Planetarium and the spiritual city of Māyāpur, it is not going to happen again, I mean, the devotees think that, while Harikeśa Mahārāja, he is going do it, Jayapatākā Swami, he is going to do it or Ambarīṣa Prabhu, he is going to pay for it. He doesn’t think again. The word that Prabhupāda has given to achieve this something that big multinational organizations with so much infrastructure and efficiency, they all may attempt to do something like this. When we talk to our engineers and our architects, they say, “You really know what it means to be a client of this big project. What you have to provide to us as a client, then you add to that we don’t have any money!”

We want to build the biggest project, the biggest religious monument in the world. In the modern world, we don’t have any money hardly. We want to do it by book distribution, we want to do it by fundraising. Then you know, what, if you want to do it by book distribution, how many book distributors are going to need and if you want to by fundraising, what kind of respect, we have to have in society, how we have to treat all our guests, how we have to become the most efficient representatives of Śrīla Prabhupāda to actually do what Prabhupāda did, to win people’s heart [?], the whole movement has to become so much fine tuned to fulfill this order of Prabhupāda, that is inconceivable. So we have been struggling just to get the utsava-mūrtis installed. They were supposed to be installed a week ago or more than about two weeks ago. And various problems had come up, recently, a year ago, we decided we want to install the big Pañca-tattva Deities with a big temple today, I mean in this festival. But then we found that it was a very massive mass, because each Deity weighs over 2 to 3 tons. And in order to establish those Deities, it is going to take. It requires a lot of expertise, just to do that. So we thought all right. We realized we couldn’t get it ready by this festival. But by the next festival we will get ready. For this festival, we should install, like for the big Rādhā-Mādhava, we have a small Rādhā-Mādhava for the abhiṣekas and festivals. So we can install the small Deities this year. And even to do that it was so difficult, because the persons who made the Deities . . . we were not so expert, and we had to do many we care to bring Them up to install [?].

So, then I was realizing that Prabhupāda said that, installing a Deity really means you are inviting Kṛṣṇa. And I feel that one of the reasons, why the Pañca-tatta are not coming so easily, is up till now the devotees in ISKCON, we haven’t taken the urgency that Prabhupāda has to bring these Deities into our movement. How many of you are praying every day for the Pañca-tattva to manifest? How many of you really worrying about it? Really feeling that . . . We have one of our pūjārī [?] How we really pray that, “Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa – Prabhupāda wanted You to be worshiped by ISKCON. We want You to come so we can worship You.” Has anyone praying like that? That is what we have to do, if you want the Pañca-tattva to come. These are Deities for the whole movement, we do here 24-hour kīrtana in two places in Māyāpur, for the strength and protection of every preacher, every book distributor and every devotee in ISKCON. You know that. (applause) At the bhajana-kuṭīra, we have 24-hour Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting, and here we have kīrtana, class, japa, something—24-hours. Śrīla Prabhupāda, he wanted this Deities, this [?] is preparing us for the big Deities next year, which is actually however beautiful, this temple was donated by the wonderful service of Harikeśa Swami and Bhaki Cāru Mahārāja, and Viśvambhara Prabhu. But this is actually a temporary, very beautifully decorated shed, temple. Because the whole idea is very soon, we are going to move the big Deities, we are going to move the Pañca-tattva, Rādhā-Mādhava to the main temple. And the only way that is going to be possible and if we take up: yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo –We need to take up the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

So Prabhupāda in London and in Los Angeles, I have to repeat his installation lectures. He explained, what should be the proper attitude. In August 21, 1973 in London. Los Angeles 1969, Los Angeles. Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī Dvārakānātha Deity installation. May be, these were the small Deities. Isn’t it?

Devotees: Yeah!

Jayapatākā Swami: “We have to worship the deity according to the authorized system. [Prabhupāda said] we have to worship the Deity according to the authorized system. Just like in our Gauḍīya-sampradāya there is authorized system by the Gosvāmīns, and there is a big book which is called Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. So everything is stated there, how the Vaiṣṇava family should have their all function... It is called Vaiṣṇava-smṛti. Śruti and smṛti. [So we have to follow this regulation of the śruti, Vedas, and smṛti. Smṛti means derived from the Vedas.] Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says,

śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pāñcarātrikī-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate
[Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101]

[…] “If there is no life, then it is idol worship, hedonism. And when there is life, feeling, “Where is Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa. Oh, I have to serve Kṛṣṇa, I have to dress Him, I have to serve Rādhārāṇī, She is here. Oh, I must do it very nicely. And as far as possible decorate Her to the best capacity,” in this way, if you always feel Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you are fire. The same example, keeping with the fire. And if you think it is a brass-made doll, I mean to say, idol... Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham [Bg. 4.11].

If you think this is a brass-made idol, then it will remain a brass-made idol to you forever. But if you elevate yourself to higher platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kṛṣṇa, this Kṛṣṇa, will talk with you. This Kṛṣṇa will talk with you.

There is a Vaṁsīdāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, he was talking with his Deity. And Kṛṣṇa... Just like Madana-mohana, He was talking with Sanātana Gosvāmī. Madana-mohana... Sanātana Gosvāmī at that time had no temple; he was hanging his Deity on the tree. So Madana-mohana was talking with him, “Sanātana, you are bringing all these dry capātīs, and it is stale, and you don't give Me even little salt. How can I eat?” Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “Sir, where shall I go? Whatever I get I offer You. You kindly accept. I cannot move; old man.” You see.

So Kṛṣṇa had to eat that. [chuckles] Because the bhakta is offering, He cannot refuse. Ye māṁ bhaktyā prayacchati. Real thing is bhakti. What you can offer to Kṛṣṇa? Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. What you have got? What is your value? And what is the value of your things? It is nothing. Therefore real thing is bhaktyā; real thing is your feeling. “Kṛṣṇa, kindly take it. I have no qualification. I am most rotten, fallen, but [and then Prabhupāda began to cry] I have brought this thing for you. Please take.” (Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya) This will be accepted. Don't be puffed up. Always be careful. You are dealing with Kṛṣṇa. That is my request.

Thank you very . . .

* * *

I know, we are walking in the Pānihāṭi, the original Pānihāṭi, in Pānihāṭi and Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was talking about, he was seeing how some of the temples were rot-down and neglected. And he said, in the beginning, when you install Deities, there is a lot of enthusiasm. This is called in Sanskrit utsāha. But then after some time, if the disciples think that, “Guru has given me this burden and now I have to do the Deity worship. I have to get up in the morning and worship and such a burden.” And if we think it is a burden of all that guru has given, all these things to do, knowing tight down to these Deities, then Prabhupāda said, “Everything is lost.” Then from utsāha, enthusiasm to serve Kṛṣṇa, it becomes nigraha – for offense and neglect of the Deity.

Rādhā-Mādhava are patiently waiting for so many years now. In 1997 will be the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of the foundation stone of the big temple. We were discussing, why did Prabhupāda personally want to install the big temple? He knew that he was very ill. He cannot be there very long. Why did he personally want to install it? We came to the idea that he probably thought if he didn’t install it, if he didn’t install it, then maybe nobody would . . .and it really wouldn’t happen. Therefore, he wanted to install it to be sure, it would happen.

So I was . . . today a very special day and I was feeling that, we might not realize how great a moment this is . . . By installing the Pañca-tattva, we are moving into a whole other realm. Even these are the festival Deities, until there Kṛṣṇa, Gaurāṅga, Pañca-tattva, They are coming in this way, because we are not emotionally, spiritually yet in the proper attitude for the big Deities to manifest. And They are giving us this opportunity to get in the proper attitude, where the whole movement, when everyone is going to have that desire to worship the Pañca-tattva in the temple predicted by Lord Nityānanda:

eka adbhuta mandira haibe prakāśa
gaurāṅga nitya-sevā haibe vikāśa

“That the one astounding wonderful temple will be manifested from which the eternal service of Lord Gaurāṅga will be expanded of the universe.” When we have that desire, then Nityānanda Prabhu and Gaurāṅga and the previous ācāryas are going to give us the mercy. Look what it took for Bhagīratha to bring the Ganges down, it was from Sagara, it was so many generations, each tried; finally, Bhagīratha tried. It is been 510 years since Lord Nityānanda and Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu appeared. Almost 500 years since His prediction was given. And every ācāryas were trying. And our Prabhupāda said, he wants his followers . . . He wanted to do it, he laid the foundation stone, and we have to take up that moon. But just like Bhagī Mahārāja, Bhagīratha Mahārāja, he did such a tapasya to get the Gaṅgā to come down, to actually get this temple to manifest, it is there, but it is not visible to our eyes yet. To get it to prakāśa, to manifest, visible to everyone is going to require our total dedication to Prabhupāda’s vision, to his instruction.

One of this Deity installation here that we all get into this mood of praying for the Pañca-tattva to come, why? Because we want to serve Them. We want to serve Them. We want to serve Them, because Prabhupāda wants to serve Them. Then They will come, out of Their causeless mercy. It’s very hard to understand Māyāpur, Navadvīpa-dhāma.

Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, they went on the Navadvīpa-parikramā, and they saw the ancient places. Even, it was only 20, 30 years afterward Lord Caitanya had disappeared. Maybe less, maybe even less. Two years after, when Śrīnivāsa Ācārya got back completing his parikramā, he was sleeping in the same courtyard of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s house.

This is the translation from the Bhakti-ratnākara, 12^th chapter:

“After describing so many glories of the dhāma above, Īśāna Mahāśaya became overwhelmed with kṛṣṇa-prema and was not able to contain his transcendental emotions. After some time, he was calm and he took three of them and laid down to rest in the compound of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s house. It was very late at night, but still Śrīnivāsa Ācārya could not sleep and simply lay, wide awake, looking around to the different parts of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s house. Śrīnivāsa could not understand, began to think to himself, “Why is Mahāprabhu’s house only made of bamboo and grass and other plain materials? Why did Mahāprabhu deprive me, His devotee from participating in His wonderful Navadvīpa pastimes keeping me far away in a distant place. I was so unfortunate not to be able to see and associate with those pastimes and devotees.”

While dreaming, Śrīnivāsa saw the spiritual divine form of Navadvīpa-dhāma and many wonderful pastimes of Mahāprabhu. While Śrīnivāsa was thinking to himself in this way he was gradually drawing to slumber and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed beautiful pastimes and glories of His spiritual abode to Śrīnivāsa Ācārya through his dreams. So he had seven visions. I don’t know we have that much time to get through all of them. But . . . Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, first saw the enchanting golden city of Navadvīpa, bordered by the beautiful Ganges River, well bound with jeweled bathing ghāṭas. He saw the residential abode of Lord Gauracandra, which was so exquisite that even the palaces of Indra and other devas cannot compare with this beauty. How was this astounding building constructed? Someone said that, possibly was constructed by Viśvakarma, the architect of the devas. Śrīnivāsa saw that it was protected on four sides by a gold boundary wall. There were so many rooms or areas in the residential palace, more than he could counted. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enjoyed His various pastimes, wherever He liked in the different sections of His palace. Pastimes in the inner part of the Lord’s residence, there was a beautiful flower garden, in the middle there was a wonderful multifaceted, beautiful jewel temple. Inside the temple was an uncommon enormous canopy like covering. Under there was a beautiful siṁhāsana, all the throne structure bedecked with gold and jewels. Lord Gauracandra was situated on the siṁhāsana along with His beautiful consorts Lakṣmīpriyā Devī and Viṣṇupriyā was His left and right. The Lord and His consorts were gorgeous. They wore varieties of opulent attractive clothing and Their bodies were torn with jewel ornaments. He saw lakhs and lakhs, hundreds of thousands of divine maidservants were engaged in fanning tge Lordships with cāmara whisk. The Lord along with His consorts enjoyed Themselves in the midst of this [?] of divine maid servants were enthusiastically engaged in serving Them. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya beheld the transcendent form of Śrī Gauracandra and His dear consorts, captivating the minds of the residents that the whole universe. Being overwhelmed by the vision of the previous dream, he woke, but soon he fell asleep again by the will of the Lord, he started the dream again. And he saw one more opulent jeweled part of the Lord’s residence which was a wondrous and beautiful temple that was a building of transcendental happiness. In the temple which was constructed with jewels and similar valuable items and exceptionally attractive vicitra, jeweled siṁhāsana, on which the attractive, decorated Lord Śrī Śacīnandana Gaurahari was situated. The beautiful and charming appearance of the Lord’s transcendental body was more captivating that, millions of humans. His transcendental form which was like a beautifully effulgent moon was outshined only by His superbly beautiful moonlight face. Lord Gaurāṅga side, by His side was another beautiful radiant moon in the form of the supremely handsome Śrī Nityānanda Candra! Nityānanda! Along with Him there was Lord Advaita Ācārya, and Paṇḍita Gadādhara, there was also so many devotees headed by Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita. And mentioned so many other associates of the Lord. There were countless devotees of Lord Gaurāṅga coming from lands to the east, west, north and south. How is it possible for someone to know all of them? All the assembled devotees who busy rendering devotional service for the transcendental of Lord Gaurāṅga. Personally, witnessing that beautiful scene, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya experienced immense transcendental ecstasy, in jubilation and he offered prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of the Lord Gaurāṅga.

Firstly, witnessing that beautiful scene, at that moment he suddenly woke up and his dream was broken. He started, he looked around in all directions. Then he had visions of Vaikuṇṭha within His residence in Navadvīpa, he had a vision of Ayodhyā, of Dvārakā, of Mathurā and finding the appetition of Vṛndāvana-dhāma. After seeing those Vṛndāvana pastimes here in Navadvīpa-dhāma, he woke up. He looked and he saw the sun was rising, the morning and begun. It took considerable time for Śrīnivāsa Ācārya to control his spiritual emotions. He simply considered all this was the unlimited causeless mercy and kindness the Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu upon himself. He could not help but meditate again and again on everything he had seen. The conclusion is that anyone who faithfully hears about this pastime of Śrīla Śrīnivāsa Ācārya will have his transcendental desires fulfilled by Lord Gaurāṅga out of His causeless mercy. And those who receive the causelesss mercy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu can get the supreme benediction of pure love for Kṛṣṇa. So here, the devotees here the opportunity, were having taking up another step for fulfilling the desire of our previous ācāryas. Maybe some portion of this transcendental abode of Navadvīpa, which is only revealed to the pure devotees. If you can make a portion of it, the small aspect of it visible, even the drop that ocean of transcendental mercy is manifested. It is enough to completely illuminate the entire world with all the Mahāprabhu’s mercy. So this is Prabhupāda’s desire. He wants, he is actually, Prabhupāda installing these Deities. His desire, he said, he wants Pañca-tattva, Rādhā-Mādhava and the eight gopīs and the guru-paramparā in this temple. Then all of the holy dhāmas – Devī-dhāma, Maheśa-dhāma, Hari-dhāma, Goloka-dhāma. You see that this vision was already perceived by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya in the transcendental residents of Lord Gaurāṅga in Navadvīpa-dhāma all these things are there. And no way, no idea, how to explain this, but I am just overwhelmed in the meditation on it. Therefore, I wanted to share it with all of you. And at this momentous occasion, the festival Deities of the Pañca-tattva are being installed at the centennial of Śrīla Prabhupāda. And indeed, in order to have the main Deities of the Pañca-tattva installed by next year, I am sure it will not be possible. Prabhupāda will not give us the opportunity to worship Them, unless all of the devotees take the opportunity to pray to the Pañca-tattva to come. Unless everyone is very enthusiastic to worship these Deities for the next 10,000 years. Nitāi Gaura Sītānātha premānande! Hari Haribol! Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya! Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir ki jaya!

Śrīla Prabhupāda said, birthplace is very sacred. That’s the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. But Kṛṣṇa in Gītā said: janma karma ca me divyam – He said this is the karma-place, this is the pastime-place, the place of where Lord Gaurāṅga’s work. So Kṛṣṇa left His birthplace of Mathurā to go to Vṛndāvana. So he said, even though the birthplace is most, is very pure, but even more pure, more important, rather, everything is pure, but more important, is the karma-sthāna. And karma means that is what all devotees do . . .

We thank all of you for coming here to Māyāpur-dhāma. Forgive us. I take the opportunity to beg your forgiveness for any inability that we had to make your stay nice here and serve you. We are very ineff . . . so we simply fall at your feet bed you to please accept, we don’t have much to offer. We have no rooms even to give to everyone. We have no proper facilities, no proper attitude to serve you. But you just kindly have your mercy and pray to Lord Gaurāṅga and Prabhupāda that we can serve you better every year, then our desires will be fulfilled. We want to have a full sitting here to receive all of the preachers from the whole world in the future, tens and tens of thousands of preachers to come here and stay for the Gaura-pūrṇimā festival without any difficulty or extreme hardship like the suffering this year. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Any comments from the senior devotees?