20030319 TOVP Project Inaugural Talk

The following is a TOVP Project Inaugural address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 19th, 2003 at Śrī Māyāpur, India.

Māyāpur, it was disappearance festival of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. And in those festivals Prabhupāda would put his guru’s picture on vyāsāsana and he would sit down on a lower seat. And he was delivering a lecture here on that year; and then he was explaining how the previous ācāryas, when we glorify one ācārya, we have to glorify the others. How their secret of advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is really based on getting the mercy of the previous ācāryas and pleasing, how we get the mercy by trying to please them, trying to do what they want us to do. Then Prabhupāda was explaining how it is like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had begged one rupee from all the people and built first birthplace center. Of course, you know how he found with the help of Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī. How… oṁ viṣṇupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he built the Caitanya Maṭha and Yogapīṭha temple and then, like this Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was very emotionally said that, “I am in my humble way, I am also trying to do something to develop Māyāpur, Navadvīpa dhāma.” He said that, I am very grateful for all the devotees who are helping me to develop Māyāpur dhāma!” Then he couldn’t speak any, he was choked up and tears were pouring from his eyes. We were sitting there, actually we haven’t be able to do much for Śrīla Prabhupāda, but still this whatever the little anyone was doing he was so appreciative. After he could gather composure again, then he again said that, “This, pleasing the previous ācāryas is the secret to Kṛṣṇa conscious advancement.” We know how all our previous ācāryas, right from the (beginning) we know our ādi-guru, Nityānanda Prabhu, as (Lokanātha Mahārāja said) predicted that eka adbhuta mandir haibe prakāśa gaurāṅga nitya-seva haibe vikāsa. So prakāśa means manifest, and vikāsa means to expand. So by this temple manifesting, the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu will expand all over the world! Prabhupāda said. 

How many of you want to see Lord Caitanya’s message expand all over the world?

Devotees: Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: How many wants to please Śrīla Prabhupāda and the previous ācāryas?

Devotees: Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: How many wants to fulfill the prediction of Lord Nityānanda?

Devotees: Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: How many wants let someone else do it? [paragraph] [laughter]

How many wants the mercy yourself and want to be part of this mahā-yajña?

Devotees: Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīnivāsa Ācārya was on a tour of Māyāpur, he went on a parikramā, after it was over. He was lying down that evening in the house, the original house, the same original house was there, the same grass-hut of Śacīmātā and Jagannātha Miśra. He was looking and he said, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the ananta-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa, the most merciful avatāra, He lived in a grass-hut. He came here as a brāhmaṇa!” And he was just like overwhelmed, how is it… hearing so many glories of Navadvīpa-dhāma, but we don’t (you know) with our muscle eyes, with the flesh eyes, we don’t see everything, we feel it, we hear it. It was like he got overwhelmed, how to put all these information together! Then on midnight, he does off and Lord Caitanya picked him up, came and gave him a vision and picked him up and flew him in the sky and gave him an aerial view of the transcendental Navadvīpa-dhāma, then he saw a spiritual city with so many temple like houses. And people are very beautiful with tilaka and golden wall around the city and then he saw this beautiful temple in the middle; it is something like a dome, more some kid of canopy or something, gambuja was the word in Bengali, like a dome temple. Then he went inside it. And he saw the Pañca-tattva, but They were living… the Deities were really Lord Caitanya, they were all were there. And there were tens and thousands of devotees worshipping them from all different countries, and different races, people didn’t recognize, people were different colors, and complexions. And everyone was worshiping Them, the big kīrtana, ārati for the Pañca-tattva. Like this he had seven visions, different dhāmas, different līlās in that temple. Like Lokanātha Mahārāja said, the temple is here, but it is aprakaṭa, it is not visible to our eyes. We want to… Lord Nityananda said, the temple will become prakāśa, it will become manifest. So that is why we are praying, somehow by the Lord’s causeless mercy, if He uses us as an instrument in His hands, that will be very very grateful… we want the opportunity to do that sevā, we know that actually it’s Lord’s desire and ācārya’s desire, they want it. Simply use us as a nimitta-mātra, as an instrument in their hands, somehow we want very quickly – this temple to manifest, so that Lord Caitanya message will expand all over the world. Gaurāṅga!