20130422 Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā Address

The following is an Vyāsa-pūjā address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 22, 2013, in Śrī Māyāpur dhāma, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

I was very fortunate that I got the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda on May 1977. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that his pastimes are coming to an end and he asked us to ask him some questions. So the first thing that he was asked that is, “Can you please stay with some time?” He closed his eyes and he seemed to be in prayer sometime. Then he opened his eyes, “Kṛṣṇa will allow me to stay for some time. So, you can ask what questions you have when I live.” So that time Prabhupāda had very soft kīrtana in his room. And one time, as a good fortune I was asked to massage his lotus feet. Although I wasn’t expert, I didn’t know how to massage someone’s feet, what to speak of lotus feet? Somehow, Śrīla Prabhupāda accepted the humble service. At one point, I just thought, while I am here, I should get the full mercy. And I was at the end of the bed, massaging Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lotus feet and I kneeled over and put my head on his lotus feet. I must have got that some of the special dust that devotees have been talking about today. Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! We need some spiritual dust to put on our heads.

My lift starts at the Caitanya Exhibits, so yesterday since they didn’t have the key, I took some time to look at the Caitanya Exhibits and seeing the different pictures of Lord Caitanya. I don’t know, how many of you recently seen the Caitanya Exhibit. Lord Caitanya giving mercy to Śivānanda Sena’s dog, Pratāparudra in disguise massaging His feet, Lord Caitanya dancing a boat, causing the boat to merely sink. Lord Caitanya with the animals in Jhārikhaṇḍa, Lord Caitanya meet Rūpa and Sanātana, Lord Caitanya in Vṛndāvana surrounded by the deers and surabhi cows, Lord Caitanya was unconscious and Patan soldiers arresting the associates of the Lord, Lord Caitanya discussing with Lord Śiva, Lord Caitanya embracing the leper and curing him by His embrace and so many murals, very nice. So, people they don’t know about Lord Caitanya and His pastimes.

I was approached by a student in Kolkata, who had Christian and Muslim friends and they told him, “Your Hindu religion has so many books, what is this? We have one book, Islam is Quran, and Christianity Bible, therefore, we are better, you have so many books, so you are confused.” She didn’t know what to answer. So I told her, you can say our book is Bhagavad-gītā. But having many books is not a weakness, that gives us more knowledge about the Absolute Truth. Lord Caitanya recommending to read the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and these are the books that Śrīla Prabhupāda translated and wrote in English. And BBT is producing these books in many, many languages all over the world, also the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other small books.

So, We are all very fortunate to be here in Navadvīpa dhāma. Here you can feel very close to Lord Caitanya. He wants to give out the mercy. He is considered the most merciful avatāra. So Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa predicted that They would send after 500 years, and They would spread the chanting all over the world. So, that was obviously Śrīla Prabhupāda. But the world is still remaining, and we as Śrīla Prabhupāda’s assistance to see that his mission is completed. This is the great opportunity for us. Although, we can feel the separation for Lord Caitanya and Pañca-tattva, and we can feel the separation Śrīla Prabhupāda, still we are part of the Lord’s declared pastimes. He had predicted that for India He would preach, for the rest of the world will send someone. So that senāpati-bhakta was Śrīla Prabhupāda and we are all part of his army. We don’t want to rest until Kali takes a break for 10,000 years. [Haribol!] So, we need everybody to be part of this wonderful pastimes of Pañca-tattva and to very boldly declare the mercy of the Lord. He is parama-karuṇa. Prabhupāda was great senāpati-bhakta. So we should unite, cooperate and march forward by chanting Kali is driven away.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

iti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ
kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanaṁ
nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ
sarva-vedeṣu dṛśyate

That Kali-kalmaṣa – Kali pollution is contracted by the chanting of this sixteen syllable mantra. So, being in Māyāpur chanting the holy names, we get our spiritual force enhanced and then we can chant everywhere and have maximum effect. Although the people have spiritual culture, there are lot of resistance. Because of different dharmas within the Vedic dharma – there is karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, but there is upāsana-kāṇḍa about various devas and devīs. But pure bhakti is the secret and that was why Advaita Mahāśaya fasted, and He cried to bring down Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya came, He left the seeds the love of Godhead for all of you. Take it, enjoy it and spread it everywhere. Haribol!