20160903 Question and Answer Session

The following is a question and answer session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Svāmī Mahārāja on September 3rd 2016 in Ukraine. The question and answer session was also given with H.G. Caitanya

Candra Caraṇ Prabhu at the Bhakti-sangam festival and was given with Russian translation.

♪♪♪ nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭāya bhū-tale ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracārine ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram♪♪♪

♪♪♪ Hari oṁ tat sat ♪♪♪

I hear this is a question and answer program. 2:18…from the simple Caitanya Candra Caraṇ Dās.  He’s got many responsibilities. He has taken the responsibility of being the a spiritual master for many devotees and His Holiness Bhakti Bṛnga Govinda Svāmī was praising his qualities. He also recommended …3:42 by the GBC. Caitanya Candra Caraṇ Dās has many ideas how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. His ideas …4.16 culture. Prabhupāda had said ‘Conquer by culture’. Caitanya Candra Caraṇ Dās is always thinking of how to do that. Every devotee if they can take up responsibilities for Guru and Kṛṣṇa,  that will be very auspicious. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotee: They are asking questions. So we have one question, more you practice, more shortcomings you are seeing also. In mind there are offences of devotees. What to do with it? When it will finish?

Guru Mahārāja: What was the last part?

Devotee: It is quite a, like kind of contradictory question. Last part was there are offences of devotees in the mind. What to do and…

Guru Mahārāja: Ah?

Devotee: Offences of devotees in the mind. Aparādha. When it will finish?

Guru Mahārāja: Six brothers of Kṛṣṇa. Actually for having offended Lord Brahma in the mind, so they had their heads smashed against the wall by Kamsa. …7.35…So Kṛṣṇa was very kind when Devaki asked for those six children back. 

8:05 any offence. He was glorifying and glorifying, glorifying, glorifying, glorifying and glorifying. Then Lord Caitanya said to Mother Saci,” that I will forgive you. Accept that you did offend him. Only course now is that take some dust from His lotus feet.  You should take the dust that has touched Advaita’s feet and put it on your head”. I was wondering what one devotee was doing with the shoes outside the hall. Touching all the shoes and putting it on his head (laughter). Haribol! 10.10

Caitanya Candra Prabhu: I better would like to hear than speak in your presence. For sure it will end because Kṛṣṇa is stronger than Māya so sooner or later you will win …11:00 . Some point you will start feeling disgusted with them. This is what happens, so what is of devotees. Sooner or later it will finish. So like sun takes water from the land 11.26 and this is the sun. 11:35 if there are no  offences, you will feel attraction to 11:40. But when I was preaching I was happy and satisfied with 11:50 Kṛṣṇa consciousness. 

Devotee: Here Niranjana Svāmī Mahārāja came. Haribol!(Applause)

12.10

Guru Mahārāja: Simultaneously as part of the Caitanya līla and the Kṛṣṇa līla. So 12:40. Gauranga!

Devotee: Please give us advice, give us practical advice, how to strengthen friendships among the senior and younger devotees?

Guru Mahārāja: I am not so expert in this! (laughter)

Devotee: What policy is favourable for preaching, traditionally speaking directly about Kṛṣṇa or indirectly like Ayurveda etc.?

Guru Mahārāja: Yāre dekha, tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. Lord Caitanya recommended speaking about the Lord Kṛṣṇa. But according to the time, place and circumstance, we may adopt other methods. It depends on the time, place and circumstance. So in some situations, preach directly. Other situations you have involve indirectly. 

Devotee: How to get rid of doubts in spiritual life?

Guru Mahārāja: Why should you doubt? Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-Gīta, those who doubt, there is great delay in their spiritual progress. There is always something you see you can doubt. Rather if one takes the Vedās are authoritative, great souls, the ācāryās have accepted the Vedās. They have accepted the path of bhakti-yoga. Using your intelligence, you should conquer these doubts. But it is a severe austerity to gain more and more knowledge and doubts are answered. Like Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he had many doubts. So when Śukadeva Gosvāmī would say something, he would express his doubt. Arjuna would express his doubts too. Like there are many Indian immigrants in the USA. So their children are born and grow up in the United Sates. They have lots of doubts and questions. That’s why the Indians are automatically 21:10 Kṛṣṇa conscious because they answer the doubts and the questions. 

Devotee: Do we already have unmanifested prema in our hearts or do we receive it through grace?

Guru Mahārāja: Caitanya-caritāmṛta says ‘kṛṣṇa-prema nitya-siddha sādhya kabhu naya, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya’ That Kṛṣṇa prema is in our heart is dormant. It is there eternally. Not something you earn. And by listening to pure devotees our consciousness gets purified and prema rises up, wakes us up. And from 20:40 (laughter). OK?

Thank you very much!!

Haribol!(Applause)

Tags: Responsibility, Offences, preaching, Kṛṣṇa prema, doubts