20170923 A Talk during Dāmodara Month

20170923 His.Holiness.Jayapatākā Swami gave a talk at the JPS London disciple’s weekend retreat.

Gurumahārājā:

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ
paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
paramānanda-mādhavam
Śrī Caitanya Iswaram 

Hari Oṁ Tat Sat.

So I would like to thank His Holiness Bhakti Purusottamā Swāmi, very gracious of Śruti Dharmā, Śrī Ballabhā and Pranabandhu for their introductory speeches on the Damodarā Month. 

Prabhupāda has established that we chant and offer lamps to the Deities everyday. I asked Prabhupāda, what can I do special for the month of Dāmodarā? He wrote back, “You are a regular customer. So you get all the benefits of all the months. Just like shop has sale. It is to attract new customers. So Dāmodarā month is to attract new customers.

The Devās, they came to see Lord Viṣṇu to solve some problems, but He was sleeping. So if they woke Him up, He may be angry. So then they got an idea that they would chant the holy names. So they all began chanting and dancing. Viṣṇu was so happy. He said, “On this tithi, in this month, I will give one hundred times the benefit.” The tithi was Ekādaśī, the month was Dāmodarā. 

So in various purāṇa’s the month of Dāmodarā is glorified. By offering a lamp you can go to the spiritual world. So many of your forefathers, descendents will get delivered. Various benefits are given. In the brochure they printed here, some are given. In other brochures, in other places, more benefits are given. 

So we found a very simple way to get people to offer a lamp. So they began to invent nice kits, it would have nice Dāmodarā pictures, they would put that on the altar or on the TV or something, and offer a lamp and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Very simple program. But then we found that it was a good warm-up, and we got people to take contacts, and then they were fired up. This is Jīve dayā, this is compassion. Just by a very small effort you are giving people a big spiritual boost, and some of those people decide to become regular members of the temple of the congregation, and I am sure that the 5000 people that the Dāmodarā deśa is talking about are not all the same every year. 

Many of the people become devotees, and you know you go to someone’s house and you say, “I want to build up a good blessing for you.” Most people won’t refuse. So we have... in Chaupāti they have taken it up, and in many places around the world, and we make contacts in this month which then go on to be long term relationships. This all started from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions. I just institutionalized it, but the idea was given by Prabhupāda, and the idea is there in the Purāṇas. 

The month of Dāmodarā is glorified, and then in Māyāpur we have people offering ghee wicks on Tulasī twigs. I said, “What is that?” 

“This gives you a thousand times the benefit.” 

There are so many secrets of Dāmodarā. How to get more benefit? So I was in one program in Cuenca, Ecuador, in the town hall, and there with a brief introduction they offered the people to come up and offer a candle light to Dāmodarā. May be the beautiful picture of Kṛṣṇa and Yaśodā reminded them of mother Mary and Jesus, I don’t know. But everybody came up, everyone, all, they were not Hindus, there was not one Hindu amongst them. They were all what to say South American people, they wore their shoes but they came up and offered a lamp, and they were very favourable. So then I was promoting this to the CDM through the Congregational Development Ministry, that we should utilize what Prabhupāda called the sale to involve new people. Like say you can get a Mercedes Benz at 1% of the cost. Say 100,000 pounds, you pay 1000 pounds. Who would not take it?

So Kṛṣṇa is giving away His mercy like that. A hundred times the mercy, and some things like going back to the spiritual world – you can’t put a price on it. 

So not only the people benefit, but those who are engaging them, they benefit. And those people, by giving them something initially, they get so much bliss to do the sevā for the Lord, for Dāmodarā, that they would like to do some service for the temple. So it is a win-win situation.

In Malaysia, on this month of Diwāli they have some... it’s like a flea market, it’s like an open market. So one devotee took one shop paying out of his own pocket, and there he just invited people who came to do their shopping, to offer a lamp, and he got like thousands and thousands of people, and then he had a pranāmi box. He didn’t ask any money, but people gave. So it became a self-sufficient program. So, like that different devotees may look for different opportunities. 

In the middle-east they see the names. It’s illegal to proselytize to Muslims and so on, but you can tell a Hindu’s name by their name... Agarwāllā, Reddy. So from the Mail box some ladies wanted to set up the Dāmodarā Lamp programs. One lady told me she don’t see buildings anymore, she just sees contacts. One lady came up to me. She said, “I am very sorry to say, I failed to make devotees.” 

I asked her “How many did you make?” 

“Only 76.”

“That was not so bad. What was your goal?”

“108”

So this gets people very much inspired and this is how you develop name-ruchi. By giving out Kṛṣṇa you get the mercy, and you get a taste for chanting, a taste for serving, and also you get more members in your Bhakti Vrikshā. Then this leads up to December where we have the book marathon. We would like to have January as the time when we cultivate all the contacts that you made. 

In the year there are actually three months which are special. One is the Dāmodarā month, and one is the Vaisākā month, and one is māghā month. We haven’t gone to māghā yet. We found that Vaisākā month is like Japā, kīrtanā, sādhanā bhakti, and then Dāmodarā is offering lamps. So Dāmodarā is a good month to start with, and then those who are practicing they can also do the Vaisākā month, but this time we are inaugurating the Dāmodarā month, and as we heard from His Holiness Bhaktipurusottamā Swāmi this pastime is very, very astonishing, how Kṛṣṇa is tied by the love of His mother. Kṛṣṇa can’t be tied. He is the absolute truth, but He allows Himself to be tied by love. So this shows how in the spiritual world, and then in the pastimes of the Lord, love is the thing that ties things together.

So I hope all of you develop your love for Kṛṣṇa, and use this Dāmodarā month to awaken you Rāgānugā. Think how you will achieve nice contacts, engage people in the worship of Lord Dāmodarā. 

Actually in Santiago, Chilli, one of our devotees... her daughter had her lunch box switched, and then she was a vegetarian but the other person was a non-veg. So the mother went to the school very angry, said this should not happen. This is also a special month. So the school asked, “Special month! What’s special about it?”  

She said, “We offer lamps and get special blessings.” 

“Could you do such a program in our school?” 

So then she had all the students lined up, and everyone offered a lamp. So the mixed lunch box turned into an annual lamp offering to Dāmodarā event. (applause) [Haribol] So I am sure there is no difficulty in having the Avantī Schools to do it. But even other schools may take it up. 

Many schools go to the Manor on excursions. It would be good to follow up and see if those schools... if they would like to participate in the Dāmodarā Lamp offering or candle offering function. A cultural experience. England is a leader in trying in trying to integrate the cultures. So Dāmodarā month is an easy way to integrate. In this way U.K may have unlimited lamps. [Haribol] [applause] 

I get a view of Kṛṣṇa-Balarām [Haribol] Nice. [laughter] 

So I don’t know how long I should speak. 

We thank all the temple leaders who are present for inaugurating this Dāmodarā Month, and I am sure that with the support of the temple there will be very great result. [Haribol]

Thank you.

Tirupati Dāsā..... [Haribol]

Revatī Ramaṇā Prabhu: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare 

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.

Hare Kṛṣṇa to everybody.  My obeisance’s to my Gurumahārājā – Jayapatākā Swami and to His Holiness Bhakti Puruṣottamā Mahārājā and all the Vaisnavās and the Vaisnavis. Such a wonderful program. My heart is dancing from the morning. So many kathā’s. Such a wonderful association with devotees. All are so blissful, so happy, and especially the Dāmodarā evening today, how wonderful it was. The way Mahārāja explained the līlā, the way Gurumaharājā spoke so nicely on the dynamism of Śrī Vallabhā prabhu what he is doing in Dāmodarā Desh, simply amazing, simply amazing. 

In Tirupati also we do. We get about 15,000 pilgrims every day, minimum.  We can say it goes up to 20,000 – 25,000 pilgrims visiting ISKCON temple. [Haribol] , and we do something like lamps – 15-20,000 everyday [Haribol] We got about six boys, brahmachāri’s – they are set up, and a few grihastā’s set up. Whoever the pilgrims comes they offer the lamp. 

In the beginning we started charging them 2 rupees, then we stop that actually. Why?  We had a board meeting and we decided free. So on an average 15,000 everyday, they offer the lamp, and also we have the house programs, because Gurumaharājā is the one who inspired us, you know, because so much he pushed for this Dāmodarā month. 

No doubt Dāmodarā month is very special, very very special. So it is full – whole Andhra Pradesh, because I am the G.B.C for the Andhra Pradesh by the mercy of Gurumaharājā and Bhakti Puruṣottamā Mahārāja. They are the one who pushed my name for G.B.C. So in Andhra Pradesh. And this year we are going to start in Andaman... Andaman and Nicobar we have a nice preaching going on there. There we are going to start this Dāmodarā for the first time. 

Andaman you know is a very important place for India. It’s part of the Indian territory. It is an island, very famous. And there is a place known as Harlox, it is a place very famous, island it is. The whole world comes there. It is something like Hawaii. Whole world comes, very very beautiful location, and lot of foreigners come there, there we want to start this Dāmodarā Ārati, and engage all kinds of citizens around the world in this wonderful ārati of Śrī Śrī Dāmodarā.

So one day Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a lecture on 12 mahājanas. After the lecture one devotee got up, “Prabhupāda, such a nice lecture. You spoke so nicely on the 12 mahājanas. Prabhupāda you are the 13th Mahājana.” 

Prabhupāda looked at him, and he said, “You are the 14th Mahājana.” [laughter] [applause] Why Prabhupāda said that, “You are the 14th Mahājana?” Anybody who follows ... Bhakti Vinod Thākur explains. Anybody who follows Chaitanya Mahāprabhu principles, whatever Mahāprabhu has told and the Goswami’s have told, if they will simply follow, that person is a mahājana. Anybody it can be. Those who follow the principles given by Caitanyā Mahāprabhu, he is a mahājana. And His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Gurumaharājā, he is proving. 

So many mahājanas he is making in London, in South America, whole of India and around the world. His simplicity, his mood, and his love for Caitanyā Mahāprabhu and his deep love for Śrīla Prabhupāda. 

As we discussed this morning we get empowered by paramparā. What is this empowerment? Empowerment  ... when you follow the guru and Kṛṣṇa, the potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa enters in one. Then he is empowered to do many things. 

We can see the last 10 years. 2008, Gurumaharājā was sick, but the enthusiasm has not come down. The same enthusiasm, and doing more and more. Inspiring the devotees around the world how to get connected to Śrīla Prabhupāda, how to get connected to Caitanyā Mahāprabhu, how further we can see the devotion spreads everywhere and the whole world becomes happy. Only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can become happy. Susukhaṁ kartum avyayam. Otherwise it is not possible. So with this few words I thank all the wonderful organizers for such nice evening program, and I thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa. [applause]

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