20181023 Evening Talk

The following is an evening talk given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 23, 2018 in Chennai, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī-caitanya-īśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: So today is the last day of Āśvina month, tomorrow is the first day of Kārtika month. So we request people all over the world to offer a lamp to Lord Dāmodara. The two sons of Kuvera, Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva were engaged in unrestricted sense gratification, and they were intoxicated and so did not see that Nārada Muni had come. The girls covered themselves up and were embarrassed to find themselves in front of the great sage. But the two sons of Kuvera, the treasurer of the devas were still drunk, and they were not aware that Nārada Muni had come. So Nārada Muni cursed them that because your consciousness is so low you, you are like trees, and you take birth as trees. But then he gave the blessing that these trees will be in the house of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in His garden. So they were standing there for a long time and then Kṛṣṇa was tied to the mortar by His mother, so that He would stay out of trouble. But He pulled the mortar between the two trees and pulled the trees over freeing the two devas. They offered their obeisances to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and begged for His mercy. Then they circumambulated Kṛṣṇa and then they were taken back to the heavenly planets. So the loud crashing sound of the trees brought Nanda Mahārāja and the cowherd men. It also brought Yaśodā. She said… Nanda Mahārāja, “Why have you put our son Kṛṣṇa in such a dangerous place?” And they asked the children, “You were playing with Kṛṣṇa, what happened?” So they said, “Well two devas came out of the trees, they circumambulated Kṛṣṇa and went back to the heavenly planets.” “Children, what imagination!” They couldn’t believe the children. Even though they were speaking the truth. So this is the basis of the Dāmodara month and how much Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja loved Kṛṣṇa in the vātsalya-rasa, the parental rasa! So every day we offer lamps to Lord Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā Kṛṣṇa, in our temples. By offering a lamp to Lord Kṛṣṇa, you get unlimited blessings. So we try to engage as many people as possible in this simple, but auspicious ceremony.

Some gṛhastha devotee sent their daughter to the school and by accident some other child’s lunch box got switched and that box had non-veg in it. The mother came to the school and was complaining that this should not happen, we are strict vegetarians. And this month is the month of Dāmodara. So the school principal asked if she could show the students how to do the dāmodara-pūjā. So all the students of the school were offering lamps! So what was seen as the non-veg getting switched was turned into a great opportunity! So, so many opportunities will come to observe this dāmodara-pūjā. And a little bit of direct service goes a long way. This Dāmodara month is considered by some to be the best month. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Now we are going to have some questions and answers.

Question: I often wondered if we are offering candles as we have often done in the past, is there less benefit offering Lord Dāmodara a ghee wick? – Kaivalya Sundarī devī dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: A ghee wick wrapped around tulasī is a 100 or 1000-times more auspicious. A ghee wick versus a candle I don’t know what the ratio is. I think a ghee wick is far better but it all depends, what is available. If there are not ghee wicks available, then you can use a candle. I saw some devotees making wicks from cotton and then dipping those in ghee and putting them in little clay holders. But in the western countries the clay holders and those who make the wicks may not be available.  So there is a saying that a blind uncle is better than no uncle. There was one child whose parents were killed in an accident. They said do you have any uncle? Then one man he was blind, he said I will be your uncle, and everybody left. But the boy said that a blind uncle is better than none. So a candle is better than no lamp.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. How do we introduce Dāmodara month to non-Indians who have very little or no exposure to Indian culture? – Mathura Līleśvarī devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: In South America they did not seem to mind offering a candle. The Roman Catholics have a tradition to offer candles to their deities. In western countries, if you say it is our tradition to offer a candle then usually people go along. You can say this candle destroys bad karma and it is very auspicious. Or this is a lot of fun! Depending on what the audience is like you decide what to say to them. But don’t be too mental. You will be surprised people in Rome like to do what the Romans do.

Question: I want to open my preaching center as every year to everyone for offering a ghee lamp but I don’t have enough tulasī sticks. Is it okay if I offer it with regular wood and maybe I can put some powder of dried tulasī leaves in with the ghee? – Annapūrṇā devī dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: You can just offer a ghee wick if you don’t have a tulasī twig. The tulasī twig is something very special. But you can only give it to devotees who will appreciate it. Otherwise, a ghee wick or candle will suffice. In Māyāpur everyone is given ghee clay ghee wicks and a few people are given dry tulasī twigs with some cotton wrapped at the end.

Question: Guru Mahārāja Hare Kṛṣṇa! Daṇḍavat praṇām!

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Question: I am in America staying in a hostel and I am not able to offer Lord Dāmodara a lamp. What can I do? – Jainath

Jayapatākā Swami: Why can’t you offer a candle to Dāmodara? I think people smoke in the west. So if they can smoke then you can offer a candle. Maybe you can go in a smoking room! I don’t know why they would restrict you from offering a lamp? Is it due to some prejudice or is it due to a fear that the fire may spread? There must be some place in the facility where fire is allowed. I said the smoking room that is not the ideal place, but they can’t restrict you where fire is allowed. Otherwise, you can always offer a mental lamp to Dāmodara. He also accepts worship in the mind.

So time flies. In Māyāpur they have the Māyāpur Executive Board meeting. I heard that somewhere in South India they are having the South Indian Divisional Council. But I haven’t found out whom to contact. So this is a day of meeting. Since tomorrow Dāmodara month is starting, today the caretakers had an urad-dāl dosa feast. And tonight pizza! Otherwise, they normally have rice, dāl, sabjī! My diet goes on!

Hare Kṛṣṇa!