20200128 Evening Address in ISKCON

PLEASE NOTE, *THIS DOCUMENT IS AT DRAFT (NOT PERFECT) STAGE. IT IS 

RECOMMENDED TO READ WITH GM’S VIDEO/AUDIO IN BACKGROUND. *

20200128 JAYAPATAKA SWAMI GURU MAHARAJ, EVENING ADDRESS, IN BENGALI, SILIGURI, BENGAL, INDIA

Mukham karoti vacalam pangum langayate girim

Yat kripa tam aham vande sri gurum dina tarinam

Paramananda Madhavam Sri Caitanya Isvaram

I don’t know if all of you understand my speech. The doctors told me, that last year August 15, would be completion of one year within which it was not advisable for me to travel much. That one year has finished and that is why I am travelling. I went to Bangladesh, Thakurgaon and then I came here. I will stay here for two days. Then I will go to Delhi. I will be there for two days, and then go to Mayapur. 

This temple is a mini Navadvip dham. There are nine islands. This is Antardwip, and on the four sides there are various islands – six islands. There are nine islands in Mayapur, Navadvip. Simantadvip, Godrumadvip, Madhyadvip, Koladvip, Ritudvip, Jahnudvip, Modrumadvip, Rudradvip and Antardvip. Here, I was trying to see which deity to worship in each of the islands. Here in Antardvip there are many deities. And I was trying to associate one deity with each of the islands. In Madhyadvip, there in Navadvip, is Hamsa vahan. That is nondifferent from Naimisaranya. There Sukadeva Goswami, he spoke the Gaudiya Bhagavatam. And Mahadeva, Lord Siva, had wanted to come to hear this discourse. But His Nandi was going very slowly. That is why He went and borrowed the Hamsa, Swan vahan, carrier, from Lord Brahma. So that he could get there fast! As soon as Brahma deva’s Hamsa came, all the rishis, sages and munis who were listening to the Bhagavatam by Sukadeva Goswami, they all stood up. They were all surprised to see that Lord Brahma did not come out of the Hamsa but Lord Siva, Mahadeva, came out! Ha! Ha! This is why, in Madhyadvip there is a Linga of Mahadeva. 

Simantadvip, that is nondifferent from Jagannath Puri, there are Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subadra. Here in Simantadvip we are organizing. There in Navadvip there is a deity of Simantini devi. This way, we have to make the nine islands, there are many deities in Godrumadvip – Har Har Kshetra, Suvarna Vihar, Surabi Kunja, and Nrsimhapally, where there is a deity of Nrsimhadev. This way, if we do parikrama of this temple, then that will be parikrama of the Navadvip, nine islands. This temple and the residents here of Siliguri, Darjeeling district, Jalpaiguri etc.  you are all very much dear to me! Now, after taking darshan of the deities, I am feeling peaceful. Tomorrow, there will be various programs. And I hope that with Krsna’s mercy I will be able to make you happy. Haribol! 

You are all very fortunate that you have such beautiful Radha Madhav, Lalita Visaka, Panca Tattva, to worship. And our human life is meant to serve the Lord. Jivera svarupa hoi nitya Krsna das. This is our constitutional position. But instead we are worrying about material things. But our real nature is to keep Krsna in the center and make our life successful. Srila Prabhupada, His Divine Grace Abhaycaran Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, on the instruction of Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Prabhupada, went to the Western world and spread the message of Lord Gauranga. Then he was alone, without any help. No one came forward to assist him. But he only wanted to follow the instruction of his guru. He was successful and travelled around the world fourteen times. And he installed and opened 108 temples around the world, himself! Now Iskcon has about 800 centers. And there are thousands and thousands of bhakti vrksas and namahattas. Namahattas are there in West Bengal, Odisha, about 4000 of them. This way, in various ways, the message of Caitanyadev is being propagated and spread. 

We did not know what was the goal of our life. We did not know that we are eternal living entities, we, in the western countries thought that we are this body. And the religious people there thought that they were the body but they had a soul, atma. But, that we are atma or soul and that we have a body – we did not realize that. That is the teaching of the Bhagavad-gita. We are eternal living entities. We are take birth again and again, till the time that we not take the names of Krsna. Now Caitanyadev gave the instructions – bolo Krsna, bhajo Krsna, koro Krsna sika. The Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Lord Krsna Himself, from His lotus mouth. And the Srimad Bhagavatam is about Lord Krsna. This way, Gita and Bhagavat, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam – all the people are advised to read them. But mostly, our devotees even don’t do this! If at all, some of them read the Gita. They read less of the Bhagavatam. But for me to take Harinam initiation, my gurudev told me, that I had to read the Gita ten times! I have that Gita – 1,2,3,4 5 cross. 6,7,8,9,10 cross. Then I was ready and got initiation. I say, to read the Bhagavad-gita twice. Even then, the devotees say, it is almost twelve years, I have not read the Gita, you please give me initiation, I will definitely finish reading it in one, two, three months! They have not read it in 12 years, how could they read in six months? I used to believe them. Not any more! I hope that all the devotees will get the Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavatam from the temple and read them. Anander sima nai, Anander sima nai, Nirananda dure jai, Nirananda dure jai! I will end here. And tomorrow I talk more.