20200409 Zoom Session for UK Devotees

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 9th,2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The address was given to the UK Devotees via zoom.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you for coming on line so early in the morning. One of my disciples, Sevāpadmā DD, she wrote how when Kṛṣṇa lifted up the Govardhana Hill, the Vrajavāsīs were locked out for one week under the Govardhana Hill. But they did not feel it is repressive because they were with Lord Krsna. So we want all of you to be happy with Lord Krsna. Even if you are physically locked down you should be spiritually uplifted. Actually, there is no known treatment and vaccine for this Corona virus. Therefore, the government is saying to avoid getting infected. Stay in your homes, if you have to go out to buy something observe social distancing. Wash your hands, wear masks, different things. But they don’t have any known treatment. So, they hope to keep you alive long enough so that you develop immunity. We want everyone to chant the names of God. So that can purify the atmosphere, that can attract Krsna, can inspire some scientists to find a solution, or somehow or other to end the pandemic. At least if we have to leave our body, we want to be Krsna conscious. But hopefully all of you will survive this pandemic and you can use this opportunity to preach.

Last night I was with the devotees from Visakhapatnam, night before with the devotees of Chennai. Like that every day I go with different devotees and many people, I get to talk to them face to face, on Zoom. So this is a great opportunity for me and for them! I am also very concerned and I pray every day that some of my disciples and some of the devotees in the UK are affected. I was looking, one devotee sent me a video of one Spanish lady said that she had cured herself by gargling apple cider vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and vitamin C every 20 minutes. Then I just happened to see an interview of a prestigious UK doctor. And he was asked whether salt and vinegar would help. He said vinegar had no known effect on the virus. He said salt may have some effect but very small. And he said maybe, of course this is not verified, but maybe Listerine gargling would help! So anyway, I asked my personal doctors, they are looking into what things might help. But they said gargling with warm water and various substances would help.

Anyway I was very pleased to hear how different devotees were utilizing the internet. Two nights ago I met a devotee on the internet, he was giving four classes a day and he had over 500 devotees attending. So some people have programs for 5 or 9 some for 500 devotees. Some are attending a worldwide japathons and chant now with thousands of devotees.

So anyway we were always thinking that there would be a World War and after that Krsna consciousness would be promoted. But this is a unique kind of World War. Not one side against any other but everybody against this virus. And other devotees are telling me that people are generally more receptive. Because of the situation. Modern politicians, scientists, they may not have any solution. The president of Brazil told his countrymen to pray. And the Supreme Court in India also said that more people would die of fear and anxiety of the Corona virus, so please have more bhajana and kīrtana and namaz. So like that if we can get the people to chant, that will be a great service for Lord Caitanya.

Anyway, I am very happy to see all the devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if we break the laws of nature, we will have to take the karma. So, there is also a video Pragosh prabhu posted how all the pandemics come because of mistreatment of the animals. This particular virus is from eating wild animals like bats and snakes. Previously the swine flu was from the American pig farm. And the MERS was from the UK due to mistreatment of the cows. All very interesting. How people are eating so many cows, and other animals. And now we all are suffering the effect of that. So the president of Brazil told the people to fast and pray. We should preach to the people that this is a good reason to fast from nonveg. And to chant Hare Krsna! As the Kali Santāraṇa Upaniṣad says: iti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanaṁ, these 16 names destroy all the ill-effects of Kali-yuga. So if people would like to see these ill-effects eradicated then chant the Hare Krsna Mahā-mantra. If they don’t feel inclined to chant the names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Sanskrit, they can chant any bona fide from any scripture – Hebrew, Arabic, whatever.

We were reading about Lord Caitanya and Mukunda Dutta’s special pastime. Mukunda Dutta after he was forgiven by Lord Caitanya, he said I have no bhakti, without bhakti, even if see Krsna face to face, I will not appreciate Him. Just like Duryodhana he saw Krsna face to face but he did not appreciate him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just as Hiraṇyakaśipu, he saw Nrsimhadeva but he could not understand He was God. So he gave different examples from the scriptures. That if you don’t have devotional service, you cannot appreciate Krsna even if you see Him face to face.

People say, show me God. But even if you show them, if they don’t have any devotion, they will not appreciate. And Mukunda, he was saying all these prayers and it actually touched the heart of Lord Caitanya. So please read this pastime. Because it says that if you read that pastime, you will feel spiritual ecstasy, spiritual bliss, you will be one of the chanters of Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana party! Ha! Ha! What a blessing! Haribol! Thank you all very much!