20200531 Zoom Session with Brazil Devotees

The following is a zoom session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 31st, 2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. Zoom Session was with the Brazil Devotees.

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: Gaurāṅga! I am very happy to be meeting with the devotees from Brazil. I am a bit concerned that we see that there is a high incidence of the corona virus in Brazil. I hope that all the devotees are well. Maybe this is a good chance to encourage the people to chant the holy names. According to the bhakti-yoga process we should chant the Pañca-tattva mantra once and maybe chant 21 times the mantra of Lord Narasiṁhadeva. Śrī Nṛsiṁaha, Jaya Nṛsiṁha, Jaya Jaya Jaya Śrī Nṛsiṁha! Then chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. It says chanting the name of Hari cures one from all diseases. And Hare is the deva form to chant Hari or Hara. Generally, we want to chant the name as Rādhārāṇī, that is ‘Hara’ but it also means Hari. And Kṛṣṇa is equal to 3000 names of Viṣṇu. And Rāma is equal to a-1000-names of Kṛṣṇa. So chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is equal to chanting many names of Viṣṇu.

Maybe this is a good time to get the people in Brazil to chant the holy names. We know that this virus has come from the animals. And by mistreating the animals, by eating the animals, we had this virus come into the humankind. Therefore, it is better that we become vegetarians. We find that devotees are getting cured easier because they are vegetarian. We have some alternative treatments that seem to be helping many devotees. If you want, I can send the link.

We are hoping also that devotees take this opportunity to outreach and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Recently in Chennai in South India, they started a program for new people, Bhagavad-gītā in 18 days. They expected maybe a hundred people would join. But do you know how many joined? 9,000! 9,000! Could never have imagined so much interest in spiritual life. Maybe in Brazil also there will be a huge interest. So, usually taking advantage of yoga, we are practicing bhakti-yoga, we can help people to at least get freed from their fear and anxiety and get some mercy of Kṛṣṇa. And in addition, we could say, if they want they can chant some names of God in their scriptures. But the point is that the names of Kṛṣṇa, names of these mantras have got special potency.

We are very concerned that the devotees in Brazil will be very enthusiastic and continue to expand the message of Lord Caitanya. We have been discussing recently the pastime of Lord Caitanya chanting on His way to see the Chand Kazi. Now I have heard this pastime many time but mainly about the talks when the Lord met the Chand Kazi. But in this description, we are so far reading for the past five days just about the procession. How there were four groups, one group headed by Advaita Gosāñī, one group headed by Haridāsa Ṭhākura, one group by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and the last group were Lord Caitanya with Nityānanda and Gadādhara on His two sides. And He was chanting and dancing so ecstatically. Sometimes He would be covered with dust, then His eyes would be crying so much and bring out profuse water and wash out the dust on His body. Literally hundreds of thousands, millions of people participated in this kīrtana. The residents from the heavenly planets, some of the celestial beings, they came down and when they saw the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu chanting in ecstasy, they fainted! And then when they regained consciousness they assumed human forms and joined the kīrtana to dance and chant with Lord Caitanya! Gaurāṅga! Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura he said just to describe the ladies making auspicious sounds of ulu-dhvani, hari-dhvani, would take me a hundred thousand years! So the sound was penetrating the whole universe. It entered into the causal ocean, into Virajā, into Vaikuṇṭhaloka. People in Vaikuṇṭha also were attracted to participate in the kīrtana of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And some of the angels, the demigoddesses from heaven were throwing the flower petals over the kīrtaniyas. And Mother Earth was making a soft surface for the Lord to dance on. Everybody was eager to see Lord Caitanya dance. He was having private kīrtanas in Śrīvāsa’s garden. So all the residents of Navadvīpa were eager to hear Lord Caitanya chant, to see His chanting. And when Lord Caitanya would start dancing, His hairs standing on end, tears flowing down His eyes, laughing uncontrollably, manifesting the eight ecstatic symptoms, then even the atheists, the sinners when they saw Lord Caitanya roll on the ground and others were chanting Haribol and dancing, there was like a shower of love of Godhead on everybody. All the persons in the procession they were carrying torches and oil and it was said that they were clapping their hands, playing on musical instruments.How could they do that with two hands? Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura said that they did not realize it but they manifested four arms. Two arms were clapping, one arm they were carrying the torch and the oil in the other. It looked like the whole Vaikuṇṭha had descended on Navadvīpa dhāma. Just like Kṛṣṇa had the Kurukṣetra war which was something amazing, like Kṛṣṇa for seven days, He lifted the Govardhana hill in Vṛndāvana, this was the kīrtana of all kīrtanas. This was the universal saṅkīrtana! They came from all over the universe and participated. People were getting excited. Some were climbing up trees and jumping, some were rolling on the ground, some were touching the feet of others, there was so much joy, they were embracing each other. The world was flooded with love. We are very fortunate to be in this saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya. So, by the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda this was carried all over the world. And it was brought to Brazil on the order of Śrīla Prabhupāda. I think His Holiness Hṛdayānanda Goswami was bringing the movement here. We should all not miss this opportunity to please tell all the people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Here in Māyāpur we are still in lockdown. But they are gradually lightening it up. But gradually. I want to answer some questions. Hare Kṛṣṇa! Gaurāṅga!