20200818 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question and Answer Session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on August 20th,2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances. Please tell me. I am 15 years-old and my parents are not devotees. Now I have problems with one regulative principle. My parents are forcing me to eat chicken and fish. I cannot persuade them to let me be a vegetarian. What should I do? It seems the only thing I can do is pray to Kṛṣṇa. Thank you.

— Misha Kasmagar, Russia

Jayapatākā Swami: Why they don’t want you to be vegetarian? Maybe if you can prove to them that the proteins and the vitamins that you need [could be obtained] from different vegetarian items.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances. We have heard that demigods, being Kṛṣṇa’s administration team, help the Vaiṣṇavas for progress in kṛṣṇa-bhakti. But here we see the demigods are creating many obstacles. How can we reconcile with this?

—Your servant, Rasapriya Gopikā devī dāsī, Māyāpur.

Jayapatākā Swami: The devas, the demigods are sakāma devotees. They have some material desires. Because they are afraid that Dhruva would take over their posts, therefore they gave him different obstacles – in one way they were testing him. So if you don’t want a position in the heavenly planets, you have to declare that to them. Give them kṛṣṇa-prasādam. They should not cause you trouble. Because Dhruva was performing austerities for position, they were afraid that he would take their position.

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja, Please accept my respectful obeisances. (Accepted!) All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!  It was just read in your class that the scripture says that a mother who gives birth to a Kṛṣṇa conscious child is glorious. But if the child grows up and does not perform Kṛṣṇa consciousness in adult life, even though the parents do. Can you give more insight on this topic?

—Kaivalya Sundarī devī dāsī, New Delhi

Jayapatākā Swami: Well there is no loss for the parents. But as Śrīla Bhaktisiddānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said, if every child could be a devotee, he would be a gṛhastha and have a hundred children. There is no guarantee, you can try your best and hopefully they will become devotees. I advise you to pray to the deities to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious child, Kṛṣṇa conscious, healthy, long lived, suputra. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had one child who was His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura. He had another child who was a lifelong brahmacārī – Lalitā Prasāda Ṭhākura. I think all of his children were devotees, I don’t know about the other ones.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances. What can we as parents do to make our children strong, determined devotees like Dhruva Mahārāja?

—Your servant, Ratikeli Rādhikā devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: Teach them by your example and encourage them that anything they do in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda, his father gave him Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa small Deities to practice pūjā. And also gave him a Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā ratha. So he was happy to have this Kṛṣṇa conscious play.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances! accepted All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! Jay! How can we come to a state where we don’t see obstacles in spiritual life as obstacles? How can we develop that appetite for Kṛṣṇa consciousness that we are not worried about any obstacles?

—Your servant, Rāmakānāi Mathureśa dāsa, Reading, UK.

Jayapatākā Swami: You just expect to have different obstacles. If it was too easy, that wouldn’t be glorious. So we expect there will be tests and challenges. If we see that, we will be determined to go ahead.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Daṇḍavat praṇāma. There are a few devotees who say that we have fallen from the spiritual world, and some devotees say that we never went to the spiritual world. Can you please clarify, what is right?

– Rucika

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, Śrīla Prabhupāda said both things. But more often he said, we fall from the spiritual world, and that is why our magazine is, Back to Godhead. So, there is a whole book on this. At different times, different things were said. When the question was given to Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, if we came from the spiritual world, why did we decide to come here? He said, a person falls from the ship and a lifeboat comes to save him. Are you going to ask first, before I get into the boat, tell me how did I come here? Sharks are spinning all around. First you get on the lifeboat, then you will understand how you fell. We don’t understand any way.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Hare Krishna! Please accept my respectful obeisances. Today during the class, you have mentioned that if the parents failed to make their children devotees according to the śāstra they are called a swine, pig. My question is, what if the parents are making efforts in every possible way to make their children Kṛṣṇa conscious, but the children are not taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously. Are the parents still remain responsible for this?

—Your unqualified, insignificant daughter, Saṅgītamayī Gopī devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is said that if you have one child who is a Vaiṣṇava, the mother is glorious, the family is delivered. If you have hundred children and none of them are devotees, then they are considered like piglets. But that doesn’t particularly reflect on the parents. He didn’t say the parents are pigs. He said, the children are like piglets. Anyway, it is a heavy statement, no doubt. So I was seeing in New Tālavana, how the lady who was in charge of the little children, she had a plate of sandeśa. She put it on the ground and said, everyone chant one round. But the children were looking at the plate. I think that we are a bit more tolerated. In the Garuḍa Purāṇa it describes that children are attracted by sweets. So somehow, they got the children to enthusiastically chant the one round, and then they gave out the sweets. So anyhow, I don’t know how the parents can help their children to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. I have been a sannyāsī since 21! Better to ask someone who is a gṛhastha, who has succeeded making their child a devotee. The real point here is that a mother who has a devotee is glorious. Just having kids is not a big deal. But actually, to enthuse them to be a devotee, telling them Kṛṣṇa stories, by engaging them in different artwork, I don’t know – there is a book called, Becoming a Devotee, for the kids. And Gaurāṅgī devī dāsī from the CDM, she has a team of devotees who are helping her in the children’s program. So there are some devotees who are concentrating on this aspect. You can contact the CDM and ask them about their children’s program. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! My question is that in the Bhagavad-gītā 9th chapter, 5th verse, Kṛṣṇa says all beings are in Me, but I am not in them. Can you please explain that? Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you gurudeva.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since He is the Absolute Truth, so everything is in Him. But He is bigger than anything else. So it is not that anyone can contain Kṛṣṇa totally. He is bigger than everything. He is the cause of all causes. And He is without any cause Himself.

Question: Who is Swami Nārāyaṇa projected as the Supreme source by the BAPS temple in Gujarat? When we are preaching to the Gujarati community here, they have brought this question. And they have quoted various scriptures like Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Skanda Purāṇa, Viṣṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, to prove that Swami Nārāyaṇa who appeared 250 years ago is an avatāra of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know about such predictions. If you have those you can send the copy to me. I read the book where Swami Nārāyaṇa said he was a devotee. But later on, his followers made him an avatāra. So Śrīla Prabhupāda requested that his status as a jīva never be changed. Because many spiritual movements after the founder leaves, they declare their founder as God. So, I don’t see any reason why, Swami Nārāyaṇa claims to be God. If you read his book, he doesn’t claim it. It is only claimed by his followers. That is as much as I know. I went to their center in Ahmedabad and other places. Some of their Swami came to see me. When they heard that I have been a Swami for like 50 years, they paid their daṇḍavats! You know generally, they are favorable.

Question: How to get the mood of pure devotees like Śrīla Prabhupāda and to overcome separation from them? And to have pure devotional service without any obstacles. Please bless us guru Mahārāja.

—Bhaktin Susmita and  mother Kavitā

Jayapatākā Swami: If you read his books, follow his paramparā, you would gradually develop his mood. As Śrīla Prabhupāda said, it is a gradual process. If we want to get the mood of the previous ācāryas, you have to follow them and serve their dear devotees.

Question: We distribute Bhāgavatam sets to people who are already devotees, during Bhādra Pūrṇimā. Does that count? Should we target to distribute Bhāgavatam to only those who are not yet devotees? Sometimes people who are already devotees also buy Bhāgavatam or to gift it to someone.

–Paridhi Rathi

Jayapatākā Swami: Why not? Whomever you distribute it to, naturally it is counted. They may read, their children may read, their relatives may read. Also, we can donate a set of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the local library. If you can distribute to a non-devotee it is very nice, but maybe a non-devotee is more willing to buy a Bhagavad-gītā or other books. A new devotee may want a Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to study, so that also counts.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Gurumahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! I have understood and learnt that the word appearance and disappearance is only used for the ācāryas and the spiritual masters, but now of late I am seeing that everybody is using that word for devotees’ birthdays. I just want to know if we can use it for few of the senior devotees who have dedicated themselves in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s service over a period of time? Can you please enlighten me?

—Gaurāṅgī Gopī devī dāsī. 

Jayapatākā Swami: Why not? A devotee never dies, he appears and disappears. The word jayantī is reserved for Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, because His appearance is very special. But everyone else appears and disappears. Of course, for the great saintly devotees, we celebrate their appearance and disappearance. So rather than saying happy birthday, you can say happy appearance day! Haribol!!

Question: Even after we may make mistakes and do not do things as well as we may have liked to have done, how can we stay positive and continue to try to preach or try to practice our devotional service?

—Kiśorī Yoginī devī dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: There is no higher atonement than Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if one makes a mistake, then the best remedial method is serving Kṛṣṇa. So, if you make mistakes, then you should be more diligent actually, at serving. The point is that, one should not make sense gratification as the goal of our life. When we have senses, there will be some sense of pleasure and some suffering. So Kṛṣṇa explains that, you regulate the activities. Just like you take prasādam, just like we have married life, try to produce Kṛṣṇa conscious children. Different activities are regulated. But the goal is not sense gratification, the goal is to please Kṛṣṇa. This world unfortunately is beginning, middle and end is all sense gratification. They don’t understand anything about Kṛṣṇa in most cases. Even if they are God conscious, they pray to God to give them some material gratification. But we should rather want to serve the Lord. Well, it is expected that you will make some mistakes. That is why we should be more careful, after making mistakes, to practice more sincerely. Just like a child learning how to walk. Naturally they will fall down a few times, but eventually they learn to walk, run, everything. Hare Kṛṣṇa! Thank you!

Question: I want to know what is the nice mood to take initiation test?

—Liz Valero

Jayapatākā Swami: You have to listen to and read the books. Understand the teachings, at least the basic books. If you read the books, the questions are fairly simple. For instance, what is the difference between the body and soul. You can have the questions in advance, no secret. So if you want the questions, we can send you. So any way don’t feel anxiety. We want you to pass your test. And if you don’t pass it first time, you can ask for the answers. Next time you pass. I think they are not so difficult. Why do you believe that Kṛṣṇa is God? Questions like that, they are very simple. More complicated for second initiation. They have to pass Bhakti-śāstri. For first initiation, they are very simple. Okay? No anxiety! Be calm!

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Prahlāda Mahārāja says we should bathe from the dust of the lotus feet of pure devotees, nothing to do with material activities. Is it practically possible to take the dust and bathe? What is the instruction that Prahlāda Mahārāja is telling us?

—Svarṇa Mādhava dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya when He visited different houses in South India, every house they would bathe His feet. And then offer Him a seat, offer prasāda. So they got the dust of His lotus feet. The point is that we should be in the mood of serving the devotees. And in that mood like one of the ministers in Bengal, he touched Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lotus feet. He was a home minister in charge of the police. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s secretary wanted to stop him and beat him up. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, no, no, it is our culture. So mentally you can take the dust of the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda or the guru, the point is that you have to be in the service mood. Hare Kṛṣṇa!