20201009 Zoom Address Bangladesh Nāmahaṭṭa-Melā

The following is a zoom Address to the Bangladesh Namhatta Mela by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 9th, 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

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had established the Nāmahaṭṭa. Now many people live in cities. Earlier people mostly lived in villages and that way Nāmahaṭṭa was very useful. But in the cities small groups congregating is more useful. Because in one flat if there are more than 10-15 people, it becomes very difficult. In the villages even 50 or more people there is no inconvenience. Bhakti-vṛkṣa is a group of lesser number of people. There because there are fewer people, the discussion is possible between them. If there are more people, if all talked then there would be inconvenience. Bhakti-vṛkṣa has six parts. The first one is get introduced to everyone and that way there is a discussion. To establish a relationship in the outside world. Then there would be japa and kīrtana. And everyone who chants here gets the mercy of chanting the holy name. After that another discussion which is of different types. Some discuss the Bhagavad-gītā, some take different ślokas and discuss, some take up a different system and discuss, they do this taking 5 to 7 ślokas. There are three sections. One person reads and all will understand what is the most important point. This is called discovery. Then application in their life and discussion. What are the examples in śāstra etc. are discussed. Then How to use this knowledge in one’s life. There are seven parts. After discussion one person will summarize and see that everyone has understood. Then a preaching platform. They will discuss what each one can preach and who is interested. How will they bring new people and preach to new people. Then a prayer, ārati in short, with incense and lamp offering. Then a simple prasāda. Not very elaborate so that everyone will be able to serve such prasāda. Because the program can be conducted in different homes on different days. So everyone can prepare this simple prasāda. If there is someone’s birthday or some special festival then they can have a special feast. This way we hope everyone will do this. In Bengaluru there is a Bhakti-vṛkṣa meet where a 3-4 minutes’ video will be shown and there will be a discussion on this. Either from śāstra or some video, there will be a discussion. In Māyāpur, one devotee is trying to see how in this pandemic, Bhakti-vṛkṣa can be done by zoom or internet. Zoom connection is available for 40 minutes, free. In this 40-minutes, they are trying to develop a Bhakti-vṛkṣa program. So they are trying different methods in different ways. I see that in this situation there are many meets in Bangladesh. In some countries, even now these meets are forbidden. We should observe the 6 feet social distancing and wearing masks and conduct the meets. Anyway, Bhakti-vṛkṣa is a means by which there could be a good discussion. And everyone benefits more from such discussions. One lady came to a Nāmahaṭṭa and she got to understand that being a vegetarian is good. She heard that and got it over her head. This is for others, but I want to eat fish she thought. Then she came to a Bhakti-vṛkṣa and there was a discussion there that whatever we eat we become that later. The animals which like fish, like cats, they also become those. Now in Bhakti-vṛkṣa each one is asked to speak about some subject. If to eat fish we have to take birth as a cat, I will not eat fish from today, she said! Haribol! So this Bhakti-vṛkṣa gives everyone a chance to speak and discuss which is very convenient. Anyway, Bhakti-vṛkṣa is a kind of Nāmahaṭṭa, urban Nāmahaṭṭa. In the villages everyone can listen together but in the cities that is not possible. Kaunteya Prabhu said that Caitanya Mahāprabhu had said that ten people should get together and clap their hands and do Harināma. This way, Caitanya Mahāprabhu established small groups. Here those who are participating, some of you do Bhakti-vṛkṣa. Some do Nāmahaṭṭa.

This way, I started Nāmahaṭṭa then. After Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disappearance in the year 1986, I started the Bhakti-vṛkṣa. Now that way, the gṛhasthas, students can do this and offer their service. This way they can spread the teachings of Lord Caitanya. And they can follow in different ways at home. So from one they can multiply into two, three, four Bhakti-vṛkṣas. That way in some of our cities, there are 100, 200 or 300 Bhakti-vṛkṣas. This way, in Kolkata, there are about 300 to 400 Bhakti-vṛkṣas. That way, in Bengali, Hindi, and other languages. In Chennai there are about 120 Bhakti-vṛkṣas. Different cities are trying to do in different ways. In Russia there are about 556 Bhakti-vṛkṣas. This way, all over the world there are a lot of Bhakti-vṛkṣas. Some places have Nāmahaṭṭas. In Bangladesh there are many who are doing devotional service at home. This way doing Bhakti-vṛkṣa at home is convenient. That way everyone can preach with Bhakti-vṛkṣa. Where there are 4 or 5 Bhakti-vṛkṣas, that is a upacakra. 10-15 Bhakti-vṛkṣas form a cakra. And 3 cakras form a mahā-cakra. Three mahā-cakras form a mālā. The Senāpatī of the mālā roughly have 108 saṅgas. We have quite a few. Mahā-cakrapatī are more. 34 Bhakti-vṛkṣas are under them. That way there will be a supervisor who will see that these meets are going on properly. The upa-cakrapatī will contribute to each sangha once every month. Cakra Senāpatī will meet the upa-cakrapatī once a month. And every three months every sangha will meet. Mahā-cakra-senapatī every month will meet the cakrapatīs. And it will take him six months to visit all the cakrapatī. This way, there is a beautiful saṅga. In the middle, they have their get together. This way there will be a beautiful system. So there are Bhakti-vṛkṣas for men, women and children. For families, various ways. I hope that in Bangladesh there are thousands of Bhakti-vṛkṣas and Nāmahaṭṭas. I don’t get any report in this regard. How many Bhakti-vṛkṣas and how many Nāmahaṭṭas are there in Bangladesh? Can someone give a report? If someone has any questions, I can answer now.

Question: You say that in Puruṣottama month what are the bhajanas we should sing?

Jayapatākā Swami: In Māyāpur we sing the Yugalāṣṭakam. Jīva Gosvāmī had sung this song and that song is sung here. If you want to sing the Caurāṣṭakam, I don’t forbid that. Someone questioned that did any ācārya recommend to sing this Caurāṣṭakam? I told our paṇḍita to check on this. And he said that in puṣṭi-mārga they sing this song. We should especially sing the songs of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But puṣṭi-mārga they don’t sing the songs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, they sing this song. This song is not bad, we can do that, but this is not in praise of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, it is only in praise of Kṛṣṇa. Name of Rādhā comes only once. Kṛṣṇa stole the heart of Rādhā it says. In this month you can sing any song on Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. I saw that the song by Jīva Gosvāmī is very easy. Everyone can sing it. If we sing any Rādhā Kṛṣṇa song, the worshipable Deities in Puruṣottama month are Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. In Dāmodara month, Dāmodara Yaśodā are the worshipable Deities. Śrīla Prabhupāda said to sing saccidānanda rūpam. But no ācāryas have not specifically said to say any prayer. But they said that worship of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa should be done. That way we agreed to sing the Yugalāṣṭakam.

Question: People who have haviṣyānna how do they break the Dāmodara-vrata? In Puruṣottama-vrata who have haviṣyānna or fruits, how do they break the vrata?

Jayapatākā Swami: For that purpose, I am thinking of making a video. You have to break the vrata on Caturdaśī. That day you have to offer 33 mālpuas and give it to a gṛhastha brāhmaṇa. And that day you have to different services and donations. The gṛhasthas who do this vrata.

Hare Kṛṣna! 

Question: We offer the lamp with tulasī twig to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Gaura-Nitāi. But then there is also the guru-paramparā and is it an offence to offer them?

Jayapatākā Swami: We offer it to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, but just show it to the guru-paramparā. After showing the guru-paramparā, we offer to Rādhā Kṛṣṇa or Gaura-Nitāi. Then offering to guru-paramparā as a prasāda is not an offence. If tulasī is offered to Kṛṣṇa, then we can eat that tulasī, that is kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Question: We are both initiated but my husband does not want to do devotional service. What should I do?

Jayapatākā Swami: Why is it so? We cannot force anyone to do it. Ladies generally know ways to tactfully handle this. You can say, please help me, I have to do ārati. Take the Bhagavad-gītā and show him and say that you do not understand the śloka and ask the husband to help. Even though you can. But the husband has a false ego that he is a male and to fan his ego, the wife can request him to explain. Then he will read and even reading is a kind of service. That way he will say something. This way, the wife can in different ways get the husband to do it. This we cannot do but the women have the knack.

Question: If you can please post the Yugalāṣṭakam on Facebook it will be nice.

Jayapatākā Swami: Okay. Will do that.

Haribol!

Gaurāṅga!

Nityānanda!

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!