20201016 Zoom Session with Balarāmadeśa Devotees

The following is a Zoom Session with Balaramdesh Devotees by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 16th, 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!

govardhana dharam vande, gopālam gopa-rūpinam
gokulotsava īśānam, govindam gopīkā-priyam

Jayapatākā Swami: Very nice to see how you are having regular classes in different languages. Since today is the last day of the Puruṣottama month and then two weeks of Aśvinī and then starts Kārtika. I wonder how you are all going to also be active in Kārtika? That time is especially for offering lamp. We should plan ahead observing the Kārtika month. Maybe we have another virtual parikramā, I have not discussed yet. But in the Kārtika month it is recommended that we do parikramā every year.

Puruṣottama month comes once in three years, so it is very special. Kārtika month comes every year. So, it is recommended in these months like Puruṣottama month and Dāmodara month to be vegetarian. Of course, the devotees who are initiated or sheltered, they would be already vegetarians. But many of the new people, if they can for one month be vegetarian that would be very nice. At the end of the month, we have the five-day Bhīṣma Pañcaka. We will send news about that later.

Now the thing is that usually people are not thinking about God much. We think when we are in trouble or we need some finance. Lord Caitanya advised that we should always think about Kṛṣṇa day or night. That is why chanting is so convenient. Japa, kīrtana, the holy name vibrates naturally while thinking of the Lord. So this is the main goal that we always remember Kṛṣṇa, and never forget Him. I would like also to know some devotees lost their jobs and went back to India, Nepal and Bangladesh, if we have the details then we can try to give them some service or association. In our South Indian Divisional Council someone mentioned that some people may be coming from the Middle East. That each temple should make facility to welcome them. And maybe some service, at least some association.

Human life is an opportunity to go back to Godhead. Animal life we cannot think about God. Only eating, mating, sleeping and defending. Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that in the West they are mainly sophisticated animals. We also do that eat, sleep, mate and defend. But the animals eats on the ground, but we eat with sophisticate spoons and forks. The animals sleep on the ground in the shed, but we sleep in the multi-storied buildings in flats. All these activities, eating, mating, sleeping and defending, these are the same thing, only human beings are more sophisticated. The thing that makes a human special is we can think about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We can think where have we come from and what is the purpose of our life. How can I reestablish my relationship with Kṛṣṇa? This, the animals don’t think. If the human being doesn’t think like this they are only engaged in eating, mating sleeping and defending then he is no better than an animal. So, we are trying to encourage the people to think and develop their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. He comes in unlimited avatāras. Kapila, Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Narasimha, Rāmacandra. Like that you have an island, how many waves are there in the ocean? On the beach can you count how many waves? As many waves are there almost that many or more avatāras are there. So, Lord Caitanya He came out to give love of Kṛṣṇa. And in the previous yugas there was meditation, yajña, temple worship. But we are not qualified to do that. So Kṛṣṇa came as His holy name – there is no difference between Him and His holy name. But chanting the holy name we can get all the effect that we get in the previous ages. That is why we want to encourage the people to chant the holy name.

When I saw heard your report that you got new people to chant, I was very happy. If people chant, they can get unlimited benefit. As I already said today is the last day of the Puruṣottama month. This is the last chance you have to engage in devotional service. I am thinking also what service I can do? My cook said, he will try to make some baked malpuas. Since the ghee is not so good for my liver. Anyway, the point is that Lord Caitanya, He distributes His mercy to everyone. He was not thinking who is qualified, who is not. He gave His mercy to all. So I hope that all of you will get the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!