20201018 Zoom Participation in 25th Anniversary of Gītā-Melā

The following is a zoom Participation in 25th Anniversary of the Gita Mela by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 18th, 2020 in Sri Dhama Mayapur, 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: I could have stayed for one hour but there was a program in Mexico which I had committed to a long time ago and we forgot about it. Therefore, I will stay with you for fifteen minutes. Lord Caitanya had instructed bolo-kṛṣṇa, bhaja-kṛṣṇa, karo-kṛṣṇa-śīkṣā. Do Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare 
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

And also, devotional service to Kṛṣṇa and singing the glories of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s teaching. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Kṛṣṇa’s teachings are of two types: One is Bhagavad-gītā, which comes from the lotus mouth of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The other is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which is about Lord Kṛṣṇa. So these are the two types of teachings – the words from Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus mouth and the other which is about Lord Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes are elaborated. Now I am very happy that you through the Gītā Course and Bhāgavata Course, are educating the devotees. This is Lord Caitanya’s special instruction. And we know that our ācāryas have said – gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko. Now we desire that all get pure kṛṣṇa-prema, because of which at the end of this life they go back home to Godhead. And that way their human form of life is successful. This material world is a prison house. Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā says this material world is duḥkhālayam and aśāśvatam, temporary. That is why we face lot of suffering. But we think that if we gratify our senses, our life will be perfected. But we cannot achieve perfection that way. There is suffering for some time and when for some time it gets reduced, we think that is happiness. Like Nāru Gopāla dāsa explained that the devotees of Lord Caitanya achieved kṛṣṇa-prema. They wanted to serve Lord Caitanya. We hope that all will get kṛṣṇa-prema. And when one gets that kṛṣṇa-prema, then actually one’s life is perfected.

Kṛṣṇa-prema can be understood by the eight ways it is manifested, aṣṭa-sattvika-bhāva. All the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Navadvīpa were devotees of Lord Caitanya. When Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa, everyone was very sad. They were feeling separation from Him. But Lord Caitanya to give mercy to all in India, to all, He took sannyāsa. Now, for the first 24 years of His life, Navadvīpa-vāsīs got the special mercy of Lord Caitanya. After that He took sannyāsa and went to Nīlācala. Then after that He toured the whole of India for six years. He went to Vṛndāvana and had darśana of the Yamunā. Then He went to Prayāga, Banaras. In Banaras, He gave the mercy of devotion to Kṛṣṇa to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs there. Then He came back to Jagannātha Purī.

We heard that in between He came to a Navadvīpa and gave mercy to all the Navadvīpa-vāsīs. And specially He gave mercy to Śacī Devī. If we have even a little devotion to Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa, that will be the perfection of our lives. Prabhu Advaita Ācārya, the pastime that happened today, He said, “Today You left, but I did not have any feeling in my heart, why? I feel my heart is made of iron.” Lord Caitanya said, “I am telling you this secret. Your love is so strong that if you manifested Your love, I would not have been able to leave this place. That is why I have tied Your love in My cloth with a knot.” After that Lord Caitanya opened the knot and immediately Advaita Gosāñi was immersed in the ecstasy of kṛṣṇa-prema! From His eyes, tears started flowing in five or seven streams. This secret, Lord Caitanya told Advaita Gosāñi. Anyway, we hope that all of you will get kṛṣṇa-prema and there is nothing else to life than this kṛṣṇa-prema, kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

All the Mahārājas, all the devotees of this congregation who are getting this devotion to Kṛṣṇa, I am extremely indebted to them.

I hope that all of you will download the Jayapatākā Swami App either on Android or Apple.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!