20201020 Zoom Session with Assam Nāmahaṭṭa Devotees

The following is a zoom address given at the Assam Nāmahaṭṭa melā by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 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!

Jayapatākā Swami: I am very happy that I have been able to come to Assam.

Haribol !

Gurumahārāja Ki ! Jaya!

Now we are relating the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. He took sannyāsa and then left for Śāntipur. And then He was on the path to Jagannātha Purī. Today we spoke of the significance of this pastime. Those who listen to the pastimes of the Lord in Advaita Ācārya’s home will get kṛṣṇa-prema. And definitely, will get the association of Lord Caitanya. But He left Navadvīpa and Navadvīpa looked like a desert. All the Navadvīpa-vāsīs were all feeling great separation from the Lord. I am very happy to come to Assam. But after reading this pastime, there are many thoughts that come in my mind. Navadvīpa-vāsīs, the way they were feeling separation when Lord Caitanya left after taking sannyāsa is compared to the way when Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana to Mathurā, the Vraja-vāsīs felt separation from Kṛṣṇa. How Lord Caitanya embraced each of the devotees who had come from Navadvīpa to in Śāntipur and assured them that He would never forget them. Then when Lord Caitanya was leaving, He stopped and laughed loudly. He was walking fast but then He stopped and laughed like this. Then He left at the speed of a lion. Then He would walk slowly and then feel separation from Kṛṣṇa. At that time, tears would flow from His eyes like rivers. And Lord Caitanya was feeling great bliss, and sometimes He was not able to way, and sometimes He would run fast. And I am thinking of all these pastimes just now. Now what can I say? I am feeling very emotional after reading this pastime.

Anyway, we are so fortunate that we got this human form of life. That we are able to think of Kṛṣṇa. Assam is such a holy place that Śaṅkaradeva preached here. There are many holy places there. There is Nāmahaṭṭa preaching going on there. Many devotees in the Nāmahaṭṭas are chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa. This way if we always remember Kṛṣṇa, if we chant the name of Kṛṣṇa and worship Kṛṣṇa, then we will definitely go back to Kṛṣṇa at the end of this life. And we will be able to experience the supreme happiness in this lifetime as well. This human form of life is very rare. Because in this form of life we can think of God. We can take the names of God, worship God, study God’s teachings. Generally, the ordinary people do not think of God. That is why they are losing the most valuable part of human life. And whether in the future they will be human or animal, who knows. Now, in this human form of life if we serve Lord Kṛṣṇa, if we follow the instructions of Lord Caitanya, that is definitely required for us. I feel very fortunate that I have been able to come to Assam. I recollect that I had taken bath in the river Brahmaputra.

I hope that all of you will take this opportunity of having a human form of life and follow the instructions of Lord Caitanya – bolo-kṛṣṇa, bhaja-kṛṣṇa, karo-kṛṣṇa-śīkṣā. Now I visit the homes of all devotees by Zoom and see how nicely the worship of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā, Rukmiṇī Kṛṣṇa, is going on. Lord Caitanya said, gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko. If we take this opportunity and staying in the gṛhastha-āśrama we follow the instructions of Lord Caitanya, then our lives will be perfected.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare 
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare