20201025 Addressing ISKCON Malaysia Dāmodara Program Launch

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: Malaysia yātrā is so fired up that they are starting the Dāmodara month campaign preparation now. A week before the actual Dāmodara month. So, I heard that they want to engage 250,000 people offering lamp to Lord Dāmodara. We know that by offering a lamp to Lord Dāmodara in the month of Dāmodara, it gives immense spiritual benefits. So this way, many people in Malaysia can be benefitted. Not only Indians, but Chinese and others, they can be benefited. And, we know from the Vedas that in all the twelve months, the month of Dāmodara is considered to be the best. And Malaysia has been spearheading the observance of the Dāmodara month. They have been offering more lamps every year in all parts of Malaysia. Even some people would have stalls at the markets and invite people to come up and offer lamp and take prasāda. Some people would go house to house, requesting people to chant and engage in the Dāmodara month. Today I was seeing the different videos glorifying the Dāmodara month. I must have seen over an hour of videos, and I know that Malaysia also had a video. I want to say wow! I was so Dāmodara conscious!

We thank the Malaysian yātrā, all the devotees, for their focusing on this observance. Now with the corona virus pandemic, they have to do all the Dāmodara pūjā virtually. Also, it is a great opportunity to reach out to new people. We hope that all the people those who are engaged in participating, you also get their contact and cultivate them later. So, this has become a great program of the Congregational Development Ministry, CDM to engage all the people in the special service of Lord Dāmodara. I think Malaysia has more Ratha-yātrās than any other country. So what is special about the Ratha-yātrā, is you pull the ratha? What is special about Dāmodara pūjā? We offer the lamp and sing the Dāmodarāṣṭakam. So, Malaysia has been really instrumental in making this possible throughout the world. I wanted to thank all the Malaysian leaders and devotees, for their participation for the promotion of the Dāmodara month. I can see Siṁheśvara Prabhu and Cirañjīva Prabhu are also present. All the leaders, including Lokabandhu Prabhu are present, I cannot see everybody, but this is really an inspiration to the devotees. I also see Śrīvallabha Prabhu. Because of the inspiration by Malaysia, they are also doing over 5,000 lamps in Dāmodardeśa. So, we wish all good luck and good wishes, as they say, subhekṣa, for the successful Dāmodara-vrata. It is said in the Purāṇas that not doing anything in the Dāmodara month is very detrimental to spiritual life. We hope you will all be taking up something during the Dāmodara month.

Of course, we know that the real purpose of life is to render devotional service to the Supreme Lord. But unfortunately, most of the people think they are the body and the goal of life is to make the body comfortable. Recently, we saw the news that how there was a big scandal where Malaysian leaders were bribed with hundreds of millions of dollars. So this is unfortunate that most people think we think that we are the body and try to get bodily assets. This Dāmodara-pūjā we have to do something for Kṛṣṇa. No material aspect, completely transcendental. That is what creates such benefits for the people. That is what we are missing today – that people don’t do anything for Kṛṣṇa. They do everything for the body. But the body will disappear. We just attended the disappearance festival of Yaśomatīnandana Prabhu. He was a great Śrīla Prabhupāda disciple who pioneered the opening of the Gujarat yātrā. He was very dedicated to Śrīla Prabhupāda books. So what we do for Kṛṣṇa, that stays as our eternal credit. So even one lamp if they offer, they have done something for Kṛṣṇa. That stays as their eternal credit. In fact, somehow such an offering is accepted by Kṛṣṇa is a very great thing. Although it is a very simple thing. He takes it as a very great offering. That is His special blessing. I thank all the devotees for this great, incredible service. And I hope that you will have some chance to see some of the videos, they are really amazing. You have taken up this service of the Dāmodara month, as a result people from all over the world are taking up this service today. Thank you very much! Kṛṣṇe matir astu! May with all your strength, you achieve your Kṛṣṇa conscious goal!