20201103 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question and Answer Session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 3rd, 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

If anyone has a question, you can write it down in the chatbox.

Rūpaśrī Vasudhā devī dāsī: Hare Kṛṣṇa! Please accept my respectful obeisances dear Guru Mahārāja. What book should I read, which chapter in the Dāmodara month? 

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Kṛṣṇa Book, the chapter on the Dāmodara-līlā is there, that can be read. 

Madhusmita Indulekhā devī dāsī: Hare Kṛṣṇa, my dear Gurudeva! Daṇḍavat praṇāma. How are we able to improve our heart’s connection with the spiritual master? Thank you for your nectarean words always.

Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question. I always think how much mercy I received from Śrīla Prabhupāda, and if I hadn’t received his mercy, where would I be today? So Madhusmita Indulekhā devī dāsī, I don’t know if you received any mercy from your spiritual master. But whether you think your situation today is better than what it would have been if you had not been Kṛṣṇa conscious and met your spiritual master. What situation you would be then? I had a nightmare two nights ago. Suddenly, I thought I was the body. It was so horrible! So horrible! To be deprived from the association of devotees. To be deprived from the association of Kṛṣṇa! I never, never, never, want to be in such a situation! One of the most worst dreams I have ever had. 

What is the process of Deity worship for gṛhasthas? Is there any book which we can refer for Deity worship at home?

Your Dear Son,
Avatārī Gaurāṅga dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: The Pāñcarātrika Dīpikā is for the second initiated devotees and other devotees who are just worshiping the practice Deities, they can do the basic worship of ārati and offering bhoga. We chant the prayers to our spiritual master and Śrīla Prabhupāda, Lord Caitanya and Lord Kṛṣṇa and then... so we offer our food before the Lord.

Guru Mahārāja, I get more joy when chanting after maṅgala-ārati in the morning. But if any other service comes at that moment, which one should be given more importance – chanting or service? While doing that service again what if we think that japa will not be good today. So there is no interest in the service again. What will I do then?

Your unqualified Daughter,
Tulasī Līlāmayī devī dāsī: 

Jayapatākā Swami: This is a relative question. I don’t know what the service is. If there is some emergency service, something that has to be done, then you have to do it. So we cannot, being a gṛhastha, it may not be possible every morning to do our rounds. If your child is crying, I will do my japa now! So I don’t know what the service is. So we have to learn to chant all the time. Certainly, in the morning, chanting is ideal as it is the brāhma-muhurta hour. Sometimes we cannot do our chanting during brāhma-muhurta – but it is not always. I don’t think there will be much service in the morning. But sometimes there might be. So in that case you have to learn – actually 16 rounds takes maximum 2 hours. So somehow during the day, make up your rounds, you have 24 hours. 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my daṇdavat praṇāma! My question is our paramparā, Bhāgavata-guru-paramparā or Dīkṣā-guru-paramparā? Please answer me, sorry for asking a question outside the subject matter. - Śacīputra Avatāra dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Our guru-paramparā is Bhāgavata-paramparā. That means whichever connection is stronger they do it. Whichever relationship is stronger it is given. In most cases it is dīkṣā but in some cases it may be śikṣā. Actually, all the cases are usually dīkṣā but our sampradāya is given by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. And he saw that the dīkṣā-guru of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was giving preference to the brāhmaṇas. The born brāhmaṇas. So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura thought the guru was a jāthi-gosāñi. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had been educated by Siddha Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī and gave much importance to this connection. This way this is a Bhāgavata-paramparā. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura took initiation from Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī. By that way, we are also dīkṣā-paramparā. But we give importance to the Bhāgavata-paramparā. That way since Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura took his initiation from Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī, that way the other Vaiṣṇavas they accept Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī. So in that way we also have the dīkṣā-paramparā. But the paramparā which is in our books is the Bhāgavata-paramparā.

Last question.

One devotee who is chanting daily 16 rounds but his character is not changing, finding fault with others and fights at home. How to help such a devotee? - Kṛṣṇa Karuṇāmūrti dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Is he chanting the Pañca-tattva mantra? Usually if one chants the Pañca-tattva mantra and they starts to change. But just chanting the holy name, and committing the ten offences to the holy name, naturally we don’t make much advancement. So avoid breaking the ten offences. The worst offence is to blaspheme other offences. How can we act when other devotees in the temple see our preaching activities as a completion toward their online initiatives like Food for Life, Kṛṣṇa West, etc.

How can we act when other devotees in the temple see our preaching activities as a competition toward their online initiatives like Food for life, Kṛṣṇa West, etc., and do not integrate. - Līlāmayī Gaurāṅgī devī dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know if you need the integration of other devotees, but you can also include in your preaching activities some announcement for Food for Life, or Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, then they will be more happy to participate. 

How can we develop a mood of austerity, for me it is very difficult to engage myself in austerity, but it is required. How can we perform more austerity for our proper spiritual life? - Bhakta Bryan (Columbia)

Jayapatākā Swami: The aṣṭāṅga-yoga process recommends severe austerities. Like, in the middle of winter sitting in the cold river and meditating. In the hottest day of summer, light fire on four sides, mid-day and meditate. But we don’t recommend such things. Our austerity is like in the month of Dāmodara we offer lamp to Dāmodara, we don’t take urad-dāl, we observe Ekādaśīs. So not very great austerities. I look forward to Ekādaśī because Ekādaśī is my favorite day. I can take more vegetables and Pan-de-yuca (Cassava cheese bread) I think Bhakta Brayan knows. So we only take prasāda. You offer your bhoga to Kṛṣṇa and take the remnants. A great austerity! A supreme austerity! You have to offer your arepas to Kṛṣṇa! Then you eat it! Alright!