20201108 Sunday Feast Lecture to ISKCON Chennai

The following is a Zoom Sunday Feast Program with ISKCON Chennai by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 8th, 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: Śrīla Prabhupāda would come to Māyāpur before or after Dāmodara but during Dāmodara, he would generally be in Vṛndāvana. And he was instructing us how the month of Dāmodara is very important. Śāstra says of all the twelve months, the month of Dāmodara is most dear to Kṛṣṇa. And in this month, we see the appearance of Rādhā-kuṇḍa, the Govardhana Pūjā, disappearance of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and then there is Gopāṣṭamī and the Bhīṣma-Pañcaka, and the rāsa-līlā day. There may be more things, I just remember these. Now this is a very special month. Everything we do spiritual in this month we get hundred times or more benefit. I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “What I should I do, extra?” He wrote me a letter back which is in the Vedabase. He said that just like a shop has certain days when they have ‘Sale’. The Sale is to attract the new customers. You are regular customers. You practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness in all the twelve months. So whether is ‘Sale’ or not ‘Sale’ you always get the benefit. But new people, they may be interested because of the special bonus of this month. Like in the Dāmodara month, one should be a vegetarian. We are vegetarian all the time! But someone who is not a vegetarian at least, they should be this month. They will get a great benefit. So like that, it says that we should offer lamp, then our forefathers and descendants all get benefited. So the initiated devotees anyway, they will do it. But we should try to get new people also to do it. That way they will get extra benefit. So, that is why the Congregational Development Ministry said we should observe the Dāmodara month for outreach programs. During this time of lockdown, we should virtually visit people’s houses and help them to offer lamp, dīpa-dāna. We were reading a verse today where Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if somebody is sick if he gets healthier, he feels better. Someone in New York in 1966 or so asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “Why should we bow down to guru? WHY? WHY?” Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Do it and you will understand.” Then they did it and they understood. They felt better! If you offer lamp to Dāmodara and Yaśodā, you feel better! It says that a mountain of bad karma can get destroyed in less than half a blink of an eyelid! So, I sent some videos out, did you see them? Have they all seen those? (Yes) Anyone hasn’t seen them please send to them. You can ask Raṅga Kṛṣṇa dāsa. If he doesn’t have, he can ask me, and I will send it to him. Like this, people feel better when they get healthier. So, we want people to feel better. We can talk about it but when people do it then they can experience it themselves.

Kṛṣṇa was thinking that many people could take benefit of His pastimes when He was on the earth in the Dvāpara-yuga. Only in the Kali-yuga they will be deprived of this mercy. So He came as Lord Caitanya to give out the mercy. And for six years He travelled throughout South India, including Tamil Nadu. He said to each householder, He would stay one day in their house, they would cook for Him, they bathed His feet. He must have had iḍli, dosa, sāmbār! Lemon rice, tamarind rice, Poṅgal! So, He liked South India, He spent six years in South India. Everywhere in whose house He stayed in, He asked them, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa (Cc. Madhya 7.128) Whoever you meet tell them the message of Kṛṣṇa and on my order be a guru and liberate your country. We want everyone to study the books of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is spoken about Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, it is known as the Mahā Purāṇa. Also, as the Amala Purāṇa, the Spotless Purāṇa. Lord Caitanya also gave the order, bolo-kṛṣṇa, bhaja-kṛṣṇa, kara-kṛṣṇa-śikṣā. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, serve and worship Lord Kṛṣṇa and read the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda translated the teachings of Kṛṣṇa from Sanskrit to English. And from English people have translated to hundreds of languages including Tamil, all over the world. We hope that everyone reads the books of Śrīla Prabhupāda, reads the teachings of Kṛṣṇa.

In other yugas there was meditation, homa yajñas and worship. Now recently they have opened places of worship but with great restriction. So, we can utilize our homes as a type of āśrama. In the Caitanya-bhāgavata and other scriptures of Lord Caitanya, He would refer that Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura went back to his āśrama. In the varnāśrama system, gṛhastha is also an āśrama. Real gṛhasthas keep Kṛṣṇa in the center. Lord Caitanya said that whether one is a gṛhastha or a vairāgī, they should all chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko. So, actually in this Age of Kali, we are not capable of doing this meditation, homa yajña, temple worship, etc. But Kṛṣṇa has come as His holy name and by chanting the holy name we can achieve everything. Since Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth, the paraṁ satyam, there is no difference between Him and His name. Chanting the holy name we get all the benefits of having personal association with Kṛṣṇa. So, we want everyone to have their house as an āśrama and have a temple in the house. I went to see various devotees’ houses, I was very pleased to see the altars having Kṛṣṇa.

In the first canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when Kṛṣṇa left the world, the Pāṇḍavas gave their kingdom to Parīkṣit Mahārāja and left for the Himalayas. But in modern day, politicians, they stay in office until their old age! Anyway, in the Kali-yuga it is not recommended to go to the forest, to the mountains. But rather to stay in the āśrama and serve Kṛṣṇa. So we want all the devotees to make their home into a temple, make their home into an āśrama and serve Kṛṣṇa. But maybe they cannot make it so elaborate, so we have a temple for the whole community to come to. so we have a temple for the whole community to come to. We should help the temple, we should also make our home into a temple. Previously every householder would have a cow or two. Now people live in the cities and very few have cows. So I went along with Sumitra Kṛṣṇa dāsa to about 20 different gośālās in South India. His Holiness Bhakti Puruṣottama Swami has been encouraging devotees, they can adopt a cow, or they could somehow help a cow.

So different āśramas have different duties. Gṛhastha-āśrama can give charity. They may distribute prasāda, or serve a cow or serve a temple. Feed the athithis, feed the sannyāsīs, the brāhmaṇas. Actually, the system was that before a gṛhastha eats he would call out and see if anyone was hungry. He would do that three time, then he would eat. Śrīla Prabhupāda told a funny story. He said a gṛhastha would go out and ask if anyone was hungry. Then he saw a fisherman, he had not eaten. But he had a smelly basket which he used to put his fish in. He asked the fisherman to leave his basket outside and come inside and take food. So he was staying in the courtyard and the gṛhastha told the fisherman, “You stay here in the night and leave in the morning.” So then the fisherman slept in the courtyard on a grass mat. Then in the middle of the night the householder got up to pass water. And he saw that the fisherman was tossing and turning and not asleep. He asked, “What is the matter?” The fisherman said, “I am used to my basket, as long as I cannot smell my basket I cannot sleep.” Then the gṛhastha said, “Alright, bring your basket in!” So in one sense Śrīla Prabhupāda was showing how previously the householders’ natural state was. They did not need a big governmental social welfare system. Then Śrīla Prabhupāda was jokingly criticizing his Western disciples. You are like the fishermen, if you don’t smell a machine, you cannot sleep! You have to have a refrigerator, a fan, or some machine. India is becoming westernized. Many Indians are addicted to the machines! I think India is one of the places where there are more mobile phones. The fisherman, the rickshaw driver, they all have mobile phones. That is why we made the Jayapatākā Swami App since everybody has a mobile phone! So that all the disciples, the devotees who want, can stay in touch! I update messages six or seven times a day. I will soon update my visit to Chennai Yātrā.

So, in the month of Dāmodara we have the great special benefit to offer our chanting, our lamp, our diet to Lord Dāmodara. The real purpose of human life is to go back to Kṛṣṇa. People are thinking, they are the body, and the purpose of life is to make the body comfortable. We don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but you should add Kṛṣṇa. I am very pleased that so many devotees are using ways to preach and different activities from their homes. I visited the house of a devotee who is translating to Tamil, and he was telling me how he had 500 devotees in his class! (Now it is 3,000 they said!) Wow! So it is increasing! So like this the gṛhasthas use this facility of internet. Kṛṣṇa will be very pleased with you! So, naturally if we become more Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we become more healthy and we feel better. So, I am very grateful to all the devotees who are performing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and who are organizing the others. So it is getting late. I will have some questions.

Question: Since the devotees are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, the yuga-dharma, are we required to perform the śrāddha ceremony for our parents and forefathers?

Jayapatākā Swami: If your forefathers are sannyāsīs, then you don’t. Or if they are fully realized. Otherwise, putra or putrī can save their forefathers from hellish condition. Of course, if you go to back to Godhead, then you deliver your forefathers and descendants. But what is the problem for doing the piṇḍī or the śrāddha? If you do it properly that means you are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. But you should not offer nonveg or doing anything like worship the devas. You should do the kṛṣṇa-prasāda offering to your forefathers, offer the proper piṇḍī. One devotee of Lord Caitanya, Govinda Ghoṣa, he was told by Lord Caitanya to take gṛhastha-āśrama. So he got a wife and he got a son, but somehow they both died. Then, he was very disturbed. The Deity asked, “Why are you disturbed?” “You told me to become a gṛhastha,” he said, “I had a wife and a son and both died. So I was not qualified to become a sannyāsī. But then my wife, my son, all died, who will offer me śrāddha?” Kṛṣṇa said, “I am your son.” He said, “You are not that kind of son!” Then the Deity said, “Alright call the village leaders.” And he called the village leaders and the Deity spoke, “On My devotee, Govinda Ghoṣa’s disappearance day, I want to perform śrāddha ceremony every year.” I went there and saw the Deity come and perform the śrāddha ceremony for His devotee. If it is good enough for Kṛṣṇa, why not for us? Anyway, we do Kṛṣṇa-pūjā.

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Devotee: I am from Sri Lanka. Three months ago, you came to my home to see our altar. This Kārtika month please visit our home, that is my humble request.

Jayapatākā Swami: I should visit Sri Lanka! So, contact Mahā Varāha dāsa or Śyāma Rasika dāsa or Vrajeśvara Gaura dāsa to arrange a visit to Sri Lanka. I am very happy to see you.

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Question: In Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is saying that among the months I am Mārgaśīrṣa. Whereas we say that Dāmodara month is the most favorite month of Kṛṣṇa. So why do we say different?

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, the three months – Māgha, Dāmodara and Vaiśākha. So in some śāstras it says that Dāmodara is the dear. Some śāstra say Vaiśākha is the best. Some say Māgha is the best. So we know all three are good. So śāstra say that Dāmodara is the most dear to Kṛṣṇa. But maybe Māgha has other specialties.

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Devotee: I am going to take Śrīla Prabhupāda-āśraya. Please bless me that māyā should not touch me.

Jayapatākā Swami: Māyā is always ready to serve us. We have to be fixed to serve Kṛṣṇa. I pray that you may be strong, and you may pass all the tests of māyā.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

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Question: Can we perform śrāddha ceremony on Ekādaśī or not?

Jayapatākā Swami: For these details have to research because as a sannyāsī I don’t have to perform śrāddha. I don’t know all these rules regarding śrāddha.

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Question: We see that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is the yuga-dharma, but still we see that homa, yajñas are performed on some occasions. What is the reason for that? 

Jayapatākā Swami: We use all the… we do temple worship, we do yajñas, but we do it with the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. Just like the marriage ceremony we do fire yajña, initiation we do with fire yajña. But we also chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in those ceremonies.

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Question: If a devotee wants to take initiation what is the parameter for choosing dīkṣā-guru and how will I realize that he is my guru?

Jayapatākā Swami: Some people, they have some inclination to someone. If one cannot understand, they can take them as their śikṣā-guru and amongst the śikṣā-gurus they can decide who will be their dīkṣā-guru. Otherwise, I have 15 questions and one can ask themselves and thus choose who is their dīkṣā-guru. So if you have the Jayapatākā Swami App I can send those questions out.