20200416 Zoom Session with Manipal Girls

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 16th,2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The address was given to the Manipal Girls via zoom.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

I am very happy to be talking to various girls in Manipal, Jamshedpur, different places and right now in India we are under lockdown. We know that for this corona virus or COVID-19, there is no known treatment, that works. And there is no vaccine yet. And they say it may take a year and a half to create a vaccine. Different experiments are being tried. I will give you some information about Russian ayurvedic holistic treatment, but all these are under test. So, we know that you are training to be doctors and nurses, you are the front army. So the government is saying avoid, getting the disease. That is why they are telling us to stay in the house, to wash our hands because the corona virus, we may get it when we go out to do our shopping and it may come on our hands. It survives on a hard surface for 3-4 days. So if we have on our hand and we scratch our nose or touch our face, then we may get the virus. So therefore, they say wash your hands. And when we go out and we come in, we should take out those shoes and not wear those shoes in the house. If we have not, wear slippers that we don’t wear outside. So, I don’t know how in the hostel situation, how you are able to maintain this system. We also know that people have broken the laws of nature, and therefore they are suffering. We want the suffering to end, but they should do some remedial things so we are hoping that people will chant the holy name. In the Kali Santaraṇa Upaniṣad, it states that chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, destroys the ill-effects of Kali-yuga and there are various verses that say chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa is the recommended process in this Kali-yuga. Still if there are people from other religions that don’t want to chant the mantras in Sanskrit, they could chant any other holy name in their śāstras. We don’t know how effective that will be but better than nothing! So we are reading how Lord Caitanya, He was givng out the love of Kṛṣṇa. Particularly, tonight, we were reading that how if someone is envious against the devotees or even living entities, that the Lord feels great pain from that! And He will not deliver such people. So, we should be very careful not to be envious or offend any devotee or any living entity. That is hard because the nature of the conditioned soul is to be very envious. Many people ask me, what should I do if someone does something to me? Actually, what did Lord Nityānanda do? He was hit on the head by Mādhāi, blood was flowing. He said, just because you hit Me, does that mean I will not give you love of Godhead? So the Lord is very merciful and we should also be very tolerant. Not accept any kind of retaliation. We should be very sensitive and at the same time, very humble and tolerant, merciful and forgiving. We should forgive everyone if they have done anything against us. That is their problem! We shouldn’t make it our problem! We shouldn’t counteract envy with envy! Don’t fight fire with fire! Fight fire with water! So, the water of the mercy of the guru can put out the forest fire of illusion.

So, we know also that this pandemic came from the animals. People eat animals and as a result, the disease came from the animals to the humans. That is why we don’t have any antibodies, no natural defense for this virus, because it comes from the animals. So people should become vegetarian, they should avoid eating meat. And then chant the mantra, hopefully they can get some relief! One Russian doctor is saying that by turmeric and ginger, we can also resolve this corona virus. So we are trying some trials to see if it works. At this point, anything!! I read in the Ayurvedic Ayush Forum, they also say turmeric and ginger can help. So maybe there is something there. Anywhere at this time it is also a good time to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. To expand the preaching, let people be more introspective and try to achieve self-realization. We thought that people are generally more open at this time. So some people, I spoke to one gṛhastha in Chennai, he said he is giving class for 500 people a day! Some people give 15, some 20, some 500! Anyway, this is a good time to utilize for spreading the message. We should understand we are not the body, we are the spirit soul in the body, and the spirit soul expands itself throughout the body through consciousness. Modern science doesn’t really understand consciousness. So we are trying to help them because the Vedas talk a lot about consciousness. Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad says, cetas cetanānāṁ, nityo nityānāṁ. That in all the conscious entities, He is the Supreme conscious entity. We are conscious of our body, but we are not conscious about others’ bodies. But the Lord is conscious of everyone’s body. It is inconceivable! That is the power of the Supreme Lord! So, I heard that you had some questions, that you wanted to ask? After that, we will do some program, maybe I will visit your āśramas or houses.

HG Mahavaraha prabhu said, Siromani mataji will open for questions. 

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja! (Guru Mahārāja said: HARE KṚṢṆA!) My younger sister wants to ask a question. Somebody wants to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra but their parents don’t want them to do this? Is Kṛṣṇa not wanting them to do this or is it their karma or something of their past life?

Jayapatākā Swami: That may be a test how to chant when the parents don’t want you to chant. I thought my parents would be happy that I became a devotee. But my father said, that he was disowning me as a child, and in America he turned my name over to the army for the Vietnam war. Then I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what should I do? He said, better you join Kṛṣṇa’s army! Ha! I know it is hard for the girls. But the point is that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is mentioned in all the Vedas, and it is not against the Vedas to chant. So maybe if someone is a Christian or Islamic, they may protest. Why should a Hindu protest? We are not asking anyone to be a sannyāsī. You can get married and life a natural life. But we want to use our life to serve Kṛṣṇa. So we want to chant the holy names. I don’t know why the parents are against one’s chanting? It is the sacrifice of this age. In other ages there was meditation and homas, temple worship, but in the age of Kali, especially the Harināma, which is the authorized sacrifice!

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāstyaiva nāstyaiva nāstyaiva gatir anyathā

If you are in some other religion, then chant some other name of God. Or chant secretly. Hare Kṛṣṇa! Siromani! That is the test. How to maintain Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every environment. We know that having good association is recommended. And having bad association is not recommended. So of course, in this day and age, we can associate by internet, by phone, and in some ways one can get some association. Sometime we have to read Gītā or Bhāgavatam. We get association through the books. So we hope that people will find a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband so that your house can be Kṛṣṇa centered. Śrīla Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura is saying, krṣṇera saṁsāra kara, chāri anācāra. Do Kṛṣṇa conscious family life, stop the forbidden activities like eating non-veg, taking intoxication, etc. Having extra marital sex, gambling. So one can be Kṛṣṇa conscious in different situations. Like during this lockdown period, some devotees they are saying how much they appreciate the association of devotees. We are not able to have that association at this time. We cannot go out to visit other people’s houses, we cannot go to temple. So in one sense, we may feel more separation for the association of the devotees. We realize how important it is. So I am trying to answer letters every day. Some days I go on two or three or even four classes on Zoom. Every day at 6'o clock, Indian time I give class on Caitanya līlā that is live on Facebook. So like that we are trying to give enthusiasm to the devotees. Normally the devotees have to do study or work, now lockdown! Good chance to read, chant, associate over the internet, preach! Haribol!

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Question: Guru mahārāja, water of guru’s mercy can extinguish the fire of illusion. How to get that mercy?

Jayapatākā Swami: The guru, Lord Nityānanda, they want to give the mercy. People are not interested. If someone wants it, it is not hard to get it. Do you want it? Kṛṣṇe matir astu! Thank you! Are you happy! (Smriti said: Very happy guru mahārāja)

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Question: Please accept my respectful obeisances. How do I give up my unfavorable activities and habits which will not help me in my Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Jayapatākā Swami: If you can identify what are they habits that you have which are impeding your progress, then gradually think how to give those up. Because if we fix our mind on our goal, just like someone is studying and they want to get a good score or placement, they see what are the impediments and they avoid those. So that is being a serious student. So if you are a serious devotee, then you will think how to give up the bad habits. And associate with people who have done that, or to very carefully cultivate the good habits. And then gradually the bad habits will fall aside. I don’t know what particular bad habits you are talking about, but they can be methodically overcome. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

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Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. If someone has material desires, their taste for spiritual life reduces so how to get the taste? And how to overcome distractions in devotional life?

Jayapatākā Swami: By chanting Pañca Tattvas’ names we get more mercy. So we chant Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda! And we pray to Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda to have Their mercy on us. They came to give out love of Kṛṣṇa to all the fallen conditioned souls. So many ācāryas pray that I am fallen, so please have Your mercy on me. So if you think you are fallen, then you can pray to Lord Caitanya to have mercy on you. But if you are very advanced then you don’t need Lord Caitanya’s mercy! I need! 

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Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa guru mahārāja, please accept my respectful obeisances. Thank you ! Two questions. My sādhanā is very good at home, but when I go to hostel, I am not able to practice sādhanās as she does not get association. How to overcome this?

Jayapatākā Swami: First I wanted to thank you for the nice arrangement you made when I went to Kolkata. I am glad you are helping the other girls in Kolkata. Some people say that when they go home it is harder! In the hostel they have good association with other devotees. You are saying that hostel problem, home is good! Ha! So everybody has some problem. When we eat in the hostel if they give vegetarian food, we can take it saying Sri Viṣṇu three times and take it as an emergency. Somehow if we can prepare once or twice a week prasādam and give it to the other devotees in the hostel, that may be one way. Otherwise, now in the lockdown, you cannot go to the temple. But we see the different temple programs through the internet. In that way we can get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. So somehow or another, by reading, by chanting, by serving, by preaching, Kṛṣṇa understands if you are facing some problems. He will bless you that you are trying. Śrīla Prabhupāda got a letter from someone in the West when he was in Kolkata. How this couple was struggling to chant, struggling to follow the regulative principles, because their association was not good. So they said, they wanted to be his disciples, but there were so many problems, but still they were trying. Śrīla Prabhupāda, he actually started to cry. And all the aristocratic gentlemen had come to see him, he read the letter and he said, how hard it is in Kali-yuga to follow Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So when one is facing some difficulty, you pray to Kṛṣṇa, that I want to serve You, I want to take Your shelter, I want to have shelter of guru, but I am facing all these problems. Please help me! Please have Your mercy on me! And Kṛṣṇa, He will definitely hear. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

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Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja, I am not able to maintain the stability in my Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I chant for some days then leave. This is how I am in real life. I don’t do my work properly.

Jayapatākā Swami: These are known as anarthas. Sometimes very strong and sometimes very weak. That is the stage of anartha-nivṛtti, to overcome the different obstacles. Like one day we chant less rounds, keep track of it. And then you make it up in subsequent days. By this way, you can be steady. And if you see your studies as a devotional service, and you are studying and this will help you to serve Kṛṣṇa better. So then studies can also be a devotional service. Everything you do, call this yukta-vairāgya. You offer that as a service to Kṛṣṇa. If you have a good result, then you can serve Kṛṣṇa more! Hare Kṛṣṇa!

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Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. PAMHO. If we don’t have any physical association, but we are chanting, reading, hearing everything, but no physical association, no association with devotees, physically. How to develop the qualities of humility, simplicity, that nature that we get by serving devotees, being in association of devotees, physically. How to develop those qualities?

Jayapatākā Swami: So the devotees of Kṛṣṇa naturally develop all the good qualities. We try to serve Kṛṣṇa with all humility, with all concentration, naturally we develop all the good qualities! So especially if we notice that we are not as humble as we should be, not as tolerant as we should be, we can try to cultivate those qualities. And naturally it is easier when you can associate with very advanced devotees. But it can be done. And you are very fortunate that someone as senior as Śiromaṇī Devī Dāsī is giving you association and I think that there is a way that you can be associating with other devotees, even in these difficult times. So I thank you very much.

I thank all the devotees who are listening and I pray for all of you! Krṣṇe matir astu. Develop your natural, spiritual consciousness of Kṛṣṇa. And overcome all the obstacles.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!