20200417 Zoom Session with Kṛṣṇa-kathā deśa Devotees

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 17th,2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The address was given to the Krishna-katha Desh Devotees 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!

Jayapatākā Swami: I am very happy to see all the devotees present. We know that by serving Kṛṣṇa our lives become auspicious. Now the world is affected by this COVID-19 Corona virus. Therefore, people are asked to stay in the house, and do virtual visits. So there is no particular treatment for the Corona virus and there is no vaccine. Therefore, the idea is that we should avoid getting infected and they are saying you should stay in your house. In case you go out maybe the virus can go on your hand because it stays alive for three days on some hard surfaces. That is why we say don’t touch your face and frequently wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds. If you do this, they are hoping you will not get the virus.

At the same time, we want to use this opportunity to preach, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda books, encourage the people. So, we want to use this opportunity when you are in your house to be more Kṛṣṇa conscious. Read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and do as much preaching as possible. People tend to be a little more receptive, we want to encourage everyone to chant the name of God. Followers of Sanātana dharma can chant the names in Sanskrit – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! The Kali Santaraṇa Upaniṣad states that by chanting the 16 names, all the kalmaṣas of Kali-yuga is destroyed. There are various verses that say that by chanting the names of God, name of Hari, we will be freed from all miseries of life. If someone does not want to chant the names in Sanskrit, they can chant in Hebrew or Arabic or any name given in the scriptures which describes the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Anyway, so I met some devotees. Tomorrow is Ekādaśī. This month of Baisakha, you get a hundred times benefit for devotional service. And any donation given, etc. Tomorrow is Ekādaśī, you get a hundred times benefit also. A hundred times a hundred is what? Ten thousand. Tomorrow is a very auspicious day to do some sevā. I met some devotees, they had a Japathon in the UK and everybody chanted, 1 lakh, 2 lakhs, little children chanted 16 rounds! They normally only chant 2 or 4 rounds. But the devotees, normally we have to work, we have to do so many things, now they are telling us to stay in the house and to avoid infection. Just try to get the people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and to also eat Kṛṣṇa prasāda.

Thank you very much for coming online. I would like to visit your houses and see you. This is an opportunity for me to reconnect with all the devotees and have a deep personal relationship. Hare Kṛṣṇa! I am also in isolation.