20200423 Zoom Session with Khasa-deśa devotees

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 23rd, 2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The address was given to the Chinese 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!

So we miss having the devotees from China coming to all the festivals today. At that time only China was affected, but now the whole world is affected by the corona virus pandemic. So now in India, we are in lockdown and many parts of the world are in lockdown. So we heard that Wuhan is no longer in lockdown! So, the governments and scientists are racing to find a treatment and vaccine. But so far they have not located it. They say it may take a year or year and a half, maybe in September they have a treatment. We know that scientists and doctors can only do so much. They need the special mercy of Kṛṣṇa. So, that is why we are recommending that everyone chant the names of Kṛṣṇa. In the Kali Santaraṇa Upaniṣad it states that all the kalmaṣas, all the difficulties of Kal-yuga will be destroyed by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. In the last verse of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam it states that the suffering of the people in Kali yuga can be mitigated by chanting Hari nāma. So in various verses it states that in this age of Kali, we should chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare! Of course, if someone doesn’t want to chant the names in Sanskrit, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that they could chant in the bona fide scriptures. But we know that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is most recommended. I am very grateful that you are all doing this yoga meditation. Bhakti-yoga is the best yoga of all the yogas. So we are very grateful that you are all practicing bhakti-yoga. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He came to give out this bhakti. Before it was very difficult to achieve. But Lord Caitanya has given it freely to everyone. Just by hearing the glories of some of the devotees of Lord Caitanya, Murāri Gupta or Mukunda Datta, it says by hearing their histories, hearing their prayers, one gets eternal association of Lord Caitanya! Today is the appearance day of Gadadhara prabhu. In Māyāpur, we did the abhiṣeka of Gadādhara. Because Gadādhara is the śaktī-tattva. Actually, Rādhārāṇī desired that in the next pastime of Kṛṣṇa, She could come as a male, therefore She could associate with Kṛṣṇa all the time. Rādhāraṇī came as Gadādhara Prabhu. We are jīva-tattva, very small. Gadādhara is śaktī-tattva. Śakti-tattva never gets controlled by the external energy. Jīva-tattva, we can be controlled either by the external or internal energy. So we want to be under the shelter of the internal potency of the Lord. That is why we worship Rādhārāṇī. And also there are also deities of Gaura-Gadādhara. Śrīla Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura, he used to worship Gaura Gadādhara. In Campahāṭi there is a temple of Gaura Gadādhara. So it is a very special deity. Usually for preaching we do the Nitāi Gaura. But, very special deity is Gaura Gadāi, Gaurāṇga and Gadādhara. So today is the sacred day of Gadādhara’s appearance in this world. Lord Caitanya came back from Gaya, after He had done worship of the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, for His deceased father. There He got initiation from Īśvara Purī Mahārāja. When He came back, He was a changed person. He was fully devotional. So in the house of Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī He was chanting and dancing for 12 hours. So He saw Gadādhara Prabhu and He said, You are fortunate because from Your birth, you are a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. I wasted so much of My life in Sanskrit studies and so, like that He was lamenting. So, He was praising Gadādhara Prabhu, because He was always a devotee. One time, Lord Caitanya was leaving Jagannātha Purī. Gadādhara followed Him. Gadādhara was what you call a kṣetra-sannyāsī. He took a vow to remain in the Śrīkṣetra, Jagannātha Purī. When Lord Caitanya left, He told Gadādhara, this is the border, You should not break your vow. But Rādhārāṇī’s devotion is such that nothing is important to Her more than serving Kṛṣṇa. Gadādhara stepped out the Śrī Kṣetra Dhāma, following Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya stopped and said ok, You have proved Your point, now go back! He proved that for Him, serving Lord Caitanya was more important than any other vow. So, today is the appearance day of Gadādhara Prabhu. And He was a constant associate of Lord Caitanya. Plus here we have the Pañca Tattva, so we have Gadādhara Prabhu also. Five tattvas are Lord Caitanya who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Original Person. Then Nitāi Prabhu, who is the first expansion. And Advaita who is the incarnation. Gadādhara is the śaktī. Śrīvāsa and all the other devotees are jīva-śaktī. That is the Pañca Tattva. I am very happy to be with you today. I would like to see your different āśramas using Zoom.

I hope that all the devotees listen to your class at 12.30 pm every day.

Haribol!