20200517 Zoom Session with Nigeria Devotees

The following is a talk given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 17th,2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The talk was given to the Nigeria 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!

Since His Holiness Bhakti Tīrtha Swami asked me to visit West Africa, and since he asked me to take care of his disciples, I visited Gītā Nāgarī where many of his disciples are. I wanted to visit Nigeria also and various countries on West Africa. We need a French translator in many of the countries in Africa. In Nigeria and Ghana, they speak English.

First of all, I hope you are all staying safe. In India they just announced that they will have an extension of the lockdown for two more weeks, till end of May. Is there a lockdown in Nigeria? (Yes, there is). Thank you! Why is there a lockdown? Since there is no known cure or vaccine for the corona virus, therefore, they want to keep people from getting infected. The corona virus stays alive on a hard surface for up to 3 days. And if someone coughs, it may stay in the air for one or two minutes. Coughing goes out for at least 2 meters, that is why they say, keep social distancing. And if you touch something that has the virus, it is on your hand and that is why they recommend washing the hands frequently. But we know also that this pandemic is due to breaking the laws of nature. People are eating animals, killing animals and this virus comes from animals. That is why we human beings don’t have much defense for it. So we recommend people to be vegetarian, to chant the name of Hari, Narasiṁhadeva, Hare Kṛṣṇa and in this way, they could invoke the Lord’s mercy! We have some treatments which we are trying, which are alternative Russian treatment, Chinese treatment and these seem to be helping some people. So if you want to be part of that trial, you can also be. We want everyone to chant the holy name. In this lockdown period, it is a good opportunity to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, to preach Bhagavad-gītā and read the books. I would like to hear from you also. In some places they are doing multiple classes a day. I am having anywhere between four to six classes or meetings a day. I am trying to encourage the devotees to use this opportunity to spread the holy name. And our purpose is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, our purpose is to serve the Lord. People who want solution to be happy and peaceful in the material world. Actually by serving Kṛṣṇa, you will get maximum peace! But this world is a place of suffering duḥkālayam aśāśvatam. It is also temporary. So, enjoyment is temporary, suffering is temporary. But we are trying to make a permanent solution in a temporary world. So we are trying to be always happy in a place where there is suffering – birth, death, old age, disease. But we have the happiness of chanting the holy name.

Lord Caitanya, He was cursed by a brāhmaṇa, “I CURSE YOU! YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY MATERIAL HAPPINESS!” Lord Caitanya said, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!” I want spiritual happiness! I don’t want any material happiness! Thank you very much! And the brāhmaṇa said, “Oh no! what have I done! I cursed the Lord! And I will be finished forever!” Lord Caitanya said, “No, you have My mercy! Because you have given Me what I want!!” So anyway, we are also reading. I give class every day at 6.15 pm Indian time. I think that is in the afternoon in Nigeria.

So there one brahmacārī, he was only eating fruits, roots, and milk. So Lord Caitanya said that you cannot attain Me, simply by drinking milk! You can only attain Me by pure devotional service! So you get out! So then the brahmacārī was thinking, I have no qualification. But still, I could see the Lord’s dancing, in ecstasy. He started to cry. I have really been blessed! Those devotees are certainly much more advanced than I am! And then Lord Caitanya said, bring him in! Because He is antaryāmī, the Supersoul. He knows what everyone is thinking. So this brahmacārī, because he became very humble, Lord Caitanya put His foot on his head and blessed him! So Lord Caitanya had such mercy and He said, He would give mercy to anyone who wanted it, no matter how sinful they were! The only persons He would not deliver were those who blasphemed the devotees, who criticized the devotees. So we should be very careful not to criticize any devotees. By the mercy of Lord Caitanya, we can get unlimited spiritual bliss, loving ecstasy! Hare Kṛṣṇa! So we saw in Bhakti Tīrtha Swami, he was so ecstatic in kīrtana. His cloth would become completely wet because he would be dancing and dancing and dancing! He really was someone who appreciated the kīrtana! And anyone who was within would feel really ecstatic. I am missing his association very much!

Anyway, if all you men and women of Nigeria could take this opportunity or wherever you are from, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, help others to chant and in this way spread Lord Caitanya’s message around. This morning, we were reading how Śrīla Prabhupāda said, I may pass away, I may not live, but I have said everything in my books. By my books, I will live forever! So, like that Bhakti Tīrtha Swami, he lives with us in his instructions. So I hope all you devotees chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be blissful! Hare Kṛṣṇa! And stay healthy!

**Bhakti Dhīra Dāmodara Mahārāja gave a report on Nigeria.**

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you dear Bhakti Dhīra Dāmodara Mahārāja. Earlier this year and last year I visited South America, Brazil, many places and I met many of your disciples. They are very enthusiastic, and I am glad that you are preaching, and I cannot tell you how much I love the devotees in West Africa! Somehow this loving attitude has given to me by Bhakti Dhīra Dāmodara Mahārāja. I understand it is difficult in West Africa to preach, to practice, I am very happy that you all are doing that. And anything I can do to help? Now in this pandemic, I am advised by my doctor, he said, don’t get the corona virus, because I am old! I have various other health problems! So the doctor said, if you get it, don’t get it! Ha! Ha! But I am using Zoom to visit the people I love!! So I have been trying to arrange to go to West Africa for a long time. Now I finally got the opportunity. So I hope that all of you continue to spread the movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That is what people need now! If they chant the holy names, they can invoke the quicker solution. I was reading the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa – it says there that if you chant the Narasiṁha mantra 21 times, you can get freed from all the evil effects. So they said, chant Śrī Narasiṁha Jaya Narasiṁha, Jaya Jaya Śrī Narasiṁha! Also the Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad says, chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and that is the best alternative in Kali-yuga. So throughout the śāstras we see there are different advice, that in this Kali-yuga, we should take shelter of the holy name. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! So we can get the people in Nigeria to chant. Of course, many Muslims are there and if they don’t want to chant the name in Sanskrit, they can chant the name in Arabic. There are 99 names of Allah in the Quran, so they can chant that. We know that the Sanskrit names are very powerful. Śrīla Prabhupāda was very liberal, he told the Muslims and Christians they can chant the name of God. We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! We chant Lord Narasiṁha! We chant HARI BOL! GAURĀṄGA! NITĀI GAURĀṄGA!

So now we will take questions if anyone has questions, and then we will visit your homes.

Question: Ayo Adebusyoye. How do we preach in a strong Muslim and Christian community in Nigeria?

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda never asked, that we have to reject our previous culture. I was born in a Christian family. Śrīla Prabhupāda never said to reject Christianity. Lord Jesus, He gave ten commandments, and the first commandment is “love God”. But how to do that? That is bhakti-yoga. The nine processes – chanting, remembering, serving, etc. we have a process how to develop love of Godhead. You can tell the Christians, that if you really want to follow Lord Jesus, do bhakti-yoga. Lord Caitanya personally taught from the Quran in the Antya-līlā. He said Allah is a person. He is impersonal and personal, both. He established that. And many Muslims accepted Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teachings. He has qualities like Allah is very merciful, He is just, we cannot say or think like a light bulb being very merciful!!Being loving etc. these are all personal qualities. We can present to the Muslims and Christians that actually by practicing bhakti-yoga, they can actually achieve the purpose of their śāstra, their religion. I used to give class in some churches. I found them very receptive. So we just need to know how to preach. We respect. We can also preach to the Christians in the church. Recently I heard how one devotee, he was giving class in the mosque in the Madrasa. He showed them in the Bhagavad-gītā it never says the word Hindu. That this book is for everyone. For Christians, for Muslims, for everyone. And I was amazed, because we don’t advertise this, because the fanatic Muslims, they don’t like this. But actually, you can reach out to them. And there are many people who have any faith, so we can also reach out to them.

So using this lockdown period, on internet, you can teach Bhagavad-gītā. In Kerala, a state in South India, which is also one third Christians, one third Muslims, one third Hindus, they advertised Bhagavad-gītā class for beginners and 500 people joined. So, anyway we have to go on with our preaching. We respect all the religions. By presenting Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this universal way, naturally people may be attracted.

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Question: We are so attached to Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. How best can we be attentive in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, first before we chant the mahā-mantra, we chant the Pañca-tattva mantra. And after that Hare Kṛṣṇa! Now if the mind wanders away, we can keep some picture of Kṛṣṇa and focus on that to bring the mind back. Also, you can time yourself to see how long you take to chant. If your mind wanders off, you can also change the tune. One way or other you can bring the mind back. And after a while your mind gets purified and then you can chant more and more. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

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Question: I am from a Christian background and now he is a new devotee and Kṛṣṇa conscious. How to increase my inspiration and enthusiasm to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see my mother was a Christian and very active in a Church. But she came when I told her I had found my guru, Bhaktivedanta Swami, Prabhupāda. And that I wanted to follow him. And then she said, “Why don’t you be a Christian priest?” I told her that I have found my guru and I want to be taught by someone who knows the science. And she said, why don’t you that when you are old? I said, how long do I have to live? She started crying! No mother and father want to think how long their child will live! Then how can I say how long I would live, I said. I have to take this chance now! So then she started chanting four rounds. And she started staying in an apartment near our temple in New Orleans, USA. So practically I have also a devotee who is a Christian nun and I told her that she can chant the name of Lord Jesus. She was chanting, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Christ, Christ, Jesus Jesus! She thought it is almost like the Sanskrit, why don’t I try the Sanskrit? So she started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! and she realized it was the same like chanting the name of Jesus. But Hare Kṛṣṇa was more powerful! Christians say, Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. Who is the Father? We say the Father is Kṛṣṇa. He has unlimited names. And then my mother saw in the Bible, St. Johns, that Jesus said, I have many flocks and you are one of them, but there are many others, they don’t look like you. So you can also say that we are one of the flocks of Lord Jesus. You try the process and see if that process works for you. If it does, then very good! We are not saying anything negative. You just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa if it works! Practice bhakti-yoga and see if it works! Lord Jesus said, first commandment is “love God”, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind. I didn’t do that before I came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness! I loved other things! Ha! We cannot talk about! After coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I learnt to love Kṛṣṇa! So, hope that you will be successful in practicing bhakti-yoga.

We thank His Holiness Bhakti Dhīra Dāmodara Swami. We thank all of you! I wish we could see more of you, apparently some of you have poor bandwidth or poor internet connection. I hope that my discussion and coming her, this virtual visit to Nigeria, West Africa is pleasing to you! Hare Kṛṣṇa! You all are very dear to Kṛṣṇa and Śrīla Prabhupāda! Hare Kṛṣṇa!