20210410 Question and Answer Session

Keya Rāṇī, Śyāmadeśa: I have heard from a devotee that until we get kṛṣṇa-prema we have to come back to this material world. Or until we take birth in a dhāma, we will be back to this material world. But I have heard earlier that if we leave our body in dhāma we don’t come back to this material world. Please kindly enlighten gurudeva.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā the verse that one who knows the transcendental nature of His appearance and activities, at the time of death, they come back to Him. Also, at the end of life, if someone chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, he will go back to Godhead. There are many opportunities to go back and if one has kṛṣṇa-prema then being in the material world or in the spiritual world has no difference.

Kackuly Rāṇī, Dāmodardeśa: What will happen in a home altar if Kṛṣṇa and demigods along with the guru-paramparā is kept?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see the devas should be in a separate altar, and you can offer the prasāda of Kṛṣṇa to the devas - to Viṣvaksena, to Pārvatī to Lord Śiva, to Gaṇeśa, to Kārttikeya and other pure devotees or sakāma devotees. So you can offer the prasāda to them. But we should not think they are equal or greater than the Lord. But they are great Vaiṣṇavas.

Trilokini Sakhi devī dāsī: Here we see that Lord Caitanya was forced to eat opulent prasādam. Is it okay to serve even if a person doesn’t want to eat, even breaking his order or will?

Jayapataka Swami: We found in India that when you are guests, people serve in prasāda, even if you don’t want! We heard that even if someone says they don’t want, they serve them any way! If they put their hand to block it, they still serve it. Only like a tiger if they roar, “NO! NO! then okay they don’t give!” So, in India, the hosts they force the prasāda on you. At the same time, we don’t want to waste we eat all the prasāda. Therefore, we have to learn to take the plate over or roar like a tiger!

Hemāṅgī Gopī devī dāsī, Pune: How was it that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya attracted to the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Was it Gopīnātha Ācārya’s desire?

Jayapataka Swami: Hm… Interesting! He was actually incarnation of the guru of the devas – Bṛhaspati. And he came down to teach Lord Caitanya, but he got tricked and became a Māyāvādī. So Lord Caitanya remembered that he came to serve Him. So he came and He converted him to a devotee. Today we read that how He said in his previous life you were already a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. I was thinking that maybe Lord Caitanya was remembering that he was Brihaspati before. Anyway, somehow or another he got the mercy of Lord Caitanya. And so I hope that you will get the mercy also.

Question: Spanish question.

Jayapataka Swami:  You need to help spread the movement of Lord Caitanya and He will accept you as His associate. Haribol!

Ahlādinī Rāi devī dasī: How can I distribute Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books to a hospital doctor or nurse or clerk?

Jayapataka Swami: How can you distribute books? Why not? First of all, you are able to go into the hospital, I don’t know. Otherwise doctors, nurses, they are also human beings and naturally they have a need to receive the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya. And they are doing service to humanity to help with health. I tell them you should become a doctor not only of the body but also of the soul. And I have many disciples who are doctors and nurses. And they are somewhat more receptive to receiving the mercy of the Lord.

Deveśvara Kṛṣṇa dāsa: Is there any difference between staying in Goloka Vṛndāvana or staying in the material world in the pure service of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

Jayapataka Swami: A pure devotee wants to serve the Lord. And for him serving the Lord in the material world or serving the Lord in the spiritual world is not different. But we would like devotees to transfer themselves from the material world to the spiritual world. But if Kṛṣṇa wants to help him spread the saṅkīrtana movement, then they can do that also. Whatever the Lord wants.

Śrīmatī Lalitā devī dāsī: Sometimes our spiritual desires are not fulfilled. It seems to have an opposite result. I know with patience it may happen. How to be patient and hopeful for our spiritual desire?

Jayapataka Swami: I don’t know what you are considering as your spiritual desire. We know that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a gradual process. So one may desire something spiritual, that may take some time. And someone may desire something which is not purely spiritual and Kṛṣṇa, He wants to see that fulfilling that desire will not destroy you. So it is whether you are ready to receive it. So Śrīmatī Lalitā devī dāsī, it seems a more personal question, you can write to me.

Gaurāṅga Prasāda dāsa: During this pandemic we preached online. But there is no way we could engage them in some service. Can you help us in some way to do that?

Jayapataka Swami: You see that people have Bhagavad-gītā Made Easy in 18 days’ course. One chapter per day. So that way they can be engaged in reading. Some people have daily chanting session and they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa every day and have a few people chant with them japa. Like that there are many things that people do. And we have also some options on helping me fulfill Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions and in that way, different devotees are volunteering. So that way different services can be done over the internet. You can talk to Śyāma Rasika dāsa, he may have some ideas.