20210515 Addressing: India for India

Amogha-līlā dāsa, ISKCON Dwaraka, Delhi: Mahārāja, you have had health issues but doing all services. We want to know what is this state of your consciousness. How have you conquered fear? What is your secret?

Jayapatākā Swami: So when I speak will it be translated to Hindi. I know fluent Bengali, but Hindi little bit. I would like to offer my respect to all the chief guests. And to all those who are present. So, Bhagavad-gītā tells us how to face the difficulties of life. That this world is a duḥkhālayam. And Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna to depend on Him. And He taught that we are not the body. But we have to take care of the body, the body is a machine. So, we feel sad when we see others suffering.  naturally we would like to help those who are suffering. And my personal suffering is not my preoccupation. And I hope that I will have good enough health to fulfill my mission. My mission is to carry out the instructions of my spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

He said, “No one should go hungry within a ten-mile radius.” Why? He said that this a Kṛṣṇa temple. Kṛṣṇa is everyone’s father. So in the presence of the father, the children naturally would be fed. So we want to see that Vāsudeva-kuḍumbakam. In a ten-mile radius we have Hindus, Muslims, Christians and we don’t make any difference, we help everyone. So, I am always depending on Kṛṣṇa. Although doctors said that there was no chance for my survival, but by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, prayers of the devotees, so He [Kṛṣṇa] has still given me a chance. So if we have to leave the body, we go back to the spiritual world. We want to help people to be happy and if they survive that is good. We try to help them to survive. But if they have to leave, they should go to the highest destination. So, that is what I am trying to do. And I thank all the people for helping me to do it. Any other question?

Question: Mahārāja, in these traumatic times family where there is uncertainty, how can they gather courage and internally gain courage after losing near and dear ones?

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you! First I would like to thank the other speakers. Interesting. The doctor was advising what we should take to boost our immunity. So I have been gargling with turmeric and ginger. And I take fruits two or three times. But whatever we do, we offer our food to Kṛṣṇa. The other speaker, Arun Govil, he told how we should offer our mind, body, words, and that is the duty of the gṛhasthas. To help the family members, to help the community, to help the world. As a sannyāsī, they call me as a tridaṇḍī-bhikṣu. I am allowed to be a beggar! The gṛhasthas they are like my parents; I am their child. So, I thank all these contributions. This is the experience from the wise people. Of course, as I mentioned I had various admissions before, I had various problems. Actually I am wheelchair bound. And about two or three months I also got COVID-19. So I was taking a mixture of allopathic, ayurvedic medicine. But we also lost some dear, dear, ones. So, we believe that when the body dies, the soul lives on. But we can help people to reach the higher destination. For their life, we try to give them the medicine, the oxygen, whatever they need. But some people are taken away from us. So that they reach the highest destination we try to help them by putting some Ganges water on their head, put some caraṇāmṛta in their mouth, have them cremated with a tulasī-twig, and take their ashes and put them in the holy river. Bhagavad-gītā tells us how to help the departed soul reach the higher destination. We would like everyone to survive. And we do whatever we can to help them. But the fact of this world is that sooner or later we all have to leave. But the soul never dies. The ātmā never dies. Only the body dies. So, like that, we understand that the person we love is still there. With that understanding we can feel somewhat relieved. And we try to offer some food, some prasāda for the departed soul. We do some sevā in the name of the departed soul. So that they get the benefit.

And we had some different experiences. One family, the wife, the children, all are my disciples. But the father was not favorable for devotional service. The father was diagnosed with cancer. And he was in the fourth stage. He was in his bed in the bedroom. And then he saw some men with leather ropes and fang teeth, walking through the wall. Looked like messenger of death. He said, “No, no! NOT ME! NOT ME! NO! NO!” They left thru the wall. He called his wife, “I want Bhagavad-gītā, I want tulasī beads, I want japa beads.” She was amazed, why all this sudden change? So what we would try to do preaching for so many years, the Yamadūtas did in one minute. And after that he became a very dedicated devotee. So this life is temporary. We should all prepare to go to the highest destination. There we don’t need to be afraid of death. We would like to help people while they are alive in the body, but if they leave their body, we would like to help them to reach the highest destination. Haribol!

Does that answer your question?

Amogha-līlā dāsa: Yes Mahārāja! You answered and addressed both the material and spiritual angle Mahārāja. Thank you.