20210601 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question and Answer session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 1st, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

Question: Thank you Gurumahārāja. Is there any reason for Lord Jagannātha’s worship being relaxed than in other places?

Jayapatākā Swami: There is a book on the worship of Lord Jagannātha. and that book has to be followed. They do the Ratha-yātrā at a particular time. So they were complaining that ISKCON does not observe Ratha-yātrā at the same time. In India we passed the resolution that we would observe the Ratha-yātrā day and during the nine days. So like that some special festivals like Snāna-yātrā, Candana-yātrā and Oḍana-ṣaṣthī is one of the festivals. and how all that is observed is given in this book. So Lord Jagannātha has His own worship standards.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja please accept my humble respectful obeisanceṣ

Question: Why is Śrī Vārṣābhānavī Murāri Deity your prāṇadhana? What is your special connection?

Jayapatākā Swami: Vārṣabhānavī is the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu. So Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is the incarnation of Vṛṣabhānu from Caitanya-līlā. So the Deity is called Vārṣabhānavī, means the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu. And Kṛṣṇa is called Murāri and Gaurāṅga is Gaurāṅga. So these Deities are very dear to everyone because Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is so dear.

Question: It is mentioned that after Ratha-yātrā Advaita Ācārya returned to Navadvīpa. In that case when Lord Caitanya fell into the well, Advaita Ācārya came there. And it is mentioned that Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi when all the devotees returned, he stayed in Purī?

Jayapatākā Swami: All the verses that we are reading is not in exact chronological order. So obviously when Lord Caitanya fell in the well, Lord Advaita Ācārya was still there in Jagannātha Purī. And then it is said that He sent all the other devotees back to Bengal, that year Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi stayed. So, it would seem that Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi came when the devotees from Bengal were still there. Or just after. Then when Lord Caitanya sent them to Bengal, but He asked Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi to stay, so therefore he stayed.

Vinoda Kṛṣṇa and Nandapriya Padmā: Guru Mahārāja What is the importance of revealing our mind without hesitation, since this was mentioned many times in the conversation Whom should be reveal our mind to, as sometimes we get offensive or wrong thoughts as well? .

Jayapatākā Swami: Obviously you can only reveal your mind to very close devotees. And so we would hope that you don’t have any offensive thoughts. But in the case of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, his doubt, we are going to hear what the result of that is. So if you have doubt on the Lord or His devotee, it may be dangerous. He would say that to Svarūpa Dāmodara and then Svarūpa Dāmodara would correct him. So if you are in a position, if someone reveals their mind to you, and they have some doubt, then you have to answer their doubt.’

Nandakumāra Kṛṣṇa dāsa: For Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī the unwashed cloth is used but otherwise the cloth is always washed. However, when we get dresses for our Deities, we never wash them because they will get ruined.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see they put on Lord Jagannātha the new cloth. Your Deities you may have elaborate sets. Lord Jagannātha they would just offer Him plain cloth, but that was starched cloth for the Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī and like in some temples, they just offer a sari or a colored cloth to the Deity. In Ādi Keśava Mandir in south Tamil Nadu, they have not changed the cloth for a year. We brought a new cloth and gave it to them. And they gave us the old cloth. And the old cloth I cut them out and gave them out. But the Deity of Ādi Keśava is very huge, 21 feet. So, He is like the same size as Ananta Padmanābha Swami, but not like Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu, He does not have Brahmā coming from His navel. So like that there are different systems in deity worship. In your altar you have very fine cloths. So you can wash them by dry cleaning or something. But you would not be using starched cloth in any case.

Devī Śreṣṭha: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Gurumahārāja, praṇāma. Sri Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was very scholarly and the guru of Gadādhara Paṇḍita. Through this pastime what does he want to teach us? 

Jayapatākā Swami: How we have to be very careful what we think about the Lord and His servants because Lord Jagannātha’s system of worship is something unique. And so He was just thinking of it in the ordinary sense. So, many things, also how Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi we will see how he has a very personal relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa, it will be revealed.

Kackuly Rāṇī: Hare Krishna Gurumahārāja. Why did Lord Caitanya and His associates choose India and Bengal to be the līlā place?

Jayapatākā Swami: Why not? India is the līlā place! Navadvīpa is in the spiritual world, Vṛndāvana is in the spiritual world, Mathurā and Dvārakā is in the spiritual world. So naturally, the pastimes should be performed here!

Ratnabāhu dāsa: Why Lord Jagannātha is wearing starched clothes? 

Jayapatākā Swami: Because He is independent, and He wears what He wants to wear. So He wants to wear starched cloth on Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī, and that is His independence. So He wants to wear starched cloth on Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī, and that is His independence.

Kṛṣṇa Baladeva Dāsa: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear spiritual father, how to overcome obstacles in preaching? Kṛṣṇa Baladeva dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: With determination and also depending on Kṛṣṇa.

Keya Rāṇī: Hare Kṛṣṇa Gurudeva, praṇāma. Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to you. We should always depend on Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy but it is also said that we should try to help ourselves and then depend on Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. So when should we try to help ourselves and when should be depend completely on Lord’s mercy? Please kindly enlighten us.

Jayapatākā Swami: They are skipping over your question because it is not particularly from the verse. Anyway we should do both together. We should help ourselves while we depend on Kṛṣṇa, not that we just sit and say Kṛṣṇa will do everything. We do the best we can and we depend on Kṛṣṇa. There is a story where there is a flood. And they came by the house and said that,

"Get in! There is a flood."

He said, "No, No! I am depending on Kṛṣṇa."

Then the water rose up to the roof. And he was on the roof.

Boat came and said, "Get on!"

He said, "No on I am depending on God", and the boat left.

And then helicopter come, "Here grab the rope!"

and he said "No. I am depending on God.", and he got drowned.

Then he went back to Godhead. He asked God, "Why did you not save me?"

He said "I sent you a car, a boat, a helicopter you did not take anything. So what do you expect?"

So naturally we have to take the mercy of Kṛṣṇa that may come in any way.

Last question.

Subāhu Madana-mohana dāsa: Why Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi developed doubt from Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī? Why did he doubt? Hare Kṛṣṇa 

Jayapatākā Swami: Why did he doubt? Why not? He is Vidyānidhi, he has all knowledge. So he knows in other places they don’t offer starched cloth. But in Jagannātha Purī they are offering starched cloth, so that is why he had a doubt. That is why a little knowledge can be an obstacle. If you have lot of knowledge then you will know that Lord Jagannātha’s worship is not the same. All right

Question: Why did Lord Caitanya come to external consciousness due to Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi? Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is not an outsider for Him? That was from yesterday’s class.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see internal and external consciousness – internal consciousness means He is absorbed in ecstasy, and He does not understand anything what is going around. He is completely in Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, Kṛṣṇa-rasa. So somehow when Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi appeared, He became aware of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, and thus He ended into understanding what is happening around Him. That is external consciousness, for Lord Caitanya. So even His external consciousness is also spiritual. Because being aware of Puṇḍarīka Premanidhi, He called him - bāpa, bāpa! Father, father! So He was ecstatic. But he was aware of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. Hare Kṛṣṇa!