20210627 Question and Answer Session with South Africa Youths

Jayapatākā Swami: First of all, I offer my obeisances to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
 hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Tejasvarupa Prabhu: From a young age Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed many pastimes with His mother Śacī Mata and father Jagannātha Miśra. As young people, what can we learn from this with regard to keeping a close relationship with our parents?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, of course Lord Caitanya spent 48 years on this planet. 24 years He was a householder with His parents and 24 years as a sannyāsī. So I am just reading now how Lord Caitanya after a number of years, He came on the way to Vṛndāvana, He went through Bengal. And Mother Śacī, His mother, she came to see Him, at Advaita Ācārya’s house. And He circumambulated His mother, He paid obeisances to her, He praised her that she is non-different from Yaśodā, or Devakī, Devahūti, Kauśalyā and other mothers of Kṛṣṇa avatāras. So, He said that even if one is a servant of a servant of a servant a million times removed, from Mother Śacī, just by their connection with Mother Śacī, they would be very dear to Lord Caitanya. He will bless them, from there they will get pure love of Kṛṣṇa. So Mother Śacī is not an ordinary mother. She was like the incarnation of Yaśodā, Devakī. She had such love for Lord Caitanya, and after receiving all these praises, praṇāmas, circumambulation, what did she want to do? She wanted to cook! She wanted to cook for Lord Caitanya! So, what we can learn is that, by being devotees we can bring good fortune to our parents. We would like to appreciate our parents, for all the work they have, for all the service they have done for us. So like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he also preached to his father. His father did not appreciate that because he was a demon. We hope that the parents of the devotees are not like Hiraṇyakaśipu and they will appreciate and offer their good wishes to their children. Especially, if they become gṛhasthas they should perform sraadha when our parents leave their body. Son or daughter who helps the parents be delivered from hellish conditions are called putras or putris. So we can learn from Lord Caitanya how He appreciated His parents. At the same time, His priority was to serve Kṛṣṇa.

Vaiṣṇava Sevā Youth Group, Cape Town: Mahāprabhu always stressed the importance of learning and being scholarly. As young devotees what is the importance of us focusing on both our material and spiritual studies?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see just like Jīva Gosvāmī, he wanted to serve guru and Kṛṣṇa. So he thought that he should be qualified so that he could render some service. So he went to university and he studied, of course, he studied Sanskrit. What one studies may vary, but if you want to write transcendental literatures, you have to study Sanskrit. So like that Lord Caitanya was also known as Nimāi Paṇḍita and He was the greatest of all paṇḍitas. But when He learnt about Kṛṣṇa, He became focused on that. So we should qualify ourselves materially, so that we can survive and do some nice service for guru and Kṛṣṇa. At the same time, we should see to our spiritual education, so that we can reach the actual goal of life as a human being, which is go back to Godhead. So it is only possible if we know about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma ca me divyaṁ – My birth and My activities are spiritual. If you know that then you go back to Godhead. So we should not neglect our spiritual service. We need material studies for this life and the spiritual studies for this life and the next life.

Aindra Caitanya prabhu on behalf of the Kṛṣṇa Balarāma Youth Group: Besides chanting the holy names and reading about the glories of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, what are the other methods we can use to take shelter of Him?

Jayapatākā Swami: As Kṛṣṇa says in the Gītā that those who preach the message of the Gītā are the most dear to Him. Lord Caitanya also pleaded to His followers to help Him to distribute the fruits of love of Godhead. So He gave three instructions – bolo Kṛṣṇa, bhajo Kṛṣṇa, koro Kṛṣṇa śikhā. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, worship and serve Kṛṣṇa, and study Kṛṣṇa’s teachings. Those are Bhagavad-gītā which are Kṛṣṇa’s own words, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which is about Kṛṣṇa.

Kīrtana Yuvatī Youth Group: Discrimination on various grounds such as racial discrimination, religious discrimination, etc. is a virus in itself that many people are still fighting. How did Caitanya Mahāprabhu break down the social barriers when distributing love of Godhead freely to one and all? 

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you Kīrtana Yuvatī Youth Group. You see Lord Caitanya taught that regardless of racial, religious, gender, any kind of material designations, that everyone can reawaken their dormant love for Godhead. And they can see the highest perfection of life. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.4.18, it tells how people from different backgrounds are taking shelter of pure devotee of Viṣṇu, they can achieve the highest perfection of life and they can go back to Godhead. So, Lord Caitanya like, He took Haridāsa Ṭhākura who was born in a Muslim family and made him a Nāmācārya. Like that Jagāi and Mādhāi were ruffians, bullies. They were delivered by Nitāi Gaura. So like that there are different people who took shelter of Lord Caitanya. And He would accept everyone who chanted the holy name, who participated in this saṅkīrtana yajña. That way He showed – there is a verse that states that bhakti yoga is free from all designations. Sarvapadi vinir muktam. And He would recognize people on their spiritual progress, not based on their material designations.

Balarāma Prabhu: As young devotees, we are often exposed to many non-devotees in our school and working environments. How can we introduce or explain Kṛṣṇa consciousness to our non-devotee colleagues? 

Jayapatākā Swami: You see how Prahlāda mahārāja preached to the sons of the demons, in the seventh canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He, in various ways inspired these children to chant. And as I told before, he told them you are sons of demons; women or śūdras, you can all achieve the highest perfection by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But in preaching to non-devotees, better not to get into all kinds of glories of the holy name. Since they may not believe in some aspects. So instead, just tell them to chant and be happy. And if you are happy, you would inspire others to chant. Somehow or other get them to chant. Like people may ask, how many rounds are you chanting? They get very embarrassed. Some say, oh we are only chanting four rounds. Well gurudeva! FOUR ROUNDS! WOW! THAT IS 2. 5 MILLION HARE KṚṢṆA MANTRAS per year. So when people are very self-conscious and say we are only chanting two rounds, our four rounds. Two rounds is 1.25 million a year, names of Kṛṣṇa. So, like that try to encourage people, be positive and people when they chant they naturally will feel happy. If they don’t like chanting, then see what they like. See if they can help you distribute in the food relief, different activities in Kṛṣṇa sevā. Say that is karma yoga. So somehow or another have them connected with Kṛṣṇa.

Jāhnavī Mātājī: As youth, how can we practically keep this inspiration to chant and complete a certain number of rounds on a daily basis?

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa are not different. So, we want to have association with Kṛṣṇa. So, it is important to chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. And since like every round, every mantra adds up, so that should inspire you that as I said, two rounds is 1.25 million. Four rounds is 2.5 million. Eight rounds is 5 million. That should inspire us! Most people, they don’t have any connection with God. We want to keep regular connection, that is why, in South Africa they are famous for growing different fruits and things. So is watering it sporadically better or have a drip irrigation where they regularly get water? Which plant will grow better? Infrequent sporadic water or the one which gets regular drip by drip water? What do you think? (The host said, yes guru mahārāja, the one who received regular drip water). So like that we want to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa regularly, to water our spiritual creeper. Haribol! Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Anonymous: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took initiation and accepted Śrīla Īśvara Purī as His spiritual master, despite being the Lord Himself. So what can we gather from this about the importance of accepting a spiritual master?

Jayapatākā Swami: Anonymous! Wow! What a name! So, because the Lord took a spiritual master, although He doesn’t need one, He is the spiritual master of everyone, but He took – whatever great men do, common men follow – so He did it to show example. And also, the Padma Purāṇa states that if you don’t receive the mantra from one of the four bona fide, disciplic successions, then your mantra will not bear fruit. Mantra nisphalataha! Fruitless! So Lord Caitanya took His initiation in the Brahmā Madhva sampradāya. Brahmā, Lakṣmī, the Four Kumāras and Lord Śiva, they established the four Vaiṣṇava paramparās.  ISKCON is in the Brahmā sampradāya. Of course, Lord Caitanya came, and He united all the sampradāyas. So in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya we see different aspects of the different Vaiṣṇava paramparās. Now we want to accept a spiritual master, and that was the example that Lord Caitanya showed. In the Kṛṣṇa Book, when Kṛṣṇa talks to Sudāmā vipra, He talks about dīkṣā guru, śikṣā guru. One may have one dīkṣā guru and may have many śikṣā gurus.

Radhapriya Mātājī: When I heard your story about how you came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and how you left your comfortable life in America to take sannyāsa at the age of 21, I was really astounded. What inspired to make this movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu your life’s mission? 

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you Radhapriya devī dāsī. You see I was looking for some answer, what was life? I tried different processes – yoga, Buddhism, many different processes. Then I met the devotees in San Francisco, help build the ratha yatra cart. Then I went to see Śrīla Prabhupāda in Montreal, I told him that I thought I have to go to India to find a guru. He said, I will send you to India, but you should stay here and I will train you up. Then I will send you to India. So then I called up my parents and told my father that I was becoming a priest, I was learning things in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He said, you come back here immediately! Otherwise I will turn your name over to the American Army, and you will have to serve in Vietnam and die. So I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what should I do? That my father told me, he wants to turn me over to the American Army. He said, better, you serve in Kṛṣṇa’s army. So since then I joined Kṛṣṇa’s army and have been a member of Kṛṣṇa’s army. Sure enough Śrīla Prabhupāda sent me to India, two weeks after initiation I was temple president in Montreal. Then I helped open the temple in Toronto, helped to open the temple in Chicago.  I was never happy, although I had a comfortable life, my grandfather was a multi-millionaire, my father was a millionaire, but somehow sense gratification did not make me happy! It made me momentarily happy then frustrated. Then, when I came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I was so happy. I WAS SO HAPPY! When I saw Kṛṣṇa and the Brajavasis’ picture in Vṛndāvana, I thought wow! So beautiful! This is what I was looking for!

Balarāma Prabhu: What lessons from Mahāprabhu have you applied guru mahārāja with regard to perseverance, taking into account your bodily obstacles? 

Jayapatākā Swami: You see I am just thinking that I am so much indebted to Śrīla Prabhupāda. He endured so many obstacles to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. He went from India by ship, had heart attacks, so many problems! He went to New York, he was beaten up. All kinds of austerities he did, to carry out the order of his guru. Relatively, I have been protected by Kṛṣṇa, by the mercy of my gurudeva, and of course, I had different problems. In 1989 I was attached by a crazy man in the airport, he cut my jugular vein, I was almost going to die. But somehow I survived. So like that there were various problems throughout my life. Somehow I survived. And just trying to repay the unlimited debt I have to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

All Three Youth Groups: In South Africa recently there has been a drive or push towards Devotee Care, caring for devotees. What are some examples of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibiting care and compassion towards His devotees? 

Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, He appreciated Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s dedication and He said, Me and Lord Nityānanda are your children. And just as Kṛṣṇa is known as Bhaktavatsala, when devotees came to see Lord Caitanya in Jagannātha Purī, He would embrace them, He would glorify them, He would appreciate all their services and even like Murāri Gupta, he was staying away by the Narendra Sarovara, bowing down and paying his obeisances and he was crying. Lord Caitanya called for him. He said I am the most fallen, I am unqualified, to be present before You. Lord Caitanya said, stop it, you are breaking My heart. And He embraced Murāri Gupta and glorified him. Similarly, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he did not come in. He said because I am not born in a Hindu family, so I cannot go into the temple. So like that Lord Caitanya He gave him a place to say in the Siddha Bakula, and then He came every day and brought him Jagannatha prasāda. And so like this, when He went to South India, He was embracing people, He was taking prasāda at their houses. Even with Vāsudeva the leper, He embraced him and cured him. Vāsudeva said, oh you cured me, now I will become proud! Then Lord Caitanya said, no, you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you will always be with Me, and I will be with you, and you will not get proud. And he told everybody, yāre dekho tāre koho Kṛṣṇa upadeśa. Whomever you meet, tell them the message of Kṛṣṇa. Āmāra agjna guru hoya, tāra ei deśa. On My order be a guru and deliver your country. So, Lord Caitanya was in different ways, taking care of His devotees.

I heard that in South Africa you have a Jayapatākā Swami Śikṣā Samūha. I think you can contact Vaiṣṇava Prāṇa in this regard. I wonder has everybody downloaded my Jayapatākā Swami app?