20211121 Addressing Russian Grand-disciples

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

Jayapatākā Swami: So I am very happy to be here amongst my grandchildren. Śrīla Prabhupāda told us we are the grandchildren of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. And the grandfather gives sweets and cookies to the grandchildren. But the father has to discipline the children. So, that is our relationship. Every day, we have the opportunity of serving Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Every avatāra has His mood. Like Narasiṁhadeva, He is very angry at the molestation of His devotee. Lord Caitanya is very merciful. He gives out love of Kṛṣṇa and establishes the Harināma saṅkīrtana movement. When He left Jagannātha Purī, He went to South India. Everyone He saw on the road, He would embrace them and tell them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So they were filled with love of Kṛṣṇa. And like that He spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere.

In Kūrmadeśa, the brāhmaṇa there said, he wanted to leave everything and go with Lord Caitanya. But Lord Caitanya told him, don’t be a marakaṭa-vairāgī, don’t be a monkey renunciant. Stay here with your family and preach the Harināma. And everyone you meet, tell them about Lord Kṛṣṇa.

yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya hañā tāra’ ei deśa
[Cc. Madhya 7.128]

So, in this way, Lord Caitanya empowered so many people. Someone told Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa that he should take sannyāsa. But I told him that Śrīla Prabhupāda said that as long as your wife is helpful, cooperative, you don’t need to take sannyāsa. We know that Gauracandrikā devī dāsī is a very dedicated devotee. But Caitanya Candra Caraṇa, he was telling me how he had so many plans to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness through culture. I hope that you all help him so that he can do this. It is very important to see that Lord Caitanya’s mood is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You see, He wanted to see that people get love of Godhead and taste this nectar. Just like Narasiṁhadeva is in angry mood, Lord Caitanya is in mercy mood. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he took up the goṣṭhyānandī mood. He was even preaching to the sons of the demons. He told them that even ladies and anyone who chants the holy name and renders devotional service, they can achieve complete perfection. So, he got all the small children to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

I pray every day for my disciples, and for you, my grand disciples to Pañca-tattva and Prahlāda Narasiṁhadeva. We hope you can all transcend any obstacles. You are all very dear to me. And I want to see that you expand Lord Caitanya’s message. So, this is not so difficult, but one needs to keep up with it.

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that to make one devotee, one has to give buckets of blood. To make all of you devotees, it must have taken so much effort for Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa. So, I feel that Śrīla Prabhupāda had taken so much trouble, at an advanced age, to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So, I have to repay the debt. And that way, I keep inspired because the debt is so great that to repay it requires all my effort, still it is not enough! All of you have received the mercy of Lord Caitanya, through Śrīla Prabhupāda, coming down from the paramparā. So, as followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda, you should try to do your utmost to repay the debt. I know that some devotees have been very conscientious to serve the mission of Śrī guru and Gaurāṅga. But maybe some devotees are not trying up to their capacity. You see, there are two kinds of Vaiṣṇavas – bhajanānandī, who works for their personal liberation. But Prahlāda Mahārāja he was a goṣṭhyānandī.

Śrīla Prabhupāda was a goṣṭhyānandī. He could have stayed in Vṛndāvana and got liberation. But he went around the world like 12 or 14 times, he came to Moscow. He brought the mercy of Lord Caitanya there. Why? Why did he do that? Because he is a goṣṭhyānandī! He did not want to go back to Kṛṣṇa alone, he wanted to take as many souls as possible. If you all help Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa to take back souls back home to Godhead, it would be very much appreciated.

In our Gītā Bhavan we were seeing thousands of devotees observing the fruits and roots fast during Bhīṣma Pañcaka. They were all chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and taking the Ganges bath. Offering flowers to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Offering lamps to Rādhā Mādhava. I was feeling so happy to see them all blissfully practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This happiness, you cannot get in the material world. Anyway, I am very happy to be here with all of you. I should give you some time to ask some questions.

Ānandinī Pūrṇa devī dāsī: In lots of spiritual sources, we find that Lord Kṛṣṇa is 16 years old always, in the spiritual world. But also, I heard from other devotees and other scriptures that there are different, that Kṛṣṇa has His līlās in different ages in the spiritual world. So what is the real truth? How does it happen?

Jayapatākā Swami: He has līlās of appearance where He is like a baby, then as a child, and then a bigger child, a pre-youth, youth. So He never grows beyond youth. Some say maybe 20 or 21. In Vṛndāvana, He is Kiśora. But He goes through all the ages, as I mentioned. But He does not grow old. No big beard, grey hair or anything! Why should He grow old? He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and controller of time. So He always stays in nava-yauvanam, fresh, new, young.

Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa: Guru Mahārāja by your mercy our project is already functioning, we are regularly accepting guests here. We have kīrtana-melas, saṁvit programs, cultural evenings. Gauracandrikā was performing a drama. You can see this big hall, also we have several houses, so we even have a sauna and offer this to you! We have already opened an Arts school and the local kids they come and learn Arts.

Jayapatākā Swami: Where is this hall?

Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa: Near Almati, Kazakhstan. And now we are building a small temple for the Deities, Rādhā Gokulānanda. Now we have a third group of devotees visiting us and now behind us you can see devotees from Ukraine. Yesterday, they got initiation.

Jayapatākā Swami: Very nice!

Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa: And they are all waiting for your blessings Guru Mahārāja. They are ready to be part of the mission and serve.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rādhā Kṛṣṇe matir astu!

Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa: Please accept our humble obeisances.

Jayapatākā Swami: So is this one of the halls?

Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa: This is a big hall like a theater, and we are going to show you the stage now.

Jayapatākā Swami: Wow!

Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa: We have an altar. Sometimes we take altar to this hall. And the capacity is for 200 people, comfortable stay for 200 people. And near we have a two-story hotel and several houses where devotees’ families live. We are regularly doing Food for Life programs.

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you!

Question: We really admire your enthusiasm in preaching. Today, before we met you, we heard several stories from Mahā Varāha Prabhu telling about yourself and we really, really admire whatever you do. So please kindly tell us where do we also get the same level of enthusiasm?

Jayapatākā Swami: We are reading how Lord Caitanya was instructing Sanātana Gosvāmī for two months. He was saying how the Lord, He empowers certain people, and they can execute wonderful things. Someone who has great empowerment, he is known as śaktyāveśa. And someone who has significant empowerment, but may be not as great, is called vibhūti. So if you try to serve Caitanya Candra Caraṇa and in this way the guru-paramparā, certainly Lord Caitanya will give you His mercy! And thus, you will be wondering where did this potency come from? You see, it is said that to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness one has to be empowered. So whoever is sincere to serve guru and Gaurāṅga, naturally he will get potency. Like that, Sanātana Gosvāmī heard about all kinds of expansions, he asked Lord Caitanya, is a person who is spreading the Harināma saṅkīrtana, and giving love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone and having a golden color, is He an avatāra? Lord Caitanya replied, stop your trick, I am not anywhere near a śaktyāveśa, He changed the subject. But Sanātana Gosvāmī discovered by His own definition that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was an avatāra, a yuga-avatāra. But Lord Caitanya said, stop your tricks. He was defeated! If you are dedicated to your spiritual master and try to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, naturally you will get the empowerment by Lord Caitanya’s mercy.

Acyuta dāsa: We heard from you that we should spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. So my question is how do we preach now-a-days in the current situation when there are so many challenges and difficulties, when there is pandemic and all the things they distract people, and what would you think Śrīla Prabhupāda would do in the current situation? What would his preaching strategy have been?

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know what the situation is like in Kazakhstan, but I heard that in Russia it is very bad. And we know that Śrīla Prabhupāda said we should chant the holy name. He was transiting Tehran in Iran and he talked to some Muslim paṇḍitas. And he said that the śāstra says Harer nāma, the names of the Supreme Lord. So if they cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they could also chant any name of God indicating the Supreme Lord. There are 99 names of Allah in the Koran. Any one of those names they could chant – the Muslims. Like that in the Bible if there are names of God in Christianity, they could chant that. You see it is easier to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. I had a Roman Catholic Christian nun who was taking my instruction and she was chanting Jesu Cristo, Jesu Cristo, Cristo Cristo, Jesu Jesu. And she thought it is almost like Hare Kṛṣṇa. So let me try it. And she started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And she felt the same thing like, when she was chanting Jesus Christ, but more. And she started chanting 16 rounds and took dīkṣā. And her name is Mokṣarūpa devī dāsī. But she is still a Christian nun. So, we don’t say that you have to travel around the world. Wherever you are, preach there. Whether on radio or TV, somehow or another get people to chant. By taking the vaccines, medicines, still they are getting sick. The government is saying everyone should be vaccinated. But still people are demonstrating that no, I won’t be vaccinated. Anyway, we are not entering into that argument. We are saying that please chant the holy name of God, and if everybody chants this pandemic will go away. But technically we don’t ask Kṛṣṇa for anything. Because if we ask for some material thing, then it would be offensive. But it is better to chant the offensive holy name than no chanting at all. While we may not chant for anything, we chant only for pleasing the Lord. But others can chant to get help of this pandemic. Śrīla Prabhupāda said they did this during the plague in Calcutta, where the Christians, the Muslims, Hindus, Parsis, were chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and the plague went away. This is the opportunity, if the pandemic goes away by everybody chanting the holy name, then people would be more favorable. Alright?

Devaśekhara Govinda dāsa: I am very soon going to open a Bhakti-vṛkṣa. So what do you think is the most important in devotee care?

Jayapatākā Swami: These questions are always difficult to answer. What do I think is the most important? I don’t think my thinking is very important. I try to understand what the devotee is experiencing. And whenever I can I try to solve their problem. I think the fact that I care, I try to do the needful, I think that devotees appreciate that.

Vimalā-kuṇḍa devī dāsī: I don’t have any question but I just wanted to remind you of the case when our spiritual master, Caitanya Candra Caraṇa Prabhu, he could not come for his Vyāsa-pūjā to Māyāpur, so Your Holiness you gathered us on the rooftop and this day was a kīrtana-mela day and the Pañca-tattva were crying after kīrtana of Your Holiness and Bhakti Cāru Swami. And when you gathered us, your grand disciples on the rooftop, you told us now, you can ask me for any blessing that you want. And I was asking you for all possible services, all the services that I could remember Śrīla Prabhupāda told us to do. So I want to tell you that until now your blessings are working so nicely. Whatever service I want to offer to Śrīla Prabhupāda, it goes out successful. Thank you very much for giving us Lord Caitanya’s mercy and that you give us your shelter. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you! May you always remain in Guru consciousness! And have the mercy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa!