20220217 Question and Answer Session

The following is an evening darśana with a Question & Answer session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 17th,2022 in Chennai, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

So we will have a brief question-and-answer session. I am in Chennai at present at Ajita Gopīnātha Prabhu’s house. I have been discharged from the hospital and convalescing in the house. And things are gradually improving. Oṁ tat sat!

Today is the first day of the month of Govinda. This is a very auspicious month. This is the month in which Gaura Pūrṇimā falls and we just observed the Nityānanda Trayodaśī, who is our original guru and we try to observe His Vyāsa-pūjā, we do abhiṣeka, we do puṣpāñjali and various ceremonies and pūjās. Are there any questions? 

Question: How can we make Kṛṣṇa consciousness accessible to all including those with learning difficulties and special educational needs?

Jayapatākā Swami: First of all, we want to reach all the people, and how all the people with learning difficulties can access, that is something which people will ascertain. We have seen that some children with Down’s syndrome, they have become very Kṛṣṇa conscious. And I cannot particularly speak for all those with learning difficulties. But those who have some experience, they can say. Of course, there are many people without any difficulties, and how to help them to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is our priority in one sense. But then, they also have special learning difficulties, how they could be taken out is a separate thing.

Mahā Varāha dāsa: There is one mātājī, Anuttama mātājī, in Chennai who preaches to the deaf people. There are a group of devotees in Chennai and Mumbai who are preaching. They use sign language and preach to these people who have such difficulties. We will share her contact with you and you can communicate with her.

Question: If a brahmacārī is facing so many challenges in the āśrama from inside, and agitated mind making bhakti distressful for him, should he change the āśrama or what to do?

Jayapatākā Swami: In New York someone asked such a question and Śrīla Prabhupāda once said that if one is thinking should I be a brahmacārī or should I take gṛhastha-āśrama, then in that case, he should take gṛhastha-āśrama. But being a brahmacārī, he takes a firm commitment and if one is feeling what should I do, this or that, then they don’t have enough determination to be a brahmacārī. But what your particular difficulty is, you just asked me a general question, and if you write to me a personal letter, and remind my corresponding secretary then I should be able to reply to a specific situation.

Question: Gurumaharaj How to prioritize and manage our time between, our own sādhana, material duties and giving time every day to Bhakti-vṛkṣa members?

Jayapatākā Swami: While balancing all these things, there is not much time for māyā. So that is very good, and you need two hours or so at one point every day to chant your 16 rounds. With some experience you can do a little faster. Then you have to read every day something, of Śrīla Prabhupāda books. The other activities, the material activities and cultivating the Bhakti-vṛkṣa members, that will keep you out of māyā. And so it is a very nice activity, that you are taking so much responsibilities.

Question: Gurumahārāja In a class we heard to get Lord Nityānanda’s kṛpā we need to get guru-kṛpā. How can we get and be qualified to get guru-kṛpā?

Jayapatākā Swami: One of my doctors in Chennai, her name is Dīpaśrī. So, anyway, we would like to see everybody chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and engage in devotional service. Lord Nityānanda is the original guru. So the spiritual master is naturally in connection with Lord Nityānanda. So it is not so difficult to get guru-kṛpā and if one tries to get guru-kṛpā, by preaching, by giving Kṛṣṇa to the conditioned souls, Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā 18th chapter that those who preach this message of Mine, they are the dearest to Me. So naturally, we get the kṛpā.

Question: How to be free from laziness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question. Our tendency is just to neglect our spiritual life. But naturally we know that the human life is very short and that is with little opportunity. And one moment that goes by, we cannot get back even for crores of rupees or millions of dollars or pounds. So naturally, we would like to utilize all the energy and resources and be able to achieve success in this life. If we think how much we are indebted to guru and Kṛṣṇa, then naturally we would like to repay our debt. So where is the time for laziness? Being born in Nepal, this is a great opportunity to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be Kṛṣṇa conscious. You see on the news how they have different coup d’etat in Africa, in Latin America and other places. So you are very fortunate to be in Nepal. Why take a chance to be born in hellish places?

? ? Question (Spanish) Everlyne Geraldo, Bogota, South America:

Jayapatākā Swami: It is not very difficult to develop favorable relationships with devotees. ? In the third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭaka it says offer respect to others and don’t expect respect for, yourself. So if you follow this system then you will make many friends. And people are always looking for someone to appreciate them. So if you appreciate others, then naturally they will appreciate you. So, I am very happy to receive your question. And I am speaking English so everybody else can hear the answer. And because my translator can do better if I speak in English.