20220223 Question and Answer Session

Vrajavilāsa Gaurāṅga dāsa, Bogota, Colombia: You said in one lecture that for making devotees it requires buckets of blood, and also for taking care of devotees it requires buckets of blood. The question is what is the movement when we are mature enough for taking care of someone? How can we learn the art of taking care of devotees? I am afraid that if Kṛṣṇa sends someone, maybe I will not be able to take care properly.

Jayapatākā Swami: In all the services we want to depend on Kṛṣṇa and we pray to Kṛṣṇa to helps us, so that we can guide devotees appropriately. And it is not that we think that oh we are ready, we may never feel that way. We always depend on Lord Kṛṣṇa or Lord Caitanya, to help us.

Ramaṇareti Vṛndārāṇī devī dāsī: Does Kṛṣṇa’s omniscience mean that He knows our future choices? If so, how is that compatible with our free will?

Jayapatākā Swami: He may know what we are going to choose, but we still have the free will to choose what we want. And we want to choose to serve Kṛṣṇa. And if He wants to know something, He will know it. But what he wants to know, how do we know?

Kāñcanā, aspiring disciple: What if one wants to go and live in holy dhāma like Vṛndāvana or Māyāpur and serve there only? So this desire of one’s, how could it be fulfilled? Kindly enlighten Guru Mahārājajī.

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you for your nice question Kāñcanā. Having heard from Lord Caitanya, we should ask our spiritual master to see what his instruction is. Of course, it is recommended as one of the five things, to live in a holy place. So, we have like, some people they are serving in the Middle East and due to that they have to take up some job. But they are helping me spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, sometimes they take some sacrifice to serve the spiritual master and when they retire, then they serve in Vṛndāvana or Māyāpur.

Akshaj, Bhopal, India: How to be Kṛṣṇa conscious? We need devotee association but in due course of time we take devotee association for granted? How to maintain proper vision for devotees?

Jayapatākā Swami: A very good question. That sometime, we take devotees for granted. And we should not take a devotee cheaply for granted. We need the association of devotees. So we should avoid offending devotees, and we should appreciate the good association they are giving us. In the material world, there are arguments and various kinds of quarrels, so naturally we want to avoid those, and have the good association of devotees. So we should follow the third verse of the Śīkṣāṣṭakam. Offering respect to others and not expecting respect for ourselves. Hare Kṛṣṇa!