20220303 Question and Answer Session

Jayapatākā Swami: We are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the installation of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava. The celebration is 5 days long and this is the second day. So the Deities could be pulled on Jhulan today and today’s festival was held in Śrīla Prabhupāda Park. Yesterday the festival was held in the Bhajana-kuṭīra. You can see the festival on Māyāpur TV. We will have a few questions and answers. I am still a little weak from my stay in the hospital and I will take questions as long as I have strength.

Prasanna: I am abroad in Japan and do not have proper association. How can I practice bhakti nicely in such a situation? Please bless me that I can engage in the service of Śrīla Prabhupāda in every way I can.

Jayapatākā Swami: We have some temples in Japan, and I don’t know if you visit the temples. We have here in Māyāpur, a devotee from Japan, she knows the devotees there. Keśavī dāsī. So you can contact her and she will guide you. I don’t know exactly where you are but she will guide you.

Jayarāśesvarī devī dāsī: When were the big Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava Aṣṭa-sakhis installed and did your divine self do that?

Jayapatākā Swami: After we moved to the new temple. Previously the temple was in the Lotus building. Now it is between the Cakra and Lotus buildings. So when the building was ready the whole GBC engaged in the installation. I don’t know if you know the system of prāṇa-pratiṣṭha, but we did the full prāṇa-pratiṣṭha. And so the activities were done by different GBCs.

Bhavatāriṇī Rādhikā devī dāsī: What is the line that differentiate affection and attachment?

Jayapatākā Swami: The devotee when they feel affection for the Deity, when that increases, they become attached. Just like we have the system of niṣṭha, we feel steady in our service, then that increases to taste, to affection and that is called ruci. When that increases, we become attached to the Deity and that is called āsakti. When affection or āsakti further increases, then we achieve bhāva for Kṛṣṇa, which is the ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.

Keyā Rāṇī: Sometime we might think ill of a devotee because of some misunderstandings they might have about us. Even if we weren’t wrong still, we get accused for doing something. How do we not think ill of them in spite of them causing all sorts of trouble in both spiritual and material life. Please kindly enlighten us.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see Lord Nityānanda He was struck by Mādhāi. But He did not have any bad feelings for Mādhāi. He wanted to deliver Mādhāi and prayed to Lord Caitanya to forgive him. If you follow the footsteps of Lord Nityānanda, then naturally we won’t think bad of devotees. Even if they say something against us.

Harihara Caitanya dāsa: Sometimes I feel like willing to chant, listen, read and do other spiritual activities. Sometimes I find all these distasteful. How to overcome this? Please enlighten us.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the stage of anartha-nivṛtti. Sometimes hot sometimes cold. Sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes not. So, by practicing devotional service we could cross over this anartha-nivṛtti. And be fixed in devotional service. That is called niṣṭha. And we should avoid increase, decrease of bhakti. We should be fixed to get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.