20220620 Evening Address

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

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you for the preaching report. Nice to see all the devotees are helping in preaching. As I told you earlier my servants told me the devotees here are very enthusiastic. I heard Bhānu Swami had the same experience! He has extended his stay. I have a very tight program. I cannot extend. But I would like to!

So, we want all the devotees to be very strong in their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We will be very grateful that you are studying Śrīla Prabhupāda books. That people who are brahmacārīs and people who are gṛhasthas have dedicated themselves to serving Kṛṣṇa. The secret is that Kṛṣṇa knows in our heart if we are trying to serve Him. There is a saying, don’t take water under water on a fasting day. You see some days we have nirjala fasting. So maybe one dips in the river, if they think no one is watching, so I can drink, you take a sip from the water and looks like you are fasting. So who are you cheating? You cannot cheat Kṛṣṇa. He knows everything you thinking everything you do. Of course, one doesn’t have to do a nirjala fast. It depends on your saṅkalpa. But if you do and you cheat like that, Kṛṣṇa knows! So in bhakti-yoga we have to be very truthful and sincere. So, what is good for one person is poison for another. Whatever our standard is, we should be sincere and follow that.

In the 8^th canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there was a fight between the king of the elephants and the king of the crocodiles in the water. So, after a long time, the elephant realized he was getting weaker. Because he was an animal of the land. The crocodile was a water animal. So the crocodile was gaining strength in the water. But the elephant was losing strength. So in the purport Śrīla Prabhupāda said, we should be in our position but strive. Just like the elephant and the crocodile. The elephant was out of his environment therefore he was getting weaker. So we should in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, be in a position where our strength remains in full force. Some people will be naturally stronger as a gṛhastha. Someone may be stronger in a vairāgī āśrama. Śrīla Prabhupāda said we should choose the āśrama where we would be stronger.

I heard from a youth preacher that in January they are going to have a Youth Festival in Tirupati. So, they want all the youths to attend this festival. They are expecting 2,500 youths. And in November, I am scheduled to come back to Bengaluru. So, I think that the ICC temple may have a grand opening. Anyway, Mahā Varāha dāsa is arranging my program. I am looking forward to seeing all of you. I am very happy to see the various activities of preaching. The outposts, Vaiṣṇavī Forum, Youth Forum, various activities, book distribution. So like this, I hope that this will expand further. I am sorry that Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, Sudarśana cakra got sick! I am sure you are all waiting for them to be healthy again! Kṛṣṇa has these līlās! And He does different things for different purposes.

Once Nārada Muni asked Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā, “Which devotee has more bhakti for You?” “You tell the devotees I have a headache. That the cure is, I need the dust from My devotee’s feet!”

He went to some yogī meditating, “Oh, Nārada Muni, you travel all over the world, you see Nārāyaṇa, what is the situation, what is news?”

“Oh, Kṛṣṇa has a headache!” Nārada Muni said.

“What does He need?”

“His devotee’s foot dust!”

“Ah, He wants foot dust, I will go to hell if I give. You are telling a lie.”

This way Nārada Muni went to several devotees. He went to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wives. They asked about Lord Kṛṣṇa, “He has a headache. And He needs His devotee’s foot dust to get cured.”

“I am his wife how can I give my foot dust? That will be an offence, I will go to hell!”

Nārada Muni went back to Kṛṣṇa and said, “I went, none of your devotees are willing to give their foot dust.”

“Did you ask the gopīs in Vṛndāvana?” Kṛṣṇa said. “Go and ask them.”

He went to Vṛndāvana and the gopīs said, “Oh Nārada Muni tell us how is Lord Kṛṣṇa our life and soul!”

Nārada Muni said, “He has a headache.”

“Oh headache! Oh! What can we do?”

“He needs the dust of His devotee’s feet.”

“How much do you want? Take it?”

“Are you not afraid you will go to hell?”

“Let us go to hell but let Kṛṣṇa’s headache be cured!” Haribol! Haribol! This is the difference between the gopīs’ love and the queens’ love.

So there are two kinds of devotees – bhajanānandī and goṣṭhyānandī. The bhajanāndīs want their own salvation. They stay in their bhajana they don’t take any risk. The goṣṭhyānandī they go out and preach. They want to increase the number of devotees. And so Prahlāda Mahārāja he was a goṣṭhyānandī. And he preached to the sons of the demons. He told them don’t waste your time chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! So that was Prahlāda Mahārāja’s system. Even his father asked him, “What is the best thing you heard from your teacher?” He said, “My dear best of the demons! I learnt that we should do the nine practices of bhakti-yoga.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

So his father said, “Shhhhhh!” He hissed like a snake. “How have you learned these things of our enemy Viṣṇu! He killed my elder brother!” He said, “What Vaiṣṇava has entered the school and polluted his mind? Give security around the school, any Vaiṣṇava seen, shoot at sight!” At that time, he did not know that his son was taught already in the womb. He was the disciple of Nārada Muni. So, all the gṛhasthas they should pray to the Deity to have Kṛṣṇa conscious, healthy suputra. It is good to do the garbhadāna-saṁskāra. Śrīla Prabhupāda said it is a saṁskāra but you need to keep it a secret.

…The brāhmaṇas should keep chanting. The son of the king would be the next king. We need like that, people who will preach like Prahlāda. So, there may be so many obstacles. But we overcome those obstacles and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So I am very happy that you are all dedicated to overcome the obstacles and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Bengaluru. Thank you for your preaching report. Anādi Jagannātha dāsa thank you! All the devotees, thank you! There is so much ecstasy in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa! We hope that you all get a taste of that transcendental bliss! Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Jānaki Rāmacandra dāsa is my JPS Media in-charge. My Facebook, Instagram, Twitter in different languages. English, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil Telugu, Hindi. You can ask him what all languages. Today I think there is going to be cake cutting. There must be a birthday if there is cake cutting!