20220620 Addressing ISKCON ICC Congregation

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 20th, 2022 in Bangalore, India.

Jayapatākā Swami: Who cooks for the basket? Please raise your hand? Who cooks for Jagannātha basket? Rāja-bhoga team, they all cook.

So who does service in the ICC Temple? Who is a member of the bhakti-vṛkṣa group or Nāmahaṭṭa? Some people did not raise their hand. Either they are confused, or they are not doing any service! Our process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is that we want to do devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. The gṛhamedhīs they want to serve their senses. Gṛhasthas use their senses to serve Hṛṣikeśa, the Master of the senses. If they are doing anything to get happiness not fully Kṛṣṇa conscious they thank Kṛṣṇa for giving this. In this age the specific yajña is chanting the holy name. Śravaṇam, kīrtanam, smaraṇam. Hearing, chanting and remembering. Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke it. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he always remembered Kṛṣṇa. Pāda-sevanam, vandanam, arcanam. We offer prayers and obeisances to the Deities. That is vandanam. We offer our service to Kṛṣṇa, that is pāda-sevanam. And we worship the Deities, that is arcanam. Then dāsyam, sakhyam and ātmā-nivedanam. Considering oneself to be a servant of Kṛṣṇa. Considering Kṛṣṇa to be one’s well-wisher and friend. Ātmā-nivedanam is to do all the services. Like this we hope that all the devotees whether they are brahmacārīs or gṛhasthas they should practice as many of these nine devotional service practices as possible.

Seems ICC is developing very nicely. And many devotees are taking responsibility. If we do service to Kṛṣṇa, He never forgets. We don’t offer our service like a business, I will offer You this and You give me this. It is not like an employment. You give your service, they pay you so much. Actually, we give our devotional service to Kṛṣṇa but He gives us much more than we can ever pay for. And the guru he is Kṛṣṇa’s representative. He takes great trouble to come and teach you. So I thank all of you for coming here. It is nice to meet so many devotees. The next time when I visit Bengaluru I am supposed to stay in the ICC temple. Between the two Narasiṁha Giridhārī and ICC. I don’t know if you have a place for me to stay! So I am told that I have to go quick to the other groups and I heard the ICC report first. They gave me a very long, detailed report! They took your time! I offer you all my best wishes and blessings. Kṛṣṇe matir astu!

Haribol!