20220620 Addressing ISKCON Śrī Narasiṁha Giridhārī Congregation

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

Jayapatākā Swami: So the ICC gave me a report upstairs first. Then they told me to address the devotees from ICC for 4 or 5 minutes. But they took 20 minutes to give the report. But next visit to Bengaluru I am supposed to stay at your temple or the ICC. And I was thinking yesterday in the Palace Grounds, in the Narasiṁha Giridhārī Mandir, the girls forum, the Vaiṣṇavī Forum they sung a song. But anyway, as Varada Kṛṣṇa dāsa said we would like everybody in Bengaluru to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. So that is something we have to do straightforwardly or by hook or crook!

I was hearing a lecture of Śrīla Prabhupāda this morning. And Ajāmila who had been doing some devotional service, but he got distracted. And he associated with a prostitute and then he many children. But Kṛṣṇa is in all our hearts. So He thought this devotee he was serving Me, now he is in māyā and he is attached to his children. So Kṛṣṇa inspired him to name his child Nārāyaṇa. So, calling his son he said the name Nārāyaṇa many times. “Nārāyaṇa come here! Nārāyaṇa eat your dosa! Nārāyaṇa you want to go for a walk with me? Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa!” Many times, he would call Nārāyaṇa. Somehow or another he was calling the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And when the time of death came, the Yamadūtas came. He called his son, “Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa!” Then he remembered the Supreme Nārāyaṇa. So the Viṣṇudūtas came and saved him. So Kṛṣṇa used a trick to get his devotee who was in māyā to chant His name! Somehow or another, by hook or by trick, get the people to chant the holy name or take prasāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda he was giving gulāb-jāmuns in New York. I don’t know if in South India you know what gulāb-jāmun is? Śrīla Prabhupāda called them ISKCON bullets! It hit them in their heart! So, somehow or another, get the people to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Some devotee he went out to one Kazi, a Muslim Mullah. You are very handsome, very politically powerful, you are very religious, like he praised him in so many ways. “I just have one request, can I ask?” “Okay!” the Mullah said. Forget all of this! Just chant the name of God, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!” He said, “I will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa tomorrow!” The devotee said, “Haribol! You have already said Hare Kṛṣṇa just now!” Even if they are joking or any way they chant they are blessed. In South America there is a sweet called Haribo! No l, Haribo! People somehow another were saying the name of Hari, they say give me one Haribo! But you devotees should read Śrīla Prabhupāda books, should be very strong in devotional service. I see in the past two years I was giving classes on Zoom. I would visit your temple regularly.

I would visit Rajahmundry and see Satya Gopīnatha dāsa speaking but they don’t put any new video. But I am happy to see Satya Gopīnatha. And we see different gṛhasthas they have Deities in their house. They offer bhoga to the Deities, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So, in this way, I saw one drama in Chennai by the little children. Two were playing Yamadūtas and one girl with a mustache, she was playing Yamarāja. And the Yamadūtas were complaining, we go everywhere now and we see people chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa! They are having Deities in the house, they have Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in their house and they are reading. And many things like this. We cannot take them to hell, we cannot torture them! If all the people become like this, we will lose our job. We will have to look for a different chākri (job). So it was a very nice drama! So we want you to save all the families in Bengaluru. But first of all, Lord Caitanya said:

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
(Cc. Ādi 9.41)

So protect yourselves and help others. I have to end my class here.