20230107 Addressing Tamil Devotees

The following is an address given on Zoom by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 7th,2023 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The address was given to the tamil Devotess.

Jayapatākā Swami: I’ll be first addressing the Tamil devotees.

On this sacred month, we are telling the glories of Lord Caitanya.

Because even when… was brought down, the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa!

“Golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana!” and Kṛṣṇa came in Dvāpara-yuga.

He had His pastimes in Vṛndāvana, in Mathurā and in Dvārakā.

But He went all over India when he was in Dvārakā.

Then Rukmiṇī told Kṛṣṇa, “You know everything.

You know what Lord Brahmā is doing in all the universes.

You know what Lord Śiva is doing in Kailāsa.

You know everything.

But one thing You don’t know.” 

Kṛṣṇa then said, “What is that?

You don’t know how the devotees love You and how much we love You.

What Rādhā knows I know but You don’t know.”

Then Kṛṣṇa said, “Alright, I will come as my devotee!
I WILL COME AS MY DEVOTEE!
I WILL COME AS MY DEVOTEE!”

Many people don’t know the secret behind Lord Caitanya.

He is Kṛṣṇa Himself but in the mood as a devotee.

Because He wanted to realise what love a devotee has for Him.

So, He took the heart and complexion of Rādhārāṇī in combined.

Although, she is praying in this month for the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

Actually… to understand Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vraja/Vṛndāvana is very difficult.

But if you chant these names of, “Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.” It’s very easy to understand Kṛṣṇa.

He reveals Himself to the devotees.

But if you are not a devotee, if you don’t chant, it will be very hard to understand Kṛṣṇa.

So, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya one can know Kṛṣṇa very easily.

And Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, He spent six years traveling in South India.

He spent four months in Śrīraṅgam.

And He travelled all over south India.

Someone asked me, “Does Kṛṣṇa know Tamil?” I said, “Yes! He knows Tamil, He knows every language.” So, He spent time visiting Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari and all up the coast in Kerela.

Also, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andra Pradesh.

So, He made popular this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa.

He showed how bhakti is superior to varṇāśrama. 

He taught,

kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya.”
(Cc. Madhya 8.128) 

That whether one is a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī, for that matter a śūdra, anyone can become a guru if they know the science of Kṛṣṇa. 

So, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya one can get kṛṣṇa-prema very easily.

Before we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, usually we chant at least one to three time the name of Lord Caitanya. 

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

By chanting Lord Caitanya’s name, Pañca-tattva’s name first, by His blessing, we don’t commit any offense. 

So, we come in the Brahma-sampradāya.

So, it is important to take initiation, take mantras from one of these four sampradāyas.

And our founder is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.

But he is the thirty fourth spiritual master in the disciplic succession from Lord Brahmā.

Kṛṣṇa gave this knowledge to Brahmā in his heart then He passed it down.

Went to Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva then to Madhvācārya.

Down the line until it reached Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī and then Lord Caitanya.

And like this down to our Śrīla Prabhupāda.

So, it is important to take initiation and receive the mantra in the line.

One can practice before then but eventually one should take initiation.

In Kali-yuga one can achieve success even as a gṛhastha.

Lord Caitanya spent half His life as a gṛhastha and half His life as a sannyāsī.

But He told to study the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the natural commentary of the Vedānta-sūtra. 

It says that Kali, dressed up like a king, he was beating the cow and the bull.

Mahārāja Parīkṣit arrested him for his crime of beating a cow and a bull.

So Kali surrendered and begged Parīkṣit Mahārāja for some place to live.

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja said, you can stay in four places.

Where they take intoxication, where they slaughter and eat animal flesh, where there is gambling like in the casino and where people have illicit sex outside of marriage.

So, these four places are the homes for Kali-yuga.

If we avoid these four places, these four activities, then Kali, he is kept away.

That’s why we recommend that one try to avoid the four activities.

Non-veg eating, casino/gambling, intoxication and illicit sex and be completely free from Kali-yuga contamination.

If one follows this system, then they can go back to Kṛṣṇa at the end of this life very easily by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

I am very glad that the seven hundred volunteers are helping propagate this chanting.

I’d like to give all those who are listening, my blessings, “Kṛṣṇe matir astu.” (“May you become Kṛṣṇa conscious!”)