20230123 Address to Kolkata Bhakti-vṛkṣa Convention

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: I welcome all the members of the Bhakti-vṛkṣa convention who have come to Māyāpur dhāma. Navadvīpa dhāma, Vṛndāvana dhāma, Jagannātha Śrī Kṣetra, these are all sacred places of pilgrimage, dhāmas. Vṛndāvana is called mādhurya-dhāma, Jagannātha Purī is aiśvarya-dhāma and Māyāpur Navadvīpa dhāma is called audārya-dhāma. Here, we can easily get the mercy of the Lord. When Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī created this dhāma, She offered it to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, like Vṛndāvana, here also all the places of pilgrimage will reside.

In Dvārakā, Rukmiṇī Devī told Śrī Kṛṣṇa, You know everything. What Brahmadeva is doing in Satyaloka, what Mahādeva Śiva is doing in Kailāsa, what is going on in the Ananta koṭi-brahmāṇḍas – unlimited universes, You know everything. But there is one thing You do not know! Rādhārāṇī knows, I know, You don’t know! Śrī Kṛṣṇa was surprised! How is this possible? Then Rukmiṇī Devī said, there is no one above You and there is no one equal to You. The thing You don’t know is that how much Your devotees love you and have affection for You. How we love You and have affection for You, You don’t know. Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa said in Kali-yuga, I will incarnate as a devotee! I will incarnate as a devotee! I will incarnate as a devotee! Because of that He descended as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. With the heart of Rādhārāṇī and Her color He came. Rādhārāṇī is very merciful. To get kṛṣṇa-prema from Lord Kṛṣṇa, one has to fully surrender at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. But Lord Caitanya did not think of all that – who is qualified, who is not qualified, He distributed to everyone prema-bhakti.

pāpī tāpī yata chila, hari-nāme uddhārila,
tāra sākṣī jagāi mādhāi

So generally, very pure devotees get kṛṣṇa-prema. But in the Kali-yuga, generally people are all sinful, patīta. And Lord Caitanya is patīta-pāvana. He gave mercy to all. Because of Lord Caitanya’s advent in the Kali-yuga we are getting many opportunities. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda travelled around the world 14 times. And he made thousands and thousands of Western disciples. He established 108 temples as well around the world. He told me that ordinarily after the disappearance of an ācārya, his disciples sell all his property and live of the returns. He said that I desire that whatever I have done, at least that is protected and saved. If you are able to advance and add on, that is very good. But at least protest whatever I have left as my legacy.

ISKCON is now over 50 years old. Now we have about 800 branches. Thousands and thousands of Bhakti-vṛkṣas and Nāmahaṭṭas are there now. It was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire and with his blessings we have been able to make these advancements. In 1976, Śrīla Prabhupāda was giving a lecture on the occasion of his Vyāsa-pūjā. You can search out and hear this lecture. He said, that his gurudeva had sent sannyāsīs to London but they were not successful. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that he sent three gṛhastha couples to London and they took London by storm! He said that it was his desire that all his gṛhastha followers be paramahaṁsas! His gurudeva, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, was the son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. And Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a gṛhastha. But he was a pure devotee, a mahā-bhāgavata. He and his wife had prayed to the Lord that they have a son who would be a drop of the light of Lord Viṣṇu.

I hope that all of you here especially the gṛhasthas, you will try to have pure devotees as children. The garbādhana-saṁskāra is not very difficult, if this is performed, this way the child will be born with good qualities. Sat-kriyā-sār-dīpikā written by Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī has the garbādhana-saṁskāra. That takes only 2 or 3 minutes to read. But it would be nice if all you gṛhasthas can learn it.

Now, generally, people are only worried about husband, wife, children and money. Our Lord Caitanya said, gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko. A gṛhastha husband and wife should try to see that all the time you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to go out and work. If possible, do chant the name of Kṛṣṇa there. Otherwise, before and after work. Sitting on the train, bus, read Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Do deity worship at home. Eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Everyone cook and eat, but if you cook and offer it to the Lord, that is sanctified. You are doing a small change but you get kṛṣṇa-bhakti from that. I had mentioned earlier, Śaṅkarācārya said that to get liberation, mukti, one has to be a sannyāsī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, wherever you are, gṛhastha or a renunciant, you can serve Kṛṣṇa there. How much bliss is there is chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said that he wished had a hundred thousand ears and a hundred thousand mouths to hear and chant the holy name. Haribol!

As I said, I have to go give class now. I offer all of you my best wishes and welcome you! Do Harināma, this is very good! Hare Kṛṣṇa!