20230418 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question & Answer Session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 18th, 2023 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Question: The way you explained just now, it is very difficult to understand Lord Śiva. Similarly, in the Śīkṣāṣṭakam Lord Caitanya has put all the knowledge in the Śīkṣāṣṭakam, eight verses, so like the verse tṛṇād api sunīcena - it seems so impractical to practice. Being more tolerant than a tree, just thinking about it, you nail, and tree and the tree does not respond. My humble request is that if you so desire, could you during your stay here and in the caitanya-līlā classes, could you explain to us how we could live those eight verses? How we can practice them? And how can we make it practical?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see someone gave me a book How to make Friends, by Dale Carnegie. He was actually saying the third verse of the Śīkṣāṣṭakam. No matter what anyone says to you, just praise everybody and make friends. When a material person like that, was able to understand how we should tolerate offences and just appreciate others, then how profound are Lord Caitanya’s instructions! I have seen, someone comes and says you are a rascal, a rogue! And then you just say, thank you very much! I understand that you are very - just praise the person. So then what can they say? So, whether you believe it or you are just doing it because you are told it works, try it! But like one time in the GBC meeting, someone told us this - tell someone something good, then some criticism, then something good. So they said I will do it, tell the person next to you. So you have to think something good of the person next to you. Oh, the way you give class it inspires us! Sometimes you drink water and you touch the lips to the glass then it becomes muci, but anyway you are very special person. So what can they say? You managed to criticize them at the same time you praised them. That way, you be like bees look for the honey. Not like flies looking for the sores and infections. But a guru or a manager, sometimes he has to find fault. And if your husband or someone, you just tell people negative, they become distressed. But you say something like you are very dedicated, you are wonderful, but sometimes you get worried that people may take advantage of you. Anyway, I am sure you will take the steps to see that. Learn how to say things in a positive way. It is not impractical. It is very practical. If you say you are nonsense, you rascal, then people they think he hates me. If you tell something nice, he then they think, oh, he like me. Then you may give some advice, they don’t feel like you don’t like them or something.

Question: Kṛṣṇa is neither friend nor enemy, but we know in many places Kṛṣṇa says I am friend to all and in kṛṣṇa-līlā He acts as a friend to many. Recently, also the plastic surgeon, you told Kṛṣṇa is not a friend nor is He an enemy. And next sentence you said Kṛṣṇa is everybody’s friend. How should we understand this?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see in that verse, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati. (Bg. 5.29) That suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ – Kṛṣṇa is the friend of all living entities.

So Pūtanā, she wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa but Kṛṣṇa reciprocated her and killed her. But because she gave Kṛṣṇa her breast because she thought that if I have a child, I want like this. Too bad I have to kill Him. So Kṛṣṇa reciprocated with her and she wanted to kill Him He killed her. Because she desired that if I had a child, I want one like this. She gave her breast milk to Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa gave her the position as one of His mothers in the spiritual world.

So, He does not hold any grudges. At the same time, He reciprocates with how a person approaches Him. And today we were reading how Kṛṣṇa saved Gajendra the elephant and killed the crocodile. But the crocodile, he actually got free from a curse. He was previously Huhu, the king of the Gandharvas and he was enjoying in a lake with many female Gandharvas. Somehow in his dark humor or whatever, he pulled the leg of a devaṛṣi who happened to be in the same lake and the ṛṣi got angry and cursed him to be a crocodile. Then he begged please forgive me. The ṛṣi said okay, when Kṛṣṇa saves Gajendra, He will also free you from the curse.

That way, Kṛṣṇa, anything He does, is actually is a blessing.

Haribol!

I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the GBC.