20230523 Question and Answer Session

Question: Why is chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra the one that takes us back to Godhead? Why not any other chant?

Jayapatākā Swami: It is recommended that in Kali-yuga that we should chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. It doesn’t say that no other name cannot take you back to Godhead. But we are recommended to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and that is the safest thing to do. But other names could also deliver someone. Lord Caitanya said to Haridāsa Ṭhākura that He came to deliver all the people – Lord Caitanya said how would the Islam be delivered? Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, that if they are attacked by a pig, they say when the pig hits them, hā rāma, hā rāma, which in their languages means offence. But actually they are saying hā rāma even though they are thinking of something else they get delivered because hā rāma means in Sanskrit, “O my dear Lord Rāma!”

Question: I heard that we, as disciples of Guru Mahārāja should take his mahā-mahā-prasāda. Should this only be taken by his disciples or can others take it too? In the same way should we only take mahā-mahā-prasāda of our gurus or we can take that from other gurus in our sampradāya?

—Phaneśvarī Lakṣmī devī dāsī, San Diego

Jayapatākā Swami: You can take from any pure devotee. Because if you take that of a guest or someone and you get sick that is not very auspicious. But even if we get sick taking from some pure devotee that is glorified. So, the prasāda or mahā-prasāda can be taken from someone, even if he is not your dīkṣā-guru. Thank you Phaneśvarī Lakṣmī devī dāsī.

Question: In the material world we have different relationships like brother, sister, father mother, spiritual master, disciple. What kind of relationships are there in the spiritual world?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the spiritual world there are all kinds of relationships. But Kṛṣṇa is in the center. And some may be cowherd boys, gopas, some are parents, some are gopīs and rāṇīs, friends of Yaśodā, and like Vasudeva, he had many wives. So, Devakī was the mother of Kṛṣṇa, and the other wives of Vasudeva were stepmothers of Kṛṣṇa. Just like, King Daśaratha had three wives. Kauśalyā, was the mother of Rāma and the other wives were stepmothers. So we have all kinds of relationships in the spiritual world. Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that in Vaikuṇṭha we also have the husband wife, they may kiss each other, but they are serving Kṛṣṇa and they are in their Nārāyaṇa form. But there is no birth, death, old age or disease in the spiritual world.

Question: Remembering one of the Śikṣāṣṭaka ślokas, tṛṇād api sunīcena, it is very easy to be respectful and humble in front of our spiritual master but sometimes we forget to do the same in front of others. How do we develop that attitude?

Jayapatākā Swami: That verse is not just meant in front of the guru, it is for everyone. We want to be humble and tolerant and appreciate others, but not expect any appreciation for ourselves. This way you can chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra always. If you want to chant always, then you should follow this principle. Someone gave me a book once by Dale Carnegie called How to Win Friends and Influence People, and in that book, he simply mentioned that you offer our respect to everyone and don’t expect any respect yourself. So, I was kind of surprised that this famous person he is giving, the essence of Lord Caitanya’s third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭaka. Try it, tell everyone you meet how wonderful they are. Oh! they are thinking you are a great person! Don’t expect anyone to reciprocate. If they do that is ok, but don’t expect it.

Question: We are doing Bhakti-vṛkṣa and there are some standards for new devotees who come. Is there any hard and fast rules because some Bhakti-vṛkṣas are giving opportunity for new devotees also and they later become devotees. So is there any hard and fast rule or we can just sense it and feel it, ok this devotee we can give chance to cook even they are not chanting 4 rounds or 8 or 16 rounds yet.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see if they cook under your supervision, it is alright. You are seeing what they do is proper. But if they are cooking in their house we don’t know if they are eating it and whether they have a cat or dog in their house. So if you have new people and they are not cooking under your supervision then we ask them to bring uncooked stuff like salad, fruits. But otherwise have them cook under your supervision and Śrīla Prabhupāda said that is alright. You see that they are following all the rules.

Question: If your immediate family like brother or sister are eating nonveg at their home, are we allowed to go to their home and eat there or not eat at their place at all?

Jayapatākā Swami: My purvāśrama mother wanted to cook for me but I would not allow that. She would guide someone with her recipe, and they would cook. I don’t know how you do it? I could do that with my purvāśrama mother. So, if they are children, you can tell them you cook for me all the time, I would like to cook for you. Oh, very nice! But if they are not vegetarian then you could just be honest and say you eat only prasāda, you follow the rules.

Question: That would also restrict to get into social life, like people invite we don’t know what they are eating or not, but even if they cook vegetarian food, we are not allowed to eat as initiated devotees?

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda would go to some peoples’ house if they became a life member, and he would tell them what standards to cook for him like no onion garlic, but those things we always got sick very often. But Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was an ideal guest. One time they told Śrīla Prabhupāda here they have put onions, but he took the onions out and did not eat the onions, but did not say anything. He did not want to offend the people. So how you do the things, you have to use some discretion. I know that some businessmen, they have to take their clients out to wine and dine, at least dine. So here they just eat the salad, but the guests may eat all kinds of nonsense. That is the downside of marketing.

Question: Prabhuji, just asked about the verse from Śikṣāṣṭaka. How do we become as tolerant as a tree, taror api sahiṣṇunā, how do we become as tolerant as a tree when unfavorable situations come towards us?

Jayapatākā Swami: Practice makes perfect! So we practice them, and get better and better. I mean, Lord Caitanya said we should wear that verse around our neck, and try to follow it every day. So, as you practice you get more expert at it. If you see someone who is doing that, you think they are doing that, then you ask them how they are doing it.