20230720 JSSS Mahā Sammelan Address

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa! What shall speak in? English or Bengali or both? The JSSS report that you have submitted I very much liked it. You are all doing a lot of devotional service for the Lord. And you have performed a lot of worship and charity. You also supported the Temple of Vedic Planetarium, you have also participated in book distribution. Help Desk – you have helped and assisted. Child Protection – You have given some donation for this office. You have assisted me and served me in different ways. Their Holinesses Bhakti Puruṣottama Swami, Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami, Gaurāṅga Prema Swami have all inspired you very nicely. And also Mahā Varāha dāsa has inspired you. List of the speakers is very impressive. Be they brahmacārī, be they gṛhasthas, it is everyone’s duty to help me with fulfilling the instructions that Śrīla Prabhupāda has given me. You all also are aware that this is one of the promises that you make at the time of initiation. Now the GBC has made a rule that this kind of additional rule cannot be maintained unless there is permission by the GBC. They are saying that as a guru you can give order to the disciple. This way, now we will order you. In a lecture by Śrīla Prabhupāda in London in 1973, there he said that his Gurudeva, Ācārya was the son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we need many such ācāryas like that. He said that the gṛhasthas should do the garbhādāna-saṁskāra and pray that they can get an ācārya as their son. And he also said that every gṛhastha should become a paramahaṁsa. We have many brahmacārīs. They have to also become paramahaṁsas. Gṛhasthas, brahmacārīs, everyone should become paramahaṁsas. What does paramahaṁsa mean? It means that we want to do what Kṛṣṇa desires, whatever Kṛṣṇa wants we only do that.

This way Lord Caitanya, He started the saṅkīrtana movement. Most of the personalities who were with Him 500 years ago have all gone home back to Godhead and now a new batch, new people have come. It is our duty that all of these people also become united with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The general people do not know how to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, chant the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, dance for Kṛṣṇa, and all the time be ready to perform different services for Kṛṣṇa. In the morning when the announcements are made and when they mention the devotees who work with Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami to distribute books. I don’t know today or yesterday, in the last few days it was mentioned that they had distributed 19 sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 9 sets of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So, this way, to hear this news is very, very auspicious. And these devotees who were engaged in this service are gṛhasthas. Those who chant in the morning and there is a paper they write that I wish to chant this many number of rounds etc. Then there the devotees call them up and they take the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets. This way, from different directions the preaching activities of ISKCON are increasing. I am very grateful to all of you that by your efforts you are trying to increase this preaching activity. This way, you are all coming together in this JSSS forum, I am also very much grateful to you for this. This way, I hope that all of you will enthusiastically engage in the service of Kṛṣṇa.

This is the Puruṣottama month going on now. There is an opportunity to go to the temple and offer a lamp to the Lord. The purpose of the JSSS is that the disciples, they will get together and in this way their enthusiasm will increase. I think that here this kind of a program takes place once a week. I hope that everybody will attend this program and participate and get some mercy. Because my godbrothers like Bhakti Cāru Swami, Prahlādānanda Swami and Śikhi Māhiti Prabhu have attended this program I feel that this program is very important for your spiritual advancement. Hare Kṛṣṇa! I offer my blessings to all of you saying Kṛṣṇe-matir-astu! You have complete devotion at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa!