20231005 Arrival Address

The following is an arrival address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 5th,2023 in Mangalore, India.

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

All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. I had promised that after the Bengaluru program I would come to Mangaluru. I have been shown many pictures of the temple construction. I came also for the special bhūmi-pūjā. I am very grateful for all the efforts that Nāma-niṣṭhā dāsa and his congregation are doing. Thank you all very much! Part of the program would also be that I visit the construction site. And of course, today is Thursday and I have just arrived. Then I received a variety of letters that people want me to attend different programs. The Oversight Committee for the land in ISKCON, the Co-Directors’ meeting in Māyāpur, the CPO officer came from London to meet with the 19 devotees many years ago. He is there now. Then on Sunday, the TOVP Exhibits meeting. What the actual meetings and functions are here, that has to be worked out! And we had some GBC meeting yesterday, but they did not finish the agenda. That will cover in the next Wednesday meeting.

So like this I have to do the activities of the temple here in Mangaluru and Śyāma Rasika Prabhu is helping me establish the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya in all the places where He visited. So we have to work out something with Nāma-niṣṭhā Prabhu and the local leaders so that we can work out something and establish the footprints where Lord Caitanya visited. So there are many different programs and seeing how there are so many programs here, is not surprising! Because this is a very important place. There are certainly many programs here as well. We just established the Deities in the ICC. The Governor of Karnataka, he came and we had some programs in the Narasiṁha Giridhārī temple also. So, I will leave Mahā Varāha and my secretaries to figure out how to work out with Nāma-niṣṭhā Prabhu for the programs. Usually, when I go somewhere they give me the whole schedule, like when the governor comes – not quite, but similar! (Rādhā-Ramaṇa Sevaka dāsa: Nāma-niṣṭhā Prabhu was telling in the car that your health and schedule comes first, he can adjust everything.) I am very happy to see all the enthusiastic devotees. They took my oxygen assimilation in the car it was 98! Maybe this area has a lot of oxygen! When I was landing from Bengaluru my oxygen was only 91. When I came here, it was 98! Bhakti-air! So, what else should I say? I am very, very happy to see how the temple hall and everything is coming up. I know that for the devotees and the congregation it is all very hard work. In this way, Śrīla Prabhupāda would certainly be very pleased. Alright!