20231008 25th Anniversary of ISKCON Jagannātha Mandir Address

The following is a talk given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 8th, 2023 in Mangalore, India. The talk was given at the 25th Anniversary of ISKCON Jagannātha Mandir 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!

Jayapatākā Swami: I have been here before but this time I had the beautiful darśana of Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā. I came here when they were considering about getting the place. And I also had given some letter that the devotees in the GCC could help. So now I am very happy to see a beautiful temple has been made. Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted that we should have places where devotees would gather together and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and hear Hari-kathā. So, here I have seen two places in Mangaluru. Thank you very much to all the organizers. And I am very happy to see all the devotees.

Actually, the purpose of human life is to engage in bhakti-yoga. Most people do not realize that in Kali-yuga if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, we worship the Deities, we get Their mercy. Lord Caitanya, He came across this place. He visited Uḍupī. So this place is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Of course, I visited Uḍupī many times. And the late Pejāvara Svāmī, he accepted that Lord Caitanya was part of the Madhvācārya line. Lord Caitanya taught how the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa are not different. Actually, Madhvācarya taught to chant the holy names. But not everyone does it. We do it as part of our daily practice. Either we do japa on beads, or do kīrtana in front of the Deities. How many of you are chanting japa on beads? Dhanyavādagalu! Nanni!

Anyway, somehow, I am responsible for all of South India. Also, part of the Gulf countries where a lot of Indians are working. So we want people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa along with all their material activities. We have the material activities for our maintenance, for supporting ourselves, but we want to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa to please the Lord. So, people ask how to balance the material activities and the spiritual activities? So we show them how to do this practically. Real happiness comes with devotional service. Everyone is born and everyone dies. But if one lives this life pleasing Kṛṣṇa, then when you leave this world you go back to Kṛṣṇa.

Lord Caitanya, He predicted that His holy name will be heard in every town and village of the world. And He said that particularly Indians, they would chant and He said,

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
(Cc. Ādi 9.41)

So being born in India, Bhārata, is very special. Because you get to hear about Lord Jagannātha, about Lord Kṛṣṇa from your very childhood. So to utilize this human form of life is very auspicious.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, he brought this message, he brought Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, around the world. I was 19 years old and I came across this philosophy in America. So I wanted to meet the Founder. At that time, Śrīla Prabhupāda was in Montreal, Canada. I went there and I was fortunate to meet him. Then I became the temple president in Montreal, and I started the temple in Toronto. And then Śrīla Prabhupāda sent me to India. And he told me to become an Indian citizen, which I am now!

So, the devotees have made a nice temple here, please utilize your human life to understand what Lord Kṛṣṇa is teaching in Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He said that if someone knows the transcendental nature of His appearance, His activities, at the end of their life, they go back to Godhead. We are making a type of Museum of the Vedic Planetarium. This is in Māyāpur in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. Like this, we want everyone to realize that we come originally from Kṛṣṇa. And it is not limited – everybody comes from Kṛṣṇa originally. And by serving Kṛṣṇa, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one experiences spiritual bliss. One works for money. But the devotees, they do their service to Kṛṣṇa out of love! They feel so much happiness serving Kṛṣṇa.

So Lord Caitanya, He travelled around India, and we are thinking wherever He visited we should put the lotus footprints wherever He visited. Śyāma Rasika where do you want put the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya nearby here?

Śyāma Rasika dāsa: Guru Mahārāja already made an installation in the Uḍupī temple in Uḍupī where Mahāprabhu visited. We also plan to place the footprints in Madhvācārya’s birthplace.

Jayapatākā Swami: Did Lord Caitanya visit that place – what is the place – where the Deity is like has ears of a cow, Gokarṇa? Did He visit Gokarṇa? So you have there?

Śyāma Rasika dāsa: We have to install.

Jayapatākā Swami: We want to put the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu wherever He visited. If you would like to help – people ask me what can I do for you? So this is one of the areas you could help me.

Also, I am seeing this temple after many years. And it is already filled up! That is why we need more temples and bigger temples. Anyway, I thank you all and I hope that you will be chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa with great inspiration. I heard here that some of you were singing very sweetly! Thank you very much! Hare Kṛṣṇa! Haribol!