20231115 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question & Answer Session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 15th, 2023 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

Question: I want to ask, there are devotees who are facing lot of problems from their families for doing bhakti. So what should be my answer to them to keep them going?

Jayapatākā Swami: What should you tell the devotee whose family is giving problem? Tell them Haribol! I mean, I don’t know why this family is giving problems to the devotee. And he asked a question, how to keep them motivated. So does that mean that because of the problems offered by the family, they are not motivated? I mean, in this material world, we have ups and downs, and there are ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika kleśas. So we should get some miseries. So we don’t think that material life is very nice. Material life is not nice. There are crazy people who like to cause trouble. So, some people you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, some people you explain things and some people you ignore things because what is useful for each person may vary. One thing is just because of other people we don’t give up chanting and serving. If there is some way you can instill enthusiasm in these people, then do that. If not, be like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But some children, they somehow made Haridāsa Ṭhākura feel insulted. They would mock and say Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare! And then Haridāsa Ṭhākura would chant more, covering his ears, oh no, Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa! So they thought, oh! making fun of him hurts so they would chant more and more. So in this way, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was internally very happy because they were chanting more Hare Kṛṣṇa. But that was by looking it seems he was suffering. So what works for each person, if making a funny face makes them chant more, then alright!

Gaurāṅga Priyā devī dāsī: In this flickering world, flickering mind, how to offer our heart easily to Lord Gaurāṅga?

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya knows what this world is like. If you attempt to offer your heart to Lord Gaurāṅga, He will accept it.

Haribol!