20240201 Evening Darśana and Question-and-answer session

The following is an evening darshan with a question and answer session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 1st, 2024 at Juhu, 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: [broadcast started abruptly] In the middle of the night Śrīla Prabhupāda woke up, he told me that he had an itching in the back. But I had my finger nails cut, so I could not scratch much. He said, “You have no finger nails!” So I was a failure at scratching! But I mean that Śrīla Prabhupāda, he used to stay here in Juhu, and walk on the beach. He used to give his class and be in his room. I see many devotees here tonight! Do some of you understand Bengali? But those who do not understand Bengali, please raise your hand. Since some are Bengali speaking and some are Hindi speaking and other, that is why I am speaking in English.

How many of you chant 16 rounds? And how many chant 8 to 15? 1 to 7? How many don’t chant at all? 10 rounds a year is 1 crore a year. I see in some of the buses in Mumbai written “Kaun Banega Crorepati” We want to everyone be a crorepati of the Harināma. This is all by the mercy of Gaura-Nitāi! In material life everything is controlled by karma. And according to your karma, you get rich, you get education you get a good spouse. By bad karma you get sick, you get legal cases, different problems. Everybody according to their karma, they are suffering or they are enjoying. And sometimes a little of both. Now we are in the seventh level of the universe that means six levels are above us. They have better karma. Now we have a mixed of good and bad karma. Even someone may be very rich and still they get sickness. Or sometimes bitten by mosquitos. Sometimes a mixture of suffering and enjoyment. Now in Svargaloka there is a lot of happiness and because there is so much happiness, they think the material world is not so bad! When Lord Caitanya was in the womb of His mother, the devas came and they said we heard that in this avatāra, You are going to give out freely, love of Kṛṣṇa. So we need Your mercy! Because here in the Svargaloka, we don’t have much problem. And so we are thinking we don’t actually get the conviction to start to worship You. The only problem we have is that sometimes the demons attack us and we have to go and fight with them.

Normally, the devas are supposed to be invisible. But Śacīmātā somehow saw their shadows. She started to chant the name of Narasiṁhadeva. Oṁ nṛsiṁha, śrī nṛsiṁha, jaya jaya śrī nṛsiṁha! The devas realized that somehow, she is seeing us and so they left. Then another pastime, after Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa, Advaita Ācārya invited Him to please come and take prasāda. Lord Caitanya said, “I am a sannyāsī now, I take very simple bhojana.” “Ah! This is just a little sabji and very little austere food,” Advaita Ācārya said. When He sat down, Advaita Ācārya’s wife Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī, she had cooked a feast for Him! There were five kinds of śuktās, hundreds of pots. Lord Caitanya said, “I cannot eat all this.” Advaita Gosāñī said, “Eat what You can and leave the rest.” So, you see, even though Lord Caitanya was a sannyāsī, ladies were cooking for Him.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 9th canto, in the purport Śrīla Prabhupāda said, man, woman, śūdra, whatever, if they are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are all equal! if they are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are all equal! You don’t have to be born a brāhmaṇa, if you have no problem. But if you have birth in a brāhmaṇa family that is very nice. But it is not very necessary, if you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, you have surpassed the karma. But most people think they are the body! And therefore, everything is based on the body. But actually, to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service is the real perfection of life. Kṛṣṇa gave out love of God to everyone, but only to those who surrendered to Him. Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa but He gave out freely, love of Godhead. Who would like kṛṣṇa-prema? Very nice! Lord Caitanya, He went all over India, He came here to Western India. Sant Tukārāma also chants the holy name. Lord Caitanya was teaching us that Kṛṣṇa and His name are not different. So, chanting His name hearing of His name, these are the first two bhakti-yoga practices. There are nine practices. Beginning from śravaṇam, kīrtanam. You are all invited to come to Navadvīpa-dhāma. Navadvīpa has nine islands. And each island is connected with one of the devotional services. And the real purpose of life, the highest perfection of life is to engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service. And that is normally not so easy to get. But in Kali-yuga, Lord Caitanya gives it out freely. Because in Kali-yuga, this is considered the worst yuga, Satya-yuga, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali. Kali means the religious principles are reduced. But this part of Kali-yuga people are praying to take birth. Because in this part of Kali-yuga they can get the mercy of Lord Caitanya! Nitāi-Gaurāṅga! In Kali-yuga nobody can say, I have never done any sin. This is the sinful age.

Now Lord Caitanya, He agreed to come but no weapons of violence. When He was in Jagannātha Purī with the kīrtana party, by the Narendra Sarovara, then the devotees from Bengal were coming down to meet Lord Caitanya. And when they could hear the kīrtana, they felt very ecstatic! Then they saw Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, and all the devotees joined together and some of the devotees, Lord Caitanya embraced. Some, in different ways, they were received. The wives of the devotees from Bengal, they were far behind. Then Lord Caitanya was a sannyāsī, they could not embrace Him physically but they embraced Him mentally. Everyone was crying! I mean, the people – it is not experienced very often. If you chant for many years, then it comes naturally. When they opened the Rāma Deity in Ayodhyā for the first time, apparently everybody there had tears in their eyes and there was a very strong bliss! Now that bliss you can feel all the time, that is what kṛṣṇa-prema is! So that is what we should be praying for to Nitāi-Gaura! By Their mercy, we will have prema for Rādhā Rāsabihārī and Sītā Rāma.

So, on another occasion, the devotees of Bengal, they came and Pratāparudra Mahārāja asked Rāmānanda Rāya, who are these people? Rāmānanda Rāya identified each devotee. Pratāparudra asked, that person is most effulgent, who is he? Oh! Rāmānanda Rāya said, He is Advaita Gosāñī. Like that each devotee was identified. All those devotees went to see Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya asked, “Where is Murāri Gupta?” “He is at Narendra Sarovara, crying!” someone said. Lord Caitanya called for Him and said, “Why are you crying there?” Murāri Gupta said,“I did not feel qualified to come before You.” So, His devotees were so humble, they also had that sentiment for Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

He was also crying and not coming. But being with Lord Caitanya was a very special thing. Some people realized that Lord Caitanya was Kṛṣṇa but not everybody. Actually, being with Lord Caitanya, it is said that if He even gives a drop of kṛṣṇa-prema, it will flood the whole universe. You are very blessed, because you have Nitāi-Gaura in this temple. We heard how by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, even very fallen souls got delivered. The wife would pour the water and husband would massage His lotus feet. Mahāprabhu would accept the prasāda from that house. And He gave them the instruction,

yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa 
(Cc. Madhya 7.128)

We need all of you to carry out this instruction of Lord Caitanya. Read Bhagavad-gītā, read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tell them Kṛṣṇa’s instructions. And in this way deliver the land! We see how every avatāra is actually unlimitedly powerful. Now how Lord Rāma defeated Rāvaṇa and his army with His monkeys. How Kṛṣṇa in the Kurukṣetra war He just drove the chariot, He did not use any weapon. And all the soldiers were killed. Lord Caitanya, He came down to deliver the whole world.

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
(Cb Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

Śrīla Prabhupāda at the age of 70, he went around the world 14 times! I got the mercy! I was 19 years old, and I got the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda! Now I am 74 years old. They tell me, my secretary, he is one of them, my health team, they say, “Don’t travel, don’t travel!” And Śrīla Prabhupāda he went at 70 years and he gave everybody Kṛṣṇa consciousness! I am indebted to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. And he established this Rāsabihārī Mandir to bless all of you! Any questions? If you have written, you can give.

Śrīla Prabhupāda said to the gṛhasthas in London, I am a disciple of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. He is the son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. You gṛhasthas you should make ācāryas! Big request!

Question: I was reading the Līlāmṛta. There was a conversation where you were giving a report on Bangladesh preaching and preaching to Muslims and Śrīla Prabhupāda was pleased with that. How can I please you Mahārāja, so that we can please Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Jayapatākā Swami: If you are able to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, assimilate the knowledge, and preach, I will be very happy!

Question: How can I follow your orders properly? I am not able to do that properly now. 

Jayapatākā Swami: Try! Why cannot you read the books? Why cannot you preach? One lady, she brought seven women to take shelter. Anybody can preach. 

Question: I am not able to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. How to increase the taste to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books?

Jayapatākā Swami: At first you might not have a taste for reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. But you should still read. I must have read the books maybe five or ten times. At first, it was not so much taste, but I knew it was medicine, I had to read it. Now, I read every day. And it is very blissful! So, I got my Bhakti-vaibhava degree, by studying. And now on the 12th canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to get my Bhakti-vedānta degree! How many of you have the Bhakti-śāstrī? So, Bhakti-śāstrī is mainly Bhagavad-gītā. And everybody should read that and get the degree. Bhakti-vaibhava is six cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Bhakti-vedānta is the last six cantos. Bhakti-Sārvabhauma is Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Read, read, read. Read and put it to practice, it sticks with you. I have to answer short. 

Question: What is the duty of women in Kṛṣṇa consciousness as a girl?

Jayapatākā Swami: Varnāśrama has certain duties. But in Kṛṣṇa consciousness every devotee, every girl for instance, also has to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness and preach it to others. Last night a lady asked me, “What to do if our husband is not Kṛṣṇa conscious?” Then I said, “Become a Bollywood actor.” That means, you go up to your husband, and tell him, do you know what this means – Bhagavad-gītā, show him a śloka and say, you are a man, you are intelligent, can you tell me what it means? Like this trick your husband to read the Bhagavad-gītā!

Question: After being in Kṛṣṇa consciousness for 15 years, sometimes we become relaxed in our chanting and lose taste. How to enthusiastically increase our taste for chanting? 

Jayapatākā Swami: Everyday, they have newscasts. And people in Africa, in Israel, in different people, in Ukraine, there is so much happening. Would you like to be born there? So, better to go back to Kṛṣṇa. You don’t want to become slack in devotional service. I am 54 years in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I am still worried and keep trying to do something to pay back Śrīla Prabhupāda’s debt! If you lose your taste, then plan how you will increase it. 

Question: I am more conscious of my health and body than being Kṛṣṇa consciousness. How to balance it out?

Jayapatākā Swami: I once had a high fever. My body was all painful. But I was listening to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lectures. I felt so much happiness. I realized I am not the body! So you can take care of your body but always remember that ultimately you are not the body, you are the spirit soul.

Question: A lot of times we feel very insignificant of our capabilities to use them in the service of Kṛṣṇa? So what is the first step we should take to spread the preaching mission of Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Jayapatākā Swami: Gaurāṅga! Chant! Hear! First thing is hear! Second thing is chant! When you go to the Deities, everyone is praying, oh Kṛṣṇa, give me a good car, give me a good thing, this and that. But if you pray to Kṛṣṇa, I am very insignificant I surrender to You. Please engage me in Your service! If you need something always connect it with Kṛṣṇa’s service. So the man may be praying please give me a wife who is Kṛṣṇa conscious. The woman is asking please give me a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband. If you are going to ask anything material it should be connected to Kṛṣṇa.

Question: Please enlighten me, if I face any difficulty while doing service, and it is due to our inefficiency or do we understand it in the right way? How do we understand it?

Jayapatākā Swami: If you get a service, take it as a blessing. Try to do it as best you can. If you don’t think you are doing it very well, then ask the person that gave you this service for some advice. Is that alright?

Question: I am not able to chant more than 5 rounds, how do I chant 16 rounds?

Jayapatākā Swami: Five rounds is over 3 million a year! Gradually as you get older, add some rounds! Haribol! Gaurāṅga!

They told me not to speak too long so that you can all take some prasāda! Did His Holiness Giriraja Mahārāja come? (No).

Śrīla Jayapatākā Swami Maharaja! Ki! Jay!