20240708 Question and Answer Session

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādī-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya
prabhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara
śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare

Jayapatākā Swami: My doctor Hari Guru Gaura dāsa said, only one question. But I think that is not enough.

Devotees: Haribol!!!

Jayapatākā Swami: I had a liver and kidney transplant in the year 2018 and in the last year my kidney has been showing trouble. Anyway, I came here for the festival, and I will be glad to answer some of your questions.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. (Guru Mahārāja: Hare Kṛṣṇa!) Tomorrow I am getting initiation from Your Divine Grace. What should be my mood while getting initiated?

Jayapatākā Swami: When we receive initiation, we take certain vows. So, we should be very committed to follow these vows.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. I am not determined enough to follow the orders of my spiritual master and Śrīla Prabhupāda. How to develop that determination so that I can serve the paramparā nicely? —Your aspiring servant, Sri Ganguly.

Jayapatākā Swami: If we try or endeavor then Kṛṣṇa usually reciprocates.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my humble obeisances. How could this Guṇḍicā temple be seen as Vṛndāvana? Please provide vision through your words.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, Kṛṣṇa invited Rādhārāṇī, “You come to Dvārakā and said I will give You a palace.” But Rādhārāṇī said, “You come back to Vṛndāvana and You will have all the loving devotees.”

Next question. I will take ten.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja. Please accept my humble obeisances. How to control lust? How to increase attachment for Kṛṣṇa? Also, if we desire material things for service of Kṛṣṇa, is it right?

Jayapatākā Swami: Even if our, even a little desire is polluted by the desire to enjoy in the material world, then we will have to take birth again in the material world. So, we should just want to serve Kṛṣṇa. Then we will go to Kṛṣṇa. And serving Kṛṣṇa in devotional service is actually the real nectar.

Jayapatākā Swami: How many we have answered?

Devotees: Five

Jayapatākā Swami: We will do ten. That’s it.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja. Please accept my humble obeisances. Instead of trying to avoid many times we somehow or the other get into the offensive zone and there is always a tendency to criticize the devotees. My question is how to avoid critically thinking about the devotees and avoid getting into the offensive zone?

Jayapatākā Swami: We should see the good qualities in others. Then we will avoid offending.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my humble obeisances. (AGTSP) All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! (AGTSGAG) All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga! Thank you very much for your causeless mercy. You have gone through so many difficulties in your life from the beginning till today. You were attacked in 1989, had a stroke in 2008, contracted Hepatitis-C, then underwent liver and kidney transplant in 2018. And now dialysis every week. After serving 75 years with body, mind, and words for the pleasure of Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga don’t you feel that injustice has happened with you? How are you able to see all these as Kṛṣṇa’s mercy?—Your servant.

Jayapatākā Swami: I think how will I repay the debt that I have to Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Next question.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Daṇḍavat Praṇāma. If someone who is connected to ISKCON at the last stage of life and during that time he or she chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra during death, but they have not got initiated, not connected to a guru, can he or she go back to Godhead? —From Manthan.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa said that if you think of the Lord’s name at the time of death, then you will go to the Lord. In the history of Ajāmila, he chanted his youngest son’s name, Nārāyaṇa and he was saved by the Viṣṇudūtas. He was not initiated. He had done many sinful acts. Just by calling his son’s name, he got delivered. But if someone thinks, why should I do all this bhakti, I will just call out Kṛṣṇa’s name at the time of death, that is not easy! Ajāmila, he called his son’s name Nārāyaṇa and he got delivered. But he did not make such a plan (that he will avoid chanting and at the end of life he will chant).

How many questions?

Devotees: This is 8^th question

Jayapatākā Swami: What is the time?

Devotee: 10:40 (PM)

Question: Whenever I face any blockers from family due to coming to take your association dear Guru Mahārāja, I tend to retaliate and fight with them. This makes me feel guilty. I am confused how should my behavior be in such case. Please guide. —Your sheltered spiritual daughter, Sakshi.

Jayapatākā Swami: So you can invite them to come here. If you are a very good daughter, and this is the only thing (they have) that you want to hear about Kṛṣṇa, they should tolerate that. Anyway, I am very grateful for your attending here.

Tomorrow, I hope to spend more or less the whole day here.

Acintya Caitanya dāsa: Tomorrow there is initiation at the hall in Gurusaday road and then evening Guru Mahārāja will come here.

Jayapatākā Swami: Are there some more questions?

Devotees: We have read all the questions

Sucitendriya dāsa: Let us all chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra for the good health of Guru Mahārāja.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Jaya Jagannātha! Jaya Baladeva! Jaya Subhadrā!

Jaya Jaya Śrī Śrīmad Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja kī jaya!