20260524 Special Class

Mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: So, I wanted to tell you that you are all very fortunate! That here you are coming to the temple of the arcā-avatāra of Rādhā Kālācāndjī, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They were personally installed by Śrīla Prabhupāda. I heard that They are more than 500 years old! So you are very fortunate to be here in this sacred temple! By the mercy of Nitāi Gaura, you get the mercy of Rādhā Mādhava or Rādhā Kālācāndjī. Also, Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā and Sudarśana cakra are here and They represent, He is Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā who goes every year on Ratha-yātrā to Vṛndāvana.

I was reading that when Śrīla Prabhupāda went by the Jaladūta, he had sea sickness, he wasn’t writing these things in his diary, that he had a heart attack. That those days he had been in, and he prayed to Kṛṣṇa many times. He said, how he wanted the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa and how he was very fallen and so on. And he needed the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Then he was saying, after seeing the people of Boston, these people are in the mode of ignorance and passion, and they are proud of it! So how will I get them to hear the message of the Bhāgavata? How will I get them to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya. So, I was feeling so much indebted by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s taking this sacrifice that he came to the West. He came to America, not enjoy but to spread the message of Lord Caitanya. So he quoted the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that by hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam people will be benefitted. We hear that in Kali-yuga there is no dharma. Kali-yuga is an ocean of defects. Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan – but there is one good quality. Actually, great sages pray to be born in Kali-yuga because what you achieved in Satya, Tretā and Dvāpara yugas in thousands of years and many births, you can achieve in hundred years or less and in one birth, by chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

So, we have this kīrtana and kīrtana is the process that Lord Caitanya recommended. Actually, one of verses in the Śikṣāṣṭaka, He mentions ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam – normally the ocean doesn’t increase, but the ocean of bliss, ocean of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is ever increasing!! I was hearing a lecture by Śrīla Prabhupāda and he was saying how this ocean is ever increasing!

I joined ISKCON in 1968. I saw every temple in ISKCON then – there were only three – San Francisco, New York and Montreal! I went to Montreal to see Śrīla Prabhupāda. I took my initiation there. My pūrvāśrama father said that, “You should come back immediately or I will turn your name to the draft and you can die in Vietnam!” So, I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “What should I do?” He said, “Better you join Kṛṣṇa’s army!” So I did that and there is no retirement in Kṛṣṇa’s army! Now, I am 77 and I am still trying to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Actually, His Holiness Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami, he was a much better servant of Śrīla Prabhupāda than me! He was my dear friend, and I miss him very much! He took me on his bus-mobile, a special mobile home he had. You don’t know, those who are old may know! He wanted everyone to be Kṛṣṇa conscious! Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying how in rural community, how they can be Kṛṣṇa conscious. In cities we are all preaching but I think that ISKCON Dallas is an exception! Here, across the street, every house is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Right? This is a special community! So, I am trying to tell that to the Congregational Development Ministry, the CDM, where they have people who are physically close to the temple, they can form a community. Every temple has a congregation, but they are spread all over the city. But Dallas, they have them very near the temple. They also have a congregation all over the city.

Last week I was sick, and my doctors told me not to come. So I sent some videos, did you see them? One was on Kṛṣṇa conscious Daiva-varṇāśrama. So that is simple – we would like everyone to work for Kṛṣṇa. We cannot reset to the Vedic age. Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, may it was possible to go by the tamo, rajas and sattva-guṇas. But now there are only two guṇas – Vaiṣṇavas and Vaiṣṇavīs! I also sent a Vaiṣṇava Housewife video. And I sent the benefits of Kṛṣṇa conscious Daiva-varṇāśrama. Because Sarvajaya Mādhava dāsa is in that who is one of your congregation. So I would like everyone to offer their work to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Usually, He is known as Kṛṣṇa. Maybe in other religions, other faiths, they have some other idea. He is known as Allah or He is known as Jehovah. We can preach to every religion, every faith that you can offer your work, you are doing work for Kṛṣṇa and chant the names of God that you believe in. We believe in Kṛṣṇa so we can chant:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Actually, the holy name is our best friend! Normally, it is very hard to see Kṛṣṇa! But here you can see His arcā-avatāra, His Deity. But also, there is no difference between the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa, the Person. We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa a million times, we wouldn’t get bored. But if you chant Jose, Jose, Jose, or John, John, John, Do, Do, Do, you will get tired! But if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa you don’t get tired. I have been chanting since 1968, always I get new happiness! Haribol!

So in this Kṛṣṇa conscious Daiva-varṇāśrama we want to encourage everybody to chant the names of God and to offer their work to Kṛṣṇa. Now, most gṛhasthas or most people work. And they get a salary, or they do business and get a profit. So like that, they offer their work to God. We are recommending to the devotees that they give a minimum of 11% to Kṛṣṇa. Maybe personal expenses of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, maybe to your dīkṣā and śikṣā-gurus, maybe to your local temple like this Rādhā Kālācāndjī temple, maybe to the GBC, or different ministries. Or maybe a Śrīla Prabhupāda project. Somehow or another you could use your income, 11%, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this way, your activity is offered to Kṛṣṇa. We are also recommending that Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Chant your 16 rounds and chant your three Gāyatrīs.” If people don’t have the Gāyatrī mantra yet, they can at least chant 108 mantras at the three sandhyās – that means one round. Now you can count that in the rounds of your day, that is alright, initially. I was reading in the śāstras how people who are not brāhmaṇas, they can chant at the three sandhyās. That is very interesting! We want all of you to go back home to Godhead in this lifetime.

You have come here to America – what do you think? I mean, there is no place in this material world that does not have any defects. Everywhere, there is hate, anger, different lust. I heard that in the Indian community, there are hate crimes against the minorities. This is the unfortunate thing. But we need to still be very merciful. Lord Caitanya said that we should tell people the message of Lord Kṛṣṇa. How many people can you convince to chant the names of God in one month? One, two, ten, hundred – how many? Not that you should, alright, by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, by guru’s mercy I am liberated! I don’t have to take birth again! You should try to give it to others! They are burning in hell! We want to save them! We want to help them! We cannot tell them the glories of the holy name. Just chant and be happy! Something like that! Actually, Kṛṣṇa and His name are non-different and somehow if they hear the name, they chant the name – Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying how if they worship a picture of Pañca-tattva, Lord Caitanya and His associates, He is the avatāra of Kali-yuga, right? In the back we have the picture of Pañca-tattva:

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

They ask us to chant:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

If some of you take this up very seriously, I think we can spread Lord Caitanya’s mercy all over the world very quickly! And in this way, we can conquer the influence of Kali-yuga! Nārada Muni, he approached his guru and father, Lord Brahmā and asked him, “I travel all over the universe. What is the way I can remain free from the negative influence of Kali-yuga?” Lord Brahmā told him, “There is this confidential mantra.” Do you know what that mantra is?

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Now, if you chant this constantly, you will be free from the influence of Kali-yuga! There is no better way in all the Vedas. Once Pārvatī was asking Lord Śiva, “How can people in the Age of Kali control their senses? The senses are like serpents and crocodiles! It is very hard to control the senses.” So, Lord Śiva said, “There is a confidential mantra. You say twice ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’ twice, ‘Kṛṣṇa’ twice, ‘Hare’ twice, ‘Hare Rāma’ twice ‘Rāma’, twice ‘Hare’! That means:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma,Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Some disciples asked me, can they reduce their chanting? What do you think? You want to make yourselves more susceptible to the influence of Kali-yuga? Rather, I am trying to increase chanting, all the time! But we chant very minimum number of times. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was chanting three lakhs of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. I am trying to add that up. Three lakh times 16 – who has a mobile phone? 4.8 million times. 4.8 million Hare Kṛṣṇa mantras a day! Wow! I had a stroke, so I cannot use my right hand. So I count on my counter, 1,728 – that is nothing compared to 4 million! Haridāsa Ṭhākura ki jaya! We cannot imitate him. Śrīla Prabhupāda made it easier for us! And I used to have trouble chanting, my mind used to wander. But now, I am all the time thinking of Kṛṣṇa!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

So, like this I am a soldier in Kṛṣṇa’s army. You are all yogīs and yoginīs. And our weapon is the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. And bhakti-yoga. So be yogis and yoginīs! Don’t be ordinary people. Don’t be the soldiers of the Yamadūtas. I had one disciple family, everyone was my disciple except the father. He was dead against. He never wanted to chant. Then some dark, muscular entities carrying ropes came through his wall and he saw them, they were very fearful! And he started, “Hare Kṛṣṇa! No, not me, no, no!” Then they left. He called his wife who is my disciple. He said, “Give me neck beads, everything!” (laughter) He started to read Bhagavad-gītā. What we were trying to preach to him for years, the Yamadūtas did it in a few seconds! These are true stories! These are things that I have personally experienced. And I want to see all of you liberated! So, please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, offer your work to Kṛṣṇa, be a Vaiṣṇava or Vaiṣṇavī, bhakti-yogī or yoginis and in this life go back to Kṛṣṇa! Don’t take birth, again and again!

I have to go for dialysis three days a week. One day, they had a TV frame although I did not take a headset. I saw they were advertising meat, I was remembering how Śrīla Prabhupāda said, this place is a place of tamo and rajo-guṇa. So here the influence is such that people are encouraged – also they have advertisements of beer. They encourage meat eating, fish eating, intoxication, what to speak of gambling and illicit sex. So chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, have a Kṛṣṇa conscious family and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and serve the temple. Take the blessings from Rādhā Kālācāndjī, Nitāi Gaura, Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā Sudarśana cakra.

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Any questions? I would like to offer my obeisances to my godbrothers and godsisters and offer my best wishes to the disciples of His Holiness Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami. Any questions? One from the men and one from the females. If you cannot speak it, write it down.

Question: I read from the Nectar of Instruction that one should spend 50% of their income in Kṛṣṇa’s mission, 25% on relatives and 25% for emergencies. Today was the first time I ever heard, you mentioned, unless I heard it wrong, I think you said that use 11% of your income towards Kṛṣṇa, I was wondering if you have scriptural reference for that?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, we have śāstra, guru and sādhu. So, when Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was retiring he gave 50% to Kṛṣṇa, 25% to his family and 25% he kept for emergencies. He was the finance minister of Hussain Shah. Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī was the prime minister. During their business time, it says in the śāstra that, I forget which one, that brāhmaṇas, Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees they would line up to receive their welfare. So even during their lifetime they were getting something. Are you retiring? For those who are retiring Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī gave an example, but I am saying something for the people who are not retiring. I mean, you are doing business or something, you can give more. You can give 50%, that is very nice. There is some Purāṇa that said, you give 10% to guru. Like that I am just saying that since we believe that Kṛṣṇa is the One, if we give 11% to Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, for your own expense of worshiping the Deities, or to dīkṣā or śikṣā-gurus or local temple like Rādhā Kālācāndjī temple or somehow you give to Śrīla Prabhupāda projects or his followers. Husband and wife can sit and decide how they can give 11%. This ministry is very good, or you can give to the GBC and that would finance all the ministries. Śrīla Prabhupāda has his own projects like he said, make the TOVP, the Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Māyāpur and many other projects. So I am just saying, you can give something every month. I am saying 11% but could be more! Or if someone is really struggling, can be less. There is no rule like that, it is between you and Kṛṣṇa! I am recommending 11% a month minimum.

Question: How should we approach our special, loved ones when they accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness but are not devotees, you know sometimes you have parents, or partner if you are married or about to get married, in this case how should you get them to approach Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Jayapatākā Swami: Somehow or other, influence them to chant. Every person is an individual. And as I said, the whole was initiated except the husband. And then the Yamadūtas came and he started chanting. He did not want to see them again! So, we don’t want you to have your partner or loved ones, have to see Yamadūtas! How to do that? Just get them to repeat the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and gradually – like there was one devotee who approached a Kazi – this was not Chand Kazi, this was some other Kazi – and he said, “You are very handsome, you have political status, you have influence, you have money, you are very great! But I have one thing I want to ask you, can I do that?” He said, “Why not?” The devotee said, “Forget all this, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!” He said, “I will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa tomorrow!” The devotee said, “You already started! You said Hare Kṛṣṇa! Don’t stop now. Keep going!” So I don’t know how you will convince your partner or your husband, your relatives, but if you tell them that if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you will be happy in this life, and go back to Godhead! What more can you ask for? If you don’t believe in next life, alright, at least you can be happy in this life! Haribol!