Question: Can we purchase sweets made by the non-Kṛṣṇa-conscious and offer them to the Lord?
Author: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-23
Jayapatākā Swami: In our major temples in Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur, in Bombay
we don’t purchase any store-bought fruits uh these where store-bought sweets.
In the smaller temples sometime, they purchase.
Of course, purchasing is that has got some other implications.
Purchasing is sometime allowed.
but that would be considered to be not as perfect as if we could make the things ourselves,
because, they are not having any pure standard.
We don’t know what type of, actually technically speaking store-bought things which are made outside by non-devotees,
they are not… even in the West, we don’t also offer fruit juice.
We make the juice ourselves,
because whether that people are washing their hands after they are going in bathroom,
or something like that, or what they’re doing, you don’t know, what standard they have.
There are many rules, you see.
If you go to the bathroom, you have to take an entire shower.
The same cloth you shouldn’t use, if you are going to cook for the Deity.
If people are negligent of this, they will get worse than sinful reactions.
They will get offensive reactions from Kṛṣṇa.
Their devotion will be stuck up.
And for preaching sometime, you can pray to Kṛṣṇa that for preaching sometimes, we have to just do these things,
and there is no alternative.
But normally one should be very careful.
It’s an opportunity to get the blessing; it’s an opportunity at the same time if you are not careful to also get punished.
So, we should be very careful when we do these things to do it properly.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Food], [Prasāda and Bhoga], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Related Questions
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-07
If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa,
you surrender to Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa says mokṣya,
that He’ll protect you from all the sins.
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
‘Sarva-pāpebhyo’,
all pāpa He’ll protect you from.
There’s no other way to get free from your sin except for taking shelter of the Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Even if you do pious activity that doesn’t get rid of the sin.
Only by serving Kṛṣṇa you’d be get free from all the sin
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the dacoits when they first saw Lord Nityānanda,
They were facing different difficulties previously.
Now, actually I did not take my dinner yet.
I was seeing in Mumbai, everybody was crowding around Rādhā-Rāsabihārī and Sītā-Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Hanumān,
not so many people around Nitāi-Gaura.
Actually, it is by the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura that we get the mercy of Rādhā-Rāsabihārī or Rādhā-Kālacandajī.
That thing we should realize that Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, They are giving us this special mercy.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1973 in London, was giving a lecture on his Vyāsa-pūjā,
and he said that he wanted all his gṛhastha followers to be parāmahaṁsas.
His gurudeva was the son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
All the gṛhasthas, they should do the garbhādāna-saṁskāra, they should pray to the Deities and they should make ācāryas as their sons.
Śrīla Prabhupāda he said that his gṛhastha followers, did things that even his gurudeva sent sannyāsīs, they could not do it.
There was a British Lord, he asked a sannyāsī preacher, could you make me a brāhmaṇa?
Oh yes!
Just give up eating meat, eggs, intoxication, wine, illicit sex, gambling.
You can become a brāhmaṇa.
Impossible that Lord said.
Now we have so many youths, so many devotees who have taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
so many gṛhasthas.
That should be the way to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda and become really saturated with kṛṣṇa-prema.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you take one step toward Lord Kṛṣṇa and He takes ten steps towards us.
Why don’t you want Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda’s mercy?
They want to give you!
Haribol!
How many of you have my Jayapatākā Swami App?
How many don’t have it?
I am paying for it, it is yours for free!
Both on Android and Apple.
So how many of you have mobile phones?
Right now go on Google Play store and look up for the Jayapatākā Swami App.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean if the husband or someone has to go out working,
then they may wear their working clothes and bow down to the Lord.
There should be some reason.
Vaiṣṇava clothes are more relaxing.
But everyone may have some particular situation.
So, accordingly they may dress.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean if the husband or someone has to go out working,
then they may wear their working clothes and bow down to the Lord.
There should be some reason.
Vaiṣṇava clothes are more relaxing.
But everyone may have some particular situation.
So, accordingly they may dress.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-11
Jayapatākā Swami: When we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa
we chant Pañca-tattva before that.
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
The thing is that the teachings of Caitanya-caritāmṛta are very advanced.
Therefore, as far as the teachings are concerned we may be able to understand it better there.
Now we know in principle, basic, that Lord Caitanya is very merciful,
and we can know basic things about Lord Caitanya.
But to read Caitanya-caritāmṛta there are some pastimes which are very advanced
and we may not understand all the nectar.
So we study something before,
something after.
We know that Lord Caitanya, He has given us the special mercy.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
He (Vrajeśvara Gaura dāsa) is reminding me that in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam introduction Śrīla Prabhupāda has given description of Lord Caitanya in about 50 pages, and you can read that too.
Haribol!
I am finishing my class quickly so you can have your prasāda soon!
Srila Jayapataka Swami Gurumaharaja Ki! Jay!
Srila Prabhupada Ki! Jay!
Gaur Premanande!
Questioner: Maṅgalamayī Mālinī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: The point is that, if you are an initiated devotee,
then it is very beneficial for you, and not so much trouble for the devotee.
But sometimes people who are not devotees take the dust, and sometimes devotees distribute their guru’s prasāda remnants
to non-devotees.
That may cause great trouble for the devotee.
What is being said is true,
but it may cause some trouble for the devotee,
if the person is not a devotee himself.
So, that was the thing that Śrīla Prabhupāda said,
that we should not give it out to non-devotees,
or to uninitiated devotees.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Svāmī: Without being married.
Ah, there is no such stipulation that liberation is dependent upon getting married.
But it has been recommended very strongly that women should be married.
But as far as being… What if a girl dies when she is twelve, or something?
It’s not, it’s not lean on the soul that you have to get married to go back to Godhead.
It’s a question of what consciousness you’re in when you leave your body.
If you’re in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you’ll go back to Godhead.
In a general sadhana practice of devotional service,
it’s conducive for women to be married and have a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband.
If the husband is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, then there is a problem.
But actually, the husband should be Kṛṣṇa conscious and the wife should be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
In this way, they give each other association.
I can elaborate.
But we’re on short of time right now.
But it’s not contingent on going back to Godhead, per se.
That is not contingent on any material thing.
It’s contingent on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, serving the spiritual master, following his instructions.
Hare Krsna.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Married life], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Women]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: If you are sick, you cannot take bath, this Kṛṣṇa can understand.
First if you want you can take an ācamana and take a mantra-snāna, mental bath, chanting the śuci-mantra.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: You see in Guruvayūr the head priest or Nambhūthirī is not told if his close relative has passed away.
So he is not affected.
The questions is: if you are affected, if you are lamenting, then it is not good to go before the Deities.
If you are not affected,
then the aśauca period is considered to be less.
I mean like for the brāhmaṇas something like 11 days and śudras 30 days or something.
Vaiṣṇavas are considered to be detached, considered to be on the brahmanical platform.
That you can see your consciousness, how you feel.
Category: [Material Sufferings / Death], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Saṁskāras / Antima-saṁskāras]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Seems so! Seems that they describe, if we take sesame on Sat-tila Ekādaśī, we get the mercy.
Normally we don’t take sesame, we use that in havan.
We think of it as a grain although it is not.
Sat-tila Ekādaśī, I read that you should tila, sesame in many ways.
So it would seem alright then,
since it is written in the scripture.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vratās (Austerities)], [Vratās (Austerities) / Ekādaśī-vratā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: You should take the advice of pūjārīs like Sevatulya Prabhu, who are very senior and experienced here.
I think that on Dvādaśī there is a restriction to not pluck tulasī leaves.
But you should ask the head pūjārīs.
That is all I know that on Dvādaśī we do not pick.
I did not hear there is restriction on any other days.
Questioner: Cārurūpa Mādhava dāsa:
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Generally, we read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam first and then the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
But we can start reading Bhāgavatam and simultaneously read Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
But usually Caitanya-caritāmṛta philosophy is very high and one may not understand it.
I am trying to write a Kṛṣṇa type book
on Lord Caitanya’s pastimes
and keep the philosophy down;
so that then, one can go and read the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and get all the philosophy.
So it is good we know a little bit of Caitanya-caritāmṛta but
it is not that you leave aside Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam totally.
You should have a regular routine of reading the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
If you have time, then you can read a little bit of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta as well
or the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book that I am compiling.
Questioner: Mādhavī Śyāmasundarī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: All the services to the Deities in this temple or any temple of ISKCON will be very pleasing to me.
So you can ask the temple leaders what service you can do.
Lord Caitanya said, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.
Whoever you see, tell them the glories of Kṛṣṇa.
That will make me very happy.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-25
Jayapatākā Swami: I saw a skit in Chennai which the youths were performing.
Two children were playing the part of Yamadūtas.
One girl was playing the part of Yamarāja, she painted a mustache.
The Yamadūtas are responsible to arrest sinful people and take them to hell and torture them.
They complained to Yamarāja!
These ISKCON devotees are preaching, and householders are taking kṛṣṇa-prasāda in their homes.
They chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
They worship Deities in their house.
They come to the temple and worship Deities in the temple.
They read Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam!
We cannot touch them!
If everyone becomes like this, we will be out of job!
If you want to keep Yamadūtas busy, don’t take kṛṣṇa-prasāda!
Don’t chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Don’t read Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Don’t come to the temple.
The Yamadūtas will be very happy!
But if you want to give the Yamadūtas a vacation, do all these things!
Haribol!
So who wants to give the Yamadūtas a vacation?
Category: [Prasāda and Bhoga]
Questioner: Divyāṅgī Lalitā devī dāsī, Omaha, USA
Date: 2022-01-09
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, He showed,
He offered His obeisances,
He circumambulated,
and with great respect He honored the prasāda.
What more can I say?
Category: [Prasāda and Bhoga]
Questioner: Haridhvani devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: The highest form of prayer is to sing or chant the name of the Lord.
If we pray, it maybe not a very good prayer.
So that is why the saṅkīrtana or chanting of the holy name is recommended
If one chants the name of Narasiṁhadeva 21 times, they can get delivered from various sufferings.
“Śrī Narasiṁha! Jaya Narasiṁha! Jaya jaya jaya Narasiṁha!” 21 times.
Otherwise, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
You can chant 54 times or 108 times.
So, the name of Kṛṣṇa is worth 3000 names of Viṣṇu.
And the name Rāma is worth 1000 names of Viṣṇu.
So, by this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma mantra,
you get so much spiritual benefit.
And the side benefits are the material suffering is mitigated.
But the real benefit is that one awakens one’s love of Godhead.
Please ask the people to chant one of the mantras,
and since there may be offence in our chanting, one can chant the Pañca-tattva mantra before chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī advaita gadādhara śrīvasādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛndā.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-25
His mother did deity worship in her house, Mother Saci, to Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
His mother did worship in the house and offered prasāda.
In the big formal temples, generally male pujārīs are there,
but sometimes if they fall sick their wife may also come in, somehow they have to keep their worship going.
Questioner: Pūjā
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: That is what Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī said
in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.
He cited some Purāṇas
that say watching the ārati of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
we get the same result as a person who does the ārati.
Questioner: Ānandamayī Gopīnātha dāsa
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: It costs money for higher education.
Basically, you want to equip your child to deal with this world.
But the most important thing,
the real duty of a parent,
is to promote the child’s affection for Kṛṣṇa.
At the same time, basic education and things,
parents should take care of.
Not just make a lot of money and give it to the child.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, he divided his wealth - 25%
for emergencies,
25% for his family,
for his children
and 50% for Kṛṣṇa’s bhaktas.
Haribol!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-09
Jayapatākā Swami: When we say, “Take prasāda, you get human birth”, some people got prasāda and got liberated.
So, in describing the glories of prasāda… The kṛṣṇa-prasāda, you cannot put a limit on it.
Some people by just chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa once, they got liberation like Ajāmila.
Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, more sins, sinful reactions of karma are eradicated than one can commit.
At the same time someone may chant Hare Kṛṣṇa for a thousand… and then not actually go back to Kṛṣṇa.
How is that possible?
So, the thing is that one is not supposed to doubt that by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, this effect has come.
That means potentially it may come for anyone.
But then each person’s situation being different, that a person if he is very offensive, even they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take prasāda, and they offend devotees, because of those offenses, Kṛṣṇa, He may just withhold His mercy.
An offense being directly con.. An offense and sinful reaction are different – a person may be the most sinful, maybe a murderer, maybe a rapist, may be... but that is all on the material platform.
That is in relation to other people’s material bodies.
It is not in relation to God.
So, the reaction they have to get is also material.
They have to suffer materially for whatever suffering they are committing on their body and to other’s bodies.
But when an offence, means directly in relation to… with God or those who are directly in relation to Him, His pure devotees;
so therefore, what the... the most overpowering thing about everything is Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
That mercy can destroy all the material reactions, and just give one a clean slate, bring one back to Godhead.
But if one is directly opposing God, even that He can forgive, but sometimes if you directly offend His devotees,
then Kṛṣṇa… that’s so disapproved by Him that then He may withhold His mercy to that person till he gets out of the habit of offending His devotees or whatever offense he is committing.
So, in that way, if a person is offense-less, then by taking prasāda, one may even be liberated, one may even achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Depending on the offenses, lack of offenses and so many conditions, one is delivered.
One may be sincerely trying to find the truth or just ordinary material acts, an innocent person, not very inimical to God,
but just trying to enjoy his senses, trying to enjoy the senses and be happy was misled, wandering here and there trying to enjoy in different ways
and not succeeding, gets association with devotees, they give prasāda, they give spiritual advice, he starts to, the person starts to chant and then automatically they feel immediately advancement.
Another person may have, you see... they are very inimical to the devotees.
As a result, the effect may be reduced.
This offense is the most dangerous thing.
Next dangerous is of course bad habits and all that, after we have chanted.
Once one takes up seriously the chanting, one should try to avoid as far as possible unauthorized activities because they would delay one’s progress.
So, by taking prasāda, that ultimately what that person can be guaranteed a human birth.
But there may be an exception if he is exceptionally offensive to devotees.
In general, one would be guaranteed at least a human birth.
And one may even get a greater benefit by taking prasāda.
If he takes prasāda, the person is purified of all reactions.
Says an offense where he takes prasāda, he is purified and then again, the next minute again he takes more, he does more karmas, more work that he has to take the reaction for.
So, because of those reactions they have to take birth at least they get a human birth.
But if after taking prasāda they did not perform any more materialistic activities, then they could go back to Godhead.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Food], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Prasāda and Bhoga]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-09
Jayapatākā Swami: When we say, “Take prasāda, you get human birth”, some people got prasāda and got liberated.
So, in describing the glories of prasāda… The kṛṣṇa-prasāda, you cannot put a limit on it.
Some people by just chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa once, they got liberation like Ajāmila.
Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, more sins, sinful reactions of karma are eradicated than one can commit.
At the same time someone may chant Hare Kṛṣṇa for a thousand… and then not actually go back to Kṛṣṇa.
How is that possible?
So, the thing is that one is not supposed to doubt that by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, this effect has come.
That means potentially it may come for anyone.
But then each person’s situation being different, that a person if he is very offensive, even they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take prasāda, and they offend devotees, because of those offenses, Kṛṣṇa, He may just withhold His mercy.
An offense being directly con.. An offense and sinful reaction are different – a person may be the most sinful, maybe a murderer, maybe a rapist, may be... but that is all on the material platform.
That is in relation to other people’s material bodies.
It is not in relation to God.
So, the reaction they have to get is also material.
They have to suffer materially for whatever suffering they are committing on their body and to other’s bodies.
But when an offence, means directly in relation to… with God or those who are directly in relation to Him, His pure devotees;
so therefore, what the... the most overpowering thing about everything is Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
That mercy can destroy all the material reactions, and just give one a clean slate, bring one back to Godhead.
But if one is directly opposing God, even that He can forgive, but sometimes if you directly offend His devotees,
then Kṛṣṇa… that’s so disapproved by Him that then He may withhold His mercy to that person till he gets out of the habit of offending His devotees or whatever offense he is committing.
So, in that way, if a person is offense-less, then by taking prasāda, one may even be liberated, one may even achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Depending on the offenses, lack of offenses and so many conditions, one is delivered.
One may be sincerely trying to find the truth or just ordinary material acts, an innocent person, not very inimical to God,
but just trying to enjoy his senses, trying to enjoy the senses and be happy was misled, wandering here and there trying to enjoy in different ways
and not succeeding, gets association with devotees, they give prasāda, they give spiritual advice, he starts to, the person starts to chant and then automatically they feel immediately advancement.
Another person may have, you see... they are very inimical to the devotees.
As a result, the effect may be reduced.
This offense is the most dangerous thing.
Next dangerous is of course bad habits and all that, after we have chanted.
Once one takes up seriously the chanting, one should try to avoid as far as possible unauthorized activities because they would delay one’s progress.
So, by taking prasāda, that ultimately what that person can be guaranteed a human birth.
But there may be an exception if he is exceptionally offensive to devotees.
In general, one would be guaranteed at least a human birth.
And one may even get a greater benefit by taking prasāda.
If he takes prasāda, the person is purified of all reactions.
Says an offense where he takes prasāda, he is purified and then again, the next minute again he takes more, he does more karmas, more work that he has to take the reaction for.
So, because of those reactions they have to take birth at least they get a human birth.
But if after taking prasāda they did not perform any more materialistic activities, then they could go back to Godhead.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Food], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Prasāda and Bhoga]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-08
Jayapatākā Swami: No! The point is, say a devotee, tries to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and doesn’t make it; senses take him off; interested into material life again
but whatever time a person spent in doing Kṛṣṇa conscious activity, for that, they get heavenly planet or they get a very good birth in the future.
They don’t lose anything you see.
The sinful reaction doesn’t affect; the sinful life delays your going back to Godhead but doesn’t stop it because that your credit is in like a fixed account.
But what happens is when you do offenses, this is whole different thing.
Offenses are directly...just like you are working for someone, you build up a good credit history and then you steal from him,
then you get fired and that person never wants to see you again, right?
But say that you know, you work for a person, just somehow you go away, you quit, then whatever you do, but with him your relationship, you know, is the same.
This is a little gross kind of material example, it is not fully appropriate.
In a higher sense our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is independent of all the other activities.
But an offense against Him or His devotee directly, you see even He can forgive an offense against Him;
but when you offend His devotee who is just trying in helping people to come to Him that becomes intolerable for Him.
He has a policy that He doesn’t personally forgive anyone for that. If the devotees themselves forgive then He considers a pardon.
So, of all the offenses, the blaspheming of one’s spiritual master who is a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa and is considered to be the worst.
So, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that, it takes millions of births before one ever gets a chance to have a guru again.
Why Kṛṣṇa will bring you up to a guru if you are going to blaspheme?
If you are so envious, then you get put in an envious species of life.
So, that way, Śrīla Prabhupāda says that it is much better to fall down from Kṛṣṇa consciousness and just fall into sinful or materialistic activities than to become a blasphemer.
You shouldn’t ever resent the guru.
If you couldn’t make it, why resent the guru, it is not his fault,
you couldn’t make it.
You tried, you got as far as you could, or you have that much determination, you lost faith and you lost.
So, why resent the guru? Guru didn’t do any harm to you.
Guru was trying to help you.
You go to a doctor; you have an incurable disease, or you are hooked on to some kind of drug, the doctor tries to help you to break your habit,
but you can’t take the withdrawal pains, so you just go back in and then you continue taking heroin or something until you OD (overdose) and die.
Why blaspheme the doctor?
It is not his fault; you didn’t have the determination or the patience to get out.
He was going to help you through the whole thing, through your shakes and your problems and everything just to bring you up to a point where you could be a healthy person.
Like that kind of a thing.
Jayapatākā Swami: Oh yeah. Lord Caitanya said that,
yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā
That the offense of blaspheming a devotee is called mad elephant offense.
Because one’s spiritual progress is compared to a creeper, a plant.
So, when you blaspheme pure devotees, that mad elephant can go into a garden, uproot the whole plants, tear apart, you can just demolish the garden.
So, the comparison given that all the other things are like weeds; they don’t actually kill the original plant, they just compete with it.
They stunt its growth by taking away the energy, just stays at whatever level it is.
But it is very hard for the weeds all to completely smother out the original plant unless it just completely overcomes the thing.
But the offenses, those are considered like wild elephants which come in and trrrrp (tearing sound), rip out the thing, put it on the ground and stomp on it.
And then even for a while it may seem that the person is spiritually situated;
they pull out a plant, still the leaves stay green for a few days but then they gradually dry and fall off.
The relationship with the guru is never cut even you fall down; it’s not cut just by material activities;
but if you blaspheme the guru, then it is cut off, it’s like disowning.
Disciple disowns his guru by blaspheming.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: There are no hard and fast rules.
Once, someone was taking all the mahā-prasāda from all the guests.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you said take from the devotees.
If you take from new people and you get sick, it is not auspicious.
Be a little selective!
Category: [Prasāda and Bhoga], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Saṅgītamayī Gopī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we read in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya
when Lord Caitanya was in Vṛndāvana,
one gṛhastha approached Him
and he said, I am a very very fallen gṛhastha.
So like that he got the mercy from Lord Caitanya.
Now Śrīla Prabhupāda said as gṛhasthas we should try to keep our goal higher.
But as you said, maybe we are not able to achieve that right away.
But we try.
That is why the śāstra gives us different vratās, different systems that we can follow.
Like the Bhīṣma Pañcaka is optional.
So there are many things which are optional.
If you think you need more purification, you can do these optional vratās.
A brahmacārī may consider, these are not for me, I don’t have any problem.
But they can also preach to the gṛhasthas.
And if they do, no harm.
I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what should we do in the Dāmodara month?
He said, this is especially for the new customers!
Like a store has a sale.
To encourage new customers,
but you are a regular customer.
All the months, all the days, whether sale or not sale, you are a regular customer.
So this is the answer Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: Only Jagannātha Purī and the temples connected with Jagannātha Purī have this restriction.
Some devotees have gone and opened up the other temples.
Some temples like Guruvayoor you have to officially accept Hinduism.
You go to Calicut, you do a yajña and pay 35 rupees.
You get a certificate.
I did not do the yajña, but someone got me the certificate.
But I did not need it because I had already gone to Guruvayoor many times.
Like the Śiva in Vāranāsi, the Viśvanātha Deity,
he allows everyone.
But generally, devotees are allowed to go,
except Jagannātha Purī and Sākṣī Gopāla also.
Actually. In 1970 I had darśana of Sākṣī Gopāla.
Since then, they are more strict.
Śrīla Prabhupāda asked me to somehow get permission for devotees to enter.
But I have not been able to do so as yet.
We are trying.
And, we have given some gifts, some books,
and you see, the king of Purī, the hereditary king, he said to go to the Śaṅkarācārya,
as he is the final authority.
The brāhmaṇas don’t listen to him because the king is a kṣatriya.
But right now, the Śaṅkarācārya of Purī is not favorable to the devotees.
His junior is a bit more favorable.
The previous Śaṅkarācārya, I went to him in 1970s to try to get his permission.
And he said, oh yes, boil one kilo of ghee and drink it!
I will die I said.
Yes, but then you will be born again as a Hindu,
and then they will let you into enter the temple!
Anyway, we are working on it.
There are many places connected to Lord Caitanya in Jagannātha Purī.
In Tirupati, if the devotees of our temple arrange, then you can go.
But otherwise, if someone comes and wants to go in, then they must sign a declaration that they accept Bālājī as God.
For the devotees, that is no problem.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: Normally, a Vaiṣṇava is not supposed to leave remnants.
But a guru may leave some remnants for disciples.
But there is no hard and fast rule regarding mahā-prasāda.
Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a Gulab jamun to Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami.
He kept it on his plate and he was looking at it.
He was very proud and was thinking that I have got Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Gulab jamun wow! Wow! Gulab jamun! Wow!
Someone reached over and ate it!
He said, you took my Gulab jamun!
And Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami was very angry.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, he said, actually there are no rules when it comes to mahā-prasāda.
And even if you take from my plate, what can I do?
But please let me finish!
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Prasāda and Bhoga], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Yamuneśvarī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, if you chant and dance,
that in itself would be very inspiring.
Gaurāṇgī Gandharvikā, she sent me a video
of how they were chanting and dancing…
very nice!
And I think..
the way to inspire more people to chant
is to chant yourself.
Naturally by having a group, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa
and inspiring other people to join in.
I saw in New Orleans,
before the Mardi Gras,
Mardi Gras.
Christians
went.. and they had signs...
"TURN OR BURN!".
Such were the signs.
"Accept Jesus or burn in hell!".
I did not see anyone joining in.
But when we went with our kīrtana,
people were buying roses and throwing at our feet
Some people
joined with the kīrtana.
So they see, they like..
how we were performing, singing and dancing.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-01
Jayapatākā Swami: For that purpose, I am thinking of making a video.
You have to break the vrata on Caturdaśī.
That day you have to offer 33 mālpuas
and give it to a gṛhastha brāhmaṇa.
And that day you have to different services and donations.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vratās (Austerities) / Kārtika-māsa-vratā], [Vratās (Austerities) / Puruṣottama-māsa-vratā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: If you want you can take it without water.
But I personally never saw Śrīla Prabhupāda observe the Ekādaśī with a complete fast.
But Ekādaśīs, you get more fruit, if you observe it
fully by no water,
stay up the whole night, and then break your fast next day with some milk,
and then some grains.
I asked my secretary to read me the glories of the Ekādaśī tomorrow.
But he didn’t answer.
He said, “He sent a message to another secretary, to tell him how to do it!”
So just to hear the glories of Ekādaśī, it usually tells you that the fruitive listening to the Ekādaśī is donating a thousand cows.
Every Ekādaśī is different.
One Ekādaśī I heard twice
from two different Purāṇas.
Each Purāṇa said
“Just hear [about] the Ekādaśī,
you get the karma of giving a thousand cows.
” So, I gave 2000 cows!
Without even observing the Ekādaśī!
But then I observed it also.
So, I asked, I wanted to hear the glories.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vratās (Austerities)], [Vratās (Austerities) / Ekādaśī-vratā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: Pray to Śrīla Prabhupāda, pray to your guru and do your sevā correctly.
Passion means lust. To do it to get some material benefit.
Ignorance means crazy, lazy.
Anger – I will show you that I am the best devotee! I will kill you by my bhakti! And some crazy thing!
So avoid passion and ignorance, and what is left is goodness.
So we do devotional service – hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate –
to please the senses of Kṛṣṇa, not for ourselves.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-10-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Offense.. is a spiritual thing.
While preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness why would you offend new people ?
We should not refer to anyone
depending on their gender, race.. or color,
anything material.
but encourage people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: Good question.
So it is important if they are senior devotees talk to them privately.
Speak to them how you tried to enthuse these new people but if the older devotees express their doubts to the younger devotees that creates a bad taste.
Explain to him how his negative comments are influencing the younger people badly.
If it is not comments, he only has a bad mood, then talk to me, I can help him, I don’t have a bad mood.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Sivaprasad (Sheltered)
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: Sambandha, abhideya and prayojana are the three things to be remembered.
If we are engaged in abhideya in devotional service, then naturally our relationship with guru and Kṛṣṇa is strong.
If we are not engaged in devotional service, then there is somewhat distance.
So the solution for that is to engage in devotional service.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
I think the secret of getting up early is going to bed early.
Also, not eating too much at night,
eat light food.
If you eat heavy, then you sleep heavy.
So light food like poha or mūḍi
or something light.
And eat early.
I eat my dinner at 6 pm.
And then by the time I take rest it is digested.
So then I can get up for maṅgala-ārati every day.
Getting up at 3.30am is a bit early.
The brāhma-muhūrta starts one and a half hours before sunrise.
It is recommended that we should get up in the brāhma-muhūrta.
And that is a little later maybe. I don’t know what time the sun rises in Gujarat?
(approximately 6 am).
So 4.30am should be alright, take a bath.
Maṅgala-ārati starts at 4.30 am in Māyāpur.
What time does it start in Gujarat.
(4.30 am or something).
Anyway, the process is go to bed early and not eat too heavy.
And chant.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Food], [Day-to-day Life / Health], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Maṅgala-ārati], [Sādhanā / Time Management]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: The abhideya is devotional practice of devotional service.
And
so thinking of practicing devotional service is one thing.
But if you are thinking something against devotional service,
that is aparādhā.
To atone an aparādhā there is no higher atonement than devotional service.
Questioner: Harshita Sharma
Date: 2022-08-04
Jayapatākā Swami: While balancing all these things,
there is not much time for māyā.
So that is very good,
and you need two hours or so at one point
every day to chant your 16 rounds.
With some experience you can do a little faster.
Then you have to read every day something,
of Śrīla Prabhupāda books.
The other activities,
the material activities
and cultivating the Bhakti-vṛkṣa members,
that will keep you out of māyā.
And so it is a very nice activity,
that you are taking so much responsibilities.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Workplace], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Purabi Das
Date: 2022-08-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, if we take water used by non-devotees,
then that may compromise our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
At the same time, if people and devotees take water from us, which we offer to Kṛṣṇa, they get blessings.
So maybe in this situation, you take two bottles.
One for the staff
and one for yourself.
And we would like to give non-devotees kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Day-to-day Life / Workplace]
Questioner: Nirguṇa Dāsa
Date: 2022-08-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, the incense is pretty obvious, offering scent.
Lamp - you are greeting.
This ārati means greeting.
This is the way you greet a person; you offer lights to him, very aesthetically pleasing, lighting up the person, it is a form of greeting.
Similarly, the conch shell, there is some significance, I don’t know.
I have heard something, I can’t remember all of them, just off hand.
The water in the conch shell, these are different auspicious, auspicious offerings which are very pleasing to Kṛṣṇa,
but there are so many different significances you know.
Some of them are just purely practical like the incense, or the Cāmara, or fanning an incense or even the cloth, you are wiping the Lord,
something to wipe Him, wipe His face, offer water, then after that you offer the… you are offering water you know, then you offering the wipe.
But it has you know this type practical significance, and it also has so many esoteric meanings.
Offering flowers, these are different offerings.
You can offer five items, sixteen items, sixty-four items, different items are being offered with devotion.
So that’s a form of greeting the Lord and by witnessing these things also it’s very purifying.
Even today in India, say like when I come to some places, then a lot of time there is a kīrtana party meets me
and then the people there take a… they take a tray with a ārati lights on it, then they offer like this.
They offer the lamp, and on it they have piles of rice sometimes and then different offerings.
And these are Vedic uh, traditions for receiving someone, you see.
But it’s very uh, auspicious and it’s very beautiful, at the same time.
So, like this uh we… I sent a newsletter.
I am writing a book on uh, the revised Arcana-paddhati in a book on… handbook for these different types of spiritual practices.
So I said that, “Anyone has any question, if they write, I will research you know, and include that in the book.”
It’s there, it’s there in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, I read it what the water and the conch shell,
it’s I think water of the seven seas are there and all the holy rivers, different thing.
Each has some significance but uh, normally we don’t think about those, you know, every day we are meditating on mantras and chanting doing our service.
But if you want to know this, then we can consider not keeping the book two volumes,
whatever… it’s just people ask the questions, if enough people want to know a particular thing
and if it’s simple enough to explain it then we can put that in a book itself,
so that it can be there for people on the future.
But the basic attitude when you are offering should be, you know, more… rather thinking about what the individual thing is,
the actual idea is that you are greeting the Lord, you are receiving Him,
and so in that type of, this is just giving an opportunity to receive right?
Just like when you meet… when you see people meet at the airport, right?
We were landed in the Nashville, it was Christmas Eve.
So many people are coming in and they are laughing and hugging each other and, “Oh!” They were so happy to see their relatives and everyone, you know.
Then some people it was just like you know, a handshake, and other people, they were just you know laughing
and hugging and everything, then after that it was all, you know, after a few seconds it died down.
Some people, they went on and on, and it was going on in the hallways, they were going to get their baggage.
But usually, by the time everyone got down to the baggage collection there was already kind of work you know… petered out.
But you know for five minutes, some… two seconds and you know, ten minutes,
you know they kept a lot of you know, enthusiasm, then gradually you know, that type of…
So here, you know, we can keep that enthusiasm for 45 minutes with the Lord doing ārati.
This is… So many things that Kṛṣṇa has given us the procedure, where we can go on expressing our joy to be able to greet the Lord, and to receive Him,
and meditate on His transcendental form, that lotus feet is a vehicle for our receiving for meditation, for serving.
So, that’s the principle trying, we meditate chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and receiving the Lord.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Questioner: Phaneśvarī Lakṣmī devī dāsī, San Diego
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: You can take from any pure devotee.
Because if you take that of a guest or someone and you get sick that is not very auspicious.
But even if we get sick taking from some pure devotee that is glorified.
So, the prasāda or mahā-prasāda can be taken from someone, even if he is not your dīkṣā-guru.
Thank you Phaneśvarī Lakṣmī devī dāsī.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Prasāda and Bhoga]
I was wondering that in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta we find that there is lot of stress on separation between men and women and there is lot of criticism of any kind of intermixing between men and women? How much of what we hear in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regarding separation between men and women today is applicable at the present moment?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: If one is in one of the renounced orders then it is imperative that one show a good example.
That is why in this Age of Kali sannyāsa is generally prohibited,
and we see that Lord Caitanya is very positive to the gṛhasthas.
Like, it is said that gṛhe thāko vane thāko, sadā hari bole ḍāko -
wherever you are, in the home or in the renounced order everyone should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
So in fact, Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that all the members of the Pañca-tattva were one time gṛhasthas.
So the gṛhastha-āśrama is more applicable for today’s situation.
If someone is in the renounced order, then they have to follow these rules.
In the Gajendra-mokṣa, 8th canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that in the fight between the elephant and the crocodile,
the elephant was the land animal, but he was in the water.
And that the crocodile was a water animal and he was in his element.
So Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that we have to have strong senses and mind, to fight against Māyā.
We have declared war on material illusion.
Therefore, the situation at the present time that people they are mainly gṛhasthas
and, I told this before, Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that he wants all his gṛhastha followers to be paramahaṁsas,
and he said that Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a gṛhastha guru
and he had a son who was an ācārya.
So he said that he hoped that all his gṛhasthas would have ācāryas as children.
I am encouraging people to read Śrīla Prabhupāda books. Lord Caitanya said kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya (Cc. Madhya 8.128).
So we want everybody should know the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-09
Jayapatākā Swami: You see here someone eats non veg.
Non veg is sinful.
You are killing animals, causing them suffering and you are eating their flesh.
Some are doing selfless service to society, they are helping other people, they may be doing some, of course selfless service to society.
But we have to see what the Vedas say.
Whether that service is puṇya or pāpa.
Like someone may do selfless service and make a new abattoir, means a new slaughter house for society.
He thinks I am doing selfless service.
But according to the Vedas, he is also doing pāpa, he is doing sinful activity.
Someone may be doing selfless service of distributing free tea or whisky to all the people, I am not considering those kinds of selfless service.
I am saying like he is feeding the poor, he is making hospital, such service where the people are getting material benefit in a sāttvika sense, that is called puṅya.
So according to Vedas we get two accounts in the material world.
We get a puṅya account and a pāpa account.
And we are putting deposit in both.
Because someone does puṇya, it does not cross out the pāpa.
Some people think that ok, I will do many pious activities and I will do little sin and the pious will cross out the sin.
It doesn’t work that way.
Both you get.
That is why even if you find someone very rich, have a big car, big house, lot of money, but the wife got breast cancer.
But the son ran away with someone and married out of caste and the whole family is suffering.
So many things happen.
Income tax is raiding.
I am feeding the poor, I am giving so much to charity, why I am not –
because both the accounts are there – pāpa and puṇya. If you do pāpa you have to suffer, you do puṇya you have to enjoy. Material activities, you know they are not free, you have to take all the reactions. Usually the puṇya you get first and the pāpa you get later. But there is some mixing going on. Now the other thing is that he is greatly devoted to the Lord. Now that devotion to the Lord, the Lord is beyond the material world. He is saying mām ca avyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhuyāya kalpate. (Bg 14.26) That those who do my bhakti-yoga, their activities are beyond the three guṇas. So if someone does bhakti that can clear out the path. But it is dangerous to tell this to people. Because if you tell to people who are not devoted, they will say, very good, I will pray in the temple, then I will do more pāpa. And then Kṛṣṇa takes that as an offence, you are trying to cheat Me. So He doesn’t save them. That is why we don’t tell people about this glory of the Lord that if you worship the Lord it takes away your sin very much. Of course we have to tell but we try to tell them. They should not think I can do more sin, that they shouldn’t do. What people should do is come and pray and chant the name of Kṛṣṇa and try to avoid sin. They may do some sin but they should try to reduce it, try to avoid it. They should not think that by doing my Kṛṣṇa conscious activity, I can do more sin. Whatever sin I am doing, I have to suffer. But let me chant, let me worship, some day I can get free from this. Then it is ok. So if they are devoted to the Lord, they should try to do what the Lord wants. What is the meaning of I am devoted to the Lord, the Lord is saying don’t do these things. I am devoted to the Lord, what does that mean? Lord, I want to please You. If I am Your servant, I want to do what You want me to do. Like if you have a servant in the house, you tell the servant, clean the floor. He says no, I won’t clean the floor, I want to clean the wall. But I want you to clean the floor first. You can clean the wall later. He says, no, I want to clean the wall and then the floor. How would that servant keep the job? If you have a servant and you tell him, cook me breakfast. And he says no, I want to cook you lunch. I want you to cook me vegetarian and he says no I want to cook you non veg! Then you wont keep such a servant, servant, who is this servant! So if we are already devoted to the Lord, we should do what the Lord wants us to do. And the Lord is telling us don’t do these things. Don’t take intoxication, don’t eat non veg, don’t do gambling and don’t do illicit sex. Don’t go to prostitutes. Don’t leave your good wife or husband, and do extra marital sex. So when we are devoted to the Lord we should do what the Lord wants. We are devoted to the Lord, we come and pray and then we go. That is called hāthī-snāna. Like the elephant is having a bath and coming out and throwing the dirt. So we should not worry what others are doing. Someone says he is vegetarian but he is cheating.
If you do pāpa you have to suffer, you do puṅya you have to enjoy.
Material activities, you know they are not free, you have to take all the reactions.
Usually the puṇya you get first and the pāpa you get later.
But there is some mixing going on.
Now the other thing is that he is greatly devoted to the Lord.
So therefore I can be nonveg and I won’t cheat.
Not much, little bit.
We should avoid everything like that.
Don’t settle for that.
Don’t judge.
It is just like if you want to judge gold, you want to judge it with pure gold.
You don’t judge it with some mixed gold, my gold is better than that gold.
What is that?
That is 10 carat mine is 4 carat.
You judge gold by 24 carat.
This is not a good decision that I am better than that so it is okay.
That person is going to hell no. 5 and you are going no. 4.
So what is the difference?
?
We want to go back to Kṛṣṇa.
So therefore what is the standard paramahaṁsa?
We see what gurudeva, what the pure devotee is doing.
We try to lead our life and follow the Mahājanas.
Mahājana yena gatā sa panthā.
We follow the great souls or Mahājanas, like Prahlāda, Nārada, Śiva, Brahma.
All the devas, Svāyambhuva Manu, all the great souls, we follow in their footsteps.
Not that we are following some ordinary person and we are saying oh that person, he is not so great.
I am not so bad.
This is all mental concoction.
He is not so great, I am not so bad.
So I can live with my sin.
Yamarāja doesn’t pick all these things.
What your neighbor was doing.
What you did he has all the account here.
You did this, this is your karma.
Now you enjoy, now you suffer.
If you see the animatronic works you can see the Yamadūtas and the Viṣṇudutas.
You can decide who you want to be the customer for.
Category: [Anarthās / Sinful activities], [Day-to-day Life / Food], [Emotions / Hypocrisy], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: Since you are in Texas,
they have vegetables and fruits here.
Why are you thinking of hypothetical situations?
But just to answer your question,
there was a drought
and a sādhu, a great devotee, he was trying to get out of a desert.
But he had no water, no food.
He was crawling around
and he thought he might die.
Then he came across a dead dog,
so then he ate the dead dog.
Then he got out of the desert and then followed all the principles.
So Kṛṣṇa sent him some food,
and he did not kill the dog, the dog had already died,
but he ate it.
So like that, if you have no food, the only thing is you come across a dead animal, you eat it.
That would lead you to survive.
That is considered an emergency,
and emergency knows no rules.
It is not that there were so many dates and nice food and things, but he goes ahead and eats a dead dog.
It was, eat the dog or die.
So Kṛṣṇa sent a dead dog, he ate it
and survived,
and then he followed his principles after.
But it is very unlikely that you would meet such a situation.
I saw in some place people are eating cactus.
There is no food and they take out the spikes off and some cactus have spikes, and they saw it tasted good and they ate it.
So we are allowed to try to survive.
If there is no food, we die, we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Food]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-08
Jayapatākā Swami: How can it have exactly the same effect?
We might be chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names but we are not chanting the mahā-mantra.
You chant any name of Kṛṣṇa, that will have effect but especially powerful is the mahā-mantra: 16 words, 32 syllables.
So, when you leave out a few syllables and names then you are chanting indifferent mantra.
You are chanting 14 words, 30 syllable or 28 syllable mantra or something else.
So, that will reduce some of the effectiveness,
but of course because Kṛṣṇa’s name is Kṛṣṇa, it is very hard to put all that into equations what percent it will be reduced to and so and so forth.
But one should try to say the mantra as it is given; if one is inattentive while chanting, it can’t help, but affect.
Jayapatākā Swami: You listen to the spiritual masters, how they say it, that is the way you should try to say it.
Questioner: Gopati Kṛṣṇa Dāsa and Acala Hari dāsa
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Nārāyaṇī was a great devotee.
If you are not feeling ecstasy, that is your misfortune.
It is not the fault of the remnants,
it’s your lack of adhikāra,
to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
You should be lamenting, why you don’t feel ecstasy,
even when you take the prasāda remnants of the Deities.
Jayapatākā Swami: The more we practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
advancement increases.
So, by taking the prasāda of Kṛṣṇa, of Gaurāṅga,
our love for Kṛṣṇa can increase.
Just like getting rid of the anarthās,
and becoming fixed or niṣṭhā,
then we advance step by step,
until we have loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa,
then taking prasāda can be an impetus for love of Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Prasāda and Bhoga], [Sādhanā], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-06-05
There’s different,
if you chant mantra in certain places you get more benefit.
If you chant by the sacred rivers and if you chant the,
I’m not,
exactly not sure about the river and the land.
You chant by the side of the sacred river you get so many times more benefit.
And if you chant in a holy place,
the pilgrimage you get so many times.
So once like,
a thousand and others like,
hundred thousand,
what figure which is which.
And you chant in front of the tulasī then you get,
like a million times.
So if you chant in the Ganges you get many times more.
And if you chant in front of the deities,
installed deities you say your Gayatri you get unlimited times of benefit.
Everyone should say the Gayatri mantra.
So that’s why the sages say in the Ganges.
Questioner: Saṅkīrtana Manohara dāsa, Dacca, Bangladesh.
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: The point is that if you do the maṅgala-ārati at 4.30,
we should do the tulasī-pūjā when the Deities are closed.
So, you have the choice to do tulasī-pūjā before maṅgala-ārati, or after.
So I think it is difficult enough for devotees to attend maṅgala-ārati at 4.30 am!
That is why they do it later in the morning.
But in the afternoon, when the deity is being offered bhoga,
they do the tulasī-āratī,
because after the sandhyā-ārati,
the deities are not closed.
But we have to offer worship to tulasī, when the deities are closed.
Or you can do tulasī-pūjā at 8.30 at night,
when the deities are closed.
Then it is too late,
if you have to get up for maṅgala-ārati.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Temple Deity Worship]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: This was 500 years ago, it was still Kali-yuga.
Kali-yuga is going on for 5000 years.
And this happened 500 years ago.
And I am asking every temple to keep a book where they tell the type of miracles that the Deities performed.
Actually, I don’t know if I told here but in San Diego, the Deity Subhadrā was burnt out.
And then they investigated, and they found that the pūjārī was breaking the principles.
And Rukmiṇī Dvārakādīśa have many, many miracles.
It is quite possible to have such relationship.
In Māyāpur we have the ancient Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā Deities.
One blind man he could not go to Jagannātha Purī,
nobody wanted to take a blind man walking to Purī.
But then these Deities, They manifested
and so although the Deities were on a termite hill,
what do the termites eat? Wood.
What is Lord Jagannātha made of? Wood.
But they did not eat Jagannātha.
And there are many, many miracles of these Deities.
I personally, like there were 25 owners of the land.
So I got everybody to sign except two members.
I told the pūjārī once we take over the Deities’ worship, we cannot stop.
When the two people sign, then we would start.
He did not tell me, he had already started.
And then he stopped,
being afraid that it would displease me.
I had said, once we start we cannot stop.
We opened up the door of the temple where the Deities were.
The Deities were gone.
They were walking over the field,
They said, “We are starving, We will go and take prasāda with Rādhā Mādhava
and take the bhoga there.”
Then I found out that the service was started and stopped.
After some time, one pūjārī, he was riding on a bicycle back to the Rādhā Mādhava temple,
on the road there was a man lying down.
He just drove-by and the man jumped up and scared him. Ah!
You scared me!
Then, he was lying on the ground, he thought what mistake did I do to Lord Jagannātha?
He went back,
he found out, instead of sugar in the caraṇāmṛta, he had put salt!
You cannot mess around with Lord Jagannātha in Rājāpur!
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Gaurāṅgī Gopī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Why not?
A devotee never dies, he appears and disappears.
The word jayantī is reserved for Kṛṣṇa’s appearance,
because His appearance is very special.
But everyone else appears and disappears.
Of course, for the great saintly devotees, we celebrate their appearance and disappearance.
So rather than saying happy birthday, you can say happy appearance day! Haribol!!
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Mādhava Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2022-10-24
Jayapatākā Swami: An initiated devotee should wear minimum two rounds
and maximum five
That's what I've heard.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-29
Jayapatākā Swami: Even if they chant offensively, it is better than not chanting at all.
I was in South India and once, you get these real intellectual type people there.
And he came up to me and said that, “Every religion says that theirs is the only way, you must have faith.
Isn’t there one religion that you don’t need faith? (Laughter).
Will it work even without faith, even you don’t believe?”
I said, “Yes, we have it.
This chanting of the Holy names.
ku Ratnākara, who became Vālmīkī, he had no faith.
He was asked to chant the name of Rāma.
He said I can’t chant any name of anything holy, he couldn’t even say God, nothing like that.
He was told to then chant murder-murder-murder in Sanskrit, mara-mara-mara.
If only that much faith, somehow or another chant, do what the guru ordered, that much minimal faith is required, then do it.
But he had no faith in the holy name as such.
He could not even say it, what to speak of have faith in it.
He was chanting marā-marā-marā-marā-marā.
By chanting marā-marā-marā-marā, because Rāma-Rāma-Rāma-Rāma was being spoken from his lips and as a result he became Vālmīki.
He realized Rāmacandra.
He had the eyes that could see the entire Rāmāyaṇa, 10,000 years before Rāma appeared on this earth.
He was so pure.”
“Ajāmila, he just chanted his son’s name Nārāyaṇa, NĀRĀYAṆA, when he was dying.
Then, just because of that he was saved.
He wasn’t chanting with some great faith, with accident, practically speaking.
If someone chant even just mechanically, without faith, somehow or another they chant, it will gradually have effect.
Obviously, if someone chants with faith, with devotion, with concentration then how much quicker we are at it.
It took Vālmīki a long time of chanting marā-marā-marā to get the same effect.
But nonetheless, there will be some effect.”
Why even Haridāsa Ṭhākura, when Lord Caitanya said that,
“How will all these mlecchas and yavanas will be delivered,
these fishermen, and all these various type of students who always arguing, and never want to get down to the actual reality,
just want to be on a mental platform and so man?
So then, what did Haridāsa Ṭhākura say, “By Your mercy, by this chanting, a nāmābhāsa,
the reflection of the name, it is like when the sun rises, there is a little light before that is called the ābhāsa,
it is just the dim reflection of the, dim reflection of the name, just by that they will be purified.
And like for instance, the Muhammadans when they say harām, they don’t mean hey Rāma,
they mean oh you offensive person, but somehow, they are saying harām.
When the Americans are seeing Ramāyaṇa or something Rāma, so many Rāmas they have in America, Tamil Rāma,
somehow or another, they are already getting the blessings, knowingly or unknowingly.
So, if they actually would chant:
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare,
even without much faith, even just as an experiment, just as out of hopelessness or something, out of just why not, tried everything else,
well…
So many people, actually lots of people said to me,
but… Then, by chanting, by gradually see a change in themselves and they try to see that there is something a higher reality,
become a little purified.
Then when they read, when they come in the association of devotees, naturally, they can appreciate more.
Of course, if someone is very offensive to the devotees, very offensive, then it is more difficult.
One place I have Prabhupāda told that, “Just have them chant Sri Kṛṣṇa Caitanya,
because they are so simple that it will be more effective than chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Even if they are offensive, better they chant, than not chant.
Of course, we have to show the standard of offenseless chanting and preach against committing offenses.
Because if they are committing offenses, they won’t get pure love of God,
they may get liberation, or they may remain as human being, but they won’t get the ultimate goal.
So, want to bring them to the highest benefit, we have to show ourselves,
by our personal example, what is offensive chanting and try to bring people up to that platform.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses) / Nāma-aparādha], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Misha Kasmagar, Russia
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Why they don’t want you to be vegetarian?
Maybe if you can prove to them that the proteins and the vitamins that you need
from different vegetarian items.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Children], [Day-to-day Life / Food], [Day-to-day Life / Parents], [Emotions / Stress/Anxiety], [Sādhanā / Regulative Principles]
One of the challenges we face while going to the college youth is getting the suitable time between the preacher and the student. The preachers are ready to give instruction but the students seem to have less time. And getting them to the center is also becoming challenging. So how do we make our association impactful given the shortage of time?
Questioner: Rādhe Śyāma Dāsa
Date: 2022-08-24
Jayapatākā Swami: Caitanya Avatārī dāsa in Bengaluru is working on this.
Instead of having discovery and reading of some verse,
he is putting the verse in the video format,
like a 3-minute short video,
snippet.
Then he shows that
and have people go directly to the understanding.
What are the two or three most important points?
And then have people discuss,
go around the room,
and how you apply this knowledge in daily life.
Like six different ways it could be applied.
So, in this way, you don’t need to read eight pages, one page is enough.
We have more knowledge than they can absorb.
So, this aspect of discussion could be completed in 45 minutes’ time.
Maybe less, I don’t know,
I did not try but also like in the beginning some kind of icebreaker may be good.
Something less philosophical, some variety of ice breakers.
What do you like to eat or something, there is a whole book on icebreakers.
So that will let them loosen up in the classroom
So a ten-minute icebreaker, five minutes chanting
and half hour discussion.
A full Bhakti-vṛkṣa takes about two hours.
But they have also like they call mañjarīs
which takes like an hour.
If you can see how much time they can tolerate.
Whether we should have a mañjarī or a Bhakti-vṛkṣa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda would go to some peoples’ house if they became a life member,
and he would tell them what standards to cook for him like no onion garlic,
but those things we always got sick very often.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was an ideal guest.
One time they told Śrīla Prabhupāda here they have put onions,
but he took the onions out and did not eat the onions,
but did not say anything.
He did not want to offend the people.
So how you do the things, you have to use some discretion.
I know that some businessmen, they have to take their clients out to wine and dine, at least dine.
So here they just eat the salad,
but the guests may eat all kinds of nonsense.
That is the downside of marketing.
Questioner: Tāriṇī Rādhikā devī dāsī, UK.
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You can also learn the process
from the Māyāpur Academy on Deity Worship.
And also from the minister of Deity worship.
Śrīla Prabhupāda personally taught Jananivāsa Prabhu
how to worship the śālagrāma-śilā.
The śālagrāma should be worshiped every day.
At least bathe with water and put tulasī leaf on it.
But if you want you can also bathe with milk or pañca-gavya or pañcāmṛta.
And draw a smiling face on the śālagrāma-śilā with a tilaka.
More details you can get from the Deity Worship ministry.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship]
Questioner: Bhaktin Śrīdevī
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapatākā Swami: By reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā,
one should naturally obtain spiritual qualities.
And so by reading naturally one gets association with different spiritual personalities,
so we try to obtain these qualities.
And eventually we can achieve many things.
The other qualities that one should have like patience, tolerance,
usually that automatically comes through reading.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Ānandavihārī Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said that one doesn’t have to have second initiation.
But no harm in having it.
Then you can do some confidential service to guru and the Deities.
But you go back to Godhead even after the first initiation.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Keśava-kṛpā Sindhu dāsa
Date: 2022-09-22
Questioner: Caturā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-08-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Any opportunity we can give out prasāda,
that is good.
And normally people observe birthdays for other reasons.
If you can invite people over and give them prasāda,
that is something auspicious.
You have to think how to take advent of birthdays and different celebrations.
Questioner: Sumukhi Hariṇī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: It is not that they offer starched wool.
They are offering a cotton cloth,
which is starched,
at the Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī they just offer the cotton chadars, cotton cloths.
When it is colder, then they use woolen.
The youth are seen to be indulging in various undesirable activities and thus are not capable of appreciating the Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy. However, when using bridge-level preaching tactics (such as anger/stress management etc.), there is a feeling that the teachings of paramparā may be compromised. How then do we strike the balance ?
Questioner: IYF
Date: 2022-08-24
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean somehow, there was a presentation how to be happy.
That was very interesting because
I was not happy.
I had sense gratification
but it wasn’t satisfying.
So somehow if we want to tell those people that
by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness
they can become happy.
The bridging programs can somehow bring them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness
then that would be ideal.
If anger management can include some aspect of Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
some practices that they could do.
Some ways they can control their anger
by dovetailing it.
So bridge is to take us over the bridge to the other side of the river.
That means, take us to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So at the end of the bridge there should be something Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Although the attraction is okay, anger management for instance,
we learn that we can practice, we can control anger through bhakti-yoga.
So the bridge program actually does that, it bridges us to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
At least to some extent.
Like you are saying people have many lusty desires and bad habits,
I saw today on the Tv
that in some states 3 or 5 states in the USA,
they do a referendum and made marijuana smoking for recreation legal.
It was previously legal for medicinal use.
But now it is legal for recreation in some states.
So, all kinds of bad habits people have –
not only drinking, smoking,
illicit sex.
Actually, we know that none of these things give one satisfaction.
But we cannot directly attack these things.
Rather, we try to present the positive thing of chanting, meditation,
and then when they are more ready,
when they ask appropriate questions,
we may reveal that bad habits should be controlled.
That is a gradual process.
That is what Śrīla Prabhupāda said that it takes buckets of blood,
not easy to make a devotee.
Do you think only people now are addicted to bad habits?
Ha! I think before I was 12-I had already broken all the regulative principles!!
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Sinful activities], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Youth]
The youth of today are looking for recreational activities such as meditation, yoga and so on and if we try to provide them with those, they entertain themselves with the same and leave, never to come back. Also one of the pressing problems of the youth is that they come with a lot of lusty propensities and thus face a lot of challenges in dealing with the opposite sex.
Questioner: Rādhe Śyāma Dāsa
Date: 2022-08-24
Jayapatākā Swami: As far as light activities, the thing is that chanting, singing is very light.
Actually, that is much more effective and much more purifying than these breathing exercises.
Art of Living all that, they promote this breathing exercise.
But if we get the people to chant and sign,
dance,
that can loosen them up.
That way, they actually get more purified
and because people are seeing themselves as the body,
they think that the body, the senses have to be satisfied.
Therefore, lusty desires are very prominent.
And so how to engage their energy
in such a way that their energy would be better utilized.
That is why we see that many people they may not be interested in being brahmacārīs.
And like in the West, somehow the ladies they are actively preaching
and therefore many men are attracted.
And if the men are preaching, the ladies are attracted.
Now, I heard that in the Indian universities it is quite open.
Maybe more than the West.
So it could be a big challenge.
Questioner: Harihara Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa
Date: 2022-09-08
Category: [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-25
Jayapatākā Swami: You see in nava-vidha-bhakti the first two are śravaṇam and kīrtanam – hearing and chanting.
You can chant the holy names you and listen.
The other sevā is pāda-sevanam.
If you can give some of the fruits of your work to serve the Lord.
This way, you remember the Lord – smaraṇam.
When you worship the Deities, that is arcanam.
When you pay obeisances, that is vandanam.
So, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he did all the nine practices of devotion that is ātma-nivedanam.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Workplace], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: We are trying to have some joint programs
on the appearance disappearance days of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
And that time everybody speaks for ten minutes.
And we have various speakers.
That way we are cooperating.
But we don’t really associate, one on one, individually,
because it may expose us to some criticism.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Gauḍīya maṭḥa], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
We have so many varieties of devotional service, like chanting, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda, Deity worship and visiting holy dhāmas. Sometimes we see that when we are more attracted to one method the other methods are getting less importance and we are not able to do them. So whether more reading or more of chanting, or more of Deity worship or more of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books reading, which one is more important?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: In every yuga, there is a particular, which is most important.
In Kali-yuga, śravaṇam kīrtanam is most important.
Reading books is one form of śravaṇam.
There are nine practices of devotional service
and by practicing any one then also it is possible to be delivered.
But in Kali-yuga it is especially recommended that we chant and hear.
But we should chant, hear remember,
pay obeisances, offer prayers
and do the arcanam,
and do pāda-sevanam, do some service,
considering oneself as the servant of the Lord,
considering the Lord as one’s friend
and offering everything to the Lord,
ātma-nivedenam.
These are the nine practices of devotional service.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-01
Jayapatākā Swami: We offer it to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, but just show it to the guru-paramparā.
After showing the guru-paramparā, we offer to Rādhā Kṛṣṇa or Gaura-Nitāi.
Then offering to guru-paramparā as a prasāda is not an offence.
If tulasī is offered to Kṛṣṇa, then we can eat that tulasī, that is kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Nandakumāra Kṛṣṇa dāsa, USA
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: In a very respectful way, you can always ask the devotee
how, what they are doing can be accepted.
And if they have a good answer,
then that is alright.
If they say, it is my mistake,
then they stand corrected.
But we should not jump
to conclude that they are wrong.
First we ask them,
why they are doing that
and see what they say.
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-01
Jayapatākā Swami: In Māyāpur we sing the Yugalāṣṭakam.
Jīva Gosvāmī had sung this song and that song is sung here.
If you want to sing the Caurāṣṭakam, I don’t forbid that.
Someone questioned that did any ācārya recommend to sing this Caurāṣṭakam?
I told our paṇḍita to check on this.
And he said that in puṣṭi-mārga they sing this song.
We should especially sing the songs of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.
But puṣṭi-mārga they don’t sing the songs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, they sing this song.
This song is not bad, we can do that, but this is not in praise of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, it is only in praise of Kṛṣṇa.
Name of Rādhā comes only once.
Kṛṣṇa stole the heart of Rādhā it says.
In this month you can sing any song on Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
I saw that the song by Jīva Gosvāmī is very easy.
Everyone can sing it.
If we sing any Rādhā Kṛṣṇa song, the worshipable Deities in Puruṣottama month are Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
In Dāmodara month, Dāmodara Yaśodā are the worshipable Deities.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said to sing saccidānanda rūpam.
But no ācāryas have not specifically said to say any prayer.
But they said that worship of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa should be done.
That way we agreed to sing the Yugalāṣṭakam.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: I was there when Śrīla Prabhupāda said this.
He was in Montreal, 1968.
And all the devotees were thinking, “Oh, 100%, that is very high!”
But as he was coming down, 90%, 80%.
Then, he was walking away,
taking his cadāra behind him.
He said even 70%. [paragraph]
In my class His Holiness Girirāja Swami, he said he knew the secret!
That one devotee said to Śrīla Prabhupāda, even if I don’t achieve 70%, what is my hope then?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Stay with me, I have the key to the backdoor!”
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Combination of separation when we miss the devotee,
and because they went back to Godhead, so
some feeling of bliss.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-06-05
Naivedya-mantra,
you
to guru,
to Gaurāṅga and to Kṛṣṇa.
And some
mantra
is there for offering
naivedya.
You see,
if you want to offer the prasāda in your house then we can teach you this mantra also because in India we are not having the same radio station
(laughing)
.
So we’ll give you the
mantra.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Lalitāṅgī Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we offer daily guru-pūjā
and on the Vyāsa-pūjā we offer the puṣpāñjali three times.
That way we pray that we may be forgiven for any knowing or unknowing offences.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Sucitra Revatī devī dāsīT
Date: 2023-07-07
Jayapatākā Swami: That means approaching in great humility.
So holding a blade of grass in your teeth
means you are taking a very humble position.
Questioner: Kackuly Rani
Date: 2022-10-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda has said that
taking cow milk develops the finer intelligence
will be able to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
At the same time, we like to protect the cows.
And so, where possible we try to eat milk from protected cows.
The vegans, they say since the cows are mistreated,
better not to take any milk.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda knew that this difficulty was there.
He thought it was important to offer the milk to Kṛṣṇa,
and then we can take it.
So, we only take milk as prasāda.
Questioner: Śrījīva Gosvāmī dāsa
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: If they are taking minimal amount,
what they need for maintaining their family,
so if the temple thinks it is worthwhile,
then one should do that.
And that would be considered as selfless service.
Of course, if one is taking a huge amount and saving a lot,
then he may consider if it is selfless.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Workplace], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Varṇāśrama / Gṛhastha]
Questioner: Ānandinī Śacīmātā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, you can either jump into the Ganges,
or you can touch that person’s feet back.
We found that Lord Nityānanda and
Lord Caitanya, were dancing in such a way, They tried to touch each other’s feet.
They were so expert at dancing
that They avoided.
So, sometimes the associates of Lord Caitanya would do this type of
transcendental competition,
to touch each other’s feet.
If someone touches your feet, you touch their feet.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Keya Rani
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: 1. We should observe it after that.
And plead to Kṛṣṇa for forgiveness.
When I am at my workplace I feel hungry due to lack of time in the morning. I cannot prepare, so I go and buy some snack from the nearby grocery. Dear spiritual father, is it right what I am doing? Those foods like chips and things are made by machines and packed by machines. I don’t think it to be offensive and have it. I offer them mentally and put dry tulasī leaves and consume it. Could this be accepted by the Lord? Is it right? What I have been doing? Please enlighten me Śrīla Gurudeva!
Questioner: Kackuly Rāṇī
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Fruits, salted ingredients, milk products, and nuts, dried fruits,
can be offered.
They are offerable to the Lord,
put fresh tulasī and offer them.
Things that are made by machines or people
if their ingredients are vegetarian,
then we can say Śrī Viṣṇu three times
but that is in kind of an emergency.
But it is not offerable.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Food]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know who your guru is but for my disciples, if they have to, they can use the counting machine.
Since I had a stroke in 2008, my right side doesn’t fully cooperate.
So I have to chant by my left hand.
And Rādhānātha Swami gave me some chanting machine.
Now I do more than 16 rounds.
But I have to like do exercises in the morning and when I exercise, I also chant and keep track of that.
When I walk in the pool, I chant, each step is half a mantra.
So I promised Śrīla Prabhupāda I would chant 16 rounds of 108 mantras each.
That is 1,728.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Workplace], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: If the guru gives instruction
to accept disciples,
then one has to follow the instructions of the guru.
In the Remuna for instance, there is a Deity of Rasikānanda
and his guru is Śyāmānanda.
So he was a guru in the presence of his guru.
Because he got instruction from Śyāmānanda Paṇḍita to accept disciples.
I have in Russia, Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa
and I asked him to be a guru.
He has thousands of disciples,
and he is preaching in Russia.
Similarly, I am asking other disciples who are qualified,
and unless one is asked by the guru
it is true that they should not accept disciples.
But if the guru asks,
if he orders then that has to be carried out by the disciple.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, we got the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-prasāda-mantra through the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu
and the Pañca-tattva.
So, we want to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra by invoking the mercy of the Pañca-tattva.
Because in this chanting of the Pañca-tattva mantra, there is no offence considered.
And therefore, we chant Pañca-tattva first.
In Africa there is some tribe instead of drinking the milk, they cut a vein of the cow and drink the blood.
Anyway, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that from now chanting the name of the Pañca-tattva it would be more effective
because it would not be a great offence.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, of course chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa we are not saying it is not enough.
But every avatāra has got a particular mood.
And Narasiṁhadeva, His mood is to help people from danger, from sickness.
We started chanting Narasiṁha mantra when Śrīla Prabhupāda was sick.
That is Narasiṁhadeva’s specialty.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question.
We tend to offer a very short and limited ārati
with incense, lamp and flower.
I don’t know whether there is any particular instruction against,
we generally offer this very simplified ārati to Tulasī.
In Vṛndā-kuṇḍa the Deity of Vrnda Devī, Tulasī,
I wonder whether they offer more elaborate pūjā there.
Does anyone know?
In Vṛndā-kuṇḍa for Vṛndā Devī they offer cāmara and all that.
So, it is just for that the tulasī plant they offer a very minimal pūjā.
Just like for Lord Narasiṁhadeva we don’t offer all the articles.
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
You have dedicated your life to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and Śrīla Prabhupāda. 74 years. From 19 to 74 now, you have dedicated your tan, mana, dhana.
For us we are gṛhasthas, you are our role model and if we want to take even 0.01 per cent of you, as a gṛhastha, you have dedicated your life. What we are doing only is a fraction of maybe what you have dedicated to Śrīla Prabhupāda. You have lot of wealth but we have dedicated a little wealth, you have a lot of time but we have dedicated very little time, but you have given 100% maybe more than 100%. Rūpa Gosvāmī said for gṛhasthas we should give 50% to Kṛṣṇa, 25% for family, how we can dedicate like you? What percentage we should dedicate? You have given 100% 1000% Guru Mahārāja, but percentage wise, how much like funds, energy, our talent, etc. Please bless us and guide us how you want all of us to surrender?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, these questions are answered in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.
That as a sannyāsī, I have to give 100% if I give 99% I am fallen. As a gṛhastha 50%, you are doing great!
But sometimes as we were discussing, even if the gṛhasthas, they give 5% or 10% that would be so much.
Anyway, the point is actually I have seen like some gṛhasthas, we were hearing this from the Hospital Manager this morning,
she wants to serve the GBC.
Be a coordinator for all the ministries
and all the standing committees.
So she is saying in the hospital we have like 34 or 35 specialties.
So I want to see each ministry, see what their purpose is and try to help them to do that.
She has two kids, one 8 and one 11,
she has a job.
Naturally she has a husband,
but she wants to serve.
And she is a disciple of His Holiness Kadamba Kānana Swami Mahārāja, who recently passed away.
And he was instructing her how ISKCON should be managed.
With the husband’s support she thinks she can do it.
It is very impressive. you don’t have to be a sannyāsī in fact a sannyāsī may not have the proper qualifications.
So she has the vision how to serve ISKCON.
Also, she is chanting her 16 rounds and following the principles.
So that is the kind of people we need.
People who are very dedicated who want to serve ISKCON.
We heard that Kālacāndajī restaurant is the best in Dallas, something like that.
Sanātana Kṛṣṇa said not just in Dallas, in the whole world.
So, there are different – His Grace Nityānanda Prabhu’s wife she had a team and helped in cooking,
she says she doesn’t cook anymore but she does the original menu for it.
Like that, don’t hesitate, I am not a sannyāsī, I am not anything, whatever you can do, do it!
Haribol!
In Detroit they have cow cuddling program.
So many people come to cuddle the cows, and they don’t know what to do.
But there is special, particular way if they touch the cow, they are happy.
The people sign up they say they will never eat cow again.
So you can serve Kṛṣṇa, not stereotype, different ways.
Some people may give money in dollars, some may cook nice preparations.
Some may cuddle cows, or some may do home ārati.
Everyone should have this service attitude.
If Kṛṣṇa is pleased, guru and Kṛṣṇa are pleased, that is our purpose in life. Haribol!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the custom in India is that the elder brother, the wife, should not be present where the elder brother is present.
And since Balarāma is the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa and His consort should not be along with Balarāma.
Kṛṣṇa could be with Balarāma but not with the consort.
The consort should not be.
That is why in the same temple, in the Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha you have Rādhā and Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha.
We have also Revatī and Balarāma but in a different altar.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapataka Swami: Who taught you this?
Is it given in any śāstra?
To consider Kṛṣṇa like our father, probably would be in śānta-rasa.
Because we are just appreciating Kṛṣṇa .
But actually to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is dāsya-rasa.
So, there we see Kṛṣṇa as our Master.
In sakhya-rasa we see Kṛṣṇa as our friend
and in paternal rasa we see Kṛṣṇa as our child.
In mādhurya-rasa we see Kṛṣṇa as our lover or husband.
So to consider Kṛṣṇa like father, is like śānta-rasa.
There is a song where it says Kṛṣṇa is everything to us.
In that way it is alright.
But that song was Kṛṣṇa-mātā, Kṛṣṇa-pitā Kṛṣṇa-dhana-prāṇa,
He is our life and soul.
So He is everything.
Any other question?
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-04-10
Jayapatākā Swami: You see in Māyāpur in Dāmodara you get 100, in Ekādaśī you get another hundred and near the Ganges you get a thousand or a lac times, so in this way its mentioned. But Kolkata is part of Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi.
I think that Śrīla Prabhupāda, he said something.
He said he couldn’t stay in Kolkata, but those who stay in his birthplace they will get special mercy.
So, I don’t remember how many times but Śrīla Prabhupāda said something.
I will look it up.
You talked about the four regulative principles. During initiation we vow to follow these regulative principles. My question is after initiation if a disciple breaks any one of these regulative principles, what is the method of atonement and please tell the way out so that one does not make the same mistake again.
Questioner: Saṅkīrtana Priya Nitāi dāsa
Date: 2022-12-06
Jayapatākā Swami: We should beg for forgiveness from guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Then we should perform devotional service directly.
There is no higher atonement than bhakti-yoga.
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Sādhanā / Regulative Principles], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
You were mentioning yesterday in class about demarcation of Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi. And you mentioned the different directions it reaches in West Bengal, Odisha and some parts of Bangladesh. But we also know there were many close associates of Lord Caitanya who have taken birth in other parts of India like South India and Maharashtra, also Lord Caitanya had gone and had pastimes in South India, Maharashtra, Vṛndāvana and other places. How do we consider Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi demarcation and what is part of Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Lord Caitanya went to many places.
He went to Bangladesh, He went all over South India,
He went to Maharashtra, Gujarat.
So He also went to Uttara Pradesh, Vṛndāvana.
Vṛndāvana is Vraja
and Jagannātha Purī is Śrī Kṣetra.
Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi is 168 km from Māyāpur.
So that means up to Remuṇā in the south.
To the South-east we have Puṇḍarika dhāma.
And North-east is Advaita Ācārya birthplace.
And North-west is beyond Kānāi-Naṭaśālā to the hills. Forgot the name of the hills.
So that particular area is known as Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi.
And in Odisha it is known as Śrī Kṣetra.
And in Vṛndāvana it is known as Vraja dhāma.
So maybe the associates of Lord Caitanya were from some other place,
the holy place around Kāverī river and Śrīraṅgam,
that may not be Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi
but that is a holy place.
Like that India has lots of holy rivers, holy places
and they are not necessarily Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
- Anarthās
- - Apasampradāya
- - Bad association
- - Māyā
- - Māyāvāda / Impersonalism
- - Sinful activities
- Aparādha (Offenses)
- - Nāma-aparādha
- - Vaiṣṇava-aparādha
- Day-to-day Life
- - Children
- - Education
- - Food
- - Health
- - Married life
- - Parents
- - Relatives
- - Technology
- - Workplace
- Devotee Care
- Dīkṣā (Initiation)
- Emotions
- - Anger
- - Confusion
- - Enthusiasm
- - Envy
- - Faith
- - Fault-finding
- - Greed
- - Happiness
- - Humility
- - Hypocrisy
- - Lust
- - Pride
- - Sloth
- - Sorrow
- - Stress/Anxiety
- Festivals
- - Sāka-Festival
- Gauḍīya History
- - Gauḍīya maṭḥa
- - ISKCON
- - Śrīla Prabhupāda
- Guru (Spiritual Master)
- - Dīkṣā-guru
- - Guru Disciple Relationship
- - Guru-paramparā
- - Śikṣā-guru
- Holy Rivers
- - Gaṅgā
- Jayapatākā Swami
- Karma
- - Desires
- Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)
- - Gaurāṇga
- - Kṛṣṇa's Incarnations
- - Pastimes
- - Spiritual World / Dhāma
- - Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī
- Material Sufferings
- - Death
- Material World
- - Demigods
- - Demons
- - Guṇas / Modes
- - Kali yuga
- - Mind / Intelligence
- Mercy
- Other philosophies
- - Christianity
- - Islam
- - Jainism
- - Western Science / Western Philosophy
- Prasāda and Bhoga
- - Onion and Garlic
- Sādhanā
- - Book distribution
- - Chanting (Japa)
- - Diet
- - Maṅgala-ārati
- - Philosophical questions
- - Preaching
- - Reading / Śāstra
- - Regulative Principles
- - Sevā
- - Technicalities
- - Time Management
- Saṁskāras
- - Anna-prāśna
- - Antima-saṁskāras
- - Garbhadhāna
- - Upanayanam
- Śrī Caitanya-līlā
- - Lord Caitanya
- Vaiṣṇava Dealings
- - Association (Sādhu-saṅga)
- - Cooperation
- - Etiquette / Sadācāra
- - Vaiṣṇava-qualities
- Varṇāśrama
- - Brahmacārī
- - Changing Āśrama
- - Gṛhastha
- - Sannyāsī
- - Vānaprastha
- Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)
- - Home Deity Worship
- - Temple Deity Worship
- Vratās (Austerities)
- - Bhīṣma-Pañcaka-vratā
- - Ekādaśī-vratā
- - Kārtika-māsa-vratā
- - Puruṣottama-māsa-vratā
- Women
- - Protection
- Yet To Categories
- Youth