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.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know why your mind doesn’t want to think about Kṛṣṇa!

Kṛṣṇa is our shelter.

And we can apologize for feeling some anxiety, that I should not be feeling like this,

so we pray to Kṛṣṇa to give us strength,

so that we don’t succumb to these modes of ignorance and passion.

He is our best friend, right?

From seventh - dāsyam, sakhyam, ātma-nivedanam, eighth He is our friend!

You want to tell your friend, you are feeling some anxiety.

What are friends for? Right?

Jayapatākā Swami: If you take my initiation, they are supposed to take vows not to eat meat, fish, egg, onion and garlic.

If someone accidentally takes that is another thing.

One time I heard that Śrīla Prabhupāda was a guest in some house.

They said they would prepare without onion and garlic,

but some devotee, said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is onions here.

But he did not say anything, he just kept the onion aside and ate it.

He wanted to be a good guest it seems.

But we should avoid certain things. In India they say, āmiṣa āhāra niṣedha.

Āmiṣa also included on and garlic, red masoor dal and other things.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, this material world is like a prison house.

And if you serve Kṛṣṇa, you get out of this prison.

If you serve guru and Kṛṣṇa, you will be free!

Do you think that the jail keeper will let you go so easy?!

She tests you first to see that you are really sincere.

And when you pass the test, she will offer you her obeisances.

Thank you, you can go back to Godhead!

Jayapatākā Swami: You see that is why taking first initiation

it is described as taking a new birth.

Naturally when you are taking birth as a baby,

a toddler,

you may fall down a few times.

Then gradually you learn to walk.

So at your first initiation

it is expected that

there may be a few mistakes.

And one should pick up and continue to practice,

in this way they can progress.

When one takes the second initiation,

they should be more considered like 9 or 12 years old.

If at that time they are sleeping in the lap of the mother

and passing stool or something,

then something is wrong!

A little baby it is expected.

But not in a 9 or 12-year-old boy!

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya advised that we should do yukta-vairāgya.

Everything we do, we do as an offering to Kṛṣṇa.

So, ideally the wife can marry a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.

Just by assisting him,

she is also directly doing devotional service.

If she is not so fortunate to have a devotee,

she can also try to bring up her children in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

She can offer bhoga to the Deities

and take prasāda and give prasāda to the family.

There are different ways one can engage in devotional service.

I had the good fortune of visiting many gṛhastha families,

seeing how they have Deities,

how they are offering the bhoga,

offering āratī to the deities.

Some people have picture altars,

some have Deities.

So, we are seeing how the families are spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness,

how they are practicing.

This is the way that one can achieve success in this lifetime.

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.

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!

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!

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.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know if that is true.

If the parents are serious, usually the children are serious.

They did a study in the USA, and the found that parents who were serious, their children were also serious.

Then they found that if one parent was serious and one parent was lax, then 50/50.

When both parents were lax, sometimes the children became devotees.

What do you think? You are a parent, you have a kid and if the parents are serious, the children will not become devotees?

Of course, devotional service is voluntary.

I have many gṛhastha disciples and their children are usually Kṛṣṇa conscious.

But you cannot neglect your child.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know if that is true.

If the parents are serious, usually the children are serious.

They did a study in the USA, and the found that parents who were serious, their children were also serious.

Then they found that if one parent was serious and one parent was lax, then 50/50.

When both parents were lax, sometimes the children became devotees.

What do you think? You are a parent, you have a kid and if the parents are serious, the children will not become devotees?

Of course, devotional service is voluntary.

I have many gṛhastha disciples and their children are usually Kṛṣṇa conscious.

But you cannot neglect your child.

Jayapatākā Swami: Some people are more sentimental, and they get carried away by other people’s problems.

But actually, as Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad-gītā,

we should not lament for the living or the dead.

So by reading the Bhagavad-gītā,

Kṛṣṇa advices how one can

give the teachings of Kṛṣṇa, but avoid being affected by the problems.

Thank you.

Jayapatākā Swami: Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he said that for the first five years, you should let the kids do whatever they want, more or less.

From 6 to 15 be very strict with the children.

And 16 up, be like a friend and try to convince them the right thing to do.

But as a friend.

That is what Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said.

But you can talk to the Youth-Minister in Māyāpur,

he may have more experience, you can talk to him, Manorāma dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he said that for the first five years, you should let the kids do whatever they want, more or less.

From 6 to 15 be very strict with the children.

And 16 up, be like a friend and try to convince them the right thing to do.

But as a friend.

That is what Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said.

But you can talk to the Youth-Minister in Māyāpur,

he may have more experience, you can talk to him, Manorāma dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see we should have the vision of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura,

seeing the difference from material relationship,

and the spiritual reality.

If we have this knowledge,

naturally we can transcend the suffering and troubles of the material world.

But since we are conditioned, and we lament over things which should not be lamented for,

therefore, say one family member dies,

different varṇas have different times or periods, when we are not supposed to go to the temple.

I think brāhmaṇas have 11 days and śūdras 30 days.

So, the more one has spiritual knowledge,

they may be able to recover.

Now I heard that the head priest of the Guruvāyur temple,

if someone dies in his family,

they wouldn’t tell him.

Because if they told him,

he would have to stop worship for so many days.

So, while he is in the six months as head priest.

He would not hear about any misfortune in his family.

Fixing your mind on guru and Kṛṣṇa, is a matter of spiritual wisdom.

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.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

And you can occasionally pray to Lord Prahlāda Narasiṁha,

but as a regular practice chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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.

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.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is said that if you hear with faith if you hear and not be agitated,

then you can cure the lust in your heart.

If you speculate lusty things when you hear, then you are not hearing with faith.

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.

Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, he or she is saying that we are not the body.

But the question is being asked simply about the body.

So, the man woman relation is specially meant to produce children.

People of the same gender are not able to produce children.

In America they have stores that sell men’s semen.

The hatches ladies they purchase male semen and have children.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is said that husband and wife if they have a relation, it is considered celibacy.

Till today, I have read that people of the same gender if they have a relation that is still illicit sex.

Jayapatākā Swami: What Prabhupāda said is that, if a person follows the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness

then he may not have to take birth again in the material world.

Now

how free we are from things like offenses may dictate how I will go up in the spiritual world,

whether we get a place in Vaikuṇṭha, or whether we get a place in Goloka Vṛndāvana, how I am able to go.

Or

I mean, if a person, I had one person who approached me in India, he had a very strange character.

He said, “I have been chanting 32, 20 or 16 rounds for 26 years,

but he never gave up eating fish.” In His neutral position we were discussing today, He simply reciprocates with the person so perfectly.

There is someone who would do something like that because of their offenses while chanting the Holy name,

that they don’t actually make advancement towards pure love for Kṛṣṇa. They are getting some benefit from chanting,

but at the same time, their material desires are not going,

due to being absorbed in sense gratification like that. So I advised him that,

“you should chant the names of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu,

and by His mercy you may be able to overcome this desire of eating fish.”

And sure enough, after chanting Lord Caitanya’s name for some period of time,

he got some spiritual intelligence. He stopped eating fish.

Even though 26 years he was on his weird practice,

where he although chanting he never tried to avoid breaking that, you know, stopping breaking of regulative principle.

So if a person I mean if he is determined, you know although he would have chanted the 16 rounds

and followed the regulative principles, but if they take things in an attitude that I’m determined not to give up my material attachments,

then that is an anachronism. From our side it should be not just externals,

but it should be internal, we are trying to follow the process.

We are trying from our part to give up our attachments.

If we have the proper attitude , we are trying to give up our attachments, we are trying to avoid,

even if we are not fully successful, Prabhupāda said that there is,

that Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, Lord Caitanya is so merciful, even though we may not,

at the point of death, have done it a hundred percent successful,

we can still get delivered.

In fact, I was, (aside - How long should I go on?) I was in Montreal,

and Prabhupāda is giving a lecture. That time we had a Vyasāsana for him, it was very high.

I mean very- it was like when we would stand up we would just be facing Prabhupāda eye to eye,

or he will still be even a little higher than that.

It was a very high Vyasāsana.

You had to kind of crawl up, it had steps going up and it was more or less kind of a pulpit.

So he would be up there, he would sit and he would even take prasāda there.

In a feast, they would bring a big plate of prasāda and we would all be sitting down,

and he would take Prasāda from there, and sometimes he would give prasāda out from there.

So one day he was giving his lecture from up there

actually and at this point he was just preaching very hard,

we have to be a hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious.

We have to try; we have to be a hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious. We have to try for that.

We have to become. If we are hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious, then we can get pure love for Kṛṣṇa,

then our life will be completely successful. He was just hammering this point.

Now the devotees were thinking, a hundred percent, you know, their heads gradually started hanging down,

they became very thoughtful.

The hundred percent was like such an objective that it never seemed that is ever possible;

even you know to get very close to a hundred percent.

But Prabhupāda was very emphatic on this point.

The devotees were very thoughtful at that time. Then Prabhupāda, he ended the class.

There was just a heavy silence. No questions. That is it.

He ended the class and said, “Become cent percent Kṛṣṇa conscious.”

It was just like a death place; I mean, just like… He saw silence that he could swim through it.

Now Prabhupāda was sitting there on his raised Vyāsāsana

and said, “Even if you are ninety percent Kṛṣṇa conscious, Kṛṣṇa is so kind,

that you may still be delivered.” Then he started to get down and when he was about half way down,

just as he was getting off the Vyāsāsana he turned to the devotees and said, ”Even ninety percent, you can be delivered.”

He started walking out, then he turned and his chaddar fell off, I remember it was such a dramatic,

almost like you see in those movies Julius Caeser like that, his chaddar flew like that and said, “Even seventy percent.”

He took his chaddar and threw it over his shoulder and raised his head and walked away.

(Devotees laughing)

Śrīla Prabhupāda Ki

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Well there is no loss for the parents.

But as Śrīla Bhaktisiddānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said,

if every child could be a devotee,

he would be a gṛhastha and have a hundred children.

There is no guarantee,

you can try your best

and hopefully they will become devotees.

I advise you to pray to the deities to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious child, Kṛṣṇa conscious, healthy, long lived, suputra.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had one child who was His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura.

He had another child who was a lifelong brahmacārī –

Lalitā Prasāda Ṭhākura.

I think all of his children were devotees,

I don’t know about the other ones.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is said that if you have one child who is a Vaiṣṇava,

the mother is glorious,

the family is delivered.

If you have hundred children and none of them are devotees,

then they are considered like piglets.

But that doesn’t particularly reflect on the parents.

He didn’t say the parents are pigs.

He said, the children are like piglets.

Anyway, it is a heavy statement,

no doubt.

Jayapatākā Swami: Well there is no loss for the parents.

But as Śrīla Bhaktisiddānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said,

if every child could be a devotee,

he would be a gṛhastha and have a hundred children.

There is no guarantee,

you can try your best

and hopefully they will become devotees.

I advise you to pray to the deities to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious child, Kṛṣṇa conscious, healthy, long lived, suputra.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had one child who was His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura.

He had another child who was a lifelong brahmacārī –

Lalitā Prasāda Ṭhākura.

I think all of his children were devotees,

I don’t know about the other ones.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is said that if you have one child who is a Vaiṣṇava,

the mother is glorious,

the family is delivered.

If you have hundred children and none of them are devotees,

then they are considered like piglets.

But that doesn’t particularly reflect on the parents.

He didn’t say the parents are pigs.

He said, the children are like piglets.

Anyway, it is a heavy statement,

no doubt.

Maybe shes not hearing? Well I can't say.

She is thinking of her problems, not listening.

Jayapatākā Swami: I had said during the class

if we study as a service to the Lord,

then there will be service and study as well.

This way, to have taste for service you have to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra more.

If you do that way, the mind will work well.

Any studies you do you can offer as a service to the Lord.

And it will also help in understanding the economics as well.

You can study and do service in the temple as well.

Some will become engineer, or doctor, they can help the devotees.

In Bangladesh there are about 100-temples and you can help in building new temples, guest houses, youth hostels.

That is why we need engineers. Right?

Jayapatākā Swami: Every parent is different.

I thought that my parents would be very happy when I came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

But my mother and father were not happy.

My father he said, “You should completely give up Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Otherwise, I will send you to Vietnam to die there.”

But I thought my father will be happy.

But he was very ugra!

My mother, she came up and talked to me.

My mother came to India two times.

Anyways I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “My father, he wants to send me to Vietnam to serve the American army.

What should I do?”

Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Better you join Kṛṣṇa’s Army!”

So I am a member of Kṛṣṇa’s army ever since.

After eight years my father changed.

He said, “A son is a son, father is a father!”

On his deathbed he was talking to the priest, and he was talking about me.

So, it is not very difficult, I think the Indian parents are very affectionate towards their children.

So, there are different things that you can do.

Once my mother appreciated what I was doing.

She went and talked to other mothers and fathers.

It was not so bad your son is a part of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.

So the parents do not like to hear from the children.

But you should have some people of the same age talking to them.

Jayapatākā Swami: One time, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said that he would indulge a 100-times in sex life if he knew that every time, he was guaranteed to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious child.

So therefore, every times your child will become a devotee, that is not guaranteed.

That is why we try

from the beginning we want a Kṛṣṇa conscious potential child.

So we pray to the Deities, we get the blessing of guru.

We do the garbhadāna-saṁskāra.

Then we also have to bring up the child with love and affection.

It is not an accident that they become a devotee.

They may get some special association of a pure devotee.

The parents naturally feel that they are very successful if the child becomes a devotee.

There is no śāstra that says if a child is not a devotee, that somehow affects the parents.

But the first five years of the child life, if they commit some sinful activities, then the parents have to take responsibility.

This was a curse given by a ṛṣi to Yamarāja so this thing was done in the universe.

Because when he was a little child, he poked an insect with a grass.

Jayapatākā Swami: One time, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said that he would indulge a 100-times in sex life if he knew that every time, he was guaranteed to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious child.

So therefore, every times your child will become a devotee, that is not guaranteed.

That is why we try

from the beginning we want a Kṛṣṇa conscious potential child.

So we pray to the Deities, we get the blessing of guru.

We do the garbhadāna-saṁskāra.

Then we also have to bring up the child with love and affection.

It is not an accident that they become a devotee.

They may get some special association of a pure devotee.

The parents naturally feel that they are very successful if the child becomes a devotee.

There is no śāstra that says if a child is not a devotee, that somehow affects the parents.

But the first five years of the child life, if they commit some sinful activities, then the parents have to take responsibility.

This was a curse given by a ṛṣi to Yamarāja so this thing was done in the universe.

Because when he was a little child, he poked an insect with a grass.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since your mother, your family are helping you for your devotional services,

they are kind of vartma-pradarśaka or śikṣā-gurus.

And naturally one should feel grateful for their spiritual support and guidance.

It would be ok to have attachment for them,

as a spiritual expression.

Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we are trying to create this Kṛṣṇa conscious environment in Māyāpur.

And in different parts of the world, they are doing different things to give devotees, young children, a Kṛṣṇa conscious environment.

The CDM (Congregational Development Ministry) they have specially a program for children.

If you would like to be part of this initiative, please contact the CDM.

Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we are trying to create this Kṛṣṇa conscious environment in Māyāpur.

And in different parts of the world, they are doing different things to give devotees, young children, a Kṛṣṇa conscious environment.

The CDM (Congregational Development Ministry) they have specially a program for children.

If you would like to be part of this initiative, please contact the CDM.

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.

Jayapatākā Swami: Teach them by your example

and encourage them that anything they do in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda, his father gave him Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa small Deities to practice pūjā.

And also gave him a Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā ratha.

So he was happy to have this Kṛṣṇa conscious play.

Jayapatākā Swami: Teach them by your example

and encourage them that anything they do in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda, his father gave him Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa small Deities to practice pūjā.

And also gave him a Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā ratha.

So he was happy to have this Kṛṣṇa conscious play.

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. 

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.

Jayapatākā Swami: So your question is being answered by Vidura.

He did not get upset, he saw that, he took it as an opportunity to increase his Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

You should not become morose, maybe by this you get rid of bad karma.

And in the material world there is this kind of false criticism.

That is why we want to transfer you to the spiritual world.

You are coming from Madhya Pradesh.

Nice to hear how people are hearing the class from Madhya Pradesh.

Jayapatākā Swami: Attachment.

All off of… Sometimes the stress is external.

Sometimes obstacles are put up by demons.

So that creates a kind of distressful situation,

but if a person by learning to surrender to Kṛṣṇa in those times, by being tolerant, you see...

We have to learn tolerance.

Something that we have forgotten.

Something that can be, tolerance level can be built up, you see.

Just like in the airplane, I was flying over… and... Singapore Airline, there was one person who was very nasty to the steward.

But the steward completely kept his cool and just returned by saying, “Yes, sir,

I will…" The person was completely obnoxious, completely off the wall or something.

But the person just became very cool in reciprocation and just very suavely, you know, replied the person.

I was in Eastern Airways and some person who had drunk a few drinks just said a little something.

An American guy said, “You are not getting any drinks!

You want to stay on the plane?

No drinks! Otherwise, you get off!”

This is the way he dealt, you know.

A person immediately... He could have held it nicer.

“Listen buddy, you had too many.

Take it easy,” you know.

But no, the guy was so much on the air that steward, that as soon as he said, immediately, you know, he got all riled up.

So, you know, it’s a question of training.

Therefore, Singapore Airline gets a number one rating in the world, and Eastern is not within the rating, within America.

They don’t make even the top ten anyway.

But Singapore and Swiss are considered to be the best service in the world in terms of airline just because the stewards there are trained.

So, we can also be trained in tolerance, you see.

Generally, in America, we are trained not to be very tolerant for any kind of austerity.

Rather they go out to no end of creating new inventions - how you can avoid any kind of austerity, you see.

While living in India, one has to always take austerity because there is just no facility for aust… for anything but austerity.

There is no modern facilities like that but... on one level.

Here I find it very austere in the West for other reasons.

Different type of austerities.

Anyway, it is all relative.

But the main thing is we build up our tolerance to accept these different kinds of difficulties that may come up.

And rather than relate with them or start to become body-conscious and mental-conscious unnecessarily -

to become agitated by them, we overcome them by fixing our mind on Kṛṣṇa.

Just like it says in the Nectar of Devotion, “Say that you stub your foot,

at that moment instead of saying ouch or something or whatever some other thing, then you say Kṛṣṇa.

So that you don’t have to take another… just by that alone, you can get liberation.”

So the point is that when you are in distress, then where do you turn to?

You turn to your mind.

You turn to some other shelter.

Where do you take shelter?

When the pressure is on, where do you go for shelter, you know?

I know devotees who chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but when the going gets rough, when they get agitated, when they have difficulty, you know,

they go out and take a drug on the side.

They bloop, kind of half-bloop, and now they are very weak.

If there is any difficulty, they can’t learn.

They don’t take shelter of Kṛṣṇa.

Instead they go on take drugs.

Therefore, you know, they take a marijuana or something.

Of course, those are people not generally in our temples.

But I know there is people like that.

That as soon as going gets rough, they surrender to māyā, you see.

Instead of chanting more intensely, hearing more carefully, reading the śāstras, absorbing… taking shelter.

My mind is being agitated by something, either my own body or some external cause,

and so at that moment, to actually depend on, take shelter of Kṛṣṇa that is the best training for us.

If we learn to depend on Kṛṣṇa in difficulty, then at time of death,

when it comes the final exam, when that death is facing us, we are not going to turn to something else,

“Oh! I am in big trouble now, give me this, give me no.”

No. Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then we go back to Kṛṣṇa.

Death is a very painful thing, painful situation.

So how are we going to face that if we are already completely habituated to facing so many difficulties

and always depending on Kṛṣṇa, if it is a reflex.

Any difficulty comes we learn to depend on Kṛṣṇa.

Then naturally, in death we will depend on Kṛṣṇa.

In every situation, we will depend upon Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore, the devotee is always protected.

But if we learn to depend on any other material thing, then we have to again come back till we learn not to rely on any designation or anything else other than Kṛṣṇa.

He is our only crutch, He is our guide, guru and Kṛṣṇa.

Remember the words of the guru.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda was quoting Cāṇākya Paṇḍita,

up to five years of age, given them freedom, give them whatever they want.

Of course, within what is allowed.

Normally, whatever the child does till 5, the parents get the karma.

Then from 6 to 15, be strict.

But somehow in all this time, you get them also to be attached to Kṛṣṇa.

When they become 16 then treat them as a friend.

You preach to them, talk to them, help them to understand.

So we need to have different programs for different ages of children

for Kṛṣṇa conscious activities.

So the parents have to tell the youths about the facts of life.

Like this, there are different situations but in all the situation, the parents will have a good influence if they have develop a nice relationship with their children.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda was quoting Cāṇākya Paṇḍita,

up to five years of age, given them freedom, give them whatever they want.

Of course, within what is allowed.

Normally, whatever the child does till 5, the parents get the karma.

Then from 6 to 15, be strict.

But somehow in all this time, you get them also to be attached to Kṛṣṇa.

When they become 16 then treat them as a friend.

You preach to them, talk to them, help them to understand.

So we need to have different programs for different ages of children

for Kṛṣṇa conscious activities.

So the parents have to tell the youths about the facts of life.

Like this, there are different situations but in all the situation, the parents will have a good influence if they have develop a nice relationship with their children.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, the successful gṛhasthas may be able to guide the others.

I am a sannyāsī, I don’t claim to know how to bring up children!

But I know that it is an important service.

It should be done in such a way that the children are enthused.

I just talked to one wife, where is your husband?

She said, he is with my son in Vṛndāvana.

My son he likes hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class or something, he likes to hear śāstra so much that he extending his visit for one week.

So, obviously we should encourage the children to want to do devotional service.

Now what is the secret? I don’t think there is any monopoly

but there is no guarantee that every child will be a pure devotee.

But if you do the garbhādāna-saṁskāra, do all the saṁsakāras, we give nice association, set good examples, then there is hope.

Advaita Gosāñi had six sons

and three sons were pure devotees.

Three sons were not pure devotees.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, had many children.

One was an ācārya,

one was a naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī.

I don’t know everyone, what happened to the others.

Anyway, Now I have to end the class and you should all go and take your breakfast.

But if you try that your child be Kṛṣṇa consciousness then Kṛṣṇa will be appreciative.

I saw in New Tālavana,

small children, about 6 years old or younger,

they were chanting their one round japa.

There was a plate of sandeśa.

When their japa finished they would all get the sandeśa.

Now some of the children were looking at the sandeśa and chanting! Ha!

Anyway, somehow or other they were enthusiastically chanting!

So we should think of some ways to enthuse them.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, the successful gṛhasthas may be able to guide the others.

I am a sannyāsī, I don’t claim to know how to bring up children!

But I know that it is an important service.

It should be done in such a way that the children are enthused.

I just talked to one wife, where is your husband?

She said, he is with my son in Vṛndāvana.

My son he likes hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class or something, he likes to hear śāstra so much that he extending his visit for one week.

So, obviously we should encourage the children to want to do devotional service.

Now what is the secret? I don’t think there is any monopoly

but there is no guarantee that every child will be a pure devotee.

But if you do the garbhādāna-saṁskāra, do all the saṁsakāras, we give nice association, set good examples, then there is hope.

Advaita Gosāñi had six sons

and three sons were pure devotees.

Three sons were not pure devotees.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, had many children.

One was an ācārya,

one was a naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī.

I don’t know everyone, what happened to the others.

Anyway, Now I have to end the class and you should all go and take your breakfast.

But if you try that your child be Kṛṣṇa consciousness then Kṛṣṇa will be appreciative.

I saw in New Tālavana,

small children, about 6 years old or younger,

they were chanting their one round japa.

There was a plate of sandeśa.

When their japa finished they would all get the sandeśa.

Now some of the children were looking at the sandeśa and chanting! Ha!

Anyway, somehow or other they were enthusiastically chanting!

So we should think of some ways to enthuse them.

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.