Question: Why is chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra the one that takes us back to Godhead? Why not any other chant?
Author: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: It is recommended that in Kali-yuga that we should chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
It doesn’t say that no other name cannot take you back to Godhead.
But we are recommended to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra
and that is the safest thing to do.
But other names could also deliver someone.
Lord Caitanya said to Haridāsa Ṭhākura that He came to deliver all the people –
Lord Caitanya said how would the Islam be delivered?
Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, that if they are attacked by a pig,
they say when the pig hits them,
hā rāma, hā rāma,
which in their languages means offence.
But actually they are saying hā rāma
even though they are thinking of something else they get delivered
because hā rāma means in Sanskrit, “O my dear Lord Rāma!”
Related Questions
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Everyday, they have newscasts.
And people in Africa, in Israel, in different people, in Ukraine, there is so much happening.
Would you like to be born there?
So, better to go back to Kṛṣṇa.
You don’t want to become slack in devotional service.
I am 54 years in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I am still worried and keep trying to do something to pay back Śrīla Prabhupāda’s debt!
If you lose your taste, then plan how you will increase it.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-25
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, Navadvīpa we get the same benefit as we get in Vṛndāvana.
A thousand times.
But there is a difference.
In Vṛndāvana for every error you make,
you also get a thousand times the reaction.
If you commit some offence in Vṛndāvana
you get a thousand times the offence.
Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī decided that Vṛndāvana was a bit heavy
because he got multiple offences.
So he walked from Vṛndāvana to Navadvīpa
and here he got a siddha-deha,
that is why he is known as Siddha Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī.
Maybe he would not have got his perfection
so quickly in Vṛndāvana.
Anyway, some aspects are the same
and some aspects are different.
Now Vṛndāvana is known as mādhurya-dhāma
and Navadvīpa is known as audārya-dhāma.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Keyā Rāṇī
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said in the Upadeśāmṛta
that one should live in a holy place,
so that could be in a dhāma or in a nearby temple.
So, that kind of desire is authorized.
Category: [Karma / Desires], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: You see if you are mood is such that you go back to Godhead,
that means you got some mercy from your guru.
I spent so many weeks giving class so that people could get an idea of my mood.
What do you think?
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Akhila Bandhu Gopāla dāsa
Date: 2022-08-27
Jayapatākā Swami: That is wishful thinking!
Do you ever find 100% of the people receptive?
There are always a few who are attached to their material things.
This is in our planet, what to speak of other planets?
I mean, in the lower planets they are very much demoniac.
But anyway, that is not a problem.
If you make everybody a devotee, very good! Kṛṣṇa will not complain.
But there will always be some who will not be interested.
You have the animals, the birds, the trees, the fish,
if you can make all of them Kṛṣṇa conscious, very good!
At least Lord Caitanya He had all the animals chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.
So if we can at least get the human beings to be Kṛṣṇa conscious that would be a good thing.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: By keeping on chanting,
gradually your chanting becomes offenseless.
And at first it starts as offensive chanting,
then clearing chanting,
then offenseless chanting.
The more we chant, we gradually overcome all the anarthas.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Nāma-aparādha], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: If people get permission from their spiritual master, maybe they can take a bath in the Rādhā-kuṇḍa.
But one has to know the process.
You should be very respectful.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Questioner: Purabi Das
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: We should not be attracted by temporary things.
Temporary things only last for short time, so we should not be distracted by them.
If we are attracted by some temporary things, we should think how to do that in the service of Kṛṣṇa.
In this way, we can naturally develop our love for Kṛṣṇa.
So, developing love for Kṛṣṇa is a gradual process.
And step by step we develop our love for Kṛṣṇa. Just like if we want to have a child, we pray to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious child.
We do everything in such a way that Kṛṣṇa will be pleased.
And naturally like we were reading how the king and his queen were praying to Kṛṣṇa and then they got a Kṛṣṇa conscious child, they actually got an avatāra, Ṛṣabhadeva as their child who was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Anarthās / Sinful activities], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Keya Rani
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: 2. Because the people of Kali-yuga are very fallen,
therefore sometimes it is difficult for them to chant.
But we should understand that by chanting,
we can achieve all perfection.
So, we should chant, and thus become fortunate.
And just take it that, if we find difficulty in chanting,
it is because of our being very fallen.
So, pray for the mercy of the Pañca-tattva,
our gurudeva,
guru-paramparā,
and thus we can achieve the mercy of the Lord,
and chant His holy name.
Haribol!
Category: [Material World / Kali yuga], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
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: 2023-06-10
Absolutely yes.
Specially keep crying for Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Can someone who is endeavoring to follow his guru’s instructions sincerely and is making efforts to take his guru’s instructions and his desire as his life and soul, but hasn’t got the chance to take formal initiation, can such a person go back to Godhead and achieve the highest goal of kṛṣṇa-prema in this very life? Can he also achieve his guru’s service eternally?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Since the name of Kṛṣṇa is not different from Kṛṣṇa,
somehow by chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa,
one may also achieve the highest perfection.
But a sure way is if possible, is for you to take initiation from the authorized guru-paramparā,
and then in that way serve Kṛṣṇa.
You see Kṛṣṇa gives you the opportunity to take initiation.
If out of false ego you don’t do it,
then it is not really Kṛṣṇa’s fault.
So if He is giving us some help, we should take it.
During this lockdown period
I am also giving initiation on the internet by zoom.
And other gurus are also doing the same thing.
So if one is qualified, they could take initiation.
Don’t have to wait for the guru to physically come there.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Kṛṣṇa Karuṇā-mūrti dāsa
Date: 2022-08-01
Jayapataka Swami: Your hands should be clean!
If you are in some asuci, because your relative died or some other reason -
I never heard that we should not chant on our beads.
Maybe in such asuci times, we are not supposed to go to the temple.
But I never heard that we should not chant on our beads.
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: Bhakta Gopī Kṛṣṇan, Trivandrum
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Why do you say just? Just...
Kṛṣṇa and His holy names are not different.
So it is not a small thing
to chant the holy names.
And certainly, Kṛṣṇa can do anything.
So He can also take you back to His kingdom.
Therefore, we should chant His holy names and engage in His sevā.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Bhakta Gopī Kṛṣṇan, Trivandrum
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Why do you say just? Just...
Kṛṣṇa and His holy names are not different.
So it is not a small thing
to chant the holy names.
And certainly, Kṛṣṇa can do anything.
So He can also take you back to His kingdom.
Therefore, we should chant His holy names and engage in His sevā.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Any devotional service it is recommended we should have utsāha –
we should be enthusiastic.
If you are taking the harināma, that is kīrtana, that is the second practice of devotional service.
Śravaṇam, kīrtanam, viṣṇoh śmaranam.
So in that way if you are going to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, have the association of Kṛṣṇa in the form of the holy name.
And then naturally when chanting we should be very devotional.
The mood – you should be enthusiastic, devotional, what more can I say?
There is a song by Narottama dāsa – he said golokera prema-dhana, harināma saṅkīrtana
So, in that mood that if you have the holy name which is the ecstasy of love of Kṛṣṇa from Goloka coming down.
golokera prema-dhana, harināma saṅkīrtana
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, there are five kinds of liberation.
Sāyujya, merging, devotees don’t want that.
Then there is sālokya, sāmīpya, sārṣṭi and sārūpya.
Having similar form like the Lord,
living on the same planet,
having personal service of the Lord,
living close to the Lord.
Devotees accept the other four, if it includes service,
and they ask the Lord for His service.
Generally, we go to the spiritual world to serve the Lord.
But if He wants us to be with Him in the material world, it is alright if He have His service.
So that way, devotees ask for service.
And naturally if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then Kṛṣṇa takes us back.
Then we can serve Him eternally.
We don’t mind where we serve Him, here, there or anywhere.
However we serve the Lord, we are very happy.
We see, how Lord Caitanya, He came only 500 years ago.
We have more details.
And how the devotees were serving the Lord,
how He was reciprocating.
Then naturally one if one develops their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are very inspired
Are you inspired?
Alright!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Rucika
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, Śrīla Prabhupāda said both things.
But more often he said, we fall from the spiritual world,
and that is why our magazine is, Back to Godhead.
So, there is a whole book on this.
At different times, different things were said.
When the question was given to Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura,
if we came from the spiritual world,
why did we decide to come here?
He said, a person falls from the ship
and a lifeboat comes to save him.
Are you going to ask first, before I get into the boat, tell me how did I come here?
Sharks are spinning all around.
First you get on the lifeboat, then you will understand how you fell.
We don’t understand any way.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapataka Swami: I answered this question yesterday.
So many are here on Zoom.
If we have initiation and follow the bona fide guru, then our road to Kṛṣṇa is sure.
If one meets a bona fide guru, but he does not take initiation out of false ego,
then that is an obstacle.
If one does not meet a guru and he reads Śrīla Prabhupāda books, follows,
then there is no problem.
Some people think I don’t need a guru
and if they meet a bona fide guru they don’t take shelter.
So, that could be an obstacle.
There are all kinds of circumstances.
Generally, one should have a bonafide spiritual master
and should take initiation.
In this way, should perform their devotional service following the instructions of their guru.
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:
Date: 2023-02-25
Jayapatākā Swami: We know our chanting, our devotional service is not very ideal. We would like to improve the quality.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said you should take maximum,
if you are a little experienced, you can do a little faster
maybe an hour and a half.
So
my thought would be,
then I try to chant when I do everything.
Link: 20221014 Evening Address
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-24
Jayapatākā Swami: Prabhupāda said, if a person follows the process of Kṛṣṇa conscious then they can.
If one wants to take birth again in the material world, no.
How free you are from things like offences, may dictate how high you can go in spiritual world.
Whether we get place in Vaikuntha? Whether we get a place in Goloka Vṛndāvana? How I am will able to go?
Or, I mean if a person, I had one person, approached me in India, he was a real strange character.
He said that, “I have been chanting 32 or 20 or 16 rounds for 26 years.
But never gave up eating fish.”
Neutral position that we were discussing today, he reciprocates with the person so perfectly,
that if someone would do something like that because of their offences to chanting, while chanting the holy name,
but they don’t actually make advancement, towards pure love for Kṛṣṇa.
They are getting some benefit from chanting,
but at the same time they are material heart, their material desires aren’t 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 names for some period of time, he got some spiritual intelligence, and he could stop eating fish.
Even though for 26 years he was on his weird practice, where although chanting he never tried to avoid breaking that,
you know, stopping breaking that regulative principle.
So if a person, I mean if he is determined, you know, alright, I am going to chant 16 rounds and I am going to follow the four principles,
but if they take things in an attitude that I’m determined not to give up my material attachments,
then that’s anachronism, you know.
From our side it should be not just externals, but it should be internal, that 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 arenot fully successful.
Prabhupāda said, “There is… That Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, that Lord Caitanya is so merciful,
even though we may not at the point of death have been a hundred percent successful.
We can still get delivered.”
[Aside: How long I should go on ?]
I was in Montreal, and Prabhupāda was giving a lecture, that time we had a vyasāsana for him was very high.
I mean, very, it was like, when we would stand up, we would be facing Prabhupāda eye to eye,
or he would still be even higher than that.
It was a very high vyasāsana, and you have to kind of crawl up, steps going up.
[Aside: It was more like a kind of a culpit.
Culpit or something?
Devotee: Pulpit]
Pulpit, Pulpit.
So he would be up there, he would have a seat there and would even have prasādathere.
On a feast they would bring him a big plate of prasāda, we will all be sitting down,
and he would take Prasad from there and sometimes he would give prasāda out from there.
So one day he was giving his lecture from up there naturally,
and on this point he was just preaching very hard, we have to be a 100% Kṛṣṇa conscious,
we have to try, we have to be 100% Kṛṣṇa conscious, we have to try for that,
we have to become, if we are 100% Kṛṣṇa conscious, then we can get pure love for Kṛṣṇa, then our lives will be completely successful.
He was hammering this point.
The devotees you know thinking, 100%! Their heads gradually started to hanging down and they became very thoughtful,
that 100% was like such an objective that never seem that this ever possible, even you know, to get real close to a 100%.
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, there was no question,
he ended the class, said become cent percent Kṛṣṇa conscious.
There was just like a death.
I mean there was a silence so thick you could swim through it.
And Prabhupāda was just sitting there on this, that raised
vyasāsana and said that, even if you are 90% Kṛṣṇa conscious, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that you may still be delivered.
Then he started to get down, and he was about halfway down,
just as he was getting off that vyasāsana, he turned to the devotees, said, “Even 90% you can be delivered.”
He started walking off, then he turned and then his cādara fell off.
I remember that it was such a dramatic, almost like you know what you see in those movies;
Julies Caesar his chaddar just blew like that you know.
“Even 70%”, he took his cādara and threw it over his shoulders, raised his head and walked off…
(laughter)
Śrīla Prabhupāda Ki!
Devotees: Jaya!
Jayapataka Swami: But the purport is that try for the 100%.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material Sufferings / Death], [Mercy], [Sādhanā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-20
Jayapatākā Swami: Why you are not able to keep the program? What is it that your mind gets attracted to and does not let you do your daily routine properly?
That is your enemy.
You have to hear from the senior devotees about which is the obstacle that stops you.With the weapon of knowledge, you have to cut that.
Doing this you will become strong.
Doing exercise, in one day suddenly you cannot lift 100 kilos!
Slowly 20, 30, 40, 60, and finally in the future you can life 100 kilos.
Maybe more also.
Now His Holiness Bhānu Swami can lift a lot of weight!
I cannot!
He does exercise every day.
You are trying, that is good.
You should not feel disappointed.
Just keep going.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra]
Questioner: Abhirāma Gopa dāsa
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: The third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam
is that, if we practice those principles, we can always chant the holy names.
Amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyā sadā hari
offer respect to others, don’t expect any respect for yourself.
Be more humble than a blade of grass, and more tolerant than a tree,
then you can always chant the holy name
kīrtanīyā sadā hari.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa and His name are not different.
And the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the literary incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, if there is any anxiety or danger,
Kṛṣṇa helps us.
We have great devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he always took shelter of the holy name and His teachings.
But the demon father Hiraṇyakaśipu asked is your God in this column?
He is everywhere, Prahlāda Mahārāja said.
Then Hiraṇyakaśipu kicked the column.
There was a sound ohh….
Hiraṇyakaśipu was looking where is that sound coming from.
Then Narasiṁhadeva came out from the column.
So, you put your faith in Kṛṣṇa, His holy name, the śāstras, He will never let you down.
Prahlāda Mahārāja was an innocent boy, but his father was a demon.
So Prahlāda was not trying to purposely trouble his father.
So if you read the history of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam then that will strengthen your faith.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra]
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-01
If you fix a specific time to read books daily then your reading habit will grow
and if two persons can sit and read, that way your reading habit will increase.
There are some books which are in audio version which you can hear while cooking or doing some work.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapataka Swami: Interesting.
Being a manager I always had, thoughts that would come in my mind.
That I have to do this I have to do that.
I would keep a small notebook in my pocket
and would just write down and that way would not be distracted by my thoughts.
I would chant looking at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lotus feet
or at some Deities or some pictures
and would try to concentrate.
At the end of the chanting, I would look at my note book and see what I had to do.
So I don’t know if that is useful, but some different methods to keep the mind on chanting.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Akhil Verma
Date: 2023-07-07
You can achieve it even in this life,
by getting the mercy of pure devotees,
or you can also take many lives.
Depends, what you want.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Depends on what gives you faith.
I mean, some people have faith by reading the scripture,
since it tells us that the holy name is Absolute and non-different from Kṛṣṇa.
Some people have faith by realization.
If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you may become peaceful and ecstatic.
And that may increase your faith.
Some people commit offences to the holy name.
So they don’t get the full result of chanting.
And you should tell them to be very careful to follow the order of the spiritual master.
I think the third offence to the holy name is to disobey the order of the spiritual master.
We must have a spiritual master and follow his instructions.
There is no question but to accept the spiritual master.
So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had everyone in the temple chant 64 rounds.
Those who went for book distribution and preaching, they should chant 16 rounds.
So Śrīla Prabhupāda said that for the Western rounds it would be difficult to chant 64 rounds.
So he had them chant 16 and preach.
So by following Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions, one can advance.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Emotions / Faith], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: That is the whole question?
So, we always consider our chanting as not pure.
And we try to improve it, making it more pure.
In this way, we will get the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.
We don’t like to be too proud, oh! my chanting is so pure.
We would rather like to present ourselves as very fallen, we need the mercy of Nitāi Gaura.
In this way, we can get mercy.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-27
Jayapatākā Swami: There are certain symptoms are mentioned in the ‘Nectar of Devotion’ and
‘Caitanya-caritāmṛta’.
If those symptoms match up.
If the other subsidiary symptoms are also there, the anubhāvas.
Then these are confirmations that it’s actually real ecstasy.
But in any case, one can always approach the guru
and explain what happened and get confirmed whether it’s a real ecstasy or not, if there is any doubt.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu did that, approached His guru and asked
whether His ecstasies, they were illusion or something.
And then His guru confirmed that no, these are the real ecstasies, you have love of Kṛṣṇa.
Ecstasy may come in a very advanced stage or may come for a moment as a
little preview of future things to happen.
That’s called like they are seeing the light in the sky before the sun rises, or ābhāsa.
So, there is different degrees of ecstasy.
Maybe someone gets a little glimpse of ecstasy but doesn’t stay, that’s the preliminary stage.
Then when one is more purified and takes more shelter of Kṛṣṇa,
then that ecstasy becomes steady.
It’s called sthāyi-bhāva - fixed ecstasy
and one is always feeling spiritual bliss in the service of Kṛṣṇa.
So we want… we may by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, He gives a little preview of ecstasy.
So many devotees say experience in the kīrtana.
In some festival, a little spiritual ecstasy.
It’s like an impetus.
You want to go on getting purified
and then one will be fixed in that ecstasy without any cessation.
Questioner: Anādi Akṣaya Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapatākā Swami: The gṛhasthas need to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center
and by offering their food to Kṛṣṇa,
by doing regular ārati to the deities,
reading certain amount of śāstra,
all these things help to keep one fixed up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Husband and wife should help each other
to think of Kṛṣṇa.
And you may have Deities in the house
and do the various devotional services
to keep your self Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, in the walls here the words ‘Jaya Rādhe’.
So Navadvīpa was made by Rādhārāṇī.
And when Kṛṣṇa went there, He said, “Oh, you have created this beautiful dhāma for Me!
I will bring all the holy places here, so this should be non-different from Vṛndāvana.”
And Kṛṣṇa united with Rādhā and took the heart of Rādhā and Her color.
So He became Gaurāṅga.
With the heart of Rādhārāṇī and He was golden color like Rādhārāṇī.
So how do we know? Because Kṛṣṇa said it is non-different from Vṛndāvana.
Link: 20221024 Evening Darśana
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Depends what you are thinking!
Generally, I would chant in front of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mūrti.
And I would chant the mantra but I would also be seeing Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Everything connected with Kṛṣṇa is also Kṛṣṇa.
It is not really Kṛṣṇa, but it is not different from Kṛṣṇa.
When we clean the temple, the temple is connected with Kṛṣṇa, therefore we clean our heart.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, in any part of the temple Kṛṣṇa is there.
So guru is connected to Kṛṣṇa
and if you see guru while chanting you will be connected to Kṛṣṇa.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Ojasvinī Rādhikā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: We are advised to always remember Kṛṣṇa,
So, in this age, we can always remember Kṛṣṇa’s name and never forget Him.
And whatever we do, we should chant the holy name
and, in this way, you can always remember Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: It is like a multiple question.
You can be in Vṛndāvana by being in Vṛndāvana.
And how to please Śrīla Prabhupāda and me? I am very pleased if you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
If you are studying Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books,
Śrīla Prabhupāda called that tapasyā in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
If you are distributing the mercy out that is also very pleasing.
And if you are doing Kṛṣṇa conscious sevās, there are nine types of sevās,
then that is also pleasing.
How to deal with the vraja-vāsīs?
What is the problem?
How to deal with the vraja-vāsīs in regard to job, work, and association?
She is saying vraja-vāsīs, if she is saying in regard to work she has to work for someone.
You are staying in Vṛndāvana, then you have to live with vraja-vāsīs.
I guess I would just encourage them, they are vraja-vāsīs, they are very fortunate.
That they are in Kṛṣṇa’s land,
so they should be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Otherwise, what is the use of being a vraja-vāsī.
Of course, when I installed the lotus feet this morning,
then afterwards a brāhmaṇa vraja-vāsī said I will help you to worship the Śyāma-kuṇḍa.
Then he took some water, sprinkled it,
tied a thread around my wrist.
And then he said, I am a poor brāhmaṇa, please give me some donation.
So I gave him some.
I saw in Māyāpur, sometimes during the season, the boys come up and say we are having a pūjā program in our pandal for Durgā-pūjā, please give us donation.
So I was thinking we are worshiping Kṛṣṇa every day
but Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Alright, give them 10 rupees.”
So, they are taught they accept whatever they are given. So to make the long story short, just give them 10 rupees and Haribol!
So like that Śrīla Prabhupāda would sometimes give them something just to make them happy.
Link: 20221024 Evening Darśana
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Śaśimukhi Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura,
he like to walk
when he chanted. He was very active.
So he didn’t like sitting and chanting.
He would walk,
pace back and forth chanting.
So as far as leaving our body,
Kṛṣṇa helps us then.
We should practice chanting in all situations;
because the time of death is of course the most difficult time.
I went to a dentist, he said,
“The greatest suffering is kidney stones,
child birth,
dying
and dental [surgeries]!
Welcome to your dentist!!” [laughter]
So he said that dying is one of the most difficult times.
That is why we need to practice chanting now.
So that we can chant at the time when we leave our body.
But even if we cannot,
if we had remained good and chanted all through our life;
at the time of leaving our body, Kṛṣṇa will help us.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Material Sufferings], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Devotional service is a somewhat gradual process.
After taking initiation,
there is the stage of anartha-nivṛtti,
where the mind is somewhat fluctuating.
Gradually we rise above that,
to become fixed on the level of niṣṭhā.
From there we develop a taste.
Then when you are recognizing your mind is fluctuating,
again and again you have to bring it back to Kṛṣṇa.
In that way you can advance in your devotional service.
Just like, there is a prayer to the mind,
like, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he wrote a book,
Vaiṣṇava Ke?,
I wrote some commentary on that.
Who is a Vaiṣṇava?
He is praying to his mind, what kind of a Vaiṣṇava are you?
It is a very heavy prayer
because he chastises his mind.
And Śrīnivāsa Ācārya wrote a book, Manaḥ Śikṣā,
Teaching the Mind.
So somehow we have to bring the mind under our control.
That is the position of bhakti-yoga.
We don’t let the mind wander,
we keep it engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all the time.
Questioner: IYF Māyāpur
Date: 2022-08-03
Jayapatākā Swami: Arjuna asked a similar question
and Kṛṣṇa said that by the sword of knowledge
he should cut the knots of illusion.
So there are different ways to overcome –
one is knowledge.
We have to have knowledge.
Like in Gajendra Mokṣa līlā, the elephant king and the crocodile king were fighting with each other
and they were in the water.
So the elephant realized he was a land animal and the crocodile was a water animal and the crocodile was winning.
Then he prayed to Lord Viṣṇu,
he could remember in his previous life he was a human being,
he was saved by Viṣṇu.
But in the purport Śrīla Prabhupāda says that
we should see which place we are stronger to fight māyā.
Even though we may have knowledge and wisdom,
maybe our nature is such that we should be gṛhastha
but if we can control our lust by knowledge and by engaging in service,
keep the mind off from the object of lust,
then maybe that is sufficient.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Be a friend of Kṛṣṇa!
Many are friends in Vṛndāvana, Arjuna was also a friend.
Uddhava was a friend.
So, one can be a friend by following the footsteps of the friend.
Are you ready?
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Rasapriya Gopikā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Well there are two parts to your question.
One, how do I know if my service is pleasing to guru?
If we are doing something which he has asked us to do,
then it is usually pleasing to him.
If we are doing something which is for our authorities requested us to do
and it doesn’t go in contradiction with anything that guru told us;
and that something that is completely against our nature,
then usually it is very pleasing.
If it is something that is against our nature;
but it is something that is urgently needed;
and sometimes by fulfilling that one gets some special mercy from the guru.
What was the second part?
If our services are not pleasing does it affect our taste in chanting?
If you do not carry out the order of your guru,
then that is the third offence to the holy name
and naturally that will be something that hampers our tastes.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Guru (Spiritual Master)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-16
Jayapatākā Swami: Saṁbandha is understanding of our relationship that we are the servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Abhideya is engaging in that relationship.
And prayojana is achieving the perfection of life,
pure love of Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-20
Jayapatākā Swami: Mind by nature wanders.
We bring it back by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.
You can change your tune, you can chant Pañca-tattva mantra
or if you can look at a picture of Kṛṣṇa or His avatāras,
this way also it helps to fix the mind.
I would chant three rounds and time myself,
how long it takes to chant three rounds.
Because I had many things to do during the day,
so whenever anything would come in my mind I used to write down in my notebook.
Then I don’t have to think about it anymore.
At the end of my japa I would open my notebook and see.
But during the japa I would fix my mind on chanting.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, my Parama-guru and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s guru,
he would always walk and chant.
He was a very active person.
He could not just sit and chant.
So, some people sit, some people walk, we should just chant well any way and hear our chant as well.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Indirectly the trees, the cows, they are providing fruits, milk,
but they are not actively doing service.
Kṛṣṇa goes and milks them.
In one sense, okay they are contributing something,
but they are not like Hanumān, who is flying over the ocean and fighting with the demons.
The service of Kṛṣṇa, they really serve Kṛṣṇa.
We are not saying that the animals, the trees, they are not doing anything useful, they are useful.
But it is not that they do a lot of service.
They do their thing.
Produce fruit, produce milk.
I mean, I am sure the deer would go up and lick Kṛṣṇa.
Śānta-rasa means that they appreciate Kṛṣṇa.
One way you can say it is service.
But those who are in dāsya-rasa, they really do a lot of service.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Five rounds is over 3 million a year!
Gradually as you get older, add some rounds!
Haribol!
Gaurāṅga!
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-08
Jayapatākā Swami: You see this material world is a temporary world, aśāśvatam.
And it is a place of suffering.
You can look up the Al Jazeera or TRT World or any other news stations,
you see all the difficulties.
Some countries there is flood,
some countries hurricanes, cyclone,
some country war,
some pandemic,
rising cases.
There is no old age, disease, birth or death in the spiritual world.
There everyone is related to Kṛṣṇa in a loving relationship.
Naturally, one feels loving ecstasy all the time.
So you have your choice. In this material world there is suffering, there is some lust,
temporarily you will satisfy your lust
and you think that is the goal of life.
But that is not what we are actually looking for.
What we are looking for is the spiritual world.
Free life,
free choice.
Spiritual bliss.
There you serve the Lord out of love.
Here you work for some office
because you make them money
and when you are not making money,
they lay you off,
they fire you!
It is a business relation, there is no love.
So it depends what you want.
If you are attracted by love and freedom of all kinds of suffering,
then that is the spiritual world.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-20
Jayapatākā Swami: You have to chant more the names of Lord Caitanya more.
Nitāi-Gaura!
These names will melt the hard hearts.
The animals in Jhārikhaṇḍa also started chanting with Lord Caitanya.
Pāṣāṇa vidare!
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
You chant this and then chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
Questioner: Hemāṇga Haladhara dāsa
Date: 2022-09-10
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.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-10-24
Jayapatākā Swami: The Vrajavāsīs who understand their eternal servitude, relationship with Kṛṣṇa are above ordinary devotees,
because… even sometimes they may not be as strict… or say, as a… as a… under sādhana-bhaktas,
but because they’ve got some intimate relationship in terms of their being Vrajavāsīs, they… a lot of them can see themselves as servant of Kṛṣṇa.
They’re very connected, that way.
So, that way if a neophyte comes and starts to criticize them, then it can be an offense.
They may not be able to actually understand,
and it’s not so much the neophyte devotees,
but it’s the karmīs, they might not understand what’s special about… a very neophyte or karmī.
They may not understand and they may criticize.
Now, even the criticism might be to some extent just in some cases if it’s not their position,
and then they’re not able to see actually what is the good… the good quality of the person,
the person may… very very attached to Kṛṣṇa, but just due to the Kali-yuga is not , following everything perfectly,
but at the same time, in the ultimate issue, is very much connected with Kṛṣṇa.
So, that way, Prabhupāda said that generally one is supposed to go to the holy-dhāma three days,
because after three days, the glitter wears off, then you start finding fault with the dhāma-vasīs,
and that can be detrimental to one’s advancement.
I think that’s probably the rule that you were referring to.
Devotee: What was Prabhupāda saying there... that persons… people that go to Vṛndāvana,
they’re caught up by māyā and they can’t escape, in this life? There’s some mention of that.
Jayapatākā Swami: Who can’t escape?
What I just said, here?
Yeah… there, I said…
This is different.
These are the people that go to Vṛndāvana,
and imitate the six gosvāmīs,
imitating liberated souls who are not actually on that level.
Bhaktisiddhanta Ṭhākura put it another way… said that Mādhavendra Purī was no doubt a great devotee,
but he didn’t put on any of his emotions.
He wasn’t putting on any show, rather he was trying to avoid it, public attention, but it was coming anyway.
But, if someone tries to… He never cheated, to put on any false show, or even…
someone else puts on some kind of show, imitating Mādhavendra Purī,
it’s not only you know, bad taste, it’s very offensive actually.
So, that’s the thing that’s being criticized.
Not people… in this particular sense, people that imitate the pure devotees,
not someone who’s just a neophyte person who sits down and criticizes people born in the dhāma, or the dhāma, itself.
Prabhupāda didn’t say they’re not devotees, just kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs.
Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī normally doesn’t get liberation.
Have to (indistinct)… preach for our maximum purification.
Is that alright?
Link: 19821017 Arrival Address
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-08
Jayapatākā Swami: How many rounds do you chant?
Devotee: Earlier I used to chant 16 rounds.
Jayapatākā Swami: Okay.
He said that he used to chant 16 regularly
and now he sometimes misses.
You see, you keep track of how many you are short
and later on you make it up.
This way you can keep your standard.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura, we say that he chanted 3 lakhs a day.
Actually, he had a monthly quota.
Some days he would chant more and some days he would chant less.
But average was 3 lakhs a day.
We just chant 1/12th of that which is 16 rounds a day.
Still there may be times when we have difficulties.
You keep track and make it up.
In that way, maybe on Ekādaśī or some holy day,
you chant 64 rounds or 32 rounds,
make up your balance.
Don’t be depressed. Ha! Ha!
Okay?
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Will they not chant?
Will they not have kṛṣṇa-prasāda?
Jayapatākā Swami: If they do book distribution all the time then what is the difficulty?
We have to always do some service or the other.
If they distribute books all the time, that is good.
Those who are in Māyāpur they cannot distribute books all the time.
They come and contribute in the ārati, they dance.
This way they do different services.
But if they do book distribution there all the time, what is the difficulty? It is even good.
But we have to always be doing one service or the other.
One cooks, if there is no cooking then we have a problem.
Like soldiers, one cooks, and one goes out. Similarly, our devotees also, someone cooks, and someone does some other service.
One will distribute prasāda.
If they say that we will not do any other service.
Those who distribute books can also do any other service.
But the time allocated for book distribution, they should do that.
But they can also distribute prasāda, and they should have prasāda. During ārati they should participate and do everything.
One service or the other we have to do.
As many books are distributed, it is good.
But all the time we should do one service.
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: Devotee
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Since He is the Absolute Truth,
so everything is in Him.
But He is bigger than anything else.
So it is not that anyone can contain Kṛṣṇa totally.
He is bigger than everything.
He is the cause of all causes.
And He is without any cause Himself.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the spiritual world there are all kinds of relationships.
But Kṛṣṇa is in the center.
And some may be cowherd boys,
gopas, some are parents,
some are gopīs and rāṇīs,
friends of Yaśodā,
and like Vasudeva, he had many wives.
So, Devakī was the mother of Kṛṣṇa,
and the other wives of Vasudeva were stepmothers of Kṛṣṇa.
Just like, King Daśaratha had three wives.
Kauśalyā, was the mother of Rāma
and the other wives were stepmothers.
So we have all kinds of relationships in the spiritual world.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that in Vaikuṇṭha we also have the husband wife,
they may kiss each other,
but they are serving Kṛṣṇa
and they are in their Nārāyaṇa form.
But there is no birth, death, old age or disease in the spiritual world.
Questioner: Śānta Gopī Mātājī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya comes after Kṛṣṇa, sometimes.
And Kṛṣṇa comes once in a day of Brahmā,
in the 27th Dvāpara-yuga,
and sometimes Lord Caitanya comes after Him in the next Kali-yuga.
So the four yugas are 4 million 320 thousand years
and Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Kali-yuga are 4, 3, 2, 1 [in that ratio].
So Kali-yuga is one tenth of the other yugas.
So that that is why Kali-yuga is 432,000 years
and we have already been through 5,000 years
and now we have 427,000 years left.
What is the yuga-dharma of the next yuga,
that will be revealed in the various śāstras.
But even if it is Harināma,
some other avatāra of the Lord will initiate this.
In Satya-yuga there was meditation, Tretā-yuga there was yajña and in Dvāpara-yuga there is temple worship.
So that is still 4 million years to the next Kali-yuga.
So you can tell me what is the next yuga-dharma.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Material World / Kali yuga], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-11
Jayapatākā Swami: There are many ways one remembers Kṛṣṇa.
Ajāmila, remembered his son,
his son’s name was Nārāyaṇa.
So at the time of death, he was chanting the name of his son.
Somehow, he remembered the original Nārāyaṇa.
Like that Kṛṣṇa for His devotee, He also helps.
And if the devotee remembers Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will come
or He may send His devotees.
Questioner: Kaivalya Sundarī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-12-11
Jayapatākā Swami: They are all Absolute,
at least the first four.
They can have unlimited personal relationship
but whether one is qualified,
we want to be the servant of the servant of the Lord,
not to be directly in the service of the Lord.
So, by being the servant of the servant. of the servant of the Lord,
we get to serve the Lord!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-30
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!
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)], [Sādhanā / Regulative Principles], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Material Sufferings / Death], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Karma / Desires]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-30
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!
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)], [Sādhanā / Regulative Principles], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Material Sufferings / Death], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Karma / Desires]
Questioner: Jayarāseśvarī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-08-27
Jayapatākā Swami: It is on the border.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material World], [Material World / Demigods]
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: Vraja Kṛṣṇa dāsa, Māyāpur
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: It is hard to say,
how is the situation in other Kali-yugas.
Previous Kali-yuga was about 4 million years ago.
So, it is hard to say
and we know in this Kali-yuga,
we chant the holy names
and we go back to Godhead.
Please don’t delay.
The next opportunity,
if it is in Kali-yuga,
it is four million years from now.
Lord Caitanya doesn’t come after every avatāra of Kṛṣṇa.
And Kṛṣṇa only comes once in the day of Brahmā.
And a day of Brahmā is a thousand catur-yugas.
And he has an equally long night.
Then he rests.
So, better to take advantage of this opportunity.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material World / Kali yuga], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Vraja Kṛṣṇa dāsa, Māyāpur
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: It is hard to say,
how is the situation in other Kali-yugas.
Previous Kali-yuga was about 4 million years ago.
So, it is hard to say
and we know in this Kali-yuga,
we chant the holy names
and we go back to Godhead.
Please don’t delay.
The next opportunity,
if it is in Kali-yuga,
it is four million years from now.
Lord Caitanya doesn’t come after every avatāra of Kṛṣṇa.
And Kṛṣṇa only comes once in the day of Brahmā.
And a day of Brahmā is a thousand catur-yugas.
And he has an equally long night.
Then he rests.
So, better to take advantage of this opportunity.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material World / Kali yuga], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Bhaktin Vaiṣṇavī
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Hard to say as the śāstra says one may achieve success just by aspiring.
So, by taking dīkṣā,
one is more guaranteed
but if one is fully
thinking of Kṛṣṇa
at the time of leaving this body,
then he may go back to Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material Sufferings / Death]
Questioner: Vijaya Gaura Kṛṣṇa dāsa.
Date: 2022-10-12
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question.
So, we know that people offer piṇḍa at the Gayā temple.
And we have heard, how people can offer the effect of Ekādaśī.
We can offer the fruit to someone else.
So it would seem that one could offer the fruit of the donation of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
I don’t have on hand the direct verse saying that.
But a son who helps the father from the hellish condition is called the putra.
Pu is a hell.
And tra means in short, to deliver.
Putra means one who delivers the parent from hell.
Putrī is the female of the same.
So, it certainly cannot hurt a person, to give such a donation.
We hope that they would go to Goloka.
Certainly, he would be blessed in many ways.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Wonderful!
No birth, no disease, no old age, no death!
And the body, the form of you is just suitable for your eternal rasa with Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Some have sakhya-rasa, some vātsalya-rasa,
some have mādhurya-rasa.
You may be a man now but you may have another form in the spiritual world.
A woman may be a friend of Kṛṣṇa.
We know we take birth after birth in the material world, and if you think your husband when you leave the body, then you take the next birth as a man, if you think of your wife, then you take birth as a woman.
If you think of Kṛṣṇa, you will go back to the spiritual world.
So we are training devotees, they should think of Kṛṣṇa.
Spouses should also train their loved ones to think of Kṛṣṇa.
How do we look in the spiritual world?
So that depends on your rasa.
Either, you will be a mother, father, friend, servitor, gopī or queen, depends on your rasa.
If you go to Vaikuṇṭha where there is Nārāyaṇa,
then we get a similar form like Nārāyaṇa.
But He has some special symbols,
like the Śrīvatsa mark,
like the Kaustuba-maṇi.
We don’t have that mark.
In the Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta, Gopa Kumāra was in Vaikuṇṭha. Everyone was looking like Nārāyaṇa
and they were saying, here is Nārāyaṇa, here is Nārāyaṇa.
But they were not Nārāyaṇa, they knew who was the original Nārāyaṇa.
Only Nārāyaṇa has this Śrīvatsa mark.
Whether you are in Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka, depends on your relation. You have a form but that is dormant.
When you are liberated you manifest your original form.
So Gopa Kumāra, he was a cowherd friend of Kṛṣṇa,
but first went to Vaikuṇṭha,
he wanted to embrace Nārāyaṇa.
Oh he is God! Nārāyaṇa! You cannot do that.
Awe and reverence!
But with Kṛṣṇa, you can embrace and wrestle.
So you can read the book.
Very interesting.
Finally, he got to Goloka Vṛndāvana and he got his original position
as a cowherd boyfriend.
So what is your form?
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, in Vṛndāvana, you get a 1000 times benefit for any service.
But any offence you do, any materialistic or sinful activity, you also get a 1000 times the bad effect.
So Vṛndāvana is very heavy because we are not pure souls, we may commit some mistake,
so Vṛndāvana is very heavy and to live in Rādhā-kuṇḍa, in a holy place, one has to be very pure.
So it is recommended we go for a few days and then we come back.
But here in Māyāpur, Navadvip, we get the same benefit as Vṛndāvana,
you get a 1000 times credit for any devotional service.
In this month of Dāmodara, we get a 100, that means a 100,000.
A 100 times 1000.
So therefore many ācāryas, they decided to stay in Navadvīpa,
because they get the same benefit as Vṛndāvana, without the negative side.
Here also in this holy place, we have Rādhā-kuṇḍa.
In Ritudvīpa, also here in Caitanya Maṭha.
Tomorrow many people go and bathe in the Rādhā-kuṇḍa.
It is very important for the devotees to bathe in but you have to do it not with an ordinary bath.
Just like ablution.
You go in and out, with all respect.
So some devotees, they think that oh, it is Rādhā-kuṇḍa, jumping off the sides and it is not like a swimming pool.
You have to be very respectful.
It is the holiest of holy places.
So Śrīla Prabhupāda said, it is for the devotees to bathe in but you do so with the utmost respect.
Questioner: Murāri Hari dāsa
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: You see everybody wants to enjoy,
they want to be happy.
But actually, the real happiness is from the spiritual kingdom.
In the material world everything is temporary.
So it is not possible to get permanent happiness,
and to get some happiness we have to get a lot of suffering also.
Like, old age, disease,
studying,
spend so much time to study,
if you are working,
and other people in your workplace may be envious
and they want to screw you,
so they can look good, so then can be the General Manager.
So we find that Quality Control, Operations, Marketing, they are actually trying to create problem for others.
So real happiness that you get is from Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Then you chant and dance.
Sometimes Lord Caitanya said one feels so much bliss
that they cry, laugh.
So like this they feel very happy.
Everyone wants to feel happy.
But māyā eludes us, she kicks us that we be, will be happy in material life.
That if we have lot of sense gratification, we will happy.
But actually, that doesn’t give real happiness.
So one should use this human birth, to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
So, if you think you are the body, then this deep-rooted desire to enjoy the body will come.
But if you realize that you are not the body, then you will try to enjoy by giving pleasure to Kṛṣṇa.
And by giving Kṛṣṇa pleasure we feel happier.
Category: [Karma / Desires], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Are you Go-dāsa or Mohana-dāsa.
You listen to your mind?
Tell your mind, shut up! chant!
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Giridhārī Gopīnātha dāsa
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Gamblers ask, any tip, what horse to bet on?
But here you see Śrīla Prabhupāda said that it should take us not more than about two hours to chant 16 rounds.
So being a manager for many years in ISKCON,
different ideas would trouble my mind of things I had to do.
Today I have to see the DM.
Today I have to buy this, buy that. So many thoughts come in the mind.
So what I do is I have a little notebook
and I would write down the thought
because otherwise the thought would keep coming back, coming back.
I would write the thought to buy something, to do something.
Then I would put the book in my pocket
and would continue chanting.
Sometimes I would see my watch to make sure that I was not taking too much time for chanting.
And I would be concentrating on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mūrti.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, the extent to which Lord Caitanya was experiencing these eight ecstatic symptoms
is not normal.
I mean it is very special.
But, to some extent, you can experience some of these ecstasies.
Experiencing all at the same time is highly unusual,
but Lord Caitanya was doing that.
Maybe Rādhārāṇī does that.
But some of these, definitely eventually you can realize.
Usually one realizes some ecstasies, then another kind, then another kind, like that.
You know, like laughing uncontrollably,
crying, your voice choked up,
it is possible that someone realizes these.
We have seen like Śrīla Prabhupāda, on several occasions he would get some ecstasy.
And since people imitate that,
that it is our custom - we try to hide it.
But sometimes, Śrīla Prabhupāda could not hide it.
And he became very ecstatic.
But it is possible to realize some of these ecstasies.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
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: 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: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-08
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted his disciples to go back to Godhead.
But we want to go back only if there is service we want to go back.
We don’t want to just be there, we want to be there to serve.
So naturally if your desire is to serve, then you will be taken wherever is a place where your service will be.
I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda I wanted to serve him life after life.
Then he replied to me,
why do want to make me come back?
I thought I said the right thing.
I said, I would like to serve you even life after life!
So you can pray like that.
That we want to serve even staying in this material world
but we want to serve.
So in that way if that is the Lord’s desire He will take you back to the spiritual world.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-08
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Children], [Day-to-day Life / Parents], [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Emotions / Sloth], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-08
Jayapatākā Swami: For… for a devotee, the more that you understand that Kṛṣṇa is directly accepting your service through the spiritual master, and the main thing that He is accepting is how enthusiastically you do it.
Because ultimately, He doesn’t need the service.
What He’s relishing is your...your desire to serve Him, your devotion, your enthusiasm.
Just like that time when Kṛṣṇa appeared in the kitchen, and then they so enthusiastically handed Him the banana peel, instead of the ba… they handed Him the banana peel, and He ate the banana peel.
So, then they saw, “I gave Kṛṣṇa the banana peel, and I kept the banana.
He is eating the peel!”
Then He said, “Well for Me, the peel and the apple are the same.
I was relishing your enthusiasm to serve Me.” (laughing)
Actually, Kṛṣṇa doesn’t need anything.
He is already ātmārāmāḥ ca munayaḥ.
He is already complete - oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ.
But the fact that after so many millions of years of forgetting Him, the conditioned soul is coming forward to serve Him, that enthusiasm and that desire is what Kṛṣṇa appreciates most.
So therefore, even if (uhh), the service may not be that… sometimes one needs a slight change of service, sometimes the service is alright.
These are things that can only be discussed by the authorities with the individual devotee as to whether there is adequate service to keep the person fully engaged.
That’s a separate situation.
That has to be dealt with individually.
But even in such a situation, still, one should be very enthusiastic,
and still after being very enthusiastic if the person is bored, or just unengaged, true that it’s not enough service, or not enough to keep the mind in… involved, then that’s something that has to be dealt with individually between the spiritual master,
or the representative… his representative, the temple authority.
Still, the person should be doing the service fully enthusiastically, otherwise, how can you tell whether you’re working up to the capacity or not?
Just like if you’re driving in the car and the pedals… the gas pedals got down and then the car is killing, you see…you know and then you come to some conclusion, “Well, something is wrong with the car.”
But then sometimes when the engine is cold, or when you overload it, just have to put on more gas.
You’re going up a hill, then you keep going up the hill, then when you’re going up the hill, it kills, then you say, “What’s wrong?”
You go and look at your car and everything, but because you weren’t putting the gas on.
Right?
So, when you’re going up the hill, you’ve got to put the gas on.
Maybe sometimes you downshift, put on the gas, and you go up. Right?
If you don’t put on more gas when you’re going uphill.
So, that’s why sometimes Kṛṣṇa makes a person go uphill a little bit, just like you’re forced to put on the gas.
Sink to swim.
Ordinarily you know, if you’re always putting on the gas,then it doesn’t make any difference.
Those type of tests are no longer really needed, either.
So, a devotee is not actually tested that much, and even if he is, it doesn’t make any difference.
He just passes, just to show other devotees as an example.
Do you see what’s for Kṛṣ… for Prahlāda to swim in the boiling oil, because he such a great devotee.
You know.
Similarly, for us, we get very infinitesimal situations comparatively, Kṛṣṇa helps us to cross over them.
Enthusiasm is something that is just (uhh)… just somehow or another, like a person riding, running in a race.
How do you become enthusiastic?
Someone either through instruction, through criticism, through joking, through something, a person just gets fired up and goes out and does it.
Ultimately, enthusiasm is not something, you can pray of course to Nitāi-Gaura,
Nityānanda to help you become more enthusiastic, but enthusiasm comes from one’s desire.
If you desire something, you’re enthusiastic.
If you want to please Kṛṣṇa, you become enthusiastic.
It’s just a question of focusing.
Focusing your… focusing your desires, focusing your intentions, tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena, just like the sunlight, focusing on Kṛṣṇa.
If it’s not focused, energy gets splayed, you lose enthusiasm.
Questioner: Akshas Sukhla
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: By reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
by getting the degrees,
that would be very pleasing to Śrīla Prabhupāda
and be very fixed up in your Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: As I said, any offence is multiplied a thousand times in Vṛndāvana.
In Māyāpur Śrīla Prabhupāda said it is especially good for gṛhasthas.
The material world is designed in such a way that even if you don’t want to, you are obliged to commit some offences, some sins.
So that is why we recommend that people stay a short time in Vṛndāvana and then go out.
In the short time they can be very careful.
But if they stay here permanently,
then they may commit some sinful activities.
That is just the fact.
Link: 20221024 Evening Darśana
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: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: There are four parts of Goloka Vṛndāvana,
Vraja dhāma,
Mathurā,
Dvārakā
and Śvetadvīpa.
Lord Caitanya is in Śvetadvīpa.
And Lord Kṛṣṇa is in the other three dhāmas
In the Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta it says the Lord Jagannātha is in Dvārakā but He is very close to Vṛndāvana dhāma.
How many have read Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta?
So the other question was, is it important for us to study?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if we don’t study, then we may get doubts that may be answered in the books we don’t study, and we may fall down.
I am very grateful to Anukula Keśava dāsa for organizing the Bhakti-śāstri, Bhakti-vaibhava course in the temple.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
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: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, first before we chant the mahā-mantra, we chant the Pañca-tattva mantra.
And after that Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Now if the mind wanders away, we can keep some picture of Kṛṣṇa and focus on that to bring the mind back.
Also, you can time yourself to see how long you take to chant.
If your mind wanders off, you can also change the tune.
One way or other you can bring the mind back.
And after a while your mind gets purified
and then you can chant more and more.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
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)]
We know that Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to give this love of Godhead mainly when we chant the holy names and when we spread the holy names. So, we see around us many leaders, those who are engaged in missionary activities, and they are assisting in spreading the holy name, but when it comes to taking deeply shelter of the holy name, we do not get much inspiration from them because of their being so much engaged in their service. They may be serving so extensively but when it comes to personal sādhana, it may not be so inspiring for us. How do we understand this? Just because they are engaged in the mission will Lord Caitanya give them love of Godhead or they have to work hard to attain śuddha-nāma?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: We do not worry about others.
Kṛṣṇa will judge.
And we try to engage ourselves completely in devotional service.
Just like, I was attending two meetings,
GBC meeting
and then the MOVP meeting,
Museum of the Vedic Planetarium.
During that time, I was chanting on the pedal.
I was hearing and chanting
and at the end of four hours, I chanted 1,924 mantras.
My right hand is not paralyzed but paresis,
don’t have any feeling.
Anyway, while exercise I chant
Somehow or other I always chant.
In this way, I see that one can chant at all times.
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-25
Jayapatākā Swami: But it’s Just… Of course, like one time one mataji in Māyāpur..
was telling Prabhupāda, "I don’t want to do any more service, I want to just chant.
I want to Just chant.”
Prabhupāda said, “Just chant?”
Chanting is not just chanting.
This chanting is the topmost of all our activities.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura, He was, He was perfect simply by chanting,
you see.
But you can just chant, you can simply chant, you can stay here,
and you sleep two to four hours a day,
and you chant the rest of the whole time, and you eat once a day.
That’s why I made Māyāpur, Vṛndāvana for anyone who wants to you know "Just chant."
If someone wants to simply chant, let them come to the holy dhāma.
Not that you chant in New York city or somewhere.
You chant in the holy dhāma and you don't eat,
only once a day and you reduce your sleep and you chant the whole time.”
And then Prabhupāda laughed and said, "You cannot do it.
You will chant for two hours and,
you chant for one hour and you go to sleep”.
Therefore, I have given you so much service.
You see.
Don't think… Chanting is the most difficult thing.
It is the most difficult thing to chant with full consciousness, with full attention,
with full enthusiasm and not to become distracted.
It is the most difficult... you see.
So...
that’s why Prabhupāda said, “Work now, samādhi later.”
That by doing this preaching, by doing this service, by becoming purified,
we get the qualification, then we can chant more, then we can read more,
then we can concentrate more.
It doesn't work the other way.
Of course, we are always chanting too, but to chant more than 16 rounds a day,
is in the beginning stages it’s not that productive as to engage fully 24 hours a day in constant devotional service,
especially in preaching activity.
Not only because now there's an emergency situation, just like when the house is on fire,
that now preaching is the most, is the most essential,
It's especially required that even if a person was capable or is capable of chanting,
even then…
One time we were chanting in Calcutta temple.
I remember that we were all chanting 32 rounds,
and Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami came and told Prabhupāda that,
“Acyutananda Maharaj, Jayapatākā, this one, that one, they are all chanting 32 rounds.”
And we were, they brought us in.
“So, you, and Jay doing that?”
“Yes” (laughter)
He said.. that,
“If you sit and chant 32 rounds, then who is going to go out and preach?
This is my order, you chant 16 rounds and immediately go out and preach,
otherwise who is going to do the preaching?”
Even if we can do the chanting, Prabhupāda wasn’t very impressed.
You see.
Of course, not that...
this is the specifics – particular advice at that moment.
You see, there might be other advices for other people in other situations.
But he wanted us to go out and establish Kṛṣṇa consciousness in India.
And if we are sitting the whole day and chanting japa then what's going to happen?
So, in that sense Prabhupāda, even if a person was capable of chanting,
still Prabhupāda wanted us priority to preach.
And actually, by preaching, what chanting one does do,
one can actually appreciate more intensely.
So, this preaching is something very wonderful.
It is an actual science.
It’s a whole science of preaching.. that this is a special benediction,
a special opportunity for us to make very rapid advancement.
And.. especially in Kali-yuga there are unlimited opportunities to preach.
In Satya-yuga.. you know you won’t get that fired up for preaching,
because here now the māyā is so obvious that preaching is....
and the mercy of Lord Caitanya is so great,
that the contrasts are so intense or so... vivid!
You see that here is the greatest mercy,
and at the same time here is practically greatest sinful activities going on.
And a person, if they someone or other can just be brought to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa,
to engage in reading Prabhupāda’s books and doing some devotional service,
can gradually come up to that platform.
It's a very great opportunity.
And then we can actually relish chanting.
By.. our organizing systems others so many others can chant,
then we are reaping the benefit also.
Just like a commission from everyone chanting.
So that way it’s...
like a pyramid letter or, something like that,
chain letters?
Just like that you're getting so many transcendental... results
for every person that engages in devotional service.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-25
Jayapatākā Swami: If a person...
renders devotional service without...
hearing and chanting,
that is basically what karma-yoga is.
Doing some service, of course karma-yoga,
maybe that one is working and giving the fruits of the labor.
So if it is doing something which is specifically ordered by the guru,
then of course it comes more under bhakti.
The problem without chanting and hearing,
is that the consciousness does not become purified.
The power.. of purification in this Kali-yuga,
is in the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Just like in every age, there is a yuga-dharma.
So, in general, devotional service is...
is to be performed.
But in this age, just like in the other age meditation was the system, then sacrifice,
and temple worship.
So, this age the system to purify the consciousness is hearing and chanting, saṅkīrtana.
If a person just renders devotional service without hearing and chanting,
then the danger is that the person is..
getting spiritual credit,
but the desire to engage in material activity may not be counteractive.
That desire, that seed is there in our heart to engage in materialistic activity
and to counteract that we need the mercy of Nityānanda.
We need to fill our hearts with spiritual happiness,
you see.
So, rendering devotional service is sensitive,
we are still a bit too covered up to be able to fully relish..
the real.. benefit of...
of the service that he is doing at that time.
And so, the danger is that the person can become misled again into material activities.
It's like...
when you are on some battleship which is.. firing but does not have its radar,
doesn’t have the defenses.. you know, it's only.. it’s doing something,
but it does not have any defense.
The chanting is both defense as well as offense both,
but it actually protects us and gives us the opportunity, that ability to relish.
It gives us the spiritual realization for just the service alone.
In this particular age, it's difficult for one to actually...
be able to.. experience the transcendental...
happiness and transcendental realization just by their service.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-09
Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes they come as first body as Brahmā.
Human is the first birth that you get a chance to go back.
Brahma at the end of the universe, can go right back.
Unless he becomes materialistic, then from Brahmā they can work their way down to a bug or one can be as human.
That will depend.
It’s not a… No one can say, it is not any, you will find some different evidences in the Vedas.
Coming as a Brahmā or coming as a human, that is not... that may vary from case to case.
We found that Jaya, Vijaya, they came as demons.
Each person, why they are here, why, no one can say exactly.
Everyone is an individual eternally.
And the only way we will know the exact reason how we got into this material world is when we ultimately again we get our liberation.
This is like a dreaming state.
Right now, we are locked into the dream and the whole endeavor is to get out of the dream, to wake up.
So, once we… It’s just like someone is in a kind of coma.
And in the coma, he is dreaming so many things.
And then in that dream, he is going from one dream and then he jumps out and goes to another dream, until finally he can remember someone comes up and says, “Harry! Harry!” [laughter]
And then he comes out of the dream, “Where am I? Right?
Where was I?”
It’s like once you come out of this material world and you come back to your original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it will be like, I did all those things! I was an animal, and a man, I forgot, I forgot completely about Kṛṣṇa and about my eternal spiritual nature.
And just like a dream.
You never want to go to sleep again, you don’t ever want to come in the material world again.
The thing is one has to want to wake up.
So that’s why the spiritual master is so kind.
Even a person is sleeping, doesn’t want to wake up, they are calling, jīva jāgo, “Wake up, Wake up!
You are not this body.
You are eternal spirit soul.”
And the soul has heard so many things in its life.
You are an American, you are a Bohemian, you are a hippie, you are a conservative, you are republican, you are a democrat, this that.
And never even, doesn’t even come near to waking up the soul.
It is just different! It’s just trying to change the structure of your dream.
But when that pure devotee says, “No, you are an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, you are not this body”, then immediately the soul starts, it is the first time anything that was said is actually directed at the soul.
It starts to move, it starts to wake up.
Then the soul starts to direct the intelligence, what is that? What is he saying?
It’s shocking that the first time one hears that he is a devotee, it may even come as an intense shock.
The first time the devotee is saying, is going right to the soul.
They don’t even speak to the body and the mind; it is going right to the soul.
Because the soul can exert its influence and can control over the mind and the body.
But it has to be awakened, it is has to actually come from the soul, to act in its original, constitutional position.
So how we fell in this material world exactly?
What we were before? When we wake up, when we realize our original position, then we can remember all these things.
So, it is not always a stereotype.
We may come first time as a Brahmā and work our way down and may come in so many ways.
What we were before we came, what was our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, what was our position, how we fell down, what desire we had? - these are different in every case.
Questioner: Bhaktin Sujatha Kartikeyan
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapatākā Swami: It is hard for us to understand when we can go to Godhead.
And that time is revealed by Kṛṣṇa.
And we cannot go earlier, so we try to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Then naturally we think about Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Because we don’t know how long we have to live
so we should be ready any time to go back to Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-17
That is our connection with our spiritual master,
to serve him
and carry out his instructions,
the vāṇī-sevā.
It is definitely very difficult
but there is nothing else we can do.
We have to keep our connection with the spiritual master,
by carrying out his instructions, his vāṇī,
and this way we will be connected with our spiritual master.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Guru (Spiritual Master)]
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: 2022-08-29
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, if we mentally reside in the temple or holy dhāma,
this way on internet I go different places, but I certainly attend the Māyāpur maṅgala-ārati regularly.
This way, through YouTube, Facebook, through Māyāpur TV you can get darśana of various temples.
we can get that way, mentally you are visiting the holy dhāma.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes when we are chanting we forget Kṛṣṇa.
But by chanting our mind can come back to thinking about Kṛṣṇa.
So we should keep chanting.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-25
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, there is two types of service to guru –
vapu-sevā
and vāṇī-sevā.
When I am personally present and you are doing some personal service,
that is called vapu-sevā.
But otherwise, vāṇī-sevā to serve the spiritual master by following his instructions.
So if you make devotees, if you study Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books,
engage in some form of devotional service,
I get very happy by that.
And it is not necessary that you have to be where I am.
You can carry out my instructions anywhere.
Jayapatākā Swami: You know, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that it took him twenty years for him.
How many lifetimes it will take for us, I don’t know!
But we try to do service for Lord Kṛṣṇa,
for Śrīla Prabhupāda, for guru
and this way, eventually the devotional ecstasy, devotional service increase.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: You should try to not let go the bead.
Normally, we start where we stop chanting on the beads.
?
You can chant when you are thinking about Kṛṣṇa as well.
That is why you can take the beads out of your bag and chant holding the beads with two hands.
And when we keep chanting, we are thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
It is natural to think of Kṛṣṇa when we are chanting.
But we have to keep chanting.
I hope that all my disciples will not have this problem that when they think of Kṛṣṇa while chanting, they stop chanting.
They have to chant 16 rounds.
They have to chant 16 rounds.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Let me take it another stage, you see. Because that’s very easy to answer because,
you see, in the spiritual sky, in the Goloka Vṛndāvana, Lord Caitanya has His own
section of Goloka Vṛndāvana where He along with His associates, it’s described that
associates of Lord Caitanya generally having, of course, separates mothers and other,
they are generally having male forms. While the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
of course, except for the friends, but I mean to say that generally they
are having the female forms like gopīs and that. There a lot of gopīs.
So, simultaneously, in the spiritual world, those who are the devotees of Lord Caitanya,
they’re having their form with Lord Caitanya,
and those who are the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they are having their forms with Kṛṣṇa.
Those who are having both relationships
like there may be someone exclusively with Lord Caitanya, although this is very rare;
mostly they will have relationships with both, because that was Lord Caitanya’s mood.
So, they’ll have their form simultaneously with Kṛṣṇa and with Lord Caitanya.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: When we chant Nitāi-Gaura first,
we get the fruit of that when we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: As the temple president my mind would go on all the work that I had to do.
I had to meet the DM (District Magistrate), I had to do this, I had to do that.
I used to carry a small book,
whenever a thought came up, I would write it down and put it back
and then concentrated,
otherwise, my mind would again and again think about this thing.
Instead, I wrote down in the book and continued chanting.
Some kind of way you can think of to write it down or something.
I would chant before Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mūrti
meditating on his lotus feet.
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: Suvra Dev Babu
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: In the material world our spiritual body is dormant,
and the soul is just a small cid particle,
one ten thousandth of the tip of the hair.
But in the spiritual world,
our soul expands into a spiritual body,
which is not different from ourselves,
and that is sat-cit-ānanda.
So, we don’t actually have to take a new body,
we regain our original form.
But since the normal situation
in the material world,
is that when we leave the body,
we take a new body,
that is the general principle.
When we go back to the spiritual world,
we manifest our original body,
our original form,
which is sat-cit-ānanda.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-06-10
How to develop favourable devotional attitude?
we should accept everything for devotional service and give up everything which is unfavourable.
If we really understand what is our self interest?
What is helping us?
And we understand serving Kṛṣṇa and serving his devotees are our own self interest and then we know what is the favourable for that we accept the favourable things and we avoid the unfavourable automatically we can.
Start to get lined up.
Now what is very important is to develop that is by associating with the devotees already have their attitude.
Not that every devotees is equally developed in his favourable attitude such those who are especially ball pointless those who are in bitter mood they may be advancing but in a slow track.
Those who are seeing good qualities in others enthusiastic cheerful and they don’t hold any grudges on anyone they are in mode of fast track.
So we look for devotees that we can relate with a better situation we are and associating with them and in this way we can progress by the good association and this leads to the next question which is sādhu-saṅga which is one of most if not the most important limbs of devotional principles is offensive be six certain devotee association to avoid others,
So we select the associating just associating of any devotees so we can read the questions super souls.
Lord Caitanya said that there are three kinds of devotees those who are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa but they are not following the principles we can help them otherwise we don’t associate with them very intimately but those who are initiated and following very strictly we can accept them in a very we can respect them and offer respect to them and associate with them.
And those who are very advanced who are fully fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness who are in the level of guru we can take shelter from them.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that we can seek out association with the likely minded devotees.
Of course hopefully the like minded should be a good mind but its all right we may be more intimate with some than the others.
Everyone was born in this world so that we can start to go closer and closer to Kṛṣṇa especially being born as a human being.
We have given the chance this human form of life to go back to Kṛṣṇa.
If we miss out it’s a big loss.
Human life among the eighty four lakh species of life eight million four hundred thousand species
the species which has given the chance to go back to godhead.
What is the meaning of life?
Well Kṛṣṇa has given us the freedom to try to work out the material desires and at the same time he has given the opportunity to go back to him.
So all the other species of life they are working out their karmas and at last they come to the human form of life and then they go back to Kṛṣṇa.
We made it.
Haribol!
We are human beings but we don’t engage in Kṛṣṇa service we may blew it and loose out.
So therefore what is the advice?
The advice is what Kṛṣṇa said in Bhagavad-gītā think of him,
“man-manā bhava mad-bhakto” become his devotees mad-yājī mām namaskuru – bow down to him and worship him,
always think of him,
be his devotee,
bow down to him,
worship him,
engage in his devotional service,
take shelter of his representative the spiritual master who guide you how to serve Kṛṣṇa and in this way in this life time you can reach Kṛṣṇa.
So initially we chant the holy names of Kṛṣṇa because it is the easiest way to worship him and to remember him.
By chanting,
Very nice questions.
For person who is new in Kṛṣṇa consciousness how does he know for sure that scriptures were not adulterated and the one was translated by Prabhupāda because one might have the tendency to think that the Prabhupāda is another ordinary human being looking for fame and name.
Well its a good objective question and people should ask such questions to clear away their doubts normally you ask this someone could they really study Prabhupāda's character.
you see you have a nature someone have the tendency to think that the Prabhupāda is another ordinary human being looking for fame and name.
Well its a good objective question and people should ask such questions to clear away their doubts normally you ask this someone could they really study Prabhupāda's character.
you see you have a nature someone is after name and fame.
There are so many spiritual movements who was named after the Guru.
This bābā and this swami movement and so on and so far.
I dont want to mention any name since i respect all of them but we are not seeing this Prabhupāda for his part im not saying others did it for the reason but i'm saying Prabhupāda he didn't use even his name if he was after name and fame he would have his own name he didn't input his name.
He called it as "International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness" Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.
All around the world everyone knows hare Kṛṣṇa but many people don't know who is the founder of hare Kṛṣṇa is?
They don't know the founder His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
Not only he was serve place nor after name and fame but he was coming in this sucession of devotional masters and he gave up a very comfortable situation in a holy place in India.
To bring this message to the west and many people said to follow up to change your principle but he never changes his principle.
He said i don't want that kind of followers.
Let me have less followers but i want followers who are serious about knowing the science of Kṛṣṇa.
He never compromise his principle and what he said is exactly following in the you see whatever Prabhupāda said is if you want to go and see you can see what the previous gurus have said.
If there is any contradiction and which great scholars even in India none of them of all the people so many people have written appreciation with Prabhupāda words nobody ever accused him of changing the view of Kṛṣṇa.
Everyone is saying that he is giving out clearly what is the message of Gita and Bhāgavata are presenting?
Then another point this also Prabhupāda put here the sanskrit and the word to word you can see you can ask any Sanskrit scholar is it correct translation may be many translations were nobody said it is equal.
This translation this regional Sanskrit everything is there so any objective persons they can understand what is the message given in the śāstra?
Then according to that realization standard down from previous guru sequence isn’t it?
He is a bona fide representative of his disciplic succession he has the credentials.
Someone can go doubting but the other proved those who followed him the medicine is working.
When you go to a doctor how do you know that the doctor is good?
The patient get cured so he is good.
Everyone who took the medicine that Prabhupāda gave they are getting cured.
Swamiji stick to the poses scientifically how does one know about the existence of the soul?
Because the existence of the soul is mentioned in the Vedas.
Scientists can always go back to the lab and prove that his conclusions were based on his experiments.
How does one go back to the Vedas and questions the Vedas because one should have faith in the Vedas.
For scientists Vedas are just books which can be proven wrong without experiments.
Similarly how does one prove the existence of Kṛṣṇa?
According to them he is just a fairy tale.
Of course this is a big question.
He gave in all lectures listen where we have some intellectuals here Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a class.
One form of gathering knowledge which the scientists are using what is called empirical.
It is called deductive and inductive.
It is called deductive.
Just like here we have 100 to 80 people 200 people everybody here we have one head,
two arms and two legs so based on the sampling of the people here it is said all people have one head,
two arms and two legs.
But sometime there might be someone born with born with one arm or three arm or two heads then the whole theory would go out.
The deduction means it's based on here experiments like I got a medicine today and the medicine said we don’t know how this works?
But based on clinical tests they works and based on so far so many thousand people tested it doesn’t done anybody any harm except some people get allergic and some people get diseased something they got the itching medicine so they don’t know you know may be that 1% so allergic to this medicine and die.
But based on the tests only 10 people got sick and 20 people got allergy and ten thousand nothing happens so this is okay its all right so this is deductive knowledge.
By deductive knowledge you can never know anything for sure.
This cycle has a theory,
okay swans in Germany are white.
There are thousands of swans are there and so someone comes with the theory all swans are white then someone go to Australia there they have a unique black swan.
So the whole theory that the swans are white have gone out.
One black swan shows up so these are just very crude examples.
So you can come up with the idea like this what is life?
Just like every year the full theory is like what is the process of creation?
What is matter?
And
eventually a scientist talks the physical law could explain everything I don’t know this seem like a scientific personal he didn’t put his name.
But nowadays our science has got a lot of changes and we had a meeting in 1986 called “the synthesis of science and religion” Nobel prize laureate he has admitted we would never have been sitting with religionists,
the swamis,
the gurus and the people 20 years ago but now because of the quantum mechanic research in physics we find that sub atomic particles are quantum mechanics does not act according to normal physical law.
Therefore we want to know from these great wise people whether they have any information that can help us.
That one Nobel laureate right on the Vedas on the books of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and he said that there is valuable scientific information to be gotten from these books.
So the other form of knowledge is called inductive were we are getting from Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa knows what He is?
He knows how he created the universe?
He knows what the ātmās are?
And he is handed down this knowledge.
By deductive means it is impossible to know what existed before creation?
Or before this existence or everything that exists.
How can you know that?
There will be no evidence.
In the Vedas Kṛṣṇa said only I existed.
This material world did not exists,
Śiva did not exists,
Brahmā did not exists only I exists its in the Ṛg Veda.
So what to know what to exists before existence?
And the material world we can only know from Kṛṣṇa.
You can study the Vedas from this that point of view.
Then this got called He is giving the explanation what is existence?
And see if it works.
You will find I’m a science student I was a science student now I’m a Vedic student.
And I found that the Vedas are incredibly scientific.
And many many very intelligent people PhD's are taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness based upon the scientific nature of this Vedas.
So there are a lot of practical reasons why this soul exists?
And why we can’t understand its existence?
(aside):
But I’ve to go on other questions.
Lord Kṛṣṇa He has said that He is the higher of all living entities and so he is the higher of the devas and he is the one who fixes people’s faith on different devas.
When a person fully takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa then they need to see Kṛṣṇa in everything including the devas.
If they can see devas then there is no problem but the Kṛṣṇa the devas they got confused about how that two relate with each other then its obstacle.
So that’s why the devotees should understand that the devas are all great devotees of God.
His expansion in the Vedas what we call it as sahasra śīrṣāḥ puruṣaḥ What that mantra called?
In the puruṣa śūkta how all the devas are different parts of the body of the lord in the Viśvarūpa also mentions that so that devas are the arms representing so we understand that the devas are the devotees of the lord and we offer them respect as devotees then that is no problem.
If we go to the devas and asks If we go to the devas and asks the devas a blessing to be a better devotee of Kṛṣṇa then there is no problem.
But if we go to the devas and asks the same thing that the devas asking from Kṛṣṇa then Kṛṣṇa asks who do you really take shelter me or him?
If you want to take from him then all right no need to take from me.
But the devas they can give us the ticket back to Kṛṣṇa they can help us in many ways.
I was just reading this morning in Bhāgavatam when Kṛṣṇa had disappeared from Dvāraka when he was looking for the Śyāmantaka jewel all the residents of Dvāraka went to durgā and they prayed to durga please bring Kṛṣṇa back to us we want Kṛṣṇa back.
So out of love for Kṛṣṇa they prayed to the divine mother to bring Kṛṣṇa back.
So in someways that devotees of Kṛṣṇa ven prayed like that the gopīs prayed to Kātyāyinī to Pārvatī her name is Katyāyinī to get Kṛṣṇa as her husband so such things are all right for devotees.
Everytime I go to deva temple I always pray to deva for blessing to be Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to spread the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya because I know that because this is what they all want.
If we read in the Purāṇas
the devas are fighting with the demons you know how much they want us to spread us this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
That’s really what they want?
When a person dies the soul leaves the body three or ones if we pick this one we can lack again.
what is the best method?
Bhakti-yoga.
Kṛṣṇa said bhaktyā mām abhijānāti – except for my devotee no one else can know me.
If you want to come to me you want to come by surrendering unto me.
Every time is good 24 hours a day but the best time to start your meditation is called brahma-muhūrta which is an hour and a half before sunrise.
But if we can’t do that time do any time we can do.
That’s the best time according to sastras.
So we should do all the time.
Well,
very good good very good
if you are simply thinking about Kṛṣṇa in a possible way and you feel tears coming that means you are getting some mercy from Lord Caitanya.
Of course some times people think of other things and cry so I’m hoping that you are thinking about Kṛṣṇa and crying so that’s good.
If you are feeling attachment for Kṛṣṇa this is a very good sign things like this are more for individual talking to the guru because how can I say by somebody is crying but it could be that it is devotional crying.
If one does experience special symptoms in spiritual life that is a good reason to interviewed with guru and conclude up with the advanced devotee and then they can see whether everything is going all right and how to advice you?
It’s not something to talk about in public.
Question:
But have to becoming a devotee means still one has a same suffering and problems as non-devotee.
Even after taking of devotional service one still has the propensity to be envious and causing anxiety to others.
There is nothing wrong in the process of devotional life why does devotees come under māyā’s attack?
Answer:
There are so many process of purification.
You come to bhakti means this is the supreme process there is no other process after this.
And there is no need of doing any lower processes but still we have to learn how to do bhakti-yoga to do properly.
As we do bhakti-yoga we will find many dirt will come in our hearts.
It’s a cleaning process,
if we clean the house dust comes out.
We have to be very careful to move the dirt.
We have to be learned to be tolerant.
We have to learn to be humble.
These are part of the devotional process.
Now side by side by chanting and performing the activities we have to also do cleaning.
We have to be always analyzing and seeing wherever we have defects and systematically try to move that.
Then in this material world time is immemorial.
Millions of millions of birth even after few days,
months,
weeks or years of devotional service its not likely some of the contaminations are still there in our hearts.
But if we absorb ourselves fully in devotional service and we take the shelter of the spiritual master properly then we can burn out these accumulated contaminations very quickly.
So the reason why the process of devotional service is to get different attacks the contamination is there as I mentioned in the class we are getting devotional service very easy from Lord Caitanya we are making mmediately they are close on us.
They will take away the curve.
We have to make a proper we have to be patient we are not fully qualified for devotional service we are getting it on a special concession like the government sometimes give the poor people the low cost housing.
They don’t get afford to get a house but they can buy it by low credit just to get the people out of the slums.
So Lord Caitanya want us to get out from this horrible material world.
He is giving us a special credit plan.
Because we are not fully qualified we have to work it becoming qualified.
You are coming to this process very quickly.
But if we stick to it within a short period of time we can get rid out of this bad qualities and we become properly situated.
So we need the patience and determination and the conviction.
We need the associate properly with devotees.
We need to avoid the different kind of negative activities and we have to be very open hearted and straight forward.
These are the six things that Rūpa Gosvāmi recommends us and help us
to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So in one sentence nothing wrong.
And people surely benefit something by hearing them.
But usually for the initiated devotees prefer to hear singing by someone more spiritually developed.
These are especially songs sung by attracting the new people by music aspect but not spiritual aspect.
In public programs we use these more but for personal purification it is recommended to hear Prabhupāda and some other pure devotee chanting.
But its nothing wrong but that is the guideline.
In Kali-yuga for different this is very funny the four varṇāśramas.
So four āśramas we don’t.
I understand its meaning.
Question is addressing the āśramas.
It’s a mistake to go through the varṇas.
So the āśramas it depends also so some people just go through marriage the only āśrama they have to go through.
For spiritual life someone joins the movement he is a gṛhastha we don’t say he has to go to brahmacārī.
But later on the gṛhasthas are good to taken vānaprastha husband and wife together.
It is not essential that people must take sannyāsa.
If they are initiated wife and husband prepare themselves for this also.
This all voluntarily.
One doesn’t have to go through different āśramas but its something that one has to consult with one’s own guru.
What is best for each individual?
To which āśrama that one should go through?
Some brahmacārīs go straight to sannyāsa and some brahmacārīs to gṛhastha and vānaprastha.
So this all different scenarios.
Questioner: Akhila Bandhu Gopāla dāsa
Date: 2022-08-27
Jayapatākā Swami: So, there is only one God.
Different religions may think that they worship different Gods.
But from a Kṛṣṇa conscious point of view we understand that there is only one God.
The Mohammadans worship as Allah, and the Christians worship as God.
So, the real thing is whether you have developed love for the Supreme Person.
If you are just praying to the Supreme Lord, to give you bread, to give you good wife, good husband, something like that, then that means you are only attached to material things, not to Him.
We want that people should develop their love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So, what Lord Jesus said was the Kingdom of God we say Vaikuṇṭha, it is the same thing.
The question is that to what extent they actually develop love of Godhead, then we have no objection.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Other philosophies / Christianity], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
You have mentioned just now about the glories of Navadvīpa-dhāma and residence in Navadvīpa-dhāma is beneficial and profitable. We are in Bangladesh constantly facing opposition and we are in such an unfavorable situation trying to carry out preaching but practically we are on war front with certain groups. How can we remain in Navadvīpa-dhāma consciousness and get the benefits of Navadvīpa-dhāma while we are in our preaching fields under these circumstances?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-04-10
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question.
Of course, we should understand that if we face a lot of inconvenience or unfavorable situations for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, for the service of Kṛṣṇa, then we should know that Kṛṣṇa is very grateful to us.
We can serve in Navadvīpa-dhāma in separation.
Just like, whether you get more credit if you stay in Navadvīpa-dhāma or if you go out on saṅkīrtana preaching.
When we preach and spread the glories of Māyāpur-dhāma, then our Founder-Ācārya, our previous ācāryas, they are very pleased.
So the śāstra says about Navadvīpa-dhāma, about Vṛndāvana dhāma, how much benefit we get.
But when one goes out to preach, the amount of benefit that one gets, that is incalculable.
I was going out from Māyāpur and distributing books.
Śrīla Prabhupāda did not tell me, oh, you stay in Māyāpur, you will get more credit.
He told me to distribute 10,000 big books and 100,000 small books in a month.
So then when I was sick, he told me, maybe you are working too hard, remain in Māyāpur and work through your assistants.
So, in this verse, it mentions sevā-bhāva.
And we want to do that service which is most pleasing to our Founder-Ācārya.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Preaching]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, we have to desire to be there.
We also have to do favorable devotional service.
The two things together, I mean it is Kṛṣṇa’s causeless mercy
that there is nothing we can do that will deserve that.
But if we desire and engage in devotional service then Kṛṣṇa, if He pleases will give His mercy.
Sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Rādhārāṇī would say to Kṛṣṇa, this is a very nice devotee.
If Rādhārāṇī indicates that Kṛṣṇa should give His mercy,
then He will do it.
So that is why we say it is causeless mercy.
There is nothing we can do that actually we would deserve it.
We try and if Kṛṣṇa gives us the causeless mercy, we can have it.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Questioner: Neha
Date: 2022-12-06
Jayapatākā Swami: Normally we visit the holy dhāma just for a few days.
That time we are very careful not to commit any offence.
And if we stay longer for some parikramā or something,
then we try to hear from the devotees.
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
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.
Questioner: Śacīputra Avatāra dāsa, Bangladesh
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: It depends, what your work is.
So, his question was we should always chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, how can we do that work?
He is from Bangladesh.
So, it would depend, what your work is.
If you are working in like some factory or something,
you can sing while you work.
If you are working in an office,
naturally you have to do your office work.
Before you do your office work you can chant oṁ tat sat!
What I am about to do is a service,
you are saying this to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Of course, from your salary you can offer bhoga, donate something to the temple
and you are also going to survive,
you and your family.
So in the beginning, you can say oṁ tat sat!
If you chant mentally even if you are not able to chant,
anyway you are doing your work, which is part of your neutral work.
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