Question: Many times, māyā defeats me and I feel very much embarrassed. What should I do to get protected and encouraged not to fall again?
Author: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-24
Jayapatākā Swami: You should win, not lose!
Anyway, that is why Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Śrīla Prabhupāda said is a gradual process.
When you are a little baby, you will fall down a few times
but as you grow up you should not fall down.
A three-year-old child will fall
but if you are a 12-year-old child you should not fall.
As you advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness you get stronger.
Related Questions
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-07
If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa,
you surrender to Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa says mokṣya,
that He’ll protect you from all the sins.
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
‘Sarva-pāpebhyo’,
all pāpa He’ll protect you from.
There’s no other way to get free from your sin except for taking shelter of the Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Even if you do pious activity that doesn’t get rid of the sin.
Only by serving Kṛṣṇa you’d be get free from all the sin
Questioner: Bhaktin Pūjā
Date: 2022-09-30
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, this material world is like a prison house.
And if you serve Kṛṣṇa, you get out of this prison.
If you serve guru and Kṛṣṇa, you will be free!
Do you think that the jail keeper will let you go so easy?!
She tests you first to see that you are really sincere.
And when you pass the test, she will offer you her obeisances.
Thank you, you can go back to Godhead!
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Emotions / Stress/Anxiety], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
As we grow in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become devotees who are in senior positions, and at the phase of becoming mature devotees, we still tend to make vaiṣṇava-aparādhā while having that position and naturally when we have power and position that is what the people instead of having humility, because of their power and position, people, they tend to make or have the tendency to make vaiṣṇava-aparādhā. How do we correct that?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You were not here last night. We talked that sometimes a father, a senior devotee, may have to correct a junior devotee.
It is not considered an offence.
The criticizing or laughing at Lord Brahmā that is something offensive.
If you have to correct a junior devotee, if you have to correct someone do that in private
so that their ego won’t be troubled.
And if we have to do it, then do as a sandwich,
do you know what it means sandwich?
You first of all praise them,
and then say what you want to say criticizing them,
then you praise them again.
That way, they don’t feel that the person doesn’t love me.
But we should not criticize, laugh at some senior devotee.
That may be there in ISKCON, but we should not do that.
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: Balavān Śrīnivāsa dāsa
Date: 2022-08-24
Jayapatākā Swami: Hope you never reach that stage!
And that always try to avoid offences.
I don’t know what the limit of Lord Caitanya’s mercy is but
I don’t want to take it that far!
Especially Lord Caitanya. He did not want anyone to offend the Vaiṣṇavas.
Cāpāla Gopāla offended Śrīvāsa and He said you have to suffer.
But then Cāpāla Gopāla begged Śrīvāsa for forgiveness.
Lord Caitanya embraced Cāpāla Gopāla and saved him.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses) / Vaiṣṇava-aparādha], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Nāma-aparādha], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Anarthās / Sinful activities]
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: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know if there is a system to take others’ faults.
You can donate some of your merits to others.
That is in the Padma Purāṇa
that one lady she was donating some of her merits to a bull
who was being mistreated and who died.
So the ātmā from the bull took birth as a brāhmaṇa boy
and he remembered that he was a bull from his previous life.
Normally people are very greedy to get more merit, and they don’t give it away.
So he was curious how she was giving away her merit.
So he went to see her,
and said, you don’t know me but I know you.
Remember the bull who would be beaten and you gave some merit to the bull?
So I was that bull and now I took birth as a brāhmaṇa boy
and she revealed that she was reading the Bhagavad-gītā regularly.
Therefore, she gave half of her merit to the bull
and the bull took birth as a brāhmaṇa boy
and he started to read the Bhagavad-gītā also
and he went back to Godhead!
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Mercy]
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-28
Jayapatākā Swami: Yes. Māyā in the holy dhāma, she covers the dhāma with a thin karpanāya, with a thin coating.
And the non-devotees who live in the dhāma but have not accepted their relationship with Lord Caitanya, they are not living actually in the dhāma.
So why not in the temple?
If someone is in the temple but one’s mind is always outside the temple
or if one has not accepted in his heart the spiritual master and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then actually that person will be covered by māyā.
But this is very rare.
But one therefore should not be proud; one has to be always humble.
Just because someone is living in the temple does not mean that one is Kṛṣṇa conscious.
One is Kṛṣṇa consciousness if one is living in the temple physically, mentally and spiritually.
So that is possible by being humble, by respecting other Vaiṣṇavas and not wanting respect for one’s self,
by being hay, humble like more than a straw in the street and being more tolerant than the tree, you see.
Someone gets their brāhmaṇa underwear stolen and he thinks, “Oh, all the Vaiṣṇavas are dogs!” Or something like that, you know. Said some offend.
Just because of… He may even have misplaced it, you know.
But then immediately he will criticize.
And even if someone took, all right, so what? Get another one, get a box, lock it up, something.
Someone is serving, may have a bad habit.
There is a story about one time, there was so many saints, you probably heard this, so many devotees in the temple.
And they’d wake up and every day they would find all their bedding mixed-up.
And then they said, “How is this?
And so, one time one devotee said, “I was actually a night house-breaker before I became a devotee, a robber.
So, this is my habit, in the night to steal something.
So, if I don’t steal something I can’t sleep.
So, I take all your things and move them from here to there very secretly without waking you up and this is able to, you see get rid of my habit.”
You see.
So sometimes someone may have even a bad habit,
but still we shouldn’t condemn if they are trying to serve Kṛṣṇa, you see.
So that means we have to be tolerant.
One has to be tolerant.
Of course, one should not try, that doesn’t give excuse, “I had a bad habit before, so let me do it in the temple.”
That of course is a temporary status which should be eradicated.
But there might be some bad habit, but that should be avoided and if someone sees, we should try to help that person.
Or they should just, if they are not in a position to help the person, then they at least should not themselves become agitated or disgusted with devotional service.
They should be disgusted with māyā, that māyā is so strong that if one by being in this material world, even coming to the temple, there might still be some trace.
Therefore, one has to be determined to get rid of the māyā, to become pure.
So, in living in the temple, one has to also bring in the mind, bring in the consciousness and put those in the temple, then one gets the full benefit.
One has to accept the relationship, “I am servant of guru and Gaurāṅga”.
With that relationship one lives in the temple, one lives in the dhāma, gets the full effect.
Questioner: Shivam
Date: 2022-08-27
Jayapatākā Swami: That is why Śrīla Prabhupāda he would teach us to avoid the ten offences to the holy name.
The first offence is not to offend or blaspheme a devotee.
So it is worse to offend a devotee than being sinful.
So, you should avoid offending a devotee.
At the same time naturally, we want to try to come to the pure platform.
So, before you take initiation, you should be sure you can follow the principles.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-06
Jayapatākā Swami: In Kali-yuga normally you get reaction for activities performed.
In other yugas just by thinking about something, you get the reaction.
So Kali-yuga, normally by thinking you do not get a reaction.
If you take second initiation, then you may be more responsible for your mind.
If you think of something bad, then you beg for forgiveness and replace it with some Kṛṣṇa conscious thought.
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: When we are envious against other Vaiṣṇavas,
they become intolerant when another Vaiṣṇava is praised,
and they think, “Oh, why I am not getting the praise?
I worked harder! I worked more!
I should be appreciated!
Why am I not appreciated?”
That girl is a oohhh
and you commit some Vaiṣṇava-aparādha!
So we have to be very, very careful.
We are trying to please guru, Gaurāṅga and Kṛṣṇa and we don’t care if others get more glory,
we simply want to please the Lord.
And sometimes people will see it and sometimes they won’t. But the Lord sees it.
So we are not working for popularity.
Like that some politicians they get their names published in newspapers or newscast
and therefore an insignificant person becomes famous.
We just want to please the Lord
and if we recognize that is nice and if not doesn’t matter.
We still go on with our service.
Here Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi understood his mistake when Lord Jagannātha and Lord Balarāma enacted Their punishment pastime. But I commit many offences, and sometimes I cannot even understand my offences. So in such circumstances how am I to ask for forgiveness from you and from Lord Kṛṣṇa so that you may completely forgive me?
Questioner: Bhāgyaśrī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: We should pray to Kṛṣṇa that
I have committed many offences, knowingly or unknowingly,
please forgive me.
Questioner: Siddhāntamaṇi Prabhupāda dāsa
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: If one is initiated and breaks the principles,
they are guilty of one of the offences to the holy name
disrespecting the order of the spiritual master.
So there is no higher atonement than devotional service.
So in that case one should repent for their misdeed
and then again take up the practice of devotional service,
as sincerely as possible, and gradually they can regain their status.
But, of course they have ceased their progress for some time, but they can start again
and there is no other way recommended by the śāstras.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Bad association], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Emotions / Enthusiasm]
Questioner: Siddhāntamaṇi Prabhupāda dāsa
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: If one is initiated and breaks the principles,
they are guilty of one of the offences to the holy name
disrespecting the order of the spiritual master.
So there is no higher atonement than devotional service.
So in that case one should repent for their misdeed
and then again take up the practice of devotional service,
as sincerely as possible, and gradually they can regain their status.
But, of course they have ceased their progress for some time, but they can start again
and there is no other way recommended by the śāstras.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Bad association], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Emotions / Enthusiasm]
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: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: We should rather try to see the good qualities in other devotees.
Like, there are two insects, there are the flies and the bees.
The flies are looking for infections or sores.
And the bees are looking for the honey.
Try to see the good qualities in devotees and you won’t have time to see any bad qualities.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-10-14
Jayapatākā Swami: Story of Ramāyāṇa?
You know how when Marīci came and the golden you know, multicolor rainbow deer and then Ram went to on the request of Sītā to catch it.
And put Sītā under the protection of Lakṣmaṇa but then there was a whole heavy situation developed,
that Marīci made the voice of Ram come out.
So Sītā said you go and protect Ram.
He said Ram doesn’t need protection, nobody can get near him.
She was very concerned, so then Lakṣman made a circle.
He said, don’t leave this mystic protective circle, can’t enter in.
So Rāvaṇa came dressed as a sādhū, he tried to enter in.
She went in to get some food and he went in [Guru Mahārāja and devotees laughing] and “I can’t get through”.
So, then she said come on in because he was an enemy so couldn’t enter.
So, he said, no no I cannot go there, I am very tired you just come out here.
So, because he was dressed as a saint, as a sannyāsī or like some kind of a sādhū,
so, she was Sītā was always serving devotees.
So, in this way he cheated her.
And of course, the real Sītā-devī didn’t come out, but the plain Māyā-Sītā came out.
But this mystical circle,
you can use in many definitions but one of the things you can is like that she was protected but shouldn't leave it.
Like that this is a mystic circle --
you follow the orders of the guru and māyā cannot get you
but when we deviate, when we neglect instructions of the spiritual master,
when we offend a Vaiṣṇava, we do make offenses to the Holy name.
We have to do things which (doesn’t) take us out of that protective circle.
Otherwise, we're protected.
Māyā is waiting there, she's waiting at the doorstep.
But devotees, how they can be Kṛṣṇa conscious, it's not an ordinary thing.
To be Kṛṣṇa conscious you have to have the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa.
So only the devotee, it says the devotee can never fall down.
We've heard that so many times.
What does that mean?
Because Kṛṣṇa protects the devotee.
Then how do devotees fall down?
Because they stop acting like devotees for some time.
So, because of you know, virtually not acting as a devotee, then they fall down.
That's why says you have to cling to the lotus feet of Gaura-Nitāi.
We have to stay within that protective shelter.
Facing difficulty, what is the use?
One time one devotee was like in anxiety and Prabhupāda said “Why are you in anxiety?
Your guru is present on this planet, you can ask him questions, you can get your doubts taken”.
Having guru means that all your problems will be solved, if you have a bona fide guru.
(audio not clear) we can submit to our spiritual, what do you advise?
What is your instruction?
We carry that out.
So, we're protected.
But when we don't consult with the spiritual master, we don't consult with the Vaiṣṇavas, we don't follow the scripture, we go out of that protective circle, in whatever form she wants to take.
Māyā is there waiting.
That's why we say Kṛṣṇa is like the sun.
Where there's Kṛṣṇa, there's no māyā.
So, we have to always look to Kṛṣṇa.
You look away from Kṛṣṇa, you look away from the sun, what do you find behind you?
Your shadow.
Māyā is like the shadow, she's right behind you, you don't have to look for her.
You look away from Kṛṣṇa, she'll be there.
So, then what's the purport?
When should we look away from Kṛṣṇa?
So, we have to keep our focus to Kṛṣṇa, mukha...
kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha
(Cc. Madhya 20.117)
That, you know that verse?
Kṛṣṇa, when we turn our face. Bahirmukha, bahirmukha literally means turn your face away or turn it to the outside.
And what it actually is this can be translated to by turning your face to sense gratification.
Devotional service is the attitude --
I do everything to the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa, reject what's unfavorable to Kṛṣṇa.
So, when we turn our face away from the service attitude, and instead we look to enjoy bhoga whimsically desire to have bhoga to have sense gratification.
Then what happens?
We get samsāra ādi duḥkha.
Then we suffer material suffering.
All the suffering, I'm suffering so much.
All this suffering is because we desire sense gratification.
If we just keep our face to Kṛṣṇa, if we just desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, there's no suffering.
Suffering begins when we desire.
The moment we desire to enjoy something, there's suffering.
Lamentation, hankering and enxiety, fear.
There's another verse like that.
[Not Clear - 01:08:09]
kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
You turn your face away from Kṛṣṇa, very similar verse.
Very like parallel.
You turn your face away from Kṛṣṇa, desiring sense gratification, māyā nikaṭastha ache,
māyā comes right up to you.
japaṭīya dhare and just like your football tackles.
She's got you.
Māyā, you can also think in Australian Football system you know.
Lot of tackling is there, right?
You can just imagine they got a whole team all around just waiting one wrong move and they can jump forward.
As long as you're moving forward, eyes on Kṛṣṇa, they can't do a thing.
As soon as you look around for sense gratification, suddenly you're in the middle of the scrum.
For those who know rugby.
Māyā, she’s there but you say how we can be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
That's why it's said, be like a little child, simply depending on your parents, simply depending on Guru and Kṛṣṇa, simply you know I'm so weak, I don't have any ability to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
I'm not a big paṇḍita, I'm not a big devotee, I'm just a very insignificant fallen soul.
I can only be Kṛṣṇa conscious by really following the mercy of Lord Caitanya, of His pure representative in disciplic succession.
And this way, I have to be very because that is the secret of success.
That's how you can become successful.
If you think I'm a big paṇḍita, I can do this, a little that.
I'm a great devotee, it doesn't matter.
I'm an old devotee.
It's alright, if I go little māyā I won't be affected, haha!
[Devotees: laughing]
Don't kid yourself.
Māyā is more strong than you are.
Inspite remaining always in the humble position.
Why great ācāryas have praying?
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu doyā koro more
tomā binā ke doyālu jagat-saḿsāre
patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra
mo sama patita prabhu nā pāibe āra
You won't find anyone more sinful than me.
pāpī -- Nobody more sinful than I am.
Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura, the purest devotee, he's saying I'm more sinful than all the conditioned souls.
Bhakta this one, or Bhaktin that one or whoever it may be.
But they're saying I'm the most sinful, more sinful than anybody.
This is this position he's taking, therefore you're the most merciful, you're the deliverer of all the fallen souls.
I'm the most fallen soul therefore I should get delivered first.
If we think that my humble attitude, that dependence on the mercy of guru and Gaurāṅga, then māyā may be ready to get you.
She's not getting the chance.
Tough luck.
You want to give her a chance she'll take it.
Don't give her a chance.
This is how devotees feel.
Be humble.
Know that I need their mercy all the time.
Why great ācāryas are praying like that?
They're not praying "I'm an old devotee, I'm an ācārya, I don't have to strictly follow, I don't have to. I can go over a bit".
You don't hear Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura say, you only hear some 7-year-old or 10- or 12-year devotee in ISKCON say, I'm an old devotee.
Where we are coming from, in this age of Kali.
Hardly anybody was a Vaiṣṇava.
Everybody was coming from Māyāvada or smārta or at the best.
Prabhupāda grabbed up the people.
You know, some people they're claiming to be born in Vaiṣṇava family.
We know that Prabhupāda grabbed them up from Māyāvada.
That doesn't matter.
Once you become in pure devotional service that's what counts.
It says that this, what a person was before he's in pure devotional service that's not proper logic.
It says that once my mother was naked -- logic.
She was once a little girl she was naked but she's not naked anymore.
Now she's a mother, she's a respectable lady.
So, what a person was before and what they are now, that doesn't have any immediate bearing.
Prabhupāda said that if you're born of devotee parents then that's a good sign.
The point is that right now we have to deal with the present, we should be fixed in our devotional service, we should keep that humble attitude.
Lord Caitanya, he gave a promise to Advaita, two things.
Then Advaita said, "One thing is anybody who thinks they're ready, spiritually advanced, who thinks he's a advanced devotee, don't give him your mercy.
Anyone who is very proud of their position of some birth, or some any kind of material position, you don't give them your mercy.
Those who are hopeless, who are spiritually, they are the most needy, they need your mercy more than anyone.
Those who are normally the hard cases, the tough nuts, the ones that will never have a hope, let them get your mercy, priority basis.
Karuṇāvatāra, for all those who would never get a chance in other yugas.
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-30
Jayapatākā Swami: The senses are controlled by the material energy.
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate
(
Bg
3.27)
Then one is actually being dragged by impulses of material nature only.
That means māyā.
So, when one is free from impulses of the material nature, that is mukta.
So how to get free?
There are two basic paths.
The one path is not recommended for Kali-yuga, but that was there in the past.
People would simply go in secluded place and meditate.
In this way, they would control their senses by prāṇāyama and by dhyāna.
The other system is to control the senses by active engagement, in activities which are not material.
Just as in Gītā it says, “One is offering yajña; the yajña itself is transcendental.
The yajña-patiḥ is transcendental, the offering is being offered is transcendental.
Everything becomes on the param-satya platform.”
So, when one is offering one’s senses, one’s body, one’s mind, one’s words as an offering to the lord, just like I am speaking, you are hearing; you are offering your senses and your mind.
I am offering– I am not speaking only for your benefit, I am speaking for my benefit.
By my speaking, my senses are being engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service.
Only by being engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service, can I remain in the transcendental platform.
And by my speaking only about Kṛṣṇa, only according to the authorized guru-paramparā siddhānta,
or conclusion of the scripture, whoever is listening, their consciousness is also uplifted to what extent they can understand or they are fully listening with concentration.
So, in this way, when our senses are fully engaged in activities, which have nothing to do with material activities, that is mukta.
Anything to do with Kṛṣṇa, with Viṣṇu is transcendental.
Therefore, by engaging our senses in Viṣṇu-related activities, “jīvan-mukta sa ucyate - then our life becomes liberated, because those actions produce no reaction.”
Whatever action we do in material life, that produces a karma reaction, which is binding us.
If I give in charity to an ordinary person, I get in a next life, same amount back.
If I give to a brāhmaṇa, who is half-educated, I get double.
If I give to a qualified brāhmaṇa, who knows how to do, ah, who is just an ordinary brāhmaṇa with no special qualification, I get ten times back;
then if he is qualified in performing sacrifices, then I get 100 times back.
If he is a Veda-jñā, that means he knows the Vedānta-jñā, he knows the conclusion of the Vedānta, then I get, you see, crores of times back.
And if he is a pure devotee, who is a completely transcendentally situated, I get unlimited.
So, as I am giving charity, that means I have to take even another birth to reap the result of the charity.
That’s why in Gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, “Whatever you give in charity, whatever you do in tapasya, whatever you do as an offering, everything you should do only on My behalf.”
Because whatever we do on Kṛṣṇa’s behalf, He accepts the karmas.
But what we do on our behalf, good or bad, we have to accept the karma.
Even the good karma means we have to take birth.
Birth means again death.
Whoever is born must die.
Whoever dies, must again be born.
This is the law of material world.
We are born to die, we die to be born.
And birth means old age, disease, and other types of problems.
So māyā means when we are acting in illusion that, “I am this body, I am this mind, I am a product of the material energy.”
And mukta means, “I am a nitya-jīva, I am a bhagavān-aṁśa, and I’m the part of the Lord, I have nothing to with this material energy and we act in that knowledge.”
Then we’re liberated, we are mukta.
So māyā means illusion - To act as we are not.
We are not this body.
We have to leave this body in no time, but we are working day and night, as if we are the body.
That’s māyā.
And when we act, “I am the possessor of the body, this body is a vehicle;
I’m the nitya-jīva, I am the spirit soul, pure spirit soul, then, that’s liberated.
Questioner: Ānandinī Sītā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-08-29
Although we have to associate with non-devotees we should not intimately associate with them.
And if we try to give them the holy name, try to give them Bhagavad-gītā, that will be very effective.
We don’t take their association; we give them our association.
Vidura did not go to Dhṛtarāṣṭra to get his satsaṅga.
He went to give his satsaṅga
We should when we meet non-devotees we should think how to bring the person closer to Kṛṣṇa.
Not to engage in prajalpa with them.
Thank you Ānandini Sītā for your question.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Bad association], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Material World], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Nandagopīpriyā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: There is no reason not to reveal your mind to guru.
If you have had some trouble with one of the principles, you could get some advice from your spiritual master.
But if you have recovered, then all the better to tell him that you had difficulty but now you have come back to the strict standard.
And sometimes one is started to difficulty with a principle, but it is not as serious as they think.
It is better to reveal to the spiritual master.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Aparādha (Offenses)]
Questioner:
Date: 2023-02-25
Jayapatākā Swami: When the sun appears darkness goes.
There is a saying in śāstra,
kṛṣṇa—sūrya-sama, māyā haya andhakāra
yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa, tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra
(Cc. Madhya 22.31)
That is why we always recommend chanting.
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
Where did the bad thoughts go?
Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy!
No negative thoughts!
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Link: 20221014 Evening Address
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-10-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Offense.. is a spiritual thing.
While preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness why would you offend new people ?
We should not refer to anyone
depending on their gender, race.. or color,
anything material.
but encourage people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy.
Questioner: Girijā
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: Vaiṣṇava-aparādha is described as a mad elephant.
It can destroy our devotional creeper –
it is very dangerous
to have offensive mentality.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Vaiṣṇava-aparādha], [Emotions / Fault-finding]
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-28
Jayapatākā Swami: If one unjustly criticizes the devotee has to get forgiveness from that devotee or touch that devotee’s lotus feet.
If he touches his feet, then that can forgive him of all the offence.
Apart from that by worshipping Caitanya Mahāprabhu and feeling repentful,
repentful or sorry for what he has done, one can also overcome offences.
There is no loss or diminution in devotional service.
The only way to avoid offences or to overcome offences is by the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
If one falls down into other type of offences, the only hope is to serve Kṛṣṇa.
Again, restart the service.
But for offences, one should try to get forgiveness from those who he has offended;
otherwise, touch their feet, otherwise simply pray to Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Tulasī devī
and other such great devotees of the Lord for being forgiven from these offences.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-08
Jayapatākā Swami: In the beginning the only way to be 100% sure is by asking the spiritual master.
One can check with other devotees, senior devotee, especially the spiritual master, then one can be fully sure.
Just like we would sometimes get an idea and we would ask Śrīla Prabhupāda and he would say that idea was inspired by the Supersoul.
Sometimes, someone would give an idea and he would say that idea is inspired by māyā.
(devotees laughing)
Of course, by hearing, by reading, we have to only get an idea, we have to learn to analyze it, that, just like we pray, guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya, I mean… how does it go?
cittete kariyā aikya - “May the consciousness be made one with your instructions, with your orders.”
Whatever the word of the spiritual master is, our consciousness we want that to be filled with those words and to be one with, in harmony with those words.
So, we do something, we have an idea, we want to have it confirmed.
This is the system of paramparā – whatever a person does; does it only if it’s authorized;
directly you can see that, guru has said, Kṛṣṇa has said in the śāstra.
And the śāstras are so vast, the Vedas, that one does not have to leave anything for speculation even if one knows in his heart that this is Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Also one trace out the effort; immediately also, Kṛṣṇa gives the example, there is this example in the Vedas or this devotee, or this situation.
There are so many millions of examples that have been given on these even in the Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā that most of all the situations have already been covered, if one has the eyes to see.
So, the spiritual master has the eyes to see, therefore we take his advice.
There also symptom that over endeavor is usually a symptom of a māyā idea.
Just like a person gets an idea to do something for Kṛṣṇa and it happens very easily or it happens, it seems to be just going on.
But when we have an idea when we do this for Kṛṣṇa, but the number of steps of the material activities one has to do before it finally gets around to being something which is directed at Kṛṣṇa are so many
and so rot with difficulties, that is a symptom of over endeavor, an over endeavor for an unproportionate result.
If one has to do something, an over endeavor, they may be attached to Kṛṣṇa and think, let me do this for Kṛṣṇa, I want to build a house for Kṛṣṇa, whatever, something, it is very hard to say any particular thing.
Maybe one wants to make an aeroplane.
The same thing might be Kṛṣṇa conscious in another situation, so it is not the particular thing, but in that particular situation, there were other easier ways of using time.
Kṛṣṇa preferred you do in a different way so that particular way, He keeps, māyā keeps giving so many obstacles so that one will take the other way.
But if one is so fixed on that particular idea due to some kind of preconceived idea that in spite of every obstacle, they go on trying, and so at every step they meet difficulty.
Lot of practical examples I can think of.
They always involve devotees; I don’t want to embarrass them.
There was one older devotee in our movement who was doing nice service but then he got an idea… someone turned him on… turned him… gave him some rubies
and they got into a whole thing that he started mining rubies, he bought a ruby mine and he started going there.
He just became overwhelmed by these rubies and jewels, like kind of a gold fever. He got a ruby fever, a gem fever.
Prabhupāda kept telling him that it is an over endeavor, it is unnecessary, just preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa will provide, this, that.
“No, no, I want to make money for Kṛṣṇa.”
and even Pra… you know, even his guru told him don’t do it, he said, “No, no.”
And so of course whatever money he did make didn’t go to Kṛṣṇa, he just re-invested it in his business again and again; what usually happens.
And then finally he just became farther and farther and removed from Kṛṣṇa and more and more in māyā.
Now he is, for the past many years he is completely out of touch.
You see him sometimes.
Still going to make it one day.
So, it’s like over endeavors, misdirected.
So, of course, ultimately the guru is the custodian of one’s spiritual progress, you have to take his advice and as one advances more and more, then, one can tell when one makes a wrong decision, Kṛṣṇa usually smashes it.
As you become more advanced in devotional service the slightest mistake will create an immediate result.
You see karma might take hundred births.
When you surrender to Kṛṣṇa you make a mistake you may get the reaction, “pshew!” five seconds or five minutes or five hours.
There was a devotee riding in a taxi cab in Calcutta, who started to criticize Śrīla Prabhupāda and different devotees for God knows what reason, must have gone mad or something.
And another devotee who was with him, immediately he stopped the car and got out and said, “I am not going to hear any offense of pure devotees.”
That person went on and within one hour, went to the railway station, missed the train, got into a fight with one of the coolies there, one of the porters, they call them coolies in India,
that is the official name, hey coolie! They don’t mind being called coolies.
So then, there was a whole riot and about a 150 of the coolies came out of their walls with bricks and sticks and they stripped the so-called devotee completely down naked
and only he had on was the brāhmaṇa thread and they beat the pulp out and he was running down the street naked and finally jumped into a moving bus.
You know, the whole bus emptied out, they couldn't believe it.
(His Holiness Jayapatākā Swāmī and devotees laughing)
And all this happened within one or two hours after he blasphemed the devotees.
He was in the hospital.
He’s a blooped devotee, wasn't… that criticizing others always.
After that he came by and bowed down hundreds of times in the temple and personally went to each devotee, begging for forgiveness.
So that way he was able to learn.
Sometimes we are repeatedly told to be cautious in a particular way or to avoid some kind of activity; we don’t listen, we don’t listen, we don’t listen and then finally Kṛṣṇa says, “Well, “Let what be happen!” and māyā takes over.
Kṛṣṇa lifts up, He doesn’t personally do it; He just lifts up some of the shelter, and lets māyā move in, otherwise the devotees are always under the yoga-māyā shelter.
But if we neglect Kṛṣṇa, if we neglect the guru, or we blaspheme, then that shelter is removed, and then we are at the mercy of māyā.
See, she’s already upset that we are trying to get out of her clutches, so she puts her full load on us, you know.
Questioner: Sadānandinī Yogīnī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-13
Jayapatākā Swami: We should make our goal in life to serve Kṛṣṇa.
Sometimes the senses will give us pleasure, sometimes they will give suffering.
So, we should not be very dependent on the senses,
they are not reliable.
That way, by keeping our mind on Kṛṣṇa, we can advance.
Now, as long as we live in this material world,
we will have senses.
Sometimes the senses will experience pleasure, sometimes suffering.
So, we should not be very much illusioned by this.
This is not the real happiness we are searching for.
Certain amount of pleasure is needed,
to keep us balanced in this material world.
But our goal should be to have the spiritual pleasure, like Lord Caitanya is having.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Questioner: Akshaj, Bhopal
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Usually, bhajana-kriyā stage is the time we take initiation.
Then after that with the guidance of the guru, we get anartha-nivṛitti.
We may hear from the guru or we may have śikṣā-gurus
who help us to overcome these anarthas.
One book I translated Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s book, Vaiṣṇava Ke?
He prayed to his mind, what kind of Vaiṣṇava are you? By doing solitary bhajana you seek name and fame.
That book, it is a small book. You read that to find out how to control and train the mind.
Also, there is another bhajana by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya
and that helps one to control the mind.
Anarthas are in the mind.
Anartha-nivṛtti means mind is purified.
Questioner: Darsh
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Māyā is stronger than we are
but Kṛṣṇa is stronger than māyā.
If we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa we can cross over māyā.
That is why we try to engage ourselves in Kṛṣṇa’s service.
So there is a competition.
Māyā tests us,
but if we are successful in following Kṛṣṇa,
then māyā will offer her praṇāmas to us.
But if we succumb to her tests,
then we will remain in the material world.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: The abhideya is devotional practice of devotional service.
And
so thinking of practicing devotional service is one thing.
But if you are thinking something against devotional service,
that is aparādhā.
To atone an aparādhā there is no higher atonement than devotional service.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, bhakti-yoga is a powerful practice.
And if you just say stop something, what do you do? Your mind, your senses do not stop.
So we do yukta-vairāgya.
Everything we do, we do to please Kṛṣṇa.
So just like we have to eat. So instead of eating nonsense, we eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
We replace what we are doing materially bad habits with positive kṛṣṇa-sevā.
People may have the bad habit of illicit sex.
But those who want sex they have to be married.
And we bring up our children also in devotional service.
Questioner: Dīpā, London
Date: 2023-12-13
Jayapatākā Swami: My dear spiritual daughter Dīpā,
congratulations on your election as a counselor in the Municipality, in London.
If you know who you offended,
you can ask them to forgive you.
If you don’t know or if they don’t want to forgive you,
you can take the dust from their feet,
or you can take the dust from their shoes outside the temple,
or if you don’t know who you offended,
you can pray to the Deities to please forgive you,
and you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very seriously and with attention,
and avoid future offences as far as possible.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Kiśorī Yoginī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: There is no higher atonement than Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So if one makes a mistake,
then the best remedial method is serving Kṛṣṇa.
So, if you make mistakes,
then you should be more diligent actually, at serving.
The point is that, one should not make sense gratification as the goal of our life.
When we have senses, there will be some sense of pleasure and some suffering.
So Kṛṣṇa explains that, you regulate the activities.
Just like you take prasādam,
just like we have married life,
try to produce Kṛṣṇa conscious children.
Different activities are regulated.
But the goal is not sense gratification,
the goal is to please Kṛṣṇa.
This world unfortunately is beginning, middle and end is all sense gratification.
They don’t understand anything about Kṛṣṇa in most cases.
Even if they are God conscious, they pray to God to give them some material gratification.
But we should rather want to serve the Lord.
Well, it is expected that you will make some mistakes.
That is why we should be more careful,
after making mistakes,
to practice more sincerely.
Just like a child learning how to walk.
Naturally they will fall down a few times,
but eventually they learn to walk, run, everything.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Thank you!
Questioner: Soundarya Rādhikā devī dāsī, New Rājāpur Dhāma, Bengaluru
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You seem to have realized that when you don’t follow
the advice of the senior devotees,
you get attacked by māyā.
So that should convince you
that to avoid being attacked by māyā,
follow the more advanced devotees’ advice.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Śikṣā-guru], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Soundarya Rādhikā devī dāsī, New Rājāpur Dhāma, Bengaluru
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You seem to have realized that when you don’t follow
the advice of the senior devotees,
you get attacked by māyā.
So that should convince you
that to avoid being attacked by māyā,
follow the more advanced devotees’ advice.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Śikṣā-guru], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Milan, ISKCON Youth Forum, Baroda
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Lord Caitanya, He taught that you can achieve perfection whether you are a vairāgī or a householder.
So, if you are a householder you should try to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center.
I saw one drama from the Chennai youths.
One girl and one boy were playing Yamadūtas and one lady, girl was playing Yamarāja.
She painted her mustache as Yamarāja.
The Yamadūtas they were complaining. Yamarāja! What do we do? These Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees have deities in the houses, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they read Bhagavad-gītā, what do we do?
We cannot take them to hell!
Maybe need a way to find another chākrī, another job!
So it was very interesting to see the Yamadūtas complaining.
Actually, one family in Kolkata, the mother, children, were all initiated.
Everyone but the father.
He was dead against.
But then he was diagnosed with cancer.
He was in bed ,
and he saw two hairy people with leather ropes, walk through the wall.
He said, “No, no, no, no! No, no!”
Somehow they left.
He called his wife, “I want the neck bead.
I want the Bhagavad-gītā, I want the japa-mālā.”
What we were trying so long, the Yamadūtas in few minutes they changed him.
So he became very Kṛṣṇa conscious after that.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Karma / Desires], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-16
Jayapatākā Swami: He should seek pardon from gurudeva
and there is no other way to be in kṛṣṇa-bhakti other than by this way.
He should take the instructions from his gurudeva and do devotional service again.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-06
Jayapatākā Swami: We hope that you are not poisoned.
You should hear from a pure devotee and read Śrīla Prabhupāda books and take the mistaken thoughts from your mind.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Bad association], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Mādhurī Mamatāmayī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: It can be an offence.
If it is presented in such a way that we respectfully say that this particular thing should not be followed,
the devotee is otherwise is very good, but this particular habit is something that we do not follow.
It is presented in a very constructive way
like Prabhupāda in the 12th chapter of Ādi-līlā Cc. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta) has given the details of the Gauḍīya Maṭhas
break up,
and failure to maintain the instructions of the founder.
So Prabhupāda gave those details to warn us, that we should not do the same thing.
So some of the Gauḍīya Maṭha leaders asked us to take out the 12th chapter.
But we said that we don’t have the right to take out Prabhupāda’s writings.
So depending on how you do it,
if it is to warn someone,
not to follow this example;
then it maybe alright.
You see Prabhupāda was talking about his godbrothers.
If one is a junior devotee is talking about someone who is very advanced or more senior;
it maybe, what you call mariyāda-laṅgana, the transgression of seniority.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Vaiṣṇava-aparādha], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
In the past classes you had said that one should not make sense gratification as the ultimate goal of life. While following this particular principle, sometimes when we face fluctuation and are swayed away by māyā, and because of our unlimited desires, we get engaged in any kind of sense gratification. How should we avoid and control ourselves not being swayed away by māyā and get determined in the service of guru and Kṛṣṇa? Please enlighten me
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: While we have senses in the material world,
so naturally the senses need a certain amount of satisfaction.
That depends on each individual.
But that should not be the ultimate goal.
In the material world
we see that people, they make as their goal that their senses should be happy.
But the senses are a source of happiness and a source of suffering.
So, although there may be some happiness
and some suffering,
we should tolerate that,
but we should make our ultimate goal to serve Kṛṣṇa.
So, certain very simple things we should avoid.
Like eating meat, fish, onion, garlic,
like gambling,
like taking intoxication
and having out of marriage illicit sex.
If you are a married person
it is natural there will be some material pleasure.
But there will also be some suffering.
Just like to conceive a child there is some happiness
but to have a child is also pain –
labor pain.
So, that should not be our ultimate goal.
You may have certain desires,
but the ultimate desire should be to serve and love Lord Kṛṣṇa.
In this pastime we see Indra committed an offence against Lord Kṛṣṇa. And then he realized that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But later in Kṛṣṇa līlā, he gain starts fighting with Lord Kṛṣṇa when he was provoked by his wife. I want to know why this type of situation happened and how do we overcome this? And in case of Dakṣa Prajāpatī we see he offended Lord Śiva, then he offended Nārada Muni. How do we not do such things and avoid such things?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-02
Jayapatākā Swami: We understand from this that if we get married, it is very important to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious wife!
If the wife is not Kṛṣṇa conscious then she may have you fight with Kṛṣṇa!
This reminds me Śrīla Prabhupāda, in a lecture he was giving in London,
observing his Vyāsa-pūjā.
He said he wanted all his gṛhastha followers to be paramahaṁsas.
And he said how Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a gṛhastha had many children.
One was Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda said we need many personalities like this.
So the gṛhasthas should have such pure devotee children.
Although Lord Indra in the caitanya-līlā pastime, he joined in the kīrtana.
By then he seemed to have learned his lesson!
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Vaiṣṇava-aparādha], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Vraja Kīrtana dāsa
Date: 2022-10-14
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva. And someone came and talked to him. He looked away; he was listening to the devotee. And the guru said, “You no need to hear?” So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them. So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was sitting in the class of his Gurudeva.
And someone came and talked to him.
He looked away; he was listening to the devotee.
And the guru said, “You no need to hear?”
So, he thought that as a great blessing, because the guru noticed them.
So definitely we want to give our full concentration while class is going on.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Link: 20200909 Although Being in a Predicament, the Barber Receives a Boon of Residence in Goloka (Part 2)
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: There is a poem by Śrīla Narottama dasa Ṭhākura,
where he sings śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu dayā kara more – You have come down to deliver the fallen, Patita-pāvana, there is no one more fallen than me. Please have Your mercy on me!
Then he prays to Lord Nityānanda, hā hā prabhu nityānanda, premānanda sukhī: You are always filled with spiritual bliss of love of Kṛṣṇa,
please have mercy on me I very sad, duḥkhī.
You have Nitāi-Gaura here! You pray to them,
that I need mercy,
I am fallen,
I need your mercy more than anyone!
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Mercy]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-01-10
Jayapatākā Swami: We read in one of the verses ahead where it said if we are attacked by Māyā,
if our desire for sense gratification is growing,
then we should just take shelter of Lord Caitanya. Gaurāṅga!
By His mercy the desire for sense gratification will go away.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-04-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Someone asked me yesterday what do I do, how do I control my anger when my servants do not do what I want?
I could not remember a time when I lost my temper like that!
So, but there must have been a time long ago!
But I said that we commit so many offences to Kṛṣṇa, knowingly or unknowingly,
we want Kṛṣṇa to forgive us.
So, like that if we don’t forgive others, then how can we expect Kṛṣṇa to forgive us?
Your question, what is the root reason for your question?
If one hates another person that is an offence.
If such kind of hatred or violence is not there, then why should it be considered an offence?
This way, if we see the good qualities in others, if we praise them, then how will be commit offence?
If we are intolerant of the different qualities of people, then there is possibility of offences.
If you see an offence to Vaiṣṇavas or guru then you need to get angry.
Just like Kṛṣṇa, if you offend Him, He usually forgives you.
But if you offend His devotee, He is very angry.
Questioner: Rukmiṇī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: So, first we should know what Vaiṣṇava-aparādha is.
That is why at the time of initiation, we tell the ten offences.
Then, the second thing is that we avoid committing them!
You see, someone may say, oh! I did not know it was an offence!
So first thing you should know these are the offences.
Just like the first offence is to offend a devotee of the Lord.
So you should avoid doing that.
And if you do, then you should get forgiven.
Like Mother Śacī, she committed an offence against Lord Advaita.
So then Lord Caitanya and many associates, they went to see Advaita Ācārya.
He asked what brings everybody here?
Then Lord Caitanya said, “Mother Śacī committed an offence against you, therefore she has come to get your forgiveness.”
And Advaita Ācārya said, “Mother Śacī, Mother Śacī?!!
How can she offend Me?!
She is such a wonderful devotee!
She carried Lord Caitanya in her womb!”
And He started to glorify Mother Śacī for all her devotional service.
And then He was so ecstatic glorifying Mother Śacī,
that He fainted!
Then Lord Caitanya said, “He is not going to forgive you.
So what you can do is take the dust from His lotus feet.
By taking His dust, you will get forgiven.
But if you ask Him to forgive you, He will not do it.”
So then, she took the dust from Advaita Ācārya’s lotus feet
and then everybody chanted Haribol!
The girls, the ladies, did ulu-dhvanī.
Ladies only do that.
I cannot do that!
So like this, then Lord Caitanya, He forgave His mother for her Vaiṣṇava-aparādha.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, all the devotees of the Lord
are very dear to Kṛṣṇa
and even the wife she is very dear to Kṛṣṇa.
So if someone maltreats the wife
or feels envious against another devotee,
Kṛṣṇa will get pain by that.
So we don’t want to give Kṛṣṇa pain, we want to give Him pleasure.
So we should avoid envying anyone.
So you can say that is the only vice that cannot be dovetailed in Kṛṣṇa conscious.
We can dovetail greed,
we can be greedy to make more devotees for Kṛṣṇa! Ha!
We can be angry,
angry against those who offend guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Every vice can be somehow dovetailed, except envy.
So envy is such an evil and detrimental thing.
We should see the good qualities of others,
like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says in the third verse of His Śikṣāṣṭakaṁ,
amānīna mānadena,
offer all respect to others,
don’t expect any respect for yourself.
Some devotees are taking the association of devotees and start to do chanting and enjoying the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But when their relatives or parents say something negative about ISKCON immediately they leave without informing. It is painful for me how I missed the soul to serve. How to understand the situation? How to overcome and guide them? Please guide me.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Part of preaching is to help the people
to tolerate the different obstacles.
They may encounter obstacles from their relatives,
or internet,
somehow, I don’t know,
some ṛtvik sites they say I murdered a devotee!
I don’t know who that is! I don’t even kill a fly, what to talk about killing a devotee!
So, who knows what people say, what they see?
So we have to be ready to answer any questions that come up
or prepare the people to endure any kind of obstacles.
There was one devotee who was kidnapped by the deprogrammers.
Exactly a few days before she was kidnapped
I called her and encouraged her.
Just generally.
When she was kidnapped, they tore the Bhagavad-gītā up, they jumped up on the Bhagavad-gītā and did all kinds of offensive things.
But she remembered that I was kind to her
and she went through some difficult times
and she escaped from that place
and came back to the devotees.
So, we don’t know at least if we do our part,
be positive, give them good association
and if someone turns away,
the fact that we are there to help, that we ask them what happened, you used to come?
Like that try to find out what are the things they heard.
Like that we try to help them.
Not easy to make a devotee.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, it takes buckets of blood!
Kṛṣṇe matir astu blessings!
Questioner: Kackuly Rāṇī
Date: 2022-08-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You just stick to the Vedas.
Show them what the Bhagavad-gītā says
and then if the bābā has said something different,
we cannot deal with that.
We say we follow the Vedas.
So then, that way some people they want to follow some false avatāras.
In Rajahmundry there was a person and he claimed to be an avatāra of Kalki.
Then they showed how in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Kalki avatāra comes at the end of Kali.
And Kali has only just started.
There are 4,27,000 years to go.
Isn’t it not a little off time?
He said I may not be Kalki, but I am an avatāra!
So there are many people like this they are bogus.
And gradually you have to just stick to the Vedas.
We are basically followers of the Vedas.
If someone preaches something against the Vedas,
what can we do?
We can show them that what they are saying is against the Vedas.
Therefore, the sincere people will follow us.
There was one guru in Bengal, he was a sahajiyā.
He said that the devotee, he or she I forgot, was coming to the Nāmahaṭṭa.
And they learnt that Vaiṣṇavas take kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
So she gave the vegetarian food to the kula-guru.
He said, “What is this? What is this?
I am your guru.
I should be given opulent food.
These vegetables are cheap.
Fish, meat are expensive.
Give me the dāmi food! I don’t want this cheap food.”
Then she realized that this guru was bogus.
So, that way we have to stick to the Vedas and gradually we convince people.
Some people may choose a bābā because they want to eat fish or meat or something.
What can we do?
Then we try to present how eating prasāda is better
and by eating meat we get the bad karma.
And become a cat or
dog
or tiger.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Apasampradāya], [Anarthās / Bad association], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Emotions / Hypocrisy]
Questioner: Shuvra Dev Babu
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord doesn’t personally take a part, except if His devotee is being threatened.
But we all owe everything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
and this is the reality.
We cannot live without sunlight;
you don’t provide it.
Kṛṣṇa provides it.
Similarly, He sees to the maintenance of everyone.
Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān - one person maintains everyone else.
So, the atheists are very envious, they think the Lord is preoccupied
in admiration of Himself.
But He is the source of everything.
And if someone commits blasphemy or offences to Him,
He doesn’t personally take a role in that.
He has agents, that give people their pious, their impious results.
And so, if one is envious of the Lord, they get punished.
He doesn’t want that; He would rather have the people be uplifted.
But to teach them, people are punished according to their activities.
So, since they steal from others, cheat others,
then they get the reaction for their bad karmas.
If they give charity, if they help others,
they get good karma.
If they engage in devotional service,
they get delivered from this material world.
If they engage in persecuting devotees,
and if they are envious of the Lord,
then they stay in this material world
life after life.
That is what they want, they don’t want to be where the Lord is.
I don’t know why you accuse the Lord of being a narcissist?
Category: [Anarthās / Māyā], [Emotions / Confusion], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: If we think I am very qualified to do devotional service,
if we are very proud,
that is not according to the instructions of Lord Caitanya.
You should be humble, very tolerant,
offer respect to others
and don’t expect respect for one’s self.
I don’t understand if you say, I feel I am not qualified,
so therefore I lose my enthusiasm.
We see great devotees like Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura,
they pray to Lord Gaurāṅga that Your avatāra is to deliver the most fallen.
There is no one more fallen than me.
If you are feeling yourself very unqualified,
very fallen,
then there is more chance you will get the mercy of Lord Caitanya,
since He is the deliverer of the most fallen.
But you should not lose your enthusiasm
since Lord Caitanya has come to deliver the most fallen.
Therefore, you have a good qualification.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: First of all, if you find that you have offended a devotee or offended the spiritual master, then you should bow down or something and beg for forgiveness.
And in the future, you have to be careful to pray for forgiveness, and avoid this habit.
Questioner: Keya Rāṇī
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: So there are three options:
Like Satī devī, you can immediately burn yourself up
and if that is not possible,
then you can protest and defeat that person.
If that is not possible,
then leave the place.
Questioner: Bhāgyaśrī
Date: 2023-07-10
That we can always respectfully ask the devotee
why they are doing something like that.
If we know that they are new devotees, they don’t know what they are doing,
but if we have to correct them, they may feel embarrassed or something.
So it depends on the situation,
whether it is a senior devotee,
equal or new devotee.
So accordingly, if it is a senior devotee, we will ask first,
if he is equal devotee,
maybe in a more friendly way,
depending on the status
and our relationship,
we should act accordingly.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Vaiṣṇava-aparādha], [Emotions / Fault-finding]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: One time, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said that he would indulge a 100-times in sex life if he knew that every time, he was guaranteed to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious child.
So therefore, every times your child will become a devotee, that is not guaranteed.
That is why we try
from the beginning we want a Kṛṣṇa conscious potential child.
So we pray to the Deities, we get the blessing of guru.
We do the garbhadāna-saṁskāra.
Then we also have to bring up the child with love and affection.
It is not an accident that they become a devotee.
They may get some special association of a pure devotee.
The parents naturally feel that they are very successful if the child becomes a devotee.
There is no śāstra that says if a child is not a devotee, that somehow affects the parents.
But the first five years of the child life, if they commit some sinful activities, then the parents have to take responsibility.
This was a curse given by a ṛṣi to Yamarāja so this thing was done in the universe.
Because when he was a little child, he poked an insect with a grass.
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: Subāhu Śacī Sūta dāsa
Date: 2022-08-29
Jayapatākā Swami: The type of tests that Haridāsa Ṭhākura had to go through, we usually don’t have to face such tests.
He was beaten in 22-marketplaces.
There was a prostitute tried to make him fall down.
I heard that Durgā devī even she came to test him.
We don’t have to face such gigantic tests.
If we pray to Kṛṣṇa to help us, Kṛṣṇa usually helps us.
We get very minor tests and even those we fail.
But we can get over these tests if we have the sincere desire.
If we depend on Kṛṣṇa, then we will overcome all the tests.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Bad association], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
To become a devotee means to have gone through all purification process such as knowledge of all the Vedas and such. 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?m
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.
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: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, at the time of initiation, we usually have someone give a class on the ten offences to the holy name
That is very important.
The other offences he does not consider so much and He usually forgives someone.
There was this Cāpāla Gopāla he had put lot of things, blood and things outside the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura.
So, he got leprosy.
And at that time he was staying outside the city of Navadvīpa.
Lord Caitanya with His kīrtana party happened to go there.
He fell at Lord Caitanya’s feet and said, “Please have mercy on me!”
He said, “No you cannot have any mercy.
I will not give any mercy, you have offended My devotee.”
So the devotees went to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and said, “You have to forgive this Cāpāla Gopāla.
Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, “How can I be offended?I am lower than the stool!
I am lowest of the low.”
They said, “Listen Śrīvāsa, you want someone to suffer because of you?”
“No, no, no, no!
No one should suffer because of me.”
“Whether you think you are a devotee or not, you have to forgive Cāpāla Gopāla.
Otherwise, his destiny is very bad.”
“Alright, then I will do that.”
So then Śrīvāsa went
and then Cāpāla Gopāla pleaded, “Please forgive me for my offences.”
Then Śrīvāsa said, “Yes, I forgive you.”
As soon as he said, Lord Caitanya appeared out of nowhere
and He embraced Cāpāla Gopāla. Haribol! Haribol!
So we have to be careful
of offending devotees.
But Lord Caitanya is very merciful. If we get forgiven by the devotee, He will forgive you.
He told Mother Śacī that since she had offended Advaita Gosāñī she will not get love of Godhead.
Devotees, were like, “Mother Śacī, she is Your mother, how she cannot love of Kṛṣṇa?”
Lord Caitanya said, “When My brother took sannyāsa she said, maybe because of Advaita Ācārya’s preaching.
So, in this way she had offended Him.”
So He took Mother Śacī over to Advaita Ācārya and Advaita Ācārya asked, “What are all these devotees here about?”
“Śacīmātā has offended You and You have to forgive her.”
“She cannot offend Me, she is a very good devotee!” He started glorifying Śacīmātā
and He became so ecstatic glorifying Śacīmātā
that He fainted.
Lord Caitanya told Śacīmātā, “He is never going to forgive you.
He did not think that you can offend Him.
You take the dust from His lotus feet
and that way you will be forgiven.”
So Śacīmātā took the dust
from Advaita Ācārya’s lotus feet
and put it on her head
and she was forgiven!
And after that she got love of Godhead!
Any other question.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Mercy]
We have been following Kṛṣṇa consciousness for so many years. Generally, devotees we see that in the process we have ups and downs. So when we take the case of Bharata Mahārāja, he was so sincere, he was so renounced, and he did his Kṛṣṇa consciousness so carefully, but there we hear that in the bhāva stage he was attracted and had to take another birth because of the offence that he did in a previous birth which he did not even know about. How to come out of it and what is the remedy when we do not know what offences we have committed?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, even Bharata Mahārāja who fell down took birth as a deer.
But Kṛṣṇa was merciful on him, and he could remember his previous lives.
The next birth he birth as a brāhmaṇa,
Jaḍa Bharata
and he was taken by some dacoits to be offered to Bhadra-Kālī as a balidāna, sacrifice.
But Bhadra-Kālī, she was so angry because he was a pure devotee.
She killed all the dacoits
and saved Jaḍa Bharata.
So we should just do our devotional service and even if we have done some unknown offence,
Kṛṣṇa will protect us if we do devotional service.
Now, this planet is known as Bhārata-varṣa.
And still India is called as Bhārata.
It is named after the king Bharata.
Questioner: Bhagyasri
Date: 2022-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has recommended
that when one wakes up in the morning
you should beat their mind with shoes 100 times.
And before we go to bed beat your mind 108 times with a broom stick.
In this way, you are not the mind, your mind should cooperate with you.
You have to tell the mind who is the boss.
Instead of the mind bossing you around, you tell the mind what to do.
If you don’t want to think about that pray to Kṛṣṇa He will help
and pray that you want to think about Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: In the 18th chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ.
So, there He says He will destroy all the sinful reactions.
If you have offended any devotees,
then you should see how you can beg forgiveness and touch their lotus feet.
Or do something which will help others to be Kṛṣṇa conscious and get forgiven for the offences.
Like Mādhāi he apologized to Nitāi
that, “I hit You!”
But Nityānanda said, “No, I took it like a mother kicked the baby.”
Then Mādhāi said, “I have offended many other Vaiṣṇavas of the dhāma,
how can I get forgiven for that?”
So, then Nityānanda Prabhu advised him to build a bathing ghāṭa
so that he will facilitate people to go and take bath in the Ganges,
and thereby he would get forgiven for his offences.
So one of the ghāṭas in Navadvīpa is Mādhāi-ghāṭa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: That we have them promise to avoid breaking the four principles at the time of initiation.
They should avoid not chanting 16 rounds.
They should avoid the ten offences to the Holy Name.
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)]
Questioner: Kackulī Rāṇī
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: It depends on how bad he is
and if he is slightly offensive or fully offensive.
We don’t want liberation by the impersonal method,
and that is something we reject.
I don’t know what type of liberation that person gets.
So the guru is giving instructions to help us
so that we can achieve the spiritual perfection
and we should appreciate what the spiritual master tells us.
Questioner: Vinoda Kṛṣṇa and Nandapriya Padmā
Date: 2022-09-16
Jayapatākā Swami: Obviously you can only reveal your mind to very close devotees.
And so we would hope that you don’t have any offensive thoughts.
But in the case of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi,
his doubt,
we are going to hear what the result of that is.
So if you have doubt on the Lord or His devotee,
it may be dangerous.
He would say that
to Svarūpa Dāmodara
and then Svarūpa Dāmodara would correct him.
So if you are in a position, if someone reveals their mind to you,
and they have some doubt,
then you have to answer their doubt.’
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Anarthās]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting!
We should be very cautious about māyā.
Māyā tries to take us away.
She is very strict.
One devotee when he joined ISKCON, his father offered him a million dollars
to leave Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
He did not leave!
I mean, how many here would be tempted by eight crores?
So, sometimes māyā gives one some incentives,
sometimes māyā gives one suffering,
and so we have to be very cautious.
So we should always keep ourselves surrendered at Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
What we should be conscious about is to do everything for the service of Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Sādhanā]
Questioner: Lalitāṅgī Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we offer daily guru-pūjā
and on the Vyāsa-pūjā we offer the puṣpāñjali three times.
That way we pray that we may be forgiven for any knowing or unknowing offences.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Guṇagrāhi Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2023-01-27
Jayapatākā Swami: We may commit mistakes, but we should beg for forgiveness,
and we should continue to do our devotional service, being more and more careful.
If we realize we did a mistake, we can ask for forgiveness.
I saw that even in one of the prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the devotee says,
I have committed innumerable offences, please forgive me and engage me in Your service.
I surrender to Your lotus feet!
So, there are offences we commit knowingly or unknowingly,
but we should be humble, try to correct any mistakes we make and continue to render devotional service.
Haribol!
Questioner: Keya Rani
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: 1. We should observe it after that.
And plead to Kṛṣṇa for forgiveness.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-11
Jayapatākā Swami: Firstly, we should avoid doing aparādhas.
At the time of initiation, you read the ten offences of the holy name.
This is the system so that we don’t break the regulative principles.
First, if we commit an offence to someone knowingly,
then we can pray for forgiveness.
In Māyāpur, there is a place where specially we go we get freed from Vaiṣṇava aparādha.
Aparādha-bhañjanera-kuliyā-pāḍa
And if you did some aparādhā it can get forgiven by touching the feet of the devotee you offended.
And I have seen many shoes outside. I see devotees touching those shoes.
You should try to avoid committing offences.
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Pulling out the weeds?
Well, just like for instance uh, the first weed is described as niṣiddhācāra - unauthorized behavior.
Say that a person uh, is habituated to uh, eating meat,
but chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, friend of Kṛṣṇa coming, but you know still he eats meat.
So, then the person gradually stops eating meat, that is pulling the weed out, say, in the beginning stage.
But then say something that might even attack an older person that’s in devotional service - kuṭīnāṭī or lābha, pratiṣṭhā, pūjā.
Kuṭīnāṭī means diplomatic behavior.
Just like say a neophyte devotee, not very strong, he is trying to practice devotional service, he is practicing.
But somehow, he got mislead… miss… you know, like waylaid.
Went out, did something wrong, maybe went out, got drunk or something, you know.
Just fall.
Say, met some old friends.
They said, “Come on!” Next thing you know, had a beer can in his hand, whatever; and so, got in trouble.
So, then I met a devotee like that.
That is not a devotee, initiated, but just like a bhakta type person.
And then he had something like that happen.
Then he got picked up for drunken driving.
Very… He was come by and he was apologizing.
He was going to really try to be Kṛṣṇa conscious again.
So, the thing was that if a person… say that a person does something like that,
and some senior person is there to help him, some spiritually advanced person, and then if tries to like lie about it, hide the truth,
so or… that’s one form of kuṭīnāṭī, being devious you know.
Well, if the person was just straight forward, “Yeah, I had this problem, can you help me?”
Then he gets some good advice, and that gives him some more inspiration, some more strength to just stay on the path, you see.
So that lack of being straightforward of you know, confiding in uh, people who are actually there to help you spiritually, that’s one form of kuṭīnāṭī.
There are many others.
Like different have diplomatic behavior.
So if one, one gives up that behavior
and then takes the uh, you know, straight forward path, takes the consequences whatever it may be, you see,
there is no consequences like that in devotional service, no one is going to uh,
put anyone unnecessarily on the spot, rather one is compassionate, trying to help someone if they are having difficulties.
So, that’s how you pull the weed.
It’s just that, when you, you have to isolate, you have to recognize,
“This is the defect, this is a mistake, this is a wrong thing.”
And then you… then you work at uh, not doing it anymore.
That’s how you pull it.
That’s the meaning of pulling it.
Just like you know, some people they show you, “Look at my garden.
Look at my lawn.
It’s so beautiful; everything is green, right?” Before… If I look at the lawn, I’ll think it’s great.
But then if some you know, horticulturist comes, he says, “Well that’s crabgrass, that’s too… this is you know, this is uh, hog… hog… hog grass,
and this is not you know you supposed to have all you know Kentucky blue or something.
You got all this other garbage grass in there.”
You see.
For an ordinary, layman, it’s all grass, you know, who cares?
But you know, if you really get into it, it’s all some kind of grass that are ultimately weeds that don’t help the…
They are going to take over the whole thing and make it very scrubby looking.
But it looks the same, it looks similar, you see.
So, all you do, you pull it out, take it out.
So, you have to isolate it first, what is the weed and what is the real plant?
Weed means it looks like a real plant.
It is not… It is a plant also.
It looks similar.
It is not you know necessarily a lot different, it might be a lot different or might even be similar, it’s a plant anyway.
So, some of the things are just a slight difference, some of them are really different.
Just like an oak tree and a piece of grass, same type of living entity: plant, you see, vegetation.
But it’s not that completely different, may be in the beginning stages it looks similar,
when it’s just like a 3 inches ha… high, but in the end, you know, it becomes completely different.
So how you pull it out in terms of practicality, just you guys stopping doing that particularly,
or at least trying to stop.
First you isolate what it is, then you work at pulling it out.
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: Anon
Date: 2022-08-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Why were you able to read more earlier and not now?
Please try that you do not commit any Vaiṣṇava-aparādhā amongst each other and forgive each other.
You can chant the Pañca-tattva mantra and Nitāi-Gaura names and thus make advancement in spiritual life.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Vaiṣṇava-aparādha], [Sādhanā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Annu Prasad
Date: 2022-10-15
In Kali-yuga, one doesn’t get a reaction
for mentally creating some offence.
You have to do that practically.
Since the mind is not very easily controlled in the Kali-yuga,
it may think many weird things.
So Gadādhara Prabhu,
He was thinking that Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhī
was a materialistic,
later He realized that he was a pure devotee.
So therefore, He accepted him as His guru,
because the guru always forgives his disciples’ offences.
So, if someone offends a guru mentally,
and later surrenders and becomes the guru’s disciple,
that is authorized in the process, example set by Gadādhara Prabhu.
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Material World / Kali yuga], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence]
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]
You talked about the four regulative principles. During initiation we vow to follow these regulative principles. My question is after initiation if a disciple breaks any one of these regulative principles, what is the method of atonement and please tell the way out so that one does not make the same mistake again.
Questioner: Saṅkīrtana Priya Nitāi dāsa
Date: 2022-12-06
Jayapatākā Swami: We should beg for forgiveness from guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Then we should perform devotional service directly.
There is no higher atonement than bhakti-yoga.
Category: [Anarthās], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Sādhanā / Regulative Principles], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, that is why when we gather together for programs,
we bow down to all the Vaiṣṇavas.
We say vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ.
We try to forgive everyone for any knowing or unknowing offences.
Because if we don’t know about it, we don’t know! Ha!
So we may have inadvertently offended someone.
So we want to be forgiven for that.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that generally if we ask questions, that is not an offence.
Like if we ask an advanced Vaiṣṇava some question,
even if it is a personal question.
Prabhu, actually you are a very senior devotee and I have been following you.
But I see that sometimes you just do this,
so I was wondering if I should follow that or not? Ha!
So in that way you are asking a question,
it is not offensive.
But if you say, PRABHU!
YOU ARE AN OFFENDER, YOU ARE SMOKING BEHIND THE CAR!
Maybe it is not true,
or maybe it is true but not something we should present in that way.
So, we try to ask questions rather than accuse anyone.
Unless you are in a very senior position
and you are advising some disciple who is junior.
I was made a temple president two weeks after my initiation.
So everyone in the temple, many were more senior than me! Ha!
So if told them, PRABHU, GO TO THE STORE!
They would look at me and say, who are you to tell me?
So I would go to people and say,
Prabhu, how would you like to go the store?
The deities need apples or something! Ha!
So if they said no,
I would keep asking them! Ha!
But I wouldn’t tell them,
I would ask them.
So somehow that became the thing that I learnt since I was a young president.
And it is hard for me to stop that even now!!
I am very happy to see that your house is very clean,
I feel very devotional in your house!
- Anarthās
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- Yet To Categories
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