Question: You mentioned five relations, in order to go back to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, do we have to achieve all five or if we are in the first level of dāsya or sakhyam we can go back to Godhead?
Author: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: In the fourth chap of the Bhagavad-gītā,
if we understand the Lord’s appearance and His activities are transcendental,
you can go back to Godhead.
You have one of those five which is your relationship -
the trees, the cows, other things they are śānta.
Hanumān, and other active servitors of Kṛṣṇa, or Nārāyaṇa, they are in the dāsya.
Like Yudhiṣṭhira, he was respectful to Kṛṣṇa but he was like a friend.
That is like friendly with respect.
Śrīdāma, Subala, Sudāma, they were all cowherd boyfriends,
they were intimate friends of Kṛṣṇa.
So what your relationship, you may be a man now but you have a relation as a mother or wife.
You may be a woman but you are a servant or friend of Kṛṣṇa.
Actually, the ātmā, the spirit soul, the living force is who we really are.
If you think of your wife when you die you become a woman in your next life,
if the wife thinks of her husband, she becomes a man.
What you think at the time of death that will lead to the next birth.
What body you have now does not indicate what your spiritual relationship is with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So you don’t have to go through the five. Just if you develop your service to Kṛṣṇa, your understanding of the Supreme Person,
then you go to the spiritual world.
If you just appreciate the Lord in an impersonal way, you may land up in an impersonal realization.
As I said, most people they don’t think of God so much, if they do, they pray that He may them what they want materially.
Out of millions of those ordinary people, one, he wants to know his actual spiritual, who he is.
One of the millions is a jñānī,
who is trying to actually understand.
Out of millions of those one is a mukta.
He or she is actually liberated.
And then out of millions of muktas, one may be a devotee.
Where they are awakening their relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
That all of you are present, is a very special thing.
Lord Caitanya, He is giving out this love of Godhead very freely,
without considering who is qualified, who is unqualified.
So He is considered the most merciful incarnation of the Lord.
Otherwise, it would be very difficult.
But He made it very easy at this time!
Related Questions
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know why your mind doesn’t want to think about Kṛṣṇa!
Kṛṣṇa is our shelter.
And we can apologize for feeling some anxiety, that I should not be feeling like this,
so we pray to Kṛṣṇa to give us strength,
so that we don’t succumb to these modes of ignorance and passion.
He is our best friend, right?
From seventh - dāsyam, sakhyam, ātma-nivedanam, eighth He is our friend!
You want to tell your friend, you are feeling some anxiety.
What are friends for? Right?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-09-25
Jayapatākā Swami: That also is His mercy.
Of course, Advaita, He Himself is the Lord.
Actually Advaita, Nitāi and Lord Caitanya, They all three are the Lord;
in different forms for different purposes.
Advaita wanted that everyone should get the opportunity,
even those who are ordinarily missing the chance.
But especially, He mentions that Cakravartīs, the Miśras,
those who were the high caste priestly people, but who are always inimical to Lord Caitanya.
Because a devotee cannot tolerate when someone is inimical to the Lord.
Lord cannot tolerate when someone is inimical to the devotee, and a devotee cannot tolerate when someone is inimical to the Lord.
Actually those proud people, they don’t want Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy;
so they are not getting.
But those who are not proud, they want some type of relief; they want some type of answers to their problems.
So Advaita, he didn’t want that they should get just a part solution.
They should get more than they expected; the highest gift of life.
By not giving the mercy to the proud people, this is forcing the people who are proud to give up their false position.
By giving up their false position, then they can achieve perfection.
Why should we mislead people and tell them that if they maintain a false position, they can be happy?
But even one is unfortunate (otherwise he is not qualified even to worship God)
but somehow or other at least he is a little humble and he has a desire, he can get the mercy.
That is unequaled in all history.
A Vaiṣṇava can tolerate all types of offenses to himself but he cannot tolerate offenses to the Lord or other Vaiṣṇavas.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the dacoits when they first saw Lord Nityānanda,
They were facing different difficulties previously.
Now, actually I did not take my dinner yet.
I was seeing in Mumbai, everybody was crowding around Rādhā-Rāsabihārī and Sītā-Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Hanumān,
not so many people around Nitāi-Gaura.
Actually, it is by the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura that we get the mercy of Rādhā-Rāsabihārī or Rādhā-Kālacandajī.
That thing we should realize that Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, They are giving us this special mercy.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1973 in London, was giving a lecture on his Vyāsa-pūjā,
and he said that he wanted all his gṛhastha followers to be parāmahaṁsas.
His gurudeva was the son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
All the gṛhasthas, they should do the garbhādāna-saṁskāra, they should pray to the Deities and they should make ācāryas as their sons.
Śrīla Prabhupāda he said that his gṛhastha followers, did things that even his gurudeva sent sannyāsīs, they could not do it.
There was a British Lord, he asked a sannyāsī preacher, could you make me a brāhmaṇa?
Oh yes!
Just give up eating meat, eggs, intoxication, wine, illicit sex, gambling.
You can become a brāhmaṇa.
Impossible that Lord said.
Now we have so many youths, so many devotees who have taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
so many gṛhasthas.
That should be the way to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda and become really saturated with kṛṣṇa-prema.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you take one step toward Lord Kṛṣṇa and He takes ten steps towards us.
Why don’t you want Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda’s mercy?
They want to give you!
Haribol!
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Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: You see if you are mood is such that you go back to Godhead,
that means you got some mercy from your guru.
I spent so many weeks giving class so that people could get an idea of my mood.
What do you think?
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Satyamedha Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Many people think that Śrīla Prabhupāda was manifesting in his heart.
But he did not say that as Nakula Brahmacārī did.
But it seemed that by his participating in Ratha-yātrās and some other festivals
that people were very much inspired
and in one Ratha-yātrā after the Ratha-yātrā he went to the car and turned to the driver
and said, “Did you see how beautifully Nitāi-Gaura were dancing in the crowd?”
The driver, of course he did not see Nitāi-Gaura,
he said Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: If you desire to enter into these pastimes, that is the qualification.
And it is called laulyam,
having intense desire to engage in the pastimes.
So just by hearing the pastimes it says one will surely get the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So that is the special prabhāva, influence of hearing the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.
Alright?
As Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you are an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So you are associating with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu even now is what we are thinking. Can you share Guru Mahārāja, do you remember any līlās with Caitanya Mahāprabhu that you were present and were dealing with them and presently you are associating? Can you share with us Guru Mahārāja?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he did not say that to me.
He told me I was born in India before,
he said I was a devotee.
That is as much as he told me.
I saw a few things, it is on the letters from Śrīla Prabhupāda,
and he told me not to tell.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: It says that Lord Caitanya’s pastimes are uncommon.
If he had demonstrated some ordinary pastimes then it would not be uncommon
and then most people like you would say, oh, that is nothing special.
Lord Caitanya’s extreme mahā-bhāva cannot be imitated or understood.
So Kṛṣṇa took the heart of Rādhārāṇī.
Rādhārāṇī when She was feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa, She went into these extreme states.
There are ten symptoms mahā-bhāva given I think a few days ago.
Rādhārāṇī, Lord Caitanya, Mādhavendra Purī are the ones who manifested mahā-bhāva.
So, if Lord Caitanya wants to find out the ecstasies of Rādhārāṇī, He has to do that.
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: Anon
Date: 2022-08-03
Jayapatākā Swami: Prabhupāda gave me a service of building Māyāpur and then at that time day and night we had two shifts of construction we were working - 600 people working under us - three devotees.
So then I went up to Prabhupāda and said I just want to take out two hours a day for reading books, because I am not getting any chance to read, so I want to take out.
Prabhupāda got angry at me and said, "You think there is a difference between serving and building my project and reading my books?
You see any difference?" (laughter)
"No."
"Then? Then?"
"Hare Kṛṣṇa"
That’s it.
Of course, the point is that while somehow or other I still managed to squeeze out half hour here there something.
It takes some desire.
This idea that we have to stop our service to read… actually, if we really go through our schedule, cut down, or even… you know, cut down on all the little times that we were wasting our…whatever.
If we really go through the schedule we can squeeze out some time every day.
And if there is really so much service that uh, needs to be done, well, that is also a shelter.
That protects us.
We have to see, if that much emergency service we have to do.
There was a big emergency in Māyāpur.
Of course, Prabhupāda generally tells everyone we should read for an hour a day.
But if we attend two classes that is also reading.
If we are hearing a class that is also reading, it is not that one is not reading.
We are hearing the Bhāgavatam every day.
In addition to that we can get time for reading, we have to just really economize.
That way if we have a desire that we want to do our service so quickly and so perfectly so that we can get little time for reading,
not little more time for sleeping or little more time for gossip… as soon as there’s a little time, we all start to gossip, or we do something else.
We have more taste sometimes for prajalpa, for other things, but if we actually tried to squeeze out the time then when we have a little time we immediately sit down and read.
So that is very good, we don't want to have a lot of spare time.
How much can we read anyway?
We can only read as much as we serve.
Service creates in us an appetite for reading.
So that way if you are competing with your time to do as much service then even do it more efficiently by which you can fit in a little more time for reading, you see.
Then it will be difficult for māyā to catch you.
In the spiritual world there is sevya, sevā and sevaka.
There is the served, the service and the servitor.
The process, the person… Everything is the, the person served, the process of service and the servant these three items are completely spiritual therefore the spiritual world is called Absolute.
There is no tinge of material contamination there.
We just have to see if our… if we can keep our consciousness in the service then there is no problem.
If our consciousness is becoming agitated we need some special instructions, then we have to discuss with authorities.
As long as the consciousness is good, one doesn’t have to think that well, just by serving you are not going to get where you want to go, because actually this service is completely pure.
Rather, just like Pra… I don't chant more than 16 rounds.
First, I will chant 16 rounds then I will read.
Then after I complete what I consider enough reading then I will chant more than 16 rounds, you see.
My priority is, first finish my rounds then read.
Sometimes devotees chant 20 rounds, 30 rounds.
Not always, but sometimes they chant more rounds.
My next priority after rounds is reading.
Then after that then more rounds sometimes if I have more time.
So, in this way, somehow or another we have to adjust everything without actually reducing.
We should not reduce, we should think how to further increase.
If there is so much service that you have no time for reading and if… if… if you are so expert that you are also not giving any time for māyā in your day, well then you are still safe.
And of course, you are attending class, so some reading is there, that is also reading.
Not that Prabhupāda did not think this was reading.
Then you can further become expert or arrange to engage other devotees who may not be as fully engaged and squeeze out a little time for reading.
Our goal is not to reduce service, but somehow fit everything in, increasing, as far as possible.
And if that can’t be done with one's own service then you try to train some other people to take up more responsibility.
Make more devotees, train them up, is that alright?
Devotee: Yes.
Questioner: Kairava Candrikā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: That sometimes the activities of the Lord and His devotees
are beyond the scope of the scriptures.
And Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, he was basing his conclusion on the scriptures.
So he was saying it was alright for the Lord, because He is beyond all rules and regulations.
But somehow, he was not appreciating the devotees.
He thought that they should follow the rules.
So this shows that sometimes,
devotees are also on a very elevated platform.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: In Pāṇihāti they were doing kīrtana for many, many days.
And thus they started to manifest super powers;
One devotee went to the top of a tree and started jumping from tree to tree like a balloon.
Another devotee uprooted a tree and started dancing with it.
A whole big tree, he danced.
One devotee took a 60 foot long bamboo, held it on one side and played it like a flute.
It is very hard though with so much weight.
Rāghava Paṇḍita said, this way I will not have any trees left!
Please move your kīrtana on!
I won’t be able to offer you any sabzis, any trees, if all are uprooted.
Lord Caitanya gradually headed from Pāṇihāti to Korda and different places and in this way throughout Bengal His saṅkīrtana went on day and night.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-10-24
Jayapatākā Swami: …the time He went to South India, when he got to the Śiva temple, Venkaṭa Ramaṇa,
the head priest and the head pujārī requested that Lord Caitanya stay there for four months for the rainy season.
So Gopāla was the son of Venkaṭa, and he was given the service of serving Lord Caitanya, washing His clothes, bringing Him prasādam.
Devotee: He was just a young boy, then?
Jayapatākā Swami: Hmm, not particularly young.
I mean… I would… I would have to guess he was in his 20’s,
but off hand I can’t say exactly, might’ve been older.
You get the impression that he’s young, but not from the… real… definitely a little young,
but not just that he’s a little boy.
He’s already quite in control of his faculties.
So, he was serving like that, and one day, he was meditating that, how he was seeing Lord Caitanya every day, as a sannyāsi,
but how actually, he was very unfortunate that he was missed… he missed the chance to see Lord Caitanya in His Navadvīpa pastimes,
and he was lamenting like that, that he… you know… when he was with so many devotees,
big sankīrtana party… here, He’s just… Lord Caitanya was alone doing kīrtana, which was of course, very wonderful.
He was thinking like that.
He kind of dozed off.
Was only dozing, and he was like he actually found a like, a type of samādhi in his… in a dream state,
and there he saw Lord Caitanya
and Lord Caitanya was in His Navadvīpa-līlā, and there was Lord Caitanya, and there were the other devotees,
big kīrtana was going on.
He was just overwhelmed, he was paying his obeisances in this vision, he was just overwhelmed with ecstasy.
After a little while, Lord Caitanya disappeared,
and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa suddenly woke up, and he became very very filled with separation, “Where is Lord Caitanya?!”
and he called out, “Where is Lord Caitanya?!”,
and he started running to find Lord Caitanya.
There, in the distance he saw Lord Caitanya, ran and as he was running, he was crying because he was so eager to see Lord Caitanya.
Just as he was approaching Lord Caitanya, Lord Caitanya assumed the form of Kṛṣṇa, playing on the flute.
When he saw that, he was immediately, completely stunned and he fell unconscious on the ground,
and when he woke up… you know, when he came awake after a few moments, regained his consciousness, he said… looked up and saw, there was Lord Caitanya.
Lord Caitanya put His lotus feet on his head, told him to take up his gear head off to Vṛndāvana. (devotees laughing)
Said, “Gopāla,”… and then , then he went to Vṛndāvana.
He met the other gosvāmīs there.
So, there he stayed mainly in Vṛndāvana as far as I can… as far as I know.
Wrote literature, established the worship of one… Rādhā-vallabha?
Or, I forget, one of the main deities he established, let’s see.
Who’s… did Rādhā-Ramaṇa? He did Rādhā-Ramaṇa, maybe.
I think he did Rādhā-Ramaṇa. He did Rādhā-Ramaṇa.
He was worshipping 12 śālagrāma-śilās, and then tying them up in a tree every night,
and he was feeling sepāration that he could never do any dressing, śrṇgāra of the deities,
so one day, when he unbagged the śālagrāmas, there was 11 śālagrāma, and Rādhā-Ramaṇa.
One śālagrāma had manifested in deity form,
and Śrīnivāsa Ācārya took initiation from him.
Also Jīva Gosvāmī gave him teachings.
That’s the basic thing.
Devotee: What literature did he write, I mean, what are left?
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, he wrote the Śrī Saṁskāra-dīpikā and another book like that Ṣat kriyā… two books like that about the rules and regulations of vaiṣṇava-saṁskāras
and that… ṣat kriyās for gṛhasthas and brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs and includes in it a complete…
right from the garbhādāna-saṁskāra to the nāmakaraṇa, cutting of the first hair, the whole… everything,
to the samādhi, taking sannyāsa, so he wrote that, though it’s not very big, it’s a bit smaller, maybe.
Then, between him and Sanātana Gosvāmī, the Hari-vilāsa… the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa was written.
Apparently Sanātana Gosvāmī started, and he finished it, something like that.
So Sanātana Gosvāmī got the credit for it,
but then Prabhupāda said that some of the Hari-bhakti Vilāsa was a little bit influenced by smārta, that Gopāla Bhaṭṭa was influenced.
In this way that… In there it says that,
best if your guru is a brāhmaṇa,
that he should have these qualities, he should be… good features… like that, give so many materialistic qualifications,
but of course in the end of that chapter, it says…
but, you know of all of the above, that … main qualification… they should be pure devotee.
If he’s a pure devotee, nothing else can… matters, (laughing) you know.
But, so… because he put all these other things, it confuses people.
That was just by the inf… you know, just to kind of pacify the smārtas, some of those things were there,
but the… the actual pure devotional conclusion is also there.
It’s just that the other thing is there to like… the ordinary kind of, more smārta idea is there, but then he transcends it.
Apart from that, I think we wrote a couple other books, but offhand I can’t say.
He wrote (indistinct) books into pastimes.
Link: 19821017 Arrival Address
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Lokapālikā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita is Nārada muni in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes,
and we can see that he has exceptional qualities of devotion,
and in the Pañca-tattva mantra we say śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda – Śrīvāsa and all other devotees of Lord Gaurāṅga.
So, Śrīvāsa is the chief devotee.
There were so many devotees of Lord Gaurāṅga,
of them, the chief is Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita,
but there are so many devotees
and some of them are mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
in the Ādi-līlā,
Thank you Lokapālikā devī dāsī.
Category: [Gauḍīya History], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-11
Jayapatākā Swami: (Guru Mahārāja told the repeater: Your voice did not project out, you have to go to the voice therapist!) There are four kinds of people in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that do not get His mercy.
So Kali, he is one of those.
His job is to introduce tamo-guṇa in the society.
So even he is impressed by what Lord Gaurāṅga is doing
but his job doesn’t change.
It is just that he is neutralized sometimes
by Lord Caitanya’s mercy.
Right now Kali is on the role
and specially here in India, what to speak of the rest of the world, people imitate the west and they are acting in a sinful way.
So, we want to spread the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa and the message of Gaurāṅga!
We want to neutralize Kali’s influence
and help people be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Since Caitanya came down, He descended as an avatāra, the way to reach Caitanya avatāra is through Lord Nityānanda.
So, in that sense, Lord Nityānanda is the original spiritual master.
If we want worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, we need the mercy of Lord Nityānanda.
The guru on this planet is described as the mercy avatāra of Lord Nityānanda.
So, he represents the mercy of Lord Nityānanda.
So, since the guru is very merciful to his disciples, Lord Nityānanda is the original guru, He is very merciful to everyone.
Haribol!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-25
Jayapatākā Swami: Well if they accept Him with respect at least they will be not guilty of the greatest offences,then they will be able to advance something.
From that the point is of course Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mood was always as a devotee.
Sometimes He fell into this kind of, entered into His Kṛṣṇa mood,
at that time in His own humor, He would have these unusual pastimes.
But that didn’t happen very often, it was very rare.
But just like they are singing out the thousand names of Viṣṇu, when He heard the name of Nṛsinghadeva,
He just got into the mood of Nṛsingha at that moment and He forgot His devotional mood.
Sometimes He was worshipped by Advaita Gosāñī.
When Advaita could see that He was in that mood, other times when Advaita tried to touch His feet, He ran, He said, “No no, you are the senior brāhmaṇa”.
So actually, I get absorbed.
There was a resolution that we should start this year reading from the Caitanya Caritāmṛta for some time every day.
Actually, I just wanted to start to hear.
So that thing as the great one point that Lord Caitanya, He never would allow Himself to be glorified like that.
But on two or three occasions, due to falling in some transcendental ecstasy in that particular mood,
the devotees could actually see that aspect of Lord Caitanya revealed.
Category: [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Hm. I know that Lord Caitanya only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa. But I don’t know
for certain that He comes every time after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
Not certain about that. I heard that, on contrary, that Lord Caitanya’s
coming is more rare than Lord Kṛṣṇa’s coming, but
I haven’t seen it actually or directly heard it from Prabhupāda.
Except that I heard directly that He only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
But you can see Lord Caitanya now, if He reveals Himself to the devotee. But then in, you know,
proclaimed way, everyone can see Him, He only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Hm. I know that Lord Caitanya only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa. But I don’t know
for certain that He comes every time after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
Not certain about that. I heard that, on contrary, that Lord Caitanya’s
coming is more rare than Lord Kṛṣṇa’s coming, but
I haven’t seen it actually or directly heard it from Prabhupāda.
Except that I heard directly that He only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
But you can see Lord Caitanya now, if He reveals Himself to the devotee. But then in, you know,
proclaimed way, everyone can see Him, He only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I am thinking that
I still want to perform the different instructions that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me,
and I am praying to Śrīla Prabhupāda to give his mercy so that I could execute these orders.
One thing on the disappearance day,
is that the heritage of the spiritual master
is left for us to perform,
and we want to keep him alive
by executing his instructions.
Few days ago in your class you explained about the different separation ecstasies of Lord Caitanya for Kṛṣṇa. Can we experience these eight transcendental symptoms of separation from Lord Gaurāṅga as He is the Supreme Lord, or only in love of directly from Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, can these moods of symptoms be experienced? Please enlighten us.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: One can also experience separation from Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, etc.
And even you can experience separation from devotees.
Separation is possible.
When Śrīla Prabhupāda would leave, some devotees would feel separation at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s departure
and others would be chanting and smiling.
Later when Śrīla Prabhupāda saw the video he pointed out that devotees who were laughing at the departure of Śrīla Prabhupāda,
they were not as advanced as those who were experiencing separation.
Category: [Emotions / Happiness], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Few days ago in your class you explained about the different separation ecstasies of Lord Caitanya for Kṛṣṇa. Can we experience these eight transcendental symptoms of separation from Lord Gaurāṅga as He is the Supreme Lord, or only in love of directly from Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, can these moods of symptoms be experienced? Please enlighten us.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: One can also experience separation from Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, etc.
And even you can experience separation from devotees.
Separation is possible.
When Śrīla Prabhupāda would leave, some devotees would feel separation at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s departure
and others would be chanting and smiling.
Later when Śrīla Prabhupāda saw the video he pointed out that devotees who were laughing at the departure of Śrīla Prabhupāda,
they were not as advanced as those who were experiencing separation.
Category: [Emotions / Happiness], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Caitanya-Maṅgala it says, that Nārada Muni went to Goloka Vṛndāvana to invite Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come.
There, Caitanyadeva said, ok, I will go.
But you go and tell Balarāma to come as well.
Balarāma came ten years before
and this way Balarāma came as Nityānanda.
Revatī and Vāruṇī came as Jāhnavā Devī and Vasudhā.
Questioner: Atula Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2023-04-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I used to travel 5 or 6 times around the world every year.
I have lifetime-gold-membership in United Airways.
British Airways I have Emerald membership, it is like Gold.
I don’t have to fly, I get every year automatically.
But this was initially Śrīla Prabhupāda said as a sannyāsī, I should travel.
But now I spend more time in Māyāpur.
Śrīla Prabhupāda told me also remain in Māyāpur and do your activities through your assistants.
So, at different times, he told me different things.
So, I think I did my travelling enough.
Now I spend more time in Māyāpur, India.
I only travel once or twice around the year every year!
But that way, I think I used to travel to all the countries, South Africa, Poland, Nigeria, Ghana, etc.
Bhakti Tīrtha Swami had asked me to go to West Africa sometimes.
I went two or three times.
So like that. During the pandemic I stayed all the time in Māyāpur.
That is the thing, I am trying to carry out Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: I explained this in Bengali in the morning, you were there?
Lord Nityānanda, He was in Vṛndāvana and He realized that Lord Caitanya had started the saṅkīrtana movement.
So He took Sridāma and Abhirāma Ṭhākura and they went to Navadvīpa.
They stayed in the Nandanācārya temple.
Then, Lord Caitanya had sent his devotees out but nobody could find Lord Nityānanda.
Then Lord Caitanya said, were you looking for Lord Nityānanda?
They said, yes.
He said, no wonder you could not find Him.
You cannot find the Lord by looking for Him, He has to reveal Himself to you.
So if you want to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has to reveal Himself to you.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we should try to do such service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya, then they would want to meet us.
So anyway, Lord Caitanya told the devotees that I can find Him, you cannot find Him.
I can find Him.
So next morning they went out in kīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.
So Lord Nityānanda, He heard the kīrtana and His hairs stood on end and He stood up.
And then Lord Caitanya entered into the courtyard of Nandanācārya
and then He saw Lord Nityānanda! Nitāi!
And then Lord Nityānanda saw Gaurāṇga and said,
Gauuuuranga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṇga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṇga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṇga!
And then They came and embraced each other.
All the devotees were Haribol! Haribol!
Nitai-Gaura Haribol!
Haribol!
Hari Hari Hari Hari bol!
Nitāi! Nitāi! Nitāi!
Gaura! Gaura! Gaura!
Nitāi-Gaura!
Nitāi-Gaura!
Nitāi! Nitāi!
Gaura! Gaura!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: This was Nityānanda’s mercy, which has no limits.
And Jagāi and Mādhāi said that Ajāmila was a sinner
but he chanted the names of Nārāyaṇa, calling out his son.
But we have no good quality, as much hair as we have on our head, we have committed that many sins, even more!
So much we have sinned, but we got liberated by Nitāi-Gaura! They are the most merciful!
THEY ARE THE MOST MERCIFUL!
NITĀI GAURĀṆGA! NITĀI GAURĀṆGA! NITAI GAURA! NITĀI GAURA! NITĀI GAURA! NITĀI GAURA!
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: Kṛṣṇasevinī Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: The whole practice of bhakti-yoga is to develop our love for guru and Kṛṣṇa.
It is not a different process.
Same process delivers us
and we should perform devotional service
and naturally if you help the spiritual master
then Kṛṣṇa will be very pleased.
Category: [Emotions / Faith], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)]
Questioner: Sukamala Nityānanda dāsa [Bangladesh]
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: I just said that
we should pray to Kṛṣṇa
that whatever we do, we do service in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way.
Firstly, you have to get married,
and then the two should pray that you have Kṛṣṇa conscious children.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: In this life you do the Navadvīpa parikramā, we go there every year.
Otherwise, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa till the last breath and then next birth be born in Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana party somewhere!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Vijaya Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: While the guru is present,
you shouldn’t feel any doubt.
You can always ask the guru
if your idea is correct or not.
I asked Prabhupāda several times about different things like this
and somethings he said, they are sent by Kṛṣṇa,
somethings not.
To be sure, that is why we have a guru,
because we cannot connect directly with Kṛṣṇa in our conditioned state.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Rasapriyā Gopīkā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he was praying that,
he wants to fall at the lotus feet of Śrīvāsa
and beg him for that mercy.
So, we can follow the example of our previous ācāryas,
and we should surrender at the lotus feet, we should pray for the mercy of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura,
and our previous ācāryas,
for this special mercy.
Śrīla Prabhupāda
has given us this opportunity,
to engage in the devotional service of the Lord.
Actually, this is incomparable,
and people who give up their service,
it is very unfortunate.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Pray to Him or worship Him,
and the spiritual master is considered as His dear servitor,
so by following a Vaiṣṇava, spiritual master, who is surrendered to Nityānanda prabhu,
one can get His mercy!
Questioner: Gopa Gopikā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-07
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, if we take inspiration from the example of Vāsudeva Datta,
and try to emulate that,
then naturally, gradually we can achieve similar consciousness.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-01-10
Jayapatākā Swami: You see how this ācārya, he only wants to take the shelter of Lord Caitanya.
He realizes that Lord Caitanya, He gives one blessings to see things from the eyes of Lord Caitanya.
That if we want to see things from a sāttvika mood, we need the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
You see in the earlier verses, it said how people they hope to reach Kṛṣṇa by sādhana-bhakti and so on.
But he said they can try, but I simply depend on the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
If we have that mood that we want the mercy of Lord Caitanya, then it is possible.
What do you think?
Gaurāṅga!
Nityānanda!
Haribol!
Last question.
If we understand how Lord Caitanya, He is the most merciful,
He doesn’t see if you are qualified or not,
He gives out freely love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone.
So therefore, we want to take shelter of Lord Gaurāṅga!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-17
Jayapatākā Swami: I think that we should not think that we will ever have the same love that Gadādhara Paṇḍita had for Lord Caitanya.
If we can have a drop of his love,
that would be something to aspire for.
And by following the footsteps of Śrīla Prabhupāda and other pure devotees,
it is possible to achieve the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya.
It says by hearing these pastimes,
one will get the shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet
very soon.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: He was very sincere.
Whatever he would give speech in the evening,
he was very straightforward, simple and honest.
So that was very convincing.
And he used to tell the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gītā
in a very simple way
and it seemed very appropriate.
When I was trying to practice bhakti-yoga,
there were no books at that time.
He said we could read the Teachings of Lord Caitanya by Professor O.B.L. Kapoor.
So I was reading that about Haridasa Ṭhākura
said that whenever he had some māyā thought chant loudly.
I was a new bhakta, I had so many māyā thoughts!
I chanted louder and louder and louder
and I was screaming Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa!
and all the devotees when to Śrīla Prabhupāda and complained -
this Bhakta Jay, he shouts Hare Kṛṣṇa and we cannot chant our japa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda called me,
asking me to explain
why all the devotees were stressed with me!
So I explained that I read Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted louder when he had some māyā thought, I had so many māyā thought so I chant loud!
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Hmmm, that is not so bad!”
So he told me that chant next to the temple in the public park,
Park Mount Royale,
the city of Montreal is named after this hill, Mount Royale, means Royal Hill.
Our temple was next to that park.
So I would walk up to the hill
and chant loudly
and the squirrels and birds would dance around
So in that way I was chanting.
At that time, we were having Māyāpur and Vṛndāvana festival.
And he would take devotees in between and we would visit different places.
Questioner: Vedavit Kṛṣṇa dāsa [Laguna Beach, California, USA]:
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: You see someone may take shelter
of one of Kṛṣṇa’s expansions
and may think, “Oh, this is very nice!”
But the thing is that
we want to take shelter at the same time,
develop our relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
So he may give us some options
to take shelter of Lord Śiva or others
but as a result
we may take birth again and again.
Because these devas they cannot give mukti.
So Kṛṣṇa, He gives the ideal
protection
and also, He brings one back home back to Godhead.
If you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
then you will have many different pastimes
and can see how the Lord protects His devotees.
He is known as Bhakta-vatsala,
how He protected Prahlāda Mahārāja,
how He protected different devotees.
So by reading the pastimes
one should naturally develop faith.
Questioner: Rāsaraṅginī Rādhikā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, you can use Rādhārāṇī’s method
and how do you know that you love Kṛṣṇa enough
So Rādhārāṇī no matter how much She loves Kṛṣṇa,
She thinks I don’t love Kṛṣṇa enough.
So why should you think that I love Kṛṣṇa enough?
We should never feel that what we are doing, what we love is enough.
By trying to serve Kṛṣṇa better, trying to love Kṛṣṇa more,
that way you can always increase your bhakti.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)]
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-04
Jayapatākā Swami: (Spoken in Hindi – Translated here – Kali-yuga me nāma ke dvāra.
Kalau tad-dhari kīrtanāt.
Nāma ke dvāra bhagavān ko bahut jaldī prāpta ho sakte hain.
Hare Krsna.
Mūrti pūjā dvāpara-yuga me. (The Lord is easily attainable in the Kali-yuga by chanting of the Holy Names)
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Indescribable.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Just like we say we are not the body.
We also say we are not the mind.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said that we should beat the mind in the morning with shoes 108 times.
In the evening beat with a broomstick 108 times.
Who is the boss here, mind or you?
You are the eternal spirit soul and you are the real person.
Not the mind.
We have to tell the mind, who is the boss!
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā]
Questioner: Medhāvinī Sakhi devī dāsī
Date: 2022-12-22
Jayapatākā Swami: So, every day if we read some śāstra,
that will help us to always remember Kṛṣṇa!
In the morning I listen to Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures,
in the evening I hear or read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
During the day I give classes.
But we are told that we should always remember Kṛṣṇa and never forget Him.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Material Sufferings / Death], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-10
Jayapatākā Swami: How to be always humble?
If we think that we are the doer then we tend to be puffed up.
If we think that by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa
I am able to understand something,
that means we are humble.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: When we do anything right, we don’t want to take the credit.
So, we take it as Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
We are small jīva-śakti.
When we desire something, that is done through Kṛṣṇa and His energy.
So we want to do devotional service by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)]
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: Śacīnandana Gauracanda dāsa.
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: We can see, it is not a small thing.
Personally, I don’t we need such a determination.
But we should be determined to chant,
to follow the four regulative principles
and engage one’s self in devotional service,
and eventually achieve pure love for Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa is so wonderful.
Why do you want to serve anyone else?
Kṛṣṇa or His devotees are the only persons we should worship.
You know, Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, they gave all material desires to their followers.
But they had to reject God and serve them,
then you will get all that you want, materially.
But why do you want to serve a demon?
But the demons would like to serve the demons,
the devotees want to serve the devotees.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: This ‘how to’ questions are very difficult.
So, what is the ‘how to’ question? Depend on Kṛṣṇa!
That is why Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a gradual process.
When one practices how you gradually depend on Kṛṣṇa, you then depend on Kṛṣṇa.
And how to avoid aparādha?
Don’t do any!
Anyway, you see all the good qualities in others.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Be a friend of Kṛṣṇa!
Many are friends in Vṛndāvana, Arjuna was also a friend.
Uddhava was a friend.
So, one can be a friend by following the footsteps of the friend.
Are you ready?
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Antīmā devī dāsī.
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: You see we should have the vision of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura,
seeing the difference from material relationship,
and the spiritual reality.
If we have this knowledge,
naturally we can transcend the suffering and troubles of the material world.
But since we are conditioned, and we lament over things which should not be lamented for,
therefore, say one family member dies,
different varṇas have different times or periods, when we are not supposed to go to the temple.
I think brāhmaṇas have 11 days and śūdras 30 days.
So, the more one has spiritual knowledge,
they may be able to recover.
Now I heard that the head priest of the Guruvāyur temple,
if someone dies in his family,
they wouldn’t tell him.
Because if they told him,
he would have to stop worship for so many days.
So, while he is in the six months as head priest.
He would not hear about any misfortune in his family.
Fixing your mind on guru and Kṛṣṇa, is a matter of spiritual wisdom.
Category: [Emotions / Stress/Anxiety], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Sivaprasad (Sheltered)
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: Sambandha, abhideya and prayojana are the three things to be remembered.
If we are engaged in abhideya in devotional service, then naturally our relationship with guru and Kṛṣṇa is strong.
If we are not engaged in devotional service, then there is somewhat distance.
So the solution for that is to engage in devotional service.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-16
Jayapatākā Swami: Saṁbandha is understanding of our relationship that we are the servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Abhideya is engaging in that relationship.
And prayojana is achieving the perfection of life,
pure love of Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
How to understand that we are facing our own karma or it is Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement in our life. Is it true that when we start doing bhakti our karma diminishes and we act according to Kṛṣṇa’s will and arrangement. But for that we have to be a pure devotee even a sādhaka’s karma diminishes completely when they start bhakti. Then again why we face difficulties?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: You see if you are 25% surrendered
then Kṛṣṇa protects you 25%,
if you are 50% then 50%.
If you are 100% then He will fully protect you.
Like Prahlāda Mahārāja
he was fully protected by the Lord.
But maybe we want some material sense gratification,
and we also want to do some service.
So finally, Kṛṣṇa will protect us some and māyā will control the other.
We should think that we are suffering much less than we should be
by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
How we see in this pastime while Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has all these mahā-bhāva ecstasies, when we talk about this or discuss with the devotees, sometimes they question that, how is it possible, it is unbelievable! We do have faith, but how to explain to them that it really happened? Or how to make them trust like whatever the words are here, they all are so true?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-25
Jayapatākā Swami: That is why Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is saying that the common men, they not believe.
But Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and others have seen that,
so Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja says, I accept it, I believe it!
I BELIEVE!
These are things that we just have to believe.
If people don’t believe it, maybe, there are other things that Lord Caitanya did,
which are believable,
and mentioned in the śāstra,
but that I witnessed and saw these uncommon transformations of Lord Caitanya, His body.
So the author accepts, if you want to accept or not that is your free will.
He gives his reason why he accepts.
We know one thing that Lord Caitanya was uncommon. Haribol!
Haribol!
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu kī jaya!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: She asked how can I see Kṛṣṇa?
And what can I do to advance in my Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
We should try that Kṛṣṇa can see us.
And in that way, Kṛṣṇa will be very happy to reveal Himself to you. You serve in such a way that Kṛṣṇa will want to see you and this way you will advance in your devotional service.
How you can advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is try to do the things which are pleasing to guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Indirectly the trees, the cows, they are providing fruits, milk,
but they are not actively doing service.
Kṛṣṇa goes and milks them.
In one sense, okay they are contributing something,
but they are not like Hanumān, who is flying over the ocean and fighting with the demons.
The service of Kṛṣṇa, they really serve Kṛṣṇa.
We are not saying that the animals, the trees, they are not doing anything useful, they are useful.
But it is not that they do a lot of service.
They do their thing.
Produce fruit, produce milk.
I mean, I am sure the deer would go up and lick Kṛṣṇa.
Śānta-rasa means that they appreciate Kṛṣṇa.
One way you can say it is service.
But those who are in dāsya-rasa, they really do a lot of service.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was watching some video of his departure,
and all the devotees, most of the devotees were feeling you know, very separated.
One devotee came in front of the camera and started chanting, clapping, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, he is not very advanced.
It is natural that you feel separation from the guru, naturally devotees felt separation when Śrīla Prabhupāda left.
Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciated
that that kind of intense feeling is a sign of spiritual advancement
and there are emotions that devotees feel.
And some circumstances are suitable for chanting, dancing in happiness.
But when the spiritual master is departing,
most of the devotees are feeling heavy hearted.
If some devotes smiling, laughing, Haribol!
Śrīla Prabhupāda he did not appreciate that.
So they were not really conscious what was happening.
Not conscious of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In the same way, to see Kṛṣṇa, multiply that, and there is nothing you can explain,
that words will not do justice.
If we hear what Lord Caitanya was experiencing, to whatever extent that touches our heart,
that by this feeling, by this meditation on Lord Caitanya’s ecstasy at that time,
we get the shelter of Kṛṣṇa.
So, someone was saying that the greatest separation in the world is to be separated from a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: So He went chanting and dancing in ecstasy to Vṛndāvana.
Meanwhile Lord Nityānanda He went to Navadvīpa
and He told Mother Śacī and all His associates to come with Him to Śāntipur.
He led all the devotees to Śāntipur.
Then Lord Caitanya, He was also approaching Śāntipur
and Advaita was crossing the river by boat.
Lord Caitanya was thinking what is Advaita doing in Vṛndāvana,
then He realized I am not in Vṛndāvana, I have been cheated by Nityānanda Prabhu!
Then He crossed the river with Advaita Ācārya
and met His mother
and He fell down at her feet and offered obeisances.
He said, I owe everything to you,
He humbled himself before his mother
and said, “What should I do?
I have taken sannyāsa.”
She said, “Make Your base in Jagannātha Purī.
Go sometimes to Vrndvana, but make Your base in Jagannātha Purī
because I will get some information, people come and go from Jagannātha Purī.
Vṛndāvana is very far
and I won’t get any information.”
Then Mother Śacī with Advaita Ācārya’s wife Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī,
they were cooking for Lord Caitanya.
And Avaita Gosāñī was serving
Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda.
Lord Caitanya was saying, “I am a sannyāsī, give Me a little bit.”
Lord Nityānanda said, “I am hungry, I haven’t eaten for three days!
You have to give Me prasāda!”
But Advaita gave Them very opulent prasāda.
Lord Nityānanda said, “You are a miser You are not giving enough.”
He threw some rice at Advaita Ācārya.
Then Advaita Ācārya was in ecstasy! “I am a brāhmaṇa, I have been spoilt by an Avadhūta.”
Like this they were having their pastime.
Then Lord Caitanya went to Jagannātha Purī.
The devotees followed Him but He told them you are gṛhasthas, go back to your families
and sometimes you can visit Me in Jagannātha Purī.
Someone asked me what is your favorite pastime?
So I heard that today devotees from New York brought mangoes for me.
So which side do you bite into a mango? All sides are sweet!
Every pastime of Lord Caitanya is very sweet.
But all the pastimes are my favorite.
Jayapatākā Swami: Lalitā sakhi is a left-handed gopī,
there are two sides, left and right.
Left side are argumentative, they chastise Kṛṣṇa,
the right side are very submissive.
I am the greatest fool I could not grow spiritually without you holding my hand. I see so much of similarity between you and the Himalaya mountains - the people are trekking they are humbled. Seeing you, you are exactly like that anyone comes under your shelter, they become humble. They find solace and feel the bliss. My question is you mentioned about the gopīs and Rādhārāṇī talking to the trees. Is there any spiritual significance to that?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, Kṛṣṇa knows the language of the trees.
I think, the point is that the gopīs are so mad after not seeing Kṛṣṇa
that even they are asking the trees.
So this shows separation of Kṛṣṇa they can have such a strong desire.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Śrīdhara
Date: 2022-10-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Just that when we do office work,
we dedicate the work to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Certain percentage of the income, we may give to Kṛṣṇa.
So even though we may not always be able to think about Kṛṣṇa while we are working,
since the activity is offered to Kṛṣṇa, that will suffice.
I have heard pastime of Śārabha, a form of Śiva fighting with Lord Narasiṁhadeva and other versions mentioned in various tāmasika and rājasika Purāṇas, I feel very painful, it disturbed me a lot. I felt I should not have read or heard. What should be the proper understanding of this pastime? Why such different versions? How a devotee of Lord Narasiṁhadeva understand these versions?
Questioner: Murāri Mādhava dāsa
Date: 2023-07-08
Jayapatākā Swami: Different Narasiṁhadevas have come in different kalpas.
But we should hear commentaries of Vaiṣṇavas.
We don’t know if non-vaiṣṇavas will give proper explanation.
So actually there should be no conflict if it is properly explained.
I don’t particularly know the Purāṇa, pastime, you are referring to.
We know in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, there is a demon of Bāṇāsura who had the blessings of Lord Śiva.
And the ultimate weapon of Lord Śiva met the ultimate weapon of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
And Śiva’s weapon was defeated.
And Sudarśana cakra cut off the thousands of Bāṇāsura and left four arms.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-10-24
Jayapatākā Swami: The Vrajavāsīs who understand their eternal servitude, relationship with Kṛṣṇa are above ordinary devotees,
because… even sometimes they may not be as strict… or say, as a… as a… under sādhana-bhaktas,
but because they’ve got some intimate relationship in terms of their being Vrajavāsīs, they… a lot of them can see themselves as servant of Kṛṣṇa.
They’re very connected, that way.
So, that way if a neophyte comes and starts to criticize them, then it can be an offense.
They may not be able to actually understand,
and it’s not so much the neophyte devotees,
but it’s the karmīs, they might not understand what’s special about… a very neophyte or karmī.
They may not understand and they may criticize.
Now, even the criticism might be to some extent just in some cases if it’s not their position,
and then they’re not able to see actually what is the good… the good quality of the person,
the person may… very very attached to Kṛṣṇa, but just due to the Kali-yuga is not , following everything perfectly,
but at the same time, in the ultimate issue, is very much connected with Kṛṣṇa.
So, that way, Prabhupāda said that generally one is supposed to go to the holy-dhāma three days,
because after three days, the glitter wears off, then you start finding fault with the dhāma-vasīs,
and that can be detrimental to one’s advancement.
I think that’s probably the rule that you were referring to.
Devotee: What was Prabhupāda saying there... that persons… people that go to Vṛndāvana,
they’re caught up by māyā and they can’t escape, in this life? There’s some mention of that.
Jayapatākā Swami: Who can’t escape?
What I just said, here?
Yeah… there, I said…
This is different.
These are the people that go to Vṛndāvana,
and imitate the six gosvāmīs,
imitating liberated souls who are not actually on that level.
Bhaktisiddhanta Ṭhākura put it another way… said that Mādhavendra Purī was no doubt a great devotee,
but he didn’t put on any of his emotions.
He wasn’t putting on any show, rather he was trying to avoid it, public attention, but it was coming anyway.
But, if someone tries to… He never cheated, to put on any false show, or even…
someone else puts on some kind of show, imitating Mādhavendra Purī,
it’s not only you know, bad taste, it’s very offensive actually.
So, that’s the thing that’s being criticized.
Not people… in this particular sense, people that imitate the pure devotees,
not someone who’s just a neophyte person who sits down and criticizes people born in the dhāma, or the dhāma, itself.
Prabhupāda didn’t say they’re not devotees, just kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs.
Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī normally doesn’t get liberation.
Have to (indistinct)… preach for our maximum purification.
Is that alright?
Link: 19821017 Arrival Address
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-05
Jayapatākā Swami: May be good fortune, I don’t know.
One of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s servants gave me a set of beads to chant on.
I was practicing yoga before that.
So I sat in the ardha-padmāsana and started meditating and chanting
and I chanted six hours nonstop.
I was chanting 32 rounds or something.
And I was feeling so much ecstasy,
I never felt that in the yoga practice.
So I was convinced that Kṛṣṇa consciousness works.
The secretary was waiting for me to come back.
He asked, “Do you still have those beads?”
I said, “Yes!” “Those are Śrīla Prabhupāda’s beads” he said!
But he said he was not supposed to give that to anyone, but I did not know it at that time.
So he took the beads back from me.
Next day was not quite the same!
But I had a glimpse!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Dr Pandit
Date: 2023-11-09
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, I joined in 1968.
And at that time, I thought my parents would be very happy.
I called up my mother, she tried to convince me to be a Christian priest,
but she came to see me.
I called my purvāśrama father
and he was very angry.
He said you come back immediately,
I am going to send you to the Army,
you will die in Vietnam!
I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what should I do?
He said, better you join Kṛṣṇa’s army! Ha! Ha!
So I did that and I have been in his army ever since.
In 2008, I had a stroke.
And His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Mahārāja and others told me that I should stay.
I wanted to see the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium and many services given by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
And I wanted to do those.
Kṛṣṇa somehow, the doctors they said that I will die. 99%.
And if I 1% lived, I would be a vegetable.
But somehow by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, I am still able to talk,
I am able to think,
I cannot walk too much, Ha!
I am able to appreciate these wonderful instructions of Lord Caitanya.
I am combining all the books on Lord Caitanya to bring them into one in English,
so that people can understand about Lord Caitanya.
I don’t know how long Kṛṣṇa will keep me here,
I am doing a therapy now. I have taken the second last therapy for my skin cancer.
Wednesday is supposed to be the last.
But they said that, after that I will gradually start to get better.
So I was asked in the Dallas Sādhu-saṅga
by His Holiness Śacīnandana Mahārāja, he said how are you? I Ha!
I said, well, how do you mean, materially or spiritually?
Materially I had a stroke,
I am wheelchair bound,
I had a liver and kidney transplant,
skin cancer,
I mean materially, I am a wreck!
But spiritually I am very happy! Ha! Ha!
Some people say that actions speaks louder than words!
But most people, they have no problem, I have to sit, although, in the airplane I am like the first one in and the last one out.
Anyway, this material world is not a very nice place.
But when you are young, you don’t think that way.
But we see how Lord Caitanya, He was so appreciative of devotees of Vraja dhāma,
how they were Kṛṣṇa conscious.
That happiness is incomparable!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: It is just causeless mercy!
We see that Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, he offered prayers to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda.
So, that is the devotional process called vandanam.
Offering prayers, obeisances.
So, by desiring, praying for, by Their mercy, it can be achieved.
Category: [Emotions / Faith], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Especially meeting with a married woman in a private place,
that was prohibited by Lord Caitanya.
Sometimes I will be in a room, and there would be a man and woman and the man walks out!
Then I would ask the lady to go out or tell the man not leave or I would go out myself.
Sometimes a vairāgī says they just want to experiment.
You see, checking or experimenting should be done before you become a vairāgī!
If you are a gṛhastha, do all the experimenting with your wife.
If you take the vairāgī path, then at least you should follow the vows of renunciant life, at least for a sannyāsī.
Questioner: Gopati Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting.
In other words, you are saying we have false ego.
We think we don’t have any faults.
But the associates of Lord Caitanya,
always think, it must be because of some faults they did.
So, we should follow in their example.
Don’t blame others,
see yourself first.
What mistake you made,
“Not me! It was he!”
The associates of Lord Caitanya are teaching by their good example,
because of their good qualities,
Lord Caitanya’s heart melted.
Category: [Emotions / Humility], [Emotions / Hypocrisy], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Gopati Kṛṣṇa Dāsa and Acala Hari dāsa
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Nārāyaṇī was a great devotee.
If you are not feeling ecstasy, that is your misfortune.
It is not the fault of the remnants,
it’s your lack of adhikāra,
to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
You should be lamenting, why you don’t feel ecstasy,
even when you take the prasāda remnants of the Deities.
Jayapatākā Swami: The more we practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
advancement increases.
So, by taking the prasāda of Kṛṣṇa, of Gaurāṅga,
our love for Kṛṣṇa can increase.
Just like getting rid of the anarthās,
and becoming fixed or niṣṭhā,
then we advance step by step,
until we have loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa,
then taking prasāda can be an impetus for love of Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Prasāda and Bhoga], [Sādhanā], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the spiritual maser is supposed to be very dear to Lord Nityānanda.
And he gives Lord Nityānanda’s mercy.
By Lord Nityānanda Prabhu’s mercy
we get the mercy of Rādhārāṇī.
And Rādhārāṇī is very hard to approach.
But Nitāi-Gaura, They are more easy to approach.
The spiritual master is easier.
Now śrī śrīla and śrīmān.
Śrī, is the goddess of fortune,
we put śrī in front of someone’s name it means someone is very auspicious.
Śrīman is usually used for someone junior,
who is very - sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda would address with śrīman in the name.
I don’t know the actual dictionary meaning, I am not a Sanskrit scholar.
Just, I have seen it used,
and śrīla is apparently used for someone who is like a guru or a very elevated devotee.
Sometimes the guru is called an ācārya like Śrīla Prabhupāda, He is śrī-śrīmad,
His Divine Grace.
You can ask a Sansrkit scholar, and they can give more of the meaning.
But actually, that is how I see it has been used.
Hare Kṛṣṇa! Thank you very much!
He is saying I should say something about the Dallas congregation and temple.
I think the congregation is very nice!
We saw the devotees at the Ratha-yātrā yesterday, I was very impressed
by their enthusiasm!
Something I did not understand, what DIY mean?
Someone told me oh, it is Do It Yourself!
Anyway, very nice to see the devotees.
I know Bengali if someone wants to speak in Bengali,
I know a little Hindi and I can speak in Hindi with you.
I have been living in India since 1970
and I joined in 1968.
I saw every temple in ISKCON in 1968,
all three!
San Francisco, New York, and Montreal.
After that there are so many temples.
So now it is not possible to see all the temple.
Of course, I have seen quite a few.
I have been given a lifetime Gold by United Star Alliance
and American and from British Airways, lifetime Emerald.
So I visited all the temples around.
But I was thinking I have not seen all of them.There are about 800 or a thousand now,
it not so easy.
But I thought we should call all the temples which were started by by Śrīla Prabhupāda, he did 108, we should call them as śrīpāṭs.
Like Dallas, should be śrīpāṭ Dallas.
These Deities were worshiped by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
They are very special.
This temple was established by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
There may be about a thousand now and in the future, there may be tens of thousands of temples
but there were 108 established by Śrīla Prabhupāda
and this is one of them.
We would like all the devotees to stay as part of Kṛṣṇa consciousness
and take advantage of the mercy of Rādhā-Kālacāndajī and Nitāi-Gaura and Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: If you want to go back to Kṛṣṇa,
if you want to please Kṛṣṇa,
if you want to have the spiritual bliss,
then material suffering should just be an incentive that this material world is not a good place.
Just like now we have the pandemic. The material world is a very dangerous place.
The Bhāgavatam says, padam padam yat vipadām.
One should use it well and understand that this material world is not a place for us to stay.
Bhagavad-gītā says that four kinds of people think about Kṛṣṇa –
those who are in need,
those who are miserable,
those who are inquisitive
and those who are in knowledge.
So these four types of people think of Kṛṣṇa.
If you are facing difficulty, then you should think of Kṛṣṇa.
There are four kinds of people who do not think about Kṛṣṇa –
narādhama,
asura,
this type.
Pious people think of Kṛṣṇa when they are in distress.
Now I will visit your houses as much as possible.
We want to thank everyone for your offerings and receiving me.
Please send your realizations to Madhavakānta or to Vrajeśvara Gaura Dāsa.
Hope you are all preaching using internet.
The scope is unlimited,
people are more receptive.
Because the hospital and doctors can only do so much.
So we are all on the mercy of the Supreme Lord.
In Śaraṇāgati-bhajana, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura spoke about the six aspects of surrendering and also mentioned that Kṛṣṇa hears the prayers of those who practice them. But sometimes I feel that I am not able to practice them properly, especially kārpaṇya or humility. In this situation what should I do so that Kṛṣṇa may hear my prayers?
Questioner: Sudevī Jayaśrī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: We like to think that if we are doing good it is by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa.
We don’t take any credit for ourselves.
In that way, we stay humble.
If we think we are the doer, then that is also arrogance.
And so we are depending on guru and Kṛṣṇa all the time.
Category: [Emotions / Humility], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Since He is the Absolute Truth,
so everything is in Him.
But He is bigger than anything else.
So it is not that anyone can contain Kṛṣṇa totally.
He is bigger than everything.
He is the cause of all causes.
And He is without any cause Himself.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra]
Questioner: Mathuralīleśvarī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa, He always remains neutral.
But He reciprocates with devotees as they approach Him.
When someone approaches Him with devotion, He reciprocates with devotion.
If someone approaches Him neglectfully then He reciprocates like that.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Emotions / Happiness], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: Rukmiṇī told Kṛṣṇa, "You know what is going in Brahmaloka,
You know what is going on in Kailasa,
you know what is going on in the ananta-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa, unlimited millions of universes,
but there is one thing You don’t know,
I know, Rādhārāṇī knows,
You don’t know."
No one ever said that to Him,
there was something He did not know.
Incredible!
So He asked what is that.
And Rukmiṇī said, You don’t know what the devotees feel for You, and how much we feel for You.
Then Kṛṣṇa thought I will come as My devotee, I will come as My devotee. I will come as My devotee.
He said that three times.
That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Such things that Lord Caitanya exhibited.
In India once in Māyāpur, I had very high fever in 1972 or ‘73
I was feeling pain in my body.
I was listening to Śrīla Prabhupāda lecture in Vṛndāvana on the Nectar of Devotion,
and I was feeling happiness.
So physically I was feeling pain
but my consciousness was very happy.
That may be an example
of how Lord Caitanya was feeling lamentation and jubilation.
Of course I was very happy to hear Śrīla Prabhupāda lecture.
So the consciousness, the living force was very happy.
But I realized that my consciousness was not the same as my body.
But most people do not have any consciousness of Krsna.
I don’t know, I don’t think does anyone know?
All of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, the author is saying I cannot write properly.
I think there is no example in the material world where someone is experiencing lamentation and jubilation at the same time.
Actually to be satisfied even in lamentation.
You are lamenting, let me give you an ice cream, or something.
Category: [Emotions / Happiness], [Emotions / Sorrow], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Supriyā Jāhnavā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: It shows that Lord Caitanya is more merciful than Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Although He is Kṛṣṇa, but He has Rādhārāṇī’s heart,
so He is more merciful.
One who is not initiated,
He also said, He does not accept their offence.
So, if you are initiated,
it is a two-edged sword.
If you follow strictly, you get the Lord’s mercy,
if you don’t follow,
then He may take offence.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Emotions / Confusion], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Mercy], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You see being in the spiritual world they feel very attached to Kṛṣṇa
and Kṛṣṇa is unlimited!
When He would take lunch with His friends, every friend was thinking, Kṛṣṇa is looking at me.
When He was dancing with the gopīs,
He expanded Himself into as many gopīs, that each gopī has one Kṛṣṇa.
And Kṛṣṇa had 16,108 queens.
He multiplied Himself into 16,108 Kṛṣṇas and one Kṛṣṇa went into each queen’s palace.
Why should you feel jealous?
Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.
He means to satisfy each devotee.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You see being in the spiritual world they feel very attached to Kṛṣṇa
and Kṛṣṇa is unlimited!
When He would take lunch with His friends, every friend was thinking, Kṛṣṇa is looking at me.
When He was dancing with the gopīs,
He expanded Himself into as many gopīs, that each gopī has one Kṛṣṇa.
And Kṛṣṇa had 16,108 queens.
He multiplied Himself into 16,108 Kṛṣṇas and one Kṛṣṇa went into each queen’s palace.
Why should you feel jealous?
Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.
He means to satisfy each devotee.
In the sādhaka state at least philosophically we understand that the gift Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving is very precious viz. mādhurya-bhakti. But when we hear about the affairs between Lord Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, we cannot relish that, rather we tend to be disturbed by lusty thoughts. In such condition if we still desire to obtain mādhurya-bhakti, is our desire valid? And how can we come to the platform where we can relish those pastimes?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: So, if we get agitated by hearing the esoteric pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa or Lord Caitanya,
then one should not read,
you are not ready yet.
But eventually you will be ready
and then you can appreciate Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Initially you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and taste the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra
and that way you can taste Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
In the sādhaka state at least philosophically we understand that the gift Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving is very precious viz. mādhurya-bhakti. But when we hear about the affairs between Lord Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, we cannot relish that, rather we tend to be disturbed by lusty thoughts. In such condition if we still desire to obtain mādhurya-bhakti, is our desire valid? And how can we come to the platform where we can relish those pastimes?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: So, if we get agitated by hearing the esoteric pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa or Lord Caitanya,
then one should not read,
you are not ready yet.
But eventually you will be ready
and then you can appreciate Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Initially you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and taste the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra
and that way you can taste Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
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]
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: Śānta Gopī Mātājī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya comes after Kṛṣṇa, sometimes.
And Kṛṣṇa comes once in a day of Brahmā,
in the 27th Dvāpara-yuga,
and sometimes Lord Caitanya comes after Him in the next Kali-yuga.
So the four yugas are 4 million 320 thousand years
and Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Kali-yuga are 4, 3, 2, 1 [in that ratio].
So Kali-yuga is one tenth of the other yugas.
So that that is why Kali-yuga is 432,000 years
and we have already been through 5,000 years
and now we have 427,000 years left.
What is the yuga-dharma of the next yuga,
that will be revealed in the various śāstras.
But even if it is Harināma,
some other avatāra of the Lord will initiate this.
In Satya-yuga there was meditation, Tretā-yuga there was yajña and in Dvāpara-yuga there is temple worship.
So that is still 4 million years to the next Kali-yuga.
So you can tell me what is the next yuga-dharma.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Material World / Kali yuga], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Śānta Gopī Mātājī
Date: 2022-10-17
Although the Supersoul is in our heart,
we may not be knowing that;
and we are just doing things as if we are the doer.
We don’t understand that the Lord is actually doing things for us.
So having the Lord fixed in our hearts means that we will be constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
We should be doing everything as a service to Kṛṣṇa.
So it is a whole change of our subtle body,
in the sense that now we feel connection with Kṛṣṇa always.
That means He is fixed in our heart.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Mādhāi built a Mādhāi ghāṭa.
And then the Navadvīpa-vāsīs, Māyāpur-vāsīs used Mādhāi ghāṭa.
And that forgave him of the offences he committed on the residents of Navadvīpa.
That means by helping people in their spiritual life, we get forgiven for our offences.
That is why we chant the name of the Lord!
Gaurāṅga!
Link: 20200218 Śravaṇa Utsava
Just by hearing these pastimes we can actually develop our love for Kṛṣṇa. My question is you mention almost mechanically Lord Caitanya was doing his daily routine, taking darśana of Lord Jagannātha every day. Could you elaborate what this means because sometimes we do things and we feel it is mechanical and we feel that is that okay?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the difference is that you may be spaced out,
He is so absorbed in Kṛṣṇa that He does His ordinary routine
but His mind is completely on Kṛṣṇa.
And that when He sees Lord Jagannātha, He sees Śyāmasundara,
I mean, we are doing our activities and that is our service.
But Lord Caitanya’s service is His deep concentration on Kṛṣṇa.
So He is doing the routine activities, He is not actually concentrating on those, He is doing them automatically.
It says also a pure devotee, it is not unusual that Kṛṣṇa takes charge of their bodily activities.
And they are totally concentrating on Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You see when Keśava Kāśmīrī met Nimāi Paṇḍita, that was still many years before He started the saṅkīrtana-āndolana.
Many years He was acting as Nimāi Paṇḍita,
when He went to Gayā and He was initiated by Īśvara Purī, then He started to manifest love of Kṛṣṇa.
And in Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā He had a darśana of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa embraced Him.
And when He returned to Navadvīpa, He was changed!He was Gaura Hari!
Link: 20200218 Śravaṇa Utsava
Kṛṣṇa has shown His universal form to Arjuna who is an eternal associate though a jīva, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa who has shown His universal form to Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu who were also Lords. Is it ok to compare these two universal forms? If yes, then how come Arjuna got fear, whereas They, the Lords lost their external consciousness and went into ecstasy?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita had asked Lord Caitanya to show Him the same form that He showed to Arjuna.
So therefore, we think that He showed the same form,
and He saw Arjuna seeing Kṛṣṇa show Him the universal form.
So Arjuna as a friend of Kṛṣṇa, he was sometimes would put his foot on Kṛṣṇa or sit together.
So, when he saw Kṛṣṇa’s greatness he got afraid and thought he had committed some offence.
But when the two Prabhus saw Lord Caitanya or Kṛṣṇa’s universal form,
they felt ecstasy.
So different strokes for different folks!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Kṛṣṇa is neither friend nor enemy, but we know in many places Kṛṣṇa says I am friend to all and in kṛṣṇa-līlā He acts as a friend to many. Recently, also the plastic surgeon, you told Kṛṣṇa is not a friend nor is He an enemy. And next sentence you said Kṛṣṇa is everybody’s friend. How should we understand this?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see in that verse, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati. (Bg. 5.29)
That suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ – Kṛṣṇa is the friend of all living entities.
So Pūtanā, she wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa
but Kṛṣṇa reciprocated her and killed her.
But because she gave Kṛṣṇa her breast because she thought that if I have a child, I want like this.
Too bad I have to kill Him.
So Kṛṣṇa reciprocated with her and she wanted to kill Him He killed her.
Because she desired that if I had a child, I want one like this. She gave her breast milk to Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa gave her the position as one of His mothers in the spiritual world.
So, He does not hold any grudges.
At the same time, He reciprocates with how a person approaches Him.
And today we were reading how Kṛṣṇa saved Gajendra the elephant and killed the crocodile.
But the crocodile, he actually got free from a curse.
He was previously Huhu,
the king of the Gandharvas
and he was enjoying in a lake with many female Gandharvas.
Somehow in his dark humor or whatever, he pulled the leg of a devaṛṣi who happened to be in the same lake
and the ṛṣi got angry and cursed him to be a crocodile.
Then he begged please forgive me.
The ṛṣi said okay, when Kṛṣṇa saves Gajendra, He will also free you from the curse.
That way, Kṛṣṇa, anything He does, is actually is a blessing.
Haribol!
Kṛṣṇa is neither friend nor enemy, but we know in many places Kṛṣṇa says I am friend to all and in kṛṣṇa-līlā He acts as a friend to many. Recently, also the plastic surgeon, you told Kṛṣṇa is not a friend nor is He an enemy. And next sentence you said Kṛṣṇa is everybody’s friend. How should we understand this?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see in that verse, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati. (Bg. 5.29)
That suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ – Kṛṣṇa is the friend of all living entities.
So Pūtanā, she wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa
but Kṛṣṇa reciprocated her and killed her.
But because she gave Kṛṣṇa her breast because she thought that if I have a child, I want like this.
Too bad I have to kill Him.
So Kṛṣṇa reciprocated with her and she wanted to kill Him He killed her.
Because she desired that if I had a child, I want one like this. She gave her breast milk to Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa gave her the position as one of His mothers in the spiritual world.
So, He does not hold any grudges.
At the same time, He reciprocates with how a person approaches Him.
And today we were reading how Kṛṣṇa saved Gajendra the elephant and killed the crocodile.
But the crocodile, he actually got free from a curse.
He was previously Huhu,
the king of the Gandharvas
and he was enjoying in a lake with many female Gandharvas.
Somehow in his dark humor or whatever, he pulled the leg of a devaṛṣi who happened to be in the same lake
and the ṛṣi got angry and cursed him to be a crocodile.
Then he begged please forgive me.
The ṛṣi said okay, when Kṛṣṇa saves Gajendra, He will also free you from the curse.
That way, Kṛṣṇa, anything He does, is actually is a blessing.
Haribol!
Questioner: Phāneśvarī Lakṣmī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: Write to me what you think your problem is.
Kuntī Devī, whenever the Pāṇḍavas and Kuntī Devī had problems,
Kṛṣṇa came and saved them.
So whenever they had problems Kṛṣṇa came so she said she wanted to have problems all the time
so that Kṛṣṇa will come all the time.
If you are sincere, then Kṛṣṇa will come to us.
When you have problems then you can remember how Kuntī Devī was saved by Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Phāneśvarī Lakṣmī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: Write to me what you think your problem is.
Kuntī Devī, whenever the Pāṇḍavas and Kuntī Devī had problems,
Kṛṣṇa came and saved them.
So whenever they had problems Kṛṣṇa came so she said she wanted to have problems all the time
so that Kṛṣṇa will come all the time.
If you are sincere, then Kṛṣṇa will come to us.
When you have problems then you can remember how Kuntī Devī was saved by Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-02
Jayapataka Swami: He only came for a minute!
Not even a minute!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Material World / Demigods], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-16
Jayapatākā Swami: He is Kṛṣṇa,
He is playing as a devotee.
Sometimes Murāri Gupta was chanting the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma.
When he came up to the name of Narasiṁhadeva,
Lord Caitanya became in the mood of Narasiṁhadeva
and He ran out on the streets –
“Where are the demons? Where are the demons?”
In the mood of Narasiṁhadeva.
And people ran, wow!
And then Lord Caitanya felt bad.
I scared all these people!
But Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, “You liberated all the people!
Just by seeing You all of them were liberated.”
Also, in the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma, he chanted the name of Varāhadeva.
Then Lord Caitanya assumed the form of Varāha, four hooves.
So in the purport it says, if someone says he is God, then tell them to show their hooves!
So, it is not easy to manifest hooves,
unless you are the Supreme Person.
Yes, sometimes Lord Caitanya manifested these different things.
These are very secret, very confidential, only few people saw.
One time, He showed to Advaita Gosāñi, for 21-hours they did the ārati and He displayed Himself.
Apart from that, generally He kept Himself hidden as much as possible.
Anyway, He is Kṛṣṇa!
Like in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house in Jagannātha Purī,
He showed His six-handed form
as Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Rāma.
Some devotees, Rāmānanda Rāya and others, He revealed His divine form.
But these are all recorded in the history books.
But in general, He would not say anything.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-09-25
Jayapatākā Swami: Why they are feeling separation?
Because they are feeling separation, then their desire to talk about Kṛṣṇa is more.
Then when they talk about Kṛṣṇa, then they feel the presence of Kṛṣṇa.
Then they feel union even in separation.
?
That’s why they would sometimes feel union even in separation.
That is why, their separation is different than material distance; because in that separation they are feeling union.
Otherwise how can they survive?
Without Kṛṣṇa, they would all die.
?
The nectarine emotion of separation from the Guru or Kṛṣṇa is so real and wonderful that a devotee wouldn’t exchange millions and billions of dollars or liras, in exchange for that real emotion.
My question is from yesterday's class. You mentioned that the gopis and creepers of Vrndavana are always in the fire of separation, they always feel that separation from Krsna. Although, they are always associating with Krsna because they are always remembering Him, still they feel that separation. But we are in reality, in actuality, we are the ones who are separated from Krsna, but we never realize that separation. So how do we realize this at every moment that we are separated from Krsna?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: The they thing is that Lord Caitanya is teaching us how we can love Krsna in separation,
and if we develop the desire, I asked how we want to develop love of Krsna,
everybody raised their hand.
But if you desire very intensely, we want it strongly,
we could achieve that.
But we have to do everything.
And gradually we will awaken that spontaneous love.
In the beginning of the Nectar of Devotion, the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu,
it explains how we start devotional service following certain rules.
And gradually practicing devotional service becomes like a spontaneous, like a ritual thing.
From there one actually starts to develop a taste and becomes very attached
and becomes every ecstatic,
and then they start to manifest ecstatic symptoms
and then that becomes pure and they start to achieve Kṛṣṇa-prema.
So, these are the steps, it is a gradual process.
Eight steps to the bhāva
and prema and then eight steps of prema.
We may not get all the way to the top of prema, but anywhere in prema, even bhāva is very nice.
Category: [Emotions], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)]
Parīkṣit Mahārāja was able to fully concentrate on each and every word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam being his last seven days and so able to remember Kṛṣṇa at the time of death. But being in gṛhastha-āśrama even after reading every day, still we have material thoughts like what will happen to our family and close ones if we leave this world. Please suggest Guru Mahārāja how we can act in this situation?
Questioner: Ānandinī Sītā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-12-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was a gṛhastha.
He had children, he had a kingdom.
But when he heard that he was going to die in seven days, he gave up everything.
So, actually what can you do anyway for your children, for your pet dog cat?
Some people in the last minute, they are thinking, oh my dog, who will take care of my dog? Who will give him food?
Then they may birth as a dog in his next life.
When we leave we leave everything to Kṛṣṇa.
And at the last minute what can we do in any case?
All these things should be given in your will.
When you leave your body you only think about the Lord.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Many pastimes.
One pastime, he was going around the rooftop
and he stopped by the door there
and he told me that
when a spiritual master leaves
sometimes the disciples sell off his properties and live off the proceeds.
And so if you can increase it very good, but at least maintain what I gave you.
One time we were walking on the roof here
and there was a migration of ants from one side to the other.
And we could tell the queen ants were bigger in size.
The male ants carried the seeds,
and the female ants were just going along.
We were looking down at them.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that as just as we were look the ants and thinking that they were insignificant,
the devas in the higher planets were looking at us
and thinking how we are very insignificant.
We only live a few of their days.
Those are two pastimes.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Lalitā sakhi is a left-handed gopī,
there are two sides, left and right.
Left side are argumentative, they chastise Kṛṣṇa,
the right side are very submissive.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Lalitā sakhi is a left-handed gopī,
there are two sides, left and right.
Left side are argumentative, they chastise Kṛṣṇa,
the right side are very submissive.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So naturally, I was asked by one paṇḍita in Purī,
we hear that devotees of Lord Caitanya have devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So where are you situated? Lord Caitanya or Lord Kṛṣṇa?
Jayapatākā Swami: You see devotees of Lord Caitanya simultaneously are in Śvetadvīpa and Goloka.
So that is a special facility of being a devotee of Lord Caitanya.
Like Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, he was simultaneously Jagadānanda Paṇḍita and also Satyabhāmā in Dvārakā.
Sanātana Gosvāmī is a mañjarī and at the same time he is Sanātana Gosvāmī.
Rādhā Kṛṣṇa and the aṣṭa-sakhis,
Rūpa Gosvāmī is the 9th sakhi.
So, he is simultaneously in caitanya-līlā and kṛṣṇa-līlā.
Gadādhara Prabhu is Rādhārāṇī.
So in caitanya-līlā he is Gadādhara and in kṛṣṇa-līlā he is Rādhārāṇī.
So there is no loss in being devoted to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
and we understand that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa in the mood of being His devotee.
Actually, we cannot be God.
But if we are a devotee of the Lord, Vaiṣṇava or Vaiṣṇavī, that is actually a wonderful position.
So that is being demonstrated by Lord Caitanya and His followers.
Questioner: Rasapriya Gopikā Devī Dāsī
Date: 2022-10-24
Maybe shes not hearing? Well I can't say.
She is thinking of her problems, not listening.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Emotions / Stress/Anxiety], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Gita Bhagat
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: You say, I do not know still if I have some trouble or need something?
Should I pray to the Lord for the same?
I don’t understand the question.
You first say, I don’t know if I need anything,
should I pray to Kṛṣṇa for that?
If you don’t know, how do you pray?
and Lakṣmī said, anyway even if you knew, since Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul, He knows everything, about what we want, what we need.
So, we don’t have to bother Him, telling Him we need this and that.
He can naturally fulfill what we need,
but if you don’t know what you need,
how can you ask anyway?
But even if you knew or think you know, Kṛṣṇa knows better than you, what you need.
There is an example where one may say, I want ten thousand rupees.
He gets it and ‘it’s not enough’. Then he says, “I want a lakh of rupees”.
Sure enough.
But he cannot buy a car.
“I want a crore of rupees”.
So, he goes again and again to Kṛṣṇa.
He sees that this person needs 3 crores,
if I give him 3 crores now,
he will get detoured.
So first of all, “I will purify him and build him up.
Then give him the three crores!”
So that is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and other devas.
Devas might give whatever we ask.
But that may not be enough.
Then we go again and again to bother.
But Kṛṣṇa knows what we need,
we don’t have to ask for anything.
We rather try to please Him,
and he will give us what we need,
better not to want anything material.
Questioner: Prema Prakāśa Haridāsa (Dr. Parekh)
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: You know Śrīla Prabhupāda taught many things.
So he was asking what is the most important thing to learn from the spiritual master.
So everybody had a different idea.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda’s idea was that you should learn pure bhakti, how to serve Kṛṣṇa.
This attitude of service is the most important thing.
Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda went to the West to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
He said what is the secret.
He said the secret was everything he did was to follow his spiritual master.
Like his spiritual master told him to publish books.
His spiritual master told him to establish a GBC.
So everything he did, he tried to carry out the instruction of his spiritual master.
That was his secret of success.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Why not?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said the mercy of Lord Caitanya has no limit!
We cannot put a limit on it.
So it is possible to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya like Jagāi Mādhāi got.
But somehow they got it even though they didn’t ask for it.
But if you ask for it and if you want it, why won’t the Lord give you?
Questioner: Keyā Rāṇī
Date: 2022-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: We understand that the Lord put him into some illusion so that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam could be spoken.
But the sage, he did not consider it as a serious offence.
Certainly, it does not a warrant cursing the emperor to death.
If in the present society, if somebody does this, how that person should be punished?
You know, certainly not death sentence!
Maybe some punishment
for disrespect.
But the emperor was feeling he was being disrespected.
And we take that as Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement.
Like when Arjuna expressed his reluctance to fight,
then we consider that he was put in some illusion by Kṛṣṇa, so that Kṛṣṇa could speak the Bhagavad-gītā.
Normally, Parīkṣit Mahārāja would never do this kind of mistake.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
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]
Sometimes it is very difficult for us to understand these pastimes especially of Lord Caitanya. It is very esoteric and sometime we feel not very able to understand and sometimes we feel we should not be listening to them as our minds are polluted. How should we listen and what mood should we listen to them even though we don’t understand them?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is saying that he cannot understand them.
How can they be understood?
But by hearing how Lord Caitanya was feeling such ecstasy,
we may experience a drop.
It is not that we can experience all that what Lord Caitanya is experiencing.
But we can understand that it is something really, really elevated.
And He is so much absorbed in Kṛṣṇa,
He is following the mood of Rādhārāṇī.
But that is not possible for us, but to a little extent we can appreciate.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Sometimes we are born in a family who are surrendered to many gurus or Mahārājas, right! Like we are born in families where they have kula-gurus and we have been raised and brought up praying to many devatas like Durgā Mā, Gaṇesajī, Kṛṣṇa, etc. We also feel that God is one, ultimately one energy. But I feel that God is above all this, right? How do we surrender, what is the best way to surrender?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see that in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it states vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ: Lord Śiva, Maheśa, is the greatest of all the Vaiṣṇavas. and similarly, we have Kārttikeya, we have Gaṇeśa, they are great Vaiṣṇavas. Durgā is known as Bhagavatī, Vaiṣṇavī. We should know that Kṛṣṇa, He is the ultimate Personality of Godhead.
But Kṛṣṇa has unlimited forms,
ananta-rūpam.
So, every form is equal.
That doesn’t mean that we are equal.
We are very small.
Lord Brahmā, Lord Maheśa are greater.
But they are still depending on Kṛṣṇa
and Kṛṣṇa they are all equal, simultaneously one and different for Kṛṣṇa.
The father of Vyāsadeva, Parāsara Muni analyzed,
he found that 50 of the qualities are in Lord Brahmā,
Five more with Lord Śiva, he had 55.
Lord Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa had five more than Lord Śiva. He had 60.
And then Kṛṣṇa, He had four more even than Lord Nārāyaṇa. He had 64.
Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa are both considered viṣṇu-tattva
and they are all the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Other devas, either Maheśa or Brahmā, they are not as great.
So the kula-gurus sometimes they say everybody is the same, that means they are impersonalists.
Because it says, if one thinks Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā are the same they are pāṣaṇḍīs.
So we find Hiraṇyakaśipu, in this day of Brahmā līlā, he worship Lord Brahmā receive powers.
He asked Brahmā first to give him immortality.
Brahmā said, “I am not immortal,
how can I give something which I don’t have?”
So then he said, “I should not be killed in day or night, in the house or out of the house, and all those conditions.
Not man, or animal, or a demon or deva.”
Narasiṁhadeva came, half man and half lion!
Hiraṇyakaśipu was confused, “Is He a man or an animal?”
So Lord Śiva, in some yugas, in some days of Brahmā when Hiraṇyakaśipu comes he gets the blessing from Lord Śiva.
Śiva, he has his weapon, śiva-jvara,
it produces the maximum heat!
But Lord Kṛṣṇa has the nārāyaṇa-jvara,
it produced unlimited cold.
Hardly you can survive in a cold day, you need a jacket and other things.
Any śiva-jvara produced heat and nārāyaṇa-jvara came and sucked up all the heat and created unlimited cold,
and then śiva-jvara surrendered.
So Śiva is greater than jīvas,
we are jīvas.
He is very great.
But still he is not as great as Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa.
So we worship Śiva, Durgā, Gaṇeśa, Kārttikeya, all the Vaiṣṇavas as Vaiṣṇavas.
And if in your house you worship Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa first offer bhoga to Them and then Their prasāda to the devas.
In South India like in Mahābalipuram,
that is one of the Divya-deśams,
they worship the Nārāyaṇa form first
and then they take the prasāda and offer to Śiva
and Durgā and others.
If the kula-guru gives you transcendental knowledge, it is very nice.
But if he is not able to give transcendental knowledge, he is just like a vyavahāri-guru, he acts like a guru but he cannot give transcendental knowledge,
then the śāstra says it is alright if we take a sad-guru,
someone who gives transcendental knowledge.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Questioner: Gauracandra Bhagavān dāsa
Date: 2022-08-24
That reminds me of an example,
there was a flood, and police came by and said to a person, “We came to evacuate you from the flood.”
“I am depending on Kṛṣṇa” he said.
Then more water came.
A boat came to take him, and he again said, “I am depending on Kṛṣṇa!”
And then the water rose higher, and he went on the roof.
Then a helicopter came and said, “Come on, come with me!”
But he said, ‘No, I am depending on Kṛṣṇa.”
Then the flood rose higher, and he died.
He went to Vaikuṇṭha
and he asked Kṛṣṇa “why didn’t You save me?”
“I sent the police, I sent the boat, I sent the helicopter,
you didn’t take anything!”
So, you see depending on Kṛṣṇa, we take whatever help He sends.
How Kṛṣṇa works, He works in unique ways!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Some of the instructions are work-in-progress.
I am trying to fulfill them.
I don’t say that I fulfilled all of them.
Maybe some of them,
to some extent.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda took so much sacrifice, took so much trouble
to bring Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the West.
So we owe Śrīla Prabhupāda, unlimitedly.
So whatever he asked me to do,
or instructed me to do,
I am trying to do that.
I don’t say that I have done it,
but I am trying to do it.
Seven days before his departure,
he established the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust,
and he made me the lifetime chairman.
That meant that my lifetime service
was to see the fulfillment of this Trust objective.
So it is basically to develop Navadvip dhāma,
develop Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi,
and also to unite the Saraswat disciplic family.
So we have established the Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Association,
and many Gauḍīya members are members of this organization.
Some people, they keep separate.
But we are trying to work on it.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the BSCT,
he had established two of his god brothers
and 5 ISKCON devotes.
So now the god brother are no longer there,
so we are having the disciples of those god brothers.
So like that there are many different services.
We would like to see the completion of the TOVP.
I have a minor role, maybe.
Ambarīśa Prabhu is doing the major thing.
I am overseeing the Western wing,
which is the planetarium and exhibitions.
So we are trying to do what Śrīla Prabhupāda desired. [paragraph
It is very interesting to be serving Śrīla Prabhupāda.
I hope that the generations that follow will continue this service.
Bhakti Cāru Swami, he wanted that his followers would
also serve Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In fact, he saw the whole ISKCON family as one.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Satyamedha Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Satyamedha Gaurāṅga dāsa!
Haribol!
Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that if we had a strong desire
then Kṛṣṇa consciousness would manifest suddenly.
Just like a baby is crying,
if the baby is like half-crying,
the mother may ignore
but if the baby really cries,
aaaaahhhh, the mother will run, what happened?
If we desire to be Kṛṣṇa conscious very intensely,
then Kṛṣṇa will help you to become Kṛṣṇa conscious in a minute.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I heard from Dāmodara Mahārāja, one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Godbrothers,
one-time Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was walking in the evening,
and suddenly he started gazing at the moon
and everyone was looking at him and he was looking at the moon.
After a long time,
he said the people on the moon have become materialistic,
they have become bahir-mukha,
they need preaching.
So next trip to the moon, send some preachers!
Questioner: Śāśvatī Sudhārāṇī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I remember that Śrīla Prabhupāda liked kacaurīs.
And that is why sometimes he would have kacaurīs.
I am not one who cooked for Śrīla Prabhupāda,
so I don’t know all the things he liked.
One time I saw he had dysentery
and his sister prepared hot purīs with salt.
So she sprinkled salt on the purī and the purī was hot.
I didn’t think that it would cure dysentery, but somehow it cured him!
Questioner: Rasapriya Gopikā devī dāsī, Māyāpur.
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: The devas, the demigods are sakāma devotees.
They have some material desires.
Because they are afraid that
Dhruva would take over their posts,
therefore they gave him different obstacles –
in one way they were testing him.
So if you don’t want a position in the heavenly planets,
you have to declare that to them.
Give them kṛṣṇa-prasādam.
They should not cause you trouble.
Because Dhruva was performing austerities for position,
they were afraid that he would take their position.
Category: [Anarthās], [Emotions / Confusion], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Material World / Demigods]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the associates of Lord Caitanya, when He came to this material world,
all had some previous relationship with Kṛṣṇa -
at least the prominent ones.
So, like Murāri Gupta, he was Hanumān
and Śrīvāsa is Nārada Muni.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura was Lord Brahmā.
That means, previously they were having different pastimes with the Lord,
and when He came as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, they also came and took up different roles.
So, when the Lord comes, He enjoys His pastimes
and the devotees come and enjoy with Him.
By serving Him, they also get great happiness.
Everybody is happy.
You want to be happy? Haribol!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-24
Jayapatākā Swami: This is a story told but I don’t know if it is in any śāstra.
Generally, the queens of Dvāraka are devotees.
But there is parakīya and svakīya-rasa. The svakīya-rasa has wives they don’t want to put their feet dust on their husband.
But the gopīs, they are ready to go to hell for Kṛṣṇa’s headache.
I don’t know if this is a true story or not.
But we do know that the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa is higher than that of the queens of Dvāraka.
And so, that is what we want to show by this example.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: There are four parts of Goloka Vṛndāvana,
Vraja dhāma,
Mathurā,
Dvārakā
and Śvetadvīpa.
Lord Caitanya is in Śvetadvīpa.
And Lord Kṛṣṇa is in the other three dhāmas
In the Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta it says the Lord Jagannātha is in Dvārakā but He is very close to Vṛndāvana dhāma.
How many have read Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta?
So the other question was, is it important for us to study?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if we don’t study, then we may get doubts that may be answered in the books we don’t study, and we may fall down.
I am very grateful to Anukula Keśava dāsa for organizing the Bhakti-śāstri, Bhakti-vaibhava course in the temple.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: There are four parts of Goloka Vṛndāvana,
Vraja dhāma,
Mathurā,
Dvārakā
and Śvetadvīpa.
Lord Caitanya is in Śvetadvīpa.
And Lord Kṛṣṇa is in the other three dhāmas
In the Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta it says the Lord Jagannātha is in Dvārakā but He is very close to Vṛndāvana dhāma.
How many have read Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta?
So the other question was, is it important for us to study?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if we don’t study, then we may get doubts that may be answered in the books we don’t study, and we may fall down.
I am very grateful to Anukula Keśava dāsa for organizing the Bhakti-śāstri, Bhakti-vaibhava course in the temple.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: We generally fast on the days of viṣṇu-tattva.
But we also fast on Rādhāṣṭamī.
And, I don’t know why we don’t fast on Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa’s appearance days.
They are very merciful!
Because someone asked why is it that Lord Kṛṣṇa makes us fast till midnight and Rādhārāṇī only till midday.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Rādhārāṇī is more merciful.
Maybe in the appearance day of Gadādhara, He is super merciful.
I don’t know if they cooked anything special today?
Kalāsudhā devī dāsī: You had some Gujarati prasāda for lunch today.
Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara, was He Gujarati?
Gadādhara he would cook sometimes imli chutney,
tamarind chutney.
It was so good that Lord Caitanya said whenever He cooks that I will be there.
We don’t know what preparations Gadādhara Prabhu liked to cook.
I only know of one, the tamarind chutney.
Lord Caitanya He liked śākas.
So we had His Holiness Śivarāma Swami over for lunch, also Nirañjana Swami and Devāmṛta Swami.
They (my cooks) cooked 30 varieties of śākas!
I don’t know if they have that many śākas here in Dallas.
But in Bengal, there are lots of śākas.
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.
We have heard through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how Kṛṣṇa appears, how He has curly hair, manda manda muskaan (gentle smile), how He walks, but I have always been curious how His voice sounds like? How He speaks? I have never come across how Kṛṣṇa, how His voice feels like? Can you give me an idea Guru Mahārāja, how that is?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-09
Jayapatākā Swami: It says only the most fortunate can hear. Ha! Ha!
Jayapatākā Swami: In other words, we should be so fortunate that we can hear Kṛṣṇa’s voice, His song, His flute, His ornaments.
Think how fortunate the vraja-vāsīs were! They could hear Kṛṣṇa talking and singing,
His ankle bells,
His flute playing!
If even for a minute, we think wow! I would like to hear that,
that one desire then can lead us back to the spiritual world.
Unfortunately, people are thinking other things.
And we take birth after birth after birth
in this material world,
thinking that this other thing will make me happy.
Then that doesn’t make me happy, then we think of something else.
I heard that for some kind of quantity, I don’t know how much, they will freeze your body,
then when the scientists find how to bring the dead back to life,
they will do it.
It is all like Post-dated checks.
Actually, the Vedas tell us life comes from life.
That as long as the life is in the body, the body is beautiful to look at,
because of the living force,
the ātmā.
It is not some material thing you can adjust.
All these rich people, the scientists, they don’t know the basic ABCs of spiritual life.
The body is a machine,
we need doctors to correct the machine,
but the doctors cannot put life back into a dead body.
They are saying give me your money we will freeze your body and when the doctors figure out, we will unfreeze you!
So this is a bluff!
Śrīla Prabhupāda was in one village in India. And he was giving a simple example.
He said say, somebody’s grandfather dies.
His wife is crying, my husband has left.
His sons and daughters are crying my father has left.
The grand-daughter or grandchildren they are crying, my grandfather has gone
and in the village everyone according to their relationship,
they are lamenting he has gone! He has gone!
Śrīla Prabhupāda asked them, who has gone?
Same body is same hair is there, same hands,
so, who has gone?
Everyone is lamenting that he is gone,
but who has gone?
It is actually the ātmā, the soul has gone.
And that if the soul is there the body is alive,
the soul is not there, the body is dead.
So, that is the unfortunate thing.
People don’t know these basic things of spiritual life.
My purvāśrama mother, she visited India
and she came to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
She gave him roses every day.
I was surprise that, Śrīla Prabhupāda was speaking to her about the living force!
In such a simple language,
the living force,
I never heard Śrīla Prabhupāda say that usually we hear ātmā,
he was saying the living force, you are the living force in the body.
When you leave the body, the living force leaves the body, then it is dead.
I heard that Disney or somebody, they have their body frozen,
then their heirs started fighting who is going to inherit from him?
Maybe he will come back to life!
So a big fight and someone pulled the cord!
He was rotting and then alright!
So then they could take his money!
We have heard through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how Kṛṣṇa appears, how He has curly hair, manda manda muskaan (gentle smile), how He walks, but I have always been curious how His voice sounds like? How He speaks? I have never come across how Kṛṣṇa, how His voice feels like? Can you give me an idea Guru Mahārāja, how that is?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-09
Jayapatākā Swami: It says only the most fortunate can hear. Ha! Ha!
Jayapatākā Swami: In other words, we should be so fortunate that we can hear Kṛṣṇa’s voice, His song, His flute, His ornaments.
Think how fortunate the vraja-vāsīs were! They could hear Kṛṣṇa talking and singing,
His ankle bells,
His flute playing!
If even for a minute, we think wow! I would like to hear that,
that one desire then can lead us back to the spiritual world.
Unfortunately, people are thinking other things.
And we take birth after birth after birth
in this material world,
thinking that this other thing will make me happy.
Then that doesn’t make me happy, then we think of something else.
I heard that for some kind of quantity, I don’t know how much, they will freeze your body,
then when the scientists find how to bring the dead back to life,
they will do it.
It is all like Post-dated checks.
Actually, the Vedas tell us life comes from life.
That as long as the life is in the body, the body is beautiful to look at,
because of the living force,
the ātmā.
It is not some material thing you can adjust.
All these rich people, the scientists, they don’t know the basic ABCs of spiritual life.
The body is a machine,
we need doctors to correct the machine,
but the doctors cannot put life back into a dead body.
They are saying give me your money we will freeze your body and when the doctors figure out, we will unfreeze you!
So this is a bluff!
Śrīla Prabhupāda was in one village in India. And he was giving a simple example.
He said say, somebody’s grandfather dies.
His wife is crying, my husband has left.
His sons and daughters are crying my father has left.
The grand-daughter or grandchildren they are crying, my grandfather has gone
and in the village everyone according to their relationship,
they are lamenting he has gone! He has gone!
Śrīla Prabhupāda asked them, who has gone?
Same body is same hair is there, same hands,
so, who has gone?
Everyone is lamenting that he is gone,
but who has gone?
It is actually the ātmā, the soul has gone.
And that if the soul is there the body is alive,
the soul is not there, the body is dead.
So, that is the unfortunate thing.
People don’t know these basic things of spiritual life.
My purvāśrama mother, she visited India
and she came to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
She gave him roses every day.
I was surprise that, Śrīla Prabhupāda was speaking to her about the living force!
In such a simple language,
the living force,
I never heard Śrīla Prabhupāda say that usually we hear ātmā,
he was saying the living force, you are the living force in the body.
When you leave the body, the living force leaves the body, then it is dead.
I heard that Disney or somebody, they have their body frozen,
then their heirs started fighting who is going to inherit from him?
Maybe he will come back to life!
So a big fight and someone pulled the cord!
He was rotting and then alright!
So then they could take his money!
We have kṛṣṇa-prema, nāma-prema and gaura-prema. All these three are in a very transcendental platform. But gaura-prema is so juicy, nectarean and overwhelming. So will we get the same feeling with the other two premas also and what is that we need to do that we are not able to distinguish between the three and get to the highest, gaura-prema?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: This is the first time I heard the difference between gaura-prema and kṛṣṇa-prema!
Lord Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa.
If you love Lord Caitanya, then naturally you love Lord Kṛṣṇa.
But Lord Caitanya, He gives love very freely.
As far as I understood, He gave out kṛṣṇa-prema.
If you love Lord Caitanya, then you love Lord Kṛṣṇa.
And Kṛṣṇa and His name are non-different.
If you love His name, then you love Kṛṣṇa.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-24
Jayapatākā Swami: Arjuna is in sakhya-rasa
and Viśākhā in mādhurya-rasa.
Sometimes Rāmānanda Rāya would be a friend of Lord Caitanya.
Sometimes he would behave with Lord Caitanya in mādhurya-rasa.
When Lord Caitanya was in mādhurya-rasa, Rāmānanda Rāya would quote different ślokas.
So, in this way, devotees of Lord Caitanya would sometimes manifest sakhya-rasa and sometimes mādhurya-rasa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Śyāma Muralī dāsa
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: Even if we take the position of being a parent of Kṛṣṇa,
but still doing it as a service.
So Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi,
he is acting as a devotee,
he is not acting as a parent.
Although he may have been a parent
in the previous līlā,
he is not a parent in this līlā.
So the Lord is chastising him
as a special mercy.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
We read from Caitanya-caritāmṛta where Kavirāja Gosvāmī mentions that once in a day of Lord Brahmā Lord Kṛṣṇa appears and after that in Dvāpara-yuga Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appears. So in other Dvāpara-yugas and Kali-yuga, especially Kali-yuga does Lord Caitanya descend? Or some other incarnation appears because it is mentioned in the scriptures that the Lord comes in every yuga?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-25
Jayapatākā Swami: (Does Lord Caitanya come in every Kali-yuga?) No!
I went to Tirumala and they say that Bālājī, He is the Kali-yuga incarnation
for the last Kali-yuga.
So Lord Caitanya only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa
and He doesn’t come every time.
We should be very grateful that He just came.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: I mentioned there are five kinds of relationships.
Two and a half are very formal and respectful
and two and a half are very intimate and loving.
You cannot think of yourself as the father or mother of the Supreme Lord.
Just like a rich person, he would like to be loved as a person, not for his richness.
I mean it must be very difficult for someone like Elon Musk,
who are just behaving with him because he is rich.
But in the spiritual world Kṛṣṇa uses yoga-māyā to make devotees forget that He is the Supreme Lord.
Like He went to Mathurā and He liberated the demon Kaṁsa
and then Devakī and Vasudeva His parents, they were awestruck, because he was such a powerful demon and he was neutralized by Kṛṣṇa.
And when the Lord kills someone, they automatically get liberation.
Vasudeva and Devakī were offering their praṇāmas and very respectful.
But Kṛṣṇa did not want that.
He wanted them to act like His parents.
But to do that, they just saw Him kill the demon who had been suppressing them for so long!
So obviously, He is very powerful,
and they remembered how He appeared as the Supreme Lord.
Then he sprinkled some līlā-dust over them!
And then, “Oh, my dear son!”
That is what He wanted.
The Supreme Lord can do things like that.
But He can make people forget who He is,
just love Him as a son or as a friend. Like that.
In Vṛndāvana, people love Kṛṣṇa,
they don’t think of Him as God.
Even like Nanda Mahārāja, he was arrested by, in English we call it Neptune, by the servant of Varuṇa,
and then they saw that Varuṇa the angel of God of the water,
he was respecting Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
They said, just see, how Varuṇa, how Neptune, how he appreciates my son.
Oh, He is such a nice son.
He never thinks that why is this angel in-charge of the oceans,
why is he bowing down and offering respect to Kṛṣṇa.
He just sees this in his relationship as father.
So, Kṛṣṇa likes some places where people just love Him
not because of His position
not for some material reason.
They love Him for what He is, His qualities.
To develop to this stage, it is nice to know that there is such a stage.
But naturally to reach that stage is no joke!
I mean, it is a very big thing!
And first we bow down, we pray,
we do different things, we chant the holy names.
We have to get purified.
Unless we serve the Lord, very faithfully,
at some point He can bless us,
He can accept us and we can realize our original position,
be friends with Kṛṣṇa or parent or lover.
Those things are revealed in due course.
Not just chuk! We jump up to that position.
For some people it may take many, many births.
Born, die,
normally people, they try to have happiness just in the material world.
They think that oh, if I was rich, I would be happy.
Next birth they may be rich,
then they think oh! I would be happy if I was a great football player,
next birth they are great at football.
Some people, I heard Śrīla Prabhupāda say that Ravi Shankar, he was a musician for sevens births.
In his seventh birth he became world famous, guru of the Beatles and all that.
Generally, we take birth after birth after birth, depending on our material desires.
But if we actually, develop our desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, to serve the Lord,
then we go back to the Kingdom of God,
we are released from this prison house of material life.
But to do that, first we go through vidhi-mārga, then as we develop our love of Godhead it turns into spontaneous love.
First the rules and regulation, do that and then it becomes like second nature.
Then we actually develop our spontaneous love for the Lord
in different levels.
Eight levels.
We go to love and then there are eight levels of love.
So it is a science.
And we also – have faith, we listen,
then we have some association with then enlightened souls,
called sādhu-saṅga.
Then we start to practice ourselves
called bhajana-kriyā,
then we start to get rid of the unwanted habits and things,
called anartha-nivṛtti,
we become very fixed in spiritual practices,
that is called niṣṭhā,
then we develop a taste for serving the Lord,
called rucī,
then we become attached to that spiritual tastes called āsakti,
then we develop ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, called bhāva,
then we have pure love for Kṛṣṇa, that is called prema.
But prema has eight levels.
What are we talking about here is the mahā-bhāva,
the highest level.
Practically Lord Caitanya is mad after Lord Kṛṣṇa.
We have a long way to go!
So it is nice to hear that such a level exists.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: I mentioned there are five kinds of relationships.
Two and a half are very formal and respectful
and two and a half are very intimate and loving.
You cannot think of yourself as the father or mother of the Supreme Lord.
Just like a rich person, he would like to be loved as a person, not for his richness.
I mean it must be very difficult for someone like Elon Musk,
who are just behaving with him because he is rich.
But in the spiritual world Kṛṣṇa uses yoga-māyā to make devotees forget that He is the Supreme Lord.
Like He went to Mathurā and He liberated the demon Kaṁsa
and then Devakī and Vasudeva His parents, they were awestruck, because he was such a powerful demon and he was neutralized by Kṛṣṇa.
And when the Lord kills someone, they automatically get liberation.
Vasudeva and Devakī were offering their praṇāmas and very respectful.
But Kṛṣṇa did not want that.
He wanted them to act like His parents.
But to do that, they just saw Him kill the demon who had been suppressing them for so long!
So obviously, He is very powerful,
and they remembered how He appeared as the Supreme Lord.
Then he sprinkled some līlā-dust over them!
And then, “Oh, my dear son!”
That is what He wanted.
The Supreme Lord can do things like that.
But He can make people forget who He is,
just love Him as a son or as a friend. Like that.
In Vṛndāvana, people love Kṛṣṇa,
they don’t think of Him as God.
Even like Nanda Mahārāja, he was arrested by, in English we call it Neptune, by the servant of Varuṇa,
and then they saw that Varuṇa the angel of God of the water,
he was respecting Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
They said, just see, how Varuṇa, how Neptune, how he appreciates my son.
Oh, He is such a nice son.
He never thinks that why is this angel in-charge of the oceans,
why is he bowing down and offering respect to Kṛṣṇa.
He just sees this in his relationship as father.
So, Kṛṣṇa likes some places where people just love Him
not because of His position
not for some material reason.
They love Him for what He is, His qualities.
To develop to this stage, it is nice to know that there is such a stage.
But naturally to reach that stage is no joke!
I mean, it is a very big thing!
And first we bow down, we pray,
we do different things, we chant the holy names.
We have to get purified.
Unless we serve the Lord, very faithfully,
at some point He can bless us,
He can accept us and we can realize our original position,
be friends with Kṛṣṇa or parent or lover.
Those things are revealed in due course.
Not just chuk! We jump up to that position.
For some people it may take many, many births.
Born, die,
normally people, they try to have happiness just in the material world.
They think that oh, if I was rich, I would be happy.
Next birth they may be rich,
then they think oh! I would be happy if I was a great football player,
next birth they are great at football.
Some people, I heard Śrīla Prabhupāda say that Ravi Shankar, he was a musician for sevens births.
In his seventh birth he became world famous, guru of the Beatles and all that.
Generally, we take birth after birth after birth, depending on our material desires.
But if we actually, develop our desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, to serve the Lord,
then we go back to the Kingdom of God,
we are released from this prison house of material life.
But to do that, first we go through vidhi-mārga, then as we develop our love of Godhead it turns into spontaneous love.
First the rules and regulation, do that and then it becomes like second nature.
Then we actually develop our spontaneous love for the Lord
in different levels.
Eight levels.
We go to love and then there are eight levels of love.
So it is a science.
And we also – have faith, we listen,
then we have some association with then enlightened souls,
called sādhu-saṅga.
Then we start to practice ourselves
called bhajana-kriyā,
then we start to get rid of the unwanted habits and things,
called anartha-nivṛtti,
we become very fixed in spiritual practices,
that is called niṣṭhā,
then we develop a taste for serving the Lord,
called rucī,
then we become attached to that spiritual tastes called āsakti,
then we develop ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, called bhāva,
then we have pure love for Kṛṣṇa, that is called prema.
But prema has eight levels.
What are we talking about here is the mahā-bhāva,
the highest level.
Practically Lord Caitanya is mad after Lord Kṛṣṇa.
We have a long way to go!
So it is nice to hear that such a level exists.
We understood that there is expansion of Advaita Ācārya further into Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. So we see that always the Lord is accompanied by His associates. So when the Lord is in our heart does He come with His associates and dhāma? Also, how is the Lord Paramātmā in the heart?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu,
He has His own planet
and there He has many associates, Lakṣmīs etc.
But as His expansion He is in the heart of every living entity,
and He is simultaneously in the heart and in His planet.
So it doesn’t say that the associates are with Him in the heart,
but simultaneously in His transcendental abode, He has many associates.
We understood that there is expansion of Advaita Ācārya further into Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. So we see that always the Lord is accompanied by His associates. So when the Lord is in our heart does He come with His associates and dhāma? Also, how is the Lord Paramātmā in the heart?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu,
He has His own planet
and there He has many associates, Lakṣmīs etc.
But as His expansion He is in the heart of every living entity,
and He is simultaneously in the heart and in His planet.
So it doesn’t say that the associates are with Him in the heart,
but simultaneously in His transcendental abode, He has many associates.
Questioner: Mariya, Perm
Date: 2022-10-17
So, if we please Kṛṣṇa, we can eventually feel blissful,
but if we are not able to understand,
then if we please the spiritual master,
and we should understand that we pleased Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa accepts our service,
if we offer it with devotion and love.
If one is very proud, then Kṛṣṇa is not obliged to accept that service,
that way we know that if I offer to my guru and he accepts,
then he will offer to his guru, and he will accept,
and in this way it goes back to Kṛṣṇa.
So, the guru-paramparā system is such,
that we know that our service is being accepted by Kṛṣṇa,
if it is accepted by the spiritual master
Questioner: Ratikeli Rādhikā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Teach them by your example
and encourage them that anything they do in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda, his father gave him Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa small Deities to practice pūjā.
And also gave him a Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā ratha.
So he was happy to have this Kṛṣṇa conscious play.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Children], [Day-to-day Life / Parents], [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Maybe some did.
But the ones mentioned in today’s class, they didn’t.
They were laughing and were happy
that the Lord has left,
they don’t have to see Him anymore.
We know that even Kaṁsa was an atheist.
But he was always thinking about Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa will come to kill me.
One day his two wives
came one dressed in white garment and one in black garment.
Then Kaṁsa said, “Oh no! Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They are coming to kill me!”
His minister said, “No, no, they are your wives!”
“Oh!” So if are an atheist and always thinking about Kṛṣṇa,
then that is useful.
But if you are just occasionally thinking negatively about Kṛṣṇa
then you are a candidate for going to Pātalaloka.
A free ticket, one way!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: I like all of them.
There is this one pastime of Lord Nityānanda and the dacoits.
That is quite amazing!
It is like when you read some pastime it is so different.
It is so unique.
At that moment I like that pastime.
But I don’t know if there is any pastime that is my favorite.
What was unique was Nimāi Paṇḍita, He did not manifest His love of Kṛṣṇa first in Navadvīpa.
He manifested it in Gayā, in Bihar,
after He got initiated from Īśvara Purī.
He started chanting and dancing in ecstasy,
crying like anything.
And that was the beginning of His ecstasy.
Before that, it was interesting, but when He came back from there He was a changed person.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: If you ask what is my most favorite this and that
how can I say?
Tell us one of your favorite,
I can do that,
say that whatever comes to mind.
Someone told me when you see the spiritual master
you should humble yourself,
praise him ask for blessings.
Whenever I went, I used to do that.
One day I said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are very merciful,
I offered praise and then I said I am a fool and I humbled myself.
Before I could say something else,
he spoke out, yes! Ha!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-24
Jayapatākā Swami: The devotee, when a devotee render pure devotional service,
that’s attractive to the Lord. The conditioned soul, acting in the material world,
independently is that nothing really very attractive about that to the Lord.
In accordance with their desire to serve the Lord, in accordance with their desire to approach the Lord,
it becomes more attractive. It is more glorious when someone wants to do some religious principle.
It is even better if they want to become liberated from the material world.
But he when he realizes the super soul but, the best is when someone is engaging in pure devotional service.
That’s really attractive for the Lord. Just like we have a small child but
when the baby is relating with you, depending on you, there is some attraction there.
Even though one sense insignificant but in another sense and especially
when the baby is trying to say their father’s name, they recognize and say you know,
“da, da” or something, that’s a special.
So, it is a happiness for the mother and father you know, it’s like a little high point there.
So, when the conditioned soul remembers Kṛṣṇa and wants to serve Kṛṣṇa,
that pure devotional service is attractive even to Kṛṣṇa.
Not only attractive, but it can purchase Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa promises to reciprocate although we are insignificant, but if we give our whole self to Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa would give His whole self to us. Talk about a business deal. (laughter)
There’s no great king or great person even if some political follower
gives his wife you know for the leader, this leader is not gonna reciprocate
and give everything just for the one little person.
Because he has this one person, he has to see over so many.
But Kṛṣṇa being unlimited, He can individually expand and individually relate to each devotee.
He is not limited like that. So, He can reciprocate, although we are insignificant
but He can, He is so unlimited that He can relate with each insignificant part of Him.
He is not limited.
But like one president, he has got millions or 250 million people,
how can he personally relate with each individual.
It is beyond his capacity. He can only have a cabinet of 20 people and
talk with a few congress committee chairmen.
He can hardly relate to all the representatives in the house of congress.
What to speak of you know in a personal way. It would take his whole time.
He has only 24 hours in a day.
But Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. He is not limited by time also.
In the spiritual world, there is no limitation of time.
So, Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself unlimitedly. He can be having unlimited simultaneous pastimes
going on. So, because of Kṛṣṇa’s grace, although we are so insignificant,
that doesn’t limit Kṛṣṇa because He is so unlimitedly great.
He can relate and He becomes attracted when we approach Him in pure devotional service.
Not only that, They have to purchase. The way to attract even when we do a little devotional service.
He is attracted. Is that clear?
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities]
Questioner: Sucarita Jāhnavā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: If we circumambulate Kṛṣṇa,
naturally, He will be in our lives.
So it is very important that we do everything with the idea of pleasing Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa.
If we cook, we offer that to the deities,
therefore it is Kṛṣṇa prasāda we are taking.
Everything we do, we do in yukta-vairāgya,
and we offer the results to Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: They were like spiritual uncles, they wanted to see Lord Caitanya dancing.
It is said that He was somewhat ashamed,
you could say self-conscious.
Lajjita, it means like shy.
They were His seniors, and they were saying they wanted to see His dancing.
So He was a little shy because of this.
Questioner: Kṛṣṇa Karuṇāmṛta dāsa
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Crying!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, I heard about Śrīla Prabhupāda first.
And I heard great things!
Then I went to Montreal to see Śrīla Prabhupāda.
At that time, I could see auras around people.
When I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda his aura filled up the whole room, yellow!
So what was the first thing I thought when I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda – WOW!
And he said, “Who is that?” Pointing to me.
I was shaved up and there were not so many devotees there.
Garga Muni who was there from San Francisco, he said, he is a bhakta.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Bring him for lunch tomorrow!”
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Gosāñi was the first to figure it out.
After some time of this, joined the saṅkīrtana movement.
First Advaita then Śrīvāsa, then after that everyone.
Apart from some rare instances with different people, different devotees realized.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Gosāñi was the first to figure it out.
After some time of this, joined the saṅkīrtana movement.
First Advaita then Śrīvāsa, then after that everyone.
Apart from some rare instances with different people, different devotees realized.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Mālinī Sundarī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya is considered a topmost devotee.
And what He is doing is an example for all to follow.
Everyone who is on the level of a topmost devotee, will also be begging from the Lord for service.
In the material world, one wants to control to enjoy
the material nature;
but in spiritual life, one wants to be enjoyed by the Lord.
One wants to please the Lord.
And one wants to serve the Lord.
So the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra means. “Oh Lord! Oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service.”
So as we engage in the Lord’s service, in devotees service, our taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness increases.
So the Lord is enjoying His pastimes.
He is always happy
and the devotees who are participating with His pastimes,
they are also happy.
Who wants to be happy?
[Haribol!]
The real happiness is to please Kṛṣṇa.
We are part of Kṛṣṇa.
When He is pleased, we are all automatically pleased.
When He is happy, we are also happy.
Category: [Emotions / Humility], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-10-24
Jayapatākā Swami: It’s not that the mantra controls the mind.
It’s the mantra that purifies the mind.
We have to bring back the mind by intelligence,
again and again to meditate on the mantra,
and as you’re meditating on the mantra, then it purifies the mind.
It makes it easier to control.
The louder you chant the mantra, that has the effect of also drawing the mind,
but it’s not that the mind itself… that the mantra itself is… does everything.
You have to bring it back.
Prabhupāda gave the example of… I just heard somebody give a nice example of a lota.
A creeper tied to a stick, goes up.
Intelligence is like the stick and the mind’s like the creeper.
If you don’t put it on the stick it’ll go all over the place.
You have to keep it… the intelligence, keep making it think of Kṛṣṇa.
Arjuna said it’s impossible even for him to think of Kṛṣṇa always.
He said he thinks it's easier to control the wind, you see.
So, then Kṛṣṇa said, “Well, My opinion is if someone practices and tries, then eventually he can control the mind.”
So, it’s not that just by little chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately the mind is going to completely come under control,
but by repeatedly bringing it back, again and again to the chanting, gradually, it becomes purified and it… will be able to control it.
So, I know now everybody’s tired.
Maybe we can start off tomorrow, then we’ll be fresh.
Link: 19821017 Arrival Address
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
When the associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they see Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva, it might be also difficult for them to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this state, what gave them the courage? To personally be there and see Caitanya Mahāprabhu in that ecstasy, understand the mood of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it might be so difficult for them as well. So what gave them the courage to bring Caitanya Mahāprabhu back and what was their ecstasy to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was awake in His original state and chanting the mahā-mantra?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, because they loved Lord Caitanya.
Seeing Him like bleeding from the pores, we normally perspire, but He was not normally perspiring, there was blood coming from His pores.
So His aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva was extreme.
So when people saw Him appearing in this very extreme situation,
they cried,
and they chanted.
What else to do?
And among them Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī or someone he was taking the lead.
And knew that chanting was the only thing that would return Lord Caitanya to a little bit conscious state.
So, these devotees were so fortunate
that they could participate in these pastimes of the Lord.
And hopefully we would develop a desire to participate in the Lord’s pastimes.
Who would like to participate?
May Kṛṣṇa fulfill your desires!
Questioner: Akhila Bandhu Gopāla Dāsa [Indore]
Date: 2022-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: So your question is being answered by Vidura.
He did not get upset, he saw that, he took it as an opportunity to increase his Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You should not become morose, maybe by this you get rid of bad karma.
And in the material world there is this kind of false criticism.
That is why we want to transfer you to the spiritual world.
You are coming from Madhya Pradesh.
Nice to hear how people are hearing the class from Madhya Pradesh.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Emotions / Stress/Anxiety], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said we should hear the mantra.
And if we chant thinking of Kṛṣṇa’s mantra that is also alright.
If while chanting you remember the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, that is alright.
But you don’t have to try to remember the pastimes, you try to listen while chanting.
While listening, if the pastimes come to your mind, it is alright.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said we should hear the mantra.
And if we chant thinking of Kṛṣṇa’s mantra that is also alright.
If while chanting you remember the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, that is alright.
But you don’t have to try to remember the pastimes, you try to listen while chanting.
While listening, if the pastimes come to your mind, it is alright.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that we are Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas.
So, on all the viṣṇu-tattvas days – Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, Gaura Pūrṇimā, we fully fast, we do anukalpa, take Ekādaśī.
But other forms of Viṣṇu, it is optional.
So, every form of Lord Kṛṣṇa has got a particular mood.
We generally, someone wants to pray for the health of guru or some loved one,
we pray to Lord Narasiṁhadeva.
When one wants special mercy to become Kṛṣṇa conscious we pray to Pañca-tattva,
and if we want to have appreciation for the sweetness of Lord Kṛṣṇa then we pray to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa
or Rādhā Kālacāndajī!
So depending on what you want,
you may go to that form of the Lord.
Creation is done by Brahmā, maintenance is done by Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu,
destruction is done by Mahādeva.
But they are all expansions in one way or other of Mahā-Viṣṇu, and then ultimately of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
From Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma come the catur-vyūha, Nārāyaṇa, then the second catur-vyūha,
then comes Mahā-Viṣṇu.
In every universe there is a Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu,
and in every heart, every atom there is Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.
So if you pray to Kṛṣṇa, you pray to everybody.
Some people pray to a particular form, they like some form. Some are Rāma-bhaktas, some are Varāha-bhaktas.
But the original form is Kṛṣṇa
and first expansion is Balarāma.
So Lord Caitanya is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa
and Lord Nityānanda is Balarāma.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā]
Questioner: Jayavant
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: When I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I was overwhelmed.
Sometimes, he would call me in the night,
sometimes he would call me in the day time.
Sometimes he would talk to my pūrvāśrama mother.
And he would be telling her we are the living force in the body.
And she would give him a rose bouquet
and then he would thank her and praise her
and acknowledge the roses.
Everything about Śrīla Prabhupāda was exceedingly wonderful!
Sometimes, someone told me that he would bow down to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
And he told me when I bow down, I should praise Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I should humble myself
and then ask a question.
And whenever I would ask a question,
Śrīla Prabhupāda I am a fool.
He would look at me and say, “Yes!”
We couldn’t get away saying anything to Śrīla Prabhupāda, he would immediately answer.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-21
Jayapatākā Swami: The pastimes of Lord Caitanya are so nectarean.
Kṛṣṇa Himself came as a devotee.
And He established the saṅkīrtana movement,
and He was experimenting,
what it is like to be a devotee.
And as Rukmiṇī said to Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā,
You know everything,
You know what Brahmā is doing in Satya-loka,
You know what Śiva is doing in Kailāsa,
but there is one thing You don’t know!!
Rādhārāṇī knows!
I know!!
You don’t know!
He said, What do you mean? There is something that I don’t know?!
Yes!
She said. What is that?
You don’t know how much Your devotees love you!
and in what way we love you?
So that inspired Kṛṣṇa,
ok I will become a devotee,
and I will find out.
So this is such an amazing pastime,
that Lord Gaurāṅga came as a devotee.
I cannot, it is in my mind, it is so wonderful,
I cannot forget it!
I see that in every aspect of Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
we can have some connection with Lord Caitanya.
Haribol!
Nitāi Gaurāṅga!
Questioner: Vrajasevinī Vṛndā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I did not,
but I had no choice.
I did not want Śrīla Prabhupāda to leave.
But Kṛṣṇa takes us, and nothing we can do.
But I did lots of service, and thanks to Ahlādinī Rādhā and others to help us do all the services.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Let me take it another stage, you see. Because that’s very easy to answer because,
you see, in the spiritual sky, in the Goloka Vṛndāvana, Lord Caitanya has His own
section of Goloka Vṛndāvana where He along with His associates, it’s described that
associates of Lord Caitanya generally having, of course, separates mothers and other,
they are generally having male forms. While the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
of course, except for the friends, but I mean to say that generally they
are having the female forms like gopīs and that. There a lot of gopīs.
So, simultaneously, in the spiritual world, those who are the devotees of Lord Caitanya,
they’re having their form with Lord Caitanya,
and those who are the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they are having their forms with Kṛṣṇa.
Those who are having both relationships
like there may be someone exclusively with Lord Caitanya, although this is very rare;
mostly they will have relationships with both, because that was Lord Caitanya’s mood.
So, they’ll have their form simultaneously with Kṛṣṇa and with Lord Caitanya.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Yes!
Next question! Ha! Ha!
You will gradually develop this by doing devotional service.
Or you could get special mercy.
Sādhana-siddhi or kṛpa-siddhi.
I don’t know, when I read these pastimes,
and hear about the devotees crying, rolling on the ground,
I feel also like crying!
So maybe this is something that has increased over the years.
So I think you should keep trying and eventually it will be very easy for you
to be feel, to be affected by the emotions of the devotees.
Questioner: Rakshita Varadarajan
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: One can be in whichever āśrama they want to.
Whichever they feel more comfortable.
If they feel that gṛhastha-āśrama is more appropriate for you,
that allows certain license for sex life.
Kṛṣṇa has made machines –
male and female form.
So they can reproduce each other.
So the scientists they are not able to make a machine
that could reproduce itself.
Ha! We shouldn’t think that Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes
with the queens or the gopīs, are material.
He is transcendental.
And in Vṛndāvana,
His pastimes are understood by the liberated souls.
One has to read all the previous nine cantos,
then you can understand how the position of Kṛṣṇa is transcendental.
Once when I was a new devotee,
I asked a question about Rādhārāṇī.
Śrīla Prabhupāda chastised me.
Who are you to ask about Rādhārāṇī?
Since I was a new devotee,
I didn’t understand much, so I accepted that.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Emotions / Lust], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Youth]
Questioner: Rakshita Varadarajan
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: One can be in whichever āśrama they want to.
Whichever they feel more comfortable.
If they feel that gṛhastha-āśrama is more appropriate for you,
that allows certain license for sex life.
Kṛṣṇa has made machines –
male and female form.
So they can reproduce each other.
So the scientists they are not able to make a machine
that could reproduce itself.
Ha! We shouldn’t think that Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes
with the queens or the gopīs, are material.
He is transcendental.
And in Vṛndāvana,
His pastimes are understood by the liberated souls.
One has to read all the previous nine cantos,
then you can understand how the position of Kṛṣṇa is transcendental.
Once when I was a new devotee,
I asked a question about Rādhārāṇī.
Śrīla Prabhupāda chastised me.
Who are you to ask about Rādhārāṇī?
Since I was a new devotee,
I didn’t understand much, so I accepted that.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Emotions / Lust], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Youth]
While reading the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa verse 6.105 there is the explanation of the demigods drinking milk from Mother Devakī got transcendental knowledge. What took so long for Mother Devakī to get the transcendental knowledge? The sons got transcendental knowledge. But Mother Devakī even after having Lord Kṛṣṇa, still had attachment for the six dead sons?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You know, she had not asked before.
But when she heard that the dead son of Sāndīpani Muni was brought back to life by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma,
then that reminded her that her six sons were killed by Kaṁsa.
And then she asked Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, that can you give me the six sons back?
And because her breast milk was kṛṣṇa-prasāda,
we can see the value of kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
And so when they had the kṛṣṇa-prasāda, they got back remembrance of their spiritual position.
And so they were told by the Supreme Lord that they should offer their prostrate obeisances to Lord Brahmā and beg for his forgiveness.
Now, they were so exalted, they were the grandsons of Lord Brahmā.
We cannot see Lord Brahmā, we are insignificant.
These are very great souls,
but because they laughed, they criticized Lord Brahmā, they had to suffer so much.
So if they had to suffer so much, what to speak of us!
We are not so significant
so we will have to suffer a lot.
So we have to be very careful, to always respect Vaiṣṇavas and Vaiṣṇavīs.
While reading the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa verse 6.105 there is the explanation of the demigods drinking milk from Mother Devakī got transcendental knowledge. What took so long for Mother Devakī to get the transcendental knowledge? The sons got transcendental knowledge. But Mother Devakī even after having Lord Kṛṣṇa, still had attachment for the six dead sons?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You know, she had not asked before.
But when she heard that the dead son of Sāndīpani Muni was brought back to life by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma,
then that reminded her that her six sons were killed by Kaṁsa.
And then she asked Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, that can you give me the six sons back?
And because her breast milk was kṛṣṇa-prasāda,
we can see the value of kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
And so when they had the kṛṣṇa-prasāda, they got back remembrance of their spiritual position.
And so they were told by the Supreme Lord that they should offer their prostrate obeisances to Lord Brahmā and beg for his forgiveness.
Now, they were so exalted, they were the grandsons of Lord Brahmā.
We cannot see Lord Brahmā, we are insignificant.
These are very great souls,
but because they laughed, they criticized Lord Brahmā, they had to suffer so much.
So if they had to suffer so much, what to speak of us!
We are not so significant
so we will have to suffer a lot.
So we have to be very careful, to always respect Vaiṣṇavas and Vaiṣṇavīs.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Queen Satyabhāmā.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-11
Jayapatākā Swami: Those who say the pastimes of the Lord Caitanya and participated in it favorably,
they are considered as not only pure devotees, but eternal associates of the Lord.
Like Murāri Gupta.
He is actually the incarnation of Hanumān.
So all the great devotees, Hanumān, Prahlāda and so many came.
Nārada Muni, Rādhārāṇī,
Satyabhāmā,
Viśākhā,
Lalitā,
so many came
from the spiritual world,
to accompany the Lord.
These are not only pure devotees; they are eternal spiritual associates of the Lord.
Some of them maybe from a distance, were pure devotees,
but we consider them as associates of the Lord,
and you can also become an associate of the Lord in the next birth,
in His pastimes.!!
Of course, in this life you can also get His mercy!
Gaurāṅga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṅga!
Nityānandaa!
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa! Guru Mahārāja, said this three times in answer to the devotee’s Hare Kṛṣṇa!)
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-09-25
Jayapatākā Swami: Because He is independent, He can do whatever He likes.
He left a lot of work for you to do!
(laughter)
But He is still here in the form of His order and His message,
and He has left you lots of service.
Now you can get Lord Caitanya's misericordia (Italian for ‘mercy’)
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: Śivānanda Sena, he appreciated the kick by Lord Nityānanda.
The spiritual master sometimes chastises a devotee who can take it.
And one time Śrīla Prabhupāda came into the temple in New York,
and everyone bowed down to Śrīla Prabhupāda showing their feet to the Deities.
So, Śrīla Prabhupāda used his stick and hit Brahmānanda Prabhu.
And said, don’t show your feet to the Deity.
At first, Brahmānanda, he was upset
because everybody had put their feet to the Deities, why was he singled out?
So then, like in Bengal there is a saying,
mother teaches her daughter-in-law by chastising her daughter.
Like that, Śivānanda Sena, he took it as a blessing, for he made Lord Nityānanda wait for prasāda.
Lord Nityānanda, He was very humorous.
He would do things very special!
He told Raghunātha dāsa in Pānihāṭi, I am going to give you daṇḍa –
I will give you punishment.
So the punishment was to give a feast of dadhi, ciḍā and fruits.
Actually, for Raghunātha dāsa it was not a big thing.
He was a millionaire.
Those days ciḍā and mangoes were very cheap.
So, why was this a punishment?
So Lord Nityānanda that is how He decided.
So Lord Nityānanda’s nature was to be a bit funny.
But He was very tolerant, very merciful.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: I think as explained in those verses, in those days, people they took each other at face value.
Since he was chanting Rāma nāma and he appeared to be submissive,
naturally people thought he was a Vaiṣṇava.
But Lord Caitanya being the Supersoul, He could understand that he actually wants to merge, he wants sāyujya-mukti.
And the others may not have understood, but Lord Caitanya understood.
Therefore, he was called almost a Vaiṣṇava.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-06-05
Because He’s coming as a devotee.
If it was known that He’s the Lord then how He could act as a devotee,
it would have disturbed His pastimes.
The Lord comes as a devotee.
So devotee,
devotee cannot think that he is the Lord.
You can have the people yelling that He is the Lord.
Just like if the president of the country decides he’s gonna make a secret visit and mingle amongst the people to see what the mood is,
but if it comes out in the headlines of the paper.
President coming 4pm in see,
in the skies to see the people.
Could be thousands of people will assemble and he’ll have no protection.
Also in this age of Kali,
there’s no scheduled avatāra,
who comes as a proclaimed avatāra.
The avatāra,
Lord Caitanya is predicted that He is a channa-avatāra,
He’s a secret,
He’s the covered avatāra.
Although He’s the Lord Himself He comes and covering Himself in the disguise as a devotee.
After He left then you can reveal His identity.
And after the president how did he came and why he didn’t say?
He came,
he was there
(laughing)
.
Oh,
very interesting,
everyone learnt this.
But if you say before then it spoils.
That’s how although many Vedas predicted He was coming,
but Kṛṣṇa covered by the yoga-māyā.
So the sages couldn’t understand clearly.
There’s different,
if you chant mantra in certain places you get more benefit.
If you chant by the sacred rivers and if you chant the,
I’m not,
exactly not sure about the river and the land.
You chant by the side of the sacred river you get so many times more benefit.
And if you chant in a holy place,
the pilgrimage you get so many times.
So once like,
a thousand and others like,
hundred thousand,
what figure which is which.
And you chant in front of the tulasī then you get,
like a million times.
So if you chant in the Ganges you get many times more.
And if you chant in front of the deities,
installed deities you say your Gayatri you get unlimited times of benefit.
Everyone should say the Gayatri mantra.
So that’s why the sages say in the Ganges.
The devotees appreciate the varṇāśrama system.
They feel that the varṇāśrama system was perfect,
for it was main.
While in the age of Kali it started to degenerate.
So what we have left over varṇāśrama system now is just like kind of a perverted reflection,
was imperfect representation.
But they appreciate the other caste system.
And in fact they like to create society,
say communities based on a,
as I mentioned the kind of streamlined,
spiritualized varṇāśrama system.
Where it would be in one sense casteless,
but everyone would be a Vaiṣṇava,
not for practical purposes.
People would be acting according to their different natures and types of work.
And Prabhupāda stress that the,
this divisions are there anyway in the modern society,
they’re all,
there these occupations exist.
There’s intellectuals,
there’s teachers,
priests,
the problem is that they don’t take the responsibility.
But in varṇāśrama system the brāhmaṇas or the teachers and priests,
they had to be vegetarians,
they had to worship God,
they had to lead the holy life.
If they didn’t they,
they couldn’t act those positions.
So now you have them,
like in America problem that is school teachers,
sometime they’re found to molest the children.
Even recently the priests in Canada they’re found that they were molesting the children.
So that,
they don’t follow the,
they’re not following the rules.
So according to varṇāśrama if someone does that they’re banned,
they’re,
they’re banned from being a brāhmaṇa.
Then they’re,
they’re called as criminals.
So due to lack of this,
just the profession is there,
but the,
the spiritual training is lacking.
So we like to see a type of spiritualized varṇāśrama program in the worlds
(laughing)
.
Is there still varṇāśrama in Indonesia?
That’s,
That’s what Prabhupāda said was,
it’s not possible to reinstate the original thing now in Kali-yuga.
So but somehow the basic principles could be .
It needs to be fully spiritualized so that one caste doesn’t think that they’re better than the other caste.
Because that creates itself the hatred and the imbalance.
But that,
we’ll see that this is all part of the same body,
so we all have to work together.
They’re trying in Canada to make a varṇāśrama,
in many countries they’re trying to make varṇāśrama community,
so they’re inspired.
And Prabhupada said in order to varṇāśrama is based upon agricultural production,
we have to also cow protection.
Unless that one thing missing in modern society,
they’re slaughtering the cow,
but in varṇāśrama the cow is to be protected by the vaiśyas and everyone drinks the milk of the cow.
Cause milk is needed to give higher intelligence to understand spiritual subject matters.
It said fish make people clever,
but spiritually dull.
Materialy clever,
spiritually dull.
But eating milk gives spiritual intelligence,
creates a finer tissue to understand the higher philosophical knowledge.
So milk is a type of miracle food.
But we need to protect the cow.
Here they protect mother cow
(laughing)
.
It’s the most protected cow I’ve ever seen
(laughing)
,
mosquito net
(laughing)
Very nicely protected
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the custom in India is that the elder brother, the wife, should not be present where the elder brother is present.
And since Balarāma is the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa and His consort should not be along with Balarāma.
Kṛṣṇa could be with Balarāma but not with the consort.
The consort should not be.
That is why in the same temple, in the Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha you have Rādhā and Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha.
We have also Revatī and Balarāma but in a different altar.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, we have to desire to be there.
We also have to do favorable devotional service.
The two things together, I mean it is Kṛṣṇa’s causeless mercy
that there is nothing we can do that will deserve that.
But if we desire and engage in devotional service then Kṛṣṇa, if He pleases will give His mercy.
Sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Rādhārāṇī would say to Kṛṣṇa, this is a very nice devotee.
If Rādhārāṇī indicates that Kṛṣṇa should give His mercy,
then He will do it.
So that is why we say it is causeless mercy.
There is nothing we can do that actually we would deserve it.
We try and if Kṛṣṇa gives us the causeless mercy, we can have it.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Last night, someone asked this question in the temple.
And were you there?
There are different ways we can answer this.
You see Rādhārāṇī created Navadvīpa dhāma
and She played on the flute.
Lord Kṛṣṇa thought who was playing on the flute so beautifully!
Who, who is that? Who is that?
He came and He saw it was Rādhārāṇī,
and She had made a beautiful holy dhāma of nine islands.
And then Lord Kṛṣṇa combined with Rādhārāṇī,
took Rādhārāṇī’s heart
and He took Her complexion.
And thus He became the united form of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu!
And He is the form of Kṛṣṇa who is most merciful!
We asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, Kṛṣṇa makes us fast till midnight, but on Rādhāṣṭamī we fast only till midday.
Why is that?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, Rādhārāṇī is very merciful.
So it is very hard to get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Normally He gives love of Kṛṣṇa to those who fully surrender to Him.
But Lord Caitanya He would give out mercy without considering who is qualified, who is not qualified.
If ask it, you get it.
Even some people they did not want it but they got it! Ha!
So if one understands that Kṛṣṇa’s most merciful form is Lord Caitanya, then actually they naturally they want to have love for Lord Caitanya.
In Mumbai, they have Nitāi-Gaura, they have Śrī Rādhā-Rāsabihārī, Lalitā Viśākhā, and they have Sītā-Rāma Lakṣmaṇa and Hanumān,
as worshipable Deities.
Of course, as dioramas, they have Tukārāma, Viṭṭala and many others,
Narasiṁhadeva, but the worshipable Deities are those three altars.
Many people crowd around Rādhā-Rāsabihārī and Sītā-Rāma.
But not so many around Nitāi-Gaura.
I was explaining in the class that by the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura we get the mercy of Rādhā-Rāsabihārī and Sītā-Rāma.
So we should all be praying to Lord Caitanya to get the mercy of all other Deities.
If you don’t, it is very hard to get Their mercy.
But if you do, it is very easy to get Their mercy.
So I was telling earlier today, how Lord Caitanya came down especially in the Golden Age which is supposed to start 5000 years after the beginning of Kali-yuga,
this is mentioned in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa.
The Golden Age lasts for ten thousand years.
I was reading also recently, at the end of 9th canto and the beginning of the 10th canto how Lord Kṛṣṇa He would have the demoniac forces got puffed up and fight with each other and kill each other.
So it seems that for no reason all over the world war is going on.
So, all these things are diminishing the demoniac forces
and then naturally Lord Caitanya is giving out His mercy freely.
So we should naturally, if you are appreciating what Lord Caitanya does, then how can you not help but love him.
Haribol Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the Bhagavad-gītā there is a verse
that everything is done by the material nature,
but the living entity thinks that he is the doer.
kartāham iti manyate.
So if we see that we simply desire and the Lord provides us,
that he is the doer - that material energy is the doer,
we are simply desiring.
So He remembers what we desired
and He provides us the opportunities.
So if someone thinks he is the doer,
then he can’t really understand the Supreme Lord
who is actually doing everything for us.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: There is a cultural reason
that the wife of the younger brother doesn’t like to appear before the elder brother.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapataka Swami: In due course of time, this thing is revealed to you.
And sometimes, Śrīla Prabhupāda would tell different disciples what rasa they were experiencing.
These things are revealed at some point.
If you are attracted by the pastimes of Lord Caitanya that is one thing, or Lord Nityananda that is another thing.
Like that different symptoms for different rasas.
But first of all we need to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Service is common to all.
And as you go up, the different rasas, like conjugal has all the other rasas included.
Friendship includes dāsya and śānta.
And paternal includes all the others except mādhurya.
So like that. First of all, we need to develop our service attitude to Kṛṣṇa.
Last night someone was saying how we can ask Kṛṣṇa for service, not asking for some material benediction.
I was explaining how we don’t want to do business with Kṛṣṇa,
that I serve You, and You give me something back material.
We are serving and we want to continue serving.
Like HH Kadamba Kānana Swami before he passed away, I saw him virtually
and he said in my lifetime I have been doing service to Kṛṣṇa,
and when I leave the body, I will just have another service.
A devotee always wants to engage in service.
Like that, they build up different rasas
but service is common to all.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-10
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, if we take one step to Kṛṣṇa,
He takes ten steps to us.
He is more eager to get us out of this material world.
Then we are to go.
Actually, if you have loving parents, that is also a blessing of Kṛṣṇa.
But being in this material world is due to our misuse of our free will.
Now you have human birth and are born in India.
If you really care about your parents,
if you go back to Godhead,
then eleven generations back and forward
they get a free ticket.
You care about your parents?
You really love them?
Then be a devotee.
That is the way to help them.
Otherwise, what is the use if they have to take birth again and again and again!
Now you are a human being, born in India.
There is no guarantee what your next birth is.
So we are trying to help you
and to help your parents
and help everyone.
You said that when Kṛṣṇa was playing the flute the husbands and the fathers closed the doors of their houses so that the girls could not go out. But we hear that when Kṛṣṇa plays the flute, only the person for whom the flute is for, can hear. So how could the husbands and fathers hear Kṛṣṇa play the flute and the intention of the gopīs to go out in the middle of the night? How do we understand this?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Where is this written?
Kṛṣṇa was playing the flute and everyone heard Kṛṣṇa playing the flute.
And the gopīs, some of them ran to meet Kṛṣṇa.
Some were locked in their rooms.
I never heard that others did not hear.
But then they heard, oh Kṛṣṇa is playing the flute, He is always playing His flute.
Maybe He played in such a way that the gopīs were very attracted.
Others, they heard it but they were not attracted.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahārāja
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!
Questioner: Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahārāja
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!
- Anarthās
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