20220618 Evening Lecture

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 18th, 2022. The evening address was given to iskcon Bangalore, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: So today we had many events, the Snāna-yātrā and the Governor of Karnataka had come. So I don’t see Jagannātha on the altar. What happened? Did He catch a cold, Jagannātha? Why did you bathe Him so much? We have to take care of Him by the doctors and others. I think maybe Rukmiṇī will be taking care of Him. Also when the queens of Dvārakā give Him permission, He can go to Vṛndāvana. At this time usually this is the time when Lord Jagannātha gets painted newly. Also the special health pūjārī serves Him soups and juices. I know you all care about Lord Jagannātha. So I asked the pūjārī how He is doing. When Lord Jagannātha goes to Guṇḍicā Mandir, there is a song they sing in Odisha.

nīlācala candra āmāra prabhu jagannātha,
jaya jagannātha jaya jaya jagannātha!

Nīlācala is Dvārakā. Sundarācala is Vṛndāvana. So, for nine days Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, Sudarśana cakra, They go to Vṛndāvana. Lakṣmī feels cheated, Lord Jagannātha should not have gone out so long! So on the fifth day, Hera Pañcamī, Lakṣmī comes to take Jagannātha. She is so angry that Lakṣmī Devī’s assistants arrest Lord Jagannātha’s assistants. When Lord Caitanya saw this, He was very ecstatic because Lakṣmī was showing such anger on the Lord in love. These devotees from Bengal who came with Śivānanda Sena, they were very happy to see Lord Caitanya again. [Audio break] the associates took Murāri Gupta to Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya chastised why are you staying away? Because He loved Murāri Gupta so much. He asked Haridāsa Ṭhākura, where is he? Haridāsa Ṭhākura was some distance away, paying obeisances. He felt himself very fallen and that he could not go in front of Lord Caitanya. Such were the pastimes of the associates of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya had Haridāsa Ṭhākura brought and He gave him special blessings. Like this one time, a dog was travelling with Śivānanda Sena. And Śivānanda Sena would take responsibility for all the members of the party. Because this dog was following along, Śivānanda took the responsibility of that dog as well since he was part of the party. And they almost reached Jagannātha Purī, his secretary forgot to feed the dog. The dog was nowhere to be found! He sent twelve men to find the dog, but they could not find the dog. Sivānanda Sena felt he had committed an offence to the dog. Then he took the devotees to Jagannātha Purī. Then they saw Lord Caitanya was feeding coconut to that same dog! Everyone was amazed to see the dog eating the coconut! So if we can be a dog of a pure devotee we can get the mercy of Lord Caitanya. After that day no one could see that dog again. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja said that with the mercy of Lord Caitanya the dog got his siddha-deha and went back to Godhead. So like that there are so many amazing pastimes. Prajāpati Mahārāja, Pratāparudra, was watching the Bengali devotees from his terrace. Who is that? Who is that who is so effulgent? Rāmānanda Rāya said that this is Advaita Gosāñi. Like that he pointed out all the devotees to Mahārāja Pratāparudra. Pratāparudra Mahārāja was very impressed by all these devotees. He ordered to arrange housing for them. So, Lord Caitanya He went around the temple in Jagannātha Purī doing kīrtana. And devotees were accompanying Him chanting and dancing around the temple. Just like devotees here they like to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

So, Lord Caitanya spent six years travelling in South India. He did something, which He did not do in Bengal. When He would see anyone on the road, He would embrace them. And immediately they got love of Kṛṣṇa. How would you like to be embraced by Lord Caitanya? In Bengal there are smārta-brāhmaṇas but He did not embrace them. But in South India He did! Haribol! He melted everyone’s hearts. So, He in Karnataka He went to Uḍupī, by the seashore route. I don’t know if He went to Bengaluru. But He has come now! You are calling Him here with your kīrtana.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa heard someone playing a flute beautifully. He said who is that? And He went where the sound was coming from and He saw Rādhārāṇī playing the flute. He saw Navadvīpa dhāma, Māyāpur. You have made this beautiful dhāma for Me? He said this place will be non-different from Vṛndāvana. I will have all the holy places come here. You see Kṛṣṇa is one, then He expanded Himself into Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Then He realized that Rādhārāṇī is experiencing great transcendental ecstasy. So He wanted to see how devotees had so much love for Him. To do that, He had to take the color and mood of Rādhārāṇī. So Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa with the heart of Rādhārāṇī. And He had the color of Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī is known as Gaurāṅgī and he is Gaurāṅga. So, that is the secret identity of Lord Caitanya.

There was a poor brāhmaṇa of South India. He went to Jagannātha Purī. He prayed to Lord Jagannātha that I am a brāhmaṇa but I am very poor, please make me rich. But nothing happened. Then he fasted seven days and thought if Lord Jagannātha does not make me rich I will commit suicide. He went to the ocean and there a huge man came out of the ocean. He was more than a 100-feet tall. He came to the shore and shrank down his size to normal. Then this South Indian brāhmaṇa followed him. The person said, why are you following me? I want to know who you are said the brāhmaṇa. He said I am who I am! What is it to you? The brāhmaṇa said, I am a brāhmaṇa from South India and my name is Rāmadāsa. So the person took pity on the brāhmaṇa and said my name is Vibhīṣaṇa. He was the brother of Rāvaṇa, who joined Lord Rāmacandra. So they walked towards the temple. They came to where Lord Caitanya was staying. Lord Caitanya said, “Oh, long time since I saw you. Come here! Come here!” And the South Indian brāhmaṇa he just stood amazed! Then because Kṛṣṇa and Rāma They are not different. Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa, so He kept Vibhīṣaṇa by His side and He was talking to him. Then Lord Caitanya said this brāhmaṇa he is beating, beating Lord Jagannātha! He wants wealth. You give him some wealth. Then Vibhīṣaṇa went outside and the brāhmaṇa was following him. He tried to lose the brāhmaṇa but the brāhmaṇa stuck by him. The brāhmaṇa said, “Who is that you talked to?" "You dumb brāhmaṇa, stupid! That was Lord Jagannātha!" So Vibhīṣaṇa went back to Lord Caitanya. And the brāhmaṇa paid his prostrate obeisances to Lord Jagannātha. He said, “I did not know who You were, I am a very sinful person.” So, he told Vibhīṣaṇa, take the brāhmaṇa and give him some wealth.” But the brāhmaṇa said, “Please give me love of Kṛṣṇa!” Like that so many pastimes of Lord Caitanya are there.

So he was serving Lord Jagannātha. So, it said that Lord Jagannātha is stationary Jagannātha, and Lord Caitanya is the moving Jagannātha. You all are very fortunate to be able to serve Lord Jagannātha. And you are very fortunate that you also are serving Nitāi-Gaura. By Nitāi-Gaura’s mercy you get love for Lord Jagannātha and Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. In the Brahma-Vaivarta Purāṇa, Kṛṣṇa said there will be a ten-thousand-year golden period. And that would be the beginning of Kali-yuga. Someone will bring the golden age by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. So Lord Kṛṣṇa said this would happen five thousand years after the beginning of Kali-yuga. Lord Caitanya came four thousand five hundred years later. And Śrīla Prabhupāda came five thousand years after. He spread this saṅkīrtana movement all over the world. So we want all of you to help Lord Caitanya give this kṛṣṇa-prema, kṛṣṇa-bhakti to all the fallen souls.

So that is our mission. We have to expand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Thank you very much. And you can write down any questions you have.