20220630 Q&A Session

Keyā Rāṇī: How can one be eligible to get the merciful glance of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī? What should one do to get her mercy for their spiritual life? Please kindly enlighten us.

Jayapatākā Swami: That is what Śrīla Prabhupāda said, is the real question. We don’t want to see God, but God should want to see us. We should act in such a way that Kṛṣṇa or Rādhārāṇī want to see us. So Kṛṣṇa wants many devotees to come back instead of rotting in this material world. If you can bring many devotees to return to Kṛṣṇa, Rādhārāṇī will be very pleased.

Question: Ratha-yātrā is celebrated in some places for 7 days and some places for 9 days?

Jayapatākā Swami: In Jagannātha Purī they celebrate for 9 days and in Bengal in Bangladesh, Odisha, they celebrate like that. And how many days Lord Jagannātha goes to Guṇḍicā, it is like a week. And one day going and one day coming back. But sometimes He does not make it on the same day. And sometimes He is right outside the Nīlācala temple and they don’t let Him in. Lakṣmī is very angry with Him! Anyway, the official period is nine days.

Śānta Gopī devī dāsī:  In the 9 practices of devotional service what are the activities in in sakhyam and ātmā-nivedanam?

Jayapatākā Swami: Sakhyam, in friendship, Arjuna was a friend, Uddhava was a friend and the different cowherd boys in Vṛndāvana are friends. Ātmā-nivedanam, offering everything was practiced by Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. He used his feet to go to the temple, he used his hands to clean, he used his mouth to recite Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He used his ears to hear the scriptures. He used his nose to smell the flowers offered to the Deity. He used his tongue to glorify the Lord and also taste kṛṣṇa-prasāda. So like this all of his senses were engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service.

Subāhu Madanamohana dāsa: How Kṛṣṇa understands the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. How to understand the mood of Their activities?

Jayapatākā Swami: Rādhārāṇī is so profound that it is even difficult for Kṛṣṇa to fully understand Her. That is how She keeps Kṛṣṇa under Her control. We can only understand this as we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Of course, if Kṛṣṇa cannot understand, then we can only understand a tiny bit.

Yamunā Priya Gopīka devī dāsī: Seeing Lord Jagannātha a in the Ratha-yātrā one gets immense benefits So what mood or what can we aspire from Lord Jagannātha the most?

Jayapatākā Swami: We want love of Kṛṣṇa. That is the prayojana, the ultimate goal of our life. So that is why we pray to Kṛṣṇa to bless us with pure devotion.

Question: We saw in Caitanya-līlā class, when Mādhavendra Purī went all over India no one was speaking about Kṛṣṇa. Is it that whatever we hear or see worship of Kṛṣṇa all propagated by Lord Caitanya only?

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya also, the devotees He made just like Tukārāma, he was inspired by Lord Caitanya and he spread the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s names. Like this many who would have taken the blessings of Lord Caitanya and have spread the chanting.