20230622 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question & Answer Session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 22nd, 2023 in Kolkata, India

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: In whatever language you ask questions, I will answer in that language. Bengali, English, Hindi, Odia, Assamese, Nepali.

Question: We hear that some personalities like Rāmānanda Rāya are combination of two persons like Arjuna and Viśākhā sakhi. How to understand this? 

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.

Question: I want to aspire for initiation, but I am unable to choose out of so many initiating spiritual masters. Whenever I listen to some exalted personalities, I tend to take inspiration from them. Please guide me so that I can choose someone.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, Śrīla Prabhupāda, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is our Founder-Ācārya and he had a special mellow with Nitāi Gaura. So, if your spiritual master find preaching brings you closer to Śrīla Prabhupāda, then you if feel that Śrīla Prabhupāda is speaking through this spiritual master, or if you are somehow are able to feel closer to Kṛṣṇa through this spiritual master, or if you are feeling a faith by following a particular spiritual master, I have a list that is of 15 names, you can see whether any person can be your spiritual master. If you want, I can bring that tomorrow. You want? I will give short answers as we are late.

Question: I have heard that we should not offend pure devotees. But my parents, they will not understand, and they criticize. I have tried to reason with them, but they do not listen.

Jayapatākā Swami: There are ten offences in chanting the holy names. The first offence is to blaspheme the pure devotee of the holy name. Aparādha is worse than sin. Sin is something material. You stole, or lied, these are sins. But if you do something against a pure devotee, that is aparādha. A pure devotee is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa. By offending a pure devotee, this is a great obstacle on your path of devotional service.

Question: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never forgave vaiṣṇava-aparādha unless he is forgiven by that Vaiṣṇava. But also, in the pastime with Choṭa Haridāsa, we see Mahāprabhu did not forgive him. So what lesson can we get as men and women when we deal with the opposite sex.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya forgave Choṭa Haridāsa but He did that later. In the meantime, Choṭa Haridāsa left his body at Prayāga. Lord Caitanya at that time officially, He did not know and asked where is Choṭa Haridāsa. Lord Caitanya knew that being a sannyāsī knew that he would have wrong dealings with women. As Choṭa Haridāsa’s mentality was wrong Lord Caitanya was displeased with him and therefore He said, He will not see him again. Later, He wanted to see Choṭa Haridāsa. So we understand that He forgave him but it was much later. Actually, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura he wrote, how one should choose a spouse. Spouse means wife for husband and husband for wife. So He said one should choose a spouse who is more advanced spiritually. Who is very beautiful, that is not the question. Who is strong armed is not the question? Who is spiritually advanced that is what matters. Just like I was saying today that a husband and wife should discuss how they should please Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Question: Many times, māyā defeats me and I feel very much embarrassed. What should I do to get protected and encouraged not to fall again?

Jayapatākā Swami: You should win, not lose! Anyway, that is why Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Śrīla Prabhupāda said is a gradual process. When you are a little baby, you will fall down a few times but as you grow up you should not fall down. A three-year-old child will fall but if you are a 12-year-old child you should not fall. As you advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness you get stronger.

Question: Why does the Lord many times take our dear ones, keep our dear ones for a little while and then take them away?

Jayapatākā Swami: Like who? Everyone has a time. Everyone has an expiry date, like medicine has an expiry date. I had gone to see my purvāśrama brother in Minnesota. And there I got to see my brother. But I had a closer relationship with my devotee disciples. Anyway, one of my disciples had brought some medicine for my purvāśrama brother. He ate some prasāda and there was some discussion. He went back home. We remain in this body as long as we are destined to be there. Generally, we think that if we do this we will be happy. And as a result after this body we get another body. Some think that if I am rich, I will be happy. Some think that if I am a woman, I will be happy. Some people think if I am a man, I will be happy. Some think that if I am a pig I will be happy. This way, again and again, we repeatedly take birth. And we take on different bodies due to those desires. But if we think that we will be happy by serving Kṛṣṇa, then our rebirth comes to an end. And we shall return to the abode of the Lord, Vaikuṇṭha dhāma. No death and birth, we have eternal life. Haribol!