20240206 Evening Address

The following is an evening address Question & Answer Session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 6th, 2024.

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: So thank you for being here tonight.

I am very glad, on this Ekādaśī, Ṣaṭ-tilā Ekādaśī, you are staying present for the class.

We heard the Bhagavad-gītā and heard the difference between Brahman and Para-Brahman How we are the fragmental part of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

And we are in the spiritual world, or we fall into this material world.

In the material world we may take birth in the 8,400,000 species.

Once we reach the human form of life, we can produce karma.

Some people do sacrifices for good karma.

They want to go to the heavenly planets.

And we see here in Juhu, there are many hotels.

You can stay in the hotel, but you will have to pay the rent.

And when your money is finished, you have to leave the hotel.

So you stay in heavenly planets as long as you have the good karma.

Once the karma runs out, you come down here. 

I mentioned before that when Śacīmātā was garbhavatī, she was carrying a baby, she was carrying Lord Caitanya.

So the devas, they could tell she was carrying the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

They wanted to come and offer Him prayers.

So they said, Bhagavān, we heard in this avatāra You are freely giving love for Kṛṣṇa!

So please give us also love of Kṛṣṇa.

They desired kṛṣṇa-prema.

They said in the heavenly planets we have enough material happiness.

As a result, we don’t take seriously devotional service.

So, we need Your mercy more!

Occasionally we are attacked by the demons, and we fight.

This danger is there.

But besides this there is no problem in Svargaloka.

Sachi Mata, she saw the devas’ shadows.

Lord Caitanya revealed that to her.

So she began to chant Namaste Narasiṁhāya!

The devas realized, they were supposed to be invisible but somehow, they were seen by Mother Śacī and they quickly left.

So being born on earth is beneficial to go back to Godhead.

In heavenly planets there is a lot of material happiness.

In the hellish planets, suffering.

In this earthly planet it is mixed.

That is better for spiritual realization.

Happiness, sadness, balanced.

You see you may take birth as an animal.

Śivānanda Sena, he was caring for one dog.

Just as they were about to reach Jagannātha Purī, the dog disappeared.

Śivānanda Sena looked everywhere, he sent out searchers, but could not find the dog.

So he thought maybe he offended the dog!

Later, when he got to Jagannātha Purī, he saw that Lord Caitanya was feeding coconut pieces to the dog!

The dog then went back to the spiritual world.

So, Lord Caitanya in His pastimes, He came down to deliver the fallen souls.

Everyone, be they man or woman, should take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and get the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

In the 9th canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one apsarā, Urvasī, she criticizes ladies.

But in the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, that when we talk of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, man, woman, śūdra, whatever, they are all equal.

So we need to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Here like, everyone is planning, how they can enjoy material world.

But in human life, we should try to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Then we don’t have to take birth again. 

Lord Caitanya, He would go and He would have chanting in the garden of Śrīvāsa.

Because outside people did not understand the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya.

So, He was invited by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura to have kīrtana in his garden.

But one day, Lord Caitanya in the kīrtana, said, “I don’t feel any ecstasy.

I DON’T FEEL ANY ECSTASY! Who is responsible?” Everybody was thinking, “It is me!” But Lord Caitanya said, “There is some outside person looking.” So Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura he looked around, who is it looking at the kīrtana?

Then he saw a basket in the verandah.

He picked up the basket and under that was a lady.

Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura asked her, “Why are you disturbing Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana?” He took her by the neck and threw her out of the door.

Lord Caitanya asked, “Who was that?” Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, “I don’t know.” Lord Caitanya said, “Wasn’t that your mother-in-law?

Why did you disrespect your mother-in-law in such a way?” Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, “Whoever disturbs You, Lord Caitanya, we have to deal with them like a stranger.” So, Lord Caitanya said, “That is a bit too much! You should deal this way with your mother-in-law.” Lord Caitanya His kīrtana was disturbed, so Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura could not tolerate it. 

Lord Caitanya when He was a small boy, at that time Murāri Gupta, he was teaching yoga.

Lord Caitanya did not agree that His devotee should teach yoga instead of bhakti.

He was a little toddler, He couldn’t really say.

So, He told Murāri Gupta, you are obstructing your bhakti.

Like that, I will obstruct your lunch and He left.

He went into His room.

He put a peacock feather in His hair, tied a belt to put His flute in His belt. So He looked just like Kṛṣṇa. Except He was golden color! But you could easily see He was Kṛṣṇa! So, Murāri Gupta was sitting down, taking his lunch. A deep voice came, Lord Caitanya said, “Murāri come here!” Murāri Gupta said, “Who is that?” He stood up and came to his door. 

He put a peacock feather in His hair, tied a belt to put His flute in His belt.

So He looked just like Kṛṣṇa.

Except He was golden color!

But you could easily see He was Kṛṣṇa!

So, Murāri Gupta was sitting down, taking his lunch.

A deep voice came, Lord Caitanya said, “Murāri come here!” Murāri Gupta said, “Who is that?” He stood up and came to his door.

Lord Caitanya told him you interrupted your bhakti class, teaching patañjali-yoga.

So I have interrupted your lunch!

And He walked out.

Murāri Gupta looked around, He could hear the sound of His ankle bells as He left. And he was astonished how a one-year-old know all this?

He looked just like Kṛṣṇa.

Then he went to the house of Śacīmātā and Jagannātha Miśra.

He entered the house and saw Jagannātha Miśra was smelling the head of Lord Caitanya.

And Śacīmātā took the baby from Him and started smelling His head and holding Him close.

This was happening back and forth.

Then Jagannātha Miśra saw Murāri Gupta, the great physician entering his house.

What brings you to this poor brāhmaṇa’s house he asked him.

And Murāri Gupta he bowed down and saying praṇāmas to Kṛṣṇa. 

namo brahmaṇya-devāya
go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca 
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
govindāya namo namaḥ

Jagannātha Miśra, he was amazed! What was going on there! 

Why have you come to our house?

Then Murāri Gupta he was looking at Lord Caitanya, and said, “You are the most fortunate parents in the whole world!

Your son is…” he was about to say Bhagavān, Supreme Personality of Godhead, but since Lord Caitanya He was coming as a hidden avatāra, before anyone could hear what Murāri Gupta was going to say, Lord Caitanya started crying!

“Haan… mummy, I need help!

AAAnnnnnn!” So like that Lord Caitanya revealed Himself to some devotees, but generally He kept Himself hidden.

And only when He came to Gayā after His initiation, His bhakti was fully manifest.

We read all these pastimes, and we see how the Lord creates His different līlās.

Every man, every woman, whatever caste you are, if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious then that is the perfection of life.

So questions?