20250408 76TH Vyāsa-pūjā Evening Address

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: The devotees who were speaking earlier, did you record their words? (Yes) I want to hear all of that. Many devotees have come, how many have come? 22,000! I desire that the 22,000 people who have come and those who hear this by other means, you can tell them in general that it is very necessary to follow the path of devotional service. You can see how many understand English here? My English repeater, he fled!

Before coming here I saw on YouTube the UK devotees a few hours ago, had arranged a Vyāsa-pūjā celebration. So I wished them a happy Hare Kṛṣṇa! Like this, it is night for us and in America it is morning. Between Los Angeles and here, the difference is about 12 hours. So we want everybody to practice devotional service. For bhakti-yoga, Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī created Navadvīpa Dhāma, consisting of nine islands, each island representing a branch of devotional service. So the most important are chanting and hearing. But we go to all the nine islands which are the nine practices of devotional service. And every devotee has to perform one or the other limbs of devotional service. Those people in the material conception of life, they think that the material body is their selves. Now, material life has happiness and distress. But spiritual life is just bliss! In the adhivāsa kīrtana there is a line which says, ānandera sīmā nāi, ānandera sīmā nāi, nirānanda dūre jāi, nirānanda dūre jāi. That there is no end to the bliss of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and all distress goes very, very, far away. In South India we visited different temples where Lord Caitanya went and established His lotus footprints there. One temple was called the “unending source of bliss”. You see the Deity and you feel bliss and that bliss is unending!

In Kali-yuga it is not required that one takes sannyāsa. There are some kinds of sannyāsa which are forbidden. Most of Lord Caitanya’s devotees were gṛhasthas. Only a few brahmacārīs were there. Now, of course, we have a facility and many brahmacārīs are here. In the śāstras, Śrīla Prabhupāda in one of his purports he said that in the association of women there is danger because people may see them as objects of enjoyment. But in the ninth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Śrīla Prabhupāda said that when it comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whether men, women, śūdras, they are all equal! So, Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted us to have all our devotees to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. And if someone gets married, they should see that the wife is Kṛṣṇa conscious. One devotee complained to Śrīla Prabhupāda that my wife is stupid, illiterate and does not know anything, and criticized her. Śrīla Prabhupāda replied, why did you marry such a woman bereft of all good qualities? That is why it is good to do all checking, astrology, checking their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that they would be a good partner. You see, we speak a lot about Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. But, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s wife, the mother of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, we do not hear much about her being said. Of course, she was part of the yajña, the garbhādhāna saṁskāra in Jagannātha Purī, to give birth to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. When she was about to leave her body, she called Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura by her side. And held Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s hand and said, “Please spread the movement of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as far as you can!” So, she was a very holy lady! We see here we have many ladies, Vaiṣṇavīs and many Vaiṣṇavas. I am praying for all of you to be very fixed up in your devotional service!

Today you can also say your prayers to the Deities, not only today, every day you should pray to Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Prabhupāda, so that you can spread the mission of Lord Caitanya.

Every year, in the evening the Safari group present a special dance and other cultural programs. So I will leave the stage and get the Safari devotees come up!