Question: It is said that post initiation, the guru takes away the karma of the disciple. Then why is the disciple sometimes seen to suffer ?
Author: Anon
Date: 2022-08-02
Jayapatākā Swami: The guru takes responsibility for their karma.
And depending upon how the disciple surrenders then that karma is either taken away directly by Kṛṣṇa withdrawing it,
or by giving the disciple some tokens, to help the disciple to come to the proper frame of mind, which will allow all the karma to be removed.
The total responsibility is taken away by the spiritual master, and therefore the karma is not given to the disciple at face value.
But some momentum from the previous uh… from the previous activities is there, some desires are there.
And also, even after taking initiation sometimes devotees, they are also performing sinful activities against their oath, so for various reasons the person is put into difficulty.
One time, Srila Prabhupāda cut his finger, and one drop of blood came out.
He said that, “I should have had my head cut off, but instead Kṛṣṇa has just given me this token, just to remind me and I was released from such a big sinful reaction.”
So, once we surrender to the spiritual master then we’re under the care of Kṛṣṇa; once we take initiation.
But then we have to also practically practice devotional service and then more and more for relieve from all these reactions.
Just after initiation, we come into what is called the clearing stage where all these reactions are cleared away.
It is not that just immediately everything is gone, unless we can immediately completely fix our mind, every thought word and deed completely, without any material attachment,
we can completely absorb ourselves in the service of guru, then we are completely free.
But just after initiation, it is not that people suddenly forget their parents and forget their everything material.
They may get a different, may become more detached, they may become, still there may be some slight attachments there.
So how to get free from those?
Whatever attachments we have those are linked with reactions.
As detached as we become that is as free as we become from the reactions.
These two things are told today.
The 3 modes are there and their reactions, these are linked.
As we have attachments within the 3 modes of nature those attachments are linked with reactions.
As we get rid of the reactions of fruitive activities, we get rid of these attachments also.
Just like a person is very attached to getting a $1,000,000.
Once they get $1,000,000 they are not so attached any more, then either they want $2,000,000 or they want something else.
Just like in Hong Kong, in Japan, people they get very attached to material things.
They want to get a brand-new tape recorder.
They get the tape recorder.
After a while they get tired of the it, they just throw.
A perfectly good tape recorder, they throw it away in the garbage.
Just fed up, that’s the mood they are in.
They just throw it away.
You can find good tape recorders lying in the garbage, you see.
When you get the thing, that means that now your desire is fulfilled.
That is one way of getting your material fruitive action is you get what you want.
That’s one, that’s called the reaction for pious activities.
That also makes you detached, in some cases.
You get tired of it, you want something else.
And another way of getting rid of attachment is by suffering.
When that thing you want causes some pain you become detached.
So, both these reactions, pain as well as pleasure the devotee becomes detached to.
Because now, both of them simply cause material attachment.
They want spiritual ecstasy, spiritual bliss.
So, already the plug has been pulled out, you are not creating any more karmas, you’ve been freed.
And Kṛṣṇa promises that, “According to how you surrender that is how you will be rewarded.”
So, already you are free from any direct reaction of karma.
If any karma is given it means that you still have some attachments, and this is to help you become more and more advanced.
And you are only getting a small token of what you deserve.
Category: [Material Sufferings], [Karma], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Dīkṣā (Initiation)]
Related Questions
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-07
If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa,
you surrender to Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa says mokṣya,
that He’ll protect you from all the sins.
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
‘Sarva-pāpebhyo’,
all pāpa He’ll protect you from.
There’s no other way to get free from your sin except for taking shelter of the Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Even if you do pious activity that doesn’t get rid of the sin.
Only by serving Kṛṣṇa you’d be get free from all the sin
Can someone who is endeavoring to follow his guru’s instructions sincerely and is making efforts to take his guru’s instructions and his desire as his life and soul, but hasn’t got the chance to take formal initiation, can such a person go back to Godhead and achieve the highest goal of kṛṣṇa-prema in this very life? Can he also achieve his guru’s service eternally?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Since the name of Kṛṣṇa is not different from Kṛṣṇa,
somehow by chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa,
one may also achieve the highest perfection.
But a sure way is if possible, is for you to take initiation from the authorized guru-paramparā,
and then in that way serve Kṛṣṇa.
You see Kṛṣṇa gives you the opportunity to take initiation.
If out of false ego you don’t do it,
then it is not really Kṛṣṇa’s fault.
So if He is giving us some help, we should take it.
During this lockdown period
I am also giving initiation on the internet by zoom.
And other gurus are also doing the same thing.
So if one is qualified, they could take initiation.
Don’t have to wait for the guru to physically come there.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Mādhavī Śyāmasundarī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: All the services to the Deities in this temple or any temple of ISKCON will be very pleasing to me.
So you can ask the temple leaders what service you can do.
Lord Caitanya said, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.
Whoever you see, tell them the glories of Kṛṣṇa.
That will make me very happy.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Despite all adversities, you have always continued to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda without any interruption, and we see sometimes devotees, they get upset on small things. And they leave their services. And that really compromises everybody’s service to Śrīla Prabhupāda. So how can we continue in your mood, that not to leave services when offended and work together? Any instructions, any guidance you can give us about that?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, as I said,
we owe everything to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
He could have stayed in Vṛndāvana.
He would have easily got liberation.
But he took a great headache,
he came to the USA,
came to Canada,
and he gave us Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So who thinks that they have paid their debt fully?
I don’t think so!
I have to do so much,
still the debts are not paid for.
As long as I have breath in the body,
as long as I have any abilities,
I will try to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda.
When I was in Canada
I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda,
whether I should join the USA army,
because my father said he would turn my name.
Then Śrīla Prabhupāda told me
better you join Kṛṣṇa’s army.
So I am still in Kṛṣṇa’s army,
and I haven’t taken retirement yet.
So as a serving officer in Kṛṣṇa’s army,
I have to continue! Ha!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Cooperation]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: There was a Śrīla Prabhupāda disciples, his name was Jitakrodha,
conqueror of anger.
He was a very angry guy!
Maybe some names like that.
Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me the name Jayapatākā
and he said you will be victorious!
So, sometimes the name has some meaning.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-26
This is a very interesting question.
Now selling books is an economic issue that you are giving some money for the book.
If you use the money for your own sense gratification, but then selling the books,
well, some kind of reciprocation may be there. If you give out a book freely then,
the person takes the book and throws it, you are responsible.
If the person bought the book and then he throws it or whatever he does,
that is not your responsibility, that is his, he has bought the book.
So at the same time, like devotees if they are working under some system
like the management tells them, you deposit the money, you can take so much per cent
or if are working under a system authorized by the temple,
and then it is considered that they are working for Kṛṣṇa and then Kṛṣṇa takes the responsibility.
So if the saṅkīrtana devotees have some agreement with the temple,
so as such they should not be responsible. They are considered to be working directly under Kṛṣṇa.
Of course, if they just try to buy and sell,
because they are selling the books it is not so much an issue of karma, I mean as I mentioned earlier,
at the same time something may be there. Because they are doing on their own behalf.
But if they are doing on behalf of the temple
and the temple says you can draw your maintenance or take some percent
then it is considered working under Kṛṣṇa directly. So if they are working for themselves i.e. buying and selling,
then it is a issue that we have to look into.
Generally selling things is not bring karma; any way it shouldn’t be a problem.
If you are working for Kṛṣṇa, you are doing it as a devotional service, so it is not an issue at all.
If you are doing it for your own for making money it is not also an issue because
selling things usually does not attract karma; except the karma
if it is some meat or drug or [such thing], then obviously there is karma.
But for selling books there is no karma. So that is transcendental books,
rather they will get the good reaction. So I don’t see in either case as a karma
except if you give out books free and you don’t know [inaudible word] the people,
if they misuse the book, then you may have to accept some karma.
On the other hand, if they… Just like Prabhupāda was saying that
we shouldn’t give out japa mālās for free. We should… Some ladies, some people
in India, like to give out japa mālā. But in doing so, as a guru, we give to our disciples;
we are taking their karma anyway. So if someone gives out japa-mālā and they
commit some offense on that mālā, then you have to take the karma.
So we get some token little donation, something sell it for even one cent or
it doesn’t matter. Just in fact they took for some price and then
then we are not responsible for their karma. In the same way Prabhupāda said
if you give a tulasī seed there is no karma.
Whether they plant the seed and then.... But if you give a plant
and they mistreat the [tulasī] plant, then you are responsible.
So, I don’t know if you particularly ask about books except if the book is given free,
I heard that question. So, I don’t think you have to worry about karma
rather you are doing it as a service to Kṛṣṇa, this is Lord Caitanya’s order,
so you carrying out His order. Why would you be responsible for their karma?
It is Lord Caitanya’s order. In the same way we chant also Pañca-tattva mantra
before we chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So, you are working on behalf of Lord Caitanya.
He said to distribute the teaching of Kṛṣṇa, so that is what you are doing?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapataka Swami: I answered this question yesterday.
So many are here on Zoom.
If we have initiation and follow the bona fide guru, then our road to Kṛṣṇa is sure.
If one meets a bona fide guru, but he does not take initiation out of false ego,
then that is an obstacle.
If one does not meet a guru and he reads Śrīla Prabhupāda books, follows,
then there is no problem.
Some people think I don’t need a guru
and if they meet a bona fide guru they don’t take shelter.
So, that could be an obstacle.
There are all kinds of circumstances.
Generally, one should have a bonafide spiritual master
and should take initiation.
In this way, should perform their devotional service following the instructions of their guru.
Haribol!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-27
If you are not a pure devotee, Mahārāja’s opinion is that you become gṛhastha by previous karma.
Some people may have sannyāsa karma.
But that doesn’t mean that they will be a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
They maybe have a sannyāsī tendency.
But somebody fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, even though their karma may be to get married,
they can also be transcendental. They can remain as a sannyāsī.
Or someone may have a sannyāsa-yoga, they should be
sannyāsī but if they are ordered that you have to get married, they might also take that up.
They can do anything for Kṛṣṇa.
So, by karma there is some tendencies.
Certainly, that’s what the astrologers, they look so.
Like for instance someone mentioned Madhva, they understand that they looked at the chart,
who has got the sannyāsa-yoga, they pick those people to be sannyāsīs.
So already got that karmic tendency.
We don’t have that type of predisposition.
We don’t take the astrologer with chart to giving someone sannyāsa.
We see whether someone has that… is able to absorb themself in a renounced way
for some period of time.
So, the point is that devotional service can change your karma.
Devotional service can adjust things by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
He is the Karma-dātā; He is the one who is giving the karma-phala.
So, He can change someone’s karma.
Sometime astrologer looks at the chart, how did you get there, how did you become a devotee?
According to your chart you should be a real bhogī.
One day a devotee said I don’t understand how I became a devotee.
My whole life I’m simply into sense gratification.
And Prabhupāda said, I made your good fortune for you.
So, by some blessing of a great devotee, one can also change their situation.
So, we have certain amount of freewill
and we can decide in which way we should perform devotional service
after studying so many factors.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You see we are trying to remember Kṛṣṇa.
And by following the path of navavida-bhakti we are trying to engage in devotional service.
And therefore, we want to return to the spiritual world to serve Kṛṣṇa personally.
But the karmīs, they are trying to find a solution to their material problems so that they can have interrupted sense gratification.
In this way they take birth after birth after birth after birth.
But we actually have this human life we should take advantage and go back to Godhead.
Category: [Material Sufferings], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-08
Jayapatākā Swami: No! The point is, say a devotee, tries to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and doesn’t make it; senses take him off; interested into material life again
but whatever time a person spent in doing Kṛṣṇa conscious activity, for that, they get heavenly planet or they get a very good birth in the future.
They don’t lose anything you see.
The sinful reaction doesn’t affect; the sinful life delays your going back to Godhead but doesn’t stop it because that your credit is in like a fixed account.
But what happens is when you do offenses, this is whole different thing.
Offenses are directly...just like you are working for someone, you build up a good credit history and then you steal from him,
then you get fired and that person never wants to see you again, right?
But say that you know, you work for a person, just somehow you go away, you quit, then whatever you do, but with him your relationship, you know, is the same.
This is a little gross kind of material example, it is not fully appropriate.
In a higher sense our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is independent of all the other activities.
But an offense against Him or His devotee directly, you see even He can forgive an offense against Him;
but when you offend His devotee who is just trying in helping people to come to Him that becomes intolerable for Him.
He has a policy that He doesn’t personally forgive anyone for that. If the devotees themselves forgive then He considers a pardon.
So, of all the offenses, the blaspheming of one’s spiritual master who is a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa and is considered to be the worst.
So, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that, it takes millions of births before one ever gets a chance to have a guru again.
Why Kṛṣṇa will bring you up to a guru if you are going to blaspheme?
If you are so envious, then you get put in an envious species of life.
So, that way, Śrīla Prabhupāda says that it is much better to fall down from Kṛṣṇa consciousness and just fall into sinful or materialistic activities than to become a blasphemer.
You shouldn’t ever resent the guru.
If you couldn’t make it, why resent the guru, it is not his fault,
you couldn’t make it.
You tried, you got as far as you could, or you have that much determination, you lost faith and you lost.
So, why resent the guru? Guru didn’t do any harm to you.
Guru was trying to help you.
You go to a doctor; you have an incurable disease, or you are hooked on to some kind of drug, the doctor tries to help you to break your habit,
but you can’t take the withdrawal pains, so you just go back in and then you continue taking heroin or something until you OD (overdose) and die.
Why blaspheme the doctor?
It is not his fault; you didn’t have the determination or the patience to get out.
He was going to help you through the whole thing, through your shakes and your problems and everything just to bring you up to a point where you could be a healthy person.
Like that kind of a thing.
Jayapatākā Swami: Oh yeah. Lord Caitanya said that,
yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā
That the offense of blaspheming a devotee is called mad elephant offense.
Because one’s spiritual progress is compared to a creeper, a plant.
So, when you blaspheme pure devotees, that mad elephant can go into a garden, uproot the whole plants, tear apart, you can just demolish the garden.
So, the comparison given that all the other things are like weeds; they don’t actually kill the original plant, they just compete with it.
They stunt its growth by taking away the energy, just stays at whatever level it is.
But it is very hard for the weeds all to completely smother out the original plant unless it just completely overcomes the thing.
But the offenses, those are considered like wild elephants which come in and trrrrp (tearing sound), rip out the thing, put it on the ground and stomp on it.
And then even for a while it may seem that the person is spiritually situated;
they pull out a plant, still the leaves stay green for a few days but then they gradually dry and fall off.
The relationship with the guru is never cut even you fall down; it’s not cut just by material activities;
but if you blaspheme the guru, then it is cut off, it’s like disowning.
Disciple disowns his guru by blaspheming.
Questioner: Madhusmita Indulekhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question.
I always think how much mercy I received from Śrīla Prabhupāda,
and if I hadn’t received his mercy, where would I be today?
So Madhusmita Indulekhā devī dāsī,
I don’t know if you received any mercy from your spiritual master.
But whether you think your situation today is better than what it would have been if you had not been Kṛṣṇa conscious and met
your spiritual master.
What situation you would be then?
I had a nightmare
two nights ago.
Suddenly, I thought I was the body.
It was so horrible!
So horrible!
To be deprived from the association of devotees.
To be deprived from the association of Kṛṣṇa!
I never, never, never, want to be in such a situation!
One of the most worst dreams I have ever had.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, one way is to ask him! Ha! Ha!
Otherwise by observing him
and hearing his instructions,
you can know what he wants.
And every guru may be different because we are all persons, we may have differences.
But we are united in serving Kṛṣṇa
and serving Śrīla Prabhupāda.
So like that we want all the devotees to be united
in serving guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Kṛṣṇasevinī Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: The whole practice of bhakti-yoga is to develop our love for guru and Kṛṣṇa.
It is not a different process.
Same process delivers us
and we should perform devotional service
and naturally if you help the spiritual master
then Kṛṣṇa will be very pleased.
Category: [Emotions / Faith], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-03-15
Jayapatākā Swami: The disciple, if they follow the guru correctly, then naturally he will be pleased.
If they are chanting their 16 rounds, following the regulative principles, if they are preaching,
so naturally the guru will be pleased.
If one has a doubt you can ask the guru.
But generally guru will be happy is following the orders of the guru.
But we should not commit any vaiṣṇava-aparādha,
that is very dangerous.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Depends on what gives you faith.
I mean, some people have faith by reading the scripture,
since it tells us that the holy name is Absolute and non-different from Kṛṣṇa.
Some people have faith by realization.
If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you may become peaceful and ecstatic.
And that may increase your faith.
Some people commit offences to the holy name.
So they don’t get the full result of chanting.
And you should tell them to be very careful to follow the order of the spiritual master.
I think the third offence to the holy name is to disobey the order of the spiritual master.
We must have a spiritual master and follow his instructions.
There is no question but to accept the spiritual master.
So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had everyone in the temple chant 64 rounds.
Those who went for book distribution and preaching, they should chant 16 rounds.
So Śrīla Prabhupāda said that for the Western rounds it would be difficult to chant 64 rounds.
So he had them chant 16 and preach.
So by following Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions, one can advance.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Emotions / Faith], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: IYF Māyāpur
Date: 2022-08-03
Jayapatākā Swami: That is what we are doing.
At least they are your relatives, they listen to you.
And you could see what works.
Flattery
or heart to heart talk.
This time there is a pandemic in the world,
people are dying,
people are getting sick.
Maybe you have some relative who got sick.
So it is an opportunity to explain
that while we do our material work,
we have to do some sacrifice for Kṛṣṇa.
Because if we don’t
that is why all this pandemic is there.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: One of the qualifications of the uttama-adhikārī
is that he cannot be understood.
It may not be completely possible for you to understand the mood of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
But in principle you can understand a little bit about his mood
by reading his books.
And those books are available in Spanish,
I see that you are in Bogota, Colombia.
You can read the books and feel and see how Śrīla Prabhupāda
is so much attached to Kṛṣṇa and Lord Gaurāṅga!
Then you can start to be very grateful for all the help he has given to you.
Then naturally, you can advance.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
How did Śrīla Prabhupāda instill a very strong sambandha-jñāna in you and his other disciples? We see a strong sense of identity which Śrīla Prabhupāda had with Kṛṣṇa. What was so different in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s preaching that is so rare to come across nowadays. How you all feel such a strong sense of belonging to Śrīla Prabhupāda and to Kṛṣṇa?
Questioner: Rādhe Śyāma Dāsa
Date: 2022-08-24
Jayapatākā Swami: As I said, I was looking what is the purpose of life
and a visiting professor from Harvard
had told, about the life of Lord Buddha.
And that inspired me, he told, about reincarnation and so many things.
Being in the West, we had no access to.
I don’t know how much Indian students have.
But it lit a spark in me, to find a guru, to find a teacher.
Of course, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that in my previous life I was a devotee.
Maybe there are some people who were devotees in their previous life, I don’t know,
and some people may be coming new.
So one has to be ready for different kinds of situations.
Now when I came to the temple nobody had any time for me.
They were all busy.
And then I was sent to Jayānanda Prabhu.
He was building a ratha cart.
He asked me if I knew how to hold a nail.
I held it.
Then he got it into the wood, and I took my hand away.
He said, very good!
Because that is the whole trick, how you hold the nail!
You should leave space so that you don’t get your thumb smashed.
And he said, “Do you know how to hit a nail?”
“Sure”
I said, because my uncle had a wood shop in his basement.
And then I hammered some nails,
and he said, “Okay!”, I passed the preliminary exam
and then he engaged me in service.
That service was something I liked to do, it was nice.
So, I think that is the trick for the youth. Whether it is prasāda distribution or something but engage them in something.
And with doing service, they hear from more senior devotees
and that way they get purified.
I was engaged in a lot of different services.
Questioner: Nandagopīpriyā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: There is no reason not to reveal your mind to guru.
If you have had some trouble with one of the principles, you could get some advice from your spiritual master.
But if you have recovered, then all the better to tell him that you had difficulty but now you have come back to the strict standard.
And sometimes one is started to difficulty with a principle, but it is not as serious as they think.
It is better to reveal to the spiritual master.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Aparādha (Offenses)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes in the year, write to me a report of your preaching,
and write to me if you are facing problem.
But naturally if you preach, if you help me to fulfill my orders from Śrīla Prabhupāda, your connection will be closer.
This year after Gaura Pūrṇimā, we go on our yearly Safari.
This year we are going to Vṛndāvana dhāma.
We are going to establish the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya in the various places that He visited.
And we seek help from devotees, from His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami.
And anyone else who would like to help and sponsor a place set of the lotus footprints or otherwise you want to help please talk to Śyāma Rasika dāsa.
And we are going… Of course Vṛndāvana anyone can go, otherwise to go on the Safari, you can talk to Marīci dāsa.
I put the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya in Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa.
Also the lotus footprints in the place, where Lord Caitanya had taken initiation,
in Gayā and many places.
But this year, we desire to establish Lord Caitanya’s footprints in Vṛndāvana.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Ritvik, ISKCON Baroda
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: If the guru is able to help you if you feel that Śrīla Prabhupāda is talking to you through the guru and you are able to cross over māyā,
then that is the right guru for you.
So you also get help from various śikṣā-gurus and Vaiṣṇavas.
I have fifteen questions you should ask yourself,
to help you understand if it is the right guru.
Questioner: Ritvik, ISKCON Baroda
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: If the guru is able to help you if you feel that Śrīla Prabhupāda is talking to you through the guru and you are able to cross over māyā,
then that is the right guru for you.
So you also get help from various śikṣā-gurus and Vaiṣṇavas.
I have fifteen questions you should ask yourself,
to help you understand if it is the right guru.
Questioner: Keśava Kṛpā Sindhu dāsa
Date: 2022-09-27
Jayapatākā Swami: I know that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
what he told me to do.
So trying to execute his instructions,
I have to make various decisions.
But I always keep in my mind, pleasing Śrīla Prabhupāda.
So, this has always served me well.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that in one case,
I did what he would have done.
I don’t know
if everything I do is pleasing to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
But I am trying to do that.
And I know that that itself is pleasing to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
But we may make some mistakes on the way.
But then we can also correct. that.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Nice question!
Because we should do service to please guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Now certain things the guru has said, he would like to be done.
Just like I told Nāma-niṣṭhā
that I would like a temple to be constructed.
So doing that sevā, constructing a temple,
he knows that it is pleasing to the guru.
Right?
Nāma-niṣṭhā dāsa: Actually, I went to meet Guru Mahārāja and this was in Tirupati.
And he was being very kind to me.
He told me, “Construct a temple.”
So I said, “Please put your hand and order.”
That was the time he put his hand on my head and ordered,
“Make a beautiful temple with all the facilities.”
At that moment we were only three devotees and no money!
And I remember next detail he told me, on June 5th Pānihāṭi 2020 that what are you doing?
That was an online visit.
We hardly had any devotees and I said, “There was nothing to do because everything is closed.”
“Why don’t you do like Chennai, Guru Mahārāja”, said. “6,000 devotees attended their course online.”
So I thought Sumitra Kṛṣṇa dāsa did 6,000, Nāma-niṣṭhā will do 10,000!
And I tried, within four days, 10,000 people registered.
And we don’t even know where the money came from, we don’t even know, in fact all the devotees Guru Mahārāja initiated yesterday,
all came from online and it is unbelievable.
Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-06-10
How to develop favourable devotional attitude?
we should accept everything for devotional service and give up everything which is unfavourable.
If we really understand what is our self interest?
What is helping us?
And we understand serving Kṛṣṇa and serving his devotees are our own self interest and then we know what is the favourable for that we accept the favourable things and we avoid the unfavourable automatically we can.
Start to get lined up.
Now what is very important is to develop that is by associating with the devotees already have their attitude.
Not that every devotees is equally developed in his favourable attitude such those who are especially ball pointless those who are in bitter mood they may be advancing but in a slow track.
Those who are seeing good qualities in others enthusiastic cheerful and they don’t hold any grudges on anyone they are in mode of fast track.
So we look for devotees that we can relate with a better situation we are and associating with them and in this way we can progress by the good association and this leads to the next question which is sādhu-saṅga which is one of most if not the most important limbs of devotional principles is offensive be six certain devotee association to avoid others,
So we select the associating just associating of any devotees so we can read the questions super souls.
Lord Caitanya said that there are three kinds of devotees those who are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa but they are not following the principles we can help them otherwise we don’t associate with them very intimately but those who are initiated and following very strictly we can accept them in a very we can respect them and offer respect to them and associate with them.
And those who are very advanced who are fully fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness who are in the level of guru we can take shelter from them.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that we can seek out association with the likely minded devotees.
Of course hopefully the like minded should be a good mind but its all right we may be more intimate with some than the others.
Absolutely yes.
Specially keep crying for Kṛṣṇa.
So in one sentence nothing wrong.
And people surely benefit something by hearing them.
But usually for the initiated devotees prefer to hear singing by someone more spiritually developed.
These are especially songs sung by attracting the new people by music aspect but not spiritual aspect.
In public programs we use these more but for personal purification it is recommended to hear Prabhupāda and some other pure devotee chanting.
But its nothing wrong but that is the guideline.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā]
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-29
Jayapatākā Swami: The accumulated karma reactions which are there have to be completely nullified before one can go back to Godhead.
So long as one has sinful reactions he has to suffer, so long as he has pious activities he has to enjoy.
Suffering and enjoying materially are both causes for staying in this material world.
So, when one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, if one can completely surrender - thought, word and deed everything to Kṛṣṇa, then of course, Kṛṣṇa can immediately take up all the reactions.
But generally, when one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, but the momentum the desires have yet to be purified.
So, Kṛṣṇa takes charge of that living entity and as he is performing his devotional service, as he is chanting,
the accumulating sins, sinful reactions from the unlimited births are being destroyed.
It is said that while one is chanting, clapping hands with his smiling at the Deity, that as he is clapping his hands, just as in the rice paddy field,
sometimes the sparrows are coming down and eating the rice; then we have to clap our hands to scare them away and you see thousands of birds, they fly out,
just like that if you are clapping and chanting, dancing and laughing or smiling in kīrtana, as you’re clapping, like this thousands and thousands of sinful reactions are flying away.
So, in this way, so many karma reactions are being at every moment we’re performing devotional service, they are being lifted;
but because we may be harboring so many attachments in spite of formally surrendering to Kṛṣṇa he has taken charge of our lives at the time of initiation and surrender.
But due to so many attachments and so many māyās, reactions are not the momentum is still there on those reactions.
So, Kṛṣṇa allows us to enjoy or suffer tokens.
Just like a person, he may be enjoying what appears to be a karma of being very wealthy or very powerful;
Kṛṣṇa may allow him to maintain that because He promises, “I preserve whatever you have and what you lack I give.”
In other words, if a person has something good on his side, Kṛṣṇa doesn’t say, “I have to smash it down.”
He maintains it; because when one is pure, he is all good.
Pious activities, is because it is intended for material sense gratification; it is not pure goodness.
It is materially contaminated goodness, but a devotee is all goodness, pure goodness.
So, Kṛṣṇa protects what good qualities are there and He gives what is lacking;
so there may be so many sinful reactions pending - we may have committed a murder, we may have done so many different things -
eating meat, taking intoxication, illicit sex in so many different births;
so, the reactions for that should come, you see, directly but instead Kṛṣṇa gives a token.
Prabhupāda once cut His finger and blood came.
He said that in a previous birth you see I may have chopped a man’s head off and for that now I am giving one drop of blood.
A token is given to remind us that how fallen we were, to remind us how we have to be humble and submissive to Kṛṣṇa;
because our tendency is become independent, to become very proud, intoxicated by our material situations
and so when Kṛṣṇa He gives dose out of little bit out of our karma to us in a reduced infinitesimal token manner to just put us in our place, to remind us and purify.
We get purified by suffering.
This is the actual fact.
People say that “No! people are hungry, they will never chant God’s name; you have to fill everyone’s belly then they will chant.”
But we find that where there people bellies are more full then they don’t like to chant so much.
You go in the village, there are poor people, they all very gladly chant.
But if you go onto a very, you see, wealthy society, they, “What do I need.
I already got my money, I have got everything I need; when I get old may be at that time I will chant God’s name; now I have to go on increasing my wealth.”
When there is great financial difficulty, everyone is praying to God and then when He gives them, “Alright!
You get wealth”; they become wealthy; then they forget.
Then they think “Oh, economic development is enough; I don’t need any more God”.
And then He takes everything away, and then again, they say they are in a position; that is what happens.
After the coming of Kali-yuga, all the… India was the richest place in the world.
America was discovered simply because Columbus was trying to find India to get the short route,
to get all the wealth, gold and the silks and the masālas; it was the wealthiest place in the world.
But, due to Kali-yuga, all the Hindu kings, they gradually became, you see, intoxicated and brahminical culture went down.
Gradually by birth, caste consciousness became established in a rampant exploitation.
As a result of this, then so many foreign conquestors came and gradually India fell to the foreigners and fell under Mughal rule, then under British rule.
You see.
Now there is a so-called independence, but you can say that it’s under a foreign political system, because the systems which are being used are not the original systems of Vedic culture; they are mental concoctions.
So, the difficulty is where?
That if someone becomes too proud then he is forced to, you see, have everything taken away by Kṛṣṇa as a special mercy.
Then he can think that, “Why I am suffering?
Oh! I must remember Kṛṣṇa.”
Otherwise, when one is in his hay day, he has no time for Kṛṣṇa.
That is the general thing.
The demigods, they forget about Kṛṣṇa often, you see.
And when they… not often but sometimes, when they forget then the asuras come and defeat them. Kṛṣṇa puts…
Then they go to Viṣṇu and pray, “Please help us.”
So, if Kṛṣṇa did not have asuras to fight with demigods, they would forget in their enjoyment.
So, in this material world there is always this conflict, and it has a sublime purpose to bring the people back to Kṛṣṇa.
But in spiritual sky where everyone is surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, there is no conflict, Vaikuṇṭha.
So, the more we depend on Kṛṣṇa, the more He takes charge of our lives and the more we try to make our own alternative arrangements, you see,
beyond maintaining—we have two things (we have to maintain our body and we have to be Kṛṣṇa conscious).
So, beyond maintaining our body, if we try to increase unnecessarily our material entanglement,
then, you see, to that extent Kṛṣṇa, He will not give His mercy or He will give His mercy by then giving one a good blast of misery to wake up that what am I doing?
This is a terrible position I am in! Kṛṣṇa, help me! Kṛṣṇa, help me! Someone may know what reaction will come.
What severity the reaction will take, that is, that regulator is held by Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee gets a token - finished! Non-devotee - full blast!
And the devotee is not accumulating new karma.
So as the karma is going on, as the reactions is being expended, it is finished.
And gradually the load is getting lighter and lighter, and one is getting closer and closer to Kṛṣṇa; more attracted to Kṛṣṇa; more spontaneously devoted to Kṛṣṇa.
While the non-devotee, every karmic reaction creates more reactions, he becomes more and more weighted down with unlimited accumulation until finally he falls down and goes back into the lowest species of life.
Category: [Karma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-21
Hṛdayānanda Dāsa Goswami: Yes, (laughing)
if he is actually bonafide.
If he is actually bonafide.
You understand?
If someone is not a bonafide spiritual master, someone is only pretending to be a spiritual master,
then how can the relationship be eternal?
So therefore, the disciple has to know the real symptoms.
Just like for example, in the case I was just mentioning, there were some symptoms which were very unusual, that were not the normal symptoms.
So, some of the people in in England they were not, of course the young devotees they didn't know,
but they were not very strict and serious and seeing that the same standard was kept.
Do you understand?
In other words, just like we are… we are always preaching, that is the duty of our disciple to see, to select a bonafide spiritual master.
So, the point is that anyone who joins this movement sincerely will get Kṛṣṇa and will get a bonafide spiritual master.
And the symptom that is getting one that is he will get Kṛṣṇa.
If you are getting a bonafide spiritual master, then you are getting the proper instruction.
Any guru in ISKCON who is presenting Prabhupāda as he is, or presenting the standard program, he is a bonafide guru.
Just like if I tell my disciples, "Read these books."
So, I am giving them the right knowledge, you understand?
Now, if someone is actually a bonafide spiritual master, then that relationship is eternal.
So it’s not that, it’s not that, because one particular person had some difficulty therefore I will become doubtful.
This is also a foolish idea.
Just like in the Gauḍīya Maṭha, all of them deviated except Prabhupāda.
I mean fifty of them or something like that, there were 100 or something, I don’t know how many... do you understand?
And every last one of them, every single one of them, deviated from Bhaktisiddhānta's order.
And out of the movement of hundreds and thousands of people, Prabhupāda was the only one who actually
carried it out exactly as Bhaktisiddhānta wanted, do you understand?
So, it’s not that when we heard about Gauḍīya Maṭha, we begin to doubt our spiritual master.
No, we become more proud of our spiritual master.
So, it’s just like my parents always used to tell me, "You should be glad that your parents don’t drink or smoke…
or… tell me that, some parents beat their children, some parents do this, some parents do that.”
So, in that way Kṛṣṇa has given these historical examples. Kṛṣṇa has given these examples,
so you should be happy if you have a guru who doesn’t drink or smoke. (Laughter)
Yes, actually, we accept that Śrīla Prabhupāda among his godbrothers…
not that all they fell down to sinful activities,
but they deviated from the preaching mission and Prabhupāda told us that, none of them actually really captured the purport completely.
So, it's in the līlāmṛta, all.
Prabhupāda's frustration trying to work with them.
So, does that make us doubt Śrīla Prabhupāda? No, it makes us glorify him more.
That if others have failed, that means it must be very difficult.
Because someone has not… could not do it, that means it must be a very difficult thing.
It must be... So, therefore, it made us more attached to our spiritual master.
So, Prabhupāda said, "If you see, if you try to see the guru without Kṛṣṇa then that’s bad.
If you try to see Kṛṣṇa without the guru, that is also bad.
If we see guru as the representative of Kṛṣṇa,
then we will never be deviated.”
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Depends what you are thinking!
Generally, I would chant in front of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mūrti.
And I would chant the mantra but I would also be seeing Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Everything connected with Kṛṣṇa is also Kṛṣṇa.
It is not really Kṛṣṇa, but it is not different from Kṛṣṇa.
When we clean the temple, the temple is connected with Kṛṣṇa, therefore we clean our heart.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, in any part of the temple Kṛṣṇa is there.
So guru is connected to Kṛṣṇa
and if you see guru while chanting you will be connected to Kṛṣṇa.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-17
In this regard, Śrīla Prabhupāda was quoting Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
that the disciple should take the order of the spiritual master as their life and soul.
If you are not able
to follow the instruction of your spiritual master,
then you can ask him
what to do in that case.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Hari Hara Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa
Date: 2022-07-30
Jayapatākā Swami: An ISKCON guru is naturally pleased if you are satisfying the desires of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Śrīla Prabhupāda wants to satisfy his guru’s desires, his guru wants to satisfy his guru’s, like that
it goes up to Lord Brahmā, and he wants to satisfy Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So in that way, we try to please guru and Kṛṣṇa.
And that will be the success of our spiritual life.
But maybe the spiritual master gives some specific instruction, which are applicable for us.
Just like His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
he gave certain service to his devotees,
based on their abilities sand potentials.
So in this way the spiritual master may give you some particular service.
Or maybe a general service.
Generally, we try to serve our Temple President or our spiritual authorities.
But sometimes, we may receive some specific instruction from the spiritual master.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: When I was in Canada, I told my pūrvāśrama parents that I had joined Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
And my father said, I should come back immediately and be in the American Army and fight in Vietnam.
So I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what should I do?
He told me, better you serve in Kṛṣṇa’s army.
So I have been in Kṛṣṇa’s army ever since.
And I am very happy to have visited Russia.
And I also went to Siberia, and I think I went to Omsk.
I also went to Vladivostok, to the Urals,
then to Yekaterinburg and various places.
But now I stay mostly in India, but I travel a little bit.
I think that devotees, they are above these designations of nations.
So, we try to help the devotees from both Russia and Ukraine.
They are all part of Kṛṣṇa’s family.
This war is very superficial.
We hope that people will take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Rather than trying to kill each other!
Haribol!
Category: [Devotee Care], [Material Sufferings], [Material World], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Satyabhāmā Sādhvī devī dasī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Very glorious question.
We want to always remember guru and Kṛṣṇa.
So if we do everything as an offering to guru and Kṛṣṇa,
then we will be constantly thinking of Guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Like, if you buy a gift for your loved one,
now you may be thinking what does that person like?
And you pick up some gift,
so it maybe that you are thinking about the gift,
but you are thinking in the context what does this person like?
So therefore, you are always thinking about the person.
Even though technically you may not always thinking about him, but all your action is offered to him.
So therefore, your thought process is centered around the person you love.
So if you love Kṛṣṇa, if you love the guru,
it is very easy to think always about guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Śaśimukhi Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura,
he like to walk
when he chanted. He was very active.
So he didn’t like sitting and chanting.
He would walk,
pace back and forth chanting.
So as far as leaving our body,
Kṛṣṇa helps us then.
We should practice chanting in all situations;
because the time of death is of course the most difficult time.
I went to a dentist, he said,
“The greatest suffering is kidney stones,
child birth,
dying
and dental [surgeries]!
Welcome to your dentist!!” [laughter]
So he said that dying is one of the most difficult times.
That is why we need to practice chanting now.
So that we can chant at the time when we leave our body.
But even if we cannot,
if we had remained good and chanted all through our life;
at the time of leaving our body, Kṛṣṇa will help us.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Material Sufferings], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Premeśvarī Śrī Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-21
Separation from guru and Kṛṣṇa is something that we encounter
and Kṛṣṇa.
So Lord Caitanya said that we can get a closer devotion
by feeling separation.
So if we feel separation that is to the body of the guru,
if we feel separation that is to the instructions of the guru
and just try to follow his instructions.
By following his instructions, we can advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Serving the guru personally is vapu-sevā
and serving his instructions is vāṇī-sevā.
So vāṇī-sevā is more important.
Category: [Emotions / Sorrow], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Ati Sundara Jagannātha dāsa
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: When it is some puja time, say Dīpāvalī or something,
you buy something for your sister, your mother, your loved ones.
So while you are buying that you are thinking what does this person like? What should I get?
Like that, the act of shopping
becomes an act of love.
And so in the same way when you want to do something for the spiritual master,
you think like that, what will be pleasing? What can be used?
And that way, it is an act of love for your spiritual master.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Bhaktin Ambika
Date: 2022-08-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Naturally when you are serving guru and Kṛṣṇa,
then you will be connected to guru and Kṛṣṇa
and you can feel that.
So, we try if we can either serve the guru directly
or by following his instructions.
And that way we can feel connected.
Questioner: Sivaprasad (Sheltered)
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: Sambandha, abhideya and prayojana are the three things to be remembered.
If we are engaged in abhideya in devotional service, then naturally our relationship with guru and Kṛṣṇa is strong.
If we are not engaged in devotional service, then there is somewhat distance.
So the solution for that is to engage in devotional service.
Questioner: —Susevinī Guru Gaurāṅga devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa is in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul, or Paramātmā,
the Christians know as the Holy Ghost.
So, one is actually talking through the Paramātmā in the heart of the living entity and to the Spirit Soul.
So with the help of the Paramātmā we want to help the jīva to get out his illusion.
The word preaching has kind of a negative connotation.
The word in Sanskrit or Bengali is pracāra,
pracāra means to glorify the Lord and the process of His devotional service.
It means how to encourage someone to take up devotional service.
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura said that there is no scarcity in the material world,
only scarcity is devotional service.
Everywhere you see this scarcity.
People work so hard to win some athletic competition,
they work so hard to get some academic degree,
they work very hard to get a raise.
But actually even if a little effort they give to serve Kṛṣṇa,
they would actually be able to perfect their lives.
Who remembers the one athletic event five years ago?
And some people leave and some people break their bones and die,
but if we render some devotional service we never lose the result,
it stays with us life after life.
But all the things we achieve in this material world, the material things we achieve this life we leave behind us.
Say we earn millions of dollars;
we cannot take one paisa to the next birth or one cent.
But any devotional service you do,it stays to your credit.
If you have enough credit, you leave this material world
and go back to the spiritual world where you can serve the Lord constantly,
where there is no birth, death, old age or disease. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the point when you take dīkṣā, is to accept your guru as the spiritual doctor,
and whatever he says, you are supposed to follow that.
If you have any doubt, then very respectfully you should present your doubt
and have your question answered.
We have stages like aspiring, shelter, when a person can test his faith, test the guru’s ability to answer the questions.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
When you are ready to take the guru, you should be able to follow his instructions.
Link: 20221024 Evening Darśana
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)]
Questioner: Rasapriya Gopikā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Well there are two parts to your question.
One, how do I know if my service is pleasing to guru?
If we are doing something which he has asked us to do,
then it is usually pleasing to him.
If we are doing something which is for our authorities requested us to do
and it doesn’t go in contradiction with anything that guru told us;
and that something that is completely against our nature,
then usually it is very pleasing.
If it is something that is against our nature;
but it is something that is urgently needed;
and sometimes by fulfilling that one gets some special mercy from the guru.
What was the second part?
If our services are not pleasing does it affect our taste in chanting?
If you do not carry out the order of your guru,
then that is the third offence to the holy name
and naturally that will be something that hampers our tastes.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Guru (Spiritual Master)]
How to understand that we are facing our own karma or it is Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement in our life. Is it true that when we start doing bhakti our karma diminishes and we act according to Kṛṣṇa’s will and arrangement. But for that we have to be a pure devotee even a sādhaka’s karma diminishes completely when they start bhakti. Then again why we face difficulties?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: You see if you are 25% surrendered
then Kṛṣṇa protects you 25%,
if you are 50% then 50%.
If you are 100% then He will fully protect you.
Like Prahlāda Mahārāja
he was fully protected by the Lord.
But maybe we want some material sense gratification,
and we also want to do some service.
So finally, Kṛṣṇa will protect us some and māyā will control the other.
We should think that we are suffering much less than we should be
by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Questioner: Jayacaran
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, my experience was even before the first time!
His secretary gave me a set of beads.
So I went out in the park and I was chanting.
I chanted about 26 rounds, nonstop!
And I was feeling so much ecstasy,
I had never felt anything like this before.
At that time, I was in San Francisco
and Śrīla Prabhupāda was in Montreal.
I came back to the temple
and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s secretary was waiting for me.
He asked me do you have the beads?
I said, “Yes, of course.”
He said, “I was not supposed to give those to you,
those were Śrīla Prabhupāda’s beads!”
So I gave him back.
Other beads were not quite the same!
So, even before I met Śrīla Prabhupāda for the first time, I had an introduction.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I am trying to convince many of my senior disciples to take up the service of dīkṣā-guru.
And when I do that, then except in some cases I may stop giving initiation except for those who have taken shelter.
So people who have taken shelter I will give them.
Those who took initiation, they have already taken.
As of now, I have not yet stopped.
Still, sometime I may stop.
So, better chant 16 rounds and take shelter.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was watching some video of his departure,
and all the devotees, most of the devotees were feeling you know, very separated.
One devotee came in front of the camera and started chanting, clapping, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, he is not very advanced.
It is natural that you feel separation from the guru, naturally devotees felt separation when Śrīla Prabhupāda left.
Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciated
that that kind of intense feeling is a sign of spiritual advancement
and there are emotions that devotees feel.
And some circumstances are suitable for chanting, dancing in happiness.
But when the spiritual master is departing,
most of the devotees are feeling heavy hearted.
If some devotes smiling, laughing, Haribol!
Śrīla Prabhupāda he did not appreciate that.
So they were not really conscious what was happening.
Not conscious of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In the same way, to see Kṛṣṇa, multiply that, and there is nothing you can explain,
that words will not do justice.
If we hear what Lord Caitanya was experiencing, to whatever extent that touches our heart,
that by this feeling, by this meditation on Lord Caitanya’s ecstasy at that time,
we get the shelter of Kṛṣṇa.
So, someone was saying that the greatest separation in the world is to be separated from a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Many people ask this question.
This is one thing that every disciple, every devotee has to choose.
After some time, I will stop initiating.
But at the present time I am still taking.
But who you will choose, is truly up to you.
Who you think Kṛṣṇa is speaking thru to you.
And many gurus, they can be your śikṣā-gurus.
You have to choose one as your dīkṣā-guru.
So, dīkṣā-guru has the responsibility to take care of your karma.
And you can pray to Śrīla Prabhupāda, you can pray to the Deities,
to reveal to you who your guru is.
Questioner: Soundarya Rādhikā devī dāsī, New Rājāpur Dhāma, Bengaluru
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You seem to have realized that when you don’t follow
the advice of the senior devotees,
you get attacked by māyā.
So that should convince you
that to avoid being attacked by māyā,
follow the more advanced devotees’ advice.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Śikṣā-guru], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-24
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?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: It is just causeless mercy!
We see that Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, he offered prayers to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda.
So, that is the devotional process called vandanam.
Offering prayers, obeisances.
So, by desiring, praying for, by Their mercy, it can be achieved.
Category: [Emotions / Faith], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Dīpadātri Gaurāṅgī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-08-04
So, anyway, we would like to see everybody
chant Hare Kṛṣṇa
and engage in devotional service.
Lord Nityānanda is the original guru.
So the spiritual master
is naturally in connection with Lord Nityānanda.
So it is not so difficult to get guru-kṛpā
and if one tries to get guru-kṛpā,
by preaching, by giving Kṛṣṇa
to the conditioned souls,
Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā 18th chapter
that those who preach
this message of Mine,
they are the dearest to Me.
So naturally,
we get the kṛpā.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Mercy]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-14
Jayapatākā Swami: Some people, they have some inclination to someone.
If one cannot understand, they can take them as their śikṣā-guru
and amongst the śikṣā-gurus they can decide who will be their dīkṣā-guru.
Otherwise, I have 15 questions and one can ask themselves and thus choose who is their dīkṣā-guru.
So if you have the Jayapatākā Swami App I can send those questions out.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: There was a sage when he was a little boy he was playing with an insect
and he took a grass and poked the insect, and the insect was very fearful.
So then, later on he was arrested by the king’s men
because in his āśrama they said that a thief had taken shelter.
So the police in those days they had instant justice.
So he was actually sentenced to death.
They tied him up on a stick and there were soldiers with spears.
They were holding their spears up, and then the king sent a message, don’t kill the sage.
He sent a message.
The sage he was so powerful, he asked Yamarāja, why did I have to go through this great tribulation?
Yamarāja said when you were a little child you caused fear on an insect.
He said I did not know anything, I was a kid!
This is a foolish punishment.
I curse you to become a śūdra.
So from this day on the parents have to take the karma of children until the age of 5.
So the parents should be careful, not to let the kids play with insects and stuff.
So, this is just to show that even if you don’t know something is sinful, you may still have to take the karma.
Just like, when we walk on the sidewalk you may crush ants and different insects,
that is why it says we should do some form of sacrifice.
When you are driving a car, naturally you are going to kill a lot of bugs.
So in the Kali-yuga, the sacrifice is chanting the holy name.
We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, we circumambulate Tulasī Devī, we do all these things.
Category: [Karma]
Questioner: Kushal, Kṛṣṇa-kathā deśa (10 years old)
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t see the correlation between a good king and the Paramātmā.
Everybody has Paramātmā in their hearts.
But we are doing sinful acts
against the advice of the Paramātmā.
That is why we are suffering.
Our suffering may be due to something that we have done in the past hundred births.
We don’t remember
but Supersoul does.
So He will allow us to suffer if we deserve it.
And we offer the Lord a lamp in Kārtika so like that then
it says we can be freed from mountains of bad karma.
So people who are doing good karma, people who are doing bad karma, they have Paramātmā in their hearts.
But those who do the good karma, they get good results.
Those who do bad karma, they get bad results.
Category: [Karma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-07-07
Jayapatākā Swami: Nothing can disturb your Kṛṣṇa consciousness
if you don’t let it.
And we may get free from all our sinful actions.
But then if we again commit more,
then that is a new situation.
So not only should we get freed from the previous ones,
but we should also avoid making new sinful reactions.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, there is karma, vikarma and akarma.
This is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Karma is good works which can elevate you,
give you good birth, money, good looks education,
but it doesn’t lead you back to Godhead.
Maybe you can take birth in the heavenly planets
and have a long life.
But once your karma runs out, then you come down.
If you do vikarma or sinful karma, then you get absence of these things.
No good looks, no good education, no good family, no wealth,
and various problems – legal problems, health problems.
Usually, people do some karma and some vikarma.
So they get some happiness and some distress
on the material platform.
The secret, you asked a very good question, how do we stop karma?
But even if do karma we have to take another birth to reap the results.
Karma means good results and vikarma means bad results,
but all material.
So we want to do akarma.
We want to do if you do service to Kṛṣṇa, then no result is produced.
No karma.
Of course, Kṛṣṇa may give one some material benefits.
But the real thing is that Kṛṣṇa takes one back to Him.
At the end of this life, we go back to Kṛṣṇa.
And if you read the glories of different Ekādaśīs fasts,
sometimes Kṛṣṇa gives some material benefits,
but in the end it says, devotees go back to Godhead.
So doing spiritual activities, activities offered to Kṛṣṇa, that is the best in the world.
It takes one back to Kṛṣṇa, to the spiritual world.
So while living in this world, we have least problems and go back to Kṛṣṇa.
But if we are very attached to material happiness, sometimes Kṛṣṇa gives some mercy,
so we see the relative difference.
Actually, He wants devotes to be happy in material life.
But if they are attached and think, oh! I like to stay here,it is a good place!
That is not good. Ha!
Because if you stay here, naturally we get disease, old age and death,
and then rebirth
and start over.
So we do akarma.
We do devotional service.
And by that we directly get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Category: [Karma]
Questioner: Supriyā Jāhnavā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: It shows that Lord Caitanya is more merciful than Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Although He is Kṛṣṇa, but He has Rādhārāṇī’s heart,
so He is more merciful.
One who is not initiated,
He also said, He does not accept their offence.
So, if you are initiated,
it is a two-edged sword.
If you follow strictly, you get the Lord’s mercy,
if you don’t follow,
then He may take offence.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Emotions / Confusion], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Mercy], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Kaivalya Sundarī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-12-11
Jayapatākā Swami: They are all Absolute,
at least the first four.
They can have unlimited personal relationship
but whether one is qualified,
we want to be the servant of the servant of the Lord,
not to be directly in the service of the Lord.
So, by being the servant of the servant. of the servant of the Lord,
we get to serve the Lord!
Questioner: Fernando Dias
Generally in order to be assured of getting back to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa one needs to take initiation. However,the holy name and objects connected with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa are so powerful that they can also deliver conditioned souls as a special mercy. One should now avoid taking initiation if the oppurtunity arises due to these other special cases. However, if one somehow fails to get initiated in spite of ones desires and leaves the body thinking of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa or being connected with the Lord's Holy name, dhāma, devotees, Ganges, etc. then one may also be delivered.
I hope this finds you blissful and healthy in Krishna consciousness.
Your well wisher,
Jayapatākā Swami
(25-Apr-98 - Text PAMHO:1276910)
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)]
Questioner: Rasasindhu Śacīsuta dāsa:
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapataka Swami: As far as benefit of taking initiation directly or virtually,
if you feel initiated you feel connected to the guru, that is what counts.
Śrīla Prabhupāda had initiated many devotees by letter.
And now sometimes due to the pandemic we have initiations virtually.
So, if the spiritual master is accepting you, you are accepting him, then what is the difference?
Link: 20220221 Īśvara Purī Instructs His Disciple Nimāi Paṇḍita to Chant and Preach Kṛṣṇa-Nāma, Part 1
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Technology], [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Rasasindhu Śacīsuta dāsa:
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapataka Swami: As far as benefit of taking initiation directly or virtually,
if you feel initiated you feel connected to the guru, that is what counts.
Śrīla Prabhupāda had initiated many devotees by letter.
And now sometimes due to the pandemic we have initiations virtually.
So, if the spiritual master is accepting you, you are accepting him, then what is the difference?
Link: 20220221 Īśvara Purī Instructs His Disciple Nimāi Paṇḍita to Chant and Preach Kṛṣṇa-Nāma, Part 1
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Technology], [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Bhaktin Vaiṣṇavī
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Hard to say as the śāstra says one may achieve success just by aspiring.
So, by taking dīkṣā,
one is more guaranteed
but if one is fully
thinking of Kṛṣṇa
at the time of leaving this body,
then he may go back to Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Material Sufferings / Death]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: To take shelter is not that difficult.
That is basically a time of testing.
Then gradually you read the said books,
follow the regulative principles.
This is practice time.
I don’t get any reaction.
It is time for you to see if you can do it.
After six months or more, whenever you feel ready, you can take initiation.
But you should finish the things in the checklist.
You may not wake up early, but somethings you have to do.
You need to get some spiritual knowledge.
Maybe some like the Bhagavad-gītā they have in the audio form.
When you are cooking for your husband, you can hear the Bhagavad-gītā audio.
That way you can also finish reading by hearing.
Read the Bhagavad-gītā two or three times,
what is the problem?
The first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I don’t if there is an audio or not.
I read every night when I go to sleep half hour.
And although I have read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam many, many times,
every time I hear, I get some new ideas.
Sometimes you can hear or you can read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
But don’t be afraid,
you don’t take vows till initiation.
So, taking shelter is just a preparation.
You can see whether you are ready or not.
When you feel ready then you can take initiation.
Category: [Material Sufferings], [Material World]
Just like the dacoits had many troubles like falling in the ditch, and getting bitten by insects, I also have many troubles. So many troubles come but the only feeling I have is to seek out some protection. There is no feeling of love or no feeling of that kind of shelter that you said we should seek out for? What to do?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, this material world, there is a verse in the Purāṇas, it says padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ (ŚB. 10.14.58),
there is danger at every step.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa describes the material world as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (Bg. 8.15).
But we are so foolish that we want somehow very nice arrangement in the material world.
So we take birth after birth after birth after birth after birth after birth after birth.
Chewing the chewed.
And if we can only realize how much happiness there is by directly engaging in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
But we are so foolish, it says that Lord Caitanya came to deliver the foolish, the mūrkhas.
We think somehow, we can make some arrangement, and the material world will be a very nice place.
But it is not possible.
If we can engage ourselves in the service of Kṛṣṇa,
then we can taste the real happiness
that we are actually hankering for.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Material Sufferings], [Mercy]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-25
You
try do that and by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
always praying to the spiritual master, previous ācāryas, Kṛṣṇa,
to be able to do that, that is the principal desire in one’s life,
well by their mercy the impossible can be possible.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
Questioner: Bhaktin Śrīdevī
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapatākā Swami: By reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā,
one should naturally obtain spiritual qualities.
And so by reading naturally one gets association with different spiritual personalities,
so we try to obtain these qualities.
And eventually we can achieve many things.
The other qualities that one should have like patience, tolerance,
usually that automatically comes through reading.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Ānandavihārī Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said that one doesn’t have to have second initiation.
But no harm in having it.
Then you can do some confidential service to guru and the Deities.
But you go back to Godhead even after the first initiation.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-29
Jayapatākā Swami: Surrender to Kṛṣṇa is not a function of karma.
If it were a function of karma, then why Kṛṣṇa would offer to Arjuna the choice - either you fight or you don’t fight; but I say fight;
that means that there is a choice; living entity has minute independence.
If they were just simply “Everything done by destiny”, then there is no question of pāpa and puṇya; there is no question of sin and pious activity.
Where is the question of sin?
Why there will we be suffering if everything is done by destiny?
How we are able to succeed or fail, how we are able to suffer or enjoy in our activity, that is regulated by our previous activity.
You see, people are competing; why one is able to succeed?
That ability to succeed, so-called success that means increases enjoyment that is due to how much he has performed pious activities in the past.
If someone is born a king, born in a wealthy family; śrī, sūta, janma, aiśvarya - śrī, sūta, janma and aiśvarya -
beauty, learning, good birth, and wealth - these things are the products of pious activities and lack of these things is the product of sinful activity.
So even material life human being has got the responsibility to choose what to do, what not to do.
According to what he does, that creates, you see, new situations.
But basically, because this material world is so powerful that due to association, we are conditioned to choose in a certain way;
but somehow or another by association with a sādhu, by association with a devotee or by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy if we get the opportunity to choose to serve Kṛṣṇa or not to serve Kṛṣṇa,
you see, that choice has to be made; it is not a matter of destiny.
That the choice to be given to us, that may be the destiny, but we have to... what choice we will make, that has up to our own individual.
Some people are not at all destined to meet with such a good fortune.
But particularly because a devotee goes out of his way to give him good fortune, even when a person has no good fortune he benefits;
somehow or another, whether we are fortunate or whether we are unfortunate, if we get the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, that is our real fortune.
In this material world, one does not have to try for happiness, or just like we don’t have to try for misery, it is coming automatically.
But the śāstra saying if you want to get spiritual emancipation, if you want to get Kṛṣṇa consciousness you must try for it.
athāto brahmā jijñāsā -
One must inquire into the truth because that does not come by destiny; that has to come only by individual effort.
It is like we are wrapped up in this big wheel of karma; we have to try to get out of it.
The only attempt is try to get to Kṛṣṇa, you see, otherwise we are in the wheel.
Kṛṣṇa is outside of the wheel.
Therefore, the results of destiny are within, you see, this karma-cakra.
Unless one gets the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot get out of it.
If a person is given that opportunity, he does not take the choice, does not take this opportunity,
it is simply understood he is most bewildered, he has lost his intelligence, and no one knows what is their destiny.
If a person is destined to be given the choice to go to Kṛṣṇa, and he gets that choice and he refuses and gives the excuse,
“No when Kṛṣṇa grabs me by my ear, I will come.
If I am forced to, then I will do.”
That means he does not want Kṛṣṇa; he was given the choice, he is rejected.
Therefore, he is forced to suffer.
It is not that Kṛṣṇa is going to drag one, you see; there has to be a little desire.
One has the choice to accept or reject.
If we accept Kṛṣṇa, we get His shelter, if we reject Kṛṣṇa, we get the shelter of His illusory energy, Mahāmāyā
and we are wrapped up in that destiny of that unlimited wheel of karma.
So, we can choose our master.
We can have Kṛṣṇa who is eternal, youthful beauty, who is the compassionate, kind Lord, to personally take charge of our life,
or we can have His agent Māyā, the prison-keeper take care of us; we can choose our master.
Category: [Karma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-14
Jayapatākā Swami: If your forefathers are sannyāsīs, then you don’t.
Or if they are fully realized.
Otherwise, putra or putrī can save their forefathers from hellish condition.
Of course, if you go to back to Godhead, then you deliver your forefathers and descendants.
But what is the problem for doing the piṇḍī or the śrāddha?
If you do it properly that means you are worshiping Kṛṣṇa.
But you should not offer nonveg or doing anything like worship the devas.
You should do the kṛṣṇa-prasāda offering to your forefathers,
offer the proper piṇḍī.
One devotee of Lord Caitanya, Govinda Ghoṣa, he was told by Lord Caitanya to take gṛhastha-āśrama.
So he got a wife
and he got a son,
but somehow they both died.
Then, he was very disturbed.
The Deity asked, “Why are you disturbed?”
“You told me to become a gṛhastha,” he said, “I had a wife and a son and both died.
So I was not qualified to become a sannyāsī.
But then my wife, my son, all died, who will offer me śrāddha?”
Kṛṣṇa said, “I am your son.”
He said, “You are not that kind of son!”
Then the Deity said, “Alright call the village leaders.”
And he called the village leaders
and the Deity spoke,
“On My devotee, Govinda Ghoṣa’s disappearance day, I want to perform śrāddha ceremony every year.”
I went there and saw the Deity come and perform the śrāddha ceremony for His devotee.
If it is good enough for Kṛṣṇa, why not for us?
Anyway, we do Kṛṣṇa-pūjā.
Category: [Karma]
So, the next generation, I often feel that the kind of affection and loyalty and dedication like a sold-out-servant as all of you are, I feel that is greatly lacking in the next generation, Mahārāja. So, we feel in our generation many people, they get initiated officially and after that they do not feel such a great commitment to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission and in expanding the movement the way. I am sure that your expanding the movement has happened because you are strongly rooted in Śrīla Prabhupāda. So how can the grand disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda have such feelings for him and a sense of belonging with him and thereby a sense of love and dedication for his mission?
Questioner: Rādhe Śyāma Dāsa
Date: 2023-12-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
You see Śrīla Prabhupāda, he gave us the science of bhakti-yoga.
So everyone should read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, attend the Śrīla Prabhupāda daily guru-pūjā.
I mean, what does it take for people to be committed to Śrīla Prabhupāda?
When I first came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we did not have many books.
So Śrīla Prabhupāda said we could read Professor Sanyal’s Teachings of Lord Caitanya
and there was a section on Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
He said that whenever he would think of anything else, he would chant louder.
So I was a new bhakta
and I had so many thoughts.
So I would end up chanting louder and louder!
All the devotees, they went to Śrīla Prabhupāda and said, “This Bhakta Jay, he shouts so loudly while chanting
and we cannot concentrate!”
Śrīla Prabhupāda called me
and he asked me, “Why you chant so loud?”
I told him,
he said, “Hmmm, that is not bad,
but you are disturbing all the other devotees.
So I give you permission to chant in the park.”
That was the pre joggers’ period, now we have many joggers.
I saw birds, and squirrels.
They all heard the holy name when I was shouting!
Anyway, by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy devotional service is so nice
that we start experiencing some bliss
and I don’t think that is a big secret.
Anyone who does Kṛṣṇa consciousness sincerely,
they can also experience bliss!
I have seen some new people
coming and they are very blissful and very happy.
We should be you know, grateful
that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us such a nice process
that works.
It is not a theory or just a faith, it works!
If you do it then you will not regret
it and then you feel grateful
that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us such a wonderful thing.
If he hadn’t come, he hadn’t preached, where would we be today!
I wrote a song yadi prabhupāda nā haita, tabe kī haita.
If there was no Śrīla Prabhupāda, what would there be today?
It is something terrifying,
to think back,
what I was
and what I am today,
what bliss I am experiencing by following Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions.
I think everybody should realize
that what they have
is all due to ultimately Śrīla Prabhupāda starting this movement.
Category: [Emotions / Faith], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question.
We don’t want to be a kṛpaṇa – a miser.
You are saying how you understand the guru is doing so much for you!
But you don’t feel grateful!
Is that the way to feel?
If someone saves you from a car accident, should you feel grateful?
If someone is saving you from repeated birth and death, should you feel grateful?
If you don’t feel grateful, definitely you should be crying.
If you are not crying, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you should cry that you are not crying!
And if you are not crying that you are not crying, then you should crying, that you are not crying for crying!
It goes on like that!
Category: [Anarthās], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Mercy]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Some of the instructions are work-in-progress.
I am trying to fulfill them.
I don’t say that I fulfilled all of them.
Maybe some of them,
to some extent.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda took so much sacrifice, took so much trouble
to bring Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the West.
So we owe Śrīla Prabhupāda, unlimitedly.
So whatever he asked me to do,
or instructed me to do,
I am trying to do that.
I don’t say that I have done it,
but I am trying to do it.
Seven days before his departure,
he established the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust,
and he made me the lifetime chairman.
That meant that my lifetime service
was to see the fulfillment of this Trust objective.
So it is basically to develop Navadvip dhāma,
develop Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi,
and also to unite the Saraswat disciplic family.
So we have established the Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Association,
and many Gauḍīya members are members of this organization.
Some people, they keep separate.
But we are trying to work on it.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the BSCT,
he had established two of his god brothers
and 5 ISKCON devotes.
So now the god brother are no longer there,
so we are having the disciples of those god brothers.
So like that there are many different services.
We would like to see the completion of the TOVP.
I have a minor role, maybe.
Ambarīśa Prabhu is doing the major thing.
I am overseeing the Western wing,
which is the planetarium and exhibitions.
So we are trying to do what Śrīla Prabhupāda desired. [paragraph
It is very interesting to be serving Śrīla Prabhupāda.
I hope that the generations that follow will continue this service.
Bhakti Cāru Swami, he wanted that his followers would
also serve Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In fact, he saw the whole ISKCON family as one.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Sukamala Nityānanda dāsa
Date: 2022-08-24
We should try to achieve all the 12 qualities.
And if we have difficulty in anyone, we can contact our senior godbrother or godsister or guru.
Taking initiation is like taking a new birth.
After birth there are other things by practicing you can develop.
It is not that just from birth you will have all the qualities you have to practice and acquire them.
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Dīkṣā (Initiation)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya told Lord Nityānanda that We have descended to deliver four kinds of people
who normally don’t get delivered –
one of those was those who are suffering.
You can preach to them how Lord Caitanya has come to take them all back to Godhead.
To give them ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, which will end their suffering.
Category: [Material Sufferings], [Mercy]
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-25
Jayapatākā Swami: When Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami asked Prabhupāda that,
“What about those disciples of yours who have taken first initiation,
but you have not yet given them second.
And,
if they take initiation from one of your disciples then what will be their position?”
Then Prabhupāda said,
“They are my disciples.
They are my disciples then.”
So it is just like,
when Ṛṣabhadeva left,
He told all the hundred sons that, “You look at Bharata just like me.
You follow him as your head.”
You see.
So, if someone takes second initiation, that means,
they have to just see that their initiating,
this second initiator,
just like the such a senior brother that directly Prabhupāda is working through that person.
Still their direct relationship is there with Prabhupāda.
Just like, say a person is born, and just then the mother and father died.
And he is brought up by their son.
Then what is his situation?
Still it is not that he is the father.
But still the relationship is not just the same as brother,
twin brother or something, it’s not going to be the same, different type of relationship.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
That means that Prabhupāda is considering they are his sons.
But definitely there is some responsibility there for the second initiating gurus, so that should be some deep respect.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-25
Jayapatākā Swami: The spiritual master has to accept your karma
and Lord Caitanya’s mercy is such that past karma can be mitigated.
And how He wants to do that is up to Him.
But after you have taken initiation, if you are again breaking the principles or do illicit activities,
then you are responsible for that.
Guru is also responsible.
So one should cease to do any sinful activities after taking initiation.
And if one suffers, we take it that Kṛṣṇa is directly giving mercy,
so that we can directly experience how the material world is a place of suffering.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-16
Jayapatākā Swami: See, if you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
it tells you how the material world is a kind of a jungle
and the pleasure here is temporary.
So we should side by side render devotional service.
I was thinking how in this age of Kali it is recommended that most people should get married
and how will they be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
We see that people normally are very much attached to their material desires.
But we realize that these material desires, these material things are all temporary,
and if they render devotional service, it is not temporary.
So devotees need to render devotional service and material life won’t be so much important for us.
Since it is illusory or temporary,
we want to do all our activities in such a way that Kṛṣṇa is pleased.
I was thinking how when one has children, we try to bring up the children to be devotees,
and all our activities we try to do in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way.
Say we like to eat,
we offer the bhoga to Kṛṣṇa
and we take the prasāda.
That is a different thing than just eating for our enjoyment.
And we have Deities in our house,
we do worship of the Deities,
we read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly
and then we understand what the difference is between temporary happiness and real happiness.
We want devotees to actually achieve this happiness.
Maybe temporarily the temporary happiness is considered important
but gradually one develops higher taste.
Just like Lord Caitanya, He would chant and dance,
sometimes in great ecstasy He would cry,
His hairs stood on ends
various symptoms of love of Kṛṣṇa would manifest.
So we want all the devotees to experience that love of Kṛṣṇa,
it may take some time
but then naturally the material desires diminish.
Category: [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Material Sufferings], [Karma / Desires], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Emotions / Enthusiasm]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-16
Jayapatākā Swami: See, if you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
it tells you how the material world is a kind of a jungle
and the pleasure here is temporary.
So we should side by side render devotional service.
I was thinking how in this age of Kali it is recommended that most people should get married
and how will they be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
We see that people normally are very much attached to their material desires.
But we realize that these material desires, these material things are all temporary,
and if they render devotional service, it is not temporary.
So devotees need to render devotional service and material life won’t be so much important for us.
Since it is illusory or temporary,
we want to do all our activities in such a way that Kṛṣṇa is pleased.
I was thinking how when one has children, we try to bring up the children to be devotees,
and all our activities we try to do in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way.
Say we like to eat,
we offer the bhoga to Kṛṣṇa
and we take the prasāda.
That is a different thing than just eating for our enjoyment.
And we have Deities in our house,
we do worship of the Deities,
we read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly
and then we understand what the difference is between temporary happiness and real happiness.
We want devotees to actually achieve this happiness.
Maybe temporarily the temporary happiness is considered important
but gradually one develops higher taste.
Just like Lord Caitanya, He would chant and dance,
sometimes in great ecstasy He would cry,
His hairs stood on ends
various symptoms of love of Kṛṣṇa would manifest.
So we want all the devotees to experience that love of Kṛṣṇa,
it may take some time
but then naturally the material desires diminish.
Category: [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Material Sufferings], [Karma / Desires], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Emotions / Enthusiasm]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-23
So dīkṣā means…
Once they surrender to Kṛṣṇa and say, “Kṛṣṇa my life is Yours.
I want to serve You eternally.”
The way that one does that is through Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotee.
One has to surrender to a devotee of Kṛṣṇa as a spiritual master,
and accept initiation, and serve that spiritual master following his instruction as being the absolute representative of Kṛṣṇa.
So, initiation we give normally after a devotee is in the temple for six months.
A devotee can cook, means he can prepare the thing like cutting vegetables, rolling the chapāti, or making the batter and things like that.
But actually, fire work the putting the thing on the fire, and the final action that should be done by people who are initiated,
when you are offering it to the Deities.
Because this is the [pañca-tantrika] pañcarātrika ruling is there that the someone who is initiated they are able to serve Kṛṣṇa.
They are… there Kṛṣṇa says, “I accept someone who is initiated on My same spiritual level.”
We can’t approach Kṛṣṇa.
We are born human being.
Human being means that’s a material position.
Kṛṣṇa is not human.
He is on transcendental platform.
When we accept dīkṣā that means we accept a new birth, dvijatva.
Second birth means that mother is śāstra, and father is guru.
You see.
Then Kṛṣṇa accepts us that now you are on a spiritual platform.
That time we accept that we are not the body, we are the soul.
Body is only our vehicle, and we are serving in this way.
So all these thing are many implications for dīkṣā.
Dīkṣā also means to become a śiṣya.
Śiṣya means to follow the discipline of the guru.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-23
So dīkṣā means…
Once they surrender to Kṛṣṇa and say, “Kṛṣṇa my life is Yours.
I want to serve You eternally.”
The way that one does that is through Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotee.
One has to surrender to a devotee of Kṛṣṇa as a spiritual master,
and accept initiation, and serve that spiritual master following his instruction as being the absolute representative of Kṛṣṇa.
So, initiation we give normally after a devotee is in the temple for six months.
A devotee can cook, means he can prepare the thing like cutting vegetables, rolling the chapāti, or making the batter and things like that.
But actually, fire work the putting the thing on the fire, and the final action that should be done by people who are initiated,
when you are offering it to the Deities.
Because this is the [pañca-tantrika] pañcarātrika ruling is there that the someone who is initiated they are able to serve Kṛṣṇa.
They are… there Kṛṣṇa says, “I accept someone who is initiated on My same spiritual level.”
We can’t approach Kṛṣṇa.
We are born human being.
Human being means that’s a material position.
Kṛṣṇa is not human.
He is on transcendental platform.
When we accept dīkṣā that means we accept a new birth, dvijatva.
Second birth means that mother is śāstra, and father is guru.
You see.
Then Kṛṣṇa accepts us that now you are on a spiritual platform.
That time we accept that we are not the body, we are the soul.
Body is only our vehicle, and we are serving in this way.
So all these thing are many implications for dīkṣā.
Dīkṣā also means to become a śiṣya.
Śiṣya means to follow the discipline of the guru.
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship]
Questioner: Kackulī Rāṇī
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: It depends on how bad he is
and if he is slightly offensive or fully offensive.
We don’t want liberation by the impersonal method,
and that is something we reject.
I don’t know what type of liberation that person gets.
So the guru is giving instructions to help us
so that we can achieve the spiritual perfection
and we should appreciate what the spiritual master tells us.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: What is real compassion?
You know, the mercy given out
which actually regenerates the relationship with Kṛṣṇa,
that is really the highest compassion.
Because we read how different Purāṇas,
someone does some particular sacrifice
(isn’t tomorrow Ekādaśī?)
Pāpamocani Ekādaśī.
So by observing Ekādaśī, by doing some penance,
one may get freed of all the sinful reactions.
So, if someone they worship some devas,
they go to svarga
but for a devotee
svarga is like a ghoḍa-dīm – horse’s egg.
Horse doesn’t produce egg!!
So a kind of an ākāśa-puṣpa,
a flower in the sky
that one is in the heavenly planet for some years
and then one comes down.
So that is not kind of permanent benediction.
So the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
tells us about the permanent relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
And that allows us to have an eternal life.
And what pleases me the most?
I am most pleased
when devotees develop pure love for Kṛṣṇa.
Haribol!
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Mercy]
Questioner: Līlāmayī Gaurāṅgī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: What is the best way to honor the spiritual name? Hmmm.
Interesting question!
I think that using it is one way to honor it.
Like, understanding what it means,
Līlāmayī
Gaurāṅgī.
Līlāmāyī means
fully absorbed in the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa,
Līlāmayī.
So in this world the service to Kṛṣṇa is also His pastime.
Anyway, Līlāmayī Gaurāṅgī,
Gaurāṅgī is the name of Rādhārāṇī.
She is golden in color.
Today is the day of the appearance of Rādhā-kuṇḍa.
So you are Līlāmayī Gaurāṅgī devī dāsī –
Rādhārāṇī who is absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes,
devī
you are Her dāsī,
you are Her servitor.
Haribol!
Category: [Dīkṣā (Initiation)]
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-29
Jayapatākā Swami: When they understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then they can actually understand what is the real crisis; that is birth, death, old age and disease.
And these crises, they don’t have a clue for.
Because they are thinking crisis is how to enjoy more and more.
Therefore, there is energy shortage because there is misuse of energy.
There is misuse of practically everything that Kṛṣṇa is giving.
Therefore, there is crisis.
Because as we are exploit Mother Nature, then she starts to stop giving.
But as we utilize everything in the Lord’s service, then nature begins to give more and more abundantly.
When Mahārāja Pṛthu came, then he provided the whole world very sumptuously with all the necessities.
People are not understanding that ultimately wealth is coming from the food grains and the food grains are coming from rain.
And rain is coming from yajña, sacrifice.
And nobody is doing any sacrifice to speak of.
Therefore, so many difficulties are coming.
If people just become a little Kṛṣṇa conscious, just a little bit, little pious, then you can see so many crises go away.
But so long as the people are becoming more and more selfish, more and more engrossed in material desire,
then they become more and more implicated, and crisis goes on increasing.
The more people eat meat, the more they are forced to fight wars.
Because they have to pay for the pāpa of killing so many innocent animals, you see.
Jayapatākā Swami: Because there is a difference – is that one person who doesn’t know anything, if he goes on, you see, doing mistakes...
Say that someone is committing crime but he doesn’t know that it is a crime;
he is just a bhoga, doesn’t know he is doing it because he doesn’t know any better -so he will get one sentence.
But if somebody knows better and he goes and does it anyway, you see... if one knowingly drinks poison that is worse, than if unknowingly one is drinking.
So, in the western countries they don’t know any better.
They don’t know what is life.
If you ask them “What is life? I don’t know.”
He doesn’t know what life is.
Eat, drink and be merry. Get a buck.
They don’t know what's life.
Some religious person says yes, to die and go to heaven.
What is heaven? I don’t know.
Who lives there? God.
What does He look like? I don’t know.
You see, they are very shallow understanding and so they can’t blame them too much.
Until they get the opportunity to make it a choice.
Then if they refuse it, then it is their misfortune.
But in India, everybody knows, “What is punar janma? What is rebirth?”
Everybody knows, who is Bhagavān.
Basically, this is taught.
In spite of that they are neglecting.
They are being misled by so many leaders who are discouraging them.
Instead of build up your economy and maintain your dharma standard, they are saying, dharma… this is sectarian state.
We can help no dharma, no tax exemption, no help, nothing.
Instead, only the minorities, they are getting help.
So therefore, because the people know yet they are being led into adharma, therefore, they are forced to suffer more.
In the śāstra, it says that of all the dvīpas of all the continents, one continent is puṇya-bhūmi.
Puṇya-bhūmi Bhārata.
That is the place for doing puṇya.
But if people do pāpa in the puṇya-bhūmi, then it is worse.
In other places, it is meant for saṅgha-bhoga, you can enjoy, you see.
So, this is the difficulty.
Because they know better, but they are committing offences to sādhus.
And so many bogus sādhus are also there.
So called sādhus who are not really sādhus that people can’t say who is the real sādhu, and who is the so called sādhu.
And they get misled.
Therefore, situation is critical.
Also, there has been 1200 years of foreign rule.
Of course, within the 25 years of independence, it's not improved because the standard ideology is western.
That is the difficulty.
So, the Indian people, they won’t be happier just with technology.
And the western people, they are not happy with just technology.
Day by day, they are getting more and more degraded.
Now the priest in the church, these homosexuals are becoming priests and making marriage between two men, two women.
What is that? That's civilization?
This thing unheard of in Vedic culture, practically speaking.
So that is the difficulty.
Category: [Material Sufferings]
Questioner: Pūja mātājī
Date: 2022-07-30
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, material separation is due to identifying with the body.
Say we have a body, it came from a mother or father.
But from the same father and mother came brothers and sisters.
Like that, if we feel separation due to some bodily relationship,
that is something material.
Because in every birth we have different mother and father, different brother and sister,
sometimes we would be born in a lady’s body, sometime in a man’s body,
and we also may be born in some other species.
Indra was once offensive to his guru.
The guru cursed him be a pig,
and then he was in this planet as a pig.
He had many wives, many piglets, and he was lying in his mud.
The guru came to take him back,
but he did not want to go.
He was feeling separation from the piggy wives and piglets.
Then the guru gave him the memory of who he was.
He was thinking, ah! how I am in this horrible place?
So that is material separation.
And spiritual separation is where we are connected with the Lord,
it is a spiritual heart to heart, spirit to spirit relationship.
And naturally we feel a kind of separation to guru or Vaiṣṇavas,
that is something transcendental,
and they are not based on the body.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Material Sufferings / Death]
Questioner: Lalitāṅgī Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we offer daily guru-pūjā
and on the Vyāsa-pūjā we offer the puṣpāñjali three times.
That way we pray that we may be forgiven for any knowing or unknowing offences.
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā / Technicalities]
Questioner: Hari-Hara Caitanya dāsa
Date: 2022-08-24
Basically, you have to read some Śrīla Prabhupāda books.
You have to be regular in chanting and attending programs.
If there is anything you did not complete before the first initiation checklist, that should be completed before second initiation.
And also, other things, you can talk to the JPS Office.
Questioner: Nitāi Līleśvara dāsa
Date: 2022-08-04
Jayapatākā Swami: I hear different emails every day
and I have certain corresponding secretaries.
Like Rādhāramaṇa Sevaka dāsa and others.
So you write to me and don’t get a reply in a week,
then you could write a WhatsApp message to my corresponding secretary
that why you are not getting a reply.
And usually, you will get a reply.
But at least you will be told why you are not getting a reply.
And right now, we also have the Jayapatākā Swami Disciples’ e-Care
and you can write to them also.
So I am trying to make myself available
and I don’t know who is the śikṣā-guru you have faith in.
You can ask or suggest a śikṣā-guru
and get some authorization.
Otherwise, try to contact me as I mentioned.
Category: [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Śikṣā-guru], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Emotions / Confusion]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-20
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, I heard about Śrīla Prabhupāda first.
And I heard great things!
Then I went to Montreal to see Śrīla Prabhupāda.
At that time, I could see auras around people.
When I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda his aura filled up the whole room, yellow!
So what was the first thing I thought when I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda – WOW!
And he said, “Who is that?” Pointing to me.
I was shaved up and there were not so many devotees there.
Garga Muni who was there from San Francisco, he said, he is a bhakta.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Bring him for lunch tomorrow!”
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-09
Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes they come as first body as Brahmā.
Human is the first birth that you get a chance to go back.
Brahma at the end of the universe, can go right back.
Unless he becomes materialistic, then from Brahmā they can work their way down to a bug or one can be as human.
That will depend.
It’s not a… No one can say, it is not any, you will find some different evidences in the Vedas.
Coming as a Brahmā or coming as a human, that is not... that may vary from case to case.
We found that Jaya, Vijaya, they came as demons.
Each person, why they are here, why, no one can say exactly.
Everyone is an individual eternally.
And the only way we will know the exact reason how we got into this material world is when we ultimately again we get our liberation.
This is like a dreaming state.
Right now, we are locked into the dream and the whole endeavor is to get out of the dream, to wake up.
So, once we… It’s just like someone is in a kind of coma.
And in the coma, he is dreaming so many things.
And then in that dream, he is going from one dream and then he jumps out and goes to another dream, until finally he can remember someone comes up and says, “Harry! Harry!” [laughter]
And then he comes out of the dream, “Where am I? Right?
Where was I?”
It’s like once you come out of this material world and you come back to your original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it will be like, I did all those things! I was an animal, and a man, I forgot, I forgot completely about Kṛṣṇa and about my eternal spiritual nature.
And just like a dream.
You never want to go to sleep again, you don’t ever want to come in the material world again.
The thing is one has to want to wake up.
So that’s why the spiritual master is so kind.
Even a person is sleeping, doesn’t want to wake up, they are calling, jīva jāgo, “Wake up, Wake up!
You are not this body.
You are eternal spirit soul.”
And the soul has heard so many things in its life.
You are an American, you are a Bohemian, you are a hippie, you are a conservative, you are republican, you are a democrat, this that.
And never even, doesn’t even come near to waking up the soul.
It is just different! It’s just trying to change the structure of your dream.
But when that pure devotee says, “No, you are an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, you are not this body”, then immediately the soul starts, it is the first time anything that was said is actually directed at the soul.
It starts to move, it starts to wake up.
Then the soul starts to direct the intelligence, what is that? What is he saying?
It’s shocking that the first time one hears that he is a devotee, it may even come as an intense shock.
The first time the devotee is saying, is going right to the soul.
They don’t even speak to the body and the mind; it is going right to the soul.
Because the soul can exert its influence and can control over the mind and the body.
But it has to be awakened, it is has to actually come from the soul, to act in its original, constitutional position.
So how we fell in this material world exactly?
What we were before? When we wake up, when we realize our original position, then we can remember all these things.
So, it is not always a stereotype.
We may come first time as a Brahmā and work our way down and may come in so many ways.
What we were before we came, what was our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, what was our position, how we fell down, what desire we had? - these are different in every case.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-17
That is our connection with our spiritual master,
to serve him
and carry out his instructions,
the vāṇī-sevā.
It is definitely very difficult
but there is nothing else we can do.
We have to keep our connection with the spiritual master,
by carrying out his instructions, his vāṇī,
and this way we will be connected with our spiritual master.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Guru (Spiritual Master)]
Questioner: Rādhikā Premabhakti devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-02
So, we take it as Kṛṣṇa’s mercy because He doesn’t let anything happen without His permission.
Nothing!
For devotees, they see that their karma is settled at a reduced rate.
Actually, this material world is always problematic.
This material world is duḥkhālaya.
This is already stated by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā.
If you think that this material world is problematic,
that should be an inspiration for you to go back to the spiritual world.
Why do you want to stay in the material world, life after life?
Why don’t you see that this material world is problematic?
And you should try to be Kṛṣṇa conscious?
You have such a nice name.
Rādhikā Premabhakti!
I want that prema-bhakti of Rādhikā!
So we see that this material world is a horrible place, but we try to make best use of a bad bargain.
That is why it is very important that husband and wife, both are devotees.
And they try to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Day-to-day Life], [Karma], [Material Sufferings], [Mercy], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Rādhikā Premabhakti devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-02
So, we take it as Kṛṣṇa’s mercy because He doesn’t let anything happen without His permission.
Nothing!
For devotees, they see that their karma is settled at a reduced rate.
Actually, this material world is always problematic.
This material world is duḥkhālaya.
This is already stated by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā.
If you think that this material world is problematic,
that should be an inspiration for you to go back to the spiritual world.
Why do you want to stay in the material world, life after life?
Why don’t you see that this material world is problematic?
And you should try to be Kṛṣṇa conscious?
You have such a nice name.
Rādhikā Premabhakti!
I want that prema-bhakti of Rādhikā!
So we see that this material world is a horrible place, but we try to make best use of a bad bargain.
That is why it is very important that husband and wife, both are devotees.
And they try to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Day-to-day Life], [Karma], [Material Sufferings], [Mercy], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: If the guru gives instruction
to accept disciples,
then one has to follow the instructions of the guru.
In the Remuna for instance, there is a Deity of Rasikānanda
and his guru is Śyāmānanda.
So he was a guru in the presence of his guru.
Because he got instruction from Śyāmānanda Paṇḍita to accept disciples.
I have in Russia, Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa
and I asked him to be a guru.
He has thousands of disciples,
and he is preaching in Russia.
Similarly, I am asking other disciples who are qualified,
and unless one is asked by the guru
it is true that they should not accept disciples.
But if the guru asks,
if he orders then that has to be carried out by the disciple.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-24
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!
Questioner: Acintya Nitāi dāsa
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, Śrīla Prabhupāda would scold the devotees in Calcutta,
for placing a dark blue velvet curtain,
which attracted many mosquitos,
and then devotees would kill the mosquitos.
Śrīla Prabhupāda would say, you are attracting them and then killing them.
So, you should put some other curtain,
which would not attract so many mosquitos.
So, if a mosquito is biting us, we may kill it in self-defense,
but we should avoid just killing mosquitos.
Śrīla Prabhupāda would have the dhuna or the frankincense burn in his room and the windows open, and the mosquitos would fly out.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura said that if we loudly chant, then insects and plants would reap the benefit, by hearing the holy name.
There was someone, they took in regression to his previous life,
and he said in his previous life he was a butterfly.
He went into some place, where there was a statue and there was a fruit in front of the statue.
He landed on the fruit
to eat the fruit,
and someone came out and killed him.
In the next life he was a human being,
a devotee,
so in this case, it seemed that he was eating the fruit offering offered to a Deity of Kṛṣṇa,
we don’t know Kṛṣṇa’s Deity or someone else.
You were saying how all these great devotees of the Lord are helping Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya in preaching. So do you have any general answer to devotees who ask you like, Guru Mahārāja, I don’t know, you have not given me any instruction, please tell me an instruction. Is there a general answer that you would give to devotees, if they don’t have any specific service given?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda he gave me many instructions. I mean, at least 30 things to do, at least. And maybe more. And what I have done in my Jayapatākā Swami App, I have listed all of those. And of course, some of those things are instructions that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave to everybody, and some things he gave specifically to me, or to a few others. I asked any disciples, śikṣā disciples, well-wishers if they can you help me to fulfill these instructions. And you may help in one or help in five or many more.
So I gave all these instructions that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me and requested the people to help me.
So, I give them a free will to choose from any of those instructions.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Dīkṣā-guru], [Guru (Spiritual Master) / Guru Disciple Relationship], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
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