Question: What were your thoughts when you saw Śrīla Prabhupāda for the first time?
Author: 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]
Related Questions
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda always told us we should not try to see Kṛṣṇa but act in such a way that Kṛṣṇa will see us.
It was devastating to lose Śrīla Prabhupāda’s personal association.
But he gave me a lot of different services to perform to him.
So, that kept me busy in serving Śrīla Prabhupāda.
How many of you are disciples of Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa? (Almost all)
How many of you have the Jayapatākā Swami App?
(a few) You can download it.
It is in various languages, and you can choose Russian.
So, there are various programs in the App like offering ārati, like seeing what I do, seeing Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures.
Then you can ask, to put out something about Caitanya Candra Caraṇa dāsa also.
Have you visited any of the holy places around Navadvīpa dhāma?
(Yes, the house of Śrīvāsa Aṅgana.) Śrīvāsa Aṅgana. (Yoga-pīṭha, House of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Jagannātha Mandir, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura samādhi, Viṣṇu-priyā temple, and also TOVP construction site)
Have you seen the TOVP site?
Is there are anyone who is an IT person, we are doing a Museum in the West Wing, we could use help for the Exhibits.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the dacoits when they first saw Lord Nityānanda,
They were facing different difficulties previously.
Now, actually I did not take my dinner yet.
I was seeing in Mumbai, everybody was crowding around Rādhā-Rāsabihārī and Sītā-Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Hanumān,
not so many people around Nitāi-Gaura.
Actually, it is by the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura that we get the mercy of Rādhā-Rāsabihārī or Rādhā-Kālacandajī.
That thing we should realize that Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, They are giving us this special mercy.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1973 in London, was giving a lecture on his Vyāsa-pūjā,
and he said that he wanted all his gṛhastha followers to be parāmahaṁsas.
His gurudeva was the son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
All the gṛhasthas, they should do the garbhādāna-saṁskāra, they should pray to the Deities and they should make ācāryas as their sons.
Śrīla Prabhupāda he said that his gṛhastha followers, did things that even his gurudeva sent sannyāsīs, they could not do it.
There was a British Lord, he asked a sannyāsī preacher, could you make me a brāhmaṇa?
Oh yes!
Just give up eating meat, eggs, intoxication, wine, illicit sex, gambling.
You can become a brāhmaṇa.
Impossible that Lord said.
Now we have so many youths, so many devotees who have taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
so many gṛhasthas.
That should be the way to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda and become really saturated with kṛṣṇa-prema.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you take one step toward Lord Kṛṣṇa and He takes ten steps towards us.
Why don’t you want Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda’s mercy?
They want to give you!
Haribol!
How many of you have my Jayapatākā Swami App?
How many don’t have it?
I am paying for it, it is yours for free!
Both on Android and Apple.
So how many of you have mobile phones?
Right now go on Google Play store and look up for the Jayapatākā Swami App.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: You see if you are mood is such that you go back to Godhead,
that means you got some mercy from your guru.
I spent so many weeks giving class so that people could get an idea of my mood.
What do you think?
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Satyamedha Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Many people think that Śrīla Prabhupāda was manifesting in his heart.
But he did not say that as Nakula Brahmacārī did.
But it seemed that by his participating in Ratha-yātrās and some other festivals
that people were very much inspired
and in one Ratha-yātrā after the Ratha-yātrā he went to the car and turned to the driver
and said, “Did you see how beautifully Nitāi-Gaura were dancing in the crowd?”
The driver, of course he did not see Nitāi-Gaura,
he said Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Satyamedha Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2022-12-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Many people think that Śrīla Prabhupāda was manifesting in his heart.
But he did not say that as Nakula Brahmacārī did.
But it seemed that by his participating in Ratha-yātrās and some other festivals
that people were very much inspired
and in one Ratha-yātrā after the Ratha-yātrā he went to the car and turned to the driver
and said, “Did you see how beautifully Nitāi-Gaura were dancing in the crowd?”
The driver, of course he did not see Nitāi-Gaura,
he said Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: If you desire to enter into these pastimes, that is the qualification.
And it is called laulyam,
having intense desire to engage in the pastimes.
So just by hearing the pastimes it says one will surely get the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So that is the special prabhāva, influence of hearing the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.
Alright?
As Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you are an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So you are associating with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu even now is what we are thinking. Can you share Guru Mahārāja, do you remember any līlās with Caitanya Mahāprabhu that you were present and were dealing with them and presently you are associating? Can you share with us Guru Mahārāja?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, he did not say that to me.
He told me I was born in India before,
he said I was a devotee.
That is as much as he told me.
I saw a few things, it is on the letters from Śrīla Prabhupāda,
and he told me not to tell.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: It says that Lord Caitanya’s pastimes are uncommon.
If he had demonstrated some ordinary pastimes then it would not be uncommon
and then most people like you would say, oh, that is nothing special.
Lord Caitanya’s extreme mahā-bhāva cannot be imitated or understood.
So Kṛṣṇa took the heart of Rādhārāṇī.
Rādhārāṇī when She was feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa, She went into these extreme states.
There are ten symptoms mahā-bhāva given I think a few days ago.
Rādhārāṇī, Lord Caitanya, Mādhavendra Purī are the ones who manifested mahā-bhāva.
So, if Lord Caitanya wants to find out the ecstasies of Rādhārāṇī, He has to do that.
Questioner: Kairava Candrikā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: That sometimes the activities of the Lord and His devotees
are beyond the scope of the scriptures.
And Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, he was basing his conclusion on the scriptures.
So he was saying it was alright for the Lord, because He is beyond all rules and regulations.
But somehow, he was not appreciating the devotees.
He thought that they should follow the rules.
So this shows that sometimes,
devotees are also on a very elevated platform.
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]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: In Pāṇihāti they were doing kīrtana for many, many days.
And thus they started to manifest super powers;
One devotee went to the top of a tree and started jumping from tree to tree like a balloon.
Another devotee uprooted a tree and started dancing with it.
A whole big tree, he danced.
One devotee took a 60 foot long bamboo, held it on one side and played it like a flute.
It is very hard though with so much weight.
Rāghava Paṇḍita said, this way I will not have any trees left!
Please move your kīrtana on!
I won’t be able to offer you any sabzis, any trees, if all are uprooted.
Lord Caitanya gradually headed from Pāṇihāti to Korda and different places and in this way throughout Bengal His saṅkīrtana went on day and night.
Questioner: Lokapālikā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita is Nārada muni in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes,
and we can see that he has exceptional qualities of devotion,
and in the Pañca-tattva mantra we say śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda – Śrīvāsa and all other devotees of Lord Gaurāṅga.
So, Śrīvāsa is the chief devotee.
There were so many devotees of Lord Gaurāṅga,
of them, the chief is Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita,
but there are so many devotees
and some of them are mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
in the Ādi-līlā,
Thank you Lokapālikā devī dāsī.
Category: [Gauḍīya History], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-11
Jayapatākā Swami: (Guru Mahārāja told the repeater: Your voice did not project out, you have to go to the voice therapist!) There are four kinds of people in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that do not get His mercy.
So Kali, he is one of those.
His job is to introduce tamo-guṇa in the society.
So even he is impressed by what Lord Gaurāṅga is doing
but his job doesn’t change.
It is just that he is neutralized sometimes
by Lord Caitanya’s mercy.
Right now Kali is on the role
and specially here in India, what to speak of the rest of the world, people imitate the west and they are acting in a sinful way.
So, we want to spread the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa and the message of Gaurāṅga!
We want to neutralize Kali’s influence
and help people be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Since Caitanya came down, He descended as an avatāra, the way to reach Caitanya avatāra is through Lord Nityānanda.
So, in that sense, Lord Nityānanda is the original spiritual master.
If we want worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, we need the mercy of Lord Nityānanda.
The guru on this planet is described as the mercy avatāra of Lord Nityānanda.
So, he represents the mercy of Lord Nityānanda.
So, since the guru is very merciful to his disciples, Lord Nityānanda is the original guru, He is very merciful to everyone.
Haribol!
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]
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: 2022-08-25
Jayapatākā Swami: Well if they accept Him with respect at least they will be not guilty of the greatest offences,then they will be able to advance something.
From that the point is of course Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mood was always as a devotee.
Sometimes He fell into this kind of, entered into His Kṛṣṇa mood,
at that time in His own humor, He would have these unusual pastimes.
But that didn’t happen very often, it was very rare.
But just like they are singing out the thousand names of Viṣṇu, when He heard the name of Nṛsinghadeva,
He just got into the mood of Nṛsingha at that moment and He forgot His devotional mood.
Sometimes He was worshipped by Advaita Gosāñī.
When Advaita could see that He was in that mood, other times when Advaita tried to touch His feet, He ran, He said, “No no, you are the senior brāhmaṇa”.
So actually, I get absorbed.
There was a resolution that we should start this year reading from the Caitanya Caritāmṛta for some time every day.
Actually, I just wanted to start to hear.
So that thing as the great one point that Lord Caitanya, He never would allow Himself to be glorified like that.
But on two or three occasions, due to falling in some transcendental ecstasy in that particular mood,
the devotees could actually see that aspect of Lord Caitanya revealed.
Category: [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Hm. I know that Lord Caitanya only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa. But I don’t know
for certain that He comes every time after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
Not certain about that. I heard that, on contrary, that Lord Caitanya’s
coming is more rare than Lord Kṛṣṇa’s coming, but
I haven’t seen it actually or directly heard it from Prabhupāda.
Except that I heard directly that He only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
But you can see Lord Caitanya now, if He reveals Himself to the devotee. But then in, you know,
proclaimed way, everyone can see Him, He only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa comes.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Harihara Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa
Date: 2022-08-29
Why not?
Of course, all these things are very helpful in your spiritual life.
But we have to avoid also the association of non-devotees.
And that is why it would be good if there is some temple nearby
you can attend and to associate with devotees.
But if there are no devotees and you have Śrīla Prabhupāda books,
listen to my classes.
We see now by internet we have various Jayapatākā Swami Śiṣya Samūha [JSSS] programs,
you can attend them.
Actually, on the internet, we see YouTube I visit various temples every day.
So, now the internet we can associate with different devotees.
Via internet we can have good association, satsaṅga but we can also get into bad association.
So we should take the good and leave the bad.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I am thinking that
I still want to perform the different instructions that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me,
and I am praying to Śrīla Prabhupāda to give his mercy so that I could execute these orders.
One thing on the disappearance day,
is that the heritage of the spiritual master
is left for us to perform,
and we want to keep him alive
by executing his instructions.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I am thinking that
I still want to perform the different instructions that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me,
and I am praying to Śrīla Prabhupāda to give his mercy so that I could execute these orders.
One thing on the disappearance day,
is that the heritage of the spiritual master
is left for us to perform,
and we want to keep him alive
by executing his instructions.
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.
Few days ago in your class you explained about the different separation ecstasies of Lord Caitanya for Kṛṣṇa. Can we experience these eight transcendental symptoms of separation from Lord Gaurāṅga as He is the Supreme Lord, or only in love of directly from Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, can these moods of symptoms be experienced? Please enlighten us.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: One can also experience separation from Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, etc.
And even you can experience separation from devotees.
Separation is possible.
When Śrīla Prabhupāda would leave, some devotees would feel separation at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s departure
and others would be chanting and smiling.
Later when Śrīla Prabhupāda saw the video he pointed out that devotees who were laughing at the departure of Śrīla Prabhupāda,
they were not as advanced as those who were experiencing separation.
Category: [Emotions / Happiness], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: Caitanya-Maṅgala it says, that Nārada Muni went to Goloka Vṛndāvana to invite Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come.
There, Caitanyadeva said, ok, I will go.
But you go and tell Balarāma to come as well.
Balarāma came ten years before
and this way Balarāma came as Nityānanda.
Revatī and Vāruṇī came as Jāhnavā Devī and Vasudhā.
Questioner: Atula Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2023-04-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I used to travel 5 or 6 times around the world every year.
I have lifetime-gold-membership in United Airways.
British Airways I have Emerald membership, it is like Gold.
I don’t have to fly, I get every year automatically.
But this was initially Śrīla Prabhupāda said as a sannyāsī, I should travel.
But now I spend more time in Māyāpur.
Śrīla Prabhupāda told me also remain in Māyāpur and do your activities through your assistants.
So, at different times, he told me different things.
So, I think I did my travelling enough.
Now I spend more time in Māyāpur, India.
I only travel once or twice around the year every year!
But that way, I think I used to travel to all the countries, South Africa, Poland, Nigeria, Ghana, etc.
Bhakti Tīrtha Swami had asked me to go to West Africa sometimes.
I went two or three times.
So like that. During the pandemic I stayed all the time in Māyāpur.
That is the thing, I am trying to carry out Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: I explained this in Bengali in the morning, you were there?
Lord Nityānanda, He was in Vṛndāvana and He realized that Lord Caitanya had started the saṅkīrtana movement.
So He took Sridāma and Abhirāma Ṭhākura and they went to Navadvīpa.
They stayed in the Nandanācārya temple.
Then, Lord Caitanya had sent his devotees out but nobody could find Lord Nityānanda.
Then Lord Caitanya said, were you looking for Lord Nityānanda?
They said, yes.
He said, no wonder you could not find Him.
You cannot find the Lord by looking for Him, He has to reveal Himself to you.
So if you want to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has to reveal Himself to you.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we should try to do such service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya, then they would want to meet us.
So anyway, Lord Caitanya told the devotees that I can find Him, you cannot find Him.
I can find Him.
So next morning they went out in kīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.
So Lord Nityānanda, He heard the kīrtana and His hairs stood on end and He stood up.
And then Lord Caitanya entered into the courtyard of Nandanācārya
and then He saw Lord Nityānanda! Nitāi!
And then Lord Nityānanda saw Gaurāṇga and said,
Gauuuuranga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṇga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṇga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṇga!
And then They came and embraced each other.
All the devotees were Haribol! Haribol!
Nitai-Gaura Haribol!
Haribol!
Hari Hari Hari Hari bol!
Nitāi! Nitāi! Nitāi!
Gaura! Gaura! Gaura!
Nitāi-Gaura!
Nitāi-Gaura!
Nitāi! Nitāi!
Gaura! Gaura!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-26
Jayapatākā Swami: This was Nityānanda’s mercy, which has no limits.
And Jagāi and Mādhāi said that Ajāmila was a sinner
but he chanted the names of Nārāyaṇa, calling out his son.
But we have no good quality, as much hair as we have on our head, we have committed that many sins, even more!
So much we have sinned, but we got liberated by Nitāi-Gaura! They are the most merciful!
THEY ARE THE MOST MERCIFUL!
NITĀI GAURĀṆGA! NITĀI GAURĀṆGA! NITAI GAURA! NITĀI GAURA! NITĀI GAURA! NITĀI GAURA!
Here Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi understood his mistake when Lord Jagannātha and Lord Balarāma enacted Their punishment pastime. But I commit many offences, and sometimes I cannot even understand my offences. So in such circumstances how am I to ask for forgiveness from you and from Lord Kṛṣṇa so that you may completely forgive me?
Questioner: Bhāgyaśrī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: We should pray to Kṛṣṇa that
I have committed many offences, knowingly or unknowingly,
please forgive me.
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: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: Before you read chant your praṇāmas
to guru and Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In that way read the book with full attention.
And then gradually by reading every day your taste will increase.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: In this life you do the Navadvīpa parikramā, we go there every year.
Otherwise, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa till the last breath and then next birth be born in Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana party somewhere!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
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: Rasapriyā Gopīkā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he was praying that,
he wants to fall at the lotus feet of Śrīvāsa
and beg him for that mercy.
So, we can follow the example of our previous ācāryas,
and we should surrender at the lotus feet, we should pray for the mercy of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura,
and our previous ācāryas,
for this special mercy.
Śrīla Prabhupāda
has given us this opportunity,
to engage in the devotional service of the Lord.
Actually, this is incomparable,
and people who give up their service,
it is very unfortunate.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Pray to Him or worship Him,
and the spiritual master is considered as His dear servitor,
so by following a Vaiṣṇava, spiritual master, who is surrendered to Nityānanda prabhu,
one can get His mercy!
Questioner: Gopa Gopikā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-07
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, if we take inspiration from the example of Vāsudeva Datta,
and try to emulate that,
then naturally, gradually we can achieve similar consciousness.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-01-10
Jayapatākā Swami: You see how this ācārya, he only wants to take the shelter of Lord Caitanya.
He realizes that Lord Caitanya, He gives one blessings to see things from the eyes of Lord Caitanya.
That if we want to see things from a sāttvika mood, we need the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
You see in the earlier verses, it said how people they hope to reach Kṛṣṇa by sādhana-bhakti and so on.
But he said they can try, but I simply depend on the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
If we have that mood that we want the mercy of Lord Caitanya, then it is possible.
What do you think?
Gaurāṅga!
Nityānanda!
Haribol!
Last question.
If we understand how Lord Caitanya, He is the most merciful,
He doesn’t see if you are qualified or not,
He gives out freely love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone.
So therefore, we want to take shelter of Lord Gaurāṅga!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-17
Jayapatākā Swami: I think that we should not think that we will ever have the same love that Gadādhara Paṇḍita had for Lord Caitanya.
If we can have a drop of his love,
that would be something to aspire for.
And by following the footsteps of Śrīla Prabhupāda and other pure devotees,
it is possible to achieve the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya.
It says by hearing these pastimes,
one will get the shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet
very soon.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
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: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Read his books,
try to carry out his instructions.
He wanted his gṛhastha followers to become paramahaṁsas,
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda]
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]
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]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: He was very sincere.
Whatever he would give speech in the evening,
he was very straightforward, simple and honest.
So that was very convincing.
And he used to tell the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gītā
in a very simple way
and it seemed very appropriate.
When I was trying to practice bhakti-yoga,
there were no books at that time.
He said we could read the Teachings of Lord Caitanya by Professor O.B.L. Kapoor.
So I was reading that about Haridasa Ṭhākura
said that whenever he had some māyā thought chant loudly.
I was a new bhakta, I had so many māyā thoughts!
I chanted louder and louder and louder
and I was screaming Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa!
and all the devotees when to Śrīla Prabhupāda and complained -
this Bhakta Jay, he shouts Hare Kṛṣṇa and we cannot chant our japa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda called me,
asking me to explain
why all the devotees were stressed with me!
So I explained that I read Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted louder when he had some māyā thought, I had so many māyā thought so I chant loud!
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Hmmm, that is not so bad!”
So he told me that chant next to the temple in the public park,
Park Mount Royale,
the city of Montreal is named after this hill, Mount Royale, means Royal Hill.
Our temple was next to that park.
So I would walk up to the hill
and chant loudly
and the squirrels and birds would dance around
So in that way I was chanting.
At that time, we were having Māyāpur and Vṛndāvana festival.
And he would take devotees in between and we would visit different places.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: He was very sincere.
Whatever he would give speech in the evening,
he was very straightforward, simple and honest.
So that was very convincing.
And he used to tell the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gītā
in a very simple way
and it seemed very appropriate.
When I was trying to practice bhakti-yoga,
there were no books at that time.
He said we could read the Teachings of Lord Caitanya by Professor O.B.L. Kapoor.
So I was reading that about Haridasa Ṭhākura
said that whenever he had some māyā thought chant loudly.
I was a new bhakta, I had so many māyā thoughts!
I chanted louder and louder and louder
and I was screaming Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa!
and all the devotees when to Śrīla Prabhupāda and complained -
this Bhakta Jay, he shouts Hare Kṛṣṇa and we cannot chant our japa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda called me,
asking me to explain
why all the devotees were stressed with me!
So I explained that I read Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted louder when he had some māyā thought, I had so many māyā thought so I chant loud!
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Hmmm, that is not so bad!”
So he told me that chant next to the temple in the public park,
Park Mount Royale,
the city of Montreal is named after this hill, Mount Royale, means Royal Hill.
Our temple was next to that park.
So I would walk up to the hill
and chant loudly
and the squirrels and birds would dance around
So in that way I was chanting.
At that time, we were having Māyāpur and Vṛndāvana festival.
And he would take devotees in between and we would visit different places.
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.
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: 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: 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: 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: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Indescribable.
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: 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: Śacīnandana Gauracanda dāsa.
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: We can see, it is not a small thing.
Personally, I don’t we need such a determination.
But we should be determined to chant,
to follow the four regulative principles
and engage one’s self in devotional service,
and eventually achieve pure love for Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa is so wonderful.
Why do you want to serve anyone else?
Kṛṣṇa or His devotees are the only persons we should worship.
You know, Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, they gave all material desires to their followers.
But they had to reject God and serve them,
then you will get all that you want, materially.
But why do you want to serve a demon?
But the demons would like to serve the demons,
the devotees want to serve the devotees.
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: 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)]
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: 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]
How we see in this pastime while Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has all these mahā-bhāva ecstasies, when we talk about this or discuss with the devotees, sometimes they question that, how is it possible, it is unbelievable! We do have faith, but how to explain to them that it really happened? Or how to make them trust like whatever the words are here, they all are so true?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-25
Jayapatākā Swami: That is why Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is saying that the common men, they not believe.
But Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and others have seen that,
so Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja says, I accept it, I believe it!
I BELIEVE!
These are things that we just have to believe.
If people don’t believe it, maybe, there are other things that Lord Caitanya did,
which are believable,
and mentioned in the śāstra,
but that I witnessed and saw these uncommon transformations of Lord Caitanya, His body.
So the author accepts, if you want to accept or not that is your free will.
He gives his reason why he accepts.
We know one thing that Lord Caitanya was uncommon. Haribol!
Haribol!
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu kī jaya!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Indirectly the trees, the cows, they are providing fruits, milk,
but they are not actively doing service.
Kṛṣṇa goes and milks them.
In one sense, okay they are contributing something,
but they are not like Hanumān, who is flying over the ocean and fighting with the demons.
The service of Kṛṣṇa, they really serve Kṛṣṇa.
We are not saying that the animals, the trees, they are not doing anything useful, they are useful.
But it is not that they do a lot of service.
They do their thing.
Produce fruit, produce milk.
I mean, I am sure the deer would go up and lick Kṛṣṇa.
Śānta-rasa means that they appreciate Kṛṣṇa.
One way you can say it is service.
But those who are in dāsya-rasa, they really do a lot of service.
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: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: So He went chanting and dancing in ecstasy to Vṛndāvana.
Meanwhile Lord Nityānanda He went to Navadvīpa
and He told Mother Śacī and all His associates to come with Him to Śāntipur.
He led all the devotees to Śāntipur.
Then Lord Caitanya, He was also approaching Śāntipur
and Advaita was crossing the river by boat.
Lord Caitanya was thinking what is Advaita doing in Vṛndāvana,
then He realized I am not in Vṛndāvana, I have been cheated by Nityānanda Prabhu!
Then He crossed the river with Advaita Ācārya
and met His mother
and He fell down at her feet and offered obeisances.
He said, I owe everything to you,
He humbled himself before his mother
and said, “What should I do?
I have taken sannyāsa.”
She said, “Make Your base in Jagannātha Purī.
Go sometimes to Vrndvana, but make Your base in Jagannātha Purī
because I will get some information, people come and go from Jagannātha Purī.
Vṛndāvana is very far
and I won’t get any information.”
Then Mother Śacī with Advaita Ācārya’s wife Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī,
they were cooking for Lord Caitanya.
And Avaita Gosāñī was serving
Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda.
Lord Caitanya was saying, “I am a sannyāsī, give Me a little bit.”
Lord Nityānanda said, “I am hungry, I haven’t eaten for three days!
You have to give Me prasāda!”
But Advaita gave Them very opulent prasāda.
Lord Nityānanda said, “You are a miser You are not giving enough.”
He threw some rice at Advaita Ācārya.
Then Advaita Ācārya was in ecstasy! “I am a brāhmaṇa, I have been spoilt by an Avadhūta.”
Like this they were having their pastime.
Then Lord Caitanya went to Jagannātha Purī.
The devotees followed Him but He told them you are gṛhasthas, go back to your families
and sometimes you can visit Me in Jagannātha Purī.
Someone asked me what is your favorite pastime?
So I heard that today devotees from New York brought mangoes for me.
So which side do you bite into a mango? All sides are sweet!
Every pastime of Lord Caitanya is very sweet.
But all the pastimes are my favorite.
Jayapatākā Swami: Lalitā sakhi is a left-handed gopī,
there are two sides, left and right.
Left side are argumentative, they chastise Kṛṣṇa,
the right side are very submissive.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: At first you might not have a taste for reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.
But you should still read.
I must have read the books maybe five or ten times.
At first, it was not so much taste, but I knew it was medicine, I had to read it.
Now, I read every day.
And it is very blissful!
So, I got my Bhakti-vaibhava degree, by studying.
And now on the 12th canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to get my Bhakti-vedānta degree!
How many of you have the Bhakti-śāstrī?
So, Bhakti-śāstrī is mainly Bhagavad-gītā.
And everybody should read that and get the degree.
Bhakti-vaibhava is six cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
And Bhakti-vedānta is the last six cantos.
Bhakti-Sārvabhauma is Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Read, read, read. Read and put it to practice,
it sticks with you.
I am the greatest fool I could not grow spiritually without you holding my hand. I see so much of similarity between you and the Himalaya mountains - the people are trekking they are humbled. Seeing you, you are exactly like that anyone comes under your shelter, they become humble. They find solace and feel the bliss. My question is you mentioned about the gopīs and Rādhārāṇī talking to the trees. Is there any spiritual significance to that?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, Kṛṣṇa knows the language of the trees.
I think, the point is that the gopīs are so mad after not seeing Kṛṣṇa
that even they are asking the trees.
So this shows separation of Kṛṣṇa they can have such a strong desire.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
I have heard pastime of Śārabha, a form of Śiva fighting with Lord Narasiṁhadeva and other versions mentioned in various tāmasika and rājasika Purāṇas, I feel very painful, it disturbed me a lot. I felt I should not have read or heard. What should be the proper understanding of this pastime? Why such different versions? How a devotee of Lord Narasiṁhadeva understand these versions?
Questioner: Murāri Mādhava dāsa
Date: 2023-07-08
Jayapatākā Swami: Different Narasiṁhadevas have come in different kalpas.
But we should hear commentaries of Vaiṣṇavas.
We don’t know if non-vaiṣṇavas will give proper explanation.
So actually there should be no conflict if it is properly explained.
I don’t particularly know the Purāṇa, pastime, you are referring to.
We know in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, there is a demon of Bāṇāsura who had the blessings of Lord Śiva.
And the ultimate weapon of Lord Śiva met the ultimate weapon of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
And Śiva’s weapon was defeated.
And Sudarśana cakra cut off the thousands of Bāṇāsura and left four arms.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-05
Jayapatākā Swami: May be good fortune, I don’t know.
One of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s servants gave me a set of beads to chant on.
I was practicing yoga before that.
So I sat in the ardha-padmāsana and started meditating and chanting
and I chanted six hours nonstop.
I was chanting 32 rounds or something.
And I was feeling so much ecstasy,
I never felt that in the yoga practice.
So I was convinced that Kṛṣṇa consciousness works.
The secretary was waiting for me to come back.
He asked, “Do you still have those beads?”
I said, “Yes!” “Those are Śrīla Prabhupāda’s beads” he said!
But he said he was not supposed to give that to anyone, but I did not know it at that time.
So he took the beads back from me.
Next day was not quite the same!
But I had a glimpse!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-05
Jayapatākā Swami: May be good fortune, I don’t know.
One of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s servants gave me a set of beads to chant on.
I was practicing yoga before that.
So I sat in the ardha-padmāsana and started meditating and chanting
and I chanted six hours nonstop.
I was chanting 32 rounds or something.
And I was feeling so much ecstasy,
I never felt that in the yoga practice.
So I was convinced that Kṛṣṇa consciousness works.
The secretary was waiting for me to come back.
He asked, “Do you still have those beads?”
I said, “Yes!” “Those are Śrīla Prabhupāda’s beads” he said!
But he said he was not supposed to give that to anyone, but I did not know it at that time.
So he took the beads back from me.
Next day was not quite the same!
But I had a glimpse!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
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: Dr Pandit
Date: 2023-11-09
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, I joined in 1968.
And at that time, I thought my parents would be very happy.
I called up my mother, she tried to convince me to be a Christian priest,
but she came to see me.
I called my purvāśrama father
and he was very angry.
He said you come back immediately,
I am going to send you to the Army,
you will die in Vietnam!
I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what should I do?
He said, better you join Kṛṣṇa’s army! Ha! Ha!
So I did that and I have been in his army ever since.
In 2008, I had a stroke.
And His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Mahārāja and others told me that I should stay.
I wanted to see the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium and many services given by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
And I wanted to do those.
Kṛṣṇa somehow, the doctors they said that I will die. 99%.
And if I 1% lived, I would be a vegetable.
But somehow by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, I am still able to talk,
I am able to think,
I cannot walk too much, Ha!
I am able to appreciate these wonderful instructions of Lord Caitanya.
I am combining all the books on Lord Caitanya to bring them into one in English,
so that people can understand about Lord Caitanya.
I don’t know how long Kṛṣṇa will keep me here,
I am doing a therapy now. I have taken the second last therapy for my skin cancer.
Wednesday is supposed to be the last.
But they said that, after that I will gradually start to get better.
So I was asked in the Dallas Sādhu-saṅga
by His Holiness Śacīnandana Mahārāja, he said how are you? I Ha!
I said, well, how do you mean, materially or spiritually?
Materially I had a stroke,
I am wheelchair bound,
I had a liver and kidney transplant,
skin cancer,
I mean materially, I am a wreck!
But spiritually I am very happy! Ha! Ha!
Some people say that actions speaks louder than words!
But most people, they have no problem, I have to sit, although, in the airplane I am like the first one in and the last one out.
Anyway, this material world is not a very nice place.
But when you are young, you don’t think that way.
But we see how Lord Caitanya, He was so appreciative of devotees of Vraja dhāma,
how they were Kṛṣṇa conscious.
That happiness is incomparable!
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: 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: Milan, ISKCON Youth Forum, Baroda
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Lord Caitanya, He taught that you can achieve perfection whether you are a vairāgī or a householder.
So, if you are a householder you should try to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center.
I saw one drama from the Chennai youths.
One girl and one boy were playing Yamadūtas and one lady, girl was playing Yamarāja.
She painted her mustache as Yamarāja.
The Yamadūtas they were complaining. Yamarāja! What do we do? These Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees have deities in the houses, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they read Bhagavad-gītā, what do we do?
We cannot take them to hell!
Maybe need a way to find another chākrī, another job!
So it was very interesting to see the Yamadūtas complaining.
Actually, one family in Kolkata, the mother, children, were all initiated.
Everyone but the father.
He was dead against.
But then he was diagnosed with cancer.
He was in bed ,
and he saw two hairy people with leather ropes, walk through the wall.
He said, “No, no, no, no! No, no!”
Somehow they left.
He called his wife, “I want the neck bead.
I want the Bhagavad-gītā, I want the japa-mālā.”
What we were trying so long, the Yamadūtas in few minutes they changed him.
So he became very Kṛṣṇa conscious after that.
Category: [Anarthās], [Anarthās / Māyā], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Karma / Desires], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Sevā]
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: 2022-12-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Especially meeting with a married woman in a private place,
that was prohibited by Lord Caitanya.
Sometimes I will be in a room, and there would be a man and woman and the man walks out!
Then I would ask the lady to go out or tell the man not leave or I would go out myself.
Sometimes a vairāgī says they just want to experiment.
You see, checking or experimenting should be done before you become a vairāgī!
If you are a gṛhastha, do all the experimenting with your wife.
If you take the vairāgī path, then at least you should follow the vows of renunciant life, at least for a sannyāsī.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-10
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, I was looking for a spiritual master and I went to San Francisco.
I went to the bookstore
and saw all the spiritual books were from India.
I was an American at that time
and said, are there no spiritual books from America?
The bookstore owner, he laughed!
America! Spiritual! Ha! Ha!
Then I asked and he said I have one book.
That was on Astral projections.
I saw that the writer was living in San Francisco.
I went to see him.
But then he called me in his room,
and he told me
I cannot really guide you because I have been grounded for two years!
I have not been to astro project for two years.
So I saw yogīs, astro projectors, Buddhists,
then I thought will go to India and find a guru there.
But then I saw the advertisement for the Hare Kṛṣṇa temple.
I went to the temple,
I read a book
called Easy Journey to Other Planets.
I like the book, I was a science student.
And it was talking about antimatter and everything.
Then I was asked to go to the back of the temple
where Jayānanda Prabhu was building a ratha for the yātrā.
So he engaged me in the building of the ratha.
One day I was given a set of beads by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s secretary.
So I went to the park
since I knew how to practice yoga,
I sat in padmāsana and chanted for six hours straight!
32 rounds.
First day!
Then I thought, “Wow!”
I was feeling such trembling in my body, my hairs were standing on end, tears were flowing down my eyes.
I never had a meditation like this.
So much ecstasy!
I went back to the temple
and that secretary who had given me the beads,
he said, “Do you have those beads?”
I said, “Yes.”
He said, “Those are Śrīla Prabhupāda’s beads!
I am not supposed to give them to anyone!” Ha! Ha!
After that chanting was not quite the same!
Anyway, I could get a glimpse.
Then I went to see Śrīla Prabhupāda in Montreal, Canada.
And he was very kind to me.
He asked me what I was thinking to do.
I said, I thought I would go to India.
He said, “I will send you,
but first I will train you up.”
So I was under his direct training.
And I could speak a lot but
it was a wonderful experience to be with him.
That is the first few days!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda]
Questioner: Gopati Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting.
In other words, you are saying we have false ego.
We think we don’t have any faults.
But the associates of Lord Caitanya,
always think, it must be because of some faults they did.
So, we should follow in their example.
Don’t blame others,
see yourself first.
What mistake you made,
“Not me! It was he!”
The associates of Lord Caitanya are teaching by their good example,
because of their good qualities,
Lord Caitanya’s heart melted.
Category: [Emotions / Humility], [Emotions / Hypocrisy], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Gopati Kṛṣṇa Dāsa and Acala Hari dāsa
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: Nārāyaṇī was a great devotee.
If you are not feeling ecstasy, that is your misfortune.
It is not the fault of the remnants,
it’s your lack of adhikāra,
to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
You should be lamenting, why you don’t feel ecstasy,
even when you take the prasāda remnants of the Deities.
Jayapatākā Swami: The more we practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
advancement increases.
So, by taking the prasāda of Kṛṣṇa, of Gaurāṅga,
our love for Kṛṣṇa can increase.
Just like getting rid of the anarthās,
and becoming fixed or niṣṭhā,
then we advance step by step,
until we have loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa,
then taking prasāda can be an impetus for love of Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Prasāda and Bhoga], [Sādhanā], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the spiritual maser is supposed to be very dear to Lord Nityānanda.
And he gives Lord Nityānanda’s mercy.
By Lord Nityānanda Prabhu’s mercy
we get the mercy of Rādhārāṇī.
And Rādhārāṇī is very hard to approach.
But Nitāi-Gaura, They are more easy to approach.
The spiritual master is easier.
Now śrī śrīla and śrīmān.
Śrī, is the goddess of fortune,
we put śrī in front of someone’s name it means someone is very auspicious.
Śrīman is usually used for someone junior,
who is very - sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda would address with śrīman in the name.
I don’t know the actual dictionary meaning, I am not a Sanskrit scholar.
Just, I have seen it used,
and śrīla is apparently used for someone who is like a guru or a very elevated devotee.
Sometimes the guru is called an ācārya like Śrīla Prabhupāda, He is śrī-śrīmad,
His Divine Grace.
You can ask a Sansrkit scholar, and they can give more of the meaning.
But actually, that is how I see it has been used.
Hare Kṛṣṇa! Thank you very much!
He is saying I should say something about the Dallas congregation and temple.
I think the congregation is very nice!
We saw the devotees at the Ratha-yātrā yesterday, I was very impressed
by their enthusiasm!
Something I did not understand, what DIY mean?
Someone told me oh, it is Do It Yourself!
Anyway, very nice to see the devotees.
I know Bengali if someone wants to speak in Bengali,
I know a little Hindi and I can speak in Hindi with you.
I have been living in India since 1970
and I joined in 1968.
I saw every temple in ISKCON in 1968,
all three!
San Francisco, New York, and Montreal.
After that there are so many temples.
So now it is not possible to see all the temple.
Of course, I have seen quite a few.
I have been given a lifetime Gold by United Star Alliance
and American and from British Airways, lifetime Emerald.
So I visited all the temples around.
But I was thinking I have not seen all of them.There are about 800 or a thousand now,
it not so easy.
But I thought we should call all the temples which were started by by Śrīla Prabhupāda, he did 108, we should call them as śrīpāṭs.
Like Dallas, should be śrīpāṭ Dallas.
These Deities were worshiped by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
They are very special.
This temple was established by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
There may be about a thousand now and in the future, there may be tens of thousands of temples
but there were 108 established by Śrīla Prabhupāda
and this is one of them.
We would like all the devotees to stay as part of Kṛṣṇa consciousness
and take advantage of the mercy of Rādhā-Kālacāndajī and Nitāi-Gaura and Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: Rukmiṇī told Kṛṣṇa, "You know what is going in Brahmaloka,
You know what is going on in Kailasa,
you know what is going on in the ananta-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa, unlimited millions of universes,
but there is one thing You don’t know,
I know, Rādhārāṇī knows,
You don’t know."
No one ever said that to Him,
there was something He did not know.
Incredible!
So He asked what is that.
And Rukmiṇī said, You don’t know what the devotees feel for You, and how much we feel for You.
Then Kṛṣṇa thought I will come as My devotee, I will come as My devotee. I will come as My devotee.
He said that three times.
That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Such things that Lord Caitanya exhibited.
In India once in Māyāpur, I had very high fever in 1972 or ‘73
I was feeling pain in my body.
I was listening to Śrīla Prabhupāda lecture in Vṛndāvana on the Nectar of Devotion,
and I was feeling happiness.
So physically I was feeling pain
but my consciousness was very happy.
That may be an example
of how Lord Caitanya was feeling lamentation and jubilation.
Of course I was very happy to hear Śrīla Prabhupāda lecture.
So the consciousness, the living force was very happy.
But I realized that my consciousness was not the same as my body.
But most people do not have any consciousness of Krsna.
I don’t know, I don’t think does anyone know?
All of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, the author is saying I cannot write properly.
I think there is no example in the material world where someone is experiencing lamentation and jubilation at the same time.
Actually to be satisfied even in lamentation.
You are lamenting, let me give you an ice cream, or something.
Category: [Emotions / Happiness], [Emotions / Sorrow], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You see being in the spiritual world they feel very attached to Kṛṣṇa
and Kṛṣṇa is unlimited!
When He would take lunch with His friends, every friend was thinking, Kṛṣṇa is looking at me.
When He was dancing with the gopīs,
He expanded Himself into as many gopīs, that each gopī has one Kṛṣṇa.
And Kṛṣṇa had 16,108 queens.
He multiplied Himself into 16,108 Kṛṣṇas and one Kṛṣṇa went into each queen’s palace.
Why should you feel jealous?
Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.
He means to satisfy each devotee.
In the sādhaka state at least philosophically we understand that the gift Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving is very precious viz. mādhurya-bhakti. But when we hear about the affairs between Lord Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, we cannot relish that, rather we tend to be disturbed by lusty thoughts. In such condition if we still desire to obtain mādhurya-bhakti, is our desire valid? And how can we come to the platform where we can relish those pastimes?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: So, if we get agitated by hearing the esoteric pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa or Lord Caitanya,
then one should not read,
you are not ready yet.
But eventually you will be ready
and then you can appreciate Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Initially you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and taste the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra
and that way you can taste Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
In this pastime we see Indra committed an offence against Lord Kṛṣṇa. And then he realized that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But later in Kṛṣṇa līlā, he gain starts fighting with Lord Kṛṣṇa when he was provoked by his wife. I want to know why this type of situation happened and how do we overcome this? And in case of Dakṣa Prajāpatī we see he offended Lord Śiva, then he offended Nārada Muni. How do we not do such things and avoid such things?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-02
Jayapatākā Swami: We understand from this that if we get married, it is very important to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious wife!
If the wife is not Kṛṣṇa conscious then she may have you fight with Kṛṣṇa!
This reminds me Śrīla Prabhupāda, in a lecture he was giving in London,
observing his Vyāsa-pūjā.
He said he wanted all his gṛhastha followers to be paramahaṁsas.
And he said how Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a gṛhastha had many children.
One was Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda said we need many personalities like this.
So the gṛhasthas should have such pure devotee children.
Although Lord Indra in the caitanya-līlā pastime, he joined in the kīrtana.
By then he seemed to have learned his lesson!
Category: [Aparādha (Offenses)], [Aparādha (Offenses) / Vaiṣṇava-aparādha], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
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: 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: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-16
Jayapatākā Swami: You should read all of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books
but having read, you may read other books one time.
But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you should read every day.
Bhagavad-gītā is necessary for preaching,
the Bhāgavatam takes you to sambanda, abhideya and prayojana.
Questioner: 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)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Mādhāi built a Mādhāi ghāṭa.
And then the Navadvīpa-vāsīs, Māyāpur-vāsīs used Mādhāi ghāṭa.
And that forgave him of the offences he committed on the residents of Navadvīpa.
That means by helping people in their spiritual life, we get forgiven for our offences.
That is why we chant the name of the Lord!
Gaurāṅga!
Link: 20200218 Śravaṇa Utsava
Just by hearing these pastimes we can actually develop our love for Kṛṣṇa. My question is you mention almost mechanically Lord Caitanya was doing his daily routine, taking darśana of Lord Jagannātha every day. Could you elaborate what this means because sometimes we do things and we feel it is mechanical and we feel that is that okay?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the difference is that you may be spaced out,
He is so absorbed in Kṛṣṇa that He does His ordinary routine
but His mind is completely on Kṛṣṇa.
And that when He sees Lord Jagannātha, He sees Śyāmasundara,
I mean, we are doing our activities and that is our service.
But Lord Caitanya’s service is His deep concentration on Kṛṣṇa.
So He is doing the routine activities, He is not actually concentrating on those, He is doing them automatically.
It says also a pure devotee, it is not unusual that Kṛṣṇa takes charge of their bodily activities.
And they are totally concentrating on Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-27
Jayapatākā Swami: You see when Keśava Kāśmīrī met Nimāi Paṇḍita, that was still many years before He started the saṅkīrtana-āndolana.
Many years He was acting as Nimāi Paṇḍita,
when He went to Gayā and He was initiated by Īśvara Purī, then He started to manifest love of Kṛṣṇa.
And in Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā He had a darśana of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa embraced Him.
And when He returned to Navadvīpa, He was changed!He was Gaura Hari!
Link: 20200218 Śravaṇa Utsava
Kṛṣṇa has shown His universal form to Arjuna who is an eternal associate though a jīva, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa who has shown His universal form to Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu who were also Lords. Is it ok to compare these two universal forms? If yes, then how come Arjuna got fear, whereas They, the Lords lost their external consciousness and went into ecstasy?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita had asked Lord Caitanya to show Him the same form that He showed to Arjuna.
So therefore, we think that He showed the same form,
and He saw Arjuna seeing Kṛṣṇa show Him the universal form.
So Arjuna as a friend of Kṛṣṇa, he was sometimes would put his foot on Kṛṣṇa or sit together.
So, when he saw Kṛṣṇa’s greatness he got afraid and thought he had committed some offence.
But when the two Prabhus saw Lord Caitanya or Kṛṣṇa’s universal form,
they felt ecstasy.
So different strokes for different folks!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Kṛṣṇa is neither friend nor enemy, but we know in many places Kṛṣṇa says I am friend to all and in kṛṣṇa-līlā He acts as a friend to many. Recently, also the plastic surgeon, you told Kṛṣṇa is not a friend nor is He an enemy. And next sentence you said Kṛṣṇa is everybody’s friend. How should we understand this?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see in that verse, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati. (Bg. 5.29)
That suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ – Kṛṣṇa is the friend of all living entities.
So Pūtanā, she wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa
but Kṛṣṇa reciprocated her and killed her.
But because she gave Kṛṣṇa her breast because she thought that if I have a child, I want like this.
Too bad I have to kill Him.
So Kṛṣṇa reciprocated with her and she wanted to kill Him He killed her.
Because she desired that if I had a child, I want one like this. She gave her breast milk to Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa gave her the position as one of His mothers in the spiritual world.
So, He does not hold any grudges.
At the same time, He reciprocates with how a person approaches Him.
And today we were reading how Kṛṣṇa saved Gajendra the elephant and killed the crocodile.
But the crocodile, he actually got free from a curse.
He was previously Huhu,
the king of the Gandharvas
and he was enjoying in a lake with many female Gandharvas.
Somehow in his dark humor or whatever, he pulled the leg of a devaṛṣi who happened to be in the same lake
and the ṛṣi got angry and cursed him to be a crocodile.
Then he begged please forgive me.
The ṛṣi said okay, when Kṛṣṇa saves Gajendra, He will also free you from the curse.
That way, Kṛṣṇa, anything He does, is actually is a blessing.
Haribol!
Questioner: Phāneśvarī Lakṣmī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-11-28
Jayapatākā Swami: Write to me what you think your problem is.
Kuntī Devī, whenever the Pāṇḍavas and Kuntī Devī had problems,
Kṛṣṇa came and saved them.
So whenever they had problems Kṛṣṇa came so she said she wanted to have problems all the time
so that Kṛṣṇa will come all the time.
If you are sincere, then Kṛṣṇa will come to us.
When you have problems then you can remember how Kuntī Devī was saved by Kṛṣṇa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-02
Jayapataka Swami: He only came for a minute!
Not even a minute!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Material World / Demigods], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-16
Jayapatākā Swami: He is Kṛṣṇa,
He is playing as a devotee.
Sometimes Murāri Gupta was chanting the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma.
When he came up to the name of Narasiṁhadeva,
Lord Caitanya became in the mood of Narasiṁhadeva
and He ran out on the streets –
“Where are the demons? Where are the demons?”
In the mood of Narasiṁhadeva.
And people ran, wow!
And then Lord Caitanya felt bad.
I scared all these people!
But Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, “You liberated all the people!
Just by seeing You all of them were liberated.”
Also, in the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma, he chanted the name of Varāhadeva.
Then Lord Caitanya assumed the form of Varāha, four hooves.
So in the purport it says, if someone says he is God, then tell them to show their hooves!
So, it is not easy to manifest hooves,
unless you are the Supreme Person.
Yes, sometimes Lord Caitanya manifested these different things.
These are very secret, very confidential, only few people saw.
One time, He showed to Advaita Gosāñi, for 21-hours they did the ārati and He displayed Himself.
Apart from that, generally He kept Himself hidden as much as possible.
Anyway, He is Kṛṣṇa!
Like in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house in Jagannātha Purī,
He showed His six-handed form
as Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Rāma.
Some devotees, Rāmānanda Rāya and others, He revealed His divine form.
But these are all recorded in the history books.
But in general, He would not say anything.
Parīkṣit Mahārāja was able to fully concentrate on each and every word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam being his last seven days and so able to remember Kṛṣṇa at the time of death. But being in gṛhastha-āśrama even after reading every day, still we have material thoughts like what will happen to our family and close ones if we leave this world. Please suggest Guru Mahārāja how we can act in this situation?
Questioner: Ānandinī Sītā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-12-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was a gṛhastha.
He had children, he had a kingdom.
But when he heard that he was going to die in seven days, he gave up everything.
So, actually what can you do anyway for your children, for your pet dog cat?
Some people in the last minute, they are thinking, oh my dog, who will take care of my dog? Who will give him food?
Then they may birth as a dog in his next life.
When we leave we leave everything to Kṛṣṇa.
And at the last minute what can we do in any case?
All these things should be given in your will.
When you leave your body you only think about the Lord.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Many pastimes.
One pastime, he was going around the rooftop
and he stopped by the door there
and he told me that
when a spiritual master leaves
sometimes the disciples sell off his properties and live off the proceeds.
And so if you can increase it very good, but at least maintain what I gave you.
One time we were walking on the roof here
and there was a migration of ants from one side to the other.
And we could tell the queen ants were bigger in size.
The male ants carried the seeds,
and the female ants were just going along.
We were looking down at them.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that as just as we were look the ants and thinking that they were insignificant,
the devas in the higher planets were looking at us
and thinking how we are very insignificant.
We only live a few of their days.
Those are two pastimes.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Many pastimes.
One pastime, he was going around the rooftop
and he stopped by the door there
and he told me that
when a spiritual master leaves
sometimes the disciples sell off his properties and live off the proceeds.
And so if you can increase it very good, but at least maintain what I gave you.
One time we were walking on the roof here
and there was a migration of ants from one side to the other.
And we could tell the queen ants were bigger in size.
The male ants carried the seeds,
and the female ants were just going along.
We were looking down at them.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that as just as we were look the ants and thinking that they were insignificant,
the devas in the higher planets were looking at us
and thinking how we are very insignificant.
We only live a few of their days.
Those are two pastimes.
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: 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: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Lalitā sakhi is a left-handed gopī,
there are two sides, left and right.
Left side are argumentative, they chastise Kṛṣṇa,
the right side are very submissive.
Questioner: Rasapriya Gopikā Devī Dāsī
Date: 2022-10-24
Maybe shes not hearing? Well I can't say.
She is thinking of her problems, not listening.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Emotions / Stress/Anxiety], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-08
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted his disciples to go back to Godhead.
But we want to go back only if there is service we want to go back.
We don’t want to just be there, we want to be there to serve.
So naturally if your desire is to serve, then you will be taken wherever is a place where your service will be.
I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda I wanted to serve him life after life.
Then he replied to me,
why do want to make me come back?
I thought I said the right thing.
I said, I would like to serve you even life after life!
So you can pray like that.
That we want to serve even staying in this material world
but we want to serve.
So in that way if that is the Lord’s desire He will take you back to the spiritual world.
Questioner: Prema Prakāśa Haridāsa (Dr. Parekh)
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: You know Śrīla Prabhupāda taught many things.
So he was asking what is the most important thing to learn from the spiritual master.
So everybody had a different idea.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda’s idea was that you should learn pure bhakti, how to serve Kṛṣṇa.
This attitude of service is the most important thing.
Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda went to the West to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
He said what is the secret.
He said the secret was everything he did was to follow his spiritual master.
Like his spiritual master told him to publish books.
His spiritual master told him to establish a GBC.
So everything he did, he tried to carry out the instruction of his spiritual master.
That was his secret of success.
Questioner: Prema Prakāśa Haridāsa (Dr. Parekh)
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: You know Śrīla Prabhupāda taught many things.
So he was asking what is the most important thing to learn from the spiritual master.
So everybody had a different idea.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda’s idea was that you should learn pure bhakti, how to serve Kṛṣṇa.
This attitude of service is the most important thing.
Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda went to the West to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
He said what is the secret.
He said the secret was everything he did was to follow his spiritual master.
Like his spiritual master told him to publish books.
His spiritual master told him to establish a GBC.
So everything he did, he tried to carry out the instruction of his spiritual master.
That was his secret of success.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Why not?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said the mercy of Lord Caitanya has no limit!
We cannot put a limit on it.
So it is possible to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya like Jagāi Mādhāi got.
But somehow they got it even though they didn’t ask for it.
But if you ask for it and if you want it, why won’t the Lord give you?
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)]
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: Keyā Rāṇī
Date: 2022-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: We understand that the Lord put him into some illusion so that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam could be spoken.
But the sage, he did not consider it as a serious offence.
Certainly, it does not a warrant cursing the emperor to death.
If in the present society, if somebody does this, how that person should be punished?
You know, certainly not death sentence!
Maybe some punishment
for disrespect.
But the emperor was feeling he was being disrespected.
And we take that as Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement.
Like when Arjuna expressed his reluctance to fight,
then we consider that he was put in some illusion by Kṛṣṇa, so that Kṛṣṇa could speak the Bhagavad-gītā.
Normally, Parīkṣit Mahārāja would never do this kind of mistake.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Sometimes it is very difficult for us to understand these pastimes especially of Lord Caitanya. It is very esoteric and sometime we feel not very able to understand and sometimes we feel we should not be listening to them as our minds are polluted. How should we listen and what mood should we listen to them even though we don’t understand them?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is saying that he cannot understand them.
How can they be understood?
But by hearing how Lord Caitanya was feeling such ecstasy,
we may experience a drop.
It is not that we can experience all that what Lord Caitanya is experiencing.
But we can understand that it is something really, really elevated.
And He is so much absorbed in Kṛṣṇa,
He is following the mood of Rādhārāṇī.
But that is not possible for us, but to a little extent we can appreciate.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
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: 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: 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: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said to publish the Caitanya-caritāmṛta in two months.
Then Rāmeśvara Prabhu said, that is impossible.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said impossible is a word in the fool’s dictionary.
They had a marathon and published all the volumes of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta in two months.
Some devotees went to Śrīla Prabhupāda and said I distributed so many books – say ten thousand!
Śrīla Prabhupāda would say, very good!
Now double it next year!
So, if you want to do a little more you can double it.
We should try to do as best we can do.
A little better!
So, we were distributing for Bhādra Pūrṇimā previously 6,000 sets.
In 2020 we did 25,000 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets.
in 2021 we did 35,000.
So Vaiśeṣika Prabhu said that by 2026 we should distribute 100,000 sets.
That means every year increasing by 23%.
This year we should distribute at least 43,000 sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Every year we should increase minimum 23%.
So if you can give me how many sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītās you can distribute. Each person.
You may not know Bengali but just by being friendly you can capture their heart!
Ladies can embrace the other ladies!
Wow! They will never forget! I was embraced by a Russian lady!
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Emotions / Enthusiasm]
Questioner: Satyamedha Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Satyamedha Gaurāṅga dāsa!
Haribol!
Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that if we had a strong desire
then Kṛṣṇa consciousness would manifest suddenly.
Just like a baby is crying,
if the baby is like half-crying,
the mother may ignore
but if the baby really cries,
aaaaahhhh, the mother will run, what happened?
If we desire to be Kṛṣṇa conscious very intensely,
then Kṛṣṇa will help you to become Kṛṣṇa conscious in a minute.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I heard from Dāmodara Mahārāja, one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Godbrothers,
one-time Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was walking in the evening,
and suddenly he started gazing at the moon
and everyone was looking at him and he was looking at the moon.
After a long time,
he said the people on the moon have become materialistic,
they have become bahir-mukha,
they need preaching.
So next trip to the moon, send some preachers!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I heard from Dāmodara Mahārāja, one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Godbrothers,
one-time Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was walking in the evening,
and suddenly he started gazing at the moon
and everyone was looking at him and he was looking at the moon.
After a long time,
he said the people on the moon have become materialistic,
they have become bahir-mukha,
they need preaching.
So next trip to the moon, send some preachers!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-07-07
Jayapatākā Swami: First we should read all the translations and purports of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
They are what inspires me.
And what I know, is simply by the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: To the guru you should pay respectful obeisances and to other godbrothers and godsisters pay humble obeisances. So, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is quite simple. But you have to practice it very sincerely. That way, a slight deviation may be very significant. That is why he says that it is like a knife edge.
Questioner: Śāśvatī Sudhārāṇī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I remember that Śrīla Prabhupāda liked kacaurīs.
And that is why sometimes he would have kacaurīs.
I am not one who cooked for Śrīla Prabhupāda,
so I don’t know all the things he liked.
One time I saw he had dysentery
and his sister prepared hot purīs with salt.
So she sprinkled salt on the purī and the purī was hot.
I didn’t think that it would cure dysentery, but somehow it cured him!
Questioner: Śāśvatī Sudhārāṇī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I remember that Śrīla Prabhupāda liked kacaurīs.
And that is why sometimes he would have kacaurīs.
I am not one who cooked for Śrīla Prabhupāda,
so I don’t know all the things he liked.
One time I saw he had dysentery
and his sister prepared hot purīs with salt.
So she sprinkled salt on the purī and the purī was hot.
I didn’t think that it would cure dysentery, but somehow it cured him!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I hope they are serving Śrīla Prabhupāda enthusiastically
and I hope that the grand disciples will also serve guru and Gaurāṅga enthusiastically.
And that depends on their sincerity.
If they are sincere they will do that.
Questioner: Rasapriya Gopikā devī dāsī, Māyāpur.
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: The devas, the demigods are sakāma devotees.
They have some material desires.
Because they are afraid that
Dhruva would take over their posts,
therefore they gave him different obstacles –
in one way they were testing him.
So if you don’t want a position in the heavenly planets,
you have to declare that to them.
Give them kṛṣṇa-prasādam.
They should not cause you trouble.
Because Dhruva was performing austerities for position,
they were afraid that he would take their position.
Category: [Anarthās], [Emotions / Confusion], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Material World / Demigods]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the associates of Lord Caitanya, when He came to this material world,
all had some previous relationship with Kṛṣṇa -
at least the prominent ones.
So, like Murāri Gupta, he was Hanumān
and Śrīvāsa is Nārada Muni.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura was Lord Brahmā.
That means, previously they were having different pastimes with the Lord,
and when He came as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, they also came and took up different roles.
So, when the Lord comes, He enjoys His pastimes
and the devotees come and enjoy with Him.
By serving Him, they also get great happiness.
Everybody is happy.
You want to be happy? Haribol!
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: There are four parts of Goloka Vṛndāvana,
Vraja dhāma,
Mathurā,
Dvārakā
and Śvetadvīpa.
Lord Caitanya is in Śvetadvīpa.
And Lord Kṛṣṇa is in the other three dhāmas
In the Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta it says the Lord Jagannātha is in Dvārakā but He is very close to Vṛndāvana dhāma.
How many have read Bṛhad-bhāgavātamṛta?
So the other question was, is it important for us to study?
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if we don’t study, then we may get doubts that may be answered in the books we don’t study, and we may fall down.
I am very grateful to Anukula Keśava dāsa for organizing the Bhakti-śāstri, Bhakti-vaibhava course in the temple.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: We generally fast on the days of viṣṇu-tattva.
But we also fast on Rādhāṣṭamī.
And, I don’t know why we don’t fast on Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa’s appearance days.
They are very merciful!
Because someone asked why is it that Lord Kṛṣṇa makes us fast till midnight and Rādhārāṇī only till midday.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Rādhārāṇī is more merciful.
Maybe in the appearance day of Gadādhara, He is super merciful.
I don’t know if they cooked anything special today?
Kalāsudhā devī dāsī: You had some Gujarati prasāda for lunch today.
Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara, was He Gujarati?
Gadādhara he would cook sometimes imli chutney,
tamarind chutney.
It was so good that Lord Caitanya said whenever He cooks that I will be there.
We don’t know what preparations Gadādhara Prabhu liked to cook.
I only know of one, the tamarind chutney.
Lord Caitanya He liked śākas.
So we had His Holiness Śivarāma Swami over for lunch, also Nirañjana Swami and Devāmṛta Swami.
They (my cooks) cooked 30 varieties of śākas!
I don’t know if they have that many śākas here in Dallas.
But in Bengal, there are lots of śākas.
We have been following Kṛṣṇa consciousness for so many years. Generally, devotees we see that in the process we have ups and downs. So when we take the case of Bharata Mahārāja, he was so sincere, he was so renounced, and he did his Kṛṣṇa consciousness so carefully, but there we hear that in the bhāva stage he was attracted and had to take another birth because of the offence that he did in a previous birth which he did not even know about. How to come out of it and what is the remedy when we do not know what offences we have committed?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, even Bharata Mahārāja who fell down took birth as a deer.
But Kṛṣṇa was merciful on him, and he could remember his previous lives.
The next birth he birth as a brāhmaṇa,
Jaḍa Bharata
and he was taken by some dacoits to be offered to Bhadra-Kālī as a balidāna, sacrifice.
But Bhadra-Kālī, she was so angry because he was a pure devotee.
She killed all the dacoits
and saved Jaḍa Bharata.
So we should just do our devotional service and even if we have done some unknown offence,
Kṛṣṇa will protect us if we do devotional service.
Now, this planet is known as Bhārata-varṣa.
And still India is called as Bhārata.
It is named after the king Bharata.
We have heard through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how Kṛṣṇa appears, how He has curly hair, manda manda muskaan (gentle smile), how He walks, but I have always been curious how His voice sounds like? How He speaks? I have never come across how Kṛṣṇa, how His voice feels like? Can you give me an idea Guru Mahārāja, how that is?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-11-09
Jayapatākā Swami: It says only the most fortunate can hear. Ha! Ha!
Jayapatākā Swami: In other words, we should be so fortunate that we can hear Kṛṣṇa’s voice, His song, His flute, His ornaments.
Think how fortunate the vraja-vāsīs were! They could hear Kṛṣṇa talking and singing,
His ankle bells,
His flute playing!
If even for a minute, we think wow! I would like to hear that,
that one desire then can lead us back to the spiritual world.
Unfortunately, people are thinking other things.
And we take birth after birth after birth
in this material world,
thinking that this other thing will make me happy.
Then that doesn’t make me happy, then we think of something else.
I heard that for some kind of quantity, I don’t know how much, they will freeze your body,
then when the scientists find how to bring the dead back to life,
they will do it.
It is all like Post-dated checks.
Actually, the Vedas tell us life comes from life.
That as long as the life is in the body, the body is beautiful to look at,
because of the living force,
the ātmā.
It is not some material thing you can adjust.
All these rich people, the scientists, they don’t know the basic ABCs of spiritual life.
The body is a machine,
we need doctors to correct the machine,
but the doctors cannot put life back into a dead body.
They are saying give me your money we will freeze your body and when the doctors figure out, we will unfreeze you!
So this is a bluff!
Śrīla Prabhupāda was in one village in India. And he was giving a simple example.
He said say, somebody’s grandfather dies.
His wife is crying, my husband has left.
His sons and daughters are crying my father has left.
The grand-daughter or grandchildren they are crying, my grandfather has gone
and in the village everyone according to their relationship,
they are lamenting he has gone! He has gone!
Śrīla Prabhupāda asked them, who has gone?
Same body is same hair is there, same hands,
so, who has gone?
Everyone is lamenting that he is gone,
but who has gone?
It is actually the ātmā, the soul has gone.
And that if the soul is there the body is alive,
the soul is not there, the body is dead.
So, that is the unfortunate thing.
People don’t know these basic things of spiritual life.
My purvāśrama mother, she visited India
and she came to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
She gave him roses every day.
I was surprise that, Śrīla Prabhupāda was speaking to her about the living force!
In such a simple language,
the living force,
I never heard Śrīla Prabhupāda say that usually we hear ātmā,
he was saying the living force, you are the living force in the body.
When you leave the body, the living force leaves the body, then it is dead.
I heard that Disney or somebody, they have their body frozen,
then their heirs started fighting who is going to inherit from him?
Maybe he will come back to life!
So a big fight and someone pulled the cord!
He was rotting and then alright!
So then they could take his money!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: We are trying to have some joint programs
on the appearance disappearance days of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
And that time everybody speaks for ten minutes.
And we have various speakers.
That way we are cooperating.
But we don’t really associate, one on one, individually,
because it may expose us to some criticism.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Gauḍīya maṭḥa], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-24
Jayapatākā Swami: Arjuna is in sakhya-rasa
and Viśākhā in mādhurya-rasa.
Sometimes Rāmānanda Rāya would be a friend of Lord Caitanya.
Sometimes he would behave with Lord Caitanya in mādhurya-rasa.
When Lord Caitanya was in mādhurya-rasa, Rāmānanda Rāya would quote different ślokas.
So, in this way, devotees of Lord Caitanya would sometimes manifest sakhya-rasa and sometimes mādhurya-rasa.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Śyāma Muralī dāsa
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: Even if we take the position of being a parent of Kṛṣṇa,
but still doing it as a service.
So Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi,
he is acting as a devotee,
he is not acting as a parent.
Although he may have been a parent
in the previous līlā,
he is not a parent in this līlā.
So the Lord is chastising him
as a special mercy.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
We read from Caitanya-caritāmṛta where Kavirāja Gosvāmī mentions that once in a day of Lord Brahmā Lord Kṛṣṇa appears and after that in Dvāpara-yuga Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appears. So in other Dvāpara-yugas and Kali-yuga, especially Kali-yuga does Lord Caitanya descend? Or some other incarnation appears because it is mentioned in the scriptures that the Lord comes in every yuga?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-25
Jayapatākā Swami: (Does Lord Caitanya come in every Kali-yuga?) No!
I went to Tirumala and they say that Bālājī, He is the Kali-yuga incarnation
for the last Kali-yuga.
So Lord Caitanya only comes after Lord Kṛṣṇa
and He doesn’t come every time.
We should be very grateful that He just came.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
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: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: I mentioned there are five kinds of relationships.
Two and a half are very formal and respectful
and two and a half are very intimate and loving.
You cannot think of yourself as the father or mother of the Supreme Lord.
Just like a rich person, he would like to be loved as a person, not for his richness.
I mean it must be very difficult for someone like Elon Musk,
who are just behaving with him because he is rich.
But in the spiritual world Kṛṣṇa uses yoga-māyā to make devotees forget that He is the Supreme Lord.
Like He went to Mathurā and He liberated the demon Kaṁsa
and then Devakī and Vasudeva His parents, they were awestruck, because he was such a powerful demon and he was neutralized by Kṛṣṇa.
And when the Lord kills someone, they automatically get liberation.
Vasudeva and Devakī were offering their praṇāmas and very respectful.
But Kṛṣṇa did not want that.
He wanted them to act like His parents.
But to do that, they just saw Him kill the demon who had been suppressing them for so long!
So obviously, He is very powerful,
and they remembered how He appeared as the Supreme Lord.
Then he sprinkled some līlā-dust over them!
And then, “Oh, my dear son!”
That is what He wanted.
The Supreme Lord can do things like that.
But He can make people forget who He is,
just love Him as a son or as a friend. Like that.
In Vṛndāvana, people love Kṛṣṇa,
they don’t think of Him as God.
Even like Nanda Mahārāja, he was arrested by, in English we call it Neptune, by the servant of Varuṇa,
and then they saw that Varuṇa the angel of God of the water,
he was respecting Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
They said, just see, how Varuṇa, how Neptune, how he appreciates my son.
Oh, He is such a nice son.
He never thinks that why is this angel in-charge of the oceans,
why is he bowing down and offering respect to Kṛṣṇa.
He just sees this in his relationship as father.
So, Kṛṣṇa likes some places where people just love Him
not because of His position
not for some material reason.
They love Him for what He is, His qualities.
To develop to this stage, it is nice to know that there is such a stage.
But naturally to reach that stage is no joke!
I mean, it is a very big thing!
And first we bow down, we pray,
we do different things, we chant the holy names.
We have to get purified.
Unless we serve the Lord, very faithfully,
at some point He can bless us,
He can accept us and we can realize our original position,
be friends with Kṛṣṇa or parent or lover.
Those things are revealed in due course.
Not just chuk! We jump up to that position.
For some people it may take many, many births.
Born, die,
normally people, they try to have happiness just in the material world.
They think that oh, if I was rich, I would be happy.
Next birth they may be rich,
then they think oh! I would be happy if I was a great football player,
next birth they are great at football.
Some people, I heard Śrīla Prabhupāda say that Ravi Shankar, he was a musician for sevens births.
In his seventh birth he became world famous, guru of the Beatles and all that.
Generally, we take birth after birth after birth, depending on our material desires.
But if we actually, develop our desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, to serve the Lord,
then we go back to the Kingdom of God,
we are released from this prison house of material life.
But to do that, first we go through vidhi-mārga, then as we develop our love of Godhead it turns into spontaneous love.
First the rules and regulation, do that and then it becomes like second nature.
Then we actually develop our spontaneous love for the Lord
in different levels.
Eight levels.
We go to love and then there are eight levels of love.
So it is a science.
And we also – have faith, we listen,
then we have some association with then enlightened souls,
called sādhu-saṅga.
Then we start to practice ourselves
called bhajana-kriyā,
then we start to get rid of the unwanted habits and things,
called anartha-nivṛtti,
we become very fixed in spiritual practices,
that is called niṣṭhā,
then we develop a taste for serving the Lord,
called rucī,
then we become attached to that spiritual tastes called āsakti,
then we develop ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, called bhāva,
then we have pure love for Kṛṣṇa, that is called prema.
But prema has eight levels.
What are we talking about here is the mahā-bhāva,
the highest level.
Practically Lord Caitanya is mad after Lord Kṛṣṇa.
We have a long way to go!
So it is nice to hear that such a level exists.
We understood that there is expansion of Advaita Ācārya further into Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. So we see that always the Lord is accompanied by His associates. So when the Lord is in our heart does He come with His associates and dhāma? Also, how is the Lord Paramātmā in the heart?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu,
He has His own planet
and there He has many associates, Lakṣmīs etc.
But as His expansion He is in the heart of every living entity,
and He is simultaneously in the heart and in His planet.
So it doesn’t say that the associates are with Him in the heart,
but simultaneously in His transcendental abode, He has many associates.
Questioner: Ratikeli Rādhikā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Teach them by your example
and encourage them that anything they do in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Just like Śrīla Prabhupāda, his father gave him Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa small Deities to practice pūjā.
And also gave him a Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā ratha.
So he was happy to have this Kṛṣṇa conscious play.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Children], [Day-to-day Life / Parents], [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Vaiṣṇava-qualities]
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: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Maybe some did.
But the ones mentioned in today’s class, they didn’t.
They were laughing and were happy
that the Lord has left,
they don’t have to see Him anymore.
We know that even Kaṁsa was an atheist.
But he was always thinking about Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa will come to kill me.
One day his two wives
came one dressed in white garment and one in black garment.
Then Kaṁsa said, “Oh no! Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They are coming to kill me!”
His minister said, “No, no, they are your wives!”
“Oh!” So if are an atheist and always thinking about Kṛṣṇa,
then that is useful.
But if you are just occasionally thinking negatively about Kṛṣṇa
then you are a candidate for going to Pātalaloka.
A free ticket, one way!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: By reading his books
and carrying out his instructions.
He wants you to free yourself from the clutches of māyā
and go back home back to Godhead.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda]
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: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Combination of separation when we miss the devotee,
and because they went back to Godhead, so
some feeling of bliss.
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: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: I like all of them.
There is this one pastime of Lord Nityānanda and the dacoits.
That is quite amazing!
It is like when you read some pastime it is so different.
It is so unique.
At that moment I like that pastime.
But I don’t know if there is any pastime that is my favorite.
What was unique was Nimāi Paṇḍita, He did not manifest His love of Kṛṣṇa first in Navadvīpa.
He manifested it in Gayā, in Bihar,
after He got initiated from Īśvara Purī.
He started chanting and dancing in ecstasy,
crying like anything.
And that was the beginning of His ecstasy.
Before that, it was interesting, but when He came back from there He was a changed person.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: If you ask what is my most favorite this and that
how can I say?
Tell us one of your favorite,
I can do that,
say that whatever comes to mind.
Someone told me when you see the spiritual master
you should humble yourself,
praise him ask for blessings.
Whenever I went, I used to do that.
One day I said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are very merciful,
I offered praise and then I said I am a fool and I humbled myself.
Before I could say something else,
he spoke out, yes! Ha!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: If you ask what is my most favorite this and that
how can I say?
Tell us one of your favorite,
I can do that,
say that whatever comes to mind.
Someone told me when you see the spiritual master
you should humble yourself,
praise him ask for blessings.
Whenever I went, I used to do that.
One day I said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are very merciful,
I offered praise and then I said I am a fool and I humbled myself.
Before I could say something else,
he spoke out, yes! Ha!
Questioner: ISKCON Kurnool
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t think there is any limit.
All the qualities of a pure devotee we can see in Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know.
Attend the JSSS programs!
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda]
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: Well he gave me many advices.
But the main thing was that I should always engage in serving Kṛṣṇa.
And try to help others to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
He told me to expand the Nāmahaṭṭa and congregational preaching.
He told me to distribute, I have to distribute at least ten thousand big books, every month and 100 thousand small books, every month.
We were discussing this morning possibility of selling packets of books at discounted price.
He told me to travel and preach.
So I used to travel five or six times around the world in a year.
Now I am not able to do that, you see I am physically challenged.
I only travel around the world twice a year. I need help!
I need the senior devotees to help travel and preach.
Anyway, there are many other questions.
You can see the Jayapatākā Swami App, which you can download on Android or Apple Play where they have listed all the instructions that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me.
I pay all the expenses, you don’t have to pay anything!
* * * *
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: They were like spiritual uncles, they wanted to see Lord Caitanya dancing.
It is said that He was somewhat ashamed,
you could say self-conscious.
Lajjita, it means like shy.
They were His seniors, and they were saying they wanted to see His dancing.
So He was a little shy because of this.
Questioner: Kṛṣṇa Karuṇāmṛta dāsa
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Crying!
Questioner: Kṛṣṇa Karuṇāmṛta dāsa
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Crying!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Gosāñi was the first to figure it out.
After some time of this, joined the saṅkīrtana movement.
First Advaita then Śrīvāsa, then after that everyone.
Apart from some rare instances with different people, different devotees realized.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Śrī Caitanya-līlā / Lord Caitanya]
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: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-27
Whether there is any time to do books
during your study,
that you have to analyze
and like, housewives when they are cooking, they can listen to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s class, or his books audio version.
I don’t know specifically what your schedule is that you can give any time in the day for reading.
Sometimes there is so much service to do for your studies,
when there is no time for māyā,
that is good.
Category: [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Sādhanā / Time Management]
Questioner: Mālinī Sundarī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya is considered a topmost devotee.
And what He is doing is an example for all to follow.
Everyone who is on the level of a topmost devotee, will also be begging from the Lord for service.
In the material world, one wants to control to enjoy
the material nature;
but in spiritual life, one wants to be enjoyed by the Lord.
One wants to please the Lord.
And one wants to serve the Lord.
So the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra means. “Oh Lord! Oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service.”
So as we engage in the Lord’s service, in devotees service, our taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness increases.
So the Lord is enjoying His pastimes.
He is always happy
and the devotees who are participating with His pastimes,
they are also happy.
Who wants to be happy?
[Haribol!]
The real happiness is to please Kṛṣṇa.
We are part of Kṛṣṇa.
When He is pleased, we are all automatically pleased.
When He is happy, we are also happy.
Category: [Emotions / Humility], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra]
Questioner: Sumitra Kṛṣṇa dāsa
Date: 2022-08-05
Jayapataka Swami: Interesting question.
We know that Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was a gṛhastha.
He mentioned that in Allahabad he had a house, and it had a special room for visiting preachers.
So, he facilitated many Gauḍīya Maṭha preachers.
And he said that he wanted to marry a particular, good-looking girl.
But his father told him to marry another lady
who, in his estimation, was not as beautiful.
In one sense he said, that by the mercy of my father it was easier for me to take sannyāsa.
Anyway, he was a gṛhastha and had many children, he had responsibilities.
Then, he took vānaprastha
and finally took sannyāsa.
So, in that way, he was able to go to the west and preach.
Everybody is different
and today we have many devotees who are gṛhasthas but they are doing full devotional service.
But maybe at that time, one had to be a sannyāsī to be able to travel freely around the world.
Secondly, Śrīla Prabhupāda never forgot the instruction he received in 1922,
and he then went to the West, he came to America in 1965.
When the associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they see Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva, it might be also difficult for them to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this state, what gave them the courage? To personally be there and see Caitanya Mahāprabhu in that ecstasy, understand the mood of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it might be so difficult for them as well. So what gave them the courage to bring Caitanya Mahāprabhu back and what was their ecstasy to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was awake in His original state and chanting the mahā-mantra?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, because they loved Lord Caitanya.
Seeing Him like bleeding from the pores, we normally perspire, but He was not normally perspiring, there was blood coming from His pores.
So His aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva was extreme.
So when people saw Him appearing in this very extreme situation,
they cried,
and they chanted.
What else to do?
And among them Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī or someone he was taking the lead.
And knew that chanting was the only thing that would return Lord Caitanya to a little bit conscious state.
So, these devotees were so fortunate
that they could participate in these pastimes of the Lord.
And hopefully we would develop a desire to participate in the Lord’s pastimes.
Who would like to participate?
May Kṛṣṇa fulfill your desires!
Questioner: Akhila Bandhu Gopāla Dāsa [Indore]
Date: 2022-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: So your question is being answered by Vidura.
He did not get upset, he saw that, he took it as an opportunity to increase his Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You should not become morose, maybe by this you get rid of bad karma.
And in the material world there is this kind of false criticism.
That is why we want to transfer you to the spiritual world.
You are coming from Madhya Pradesh.
Nice to hear how people are hearing the class from Madhya Pradesh.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Emotions / Stress/Anxiety], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Association (Sādhu-saṅga)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said we should hear the mantra.
And if we chant thinking of Kṛṣṇa’s mantra that is also alright.
If while chanting you remember the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, that is alright.
But you don’t have to try to remember the pastimes, you try to listen while chanting.
While listening, if the pastimes come to your mind, it is alright.
Questioner: Jayavant
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: When I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I was overwhelmed.
Sometimes, he would call me in the night,
sometimes he would call me in the day time.
Sometimes he would talk to my pūrvāśrama mother.
And he would be telling her we are the living force in the body.
And she would give him a rose bouquet
and then he would thank her and praise her
and acknowledge the roses.
Everything about Śrīla Prabhupāda was exceedingly wonderful!
Sometimes, someone told me that he would bow down to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
And he told me when I bow down, I should praise Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I should humble myself
and then ask a question.
And whenever I would ask a question,
Śrīla Prabhupāda I am a fool.
He would look at me and say, “Yes!”
We couldn’t get away saying anything to Śrīla Prabhupāda, he would immediately answer.
Questioner: Jayavant
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: When I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I was overwhelmed.
Sometimes, he would call me in the night,
sometimes he would call me in the day time.
Sometimes he would talk to my pūrvāśrama mother.
And he would be telling her we are the living force in the body.
And she would give him a rose bouquet
and then he would thank her and praise her
and acknowledge the roses.
Everything about Śrīla Prabhupāda was exceedingly wonderful!
Sometimes, someone told me that he would bow down to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
And he told me when I bow down, I should praise Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I should humble myself
and then ask a question.
And whenever I would ask a question,
Śrīla Prabhupāda I am a fool.
He would look at me and say, “Yes!”
We couldn’t get away saying anything to Śrīla Prabhupāda, he would immediately answer.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-01-21
Jayapatākā Swami: The pastimes of Lord Caitanya are so nectarean.
Kṛṣṇa Himself came as a devotee.
And He established the saṅkīrtana movement,
and He was experimenting,
what it is like to be a devotee.
And as Rukmiṇī said to Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā,
You know everything,
You know what Brahmā is doing in Satya-loka,
You know what Śiva is doing in Kailāsa,
but there is one thing You don’t know!!
Rādhārāṇī knows!
I know!!
You don’t know!
He said, What do you mean? There is something that I don’t know?!
Yes!
She said. What is that?
You don’t know how much Your devotees love you!
and in what way we love you?
So that inspired Kṛṣṇa,
ok I will become a devotee,
and I will find out.
So this is such an amazing pastime,
that Lord Gaurāṅga came as a devotee.
I cannot, it is in my mind, it is so wonderful,
I cannot forget it!
I see that in every aspect of Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
we can have some connection with Lord Caitanya.
Haribol!
Nitāi Gaurāṅga!
Questioner: Vrajasevinī Vṛndā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I did not,
but I had no choice.
I did not want Śrīla Prabhupāda to leave.
But Kṛṣṇa takes us, and nothing we can do.
But I did lots of service, and thanks to Ahlādinī Rādhā and others to help us do all the services.
Questioner: Vrajasevinī Vṛndā devī dāsī
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I did not,
but I had no choice.
I did not want Śrīla Prabhupāda to leave.
But Kṛṣṇa takes us, and nothing we can do.
But I did lots of service, and thanks to Ahlādinī Rādhā and others to help us do all the services.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Yes!
Next question! Ha! Ha!
You will gradually develop this by doing devotional service.
Or you could get special mercy.
Sādhana-siddhi or kṛpa-siddhi.
I don’t know, when I read these pastimes,
and hear about the devotees crying, rolling on the ground,
I feel also like crying!
So maybe this is something that has increased over the years.
So I think you should keep trying and eventually it will be very easy for you
to be feel, to be affected by the emotions of the devotees.
Questioner: Rakshita Varadarajan
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: One can be in whichever āśrama they want to.
Whichever they feel more comfortable.
If they feel that gṛhastha-āśrama is more appropriate for you,
that allows certain license for sex life.
Kṛṣṇa has made machines –
male and female form.
So they can reproduce each other.
So the scientists they are not able to make a machine
that could reproduce itself.
Ha! We shouldn’t think that Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes
with the queens or the gopīs, are material.
He is transcendental.
And in Vṛndāvana,
His pastimes are understood by the liberated souls.
One has to read all the previous nine cantos,
then you can understand how the position of Kṛṣṇa is transcendental.
Once when I was a new devotee,
I asked a question about Rādhārāṇī.
Śrīla Prabhupāda chastised me.
Who are you to ask about Rādhārāṇī?
Since I was a new devotee,
I didn’t understand much, so I accepted that.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Emotions / Lust], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Preaching], [Youth]
While reading the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa verse 6.105 there is the explanation of the demigods drinking milk from Mother Devakī got transcendental knowledge. What took so long for Mother Devakī to get the transcendental knowledge? The sons got transcendental knowledge. But Mother Devakī even after having Lord Kṛṣṇa, still had attachment for the six dead sons?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You know, she had not asked before.
But when she heard that the dead son of Sāndīpani Muni was brought back to life by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma,
then that reminded her that her six sons were killed by Kaṁsa.
And then she asked Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, that can you give me the six sons back?
And because her breast milk was kṛṣṇa-prasāda,
we can see the value of kṛṣṇa-prasāda.
And so when they had the kṛṣṇa-prasāda, they got back remembrance of their spiritual position.
And so they were told by the Supreme Lord that they should offer their prostrate obeisances to Lord Brahmā and beg for his forgiveness.
Now, they were so exalted, they were the grandsons of Lord Brahmā.
We cannot see Lord Brahmā, we are insignificant.
These are very great souls,
but because they laughed, they criticized Lord Brahmā, they had to suffer so much.
So if they had to suffer so much, what to speak of us!
We are not so significant
so we will have to suffer a lot.
So we have to be very careful, to always respect Vaiṣṇavas and Vaiṣṇavīs.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Queen Satyabhāmā.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-11
Jayapatākā Swami: Those who say the pastimes of the Lord Caitanya and participated in it favorably,
they are considered as not only pure devotees, but eternal associates of the Lord.
Like Murāri Gupta.
He is actually the incarnation of Hanumān.
So all the great devotees, Hanumān, Prahlāda and so many came.
Nārada Muni, Rādhārāṇī,
Satyabhāmā,
Viśākhā,
Lalitā,
so many came
from the spiritual world,
to accompany the Lord.
These are not only pure devotees; they are eternal spiritual associates of the Lord.
Some of them maybe from a distance, were pure devotees,
but we consider them as associates of the Lord,
and you can also become an associate of the Lord in the next birth,
in His pastimes.!!
Of course, in this life you can also get His mercy!
Gaurāṅga!
Nityānanda!
Gaurāṅga!
Nityānandaa!
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa! Guru Mahārāja, said this three times in answer to the devotee’s Hare Kṛṣṇa!)
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-29
Jayapatākā Swami: Śivānanda Sena, he appreciated the kick by Lord Nityānanda.
The spiritual master sometimes chastises a devotee who can take it.
And one time Śrīla Prabhupāda came into the temple in New York,
and everyone bowed down to Śrīla Prabhupāda showing their feet to the Deities.
So, Śrīla Prabhupāda used his stick and hit Brahmānanda Prabhu.
And said, don’t show your feet to the Deity.
At first, Brahmānanda, he was upset
because everybody had put their feet to the Deities, why was he singled out?
So then, like in Bengal there is a saying,
mother teaches her daughter-in-law by chastising her daughter.
Like that, Śivānanda Sena, he took it as a blessing, for he made Lord Nityānanda wait for prasāda.
Lord Nityānanda, He was very humorous.
He would do things very special!
He told Raghunātha dāsa in Pānihāṭi, I am going to give you daṇḍa –
I will give you punishment.
So the punishment was to give a feast of dadhi, ciḍā and fruits.
Actually, for Raghunātha dāsa it was not a big thing.
He was a millionaire.
Those days ciḍā and mangoes were very cheap.
So, why was this a punishment?
So Lord Nityānanda that is how He decided.
So Lord Nityānanda’s nature was to be a bit funny.
But He was very tolerant, very merciful.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: I think as explained in those verses, in those days, people they took each other at face value.
Since he was chanting Rāma nāma and he appeared to be submissive,
naturally people thought he was a Vaiṣṇava.
But Lord Caitanya being the Supersoul, He could understand that he actually wants to merge, he wants sāyujya-mukti.
And the others may not have understood, but Lord Caitanya understood.
Therefore, he was called almost a Vaiṣṇava.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-06-05
Because He’s coming as a devotee.
If it was known that He’s the Lord then how He could act as a devotee,
it would have disturbed His pastimes.
The Lord comes as a devotee.
So devotee,
devotee cannot think that he is the Lord.
You can have the people yelling that He is the Lord.
Just like if the president of the country decides he’s gonna make a secret visit and mingle amongst the people to see what the mood is,
but if it comes out in the headlines of the paper.
President coming 4pm in see,
in the skies to see the people.
Could be thousands of people will assemble and he’ll have no protection.
Also in this age of Kali,
there’s no scheduled avatāra,
who comes as a proclaimed avatāra.
The avatāra,
Lord Caitanya is predicted that He is a channa-avatāra,
He’s a secret,
He’s the covered avatāra.
Although He’s the Lord Himself He comes and covering Himself in the disguise as a devotee.
After He left then you can reveal His identity.
And after the president how did he came and why he didn’t say?
He came,
he was there
(laughing)
.
Oh,
very interesting,
everyone learnt this.
But if you say before then it spoils.
That’s how although many Vedas predicted He was coming,
but Kṛṣṇa covered by the yoga-māyā.
So the sages couldn’t understand clearly.
There’s different,
if you chant mantra in certain places you get more benefit.
If you chant by the sacred rivers and if you chant the,
I’m not,
exactly not sure about the river and the land.
You chant by the side of the sacred river you get so many times more benefit.
And if you chant in a holy place,
the pilgrimage you get so many times.
So once like,
a thousand and others like,
hundred thousand,
what figure which is which.
And you chant in front of the tulasī then you get,
like a million times.
So if you chant in the Ganges you get many times more.
And if you chant in front of the deities,
installed deities you say your Gayatri you get unlimited times of benefit.
Everyone should say the Gayatri mantra.
So that’s why the sages say in the Ganges.
The devotees appreciate the varṇāśrama system.
They feel that the varṇāśrama system was perfect,
for it was main.
While in the age of Kali it started to degenerate.
So what we have left over varṇāśrama system now is just like kind of a perverted reflection,
was imperfect representation.
But they appreciate the other caste system.
And in fact they like to create society,
say communities based on a,
as I mentioned the kind of streamlined,
spiritualized varṇāśrama system.
Where it would be in one sense casteless,
but everyone would be a Vaiṣṇava,
not for practical purposes.
People would be acting according to their different natures and types of work.
And Prabhupāda stress that the,
this divisions are there anyway in the modern society,
they’re all,
there these occupations exist.
There’s intellectuals,
there’s teachers,
priests,
the problem is that they don’t take the responsibility.
But in varṇāśrama system the brāhmaṇas or the teachers and priests,
they had to be vegetarians,
they had to worship God,
they had to lead the holy life.
If they didn’t they,
they couldn’t act those positions.
So now you have them,
like in America problem that is school teachers,
sometime they’re found to molest the children.
Even recently the priests in Canada they’re found that they were molesting the children.
So that,
they don’t follow the,
they’re not following the rules.
So according to varṇāśrama if someone does that they’re banned,
they’re,
they’re banned from being a brāhmaṇa.
Then they’re,
they’re called as criminals.
So due to lack of this,
just the profession is there,
but the,
the spiritual training is lacking.
So we like to see a type of spiritualized varṇāśrama program in the worlds
(laughing)
.
Is there still varṇāśrama in Indonesia?
That’s,
That’s what Prabhupāda said was,
it’s not possible to reinstate the original thing now in Kali-yuga.
So but somehow the basic principles could be .
It needs to be fully spiritualized so that one caste doesn’t think that they’re better than the other caste.
Because that creates itself the hatred and the imbalance.
But that,
we’ll see that this is all part of the same body,
so we all have to work together.
They’re trying in Canada to make a varṇāśrama,
in many countries they’re trying to make varṇāśrama community,
so they’re inspired.
And Prabhupada said in order to varṇāśrama is based upon agricultural production,
we have to also cow protection.
Unless that one thing missing in modern society,
they’re slaughtering the cow,
but in varṇāśrama the cow is to be protected by the vaiśyas and everyone drinks the milk of the cow.
Cause milk is needed to give higher intelligence to understand spiritual subject matters.
It said fish make people clever,
but spiritually dull.
Materialy clever,
spiritually dull.
But eating milk gives spiritual intelligence,
creates a finer tissue to understand the higher philosophical knowledge.
So milk is a type of miracle food.
But we need to protect the cow.
Here they protect mother cow
(laughing)
.
It’s the most protected cow I’ve ever seen
(laughing)
,
mosquito net
(laughing)
Very nicely protected
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-20
Jayapatākā Swami: This is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy that I am living in Māyāpur dhāma.
And I had a lot of service to Kṛṣṇa.
I engrossed myself totally in that service.
I had no time to think of Māyā.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, I am giving you the spiritual world, now develop it.
That is why I had a lot of service.
If we have service, then that helps.
Most of the people will become gṛhasthas.
You have to be in one place
then with family, children, you have to give them association.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me sannyāsa at a young age. He told me that being a sannyāsī I have to travel.
I was in Māyāpur and then I toured the world.
Some years I travelled around the world 5 or 6 times in one year.
This way the British Airways and United Airways gave me Life Gold card.
So I can go by plane.
But this is for Kṛṣṇa’s service.
As I had so much service, there was no time for Māyā for me.
Those who work and stay in a place, they should get married to a devotee girl.
Those who stay as a brahmacārī in the temple and do there then they can stay that way.
It depends on their service.
And their nature.
Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me so much service that I have no time for anything else.
How will I accomplish these services that is my worry.
Śrīla Prabhupāda had told me that I should distribute 10,000 Mahā-big books and 100,000 small books every month.
Now I have to see how many books were distributed in all my zones.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said that the Sārasvata family should be united.
And develop the Navadvīpa dhāma parikramā, he said.
And develop the Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi he said.
Lots of service.Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me so much service that I don’t have time for anything else.
Category: [Emotions / Enthusiasm], [Gauḍīya History / Śrīla Prabhupāda], [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Varṇāśrama / Sannyāsī]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the custom in India is that the elder brother, the wife, should not be present where the elder brother is present.
And since Balarāma is the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa and His consort should not be along with Balarāma.
Kṛṣṇa could be with Balarāma but not with the consort.
The consort should not be.
That is why in the same temple, in the Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha you have Rādhā and Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha.
We have also Revatī and Balarāma but in a different altar.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, we have to desire to be there.
We also have to do favorable devotional service.
The two things together, I mean it is Kṛṣṇa’s causeless mercy
that there is nothing we can do that will deserve that.
But if we desire and engage in devotional service then Kṛṣṇa, if He pleases will give His mercy.
Sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Rādhārāṇī would say to Kṛṣṇa, this is a very nice devotee.
If Rādhārāṇī indicates that Kṛṣṇa should give His mercy,
then He will do it.
So that is why we say it is causeless mercy.
There is nothing we can do that actually we would deserve it.
We try and if Kṛṣṇa gives us the causeless mercy, we can have it.
Category: [Guru (Spiritual Master)], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Gaurāṇga], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-23
Jayapatākā Swami: In the fourth chap of the Bhagavad-gītā,
if we understand the Lord’s appearance and His activities are transcendental,
you can go back to Godhead.
You have one of those five which is your relationship -
the trees, the cows, other things they are śānta.
Hanumān, and other active servitors of Kṛṣṇa, or Nārāyaṇa, they are in the dāsya.
Like Yudhiṣṭhira, he was respectful to Kṛṣṇa but he was like a friend.
That is like friendly with respect.
Śrīdāma, Subala, Sudāma, they were all cowherd boyfriends,
they were intimate friends of Kṛṣṇa.
So what your relationship, you may be a man now but you have a relation as a mother or wife.
You may be a woman but you are a servant or friend of Kṛṣṇa.
Actually, the ātmā, the spirit soul, the living force is who we really are.
If you think of your wife when you die you become a woman in your next life,
if the wife thinks of her husband, she becomes a man.
What you think at the time of death that will lead to the next birth.
What body you have now does not indicate what your spiritual relationship is with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So you don’t have to go through the five. Just if you develop your service to Kṛṣṇa, your understanding of the Supreme Person,
then you go to the spiritual world.
If you just appreciate the Lord in an impersonal way, you may land up in an impersonal realization.
As I said, most people they don’t think of God so much, if they do, they pray that He may them what they want materially.
Out of millions of those ordinary people, one, he wants to know his actual spiritual, who he is.
One of the millions is a jñānī,
who is trying to actually understand.
Out of millions of those one is a mukta.
He or she is actually liberated.
And then out of millions of muktas, one may be a devotee.
Where they are awakening their relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
That all of you are present, is a very special thing.
Lord Caitanya, He is giving out this love of Godhead very freely,
without considering who is qualified, who is unqualified.
So He is considered the most merciful incarnation of the Lord.
Otherwise, it would be very difficult.
But He made it very easy at this time!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-04
Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the Bhagavad-gītā there is a verse
that everything is done by the material nature,
but the living entity thinks that he is the doer.
kartāham iti manyate.
So if we see that we simply desire and the Lord provides us,
that he is the doer - that material energy is the doer,
we are simply desiring.
So He remembers what we desired
and He provides us the opportunities.
So if someone thinks he is the doer,
then he can’t really understand the Supreme Lord
who is actually doing everything for us.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-04
Jayapatākā Swami: There is a cultural reason
that the wife of the younger brother doesn’t like to appear before the elder brother.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya told Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa not to marry.
In the purport he was explaining how generally gṛhasthas were usually involved in their family affairs
in sense gratification,
so they don’t make much advancement or very slow.
But actually, if the husband wife, if they actually worship together to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
how to make the children, facilitate the children to be Kṛṣṇa conscious,
how to - just like we have some gṛhasthas they head Bhakti-vṛkṣa groups.
Some gṛhasthas they manage the temple,
some gṛhasthas are working in maintaining the temple.
The point is that if we concentrate on Kṛṣṇa, and we try to work as gṛhasthas to please Kṛṣṇa,
it is not normal. Normally the gṛhasthas, they do not think much about Kṛṣṇa.
That is why a Vaiṣṇava gṛhastha is much different from an ordinary gṛhastha.
They are trying to do things for Kṛṣṇa, they cook for Kṛṣṇa, they offer to Kṛṣṇa, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Just like, I saw in Chennai, some of the children, were doing a drama.
Two were Yamadūtas and one was playing Yamarāja.
A girl was playing Yamarāja and she had a mustache on.
So the Yamadūtas were complaining that these devotee, the gṛhasthas, they are worshiping the Deities in their homes.
They are offering their food to Kṛṣṇa,
they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa,
they are read Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
they are preaching.
We cannot arrest them, we cannot take them to hell!
If everyone does like this, what will we do?
So I thought that was a very nice drama.
So I asked the gṛhastha, who would like to have mercy on the Yamadūtas?
Give them some work to do!
No one raised their hands!
So I said, who would like to give them a vacation?
So anyway, paramahaṁsa, is not very difficult, it just means that together, to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center.
You said that when Kṛṣṇa was playing the flute the husbands and the fathers closed the doors of their houses so that the girls could not go out. But we hear that when Kṛṣṇa plays the flute, only the person for whom the flute is for, can hear. So how could the husbands and fathers hear Kṛṣṇa play the flute and the intention of the gopīs to go out in the middle of the night? How do we understand this?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Where is this written?
Kṛṣṇa was playing the flute and everyone heard Kṛṣṇa playing the flute.
And the gopīs, some of them ran to meet Kṛṣṇa.
Some were locked in their rooms.
I never heard that others did not hear.
But then they heard, oh Kṛṣṇa is playing the flute, He is always playing His flute.
Maybe He played in such a way that the gopīs were very attracted.
Others, they heard it but they were not attracted.
Category: [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Pastimes]
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]
Questioner: Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahārāja
Date: 2023-03-02
Jayapatākā Swami: We understand from this that if we get married, it is very important to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious wife!
If the wife is not Kṛṣṇa conscious then she may have you fight with Kṛṣṇa!
This reminds me Śrīla Prabhupāda, in a lecture he was giving in London,
observing his Vyāsa-pūjā.
He said he wanted all his gṛhastha followers to be paramahaṁsas.
And he said how Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a gṛhastha had many children.
One was Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda said we need many personalities like this.
So the gṛhasthas should have such pure devotee children.
Although Lord Indra in the caitanya-līlā pastime, he joined in the kīrtana.
By then he seemed to have learned his lesson!
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