Question: We fast till midnight on Janmāṣṭamī and Gaura Pūrṇimā and we take anukalpa-prasāda to break the fast and other viṣṇu-tattva days we fast till midday and take regular prasāda to break the fast. But today on the auspicious appearance day of Narasiṁha Caturdaśī we are fasting till dusk and breaking the fast with anukalpa-prasāda. Why is this so?
Author: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Narasiṁhadeva appeared at sunset.
So therefore, we fast till sunset.
Here we have daylight saving time.
But in Māyāpur sunset is around 6pm.
But here it is 8.11pm.
I don’t know what they do.
But technically, you could observe and break your fast at sunset
and take grains,
but because in Māyāpur we have Narasiṁhadeva Deity,
so we feel we would rather do anukalpa.
But that is optional.
On all the viṣṇu-tattva days it is optional
but on Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, Gaura Pūrṇimā, because we are kṛṣṇa-bhaktas, it is required to eat anukalpa.
Those temples that have Lord Sītā-Rāma Lakṣmaṇa also Hanumān, on Rāma-navamī there they generally take anukalpa as far as I know.
Anyway, in Māyāpur we have this tradition that we like to do anukalpa on Narasiṁha Caturdaśī.
Actually, if you are fasting till 6 pm, if you eat grains, maybe you will get indigestion!
Anyway, devotees in Māyāpur, generally, they would like to take Ekādaśī prasāda.
Once Hari Śauri was asking me, and I told him it was optional.
Here probably they take grains.
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
Related Questions
Questioner:
Date: 2023-02-25
Jayapatākā Swami: You see in the month of Dāmodara, any bhakti we do, we get a 100-times the benefit.
So at least we would like to offer a lamp.
And that is a 100-times.
But if you can do other things no problem.
You distribute one book it is equal to 100 books.
If you distribute one cup of Pongal, it is equal to 100 cups!
One jalebi equal to 100!
Link: 20221014 Evening Address
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-03-13
Jayapatākā Swami: Seems so! Seems that they describe, if we take sesame on Sat-tila Ekādaśī, we get the mercy.
Normally we don’t take sesame, we use that in havan.
We think of it as a grain although it is not.
Sat-tila Ekādaśī, I read that you should tila, sesame in many ways.
So it would seem alright then,
since it is written in the scripture.
Link: 20221023 Evening Darśana
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vratās (Austerities)], [Vratās (Austerities) / Ekādaśī-vratā]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: You should take the advice of pūjārīs like Sevatulya Prabhu, who are very senior and experienced here.
I think that on Dvādaśī there is a restriction to not pluck tulasī leaves.
But you should ask the head pūjārīs.
That is all I know that on Dvādaśī we do not pick.
I did not hear there is restriction on any other days.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: If you tried to do this to please Kṛṣṇa, then definitely you will get the good result.
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Bhakta Bryan (Columbia)
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: The aṣṭāṅga-yoga process recommends severe austerities.
Like, in the middle of winter sitting in the cold river and meditating.
In the hottest day of summer,
light fire on four sides,
mid-day
and meditate.
But we don’t recommend such things.
Our austerity is like in the month of Dāmodara we offer lamp to Dāmodara,
we don’t take urad-dāl,
we observe Ekādaśīs.
So not very great austerities.
I look forward to Ekādaśī because Ekādaśī is my favorite day.
I can take more vegetables
and Pan-de-yuca (Cassava cheese bread)
I think Bhakta Brayan knows.
So we only take prasāda.
You offer your bhoga to Kṛṣṇa and take the remnants.
A great austerity!
A supreme austerity!
You have to offer your arepas to Kṛṣṇa!
Then you eat it!
Alright!
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-10-17
Jayapatākā Swami: If you want you can take it without water.
But I personally never saw Śrīla Prabhupāda observe the Ekādaśī with a complete fast.
But Ekādaśīs, you get more fruit, if you observe it
fully by no water,
stay up the whole night, and then break your fast next day with some milk,
and then some grains.
I asked my secretary to read me the glories of the Ekādaśī tomorrow.
But he didn’t answer.
He said, “He sent a message to another secretary, to tell him how to do it!”
So just to hear the glories of Ekādaśī, it usually tells you that the fruitive listening to the Ekādaśī is donating a thousand cows.
Every Ekādaśī is different.
One Ekādaśī I heard twice
from two different Purāṇas.
Each Purāṇa said
“Just hear [about] the Ekādaśī,
you get the karma of giving a thousand cows.
” So, I gave 2000 cows!
Without even observing the Ekādaśī!
But then I observed it also.
So, I asked, I wanted to hear the glories.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vratās (Austerities)], [Vratās (Austerities) / Ekādaśī-vratā]
Questioner: Rāma Kānāi Mathureśa dāsa
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: The thing that pleases Kṛṣṇa most is pure devotional service.
And the renunciation austerity
is not so important.
What is more important is pure bhakti.
So, that is why in the jñāna-yoga, to get the impersonal liberation,
one should be a sannyāsī.
But in bhakti-yoga, one could be a gṛhastha, one could be a sannyāsī, as long as they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, follow the process of pure bhakti, they can achieve Kṛṣṇa.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, I once had a high fever,
and my body was feeling all kinds of pain.
I am just answering spontaneously.
At that time Śrīla Prabhupāda was giving lectures in Vṛndāvana on the Nectar of Devotion,
I was listening to those.
I felt so much happiness,
but my body was on fire!
So I could see that my happiness had nothing to do with the pain,
it was something different.
And Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a science when you reach a stage where there is happiness
you don’t bother about some of the pain that comes.
Category: [Sādhanā], [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Bhakta Bryan (Columbia).
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, the heart if it does too much austerity, then it will become very hard.
Sometimes the heart is like frame and steel.
It is very hard. Doesn’t want to melt.
So, by rendering pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa,
naturally the heart becomes soft.
In this way, we can achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness in its fullest extent.
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: You see there are different levels of liberation.
There are five types of liberation.
One type is called sāyujya,
that means merging in the effulgence of the Lord.
Devotees never take that.
There are four other liberations
which devotees may accept if that includes serving the Lord.
That is sālokya, sāmīpya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi.
So, having a similar eternal form,
be in the same planet,
having the opulences of the Lord
and be in the personal association of the Lord.
In the spiritual world there is no birth, death, old age and disease.
Once you go there then you don’t come back!
And those who go in the impersonal brahma-jyoti, they may come back.
They don’t know how to serve Kṛṣṇa!
So when they become active again and come down, they think that action is part of the material world.
But in the spiritual world they also have action but there the action is for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa.
So in Vaikuṇṭha He is as Nārāyaṇa and in Goloka He is Kṛṣṇa.
Ayodhyā He is as Rāmacandra.
So like that according to your taste, according to your devotion, you go to a particular part of the spiritual world.
Because you have already experienced that this world is a place of suffering.
Once you go back to the spiritual world you don’t want to come back here again.
Once you are out of jail, you don’t want to go back to the jail!
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
I heard that Bhīṣma-Pañcaka is that Bhīṣmadeva had vrata before his departure, but I don’t know how authentic it is because we have Gītā-jayantī in December where Bhagavad-gītā was spoken. So if Bhagavad-gītā was spoken on the first day of the war, then it falls in December, how can Bhīṣma-Pañcaka fall in Kārtika, which is earlier to December? That is my question.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: You see, I have never read that these were particularly the last days of Bhīṣmadeva.
Why these particular five days are stated as Bhīṣma-Pañcaka, I don’t particularly know.
Some people say that Bhīṣmadeva was fasting for five days or something.
I did not see that written anywhere.
And maybe these five days at the end of the Dāmodara month are observed so that we get extra benefit.
There is mention of these five days in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.
And also in the Padma Purāṇa.
I am curious to see if any reason is given, why these five days.
Because your logic is good. I heard that logic before.
The Ekādaśī in the month of December is the Gītā-jayantī.
We know that the Kurukṣetra war was for 18 days.
And we heard that the sun had changed to the Uttarāyaṇa.
That would be the saṅkrānti day on 15th of January.
Anyway, I don’t know, maybe a speculation.
I did not read that.
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-14
Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, the three months – Māgha, Dāmodara and Vaiśākha.
So in some śāstras it says that Dāmodara is the dear.
Some śāstra say Vaiśākha is the best.
Some say Māgha is the best.
So we know all three are good.
So śāstra say that Dāmodara is the most dear to Kṛṣṇa.
But maybe Māgha has other specialties.
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Lalitāṅgī Rādhā devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-27
Jayapatākā Swami: I was chanting 32 rounds a day.
I thought this would be pleasing to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
But he told me that I should chant 16 rounds
and go and preach.
If I don’t preach, stay in the temple all day chanting,
who will preach?
So Śrīla Prabhupāda put more importance on preaching.
If you can fast and still preach,
then it is alright.
But at least you have to observe no grains Ekādaśī,
and then preach as much as you can.
If you can do or if you are inspired to do on some Ekādaśī,
that is nice.
But that shouldn’t be a reason that next day, the whole day you are sleeping or something.
That would be counterproductive.
Since you want to please the Lord,
that should be our focus.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-12-19
Jayapatākā Swami: So you want to give synopsis of the question.
Basically she is saying that how do we tell people the greatness, in the month of Dāmodara from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.
So through the different Vedic literatures, the greatness of the month of Dāmodara is mentioned.
But that is in the Padma Purāṇa and other Purāṇas.
Slightly mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
but the most important thing is to engage in devotional service and then during these special months and special days we get multiple benefits.
So to encourage people to engage in devotional service.
We mentioned how Jagāi and Mādhāi, by receiving the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura, they were able to achieve perfection in their lives.
So have them take up the service of Nitāi-Gaura.
Have them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Have them discussing in the holy month of Dāmodara.
Engage them in offering a lamp to Kṛṣṇa, chanting His holy names and doing some services to the devotees of the Lord and the Lord.
In this way, one may get a tastes.
Don’t be attached to the result.
If the persons accepts or maybe the person does not accept.
We don’t have the potency yet, then bring the person to someone who is more advanced
and by their association, that person might get changed.
In the market of the holy name described by Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura,
he said how some people sell the goods and some people act as brokers.
They bring the people to the sellers of the goods.
If you have the goods to sell, if you have the personal capacity to give Kṛṣṇa, then you give.
If you don’t have the capacity, you give Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books or bring them to someone who is more advanced
and then that person can hopefully be able to influence the person.
But don’t be discouraged.
Do as far as you can and sometimes may overtly show some disregard but later they change.
But this question said, he or she really believes in what she says and therefore the person remembers.
So the person may outwardly show disdain but inwardly he may be affected,
that how this devotee, how Priyanka is so sincere, I don’t believe in anything.
I was in one TV show in Montreal, Canada,
and they paid me at that time 45 dollars,
I had to play the part of a devotee. And ha! Ha!
It was not difficult for me.
My parents in the show they were trying to tell this kind of personal court.
I was wondering if I got some tips from my father, how I would use it in the service of Kṛṣṇa.
Which I discussed.
Alright, my father said, this acting father,
if I give a gift I want my son use it, not give it to the organization to use it for Kṛṣṇa.
That was the whole thing.
Then the judge, the personal judge was supposed to give his order.
So naturally there was scope for advertisement.
So during the stop the actor said, he really believes in what he is saying!
I don’t believe in anything.
That was his off the record comment.
So the judge he found that I was right, ha! Ha!
But it is a fact that most people don’t believe anything.
That was an eye opener for me.
Category: [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Vratās (Austerities)], [Vratās (Austerities) / Kārtika-māsa-vratā]
Thank you for the wonderful class - the fire sacrifice we just say they are saṁskāra, chanting of the holy names, that Kṛṣṇa is also known as the most renounced and is most satisfied. Does it mean that all the methods of self realization prescribed in the other yugas were meant for jīvas only? That the fire sacrifice in the Tretā-yuga was just a process of austerity and meditation?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-10-18
Jayapatākā Swami: In Satya-yuga they were doing meditation,
in Tretā-yuga they were doing fire sacrifice.
Actually, by the fire sacrifice they could actually have the Personality of Godhead appear,
and there are some descriptions of that.
That was truly amazing,
by fire sacrifice they could take an old cow and make it young,
they could do all amazing thing.
Now in the Kali-yuga that is forbidden because brāhmaṇas are not so qualified.
Questioner: Kackuly Rāṇī
Date: 2022-09-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you Kackuly Rāṇī for your nice question.
In the Puruṣottama month
Kṛṣṇa has accepted this month as nondifferent from Himself.
♫
So, they are regular attendees of this class,
Keya Rāṇī, Kackuly Rāṇī.
So on the CDM website
we are going to publish all the things that you can do in Puruṣottama month.
In the Dāmodara month,
you get hundred times benefit.
But in the Puruṣottama month, it is a 1000 times.
So basically, we do all the things
that we can do in the Dāmodara month,
and some more also.
It is not a good month for weddings or any kind of śubha-karma.
But it is very good for transcendental devotional service.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Dāmodarāṣṭakam – namāmīśvaraṁ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ.
Link: 20221024 Evening Darśana
Category: [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Mathurālīleśvarī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-09-22
Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, Dhruva Mahārāja was the grandson of Svāyambhuva,
the great grandson of Lord Brahmā.
He was a kṣatriya
and he wanted to achieve a post higher than his grandfather.
But then he was fully concentrating on the Kṛṣṇa japa.
So, by that means he was not being swayed.
But practicing these austerities in the age of Kali is not necessary.
By the mercy of Lord Caitanya, by the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda,
we can achieve pure devotion to Kṛṣṇa.
With some basic austerities we perform -
we eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda,
we chant our japa,
we avoid breaking the regulative principles.
Like this we stay occupied in Kṛṣṇa’s service.
So, if you do very harsh austerities,
there are dangers that your heart will become hard.
Some devotees, their heart becomes like gold and hard.
Some devotees’ hearts are like butter
and that melts.
So, we admire the great austerities of Dhruva,
but fortunately
we don’t necessarily have to perform
some austerities, our austerities are relatively simple.
Category: [Material World / Mind / Intelligence], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Vratās (Austerities)]
Questioner: Keya Rani
Date: 2022-10-15
Jayapatākā Swami: 1. We should observe it after that.
And plead to Kṛṣṇa for forgiveness.
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Attachment.
All off of… Sometimes the stress is external.
Sometimes obstacles are put up by demons.
So that creates a kind of distressful situation,
but if a person by learning to surrender to Kṛṣṇa in those times, by being tolerant, you see...
We have to learn tolerance.
Something that we have forgotten.
Something that can be, tolerance level can be built up, you see.
Just like in the airplane, I was flying over… and... Singapore Airline, there was one person who was very nasty to the steward.
But the steward completely kept his cool and just returned by saying, “Yes, sir,
I will…" The person was completely obnoxious, completely off the wall or something.
But the person just became very cool in reciprocation and just very suavely, you know, replied the person.
I was in Eastern Airways and some person who had drunk a few drinks just said a little something.
An American guy said, “You are not getting any drinks!
You want to stay on the plane?
No drinks! Otherwise, you get off!”
This is the way he dealt, you know.
A person immediately... He could have held it nicer.
“Listen buddy, you had too many.
Take it easy,” you know.
But no, the guy was so much on the air that steward, that as soon as he said, immediately, you know, he got all riled up.
So, you know, it’s a question of training.
Therefore, Singapore Airline gets a number one rating in the world, and Eastern is not within the rating, within America.
They don’t make even the top ten anyway.
But Singapore and Swiss are considered to be the best service in the world in terms of airline just because the stewards there are trained.
So, we can also be trained in tolerance, you see.
Generally, in America, we are trained not to be very tolerant for any kind of austerity.
Rather they go out to no end of creating new inventions - how you can avoid any kind of austerity, you see.
While living in India, one has to always take austerity because there is just no facility for aust… for anything but austerity.
There is no modern facilities like that but... on one level.
Here I find it very austere in the West for other reasons.
Different type of austerities.
Anyway, it is all relative.
But the main thing is we build up our tolerance to accept these different kinds of difficulties that may come up.
And rather than relate with them or start to become body-conscious and mental-conscious unnecessarily -
to become agitated by them, we overcome them by fixing our mind on Kṛṣṇa.
Just like it says in the Nectar of Devotion, “Say that you stub your foot,
at that moment instead of saying ouch or something or whatever some other thing, then you say Kṛṣṇa.
So that you don’t have to take another… just by that alone, you can get liberation.”
So the point is that when you are in distress, then where do you turn to?
You turn to your mind.
You turn to some other shelter.
Where do you take shelter?
When the pressure is on, where do you go for shelter, you know?
I know devotees who chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but when the going gets rough, when they get agitated, when they have difficulty, you know,
they go out and take a drug on the side.
They bloop, kind of half-bloop, and now they are very weak.
If there is any difficulty, they can’t learn.
They don’t take shelter of Kṛṣṇa.
Instead they go on take drugs.
Therefore, you know, they take a marijuana or something.
Of course, those are people not generally in our temples.
But I know there is people like that.
That as soon as going gets rough, they surrender to māyā, you see.
Instead of chanting more intensely, hearing more carefully, reading the śāstras, absorbing… taking shelter.
My mind is being agitated by something, either my own body or some external cause,
and so at that moment, to actually depend on, take shelter of Kṛṣṇa that is the best training for us.
If we learn to depend on Kṛṣṇa in difficulty, then at time of death,
when it comes the final exam, when that death is facing us, we are not going to turn to something else,
“Oh! I am in big trouble now, give me this, give me no.”
No. Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then we go back to Kṛṣṇa.
Death is a very painful thing, painful situation.
So how are we going to face that if we are already completely habituated to facing so many difficulties
and always depending on Kṛṣṇa, if it is a reflex.
Any difficulty comes we learn to depend on Kṛṣṇa.
Then naturally, in death we will depend on Kṛṣṇa.
In every situation, we will depend upon Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore, the devotee is always protected.
But if we learn to depend on any other material thing, then we have to again come back till we learn not to rely on any designation or anything else other than Kṛṣṇa.
He is our only crutch, He is our guide, guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Remember the words of the guru.
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