20200505 Zoom Session with IYF Chennai

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 5th,2020 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The address was given to the Iskcon IYF in Chennai via zoom.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: I think I gave a class to the Chennai devotees, I don’t know if you were there. I talked a little bit about the corona virus, COVID-19, that we want all of you to be healthy to avoid the virus. Since the virus can be passed on to the next very easily and the virus stays alive on a hard surface for up to three days, and if someone coughs then it stays in the air up to 2 meters or 6 feet for a minute or two. That is why they are saying in case you are taking off your shoes with your hands, and touch the hard surface, you may get the virus on your hand. So frequently washing your hands would protect you from that. Of course, why they say social distancing because one person can pass it to another. All these things are very practical. But actually they don’t yet have a vaccine. Although they are trying very hard but there is no guarantee to find a vaccine. HIV has no vaccine yet although they tried very hard. Since there is no treatment it is verse according to the allopaths. Recently we tried some alternate treatments, one was made by a Russian doctor, a devotee, Audārya Dhāma Dāsa and he was using some ginger and turmeric root product and some Chinese devotees told what their experience was with hot water and things. So, 37 of the devotees that proved positive in Bangladesh, they started this treatment and 36 of them have now turned negative. So we are trying to do some trials, scientifically to show that this alternative method works. But right now all the people they have worked on are devotees, they are vegetarian. They chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. We are telling people to chant some mantra and be vegetarian and take the care. That is our trial. Anyway if you know anyone who would want to be part of the trial or who have turned positive or have some symptoms, then I can give the email of the doctor who is doing the trial. Dr. Vinay Gauracandra. He passed from the John Hopkins University and he knows how to do a study which should be scientifically accepted.

Anyway, apart from this material disease, we want people to be cured of their spiritual disease. To chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, to practice bhakti-yoga. And thus to transcend this world of birth and death. Every evening at 6 pm IST I give a class on Caitanya-līlā, today at 6.12 pm. So we see how Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa, He is the source of all the incarnations of Godhead. He heard the thousand names of Viṣṇu and heard the names of Nṛsiṁhadeva and He fell into the mood of Nṛsiṁhadeva. Every avatāra has a particular mood. Nṛsiṁhadeva’s mood is normally very angry to protect His devotees. And because of that anger, He is looking for the demons, looking for Hiraṇyakaśipu, looking for the person who was causing abuse and mistreatment to His dear devotee Prahlāda! So, in that mood Lord Caitanya ran out on the street with a club in His hands. WHERE ARE THE DEMONS? WHERE ARE THE DEMONS? I WILL KILL THEM ALL! The people saw Him in that angry mood and they ran. He saw the people running away. But His natural mood was merciful and He had just fallen in the mood of Nṛsiṁhadeva. Then He went back and asked the devotees whether He had committed a great offence? They said no, that anyone who saw You in this mood, they are all delivered! You are the eradicator of all the offences. You are eradicator of all sinful reactions. So, You cannot offend anyone. And by seeing You people are rather forgiven for unlimited sins and offences, ten million.

Anyway I was seeing different devotees, and I saw how the ladies were very enthusiastic. Actually in the families, you could see that they were very inspirational for the family. By zoom I went to many households. I saw the Deities, it was very, very inspirational. I was thinking that the Vaiṣṇavīs in Chennai will have a very big impact and help a lot in the preaching, if they are married, they can have a very good influence on their families. So it is very important that ladies be Kṛṣṇa conscious. So somehow all the effort seems to be on the men, but I see that most men get married, but ladies are very important. So I am trying to give importance also to ladies as the men. Like in the pastime a few days ago, Lord Caitanya by raising His kartālas in the air looking upwards He drove away the rainclouds. Then it said all the men were chanting Haribol! Haribol! Jaya Jaya! Then it said that the wives of the brāhmaṇas, they made ulu-dhvanī. Ulu ulu ulu! So that meant that the wives of the brāhmaṇas were somewhere behind the kīrtana. And they were also tasting that spiritual rasa of the kīrtana. I noted that. Nobody mentions that aspect! But I see that the Vaiṣṇavīs are very important. So I am very happy to have your darśana and answer your questions. And if there is any way I could help you in your spiritual life. Hare Kṛṣṇa! Is Sukṛtī Mādhavī DD there? Hare Kṛṣṇa! Thank you for taking care of these girls. If they have any questions I will try to answer a couple and then try to see some devotees.

Question: In SSR I recently read a paragraph where Śrīla Prabhupāda writes how Prahlāda Mahārāja, he doesn’t feel anxious for himself. He feels anxious for other people in general. But how will we get that mood because even when we preach we are sometimes scared for ourselves?

Jayapatākā Swami: Since we understand that everyone is a part of Kṛṣṇa, then if we love Kṛṣṇa naturally all the parts of Kṛṣṇa you love. Say, you love your father, you love his fingers, everything. You don’t want him to lose his finger. Similarly, all the living entities are part of Kṛṣṇa but those who are not devotees, they are like diseased parts. They don’t really work just like my right hand since my stroke by right hand is not paralyzed but paresis. It doesn’t really do what I want to do. Shakes around! So, like that, the conditioned souls of non-devotees are like diseased limbs. But they are also suffering. The Vaisṇavas are para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. We feel sad to see others suffering. We know that they could be happy if they become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Naturally, Prahlāda Mahārāja was very compassionate, he was thinking about all the others. He was not asking for himself. Actually, Kṛṣṇa gives His devotees everything he needs. But the devotee cares that the fallen souls should also be delivered. So, now we are on the eve of Nṛsiṁha Caturdaśī, that is tomorrow. Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was always remembering Kṛṣṇa, therefore he was always protected by Kṛṣṇa. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was praying, that I am not able to remember Kṛṣṇa always, so please have mercy on me that I can always remember You. The devotee wants to have the mercy of the Lord. And also feels, like actually, Haridāsa Ṭhākura said he cannot remember Kṛṣṇa, but no one believes that! He chants 300,000 rounds a day! What we chant in one year, he chants in one month! So, he would be beaten in 22 market places and he was praying for the executioners who were beating him that they may be forgiven. They don’t know what they do. So Kṛṣṇa Caitanya said that he came down with His Sudarśana Cakra to kill them, but then Haridāsa Ṭhākura was praying for them! So He could not kill them. What did He do? He took all the hits on His own back to protect His devotee! So the more we know about how Lord Caitanya is how merciful the great devotees are, we would also like to follow their footsteps. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he prayed if I can ask for one blessing, Lord Caitanya said anything, anything you can ask. ANYTHING! What would you do if you could ask the Lord ANYTHING? And what was the thing that Haridāsa Ṭhākura asked? I want the remnants of Vaiṣṇavas! Ha! Ha! Could you believe this! He asked for the remnants of the Vaiṣṇavas! Ha! Ha! Because Kṛṣṇa said, the dust of the devotees’ feet, the water that washes the devotees’ feet and the remnants of their prasāda are very powerful to give love of Kṛṣṇa. So Haridāsa Ṭhākura asked for the remnants of the Vaiṣṇavas. How great is Haridāsa Ṭhākura! That the Lord embraced him!

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Question: I have a question based on my profession. I am an advocate in Delhi High Court. I also write pages in newspaper on Hinduism and way of life how we can promote it.

Jayapatākā Swami: Every job has got some defect. Even a brāhmaṇa, a Purohit he has to do some sacrifice for materialists. So the advocate, naturally they have to represent sometime people who are guilty. But the advocate still has to defend him. So everything we do has some defect. In the present society everybody has a right to defense. If the advocate is very expert he may save a person. But that person may be actually guilty! But by the advocate being expert, they may be saved. So, the thing is that one could try to be selective but that may not be possible. The other thing is that what we earn, we give a certain percentage to Kṛṣṇa, in that way, you are doing your job for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. And you are not responsible ultimately for the person who you are defending. The thing is that each person, if you do your service as an offering to Kṛṣṇa and you try to be expert. So you said that you also write articles in the newspapers. So we hope that you get education in the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda. And be able to represent Sanātana Dharma in a proper way. Because you are an advocate in the High Court naturally you have a certain respect in the society. So use that for Kṛṣṇa. In that way, you can balance your material and spiritual life. I am very happy to meet you. You said you are the niece of Ajīta Gopinātha das.

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Question: How we can prevent our mind from wandering when we are chanting our rounds?

Jayapatākā Swami: Mind by nature wanders. We bring it back by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You can change your tune, you can chant Pañca-tattva mantra or if you can look at a picture of Kṛṣṇa or His avatāras, this way also it helps to fix the mind. I would chant three rounds and time myself, how long it takes to chant three rounds. Because I had many things to do during the day, so whenever anything would come in my mind I used to write down in my notebook. Then I don’t have to think about it anymore. At the end of my japa I would open my notebook and see. But during the japa I would fix my mind on chanting.

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Question: I am an assistant professor of psychology and a counseling psychologist. In this lockdown period I have been attending classes by Sukṛtī mātājī and Amarendra prabhu. And I have also started taking classes for a bunch of middle aged people older than me. Request you Guru Mahārāja to kindly bless me so that they also feel inspired to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness and I can also do more preaching services and progress in my Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So you are an assistant professor, you have a Master’s degree or PhD. The Supreme Court was saying that more people may die from the fear of the corona virus. So psychologists are very important. For counseling they said, they should do bhajana, kīrtana and namaz and have counseling. So you could help us also.

Kṛṣne matir astu!