19920202 ISKCON Silver Jubilee Celebrations Evening Pandal Program

(Disclaimer: The following is a machine-generated transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. It will be reviewed and verified against the original audio soon.)

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja at the ISKCON Silver Jubilee Celebrations Evening Pandal Program on February 2, 1992 – in Coimbatore, India.

Pooja Guru Maharaj Swami Pataka Swami, devotees from different parts of the world of ISKCON. Dear patrons, ladies and gentlemen, we take it a great privilege and pleasure to invite His Holiness amidst us to be with us on this very important occasion. Today’s function is a continuation of yesterday’s Rathayatra which was in fact a grand success in Karnataka. For the first time. Guru Maharaj, who is so busy traveling all over the world, was kind enough to Camoria to inaugurate this chariot ceremony and bless us. We have been listening to his lectures and discourses for the last two days. He has been gracious enough to give his discourse today to this crowd followed by Guru Maharaj discourse. We will have Bhajan program by a very famous national artist, Anoop Jalota Ji and his troupe come all the way from Bombay.

With these words I once again invite all of you to actively participate and enjoy this program finally takes the blessings of Guru Maharaj Pare Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you very much Dr. Keshamurthy. I’d like to give you a brief introduction to His Holiness Jaipataka Swami Maharaj. His Holiness Jaipataka Swami Maharaj is one of the very senior, most and foremost disciples of his Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, whose transcendental murthy you see there, founder of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. At a very young age, His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Maharaj surrendered his life to Śrīla Prabhupāda and has been very actively working, moving all over the world and holding a huge responsibility of spreading the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement, the teachings of Lord Caitanya and spreading the holy name of the Supreme Lord. Presently he is the governing body Commissioner, an initiating Guru of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, traveling very widely and preaching to various sections of people all over the world. He’s now in over the past 20 years or so.

He’s an Indian citizen and he’s preaching actively in Bengal and is in charge of the world headquarters in Māyāpur and the development of the Vedic city there. So we will be very happy and very blessed today to hear from His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Maharaj a few words about the glories of Kṛṣṇa. Glories of Lord Jagannath Paladev and Shubhatvami Maharaj.

Like to welcome all of the life members and devotees to our first annual Rath Yātrā festival. The festival is being held on the 25th anniversary celebration of ISKCON of International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. Last night we talked extensively about the significance of Lord Jagannath Rath Yaptra festival. But we have not fully explained something about the history of ISKCON and its 25th anniversary. So I thought today I try to highlight some aspects of that and about the mission of the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement. We are coming in the disciplic succession from Lord Kṛṣṇa to Brahma to Narad to Vyas to Madhwa Charya, down through the line of Madhwa to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu and then down through his line. Five hundred years ago, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was present in this world.

It came down through the disciplic succession of Guru Paramparā until it reached our founder, his divine grace, Rlaesi Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a disciple of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswati Thakur, who was the founder of preaching of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement at the turn of the century all over India. And he established Marthas in Madras and other parts of South India as well. But it was his desire that Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message should be spread to the west, all over the world. Because Caitanya Mahprabhu had predicted that. In every town and village of the entire world this message My names, my holy names will be sung. So up to that point, this chanting of Sankirtanam had not been spread to the Western countries in any extensive way. So.

Our Guru names Guru had told our Guru that he should go to preach in the Western countries because he had master’s degree and was very fluent in English. So he said, you should preach in the Western countries where they speak English. But at that time, my spiritual master, he was only in his 20s. He was in the Gandhiji’s movement like most youth of that day. In 1922 he was newly married. So he had wife and family to take care of. But he was deeply impressed by the order of his Guru. He too decided to take this order to heart. And so he accepted DK from the Guru. And as a Grihasta he was engaging in his spiritual activities until 1956 when he took Bana Prast. And then he went and lived in Vrindavan. Later he took Sannyas in Vrindavan Mathurā.

And he remained in Vrindavan for 13 years until 1965. Anyway, somehow it was 13 years he was also in Vrindavan as a Grihasta just before taking manakras. So in 1965 he finally arranged a sponsor to send him to America that was the owner of the Scindia steamship Sumati Morag Ji. She gave him a berth on the Jaladud ship. And with 40 rupees and a box of Śiva and Bhāgavatams and Gītās he went to Boston and New York. While he was crossing the ocean he had two massive heart attacks. The Atlantic Ocean was very violent, very difficult to cross. Now we are flying over in few hours. But he was 45 days traveling from Cochin to Boston. So in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean he was having these heart attacks. He was praying to Kṛṣṇa that I may not be able to make it.

I don’t know why you brought me, but only for your purpose. So he made a very sincere prayer to the Lord that his will be done. Kṛṣṇa appeared to him in a dream. He saw Kṛṣṇa as the helmsman on a big boat. And on the boat there are many saintly people. And Śrīla Prabhupda, our Gurudev was there. And Kṛṣṇa told him that don’t fear going to take you across the ocean. After that the Atlantic Ocean became very peaceful. In fact, the captain put in a ship log that it was like the Pacific Ocean. He never had such a smooth journey across the Atlantic. So in this way Prabhupāda reads America alone with only Kṛṣṇa. And as he was in the harbor of New York that time, he wrote another prayer.

He said that Kṛṣṇa, you have brought me to this land of Tamas and Rajas, of ignorance and passion so that I can give these people pure goodness so I can give them the message of Bhagavad. So you have given me the name Bhaktivedant. So please make me dance any way that you want so that your desire is fulfilled. This is a very short way I am saying. So in 1965 he arrived and gradually he was able to reach the youth of America. At that time, in 1966, in July he registered the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in New York City. So we are celebrating our silver jubilee July 66th to July 1991 over to July 1992. So this is the last half of our 25th anniversary celebration. So Śrīla Prabhupāda, he brought the message of Bhagavad Gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in his registration.

He clearly said that the purpose of ISKCON is to spread the science of Bhagavad Gītā and Bhagavad Purāṇa. Bhagavad Gītā is the message of Kṛṣṇa spoken by the lotus mouth of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is spoken about the Lord and his avatars. So both are especially glorifying and giving Bhagavad Dharma. Bhagavad Dharma is the essence of Hindu Sanātana Dharma. Bhagavad Dharma is dealing with Bhagavān. In the Sveta SATV Upanishad it states Chaitanas Chetanan Nityash Nityanam that amongst all the conscious entities there is one supreme conscious entity, Nityas Nithyanam. All the Jivas are Nitya eternal. And amongst all the eternal living entities there is one supreme eternal Nithyanam, Virādhātu Kaman. And he alone is maintaining and sustaining all the other entities.

That Paraminshara, that supreme Lord, is the goal of all the Vedas to lead us to realize that supreme absolute truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Gītā Kṛṣṇa explains Vidaishtchara, The purpose of all the Vedas is to bring the people to knowledge about me. So in the Rig Veda it states, it says. Very parallel verses. The Kṛṣṇa is Sat Chitana, his eternal blissful knowledge informed Vikraha. He is the Ādi Purusha. He is the cause of all causes. He is the supreme Personality of Godhead. So Kṛṣṇa is the center of the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement. When Prabhupāda founded International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, someone suggested, why don’t you say International Society for God Consciousness? It is more general. Mashila Prabhupāda want to be very specific that God is a person. The word God is a title. It’s a position like President, Prime Minister.

God for Kṛṣṇa is indicating in Sanskrit the supreme personality of Godhead who is all attractive, who is the reservoir of all pleasure. So the principle of Bhagavad Dharma is that Brahma is realized in three forms. Brumeti, Paramatmi, Bhagavaniti, Sabyate as impersonal Brahman, as Super soul, Paramātmā in the heart and ultimately as Param Bhagavat. So everything is leading ultimately to the Bhagavān realization. But in the Western countries, people are not considering all these things. So when Prabhupda went to the west, he first had to tell people what is the difference between matter and spirit? What is the purpose of human life? In fact, I remember one time when he went in Australia. At that time the Australians Met him at the airport and the newspaper press representative, they asked him, Swamiji, you’re coming from India.

India is a poor country and Australia is a rich country. So why do you have come to beg from us? Our founder Acharya, he said that I have not come to beg from you, I have come to give you. I come from India with the message to save you from a cat and dog’s life. They were shocked. Swamiji, you’re saying we’re living a cat and dog’s life. Then Prabhupāda explained, you tell me cat and dog, they’re eating in the street, eating anything they find. No, you’re eating in a big restaurant or hotel with fork and spoon and table cover. But eating is the same. You’re going, the cat and dog are sleeping somewhere on a piece of grass or anywhere in a corner. You’re sleeping in a multi story building and a big bed, maybe air conditioned room. But sleeping is the same.

Cat and dog are fighting with claws and fangs. You may be fighting with missiles and rockets, but fighting is the same. A cat and dog are having sex on the street, on the beach, anywhere. In that regard you’re also the same in many places in the west. Or you’re also doing in hotel or bedroom. But sex life is the same whether cat, dog or human. So if this is the only purpose of life, to do these four things, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, then what is the difference between your goal in life and cat and God’s goal in life? Human life is meant for something more. Human life is meant for inquiring into the purpose of life, into absolute truth. Ataat Brahma Jig Gyasa. As Vedānta Sutra has explained.

So next day in the Age, one of the oldest newspaper of Melbourne, the most famous newspaper the Age published headline, the Swamiji has come to save us from cat and dog’s life. With some heading, he has come to hound us. They had a good sense of automatic stop. So Prabhupāda, he was very bold. He told them, you may be living in a hundred story multi story building, but just having a big building does not mean advancement of civilization. You may be driving around in a car with four wheels, but dog is running with four legs. If you’re both running for the same thing, what is the difference? Real development of civilization means to inquire into God, to inquire into the absolute truth. To know what is difference between matter and spirit.

So in this way he created a revolution around the world causing people to start to think and analyze in a totally different way that they did not consider in the past in the West. So human life has a special purpose, not only in the west or east, but everywhere. Human life, according to Vedas, is the culmination of evolution through 8,400,000 species of life. We go through the plant species, aquatic species, to the birds, the reptiles, insects, reptiles, birds, finally to the animals. And then through Purna Janma, we reach human form of life. So in this human form of life, we have got more intelligence. That intelligence is manifested through art, through science, through music, through culture. And the highest culture, the highest science, is the science of self realization. Kṛṣṇa explains that Rajavidhya Rajaguyam Pavitra Midamutta man.

This is the greatest of education, the greatest of secrets, is the most pure of all knowledge. Because it’s giving self realization of the self by personal.

(Side B of the Cassette)

That the Parodharma, the supreme dharma or.

Duty of all human beings, is to worship the inconceivable Lord. And that devotion, if it’s without any conditions, if it’s given with unbroken devotion, then it’s completely satisfying to the self. So human life is meant to inquire what is the absolute truth? Aata, Brahmachikgyasa, the animals, the dogs, cats, the frogs, they can’t do that. They are not able to make this inquiry. Only the human beings can do that. So this is the glory of the ancient culture of the Vedas, which was revealed here india. It synthesizes self realization with our material duties. The whole Varnashram system, taking one from Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Banapra, sanyas, the whole ashram system, was to systematically train our children in Brahmacharya, to work for the interest of Guru, to be trained up in spiritual knowledge and material knowledge, side by side.

Then going into the Grahasta life to do dana, to give, to do Yajnas, to do charity and sacrifices, and to build a Kṛṣṇa, a God conscious Kṛṣṇa conscious family, religious family. Then when one is older to retire and take bana prast, where husband and wife, they are visiting holy places and doing other types of worship. And finally, of course this is not recommended in Kali Yuga, but otherwise for some this, the Sannyas Ashram is also there. So in this way the whole purpose of the native culture was bringing one to self realization,.

Reducing our dependence on.

Artificial material things and having us depend more on the absolute truth on Kṛṣṇa, on Ram, on different forms of the Lord. So Bhagavad Gītā clearly explains how there is this Prakriti, there’s this material nature, and there’s a living entities who are known as Purushas because we are trying to enjoy the material nature.

But then there is the Parampurusha or Paramishwara.

He is the supreme controller and he.

Is the real controller. When we try to control the material world, we get entangled in its complexities. But when we use the Prakriti in the service of the Parampurusha, the Param Ishwara, then we become liberated. This is the essence of Karma Yoga. You do your activity offering the results to Kṛṣṇa, offering your results to Kṛṣṇa, you don’t get any of the entangling karmas. How could Kṛṣṇa tell Arjuna to fight.

In a battle and you will be free from all the reactions.

If you offer.

All of the activities as an offering of devotion to me, just like if someone working in police force or army,.

If their captain or commander orders them,.

You do like this, they’re not responsible. Their authority has to take the responsibility for his orders.

Only if they act independent of any order.

They have to be responsible for any excess.

See, if we are acting under the order of the Supreme Lord and we.

Are free from the Karmas. So this science was given for the first time in the Western countries in a very broad way. Science of Bhakti, Yoga, Karma Yoga. And now there are over about 279 or 300 branches in the whole world. Thousands of satsanga groups, maybe 5,000 or more. There’s vathyatras in more than 50 or 75 cities. I don’t know the exact number because recently in the erstwhile Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independence, sovereign states of Russia and Ukraine and everything, they have started 17 Rath Yatras in the past two years. Last year there were 17. This year there may be more. And Bhagavad Gītā has been distributed in over billion over. I think it’s 500 million copies where it’s going for 1 billion copies by 1996, which is the centennial of our founder.

So Bhagavad Gītā, in The beginning of 1991 we sent 200,000 copies in Russian and different Soviet languages from India to last the whole year. But in two months time, all of the Gītās were sold. In fact, they’re advertising on television in all the subways, buses, everywhere you go. In Moscow, St. Petersburg, which was Leningrad, all these places you will see everywhere Bhagavad Gītā. I got report that some days 2000 Bhagavad Gītā orders are coming in by VPP posts. There’s such a demand for Bhagavad Gītā now in the Soviet Union. So we have already in three years since the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement had been legalized. There are over 60 branches with tens of thousands of people following all the systems. So movement is spreading very quickly. I saw also I was in Poland this year.

There they have three centers and one Indian businessman has contributed deities. Radh Hare Kṛṣṇa and Gornitai Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. And they have installed the deities there. And there are 60 Satsanga groups called Namahattas throughout the Poland. And they had some big concerts where all the children, all the youth were listening to guitar class, listening to Bhajans and then chanting in Sankirtanam from 5pm until midnight. And they didn’t want to leave. The owner of the stadium, 5,6000 people.

At one time, all singing and dancing he requested.

Please sir, please stop it now because we have to turn off the electricity and everything. It’s already midnight. So a very big response is coming in new fields. So Caitanya Mahprabhu’s prediction that in all the countries and towns and villages of the world, this Sankirtan movement, the holy chanting of Hari Nama, glorified in the Vedas, will be spread. Now we can see that it’s come true. By the efforts of our founder, his divine grace, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and with the support of the life members and devotees here india and all over the world, the movement is spreading also more rapidly. So. We are very honored that Rath Yātrā has begun here in Coimbatore.

And although this is the latest city where Rath Yātrā has been inaugurated, the Kṛṣṇa Jagannath Ratam, it is not a political ratam but this is a traditional ratam as is performed in Purī or Udepi or other sacred places. This is the same Ratam we are performing in Australia, in Los Angeles, in New York, in Washington, in Toronto, in Vancouver, in London, in Paris, in South Africa, Durban, in South America, in Tokyo, in Kuala Lumpur and so many other countries of the world, the same that is performed in Purī. As I mentioned, this Ratam has now been performed here. But we find here that all this is the first year. But the devotees of Coimbatore have spontaneously come forward and their enthusiasm is very enlivening. So we’re very.

Overjoyed to actually announce that the Rata Jagannath Rata festival committee this morning has told me that they want to organize even in a bigger way the Ratham festival in the coming year. And they also want to find a permanent place for establishing the Pūjā for Lord Jagannath. So I think that everyone should give a hand to the Ratham community here in Coimbatore for their enthusiasm and for their very selfless service and putting on this festival and having Anoop Jalorta also come here tonight. This festival is organized through ISKCON but the actual organizers are a team of devotees and patrons who have put together.

So this is actually an example I.

Am telling as a conclusion to my short discourse here that this is also a living example.

What is Karma Yoga? What is Bhakti Yoga matter? You have to do something different than you know how to do. Kṛṣṇa never told Arjuna, you leave your family, leave your occupation, you become a man. Making Arjuna was threatening to do that. He said, you’re a grihasta, you’re a warrior, you’re a prince, you’re a politician. How are you going to leave your own swaddhan? You’re going to be drawn. Even if you want to, you will be drawn back.

Once you hear Bhima, you just hear crying for you.

You won’t be able to stay away. You have to do what’s natural. But if you do it for winning or losing, you will get the karma phone. If you win, you get this fall.

If you lose, you get this fall, this fruit.

But if you do it as a seva, as a devotion, as a karma.

Yoga for me, as an offering to.

Me, then you will come to me. Then I will take responsibility for your life. This is a great secret. So when someone is doing their work, but they are offering some result to Kṛṣṇa, they are doing it with the ultimate objective. Let me be able to serve the Lord better. This is the secret to get out of the Punachandma, out of the entanglement of karmas. This material world is very difficult to cross over.

This material world is known as Durga.

Dura means difficult and Ga means prison. To get out of the material world, prison of birth and death is very difficult. Is very difficult Durakaya, very difficult to get over this energy of Kṛṣṇa. He has spread his Māyā like the spider web. We get tangled in it, we cannot get out. But then Kṛṣṇa gives this secret. Mama Eva Jay prabadyante mayam etantarante. Whoever surrenders to me, who takes my shelter, who works for me, who I.

 will deliver him from this Māyā.

If we become like a spider’s baby, the spiders, they can crawl all over the web. They are not getting entangled. Only the flies are getting entangled. When we are serving Kṛṣṇa under his shelter, we like the baby spiders, we can crawl on the web of Māyā and not get entangled. But if we are not under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then like the fly, will get caught in the wind. So it’s up to every individual to choose. will I work for God?

 will I work for Kṛṣṇa, work for the Supreme?

 will that be my ultimate objective in life? It’s not difficult sing bhajans. He said, naturally, all your forefathers are doing, many of you are already doing, simply to make it as a very deep routine, with deep faith that this is the system we have to continue.

It, to do the Bhajans, to chant.

The Nama, to read the Bhagavad Gītā, Śrīmad Bhagavad to take a diksha from bona fide guru and to engage our.

Intelligence in the service of the Lord.

So just like Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna, you do your duty. The managing committee used their own ability. According to their own ability. They gave their energy and that’s how this festival went on. And that’s the Karma Yoga, that’s the Bhakti Yoga you add to the Karma. If they also do Japam and do the pujams, then it’s Bhakti.

And if they’re just working, then it’s the Karma Yoga.

But both will lead one to the perfectional platform.

So we hope that many of you will take inspiration and also participate in.

This Karma Yoga Yagyam. Bhakti Yoga Yagyam.

And in this way achieve the Param.

Gatine, the supreme destination of life.

And this is the purpose of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness of ISKCON. We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary. The purpose is to let people reach.

Back home, back to Godhead Oṁ Tad Vishnu Paramam Padam.

To reach the supreme destination in the spiritual world at the end of this life. Thank you very much. It.