20011222 Ratha-yatra Address in Penang, Malaysia

The following is a Ratha-yātrā festival lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 22^nd December 2001, in Penang, Malaysia.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master His Divine Grace Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, ISKCON, Found-Ācārya (Spiritual master/ Guru). I offer my obeisances to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who started the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement 500 years ago in Eastern India, and unto the Lordships Jagannātha Baladeva and Subhadrā—Kṛṣṇa Balarāma and Subhadrā—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Supreme expansion of Godhood and Supreme energy of Godhead.

Today we are celebrating something very special this year. One of the last few days of 2001. In the year 1971, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda came to Malaysia and brought the Kṛṣṇa consciousness here. So now we are celebrating the conclusion of the 30^th year anniversary celebration of Prabhupāda’s coming to Malaysia. Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya.

Śrīla Prabhupāda at that age, he was 70 years old, when he left India in 1965 to bring the message of peace and love and in spiritual wisdom to the world. His travels brought him all over the world about 14 times. When he came to the western world, people questioned him, what is he doing bringing a culture from the east to the west?” Śrīla Prabhupāda explain that you are not a westerner and I am not a easterner, and I’m not an Indian, you are not an American or a Chinese or a Russian. Because actually from a spiritual point of view we are not this body. We are the living force within the body. This is the science of self-realization explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to be presented as more than a religion; because it’s the evitable science of life. Who am I? So Śrīla Prabhupāda by his message, he showed that everyone is equal from all the different races, all the different religions. In the eyes of God, we are all equal. We are all His divine children. He showed that as spiritual beings, we have a higher purpose in life, side-by-side with our material progress, with our economic development, with our material activities to really fulfill the mandate and potential as a human being, we need to also spiritually develop. We need to understand our own spiritual nature. We need to understand our relationship with the Supreme Lord, with the Supreme God, Supreme Absolute Truth. We need to know, how we fit in this existence, in this creation, and how we can fulfil our full spiritual potential.

A true spiritualist is also a caring person. First, they want to qualify themselves to be able to help others by achieving a certain degree of perfection and spiritual practices. Just like if somebody wants to be a lifesaver in a swimming pool or a beach, they need to learn how to swim, they need to learn, the life saving techniques. Then in case somebody is drowning in the water, they can go, and they can lift that person out from the water. Not too long-ago India, there was a case, where a son fell in the water on the river and the father was so excited, he jumped into the river to save his son. But when he was in the water, he realized he didn’t know swimming. And both the son and the father died. So we want that the devotees who practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness should become very well developed in their character, in their morals, in their spiritual knowledge. They should know the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And they should practice the spiritual teachings in their own life. Because we set, the next we taught by example. At the same time, they should care about others.

Lord Caitanya said, janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra (Cc. Ādi 9.41). Perfect your human life and help others. It is not enough only to seek our own perfection, we should also try to help others, who are in need.

Today in this modern society, we see that there are a lot of things which are progressed. But sometimes the character of the people does not progress. Because if they don’t have that spiritual ingredient in their life, then they can also become very misdirected and selfish. If we see that there is one God, there is one ultimate religion, which is service to God. There may be many forms of established practice. We should respect all the different forms of religion that people worship the Supreme Lord. According to the Vedas, God has unlimited names. He is known as ananta-rūpa, ananta-dhāma. So with all those different names, he may be worshiped in different countries and different cultures in different ways. We are trying to preserve our own tradition and show how it is useful for those, who want to practice it. At the same time, we respect the traditions of others and we appreciate any service which is meant to develop this love for God and to help others to advance in their spiritual development.

I appreciate it. The previous speaker and offering my regards for warning us against religious extremism and intolerance. We should be tolerant for all the religions, and we hope that the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement will be able to contribute to the religious harmony, racial harmony, and social harmony that exists here in Malaysia. We hope that the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, to its public services will be able to show a good example in society and be able to contribute something to the progress and development of the society.

I’m very glad to see the large number of young people who are participating in the Ratha-yātrā festival from different walks of life. To see them dancing and singing. It shows that people can be happy by natural religious and spiritual expression. Today, in the modern society, the wrong idea has been given that happiness can be achieved through drugs, that happiness can be achieved through intoxication, that a happiness can be achieved to violence and social degradation. But today we have seen a practical demonstration by the Penang branch of the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. How through this festival of chariots, through this festival of music and culture, there has been overflowing of happiness, overflowing of joy. We want to see this happiness and joy spread throughout society. We appreciate very much that we have the freedom here to practice our religion. We appreciate the Government for allowing this religious freedom in this free country of Malaysia.

I am coming from India as a guest, but as a Governing Body of ISKCON, representing the world body of ISKCON, I can appreciate the wonderful environment that you have here. The harmony and the support we are getting from all the communities is very much appreciated. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu came 500 years ago in India, when India was under a Mogul rule and there was a lot of intolerance at that time. But Lord Caitanya was able to establish the religious freedom for His people at that time by nonviolent means, and He was able to establish a spiritual standard in society. He spread the message that ultimately, we should love Kṛṣṇa or God, and that we can develop that love by chanting His holy names. Especially, He said, although there are limited names, we find in the Vedas that there is no name more highly recommended than the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

It was interesting that today in The Star newspaper, it also published that in England, they came up with a report that by chanting yogic mantra and catholic hymns as compared to ordinary talking, they found it was very good for the heart, and it brought down the breathing rate and the heart pulse to a very healthy level. So, it seems that even modern scientists are seeing some material benefit to chanting-up mantras. We like people to chant not only for the material benefit, but for the spiritual benefits as well. But we do hope that everyone will take advantage of this simple process. There are many complicated processes of religion. But this Kṛṣṇa conscious system has been made so that people, even if they don’t want to practice all the aspects of the religion, they can use the meditation and repeat the mantra. The mantra is so effective that if anyone chances, he will feel happy, he’ll feel peaceful and you will see that his own nature of goodness will become developed. It is a miracle mantra that brings out the best in everyone.

So there are many other speakers. I wouldn’t like you to take too much time, but I’d like to again appreciate and express my regards for all the organizers of this program with the Penang organizing committee and my respects to all of the sannyāsīs and gurus, who have come here from all over the world and here from Malaysia to participate in this festival. I have been able to welcome to Ratha-yātrās in Penang, I can say this one was very exceptional, well organized and I really like to see, how the [inaudible] also offering their respects to Kṛṣṇa, Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā, showing a real cultural integration. And we are sure that all those who have participated today they will get unlimited blessings from the Lord. We hope that their lives will be successful. [End of recording]