20110829 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question-and-Answer session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on August 29th, 2011 in Śri Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The Question-and-Answer session was given with English and Bengali translation.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurum dīna-tāranam
paramānanda mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya īśvaraṁ

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Whatever I speak, Sujitendriya will translate. And whatever I say in English, he will also translate into Bengali. So, Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa to be his guru. And, before, he was the friend of Kṛṣṇa. But he wanted that Kṛṣṇa would speak to him as a guru. Kṛṣṇa here in this verse is saying, “Take a guru. And by following a self-realized guru, by surrendering to him, by asking him questions, by serving him, he will reveal the truth to you. (Bg. 4.34)” So, Kṛṣṇa here, He is advising that Arjuna should have a spiritual guru. So, this advice is for all of us. We all need a spiritual guru. So, that's why I was very fortunate that I had Prabhupāda as my sat-guru. But according to Jīva Gosvāmī, one may also have a vyavahārika-guru. That's someone who acts like a guru, but he doesn't actually have transcendental knowledge. So, like this, everyone needs to have a spiritual guru. Today is the appearance day of His Holiness Gaura Govinda Swami. He was such a spiritual guru. He translated Prabhupāda's books even to Oriya. And he was a bit heavy in his preaching. But guru means heavy. So, he was heavy, but he was merciful. And I saw his temple, his Deities, and there I learned how he developed this temple gradually. Also he stayed in a grass hut but he built a marble temple for Lord Kṛṣṇa. Prabhupāda said to build a temple for Nitāi-Gaura and for also Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Also there is Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā. So, these are the three Deities. And then he built also a temple to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. He was very kind to me. He left his body here in Māyāpur. He was talking about Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and that time he read something, he was very very ecstatic, and he stopped breathing. No one would expect that he was going to leave. But he left very much thinking about Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, I just mentioned a little bit about him, but there is so much which could be said. I was very fortunate that Prabhupāda asked me to help him, and I was helping him all the way through, and I had his association.

Now, this verse is very important because it also tells us how we should approach a guru. We should ask questions. We should also do service. We should surrender. Praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. Upadekśyanti - we should also follow his instructions. Also Prabhupāda, he told us the secret of success is to please the previous spiritual masters. So, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he wanted that his books should be distributed. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda also took this up. And he was very grateful because boys and girls also helped him distribute books. Also Prabhupāda wanted to develop the dhāma of Māyāpur. So, he was very grateful for the help to develop the dhāma. And he expresses sometimes. So, like this, we are trying to fulfil the desire of the previous ācāryas and Śrīla Prabhupāda.

So, every āśrama also has its duty. Like the brahmacārī-āśrama is considered as a bit free āśrama because we don't have to think anything about big gṛhastha responsibilities. They can concentrate on serving Kṛṣṇa and guru. Now the gṛhasthas - they have a lot of responsibilities. The husband, for the wife and children. The wife, for the husband and the children. In this way there are so many responsibilities.

“Child worship is more important than Deity worship. If you cannot spend time with your child, then stop the duties of pujārī. These children are given to us by Kṛṣṇa. They are Vaiṣṇavas and you must be very careful with them. These are not ordinary children. They are Vaikuṇṭha children, and we are very fortunate that we can give them chance to advance further in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is a very great responsibility. Do not neglect it or be confused.”

-Śrīla Prabhupāda, Letter to Arundhatī, July 30, 1972.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, I read it this morning. I was very moved. We as brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, we don't have this responsibility. But those who took gṛhastha-āśrama, they need to take this raising of children very seriously. The children should not feel neglected because of Kṛṣṇa. They should know that Kṛṣṇa has sent these children, and we have our duty, our sevā to Kṛṣṇa, to give our love and affection and also try to train them to be a devotee. As Prabhupāda said, this is a great opportunity. Now, like I was saying, each āśrama has its speciality. If you don't want children, if we don't want to train the children to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, then don't get married. Then you remain brahmacārī. But if you get married, these are the rules. Kṛṣṇa sends you a child, it is your duty to be a good example to train that child to be a nice devotee. And as Prabhupāda said, “This is a great opportunity. We should not lose our gṛhasthas. They should not think, ‘Kids are māyā’. They are the reason for being a gṛhastha!” Now, if we can't have a child, that is another thing. If Kṛṣṇa didn't send you or there is some alternatives. Anyway, like that, every āśrama has got some special responsibilities and special activities. But whether you are a gṛhastha or you are a brahmacārī or vānaprastha or a sannyāsī - everybody should have a sat-guru. And by taking this spiritual guru, he will guide you. But some people went to Prabhupāda, and they came with their marriage problems. And although Prabhupāda, he was a gṛhastha earlier, he said, "Now I am a sannyāsī. I should not have to deal with this." My senior disciples, gṛhasthas, they should give you counselling. So, there is a limit how much we can know as a sannyāsī.

Anyway, I will be very happy if you all take some responsibilities to help others. If you are a senior devotee, help those who are juniors. Now the senior brahmacārīs can help in certain aspects, and those who are senior gṛhastha devotees, they can help in different other ways. In this way it is everybody's responsibility to help the spiritual master. So, I usually give some time for questions and answers. So, are there are any questions?

Sujitendriya Prabhu: There are seven questions. Two are from the internet.

Question: In the past few days I haven't been able to chant properly and relish Harināma. How can I get the taste back?

Jayapatākā Swami: Start chanting! If you start chanting for a few days, then that will give your taste back. If you chant sixteen rounds, that is very nice. If you cannot do that, how much can you chant? Eight mālā, twelve mālā? Do how much you can and fix a minimum standard. And if you do less that that standard that you have made, then keep record how many rounds you could not make up, and you fill up those rounds.

Question: Guru Mahārāja, PAMHO. Sometimes we feel great separation from our guru when we cannot see our guru. How can we deal with this and how can we maintain our steadfastness in our devotion. Please Gurumahārāja, bless us that our Bhakti-vṛkṣa group flourish, and please bless us so that we can stay strong in our devotion.

Jayapatākā Swami: Let’s all give our blessings to Prāṇeśvarī Lakṣmī Devī dāsī and her bhakti-vṛkṣa group by saying three times Hari bol! *Guru mahārāja and devotees chant ‘Hari bol!’ thrice*

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that when one thinks of the guru, he will think of that devotee. Now, I have been thinking of you for a few days, that how you are doing and I haven't heard from you. So, you are thinking of me and I am thinking of you.

Haribol!

Question: Please accept my humble obeisances.

1. While I am taking prasādam, if my consciousness is polluted and I am thinking of mundane things, then what will be the result?

2. After six months are over, it is said that we can take up any service like Nāmahaṭṭa preaching, saṅkīrtana preaching or school preaching. I would like to know from you which service would be the most beneficial or most assisting to my spiritual advancement. Your humble servant, a new Devotee, Biplab Das.

Jayapatākā Swami: He has two questions? He has to pay for the extra. (laughter) I forgot the question? Well, if you eat prasādam you will be getting the benefit of eating the prasādam. If you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa and have the devotional attitude, by your eating prasādam, then it will have more effect on your heart. Therefore, in this way, we should always try to think of Kṛṣṇa when we are taking kṛṣṇa-prasāda. But if you cannot, even then you will get the benefit of eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

What to say which service you will get? All services are very good. Saṅkīrtana, Nāmahaṭṭa, school preaching, all are nice. But the person has to see what he is qualified for. What he is good at. Today I heard that most of the new devotees go on saṅkīrtana, and that is very good training for them. But sometimes they also go to other departments. So, later on I can tell you what is the best service for you seeing your particular quality.

Question: Guru Mahārāja, what is the result of committing suicide?

-Sanātana Gopāla Dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: The result of committing suicide is that as long as you would have lived, for that period of time we have to remain as a ghost. But if that person is brāhmaṇa, then he becomes a brahma-rākṣasa, because the brāhmaṇa is supposed to know that one is not supposed to commit suicide. To destroy the body is the right of Lord Kṛṣṇa. We have no right. Keep this completely out of your mind.

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja, I go through strong and weak period in sādhanā. A few months I wake up early and chant, and few months I struggle to chant early. Any advice please? 

Jayapatākā Swami: You didn't tell why you are having difficulty waking up early in the morning. I heard... someone asked Prabhupāda, “How do we get up early?”

Prabhupāda said, “Don't take heavy meal at night. Take some light meal.”

So, Prabhupāda, he would usually take muri at night. Otherwise, it also depends how much sleep you need, and accordingly you take rest early. These are practical advice. I don’t know why some days you are able to do and some days you are facing difficulties. But this is one of the anarthas. It is called the thick and thin (gāḍha and patlā). That sometimes we are very enthusiastic and sometimes we are very weak. So, by thinking of guru and by following this verse today, you will get more steady. So, you can meanwhile regulate your spiritual life.

Haribol!