20130329 Talk at the International Bhakti-vṛkṣa Convention.

29/MAR/2013

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami gave a talk at the International Bhakti-vṛkṣa Convention.

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭāya bhū-tale

śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracārine

nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim

yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam

paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram

First of all I would like to take this opportunity welcome all the devotees present. So, on our first of the Bhakti-vṛkṣa convention they want to focus on the implications and application of Bhakti-vṛkṣa small groups in Māyāpur. I was very impressed to hear Saṅkarṣaṇa Nitāi Dāsa on his vision of Bhakti-vṛkṣa around Māyāpur. Although I am here, this is the first time I heard him speaking about Bhakti-vṛkṣa. So, very nice. We know now that Bhakti-vṛkṣa can be adopted to variety of circumstances and we see that in America they have Bhakti-vṛkṣas not only for Indians, but also for Americans. And the Bhakti-vṛkṣas for Latinos, for Russians. So, it’s not people try to say that, “Oh! Bhakti-vṛkṣas are only for Indians.” It is for everybody. So, just like Kṛṣna consciousness. Prabhupāda told us here in Māyāpur there will be 25,000, 50,000 community. And I was here when there were five devotees living in the grass-hut. And just three years ago there may be 300 devotees, now there are over 3,000 – 50 different countries – 50 different gurus. Whatever I am saying, it may be already in the past.  The land price here, I compared with the land price in Bangaluru – it is more expensive here. So, at least in the suburbs is will be equal. But, something that could be used to unite our community, any community for that matter. We don’t want to have what exist in the outside world where people are impersonal, no one know the other person. Everybody should feel this is our home that they belong. So, at least if they have a circle of friends, so they could use some of the Bhakti-vṛkṣa aspects – ice breaking – How did you come to Māyāpur? Why did you decided to be here? Like that they can discuss, get to know each other. And then there is no class, they can have discussions. Instead of class, have short class and discussion. Also through discuss – how they can do some service for the Deities for the outside preaching, these are all part of normal Bhakti-vṛkṣas – Ice breakers, discussions, preaching strategies. So these things help to build a community. And then the possibility we heard from Saṅkarṣaṇa Nitāi to expand outside in Krishna Nagar, Navadvīpa in areas around Māyāpur. He said, we need group leaders, so there are many devotees who have come to Māyāpur who are very senior. They can easily be group leaders. So, if someone has a time and has the heart, they can help in that way. Or even if they visit some existing groups – like Prabhupāda, he called the Westerns as his ‘dancing white elephants’ and people are still amazed in India, how is that Westerners have become devotees. Because they think in the West all the roads are paved in gold, all comforts, everything all the material things that you ever dreamed of there you get it. And here they are here with their bead bags chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa – can’t figure out why? And if you tell them, the real purpose of life is to solve birth, death, old age and disease. What bliss they being a devotee. And you can make anybody to accept. Even… these are simple people. They are simple people. And some Indian coming from Middle East or big cities like Bangaluru – they wonder why they are here? And then, so that they give you chance also to preach. Whether building up the community in Māyāpur or reaching out and making more devotees. There are unlimited scopes through the Bhakti-vṛkṣa methods. We have here today people from Bangaluru, also Chennai, Kolkata, big cities all around. And around the temples the Bhakti-vṛkṣa can form a large community of devotees. Whether they use all or some of the aspects. That can be decided by the local authorities. But it is something that, you should think, how to give all the people in your city Kṛṣna consciousness. And just a few days ago, I had a meeting with the Vijaya Dasa – the book distribution minister, he said that, for the first time reading the Bhakti-vṛkṣa manual and he saw various ways the book distribution and Bhakti-vṛkṣa could be matched up. They could help each other. Bhakti-vṛkṣa could help to distribute books and the book distributors could get good contacts. And Bhakti-vṛkṣa could take care of them and cultivate them, like that he was seeing how do not utilize this growing community of Bhakti-vṛkṣa that not satisfy Prabhupāda’s desire. Not utilize this growing community of devotees, who are part of the Bhakti-vṛkṣas that not satisfy Prabhupāda – because Prabhupāda said, “We have distributed so many millions of books, where are the devotees?” So, along with the book distribution we need to have care and cultivation and engagement. So, Bhakti-vṛkṣa offers all these things care, cultivation, devotional service and it connects people, connects them to each other, connects them to the temple, connects them to Kṛṣṇa. Very nice… I heard… is Aṅgīrā Muni spoken? Did you speak? Now they have 400 groups around Russia [Applause] and lot of credit goes to Aṅgīrā Muni and lot of credit goes to Prema Padminī and Vijaya Veṇu Gopāla and there are not many… I think I saw one or two Indian bodied people, but most of them are Russian. And they are very, very dedicated and fired up. And how this, I had some vision that, I was distributing books that I want to see people being care for who bought the books. And in 1996 in Śrīla Prabhupāda Centennial – I was asked to create some new program for the congregation – so I studied the existing things, I studied śāstra and in the Caitanya Bhāgavata, when there was some prosecution by Chand Kazi, Lord Caitanya told them, “Five or ten of you gather together and chant and read your described śāstras.” So basically that is small groups. And Lord Caitanya said, “I am the Bhakti-vṛkṣa, I am also the gardener. But I am alone, how many fruits I can eat? And how many I can distribute? I order everybody to help Me to distribute these fruits of love of Godhead of Kṛṣna consciousness to everyone.” Haribol! [Applause] So we the order of Lord Caitanya, we have the order from the previous ācāryas, we order from our Prabhupāda. So we should do it. Of course, here also it’s the home of the Nāmahaṭṭa and may be they have thousand Nāmahaṭṭa. So many other Nāmahaṭṭas now utilize some of the aspects of Bhakti-vṛkṣas. Although, we may have some pure breeds Bhakti-vṛkṣas. We may also have some cross-breeds. Somehow or other how to take care of the devotees; how to teach them and train them up? How to engage them? And how to empower them? We see how, through these small groups even younger devotees get a chance to take some responsibility and do to take up some goal in preaching. In the beginning of out movement, Prabhupāda he took very raw talent and he engaged us in various services. I was a temple president two weeks after receiving initiation. [Applause] Now to be a temple president may take many, many years. But to be a Bhakti-vṛkṣa leader – servant leader, group leader someone may not be initiated. But they are very, very enthusiastic. So this is a great opportunity that people can be practicing rāgānuga-bhakti very fast. So, I just wanted to highlight some of these aspects, otherwise I would like to hear what others have to say. Haribol! Thank you very much! [Applause]

Seva Svarūpa Dāsa: Hare Kṛṣṇa! We are Congregational Development Ministry as Jayapatākā Mahārāja said, we are a community. All of you are also ambassadors of Māyāpur. I want you to take that we here to serve you. We have an office in the Long Building, 127 and 128. We would like you to take when you travel to your places to take some brochure with you, take some books and spread the news of the program Bhakti-vṛkṣa, Śraddhā-kutir, Nāmahaṭṭa different programs. We would like to see also, how Mathureśa Prabhu also has a the Māyāpur preaching, he is engaging some of the foreign devotees as Jayapatākā Mahārāja said that, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that, foreign devotees are like white dancing elephants – So, I would like to see MCS and other rest of the community that when somebody come to Māyāpur one of the option can be to go and attend some of the program of Mathureśa Prabhu. So we are in the office we are eager to hear you. We are here to serve you. Even we put AC – Air Conditioner for you. So in June, July may you feel very hot, you can come to talk to us – we give some lemon juice and we talk about our programs – and how to grow as a community and also some devotees say, “Wow! So nice to live in Māyāpur. So peaceful.” After you heard you hear two are three Jayapatākā Mahārāja’s class you will see slowly living peacefully here in the comfort zone. But also we have to preach, so we have like internet preaching, and many, many things. If you want to know, who the Bhakti-vṛkṣa works – also Āśraya Gaurāṅga Prabhu, who has a successful Bhakti-vṛkṣa program in less than seven years he developed more than 140 groups. I want to say one thing, because my wife say, when you say about group, group, people don’t know what is the group. So, every time you hear the word group you multiply by fifteen. One group means fifteen devotees, when you hear 400 groups means more than 6000 devotees. [End]