20220220 Question and Answer Session

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: So today is the 50th anniversary of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s visit to Vishakhapatnam. And this year he went to many temples in South India, celebrating the 50th year. So after the Gaura Pūrṇimā, Śrīla Prabhupāda would take some devotees and go to the different temples. Then he would arrive in Vṛndāvana. So, this is like a Safari and he would travel for a week to different temples. So, we remember Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy during this time.

Also, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was talking about Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But he said that certain devotees had a Power of Attorney from Kṛṣṇa. Like he mentioned Prahlāda Mahārāja. So Prahlāda Mahārāja, he could do some amazing things. Now Śrīla Prabhupāda was stressing how these devotees are very powerful because they have the Power of Attorney from Kṛṣṇa. And I was thinking how Śrīla Prabhupāda also had this Power of Attorney. And at time there was a drought in Andhra Pradesh. For three years there was no rain. So they organized a big fire yajña with 108 fire kuṇḍas, I think it was in Tirupati. But the priests did not chant the mantras properly and the fire yajña turned into smoke. Then Śrīla Prabhupāda said he would do Harināma saṅkīrtana and then he did it in Hyderabad and for one week it rained. So I think how Śrīla Prabhupāda had the Power of Attorney. So today I am a little more healthy than yesterday and I will see if there are any questions.

Question: I had some fixed time for study of scriptures. Now I am reading the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, which will end in a few months. Thus, I hope it will be one round of all Śrīla Prabhupāda books. All your books, all the volumes of Śrīla Prabhupāda Līlāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Until publication of your Caitanya Book, what will be the best for me to read daily?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see if you can get degrees – Bhakti-śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedānta, and there are various speedy programs offered by Tapana Miśra in the Education Ministry. So the Bhakti-śāstrī is mainly Bhagavad-gītā and certain other books. Of course, to pass the test I think you have to reach a book more than once. You could talk with His Grace Atula Kṛṣṇa dāsa and see how you can take each exam. I think also Vidvān Gaurāṅga dāsa is doing a course in Tamil, he doesn’t charge anything. Devotees can give him something, whatever they feel like. Okay.

Question: I was working in a place where other staff are Muslims. I used to carry water in a bottle to drink water. From the same bottle, they also drink sometime. Once I heard that a devotee should not take anything from the same utensil. So I am a bit confused. What should I do now? Allow them to drink or not? Please guide me. And also please guide me how I can preach in this situation and stay Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, if we take water used by non-devotees, then that may compromise our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. At the same time, if people and devotees take water from us, which we offer to Kṛṣṇa, they get blessings. So maybe in this situation, you take two bottles. One for the staff and one for yourself. And we would like to give non-devotees kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Question: We are fallen souls. Is it suitable for us to observe birthday?

Jayapatākā Swami: Any opportunity we can give out prasāda, that is good. And normally people observe birthdays for other reasons. If you can invite people over and give them prasāda, that is something auspicious. You have to think how to take advent of birthdays and different celebrations. Thank you.

Question: What is the right mood to accept glorification when devotees glorify us for our services on some occasions like birthdays, etc.?

Jayapatākā Swami: We think how we are able to do some service by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. And thus we stay humble.

Question: If I fix my mind to do a particular number of rounds for you every day but fail to complete some days, is it an offence?

Jayapatākā Swami: The question is whether you make a vow. We should chant 16 rounds a day as part of our initiation debt. If we chant extra for guru, that is auspicious. I think on my Jayapatākā Swami App there is a place to offer rounds, etc. and circumambulate tulasī and many other things. So, if one does that spontaneously it is good. If one doesn’t do that, if they have not made a vow that is alright. So we should not make vows very carelessly. Sometimes, Arjuna made a vow and Kṛṣṇa told him don’t make such vows.

Question: In Caitanya-caritāmṛta there are many stories connected with Islam. Somewhere there is some information about Europe. Christianity of that time. What can Guru Mahārāja tell on their topics?

Jayapatākā Swami: At that time Lord Caitanya interacted with different devotees. Some were followers of Islam, some were Buddhists, I don’t know if He interacted with any Christians, but we believe that there is only one God and that He is worshiped in different cultures, with different names. We are trying to get people all over the world to chant the name of God and this will satisfy the Lord and this way the pandemic of COVID-19 could be reduced. Of course, as devotees, we don’t ask Kṛṣṇa for anything material. So, we state if it so pleases you, but followers of Islam, Christianity they may pray for the disease to be transcended. And we know that in the case of Dhruva Mahārāja, he wanted something material from Kṛṣṇa. But in the end, he realized that Kṛṣṇa was much more dearer than other things he wanted. So, somehow or other we want people to chant the holy names and Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that he transited Tehran in Iran. So there he was talking to some Mullahs, Ayatollahs and he realized that the phrase allah-ho also meant O Absolute Truth. So like that he told the people in Tehran that if they liked and preferred to chant the name of Allah, they could do that. But somehow or other we should chant the name of God. So this was his non-sectarian viewpoint.

Question: What to do when we cannot reach you for some important decision making and guidance? What if the guidance which we received from the seniors are unsatisfactory and impractical?

Jayapatākā Swami: I hear different emails every day and I have certain corresponding secretaries. Like Rādhāramaṇa Sevaka dāsa and others. So you write to me and don’t get a reply in a week, then you could write a WhatsApp message to my corresponding secretary that why you are not getting a reply. And usually, you will get a reply. But at least you will be told why you are not getting a reply. And right now, we also have the Jayapatākā Swami Disciples’ e-Care and you can write to them also. So I am trying to make myself available and I don’t know who is the śikṣā-guru you have faith in. You can ask or suggest a śikṣā-guru and get some authorization. Otherwise, try to contact me as I mentioned. Thank you very much.