20230923 53rd Sannyāsa Anniversary Speech

The following is the 53rd Sannyāsa Anniversary Address given by HH Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 23rd September, 2023 at Śrī Māyāpur, India.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted that I should help so that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement expands and people take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. So, he gave me sannyāsa-āśrama. I was very young then and I had the opportunity to travel around the world many times. We saw Lord Jagannātha established in many places. We saw people chanting the holy name. So, we are very happy that people have taken up to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Caitanya taught that one can follow Him either as a gṛhastha or as a vairāgī. And we saw that in different countries of the world people took up the service of Lord Caitanya. We are happy to see that many people, young and old, east, and west, they took it up. Lord Caitanya taught that in every town and village of the world His message would be propagated.

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma 
(Cb. Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

And we are seeing that there are people from Ārya-deśa and videśa chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is very important to propagate and encourage children to take up to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, we are very happy that Śrīla Prabhupāda, his vision is to include everyone. Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted that the Ratha-yātrā of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā should take place everywhere. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Jagannātha is the Lord of the Universe. He is not only Oḍiyānātha, He is the Lord of the whole universe. Haribol! I am very happy that I could be of some service and we want all the devotees to take up this service to spread the holy name. This is the Golden Age that Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa predicted that harināma would be spread everywhere. I am very glad that many of you have taken Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and you are keeping that in your house. Lord Caitanya, He would read, sleep with the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, so that is now made possible all over the world. So Lord Caitanya has spread the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and He wanted all His followers to dive into the nectar of these Vedas. And He established the six Gosvāmīs and also the reading of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So Lord Caitanya spread this Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so that you would have the opportunity to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By engaging in this Harināma saṅkīrtana, we get spiritual bliss. And by doing sevā, this is sevā for Lord Jagannātha, this is a special mercy.

I don’t know how many, but I am think there are more than a hundred temples of Lord Jagannātha. Today on this special day of Rādhāṣṭamī, She shows us how real bliss is to have devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa. And some people worship the Lord in opulence. Some people worship the Lord in mādhurya-rasa.

nīlācala-candra āmara prabhu jagannātha, jaya jagannātha jaya jagannātha!

nīlācala-candra āmara prabhu jagannātha, jaya jagannātha, jaya jagannātha!

So Kṛṣṇa is so sweet, so beautiful, He goes to the Guṇḍicā Mandira and there is special service there for Him. So, Lord Caitanya, He would go to the ocean side and He would think it is the Yamunā! And He would dive into the sea thinking it was the Yamunā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He would always be filled with this mādhurya-rasa.

So we are very thankful that all you devotees have come here for Rādhāṣṭamī. I am very grateful that you have also got sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami. Actually, the Bhāgavata Māhātmya says that if we read, if we taste some of the nectar of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then there is no limit to how much nectar there is! Ānandera sīmā nāi, ānandera sīmā nāi, nirānanda dūre jāy! Haribol! So we want that in every house, village, city wherever you live, take the names of Kṛṣṇa and get unlimited bliss! Haribol!

Today there are many programs. So now I will be going to give Gāyatrī, second initiation. This prabhu, Yādhavācārya Prabhu, his brother Rāsa Parāyaṇa Prabhu, when we had floods here we would go and distribute prasāda together. So this prasāda, is the mercy of the Lord! Would you like to say something?

Yādhavācārya Dāsa [ACBSP]: Mahārāja, as Śrīla Prabhupāda said, is part of the tree of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is an example of what it is and what it means to be completely devoted to the spiritual master’s instructions. Follow his example for the rest of your life and your life will be complete and perfect. Jaya Mahārāja! Jaya Mahārāja! He has already given all of you his blessings. So go out and go into the world and save the souls. That is the purpose of human life, and that is what Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed him to do and that is what he is instructing you to do.

Haribol!