20241226 Address to Pañca-krośa Devotees

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: Hare Kṛṣṇa! How many of you know Bengali? How many know English? Along the Pañca-krośa parikramā path we have found many holy places. We passed the Chand Kazi’s samādhi. In the Chand Kazi’s samādhi there are two trees – campa tree and a neem tree. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s name was Nimāi Paṇḍita. The Chand Kazi’s pet name Campa. So, like that there are many holy places. Here we are the Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, Sudarśana cakra Mandir. There was a blind devotee here. Every year when the devotees used to go to Jagannātha Purī from here to see Lord Caitanya, this devotee also wished to go to Jagannātha Purī. They would say, “Yes, yes, we will take you along.” But everybody left, nobody took him along because from here to Jagannātha Purī to take a blind person, walking is a very, very difficult task. So there are many toll keepers, toll tax places, many difficulties. But he had a very deep desire that he wanted to go. That night, Lord Jagannātha came in his dream. Lord Jagannātha told him that when you go for a bath tomorrow morning to the river, you will find three logs of wood will come floating to you. You should take them to a carpenter and make the Deities of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā. The carpenter is a leper. So the logs were brought to the carpenter. But he said, “I have leprosy, I am impure, how can I care the Deity of Jagannātha, which is most pure and transcendental.” The blind person said, “I take responsibility, as Lord Jagannātha told me that you will make the Deities. I take responsibility, and will you disobey the order of Lord Jagannātha? Will you disobey the order of Lord Jagannātha? If there is any offence, I will bear that. So, this way, that carpenter started carving the Deities of Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā.” But he was bleeding because his hand was wounded, and he was in great discomfort. This way Lord Jagannātha’s Deities were made. And Lord Jagannātha was offered abhiṣeka. And the blind devotee got back his eyesight. And the carpenter who carved the Deities was freed of leprosy. These Deities of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā used to be in a small temple over there. Lord Jagannātha came in the dream of the pūjārī and said that We want to be served by ISKCON. How many Deities say that They want to be worshiped by ISKCON? Count them! How many?!

There were 22 families here who had the land around. People had different areas of land here. I had said that once the service of worship begins, we cannot stop it in between. When all the people have signed the sale deed, then we will start the service. So 20 people had signed. Two were left to sign. So, the pūjārī opened the door to the temple and then he saw that Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā were not in the temple! Where did They go? The pūjārī saw that They were walking across the field and saying that, “We are going to join Rādhā Mādhava where They get nice offerings!” These Deities is extremely active. There is a book which describes They have performed so many pastimes here.

When were building this temple, from Odisha some people had come from the media. They said that in the previous ages Lord Jagannātha had come to this place. There was a demon, and he was eating up all the pūjārīs in the temples in Jagannātha Purī. That is why they brought Lord Jagannātha to this place. And Indradyumna Mahārāja took Lord Jagannātha back from this place. This Lord Jagannātha is the one that was made by the blind devotee. Lord Jagannātha and Baladeva performed many pastimes.

This side is Lord Caitanya and Pārvatī’s temple. I heard that you have been spoken to about this pastime. I hope you have all had darśana of Them. There were many different pastimes. I remember one. That in this temple, everybody can come. One Muslim came to the temple and the pūjārī gave him some prasāda. But he said that, “I do not take prasāda offered to idols,” and he threw it away. The pūjārī said that, “If you do not believe in the Deity then you should not come here.” So, he left. The next day he came back. He went to the pūjārī and said, “Please give me some prasāda.” “Are you crazy!” the pūjārī asked. “Yesterday I gave you and you threw the prasāda away.” The Muslim said that, “Yesterday in my dream these three came. The one with a white face He threatened that He would kill me. The lady with the yellow face said, “kill, kill!” And the black faced person, smiling face, He said, “It is okay, it is his first offence, you can let him go, it is not so serious.” The black faced one saved my life! I will never throw away this prasāda again! I believe! I BELIEVE! I BELIEVE!” This way there are many pastimes. If you ask the pūjārī, he will be able to narrate some.

If you go to the Jalāṅgī river you will see the place where Lord Balarāma killed the Māyā demon. I heard that you are all going to perform a drama?