20250311 Questions and Answers Session

Jayapatākā Swami: So today is the Govinda Dvādaśī. That was the day, which was the disappearance day of Mādhavendra Purī. So, Advaita Gosāñī, he had taken initiation from Mādhavendra Purī. Therefore on his disappearance day, he did special pūjā for him. This year, we established three lotus footprints – Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrīla Advaita Ācārya. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura wanted to install the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya in Śāntipura. So, we installed today the three lotus footprints. There was a big crowd of devotees and the father of the present sevaite, Śānti Sakhā Goswami, he showed me some letters that Śrīla Prabhupāda had written to him that if they did not get land in Māyāpur, he would make his world headquarters in Śāntipura! So, Śrīla Prabhupāda had plan A, B. There was a very big crowd today. We go every year on Govinda Dvādaśī and we see the Deity of Advaita Ācārya. We see all the people and we feed them. It is very ecstatic! He was serving khicuṛi.

Ekanātha Gaura dāsa: Papad and chutney! Guru Mahārāja also served prasāda there!

Jayapatākā Swami: If we eat there, Lord Caitanya said that, we get govinda-bhakti! On this day! Other days we don’t have that blessings. On this day, at that place. So I took some mahā-prasāda there. Did you all have? Why not?

Ekanātha Gaura dāsa: Guru Mahārāja has for you!

Jayapatākā Swami: So I had a GEPOC (GBC Executors Property Oversight Committee) meeting. Came back here and attended this meeting of the global property trustees.  

So today also, we will have questions and answers.

Question: How to ideally take association of devotees when it is always not possible to have physical association of them?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, come every year to Gaura-Pūrṇimā festival in Māyāpur! You can have as much association! Apart from that now we have Zoom, internet, so you can attend the online classes.

Any questions from our Taiwanese devotees? It is said when you go to have association, you should hear.

Question: Just like we can have five types with Lord Kṛṣṇa, what types of relations can we have with Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda?

Jayapatākā Swami: Without the mercy of Nitāi Gaura we cannot get the mercy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So Nitāi Gaura give out Their mercy very freely. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings that by the mercy of Advaita Ācārya you get the mercy of Nitāi Gaura. When we go around the temple in parikramā you see how Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, Advaita Ācārya, are engaging in saṅkīrtana. So we encourage everyone to chant the holy names!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

Question: Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything and Kṛṣṇa says that we are always existing in the past and in the future. If we always existed in the past how do we understand there is a source? When everything exists always, how to understand there is a source?

Jayapatākā Swami: It is said, śāstra says that how Kṛṣṇa is the origin, and we are part of Kṛṣṇa. We are minute parts. So, those who want to serve Kṛṣṇa directly, they go to the spiritual world. Most of the jīvas are there. Some unfortunate ones are here in the material world! But since we are part of Kṛṣṇa, the human birth gives us an opportunity to go back to Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!

So Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he was telling us how every step we make in advancement of kṛṣṇa-bhakti, that is a step towards prema. And even devotees who are just on the middle platform, they can bless others with the firm faith. And those who reach the higher levels, they can give out kṛṣṇa-bhakti. So we hope that everyone gets kṛṣṇa-bhakti! Hare Kṛṣṇa!