20250322 Addressing Chennai Congregation

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: Today is the most auspicious day of the appearance of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. He appeared as part of the Pañca-tattva with Lord Caitanya.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

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

How many of you devotees are going to Madurai? A lot of devotees. So in March last, I went to Vṛndāvana to install the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu with the Safari devotees and devotees from Nepal and other places who came. But I fell sick and they took me my ambulance to a hospital in Delhi. So since then I have been on dialysis. My kidney has failed to function. I am not able to travel as much as before. But I am making this trip to come to South India to see all of you! Also we are going to install the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya in South India wherever He visited. I am trying to Kumbhakonam tonight and then to Trichy, Śrīraṅgam. I don’t know the exact places but something like 22 lotus footprints have to be installed. In places around Tirupati, wherever Lord Caitanya visited. Is there any place where Lord Caitanya visited in Chennai? So if we can have a place 2 feet by 2 feet we can install the lotus footprints there and have a small maṇḍapam over that. This was the desire of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in the guru-paramparā to install 108 lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya. So while I am doing this, I am assisted by the Safari devotees. They are in Kumbhakonam right now. I came to Chennai for my medical checkup. The doctors said I was good! He said, “You can fly!” I heard the Chennai devotees offered Poṅgal and did the saṅkīrtana-melā. You see, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed me many things. There are 31 things mentioned. But one thing is that to spread the preaching unlimitedly! I am not in a state to do that by myself. I need the devotees to help me! Everybody should plan to make everyone to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! I ask people do you chant Hare Krsna. Some people said when I come to ISKCON temple I chant. Some people said, “I am too busy, I cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!” How many people will I reach? In the hospital, I ask doctors, “Will you chant?” Every person you meet, you have to ask them, you have to convince them to chant. I got some counting machines to chant. If you give them beads it is like dīkṣā and you are responsible! If you give them counter, I don’t think you are responsible! Anyway, we have mantra cards in which the Pañca-tattva mantra is also printed. If they don’t know, you can chant and explain to them what is written on the card. So who will help me spread Lord Caitanya’s mercy? For my disciples, it is compulsory, but others can also help. My dear godsister, Surabhi Mātājī said, she will help! So this is for men, women, everyone.

We went to the birthplace of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. The pūjārī gave us a śālagrāma-śilā of Lord Narasiṁhadeva. So we want to buy land there and make a temple for Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. If you are contributing for this project, I am very grateful to those devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda made the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust. One of the projects is to help repair and help the existing śrīpāṭs. But this is such a big project. I think it should be done by ISKCON. Like that we have śrīpāṭs in Bangladesh but we only have Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara and Advaita Ācārya places. Anyway, thank you for being so cooperative, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. I was on special diet in Māyāpur. I come here the doctors said your health is good, you can take iḍli, dosa, sāmbhār!

Thank you all! Nanḍri! Vaṇakkam!