20250323 Address to South India Safari Devotees

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:  There are many faults in this Age of Kali-yuga, but there is one good quality in Kali-yuga! You can chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and go back to the spiritual world!

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Cc. Ādi 17.21]

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”

There is no other way in Kali-yuga. But since Kṛṣṇa and His name are non-different, it is a very powerful, and sublime way.

So I am coming from Māyāpur. Māyāpur is created by Rādhārāṇī. It is called Navadvīpa dhāma. There are nine islands. Each island signifies one of the nine practices of devotional service. Hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping the lotus feet, offering prayers, arcanam, dāsyam, sakhyam, ātma-nivedanam. So as we practice these different forms… of bhakti-yoga we advance. So there are steps – śraddha, sādhu-saṅga, bhajana-kriyā. Usually in the stage of bhajana-kriyā, one takes initiation. Then one gets rid of the bad habits. That is called anartha-nivṛtti. So, Lord Caitanya, said some of the weeds need to be pulled out.

'niṣiddhācāra', 'kuṭīnāṭī', 'jīva-hiṁsana'
'lābha’, ‘pūjā', ‘pratiṣṭhādi' yata upaśākhā-gaṇa

“Some unnecessary creepers growing with the bhakti creeper are the creepers of behavior unacceptable for those trying to attain perfection, diplomatic behavior, animal killing, mundane profiteering, mundane adoration and mundane importance. All these are unwanted creepers.”

So, we want to avoid these weeds. So someone may desire the weeds. And someone may dislike another person, that is jīva-hiṁsā. If they do some politics against somebody, that is kuṭī-nāṭī. If they want position that is pratiṣṭhāśā. We have asked His Grace Nandaputra dāsa to take this center forward. Especially His Holiness Bhānu Swami Mahārāja and His Grace Sumitra Kṛṣṇa dāsa. But I want to see all of you advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness! Achieve love for Kṛṣṇa. So these weeds may get nursed. So, as long as we are advancing in devotional service, then we have to remove the weeds, we have to be gardeners. If want our devotional creeper, but if we have other desires, then the weeds may grow rather than the devotional creeper. So, we have to see that this does not happen.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that these are steps towards prema. And when we get most of the anarthas out, then we have achieved the status of niṣṭhā. Actually, at different stages you can give blessings. Like, if you are not in a very high stage, but you can still bless someone that their faith for Kṛṣṇa increases. Then the next stage is called ruci. You have taste for serving Kṛṣṇa. After that comes the stage of āsakti. You are very attached to serving Kṛṣṇa. Then, the next stage is called rati or bhāva. That is ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. Now you are starting to advance from advaced to very advanced. Then, seeing Kṛṣṇa, you get great bliss! Here you are in the holy place of Śrīraṅgam. When you see the Deity of Śrī Raṅganātha, you feel bliss and ecstasy. So, it may be able to find millions of of paṇḍitas, millions of brāhmaṇas, but it is very rare to find a devotee of Kṛṣṇa! It In one sense, normally it is very hard to achieve love for Kṛṣṇa easily. The stage of rati or bhāva is the stage before prema. We want everyone to reach prema!

No one can understand someone that is in prema. But to reach this stage you need to be very sincere. So, Lord Caitanya was more merciful than Kṛṣṇa! Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Kṛṣṇa would only give prema if you are completely surrendered to Him. But He came as a devotee, Lord Caitanya, combining with the mood of Rādhārāṇī and He gave out prema freely! So we want you all to do devotional service, chant the holy names and achieve kṛṣṇa-prema. So we want everyone to follow Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He stayed here in Śrīraṅgam for four months! On the other side of the temple, there is an āśrama where Lord Caitanya stayed. We are trying by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, we will get that place. I want you to be very serious in your devotional service. When we do devotional service we need to watch out for the weeds. Chanting the holy name is the way. In the material world we have happiness and distress. But in the spiritual practice when we do devotional service we only feel bliss! How many of you want to do devotional service? I am very inspired by hearing you chanting Gaurāṅga and Nityānanda! One person was in māyā and Śrīla Prabhupāda took him back. So one devotee asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, why did you take him back? He said Lord Nityānanda’s mercy is unlimited!!

So, it is very nice to be here. I hope you all practice devotional service. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! Say Hare Kṛṣṇa in Tamil:

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

Nanḍri! Vaṇakkam!