20250330 Guru-ājñā Evening Address

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: So, how did you like these two days here? So, this was a very good program! How did you like the Safari devotees’ program? We tried different ways to share our presence with the devotees. The first day in the morning, I presented how Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision was to have millions of dīkṣā-gurus. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said it was not difficult to be a guru. You just have to repeat whatever Kṛṣṇa said. So, I think you all want me to stay here a bit! You like me to stay in this world! So, the present program of the GBC is that people can be a guru, even if the guru is present. But there are a few conditions. They have to get the order from the spiritual master, they have to be 25 years initiated devotee. So, for this region, the South Indian Division Council (SIDC) has to approve. And then it needs a 2/3^rd vote of the GBC. So I got two through! I personally am providing 20 or 25 recommendations to the SIDC. And there are about 64 people who are second initiated before the year 2000. We have another 72 who are first initiated, but they don’t have second yet. I am only talking about South India. Śrīla Prabhupāda asked me to initiate 50,000 devotees. And I have exceeded that! When I sent the recommendations to the Chairman of the SIDC, he said many devotees are against dīkṣā-gurus. Right now I am just trying to get the male devotees through! I met one Superintendent of Police, who is not a male, she is a female! In India they don’t have any discrimination. I forget the percentage, but a certain percentage of Members of Parliament in India are ladies. And in the Supreme Court of India Justices are like 17% ladies.

So, I don’t know how long Kṛṣṇa will keep me in this world! If I go, then it is easier to be a guru! You don’t need a GBC vote, you just have to be ten years second initiated. Since I have been saying that we have to expand the preaching, all the devotees should give classes. And in this way they should practice preaching. So we want to see Lord Caitanya’s desires fulfilled. And, before 2000, 72 males received initiation but did not get second. And they should read Śrīla Prabhupāda books, get Bhakti-śāstrī and get recognized. Anyway, a śikṣā-guru or whatever, you can preach at present if you know Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. Śrīla Prabhupāda said if you repeat what Kṛṣṇa said, you are a guru! So, we would like people who got first initiation, they should get second. And for that, you have to read Bhagavad-gītā. And read first three cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So like this, we want to see the message of Lord Caitanya spread, expanded. And how many people you can inspire to chant and practice devotional service, will be to your credit. I mean, everyone knows who the cricket stars are, who the movie stars are! But what we really need to know is Kṛṣṇa! And that is what our temples, what our devotees do!

When I came Śrīla Prabhupāda appointed me as GBC, I am the last GBC to be appointed by Śrīla Prabhupāda. And my first zone was Bengal and Odisha. Gradually, then I went to South India and started a program in Chennai and Bengaluru. Now, there are many branches and many temples all over South India. I am very grateful to all the Temple Presidents and extension centers for their help. I am very grateful for all the congregational members and devotees who are helping these temples.

I hope that people will be made happy by the preaching of the devotees. We are not this body, we are the spirit soul in the body. In Māyāpur, we are making a Museum in the West Wing of the TOVP. So, we are making designs. Ekanātha Gaura dāsa is helping with this, coordinating this. So, we want to explain to the devotees what and how they are. So now we had during the Gaura Pūrṇimā festival we had 15 lakh visitors in Māyāpur. And we had a special parikramā party for South India. Balarāma Govinda dāsa is helping with organizing this. Some people want to go on the South Indian party because they have iḍlis, dosas, curd, etc! So, how many did we have this year? 600 devotees. So you should all plan ahead to participate in one of the coming years in the South Indian party! You see, Balarāma Govinda dāsa, he works so hard, he does not eat, he does not take care of himself. I am telling him he has to eat. He was falling sick! Thank you! Nanḍri! So he is working so hard, you should also reciprocate to be part of this South India parikramā.

Śrīla Prabhupāda had appointed me as many things. I was added as an Executor to his Will. You saw a presentation which Śrīvallabha dāsa and Harilīlā dāsa and BCST did. I was made the lifetime Chairman of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust by Śrīla Prabhupāda. The new Trustee is sitting here, Ramaṇipati dāsa. And the BSCT is to preserve the holy places in Gaura-maṇḍala Bhūmi. So there are many services that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me. I need help to fulfill all these orders! So, I hope that you are inspired and you will he helping me!

People think that they are this body. They don’t understand Kṛṣṇa at all. Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana had a līlā. But sometimes He killed demons. And Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explained how reading about the demon killing was actually destroying your anarthas. Like Pūtanā, she was a witch but she took a beautiful lady’s form. And then Kṛṣṇa, He sucked her life. So that represents an anartha that Kṛṣṇa killed. So, like this there are 22 or some demons and disturbances in Vṛndāvana. When you read those, you are also destroying your anarthas. So that is why Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are all auspicious!

I hope that all of you have sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Bhagavad-gītā. BBT India has published all these books in different languages. And you could hear the books using the Transcend App. Hear the book, read the book, whatever you want. In Malaysia one devotee asked me, does Kṛṣṇa know Tamil? He knows every language! Even Tamil! He knows even the language of the trees, bees, the animals. So please take advantage of the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. We are trying to install His lotus footprints wherever He went. And this mercy is inconceivable. Actually, we found a couple of places where Lord Nityānanda visited. So while Lord Caitanya was a gṛhastha, Lord Nityānanda was travelling in South India. And when Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa, He travelled throughout South India. We did abhiṣeka for some lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya.

So, the Safari devotees are going to go to Kerala and see some of the temples. Some of the temples, they don’t want to give us even 3 feet by 3 feet! We are depending on Balarāma Govinda dāsa to entice those temples to give us a little place to install Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet! So this is our parama-guru’s desire and we want to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda to please his Gurudeva!

This is a great opportunity for all of you to connect yourself with Lord Caitanya, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda said he was not only dīkṣā-guru but also śikṣā-guru. Similarly, I also give teachings. So, Lord Caitanya wanted all His followers to become dīkṣā-gurus. One senior devotee, Sāraṅga Ṭhākura, every time Lord Caitanya would see him, He would ask, why don’t you have a disciple? So he decided okay, tomorrow, the first person I see, I will initiate him! And he went to the Ganges to take his morning bath. And there was a dead body floating in the Ganges. So this is the first person I am seeing, so he gave him the mantra:

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

And he was initiated as Murāri Caitanya dāsa. So he came back from the dead! Haribol! And since he was already dead, he would chant in the Ganges, under the water. He would ride on tigers. And he would go out to the villages this way. So, people were amazed! So he had thousands of disciples. So, Sāraṅga Ṭhākura had one disciple, but that disciple had thousands! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga!

So we see the power of Lord Caitanya! I want you all to be empowered by Lord Caitanya!

I heard that some of the devotees here are participating in my virtual book distribution. And I thank them all. Every morning I hear the Māyāpur announcements. I think they announce that my Virtual Book Table, I did 198 books yesterday. While I am talking to you, my Virtual Book Table is distributing books! They said that if I endorse book distribution by my advocacy that itself would help book distribution. If we speak to someone, how long can we speak? If they buy a book, like Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Bhagavad-gītā, how many hours would they be reading!

From here I go back to Māyāpur and will install a marble plaque at the birthplace of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in Bir Nagar. So, Balarāma Govinda dāsa and devotees from Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa are contributing. So we are trying to do something. Śrīla Prabhupāda went to Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s birthplace many times and he wanted to do something there. So while we are trying to do some nice things there we hope you will visit Māyāpur and see the birthplace of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. How to install lotus feet in South India. How to get the devotees to increase the preaching. How to improve the birthplace of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Like this, I am thinking of many things. So Śrīla Prabhupāda, he told me to expand the preaching unlimitedly. So I am asking you all to help me expand the preaching. So thank you very much! Nanḍri! I would also like to thank all the leaders of the SIDC who are helping me. I see that some of my godbrothers have already left the world, but their disciple, not many, are taking the responsibility. I want my disciples to take up this responsibility. When I am present, and even when I am gone! Haribol! Gaurāṅga!

Ekanātha Gaura dāsa is going to tell you about our Vaiśākha Challenge! For children they have different challenges. And this month, next month is the Vaiśākha Challenge.

The ceremony for accepting guruship is tomorrow, for two devotees. Revatī Ramaṇa dāsa and Caitanya Avatārī dāsa were accepted by the GBC. I would like the SIDC to approve how many they want, all the eligible people, to be given. This is for the SIDC. And there is a separate one for the Middle East! I wanted to show you the list of people, but Vrajeśvara Gaura dāsa, he did not come this evening.