20250702 Question-and-Answer Session

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: How will they convey the questions?

Question: When we get any invitation, we try to gift them the greatest gift i.e., Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. But someone associates with Māyāvādīs, should we gift them Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. If not, then what should we gift them which will please guru and Kṛṣṇa?

Jayapatākā Swami: I did not understand why not a book?

Question: I need to travel with materialistic people because of demands of my job. My mind gets contaminated by their association. How can I keep my consciousness pure?

Jayapatākā Swami: Instead of taking their association, give your association to them. Lord Caitanya said in Kūrmadeśa that yāre dekha, tāre kaha ’kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128] Whoever you meet, tell them the teachings of Kṛṣṇa.

Question: Also, I want to quit my job and get into Kṛṣṇa’s service totally. But I am not able to take that call due to family. How will I do that? I need your advice.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is more a personal question. You write an email to jayapatākā@gmail.com

Question: In this festival we see that Lord Jagannātha is very satisfied and happy. And we hear that there is so much blessings one receives when one serve Lord Jagannātha in Sundarācala or Guṇḍicā Mandir. We hear that one gets ten thousand times the benefit when we serve during this time. When we see Lord Jagannātha we get ten thousand times the result. Can you tell something about everyone who accepts prasadam in Guṇḍicā what will be the benefit they get?

Jayapatākā Swami: So every day you can take darśana of Lord Jagannātha. Today He is wearing Nṛsiṁha dress. Yesterday, He was wearing sonāra-veśa. (Golden dress). Every day He wears a different outfit. So, you can take advantage of the Lord’s mercy. Lord Jagannātha’s prasāda gives special mercy! If someone offers prasāda we should take it right away!

Question: How did you maintain your enthusiasm after Śrīla Prabhupāda physically left this world?

Jayapatākā Swami: About one year or so, I was very much affected. But then, I remembered that I had to carry out the instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda. And I travelled around the world, to fulfill Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions. But if anyone would like to help me, I need help also! He told me one thing, and I cannot fulfill it unless you help me – he said that I should expand the preaching, unlimitedly! So I need your help! If you help me to tell people the message of Lord Caitanya, of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā, I will be very grateful. Who would like to help me? Thank you! Koṭi koṭi dhanyavād! Tens of millions of thanks!

Question: You know whatever is best for me as I am aspiring for brahmacārī āśrama and my family is not favorable in that decision. I am not able to join because of that till now. I am working though I am planning to resign and join the āśrama next year, Nityānanda Trayodaśī. I don’t know if that is the right decision or not. I want your acknowledgement dear Guru Mahārāja.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is a personal question. Please email Guru Mahārāja jayapatākā@gmail.com

Question: I heard in one of the classes that Kṛṣṇa does not interfere in the freewill of the jīva. But when we start chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa does Kṛṣṇa interfere then and how do we become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious?

Jayapatākā Swami: I have been telling all of you that you should go and tell Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, Sudarśana cakra, and tell Lord Jagannātha, I surrender to You, please guide me, please take me to Your abode! If our freewill is that we want to reject Kṛṣṇa, we want to be independent of Kṛṣṇa, then He does not interfere. But if you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, if you tell Him, I want to come to You, I You guide me, that is your free will! It is not that I want to surrender, I have already surrendered. I am surrendering to You, please guide me. Gaurāṅga! Jagannātha kī jaya!

Question: What is the prayer we should offer in front of the Lord? What should be the proper prayer to the Vaiṣṇavas?

Jayapatākā Swami: As I said, you say, I surrender to You, please guide me. In what way will I serve Kṛṣṇa, you can request the Vaiṣṇavas to teach you.

Question: Sometimes due to some situations in our course of bhakti, my mind gets distracted and disheartened and disturbed. How to gain develop that faith and utsāha and get back on track and if we do some aparādha, how to correct?

Jayapatākā Swami: If there is an aparādha, then you have to beg forgiveness for that. If the aparādha is against some Vaiṣṇava, you have to get the Vaiṣṇava to forgive you. One time, Śacīmātā had committed an offence toward Advaita Ācārya. When Śacīmātā was begging Advaita Ācārya to forgive her, then he said, how can Śacīmātā commit an offence, she is so great, she carried Lord Caitanya in her womb?! Saying this he fell unconscious. So Lord Caitanya told Śacīmātā that he is not going to forgive you. So you take some dust from his lotus feet and that way you will be forgiven. I saw that someone was touching all the shoes and taking the dust! What is the secret behind that?!

Question: If some Vaiṣṇava forgives someone in a dream, is that valid?

Jayapatākā Swami: If the person made the offence in the dream! Like you offended a person physically, why don’t you ask forgiveness physically.

Question: The person was asked and the person who was offended said no.

Jayapatākā Swami: Somehow you have to get the dust of his feet, is the other alternative.

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!