20251009 Address to Bengali 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: Now, I will speak in Bengali. Who will translate in Tamil? We are very fortunate! Nitāi Gaura are here in this temple. They had appeared in this present day Bharata-varṣa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had come to Navadvīpa, Māyāpur dhāma. And Nityanand Prabhu came to Ekacakra dhāma, in Birbhum district. Advaita Ācārya, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and Gadādhara appeared in Bangladesh. The birthplace of all these three associates have been acquired by ISKCON. In Navadvīpa and Ekacakra we have temples. Mahāprabhu came in Navadvīpa and started the saṅkīrtana movement. Nityānanda Prabhu got together with Him and started the saṅkīrtana movement. Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was 24 years old, He took sannyāsa in Katwa and He went with Lord Nityānanda to the south. Then He met Śacīmātā and told her He had taken sannyāsa and told her that whatever she ordered Him, He would abide by that. Śacīmātā knew that if she told Him to come back home after having taken sannyāsa, people would ridicule Him. Then Lord Nityānanda said something into Śacīmātā’s ear and was crying. Then she told Lord Caitanya that, “I don’t mind if You go to Vṛndāvana one time, but You come back and stay permanently in Jagannātha Purī. Because from Utkaladeśa, Jagannātha Purī, it was easy to get information from there in Navadvīpa. But Vṛndāvana was a bit too far and it would be difficult to get any news from there.” So, Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda went to Jagannātha Purī. Here we have Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā and Sudarśana Ṭhākura in this temple. Jagannāthadeva resides in Nīlācala. In Odisha there is a song – “nīlācala-candra amu prabhu jagannātha, jaya jagannātha svāmī jaya jagannātha!” Nīlācala represents Dvārakā and Sundarācala represents Vraja-dhāma. From Vraja-dhāma Lord Jagannātha came to Dvārakā. Jagannāthadeva was being taken to Vṛndāvana. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu participated in the Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā. Now Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lalitā and Viśākhā reside in Vṛndāvana. They have here, small Deities of Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā and Kṛṣṇa, who reside in Dvārakā. That is why I say you are all so fortunate you are able to see all these Deities! Haribol! And you are also able to serve Them!

Kṛṣṇa is the biggest viśaya, object of the senses. Actually, our real goal in life is to please Kṛṣṇa. If we can please Kṛṣṇa, then we will also be happy because we are all minute part of Kṛṣṇa. In this material world there is happiness and sorrow. The same senses give us both happiness and sorrow. But the spiritual world, where Kṛṣṇa is, there is no sorrow or no happiness, but spiritual bliss! We desire that all of you go there! Who want to go? Please raise your hands!

We want everyone to take darśana of the Deities. Are you all happy that I spoke in Bengali?