20260222 Question-and-Answer Session

Jayapatākā Swami: Today I am feeling a bit sick, maybe we will just have a short class with questions-and-answers. We will not do the eight shower of Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, we will just do the questions and answers.

Question on behalf of ISKCON London: How can we distribute more books for the pleasure of Śrīla Prabhupāda?  How can we have faith in distributing many more books?

Jayapatākā Swami: By reading the books you will have faith in the books. And you have to pray for empowerment from Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, by Their mercy everything can be possible.

Question: How can one be free from desires that distract us from pure devotion?

Jayapatākā Swami: See the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa takes one gradually from the material desires. Gives us the desire to serve Kṛṣṇa. One has to continue chanting. I was giving a tour to a BBC journalist. And I said something negative about sense gratification. But the BBC journalist said, what is wrong with that? What is wrong with sense gratification. You see, most people in the material world, their idea of happiness is to gratify their senses. But in Kṛṣṇa consciousness we want to gratify the senses of Kṛṣṇa. Since we are part of Krsna, we automatically get happiness. So it is a whole different scenario! And materialists they cannot understand that! They only think, they know is that they are this body and if the body’s senses are gratified then they are happy. But of course that leads one to the mode of passion and you may get some gratification but later distraction, suffering. So, our understanding is that bhakti-yoga is to gratify Kṛṣṇa. By doing that we normally get happiness. But that is eternal happiness, spiritual happiness! And so, materialists do not understand, Māyāvādīs do not understand, only the pure devotees understand!

Question: Will we have to be reborn to go through all the stages of bhakti to achieve prema?

Jayapatākā Swami: How long it takes to go through the stages of bhakti may depend. Maybe you go through all the stages very fast. It is not that it takes a long time, it depends on how committed, how dedicated you are. If one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa very enthusiastically, they can achieve bhāva very quickly. So a lot depends on our desire. Like, sometime the baby crying but the mother understands it is not very serious. But if the waaaaa… baby cries very loud, the mother may drop everything and come to see the baby. If we have intense desire for Kṛṣṇa consciousness then it doesn’t necessarily take a long time. Someone asked Śrīla Prabhupāda that, “You said that for rendering devotional service we went through all the stages. But I look back at my life, I see that I have done nothing but sinful activities. So how did I get devotional service?” Śrīla Prabhupāda replied, “I made your good fortune, for you!” Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!