20260329 Evening Address

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: I will speak both in English and Bengali. In the morning class I had wanted to say something about devotional activities. So normally, I gave some practical advice for disciples. Now I will give some spiritual perspective. I requested the devotees to expand their preaching, to make a commitment how many new people they will engage in chanting. So, I will talk about that. This morning, some members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha were here. I am very grateful that they came. Because they had come I had mentioned ‘A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.’ Because if I had said just Prabhupāda, they would think that I was talking about Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. Therefore, I mentioned A.C. Bhaktivedtanta Swami Prabhupāda. But now if I say Śrīla Prabhupāda then I naturally mean I am talking about A.C. Bhaktivednata Swami Prabhupāda. If I want to speak about Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda then I will mention his name.

There are eight steps to reach bhāva or rati. The first step is śraddhā, faith. Some people they get to know that there is a big pandal, they are afraid to come, and that there will be discussion amongst disciples. I was saying that you do something so that the new comers also take up the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and devotional service. This is something you can do. I cannot do it! Maybe if they have a big pandal program, I will give a lecture! But anyway, somehow or another, people develop their faith. And then they like to associate with the devotees, they go to regular sat-saṅga. That is another step that you can be active in. But this depends on how you relate with the newcomers – with love, friendship, deal with them in that way. So if they think the devotees are so nice! - I would like to associate with them. We are goṣṭhyānandīs, we want to make more devotees. If people want to associate with devotees, we don’t want to send them away – no I don’t want to talk to you! I want to do my bhajana! We don’t want to do that. If someone comes, that is our good fortune, we will love them. This way if the people will get the association of devotees, they will like it and want to associate with the devotees more and more and chant the holy names.

So there is the next level bhajana-kriyā. That is another area where you can be very active to encourage the devotee to chant and practice sādhana-bhakti. Maybe the temple presidents, Nāma-haṭṭa leaders, and others are active to encourage the devotees to do bhajana-kriyā. Generally, at the end of bhajana-kriyā process, they take initiation. This way if they get initiation, they vow to chant 16 rounds and follow the four regulative principles, that leads us to the next level which is anartha-nivṛtti.

There can be different bad habits and some anarthas, unwanted desires that I want some profit, some material benefit out of this. I want respect, people should respect me, I am great! Why does that person have a position, I should have that position! Thinking this way is not right. And we need to clean this kind of heart or mentality. I have to speak short because of time. If I get to explain this it will take me the whole day!

Anyway, there are four steps, now we go to the next. You hear all this and think in what step you are in. Many people think that I have received dīkṣā, my work is over! But actually, dīkṣā is just the spiritual birth and we have many things to do!

So when we are free from most of the anarthas, we come to the stage which is niṣṭhā. And once we reach the stage of niṣṭhā, then one can chant japa very nicely and perform his services very nicely. Maybe, now and then one may be able to experience transcendental or spiritual bliss. They feel more and more peace at each stage. When they reach the next stage, taste in spiritual life is going to be regular. He has actually spoken the name of the next stage.

The name is ruci stage. And in this stage one gets taste for chanting the holy name, serving Kṛṣṇa. If you do not feel bliss all the time, then that means you have not reached the stage of ruci.

Maybe, the next stage you become attached to the spiritual bliss. It is called the āsakti stage. It is not difficult for all of you to remember because this already in Bengali, āsakti, attachment. I could give some examples but the time is short.

After one stays in the āsakti stage, after some time reaches the bhāva or rati stage. In this stage one feels a kind of ecstasy, when one experiences the aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva. Now, you can reach this stage by naturally practicing sādhana-bhakti.

The next stage is prema. There are eight levels to prema, which I don’t have time to explain here. Now, you need the special mercy of Gaura Nitāi, or Rādhā Kṛṣṇa to get that prema. At every step Māyā tests you, to see if you are really, really sincere! Ah! Bharata Mahārāja after whom the whole universe, our country is called Bharata, he was the emperor of the whole planet. We cannot imagine that! One emperor for the whole planet. But he gave it all up like a person gives up their stool and went to the forest and practiced meditation. He reached the stage of bhāva. He was chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa and cried. But, Māyā tested him by sending a deer and he became attached to the deer. And he was thinking, when he was dying, the deer licking his face, and he was thinking who will take care of my dear deer! So when he left his body, he was not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness but in deer consciousness! And after that, the next life he became a deer. But he remembered that in his previous life he was an emperor. The next birth he became Jaḍa Bharata. And he was very careful, he did not want to be entangled in my Māyā again! I gave this example to tell you that at every stage Māyā keeps trying to test you. That is why I am saying, you are bhakti-yogīs and yoginīs and have declared war against Māyā. She is also a Kṛṣṇa devotees, she is Durgā Devī, she wants to keep us in the material world until we are qualified. Who wants to serve Kṛṣṇa? You will be tested by Māyā!

Anyway, I have to end my class here. I want to thank the volunteers for this Vyāsa-pūjā pandal, celebration, everything! Also, I don’t know if you have seen the Deity dress of Śrī Rādhā Mādhava aṣṭa-sakhi, Pañca-tattva, Prahlāda Nṛsiṁhadeva this morning. We want to thank the sponsors of the Deity dresses. We want to thank the designers and the makers of the dresses. This dress theme is after Viśākhā’s kuñja. First they told me Lalital’s kuñja now they tell me it is Viśākhā’s kuñja. Anyway, there are campa flowers and bumble bees on the dress. Beautiful! Beautiful! So I am here to watch the Safari program. Now, they are saying there is a special TV or something for me. I also asked you in the morning to pray for the Middle East devotees that they can be in peace in this situation. Have you done that? Thank you! Dhanyavād!

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