20260417 Fortnightly Message (3 April - 17 April 2026)

Fortnightly Message (3 April - 17 April 2026)

Madhusūdana Māsa, Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa, Amāvasyā, 540 Gaurābda

My dear dīkṣā, sheltered, aspiring, śikṣā, grand-disciples, and well-wishers,

Please accept my blessings, best wishes, and praṇāmas as appropriate. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Home Base: Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir

Camp: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Date: 17 April 2026

Highlights

Two days after the Vyāsa-pūjā in Śrī Māyāpur dhāma, we traveled to Mumbai to attend the ISKCON India Bureau meeting. Last December, when I visited Mumbai, I stayed in ISKCON Kharghar, and at that time I had promised the devotees in Juhu that in April I would stay in ISKCON Juhu. So this time I stayed in ISKCON Juhu for a week. I gave classes and we also had an initiation ceremony.

On 7^th April, from Mumbai, we traveled to ISKCON Visakhapatnam since they had organized a few preaching programs. It was very inspiring to see the temple progress and various preaching activities under the guidance of my dear disciples Sāmba dāsa Adhikārī and Nitāi Sevinī devī dāsī. They also hosted the Brahmacārī Saṅgotsava for the EIDC (East India Divisional Council), so I addressed them on two occasions, and they also had Nagara Saṅkīrtana and Bhajan Clubbing.

On 11^th April, we traveled to Chennai and on 15^th to Kuala Lumpur for the Rādhā Kṛṣṇa Deity installation.

I attended the “Bhajan Clubbing” in both Visakhapatnam and Chennai. This is going on across India. They also had a similar program in Mumbai. So, some people chant, and others dance and sing. They use Western instruments for their kīrtana. And even karmīs are doing that. It is quite amazing to see people coming, paying money just to chant and dance in ecstasy. In Visakhapatnam they had more than 2,000 people, and in Chennai, they had 1,850 people who paid for the program and attended, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, dancing, and taking prasāda. (https://youtu.be/fWX75asQOOQ?si=hbFf86iFtUG0msD6, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUPPSvfi99I, https://youtube.com/shorts/9djz5wzWA-s?si=T9274el2IkkwLhIG)

We are in very dangerous times. We are in the West Asian war. And the only hope is this kind of mass chanting. I was also reading in the 20^th chapter of Nāmāmṛta that by mass chanting of the holy name, one can stop criminalization!

My health team says I have a hectic schedule, and I told them that I do not want to be inactive, but I want to balance my preaching and therapies.

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Message

Śrīla Prabhupāda, in many places, mentions the duties of a spiritual master. In the purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.18, he wrote that one should not become a spiritual master if he is unable to save his disciple from the path of birth and death.

“One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.18)

It is the duty of the spiritual master to test the disciple before initiation to see how seriously he or she desires to execute devotional service and also to engage the disciple in proper devotional services.

“When a disciple very perfectly makes progress in spiritual life, this gladdens the spiritual master, who then also smiles in ecstasy, thinking, ‘How successful my disciple has become!’ He feels so glad that he smiles as he enjoys the progress of the disciple, just as a smiling parent enjoys the activities of a child who is trying to stand up or crawl perfectly.” (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.82, purport).

My Message

I was thinking that Śrīla Prabhupāda asked me to make 50,000 disciples. And when Śrīla Prabhupāda asked to do that, it was fairly easy. But actually, the responsibility to deliver them from birth and death is more complicated and weightier.

I want to deliver all those devotees who have taken initiation from me, if not more. So this is keeping me awake at night. I want to see everybody delivered. I want to see them achieve the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa at the end of this life. So to do that, I am thinking of different ways. And I need you to follow me, execute these ideas and keep Kṛṣṇa conscious, be very serious in devotional service, be Vaiṣṇavīs and Vaiṣṇavas, be yogīs and yoginīs. We are using bhakti-yoga to fight against Māyā. We are at war, and we have to take up this mission very seriously. So, chanting, offering service, finance, cooperation, staying in ISKCON and various other things. I was speaking about this during my recent Vyāsa-pūjā. But I am thinking how to develop devotees in a more Kṛṣṇa conscious way, how they can achieve Kṛṣṇa in this lifetime. But you all have to be very serious to achieve this.

It is not that I can just do it. You have to do it. You have to chant. You have to serve. You have to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. You have to commit yourself. It is a very important sevā that I want to see that every disciple and even others, they get liberated from birth and death. They get delivered to the spiritual world at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So follow Lord Caitanya’s instructions, take this movement very seriously, what Śrīla Prabhupāda said, and you will go back to Kṛṣṇaloka in this lifetime.

I am supposed to analyze each disciple’s seriousness to be Kṛṣṇa conscious in this life, but I am relying on the recommendation of the local leaders, and in addition, I need all the disciples to follow me, and that is essential for me to be able to deliver you.

Inspirational Stories

During my visit to ISKCON Visakhapatnam, seeing the services of Sāmba dāsa Adhikārī and Nitāi Sevinī devī dāsī, I was thinking how a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband and wife can do so much in the service of ISKCON. They both are doing tremendous service. Nitāi Sevinī devī dāsī, she preaches in five languages, she assists her husband in running the temple, and she also got her PhD and Bhakti-vedānta degree. She is also the founder and principal of “Divine Touch School.” So she is not only the wife of the temple president, but she is also doing this educational service, and she has published a few books. Sāmba dāsa got his Bhakti-vaibhava, and he is completing his Bhakti-vedānta. So this is very inspiring to see how a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband and wife can together do so much service.

I hope this finds you in good health and blissful Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Your well-wisher always,
Jayapatākā Swami

JPS/rrsdb