20260421 Address to Youth Nationwide

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 heard that in Malaysia they are doing different programs. In Kuala Lumpur Mandir there is a Kaiśora group and have done various kīrtana programs and outreach programs. Rāsaparāyaṇa Prabhu and his good wife are organizing this. So, many have taken initiation and taken into this path. I joined in the movement, when I was 18 or 19 years of age and now I am 77. So, my regret is that Śrīla Prabhupāda told me to work through my assistants but now I am forced to do it due to my health challenges, but I when I was young, I could have done it!

In India there is a kind of youth movement which is spreading all over the world. Śrīla Prabhupāda had said that Governments should organize large events, but they never did that. Now the youth is organizing it! There are huge events which are spreading. People chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, different mantras of Lord Viṣṇu. ISKCON is also organizing these programs. But this was started by different groups. Originally, 50 years ago in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s time, he organized it, but now the youth are doing it! Instead of going to some bar, drinking and spending lots of money, now they are ‘Bhajan Clubbing,’ going to such events, dancing for three or four hours and chanting. It has become the trend in India! Recently, someone from the UK sent me some video how some Christian Pastor Retreat, they were chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa! That is a separate thing!

Right now, we see that the world is in a very dangerous position – the West Asian war, Ukraine war, there is no end in sight! All these things are mass destruction. It says in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [12.3.51]: kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ – this Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults. But there is one good quality. That is chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That can liberate one and take one back to the spiritual world. So somehow the youth, they are enjoying this kīrtana and that is very auspicious! The kīrtana is needed to purify the atmosphere. I wanted to show videos of various kīrtana clubbing events. Some of them are shown in the following video. It is a five-minute video. Of course, they have also added some Malaysian orientation.

Lord Caitanya wanted that, people chant the holy name. Now, in ‘Bhajan Clubbing’, everybody chants and dances! We don’t have to tell the glories of the holy name. We will watch the video now.

Kṛṣṇa says that His name is non-different from Him. Now, we heard that many times. But what does that mean? Like we put iron in fire, it turns red hot! If you have association with Kṛṣṇa, you get purified because Kṛṣṇa and His name are non-different. So if you associate with Kṛṣṇa’s name, automatically you will get transformed! In the Kṛṣṇa conscious daiva-varṇāśrama, everything we do want to offer to Kṛṣṇa, at the same time we follow bhakti-yoga! Now, you see, the youths, some of them are studying and have the pressure of studies. But they should think, I am studying for Kṛṣṇa! And my future occupation should also be serving Lord Kṛṣṇa. Some people may serve in the temple. But most people, they will take up different occupations. So, we should learn how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to dovetail our service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Of course, reading books and all these things are very important. But to get people interested even, get them to chant and take prasāda – the youth themselves are designing it. I mean, we invite people to come to our temple and so on, but many don’t come! Here, people gather together, they pay for it! Not that we try to make any money, it covers the cost for the venue and prasāda. If it happens in India, why not in Malaysia?! And the youth need this! This video was made by a Malaysian youth! I wanted more pictures. But you can see on internet, just look up ‘Bhajan Clubbing’. And you can see huge events! When I came here, I went to Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Chennai. I was exposed to various programs in Visakhapatnam and Chennai of ‘Bhajan Clubbing!’ People were chanting and dancing for three or four hours, paying for it! Śrīla Prabhupāda would be so happy! Maybe this is a way to unite people from other cultures.

Anyway, there is one thing that we should do, I was thinking. There are many youth programs in Malaysia. There are My Skill programs for under privileged youths and National Youth Saṅgha, special program for the national youth, Vaiṣṇava-sevā Saṅgha, Harināma Outreach in Penang and Malaysian Convention Youth Section! So I was informed of these things. I think it is very important that the youth should feel appreciated, integrated and engaged! So, how much nectar there is in chanting and dancing to Kṛṣṇa’s names! We cannot begin to evaluate! This human life – I meant taking birth again and again, going to see Yamarāja, it is not something that we want! In this short human life of Kali-yuga, if we spend our life Kṛṣṇa-oriented, we go back to Kṛṣṇa! Khasadeśā, Malaysia, any countries!

I just thought that we are doing a lot of programs for the youth, and we should encourage you and thank you for this initiative! Boys and girls, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision was that eventually you should all become spiritual masters. You should study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Now, we really do not have that culture so much in ISKCON, but we need to establish that. Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted it. He personally – I remember I sat for a Bhakti-śāstrī exam, during Śrīla Prabhupāda’s presence he organized it. He said before I took first initiation, I had to read the Bhagavad-gītā ten times! I still have that Bhagavad-gītā, crossed 1,2,3,4, crossed ten times. But now I have the Bhakti-Sārvabhauma degree with all my health challenges! They had offered to give them to me honorary, but I said, “No, I will earn it!” So, it took me some time, I wish I had started earlier!

Now, I see Lord Caitanya said, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya (Cc. Madhya 8.128). Śrīla Prabhupāda said that his spiritual sons and daughters should study the books and get the title Bhakti-vedānta and then they could initiate. We see in most organizations, they have one guru or one guru for each place. But Śrīla Prabhupāda was talking about ten thousand, one lakh, one million, ten million gurus! He said there should be no scarcity of gurus, of ācāryas! So in this way we will manifest Lord Caitanya’s prediction that in every town and village of the world, His name would be sung! So, this is a gradual process, and I did it for few years at the end, but if one does it now gradually in the youth period, it will be very easy! What do you think Prabhā Viṣṇu Prabhu? (Great!) Śrīla Prabhupāda has given us so much mercy! He went passing over the Atlantic Ocean on the Jaladūta ship. He prayed to Lord Kṛṣṇa, He surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, carried out the order of his guru. Like that! So he was able to do amazing things in twelve years! So like that if we can get even a fraction of the mercy of the determination of Śrīla Prabhupāda, then what cannot be achieved by the mercy of Lord Caitanya!!

So I want to encourage you that you have a long life I hope and the only hope for the world is, as Śrīla Prabhupāda said, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement! And I am at the fag end of my life, but you are at the beginning of your life. Take advantage, become Kṛṣṇa conscious and experience the unlimited happiness and change the world!! Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Any questions?

Question: How to preach in Khasadeśa and connection internationally?

Jayapatākā Swami: It is an interesting question but tonight it was especially meant for the Malaysian boys and girls. Let us keep it to that. It is a separate topic, how to preach in Khasadeśa.

Question: Personally, as a mātājī, I always keep thinking not to genderize this but generally prabhus get to do everything and mātājīs, we are like – can you give us some motivation, and I also wonder how to serve my guru and Kṛṣṇa? Could you please give some advice.

Jayapatākā Swami: So that should be addressed. At least, we want to provide alternatives to everybody to serve Kṛṣṇa. And like Lord Caitanya said, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (Cc. Madhya 7.128). That is not limited to males! It is anyone! And whoever you meet tell them about chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, tell them about the message of Lord Kṛṣṇa! Some of our Malaysian girls are distributing lots of books, right?! But I don’t know, the males have more service opportunities than the females? But we should look into that, do you have any suggestions for the different services you can do? Then we can consider that. I am a sannyāsī, so I cannot take any physical service from the ladies, but otherwise every service is allowed.

Question: Since you were talking about ‘Bhajan Clubbing,’ so let us see we started ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ in Malaysia – once a month we are doing. So other three weeks we have nothing except doing kīrtana in the temple. So what if all the youth are engaged in ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ and do not go for Harināma outside, do not read books? How do we face this Mahārāja?

Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, right now a very limited number of youth engaged in Harināma. But through this ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ you can get more youths to help. Now, why once a month? Why not every week in different places? I mean, that is up to you. So, when I was in Visakhapatnam and Chennai, I was amazed to see how the youths were chanting and dancing for three or four hours! Śrīla Prabhupāda would be so happy! This is what we want! By this process we can connect people were closer and more people will go on Harināma. I don’t say that you just do ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ and nothing else. I am just saying this is a new way to involve many new people! There may be other ideas I don’t know. But this is just an idea that came up. I heard some businessman pays a group three or four lakhs and arranges these events, in the auditorium, gets like 20 or 30 thousand people to attend. He wants to make money! So I am saying we can do it just for preaching! When people are chanting and dancing, they feel happy! That doesn’t mean that we just do ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ and we don’t do any devotional service. We take inspiration from Lord Caitanya! This is an outreach program specially meant for the youth! Most of the people who come are 18 to 30. We don’t restrict anyone from coming, but mainly young people come. What they call this generation Gen Zee. I hope that you don’t just do once a month ‘Bhajan Clubbing’, and after put mustard oil in your nose and sleep! I was told that if I presented then maybe the youth will take it up! The leaders were saying the youth will not listen to us! So I am just taking this opportunity to state! You know, I joined the movement, when I came my parents wanted me to become a Christian priest. My father said, “I will send you to the Vietnam War and you will die there!” So I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “What should I do? My father wants to send me to the American Army.” Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Better be in Kṛṣṇa’s army!” Now, I am in Kṛṣṇa’s army! And I am very happy! You of course, maybe your parents are devotees, I don’t know. They maybe, kind of śikṣā-guru for you. Every parent, every guru, they need to deliver their children, their disciples from birth and death. Half of my disciples are ladies and half are men. I have to deliver all of them! So, I am thinking all day, all night. This is a very big responsibility!

Alright, I don’t want to keep you up too late. Hare Kṛṣṇa! Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!

I wanted to say that we would like to thank His Grace Narasiṁha Kavaca Prabhu from the Ministry of Deity Worship. He gave the Certificate of Readiness to the Kuala Lumpur temple and the devotees in Kuala Lumpur who have made these improvements in record time!