20260531 Sunday Darśana

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: He (His Holiness Candramouli Swami Mahārāja) preaches in Sādhu-saṅga, he preaches all over the world. He has a special congregation. It is a part of the CDM, Congregational Development Ministry and he is head of the program called Prison Preaching [audio break]. There are prisoners in every country. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was also [audio break] a historical prisoner. He is like our patron saint. He was sentenced to death and was beaten in 22-marketplaces, he was supposed to die but he did not. That is another story. [audio break] He was in the prison where the prisoners in the jail were are all chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So His Holiness Candramouli Swami Mahārāja is adhering and continuing that tradition.

[audio break]

So I told you last week that you all are very fortunate because this temple has the arcā-avatāra of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Kālācāndajī! So by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy, he installed these 500-year-old Deities. By the mercy of Gaura Nitāi, we get the mercy of Rādhā Kālācāndajī. And in the temple, we also have Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā and Sudarśana cakra and Śrīla Prabhupāda. So, you are very fortunate, this is not an ordinary place, this is transcendental, and this is Lord Caitanya’s, Rādhā Kālācāndajī’s Śrī Śrī Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrājī’s dhāma!

Have you seen any videos? Last time only twenty of you filled up the form. Hundreds said they have mobile phones. How many of you have mobile phones? So many! So please take the trouble and fill out the forms, we are working on this, we are in the final draft and would like to have your input. We want to see, that all of you go back to Godhead!

How many of you who have seen America have decided to take birth, after birth, after birth? Or want to go back to Godhead? So, people pray, it takes tens of thousands of years in Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga takes thousands of years, Dvāpara-yuga takes a long time, in Kali-yuga you go back to Godhead, how long do we live? Less than a hundred years. So people pray that they can be born in Kali-yuga and go back to Godhead. But that is if one takes shelter of the holy name. Otherwise, the Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults.

Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ – ocean of faults, only one good quality. kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet [SB 12.3.51] – simply chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. I was reading that even if one accidentally chants, one jokingly chants, they still get the benefit! Lord Caitanya asked Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who was also the Namācārya, “How will the yavanas, the meat eaters, how can they be liberated?” Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “So many yavanas get killed by boars, they say ‘Haram’”. Those who follow Islam, they say, ‘Haram’. ‘Ha’ ‘rām’ means O Sacrilege! O Abominable! Although they are saying, they are thinking the opposite. They are saying, “O my dear Lord Rāma!” So like this Haridāsa Ṭhākura was telling Lord Caitanya that they will get delivered. Just like if a child touches the fire, it may not know it will burn. But the fire will burn it anyway. And an adult if they touch fire, they know that fire burns and they get burnt! So fire acts, whether you know or you don’t know. Harināma acts whether you know, or you don’t know! In Spanish, Rāma means branch. Anyone knows Spanish here? Like that in Malaysian language also the word for ‘day’ is ‘Hari’. So somehow or another people are chanting Rāma or Hari. What to speak if one chants with devotion regularly?! So we request everyone, please chant ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’!

I got a video on the glories of the holy name. We will show that later. I want your input, how is that? It is just a draft. So, in chanting, our name and ourselves are different, but Kṛṣṇa and His name there is no difference. So by chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name we are directly associating with Kṛṣṇa, right? In Sādhu-saṅga everybody was chanting. So somehow or another, if they chant, that purifies the atmosphere, that purifies our ātmā. In India, the trend now is ‘Bhajan Clubbing’. All these Generation-Z are engaging in this ‘Bhajan Clubbing’. That is chanting:

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

And dancing. And they pay for that also! I don’t know if that has caught on in America. Now we encourage people to chant in kīrtana and do japa all the time. By chanting in Kali-yuga, one is liberated, and we go to the spiritual world. So we should avoid all offences to the holy name. Because the holy name is our best friend. And no one is more merciful than the holy name. So we can get atoned for all kinds of sinful activities, but you should not offend the holy name. Because there is no one else except the holy name to liberate you. So human form of life is especially meant for realizing what our goal is. And that we are not the body. Actually, there is consciousness in the body. Śrīla Prabhupāda was visiting one village in Bengal, and he lectured to the people, and he told them, say in the village if the grandfather dies, then his grandchildren will say oh, grandfather has gone. Children say, “The father has gone.” The wife will say, “My husband is gone.” But Śrīla Prabhupāda asked, “Who is gone. The head is there, his arms are there, his hair is there, legs are there, who has gone? So actually, the body is dead, the consciousness is in the soul, and the soul is gone. Because of that the body is dead.” So, like that Śrīla Prabhupāda was explaining in very simple terms to the Bengali villagers.

Here in America, life is the same. Birth, death, old age and disease. If people think they are the body, then again-and-again they have to take birth. They get a new body every birth. But if they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they go back to Kṛṣṇa and so, we are trying to encourage everybody to chant. All the people who are working, they don’t have to change what they are doing. They can do their activities for Kṛṣṇa, for God. They can even preach to people of other faiths. And tell them to work for the Supreme Lord. As long as they have faith in Him. So some people, they worship Allah, some people may worship Jehovah, we don’t mind. We recommend Kṛṣṇa and Rāma or whatever. Lord Caitanya has said in the second verse of His Śikṣāṣṭaka that Kṛṣṇa has millions of names. And that all His power is invested in His name.

Ajāmila, he was calling his son, he named his son, ‘Nārāyaṇa’. And he had great affection for his youngest son, so he was calling him again and again, “Nārāyaṇa, come and eat!” “Nārāyaṇa, come and walk with me.” “Nārāyaṇa, come sit with me.” So like this, he was chanting all the time. At the time of death, the Yamadūtas came, he called his son, ‘Nārāyaṇa!’ And then he was delivered! Immediately the Viṣṇudūtas came and somehow or another he called the name of ‘Nārāyaṇa’. The name is so powerful! So, we should constantly chant the holy name.

I personally had an experience – the wife, children, everyone was my disciple except the husband. He was dead against. But somehow, the wife and children all took initiation. He was diagnosed with the third stage of cancer, and he was on his bed. Some hairy black, horned individuals with ropes in their hands came through the wall. “Ahhh!!” They went to him, they were Yamadūtas and they wanted to arrest him as he was a sinner. He looked at them. He said, “No, no, Hare Kṛṣṇa!” He called for his wife, and they disappeared. He asked his wife, “Bring me Gītā, Bhāgavata, get me japa.” “What we tried to preach to him for decades, the Yamadūtas did it in just a few seconds!” Don’t wait for the Yamadūtas to come for you! Wives chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! Husbands chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! Be bhakti-yogīs and bhakti-yoginīs! Be dedicated. My father told me – I was born here in America – at that time there was the Draft. And I had been going to college and university. Then I became a hippie. Then I joined the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. So I told my father I thought you would be happy! My pūrvāśrama father said, “Come immediately, or I will send you to the army to die in Vietnam.” So I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “What should I do?” He said, “Better you join Kṛṣṇa’s army!” Haribol! So I joined Kṛṣṇa’s army and still am a member! There are so many members in Kṛṣṇa’s army! So maybe we can show some of the videos on I am not the body.

Any questions?

It will be nice if Dallas gets the prize as the Number 1 temple in North America for Bhādra-Pūrṇimā campaign. In India, we do a lot. But there most of the people are Indians. Most of them are Hindus. Not a big deal! Some people have started “Har Ghar Bhāgavata” Every House Bhāgavatam. In our congregation, each one should have a set of Bhāgavatam. But, if you work in Bhādra-Pūrṇimā by giving away Bhāgavatam – when I was in high school I looked in the library for mythology type of Indian culture, but I only found mythology. So it would be good if you could donate a set to your local school library, to the public libraries, etc. Or you can donate to your wife! Anyway, somehow or another, we would like to give Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Especially it is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that somehow those who give Bhāgavatam, they get to go back to Godhead! That is why the Bhādra-Pūrṇimā’s goal is to distribute Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets. Do you have Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in your house? So try to get one. And try to donate one to someone. Just like there is Akṣaya-tritīyā, in Bhādra-Pūrṇimā we take orders for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam officially on that day.

Are you ready?

[VIDEO WAS PLAYED.]

This was made by a person from Malaysia. As a high school student, he has a hobby of making AI videos. He is actually very good at it! You can say what you want. So, everyone has a mobile phone. Please scan the QR code and fill out the form. The name of this video is “I Am Not this Body” I want more than 20 comments! I read all the feedback. I had asked for questions, you can write it down. What do you think? If there is anyone here who would like to make videos, you can join our team! We are doing various videos for preaching. So, this one is ‘I Am Not the Body’. Say what you think.

The next video, The Holy Name – [VIDEO PLAYED]

So, does everybody have the QR Code? And, say how you like it. I will send it to the video makers. Say how it can be improved and what you like about it. All these things. So, we are trying to use this for preaching. We need your input. If you like this media, now is the digital age, so we are trying to preach to the younger people through this. I mean, I give lecture. So many Mahārājas give lecture, but we may be heard or not. But if we make a video, make a presentation then you can share with others. We are trying to keep it short. We have one-minute videos, five-minute maximum. If you like this, say what you think. Now, we want to promote the Bhādra-Pūrṇimā, so they want to take a photo.