20230427 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Question & Answer Session given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 27th, 2023 in Dallas,Texas, USA.

Any questions?

Question: Why was Rāmacandra Viśvāsa called avaiṣṇava although he was almost a Vaiṣṇava?

Jayapatākā Swami: I think as explained in those verses, in those days, people they took each other at face value. Since he was chanting Rāma nāma and he appeared to be submissive, naturally people thought he was a Vaiṣṇava. But Lord Caitanya being the Supersoul, He could understand that he actually wants to merge, he wants sāyujya-mukti. And the others may not have understood, but Lord Caitanya understood. Therefore, he was called almost a Vaiṣṇava.

Question: In many of the answers you have mentioned that prayer is very important. What are the key components of a prayer?

Jayapatākā Swami: I was told by someone that when I met Śrīla Prabhupāda, I should offer prayer. I should humble myself, I should praise Śrīla Prabhupāda, and I should ask some benediction. So I would do this every day. After a while, since this was a regular sequence, Śrīla Prabhupāda he would reply sometimes saying surprising things. I once said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I am most fallen. He said, yes! Ha! Things like that. I said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are very merciful! I am in need of your mercy! I am very fallen! I want to serve you, life after life! Śrīla Prabhupāda said, why do you want me to come back? You said, life after life, so I have to be here to accept your service! I thought I was saying the right thing. So then I said, I want to serve you even life after life. If you keep me in the material world, then I want to serve you. Like that. Anyway, offer prayer I was taught to offer some praise, humble yourself and ask for some benediction. But you can see what great Vaiṣṇavas have done and you can follow that example. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he offered his prayers, you can see how he offered.

Question: (Spanish) If you can tell us what is the best way to stop creating more karma in life.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, there is karma, vikarma and akarma. This is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. Karma is good works which can elevate you, give you good birth, money, good looks education, but it doesn’t lead you back to Godhead. Maybe you can take birth in the heavenly planets and have a long life. But once your karma runs out, then you come down. If you do vikarma or sinful karma, then you get absence of these things. No good looks, no good education, no good family, no wealth, and various problems – legal problems, health problems. Usually, people do some karma and some vikarma. So they get some happiness and some distress on the material platform. The secret, you asked a very good question, how do we stop karma? But even if do karma we have to take another birth to reap the results. Karma means good results and vikarma means bad results, but all material. So we want to do akarma. We want to do if you do service to Kṛṣṇa, then no result is produced. No karma. Of course, Kṛṣṇa may give one some material benefits. But the real thing is that Kṛṣṇa takes one back to Him. At the end of this life, we go back to Kṛṣṇa. And if you read the glories of different Ekādaśīs fasts, sometimes Kṛṣṇa gives some material benefits, but in the end it says, devotees go back to Godhead. So doing spiritual activities, activities offered to Kṛṣṇa, that is the best in the world. It takes one back to Kṛṣṇa, to the spiritual world. So while living in this world, we have least problems and go back to Kṛṣṇa. But if we are very attached to material happiness, sometimes Kṛṣṇa gives some mercy, so we see the relative difference. Actually, He wants devotes to be happy in material life. But if they are attached and think, oh! I like to stay here,it is a good place! That is not good. Ha! Because if you stay here, naturally we get disease, old age and death, and then rebirth and start over. So we do akarma. We do devotional service. And by that we directly get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Is that alright?

Question: Devotee doesn’t ask for liberation, we want to serve Kṛṣṇa birth after birth. But we also know our goal is to go back Godhead. So is it appropriate to ask Kṛṣṇa that we want to go back to Godhead?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, there are five kinds of liberation. Sāyujya, merging, devotees don’t want that. Then there is sālokya, sāmīpya, sārṣṭi and sārūpya. Having similar form like the Lord, living on the same planet, having personal service of the Lord, living close to the Lord. Devotees accept the other four, if it includes service, and they ask the Lord for His service. Generally, we go to the spiritual world to serve the Lord. But if He wants us to be with Him in the material world, it is alright if He have His service. So that way, devotees ask for service. And naturally if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then Kṛṣṇa takes us back. Then we can serve Him eternally. We don’t mind where we serve Him, here, there or anywhere. However we serve the Lord, we are very happy. We see, how Lord Caitanya, He came only 500 years ago. We have more details. And how the devotees were serving the Lord, how He was reciprocating. Then naturally one if one develops their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are very inspired Are you inspired? Alright! I am taking a therapy, I take the therapy I don’t feel anything. But after an hour or so I feel very wiped out! I get complaints that the class is a bit too late. Last question.

Devotee: Guru Mahārāja, you possess all the 26 divine qualities and you are an ocean of mercy, compassion and love. So Guru Mahārāja, I am begging at your lotus feet that please shower your causeless mercy that you are always showering on me, please bless me Guru Mahārāja so that I can become your qualified servant and serve you eternally in a way that is most pleasing to you, so that I can always please you Guru Mahārāja, the way that you want me to please you, the way that you want me to serve you! This is my prayer at your lotus feet Guru Mahārāja!

Jayapatākā Swami: You are a pretty good student. You get a ‘B’. You did not humble yourself. You praised me, you asked for a blessing. You did not humble yourself. Otherwise, I would have given you an ‘A’!

So thank you very much! Guru is meant to teach, right? Anyone wants blessings?