Question: Here we see how sometimes Mahāprabhu has debated and had arguments with sannyāsīs and at other times He gives them hugs, prasāda, and chants. What is the best way to offer bhakti to others or to bring them into Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Author: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-23
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya usually would not discuss with Māyāvādīs.
But because the devotees requested Him then He felt obliged.
And one Maharashtrian brāhmaṇa had invited all the sannyāsīs so Lord Caitanya took the opportunity to attend.
But He was very humble, and He sat down where other sannyāsīs had washed their feet.
So the head sannyāsī, Prakaśānanda Sarasvatī, said that is a dirty place, why are You sitting there?
Mahāprabhu said I don’t feel qualified to sit with all you advanced sannyāsīs.
So then Prakaśānanda Sarasvatī, he took Lord Caitanya’s hand and made Him sit with him.
So Lord Caitanya was asked why doesn’t He study the Vedānta-sutra and so on.
He said well, My spiritual master said I am a fool
and I should simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
And He began talking to the Vārāṇasī Māyāvādī sannyāsīs.
So he was very humble.
And he also was radiating a lot of effulgence
and the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs like effulgence!
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Jayapataka Swami: According to the codes of Manu, there are six persons
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So analyze these instructions of Manu and see if the devotee working at the billing counter is included in those six.
Alright!
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How can we become more appreciative in our day to day life since as human beings our natural inclination is towards criticism. And seeing the defects around us disfavoring us in the cultivation of good qualities?
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Jayapatākā Swami: It is not that we have to develop a tendency to criticize,
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How to overcome fear and what is the sign of full surrender to the lotus feet?
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Jayapatākā Swami: You see, this material world is a place of fear
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Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam.
So we depend on Kṛṣṇa.
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I am retired and my children are settled, so how do I detach myself from them as I am finding it difficult to detach and focus on my spiritual life?
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Jayapatākā Swami: You try to cultivate your children
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and that is a good service for you.
And you should also help to cultivate and outreach to other people.
sometimes other people are more receptive than your own children.
I went down today, and I saw a lady that I met yesterday,
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So he chants every day 15 to 20 minutes
and the wife chants five minutes every day.
So there is plenty of opportunity to preach if you are looking for that chance.
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I had a question on my mind for a long time now and specially in the time of the pandemic. So when I hear at the crucial times of some devotee’s health situations it sometimes looks as if he or she may make some decisions that seems more in the direction of leaving their bodies rather than live. How to understand or see this in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way?
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Jayapatākā Swami: Since there are many factors –
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and various situations,
one may try to survive
and may think that it is hopeless,
and they want to remember Kṛṣṇa at the end of their life.
Generally, we should try to survive
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But generally, we try to survive.
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I heard a lecture by another devotee who is a scholar that the jīvas are coming from brahma-jyoti. Are you familiar with any reference for this?
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-23
Jayapatākā Swami: You see Śrīla Prabhupāda had said most things, he had said the jīva is coming from the spiritual world. He also said that the jīva is the thathaṣṭha-sakthi.
That some jīvas come from the effulgence of the Lord.
So both things are there.
I think that there is a book by Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja where he explains this.
But it is not in black and white, as there are different situation for different jīvas.
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Sometimes when we are preaching and repeating the same thing people get bored and stop listening. So how do we add variety to what we are speaking to keep people engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Questioner: Anonymous
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Jayapatākā Swami: Say some variety!
Maybe you can tell some pastimes, and the pastimes may be different.
I am not sure exactly what you are talking about because if you see that a person is getting bored then you can say something to them, ask question, somehow make it interesting.
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We are Brahman and individuals, but the Brahman is impersonal. How to understand it properly?
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Jayapatākā Swami: You see, Kṛṣṇa is known as Para Brahman.
He is superior Brahman.
So Brahman may be impersonal but the superior Brahman is personal.
So we try to understand Kṛṣṇa as a transcendental person.
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What about those Māyāvādī who glorify devotees, the Vaiṣṇavas but don’t want to quit Māyāvāda philosophy? I have heard couple of gurus in India they are Māyāvādīs but they glorify Śrīla Prabhupāda a lot.
Questioner: Anonymous
Date: 2022-07-23
Jayapatākā Swami: Hard to say.
If they are not speaking Māyāvāda philosophy,
they are glorifying the pure devotees,
then it is to their credit.
Because these people talk eventually Māyāvādī philosophy.
But if they end up glorifying Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, they get some benefit.
They are glorifying devotees because they see some devotees but other times, they speak Māyāvāda.
Speaking the glories of Kṛṣṇa is to their benefit.
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Questioner: Lakṣmī Rādhā devī dāsī
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Jayapatākā Swami: We try to send the soul in a most auspicious way.
Could be that with all these things a soul can go back to Godhead.
There may be many factors we don’t know.
But in this way we are doing what we can for the benefit of the soul.
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We heard how a bird caught a snake and was eating it when it was dead.
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