Jayapatākā Swami: We think how we are able to do some service by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa.

And thus we stay humble.

Jayapatākā Swami: I mean if the husband or someone has to go out working,

then they may wear their working clothes and bow down to the Lord.

There should be some reason.

Vaiṣṇava clothes are more relaxing.

But everyone may have some particular situation.

So, accordingly they may dress.

Jayapatākā Swami: The point is that, if you are an initiated devotee, 

then it is very beneficial for you, and not so much trouble for the devotee. 

But sometimes people who are not devotees take the dust, and sometimes devotees distribute their guru’s prasāda remnants 

to non-devotees. 

That may cause great trouble for the devotee. 

What is being said is true, 

but it may cause some trouble for the devotee, 

if the person is not a devotee himself. 

So, that was the thing that Śrīla Prabhupāda said, 

that we should not give it out to non-devotees, 

or to uninitiated devotees.

Jayapataka Swami: Your hands should be clean!

If you are in some asuci, because your relative died or some other reason -

I never heard that we should not chant on our beads.

Maybe in such asuci times, we are not supposed to go to the temple.

But I never heard that we should not chant on our beads.

Jayapatākā Swami: With a little success, the spiritual master may praise us a little bit or something.

We think that, actually, “oh…”, we get a little bit, may experience suddenly a little bit spurt of ecstasy or something and think of, “Oh, we’ve already made it.”

Then we become somehow relaxed again and get in trouble.

So, until one actually gets pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means realizes the eternal dhāma and Kṛṣṇa directly, which at, which time then one does not fall into ignorance, because one too mad in love for Kṛṣṇa.

To do so, then one has to be careful with his intelligence, with one’s intelligence, not to become proud, not to become careless, not to become hopeless.

Upadeśāmṛta gives nice instruction on this.

If the spiritual master is present, then of course one can ask the spiritual master, otherwise take shelter of older Godbrothers, senior Godbrothers to uh… that’s the meaning of association.

I know before I do any type of new service, I always like to discuss with senior Vaiṣṇavas and get their opinion also.

Just to be sure.

Since they are there, fortunately enough, they usually they give their approval, but they also sometimes add new dimensions.

With Kṛṣṇa is unlimited, one can see part of Kṛṣṇa and yet there are so many other parts yet to be seen.

So, someone else may see some other part.

In this way, Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.

No one can claim that he knows the whole truth.

Even if someone realizes Kṛṣṇa but still Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.

He may realize only one part of Kṛṣṇa.

Or he will see… that person will see certain qualities; which another will see even other qualities.

And in this way the devotees can continue discussing about Kṛṣṇa without any end,

because each devotee is having newer and newer realizations from different uh, you can say different angles.

Because Kṛṣṇa is unlimited.

In this regard, if you read the description of the Guṇḍicā-mārjanam, the purports of Bhaktisiddhānta,

which is dealing with, you know first of all, one picks up all the leaves and the twigs, Lord Caitanya picked them up and then cleaned them with His own cloth.

And they swept with brooms and washed with water and they came in and finally with the little nail… fingernails, or with twi… other twigs, something they would pick out the crack of the stones.

Although the dust was still in there.

So it’s not really that, subtle, subtle māyā has come.

But it is like, first you have to clean all the twigs and branches.

You go back and see, some dust on the floor.

Then you sweep it.

And then you see well even after you have swept, still there is like, you know, what can’t be swept, then you wash it, and even after you washing, then in the cracks…

In the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that, like this the devotee cleans and so one has to keep clean, and when one gets down to the cracks,

that means that even that devotee at that point, the devotee has completely given up all desire for fruitive activity.

Yet that aroma, in other words, that, “So you alright, you have given up the desire, but the habit is there from so long to think fruitively, to act fruitively, to think of profit and loss that if one acts or even thinks that,

‘Well, let me do some type of business for Kṛṣṇa.’,

that the danger is there that because the habit already is like they are so strong, even though you are doing the same activity,

that, that is so dangerous, that then one can again become fruitively involved.”

So, one has to become careful and understand all these things and then if properly dovetail everything, then…

We see that so many devotees, “I want to do a business for Kṛṣṇa,”

and then what happens, they do the business, then they make some money, then they say, “Well, I can’t actually give to Kṛṣṇa money now, I have to reinvest it first of all,

and then you know build up a little capital and …” it goes on like that, then you know before you know it after three years,

he still hasn’t given any money to Kṛṣṇa, fallen down from regulative principles and then you know… It happens like that sometimes, so…

Of course if one desires to do business for Kṛṣṇa, of course a gṛhastha has to do business,

and if one does business and he actually gives the fruits to Kṛṣṇa,

knowing that uh, how dangerous this fruitive activity is, that uh, if one does that type of profitable work and doesn’t give the fruit to Kṛṣṇa,

the danger of becoming again attached to profit, the whole material fruitive mood again may pollute him.

So, you see in that the great devotees of Lord Caitanya, that they were very careful.

Most of them were very careful in doing their business to give, of course in those days they would give 50% of their income to Kṛṣṇa

or to worshiping the Ganges or to the Vaiṣṇavas or something.

To give a strict amount, taking that whatever comes by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

Even today, in India, you find people come and they pray to Lord Jagannātha that, “If you make my business a success, I’ll give you half.”

And then they get a little success may they go and give half to Jagannātha.

And then they get more and more like this, they build it up Him as their partner.

There even a story how… there even a popular play, how someone prayed like that and then what happened is then he didn’t give the half.

So, then Kṛṣṇa came by and said, it is a movie.

What a kind of movie Kṛṣṇa came (laughter) and said,

“Where’s my half?” (laughter)

“I’ll give it to you but just, just very little, you know, a little later” and it went on like that.

Some concocted you know, but they have that idea that like to give half to Kṛṣṇa.

Even the regular karmīs.

So, in this play, he kept putting Kṛṣṇa off and finally in the end, he didn’t give, Kṛṣṇa just took everything away.

I didn’t see it.

I heard about it.

I thought it was pretty funny.

He prayed to the Deities and they didn’t explain, the Deity would keep coming, either in a dream or in person.

He didn’t pay up.

So, He took it all. (laughter)

Of course, Kṛṣṇa does not have to come and collect that person. Ordinary people don’t have that fortune.

You have seen in Jagannātha Purī, that big red flag sometimes on top of the temple?

Someone promises that if this happens, I will put a red flag on the temple.

Which is… which is not so easy as it looks, because to climb up on top of Jagannātha Purī temple and put a flag, it’s not like there is a lift.

There is no inside stairway, you have to climb up, yeah, there isn’t even any roof to hold you on.

They hire someone to do it, but people have, not come back. (break)

What happens is if we clean up once, and we think well, we have picked up all the things and came out, dumped it outside,

and then we come back and look a little close, and, “Oh” then you sweep.

Guṇḍicā-mārjana is a very good for devotees to read.

Very nice instruction is there.

Jayapatākā Swami: No! The point is, say a devotee, tries to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and doesn’t make it; senses take him off; interested into material life again

but whatever time a person spent in doing Kṛṣṇa conscious activity, for that, they get heavenly planet or they get a very good birth in the future.

They don’t lose anything you see.

The sinful reaction doesn’t affect; the sinful life delays your going back to Godhead but doesn’t stop it because that your credit is in like a fixed account.

But what happens is when you do offenses, this is whole different thing.

Offenses are directly...just like you are working for someone, you build up a good credit history and then you steal from him,

then you get fired and that person never wants to see you again, right?

But say that you know, you work for a person, just somehow you go away, you quit, then whatever you do, but with him your relationship, you know, is the same.

This is a little gross kind of material example, it is not fully appropriate.

In a higher sense our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is independent of all the other activities.

But an offense against Him or His devotee directly, you see even He can forgive an offense against Him;

but when you offend His devotee who is just trying in helping people to come to Him that becomes intolerable for Him.

He has a policy that He doesn’t personally forgive anyone for that. If the devotees themselves forgive then He considers a pardon.

So, of all the offenses, the blaspheming of one’s spiritual master who is a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa and is considered to be the worst.

So, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that, it takes millions of births before one ever gets a chance to have a guru again.

Why Kṛṣṇa will bring you up to a guru if you are going to blaspheme?

If you are so envious, then you get put in an envious species of life.

So, that way, Śrīla Prabhupāda says that it is much better to fall down from Kṛṣṇa consciousness and just fall into sinful or materialistic activities than to become a blasphemer.

You shouldn’t ever resent the guru.

If you couldn’t make it, why resent the guru, it is not his fault,

you couldn’t make it.

You tried, you got as far as you could, or you have that much determination, you lost faith and you lost.

So, why resent the guru? Guru didn’t do any harm to you.

Guru was trying to help you.

You go to a doctor; you have an incurable disease, or you are hooked on to some kind of drug, the doctor tries to help you to break your habit,

but you can’t take the withdrawal pains, so you just go back in and then you continue taking heroin or something until you OD (overdose) and die.

Why blaspheme the doctor?

It is not his fault; you didn’t have the determination or the patience to get out.

He was going to help you through the whole thing, through your shakes and your problems and everything just to bring you up to a point where you could be a healthy person.

Like that kind of a thing.

Jayapatākā Swami: Oh yeah. Lord Caitanya said that,

yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā

That the offense of blaspheming a devotee is called mad elephant offense.

Because one’s spiritual progress is compared to a creeper, a plant.

So, when you blaspheme pure devotees, that mad elephant can go into a garden, uproot the whole plants, tear apart, you can just demolish the garden.

So, the comparison given that all the other things are like weeds; they don’t actually kill the original plant, they just compete with it.

They stunt its growth by taking away the energy, just stays at whatever level it is.

But it is very hard for the weeds all to completely smother out the original plant unless it just completely overcomes the thing.

But the offenses, those are considered like wild elephants which come in and trrrrp (tearing sound), rip out the thing, put it on the ground and stomp on it.

And then even for a while it may seem that the person is spiritually situated;

they pull out a plant, still the leaves stay green for a few days but then they gradually dry and fall off.

The relationship with the guru is never cut even you fall down; it’s not cut just by material activities;

but if you blaspheme the guru, then it is cut off, it’s like disowning.

Disciple disowns his guru by blaspheming.

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, we can try to learn from this līlā,

and it is like say in some countries, if you steal, they cut off your hands.

And people are afraid to steal because they will lose their hand.

So, if we understand how serious it is

to be envious against the devotees,

then you will avoid that like anything.

Jayapatākā Swami: How many here have mobile phones?

How many of you have the Jayapatākā Swami App?

How many don’t have?

There are various things – what I do every day.

There is also a “Ask Jayapatākā Swami”.

And Śrīla Prabhupāda had given me various instructions.

Those are written down, which one you want to volunteer?

And then there are connections to the social media, with the āratis, many things.

I was looking at my app, there are many things.

So we are looking for volunteers in the UK, they are saying for Amala Mañjarī devī dāsī to be the local care coordinator.

She doesn’t know yet.

But the local care coordinators – we can use one or two in Vṛndāvana.

So they can connect with me through various means.

How to deal with godbrothers or godsisters?

I mean, do you have any brothers?

How do you deal with them?

How do you deal with your godbrothers? Like your brothers?

(He is more close to his godbrothers than his own brothers)

Very nice!

Of course, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that our temples are like hospitals.

So many devotees are at different stages of being a patient.

Some are very advanced devotees like śikṣā-gurus.

So, just saying godbrothers, there are senior godbrothers and new godbrothers.

Treat them respectfully, nicely and humbly.

And I will be very happy.

Try to encourage them to engage in devotional service properly.

But then you have to hear them first

and some of them are a little strange.

Some of them are very critical.

I did not know that at first.

But most of them are very nice.

My disciples, men and women, are very nice.

But sometimes there are so much things.

Jayapatākā Swami: Normally, a Vaiṣṇava is not supposed to leave remnants.

But a guru may leave some remnants for disciples.

But there is no hard and fast rule regarding mahā-prasāda.

Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a Gulab jamun to Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami.

He kept it on his plate and he was looking at it.

He was very proud and was thinking that I have got Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Gulab jamun wow! Wow! Gulab jamun! Wow!

Someone reached over and ate it!

He said, you took my Gulab jamun!

And Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami was very angry.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, he said, actually there are no rules when it comes to mahā-prasāda.

And even if you take from my plate, what can I do?

But please let me finish!

Jayapatākā Swami: You see,

if one

worships Kṛṣṇa,

chants Hare Kṛṣṇa,

reads Bhāgavatam, Gītā

and other Kṛṣṇa conscious things,

you can make use of this

temporary relationship

*repetitition*

to

be Kṛṣṇa conscious.

To help others be Kṛṣṇa conscious.

and some people have certain desires

so you can regulate these desires

and

cross over all the obstacles.

Although

things are temporary,

they can last for this life.

If you have a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband

then you can practice your Kṛṣṇa consciousness

very peacefully.

So it is important

that a man finds a woman

and a woman finds a man who is krsna consciousness or atleast favorable.

at least favorable.

Maybe you can make him a devotee.

I know some women

who have overestimation of their ability

to make people devotees. (Laughing)

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, if we take inspiration from the example of Vāsudeva Datta,

and try to emulate that,

then naturally, gradually we can achieve similar consciousness. 

Jayapatākā Swami: As I said, I was looking what is the purpose of life

and a visiting professor from Harvard

had told, about the life of Lord Buddha.

And that inspired me, he told, about reincarnation and so many things.

Being in the West, we had no access to.

I don’t know how much Indian students have.

But it lit a spark in me, to find a guru, to find a teacher.

Of course, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that in my previous life I was a devotee.

Maybe there are some people who were devotees in their previous life, I don’t know,

and some people may be coming new.

So one has to be ready for different kinds of situations.

Now when I came to the temple nobody had any time for me.

They were all busy.

And then I was sent to Jayānanda Prabhu.

He was building a ratha cart.

He asked me if I knew how to hold a nail.

I held it.

Then he got it into the wood, and I took my hand away.

He said, very good!

Because that is the whole trick, how you hold the nail!

You should leave space so that you don’t get your thumb smashed.

And he said, “Do you know how to hit a nail?”

“Sure”

I said, because my uncle had a wood shop in his basement.

And then I hammered some nails,

and he said, “Okay!”, I passed the preliminary exam

and then he engaged me in service.

That service was something I liked to do, it was nice.

So, I think that is the trick for the youth. Whether it is prasāda distribution or something but engage them in something.

And with doing service, they hear from more senior devotees

and that way they get purified.

I was engaged in a lot of different services.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, in the material world, people, they are competing with others in a race,

thinking I will be the first.

But in service to Kṛṣṇa, it is not that we are competing with others.

Rather, Kṛṣṇa is more pleased if they help others.

We shouldn’t be thinking that by somehow by impeding others,

or somehow if someone else excels,

somehow that is detrimental to us - it is not the case.

Everyone has a personal relationship with Kṛṣṇa,

rather the envy of others is a great impediment

- you will never be the number one!

When I said to Śrīla Prabhupāda, I am the most fallen,

he said you are not the most anything!

So that should be our mood.

There will always be some devotee who is better than us,

but we should not envy that person.

Rather we should associate and try to improve our own service.

Jayapatākā Swami: You just expect to have different obstacles.

If it was too easy, that wouldn’t be glorious.

So we expect there will be tests and challenges.

If we see that, we will be determined to go ahead.

Jayapatākā Swami: It means… Frist of all constructive means that you are telling the person, how they can improve. 

But just telling the person how they are wrong it is not constructive. 

The rule of thumb is that we don’t tender any advice constructive, otherwise to the senior devotees. 

Rather [to a] senior devotee, we ask a question. 

But we always have a right to ask a question; 

and you can get your point across, even though it is put as a question. 

Say that somebody is a senior devotee, is not behaving the way what you think is correct, 

and we say that, “Prabhu, I look to you as an example to follow 

and you have always told us we should do like this. 

But I saw that you are doing like that. 

So there must be some reason why you are doing, so can you illuminate me?” 

And if the person illuminates you or if they don’t that means you caught them doing something wrong. 

And if they are broadminded, then they will apologize 

and say that, that activity is not something to follow. 

Prabhupāda once went to see Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura’s brother, 

and since he was the brother of his guru, he accepted him as a senior devotee, 

and had the good fortune of being with him at that time. 

He had previously discussed about developing the birthplace of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. 

But this time he refused. 

So Prabhupāda asked a question, 

“Isn’t it sinful, 

if somebody cannot develop the birthplace of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura 

and someone who can, is not given a chance? 

Isn’t it sinful?” 

So technically that is a question, 

“Isn’t it sinful?” 

But he got the idea across. 

So technically even he may not have liked it, 

it was not an offence 

because he asked it as a question. 

So that is the principle, we should ask as a question, 

if someone who is senior to us. 

If someone is under our care, then we can offer them constructive criticism 

or someone is a peer, equal, depending on your relationship, you can offer a constructive criticism or you could ask a question.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Jayapatākā Swami: The false ego is [inaudible word] identify our self as the body.

If someone tells us, “Oh, you are ugly!”

We are affected

that is false ego.

If someone tells, “Oh, you are beautiful!”

and we are affected—that is false ego.

So people can say different things,

but we don’t take it so serious.

Because we know that, it is temporary.

And we want to realize our real ego which is as a servitor of Kṛṣṇa.

So false ego is a very subtle thing that ties us to this material world.

So Kṛṣṇa, He gives certain instructions to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā;

so that he can overcome the false ego,

and by dovetailing our ego in the service of Kṛṣṇa,

that is a positive situation

for instance, Arjuna was a father,

he was a householder, he was a prince,

he was a general, in charge of the army.

So Kṛṣṇa did not tell him that you should give up everything and be a sannyāsī,

rather He said, you should carry out your duties as what you are;

but you should do so as an offering to Me.

So Lord Caitanya also said, “gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko”

Whether you are gṛhastha or a mendicant,

you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa

loudly and stay fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: The false ego is [inaudible word] identify our self as the body.

If someone tells us, “Oh, you are ugly!”

We are affected

that is false ego.

If someone tells, “Oh, you are beautiful!”

and we are affected—that is false ego.

So people can say different things,

but we don’t take it so serious.

Because we know that, it is temporary.

And we want to realize our real ego which is as a servitor of Kṛṣṇa.

So false ego is a very subtle thing that ties us to this material world.

So Kṛṣṇa, He gives certain instructions to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā;

so that he can overcome the false ego,

and by dovetailing our ego in the service of Kṛṣṇa,

that is a positive situation

for instance, Arjuna was a father,

he was a householder, he was a prince,

he was a general, in charge of the army.

So Kṛṣṇa did not tell him that you should give up everything and be a sannyāsī,

rather He said, you should carry out your duties as what you are;

but you should do so as an offering to Me.

So Lord Caitanya also said, “gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko”

Whether you are gṛhastha or a mendicant,

you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa

loudly and stay fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we have a spiritual master.

He is the final authority.

And we take his opinion.

When there are different opinions, then we take the opinion of our spiritual master, the opinion of the śāstras.

Jayapatākā Swami: How to be always humble?

If we think that we are the doer then we tend to be puffed up.

If we think that by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa

I am able to understand something,

that means we are humble.

Jayapatākā Swami: We have some very serious devotees in Māyāpur.

You can ask the residents of Māyāpur and they will confirm. One is Jananivāsa Prabhu.

Whenever he would come and talk Kṛṣṇa consciousness,

but if the discussion became a bit different,

he would leave.

You turn around he is gone.

As long as you are Kṛṣṇa conscious he will be there.

Loose talk and he is gone.

Also, some people they are able to change the topic.

If someone is talking loose talk,

they know how to change the topic.

And bring them around to serious talk.

Then if people are very addicted to loose talk they won’t like to stay around you.

Question: How to remain enthusiastic despite challenges we face in serving Kṛṣṇa?

—Bhakta dāsa, ISKCON Baroda

Jayapatākā Swami: You see there will always be some tests.

Māyā will test you, are you really sincere?

You want to serve Kṛṣṇa or you are just playing around.

So many devotees here.

I give class every day, more or less every day.

Wherever you are, Bhopal, Vadodara, you can watch the class,

either by Facebook or Zoom.

Question: How to overcome the enjoyment mentality?

Jayapatākā Swami: We maintain our enthusiasm

when we have a taste for spiritual life.

Like in different stages of devotional service like bhajana-kriyā, anartha-nivṛtti, niṣṭhā, ruci,

ruci means taste.

You have a taste, you want to do more and more service.

And one time, in Montreal, mother and father came to see the son. Put their arm around him talked to him nicely.

But when they got to the doorway, they grabbed him and told him to go home.

Then he held on the door

and they were pulling his feet and Śrīla Prabhupāda when he heard he said he is attached.

After ruci comes āsakti, attachment.

You have to be attached to resist your parents like that.

So anyway, by devotional service we gradually get taste, we get attached

and in this way we desire to render devotional service more and more.

♦ ♦ ♦

I was discussing with a devotee today.

He told me that for every sevā or preaching project we are engaged in we must have a vision for that.

Guru Mahārāja, my question is..

Question: if I am serving under the authority, can I have a vision for the project?

What if our authority has different ways or visions?

—Amṛteśa Gaura dāsa, Bhubaneswar

Jayapatākā Swami: You see it may be different it may be the same.

If you have a vision that you want to serve Kṛṣṇa,

you want to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement,

maybe some individual differences.

But if your reason is Kṛṣṇa conscious then it doesn’t matter.

♦ ♦ ♦

So thank you for asking so many questions

Jayapatākā Swami: It is like a multiple question.

You can be in Vṛndāvana by being in Vṛndāvana.

And how to please Śrīla Prabhupāda and me? I am very pleased if you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

If you are studying Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books,

Śrīla Prabhupāda called that tapasyā in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

If you are distributing the mercy out that is also very pleasing.

And if you are doing Kṛṣṇa conscious sevās, there are nine types of sevās,

then that is also pleasing.

How to deal with the vraja-vāsīs?

What is the problem?

How to deal with the vraja-vāsīs in regard to job, work, and association?

She is saying vraja-vāsīs, if she is saying in regard to work she has to work for someone.

You are staying in Vṛndāvana, then you have to live with vraja-vāsīs.

I guess I would just encourage them, they are vraja-vāsīs, they are very fortunate.

That they are in Kṛṣṇa’s land,

so they should be Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Otherwise, what is the use of being a vraja-vāsī.

Of course, when I installed the lotus feet this morning,

then afterwards a brāhmaṇa vraja-vāsī said I will help you to worship the Śyāma-kuṇḍa.

Then he took some water, sprinkled it,

tied a thread around my wrist.

And then he said, I am a poor brāhmaṇa, please give me some donation.

So I gave him some.

I saw in Māyāpur, sometimes during the season, the boys come up and say we are having a pūjā program in our pandal for Durgā-pūjā, please give us donation.

So I was thinking we are worshiping Kṛṣṇa every day

but Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Alright, give them 10 rupees.”

So, they are taught they accept whatever they are given. So to make the long story short, just give them 10 rupees and Haribol!

So like that Śrīla Prabhupāda would sometimes give them something just to make them happy.

Jayapatākā Swami: Good question.

So it is important if they are senior devotees talk to them privately.

Speak to them how you tried to enthuse these new people but if the older devotees express their doubts to the younger devotees that creates a bad taste.

Explain to him how his negative comments are influencing the younger people badly.

If it is not comments, he only has a bad mood, then talk to me, I can help him, I don’t have a bad mood.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is not very difficult to develop favorable relationships with devotees.

?

In the third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭaka

it says offer respect to others and don’t expect respect for, yourself.

So if you follow this system then you will make many friends.

And people are always looking for someone to appreciate them.

So if you appreciate others,

then naturally they will appreciate you.

So, I am very happy to receive your question.

And I am speaking English so everybody else can hear the answer.

And because my translator can do better

if I speak in English.

Jayapatākā Swami: You have a nice name, śaraṇāgati, means surrender.

Just apply your name!

Lord Caitanya said in the third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam which they chant here every morning –

tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.

Be more humble than a blade of grass.

Śrīla Prabhupāda described – you step on grass, it bends over, it is humble.

When you walk away from the grass, the grass comes back up.

So, in that way, we should be humble and at the same time be resilient.

Go upright in due course of time.

Be more tolerant than a tree.

A tree stands there in a rain, in heat, in a wind and people cut branches from the tree and make toothbrushes.

One devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, he wanted a neem tree.

There was a neem tree outside his window.

He hung out of the window to get a neem branch.

Śrīla Prabhupāda said, don’t do that!

He said, don’t worry Prabhupāda, I did that many times!

Maybe, but don’t do in front of me, Śrīla Prabhupāda said.

Śrīla Prabhupāda was afraid for the devotee, maybe he will fall!

That way a tree is very tolerant, so we should be tolerant and we should offer respect to others

but not expect any appreciation or respect for ourselves.

In that way we can always chant the Holy Name.

So śaraṇāgati is the actual mood we should have surrender

and whether our authority treats us very nice with a smile, or he treats us harsh,

we are not doing it for the authority.

As such, we are doing it to please Kṛṣṇa.

And if the authority gives us a service we can do, we should appreciate it, thank you for giving me the service!

Jayapatākā Swami: Rādhā Śrī! How to develop tolerance for everything? It is very hard to tolerate the absence of Kṛṣṇa 

and the absence of Prabhupāda. 

So that is called vipralambha-bhāva 

or feeling separation. 

That is something we don’t have to tolerate. 

We can cry. 

But all these false ego things I was talking about before, 

we tolerate those,

because we know that they are not constructive. 

So unless we can do something for Kṛṣṇa, we tolerate it and we don’t do it. 

So as we develop more attachment for Kṛṣṇa, it is easier to tolerate material things. 

So what we should do as a human being is learn more about Kṛṣṇa. 

And to develop our affection and attraction for Kṛṣṇa. 

And then it is very easy to tolerate all the other things.

In Bhagavad-Gītā I think Arjuna asked this question.

In the Bhāgavatam this question is asked

and the answer is given.

So generally, you see the anubhāvas are something that people cannot imitate.

The bhāvas, some people may cry,

that could be imitated.

But the anubhāvas, like losing something material

and being unaffected,

being always fixed in devotional service,

in spite of many difficulties.

All these are anubhāvas.

They cannot be easily imitated.

So there are 11 anubhāvas

and you can read about them.

So those who have these anubhāvas,

you can know them to be Vaiṣṇavas.

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, if you can do that, it is a sign of being very advanced. 

Usually when we are suffering, it is hard to render devotional service enthusiastically. 

But some devotees are able to do so; 

and that depends on how grateful you are to the guru, or how you are attached to Gaurāṅga or Kṛṣṇa. 

Also, how bad is the material suffering you are going through? 

Jayapatākā Swami: We don’t think, that if we do anything right, it is for our credit.

We think that is by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa

and therefore we are able to do something nice.

So that way we don’t get falsely proud.

If we make a mistake, we take the blame.

If we do something nice

we give credit to guru and Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since this verse is about Dhruva Mahārāja

and he was the great grandson of Lord Brahmā.

The grandson of Svāyambhuva Manu.

So Manu was obviously a gṛhastha.

He was grandfather of Dhruva,

he also was the father of the mother of Kapila Muni.

And so it is said that he went back to Godhead.

But he was a gṛhastha

he had children, he had responsibilities,

but he did everything Kṛṣṇa consciously.

When he did his things, he did everything thinking of Kṛṣṇa.

So like that our gṛhasthas sometimes have deities in their house.

They may have Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā, Nitāi-Gaura,

so by doing their daily activities in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way they can balance.

We should always remember that our prime duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa.

But we may have other duties.

Those we do in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way

and that way we always stay under Kṛṣṇa’s shelter.

In the 10th topic of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it says āśraya.

We want to be under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa.

So we pray to the Deities as gṛhasthas, that we want to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious healthy, long lived suputra or putrī.

Only gṛhasthas can have children.

Brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs no children.

It says if your child becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious and goes back to Godhead, putra or putrī,

then if they go back to Godhead, 14 generations will go, also, minimum,

7 backward and 7 forward.

Kṛṣṇa is very grateful.

I have one family they said we don’t know if we will go or not but please train our son in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so he goes back.

If you think, oh I have a responsibility for my parents who are sick, old,

you think I will help them to remember Kṛṣṇa

or remember Rāma, that is the interest.

In this way our service, our responsibility, is Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Bhakti-yoga is very practical.

We want - everything will be naturally balanced because we do everything in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Jayapatākā Swami: Of course, if we take water used by non-devotees,

then that may compromise our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

At the same time, if people and devotees take water from us, which we offer to Kṛṣṇa, they get blessings.

So maybe in this situation, you take two bottles.

One for the staff

and one for yourself.

And we would like to give non-devotees kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Jayapatākā Swami: That is why we only tell the palatable truth.

We don’t tell things that we know which would disturb the people.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see here someone eats non veg.

Non veg is sinful.

You are killing animals, causing them suffering and you are eating their flesh.

Some are doing selfless service to society, they are helping other people, they may be doing some, of course selfless service to society.

But we have to see what the Vedas say.

Whether that service is puṇya or pāpa.

Like someone may do selfless service and make a new abattoir, means a new slaughter house for society.

He thinks I am doing selfless service.

But according to the Vedas, he is also doing pāpa, he is doing sinful activity.

Someone may be doing selfless service of distributing free tea or whisky to all the people, I am not considering those kinds of selfless service.

I am saying like he is feeding the poor, he is making hospital, such service where the people are getting material benefit in a sāttvika sense, that is called puṅya.

So according to Vedas we get two accounts in the material world.

We get a puṅya account and a pāpa account.

And we are putting deposit in both.

Because someone does puṇya, it does not cross out the pāpa.

Some people think that ok, I will do many pious activities and I will do little sin and the pious will cross out the sin.

It doesn’t work that way.

Both you get.

That is why even if you find someone very rich, have a big car, big house, lot of money, but the wife got breast cancer.

But the son ran away with someone and married out of caste and the whole family is suffering.

So many things happen.

Income tax is raiding.

I am feeding the poor, I am giving so much to charity, why I am not –

because both the accounts are there – pāpa and puṇya. If you do pāpa you have to suffer, you do puṇya you have to enjoy. Material activities, you know they are not free, you have to take all the reactions. Usually the puṇya you get first and the pāpa you get later. But there is some mixing going on. Now the other thing is that he is greatly devoted to the Lord. Now that devotion to the Lord, the Lord is beyond the material world. He is saying mām ca avyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhuyāya kalpate. (Bg 14.26) That those who do my bhakti-yoga, their activities are beyond the three guṇas. So if someone does bhakti that can clear out the path. But it is dangerous to tell this to people. Because if you tell to people who are not devoted, they will say, very good, I will pray in the temple, then I will do more pāpa. And then Kṛṣṇa takes that as an offence, you are trying to cheat Me. So He doesn’t save them. That is why we don’t tell people about this glory of the Lord that if you worship the Lord it takes away your sin very much. Of course we have to tell but we try to tell them. They should not think I can do more sin, that they shouldn’t do. What people should do is come and pray and chant the name of Kṛṣṇa and try to avoid sin. They may do some sin but they should try to reduce it, try to avoid it. They should not think that by doing my Kṛṣṇa conscious activity, I can do more sin. Whatever sin I am doing, I have to suffer. But let me chant, let me worship, some day I can get free from this. Then it is ok. So if they are devoted to the Lord, they should try to do what the Lord wants. What is the meaning of I am devoted to the Lord, the Lord is saying don’t do these things. I am devoted to the Lord, what does that mean? Lord, I want to please You. If I am Your servant, I want to do what You want me to do. Like if you have a servant in the house, you tell the servant, clean the floor. He says no, I won’t clean the floor, I want to clean the wall. But I want you to clean the floor first. You can clean the wall later. He says, no, I want to clean the wall and then the floor. How would that servant keep the job? If you have a servant and you tell him, cook me breakfast. And he says no, I want to cook you lunch. I want you to cook me vegetarian and he says no I want to cook you non veg! Then you wont keep such a servant, servant, who is this servant! So if we are already devoted to the Lord, we should do what the Lord wants us to do. And the Lord is telling us don’t do these things. Don’t take intoxication, don’t eat non veg, don’t do gambling and don’t do illicit sex. Don’t go to prostitutes. Don’t leave your good wife or husband, and do extra marital sex. So when we are devoted to the Lord we should do what the Lord wants. We are devoted to the Lord, we come and pray and then we go. That is called hāthī-snāna. Like the elephant is having a bath and coming out and throwing the dirt. So we should not worry what others are doing. Someone says he is vegetarian but he is cheating.

If you do pāpa you have to suffer, you do puṅya you have to enjoy.

Material activities, you know they are not free, you have to take all the reactions.

Usually the puṇya you get first and the pāpa you get later.

But there is some mixing going on.

Now the other thing is that he is greatly devoted to the Lord.

So therefore I can be nonveg and I won’t cheat.

Not much, little bit.

We should avoid everything like that.

Don’t settle for that.

Don’t judge.

It is just like if you want to judge gold, you want to judge it with pure gold.

You don’t judge it with some mixed gold, my gold is better than that gold.

What is that?

That is 10 carat mine is 4 carat.

You judge gold by 24 carat.

This is not a good decision that I am better than that so it is okay.

That person is going to hell no. 5 and you are going no. 4.

So what is the difference?

?

We want to go back to Kṛṣṇa.

So therefore what is the standard paramahaṁsa?

We see what gurudeva, what the pure devotee is doing.

We try to lead our life and follow the Mahājanas.

Mahājana yena gatā sa panthā.

We follow the great souls or Mahājanas, like Prahlāda, Nārada, Śiva, Brahma.

All the devas, Svāyambhuva Manu, all the great souls, we follow in their footsteps.

Not that we are following some ordinary person and we are saying oh that person, he is not so great.

I am not so bad.

This is all mental concoction.

He is not so great, I am not so bad.

So I can live with my sin.

Yamarāja doesn’t pick all these things.

What your neighbor was doing.

What you did he has all the account here.

You did this, this is your karma.

Now you enjoy, now you suffer.

If you see the animatronic works you can see the Yamadūtas and the Viṣṇudutas.

You can decide who you want to be the customer for.

Jayapatākā Swami: It is a situation that I wouldn’t envy.

Actually, one should avoid giving advice to senior Vaiṣṇavas as far as possible.

But of course, sometimes if a situation comes up, generally we consider that we are not really in a position to offer someone advice unless we are at an equal or greater level of service.

You see.

At least, I couldn’t off hand just imagine, what type of situation might come up, where the person was in an inferior position of service and wanted to offer advice.

But without going into all these ramifications, if somehow or other one finds one’s self in the position of giving some kind of instruction to a senior Vaiṣṇava,

then one would have to offer that in the most humble way, and you know, very apologetic that there is like some doubt,

you see something which is agitating your mind or which is making you feel that possibly it is not correct.

And so just to alleviate the doubt as a senior Vaiṣṇava you are requesting that he would please explain,

whether his activities actually bona fide Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because you are looking up to him for example,

and it’s creating a doubt in your mind, because from what you have been taught, it doesn’t seem to be correct.

In this way in some indirect polite way if one could ask like that, then it is very hard for a senior Vaiṣṇava to really feel offended.

But if you just come and say, “Well listen, you appear to be in māyā, you are doing this…” Of course, your life will get smashed.

But if you ask in that way, of course then, maintaining your relationship, that you are seeing him as a senior Vaiṣṇava

but you are not seeing his activities to be exemplary of that, and it’s creating… then naturally he will more than likely to be, to feel… if he is in fact wrongly situated,

then he will feel somewhat responsible to show a good example and will see that you are not saying out of some kind of enviousness,

but that you are actually more concerned for your own spiritual life and for his spiritual life as well.

It is a type of a sticky situation.

Lord Caitanya would maintain this type of formal relationship with different Vaiṣṇavas.

Sometimes… of course He was ultimately the Supreme Lord, so sometimes He would do other things too.

But generally, He would try to maintain that type of activity.

In that way sometimes, you would find like with Dāmodara Paṇḍita, He would say, “Well, Dāmodara is My senior, I can’t say anything with Him.”

and this and that.

Of course, sometimes indirectly it was like a criticism because although he was a senior Vaiṣṇava, of course Lord Caitanya was the guru of everyone.

So that requires a lot of intelligence to be able to present something in a palatable way, when the subject matter is unpalatable for someone.

No one wants to hear, how they are in māyā.

Of course, the spiritual master, he directly just tells the disciple in many different ways, how they are need to be corrected.

But when you are dealing with equals or with even superiors, sometimes a junior devotee is put as responsible for senior devotees,

but actually the person is more, more responsible maybe.

So, it requires a lot of Vaiṣṇava vision to actually be able to see that.

The Gauḍīya mission in many ways, they lost that type of perspective.

So, what happened was like the disciple of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Bhakti-Pradīpa Tīrtha, he is different than Bhakti-Vilāsa Tirtha.

He was Bhakti-Pradīpa Tīrtha disciple of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.

But he could accept, he could understand that actually my grand disciple Bhaktisiddhānta, my nephew Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is actually completely empowered, pure devotee.

And so, he accepted Bhaktisiddhānta either as a sannyāsa-guru or as a śikṣa-guru, I forget exactly.

But he respected him like a spiritual master.

Even though there may be some formal thing, but he was actually a junior.

But because he had exhibited so many exalted Vaiṣṇava qualities, he wanted his spiritual association on that level.

This may happen in the future.

Of course, now, nothing like that is exactly happened where disciples of the present-day guru have really shown that much advancement yet.

But say in subsequent generations one great ācārya may appear as someone’s disciple.

And then Prabhupāda said like that the cream will rise to the top.

And if they actually become so dynamic in preaching then even if someone may be senior by years or by relationship

but if someone shows such a great quality of devotional service,

that may come that there will be a test whether they can recognize that person by quality or just by other external aspects.

So, Bhakti-Pradīpa Tīrtha, he accepted Bhaktisiddhānta in that way but after Bhaktisiddhānta Prabhupāda left,

actually the most qualified person was Bhakti-Pradīpa Tīrtha.

But then some of the disciples of Bhaktisiddhānta were saying that, “He is not technically our god brother.”

Even though he was much more senior and much more learned, they tried to do a little politics.

So, Bhakti-Pradīpa Tīrtha saw that, “Well, if it’s like that…you know.”

He just went off and did his own devotional service and did not want to get involved in politic politics.

So, this happens in Vaiṣṇava, the whole material world is Kali-yuga and we have to be careful that we avoid this type of mistake.

Prabhupāda would explain these things to us, so we would not do that thing.

Of course, by having a GBC body, this one way we get protected, because we work under committee and not under individual.

Because there is always a tendency to resent one person, there may be some personality differences,

but to work under this committee, this was started by Bhaktivinoda in his Nāmahaṭṭa.

He had a ten-man pañcāyat and then Bhaktisiddhānta said to do it.

They started but they did not really carry it forward.

So Prabhupāda was always commenting that, “They never followed Bhaktisiddhānta’s order.

He never said to have one ācārya, he always said to have a Governing Body Commission.

You manage everything by Governing Body Commission.” you see.

One person may even be misled or one person may have difficulty, the unity of the movement has to be preserved by working under the system of Governing Body Commission.

So that way in the Governing Body Commission you have different type of devotees,

but they are all there because somehow or other they have done some personal service for Śrīla Prabhupāda,

they know Prabhupāda’s desires, or they have excelled in some preaching field.

So, in this way they have a understanding of responsibility for the society.

Even there may be other, very advanced in or equally advanced devotees outside, still in principle that they are, know what Prabhupāda wanted.

We follow under this basic system that the previous ācāryas wanted rather than a single ācārya system, which is more vulnerable.

This helps us to take that humble attitude in a society wide basis.

Jayapatākā Swami: It can be an offence. 

If it is presented in such a way that we respectfully say that this particular thing should not be followed, 

the devotee is otherwise is very good, but this particular habit is something that we do not follow. 

It is presented in a very constructive way 

like Prabhupāda in the 12th chapter of Ādi-līlā Cc. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta) has given the details of the Gauḍīya Maṭhas

break up, 

and failure to maintain the instructions of the founder. 

So Prabhupāda gave those details to warn us, that we should not do the same thing. 

So some of the Gauḍīya Maṭha leaders asked us to take out the 12th chapter. 

But we said that we don’t have the right to take out Prabhupāda’s writings. 

So depending on how you do it, 

if it is to warn someone, 

not to follow this example; 

then it maybe alright. 

You see Prabhupāda was talking about his godbrothers. 

If one is a junior devotee is talking about someone who is very advanced or more senior; 

it maybe, what you call mariyāda-laṅgana, the transgression of seniority.

Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting. 

In other words, you are saying we have false ego. 

We think we don’t have any faults. 

But the associates of Lord Caitanya, 

always think, it must be because of some faults they did. 

So, we should follow in their example. 

Don’t blame others,

see yourself first. 

What mistake you made, 

“Not me! It was he!” 

The associates of Lord Caitanya are teaching by their good example, 

because of their good qualities, 

Lord Caitanya’s heart melted. 

Jayapatākā Swami: We like to think that if we are doing good it is by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa.

We don’t take any credit for ourselves.

In that way, we stay humble.

If we think we are the doer, then that is also arrogance.

And so we are depending on guru and Kṛṣṇa all the time.

Jayapatākā Swami: We like to think that if we are doing good it is by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa.

We don’t take any credit for ourselves.

In that way, we stay humble.

If we think we are the doer, then that is also arrogance.

And so we are depending on guru and Kṛṣṇa all the time.

Jayapatākā Swami: Why not?

A devotee never dies, he appears and disappears.

The word jayantī is reserved for Kṛṣṇa’s appearance,

because His appearance is very special.

But everyone else appears and disappears.

Of course, for the great saintly devotees, we celebrate their appearance and disappearance.

So rather than saying happy birthday, you can say happy appearance day! Haribol!!

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa wears black on Amāvasyā day.

Generally black is in the mode of ignorance,

and therefore we don’t usually wear it,

but there may be some exceptions.

I don’t think on Pūrṇimā day Kṛṣṇa wears black!

On Amāvasyā like yesterday, He wore black.

Otherwise, they don’t wear black.

Jayapatākā Swami: A devotee can stay very calm in an undisturbed situation.

Kaṁsa was very calm and serene, driving the chariot of his sister on her wedding.

Then this voice came from the sky, your sister’s eight son will kill you.

Immediately he became disturbed, he grabbed his sister by the hair and wanted to kill her.

So, we should not be like Kaṁsa.

There will be some disturbing situations.

These are tests.

If we are like Kaṁsa, we will get disturbed.

If we are devotees, we control ourselves, like Vasudeva.

He tried to convince Kaṁsa, that it is not good to kill your sister on her wedding day.

It is said, you should take decisions when you have a cool head.

So that was a very disturbing situation, his wife is being killed!

But he tried to pacify Kaṁsa.

So like that we should try to control ourselves, if we are agitated.

Everything is calm, no trouble to be calm.

The test is when things get disturbed.

At that time if we can control our emotions and think very deeply,

and do things that are most pleasing to guru and Kṛṣṇa.

And pass the test.

Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: It is interesting

that two days ago was the Putradā Ekādaśī.

So some people want children,

they observe Putradā Ekādaśī.

But in the glories of this Ekādaśī,

it is said that for the

renounced people or people who don’t want children,

they observe this Ekādaśī

to get the child of forgiveness,

because forgiveness is a quality that Vaiṣṇavas need.

We were reading today how,

some foolish student

was criticizing Lord Caitanya

when He was in the mood of a gopī,

a Vraja-vāsī, He was chanting the name, Gopī, gopī!

The foolish student came and told Lord Caitanya, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, why are You chanting gopī, gopī?

They did not understand that Lord Caitanya, at that moment, He was in a different mood.

He was in the mood of Rādhārāṇī,

or some gopī-bhāva.

And they did not understand that.

And they were thinking ill against Him.

They wanted to attack Him, or to take some retribution.

So then Lord Caitanya was thinking,

I came to deliver the most fallen,

but if these people they offend Me,

they don’t pay their obeisances to Me,

they will be deprived of the mercy!

So like that He was thinking how can I get these people to offer their respect to Me, and thus take up bhakti-yoga.

So He had the mood of forgiveness.

So it is very important, that we also adopt this mood.

And somehow, that thing we should practice regularly.

We don’t take the offences of anyone,

as something directly to them.

So we take it that,

we have some karma which is because of something,

we caused suffering for someone else.

And therefore, we are getting the reaction.

Somehow we take it indirectly,

and do not take that persona as responsible, and we forgive them.

And then we go on.

Just like Lord Jesus,

He was crucified, He was innocent,

but He prayed,

please forgive them, they know not what they do.

Similarly, Haridāsa Ṭhākura,

he was beaten in 22 marketplaces.

Normally one would die after 2 or 3,

but he was surviving even after 22 marketplaces.

Because he prayed to Kṛṣṇa,

please forgive these executioners,

they don’t know what they do.

The executioners were very frustrated.

He asked them, why are you so unhappy?

They said, because you are alive.

Because you are alive, the king will punish us.

So he said, if I die, will you be happy?

They said, Oh! So happy!  So happy!  Please die!

So then he lay down and went into nirvikalpa-samādhi.

Then they thought he was dead.

Then they told the king, ok, he is dead.

So how these great souls,

they have forgiveness.

Like Lord Jesus was saying,

one who is sinless throw the first stone.

So naturally, we all have committed various offences.

So rather than wishing ill on anyone,

we rather forgive them.

That is the special qualify of a Vaiṣṇava,

that quality Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa, They had.

Jayapatākā Swami: If they are right, you know that you are able to do.

If someone is asking you to do something you think that, is not correct or which is beyond your scope, then you can say, I am sorry, but be very polite.

Humility doesn’t mean you do everything that everybody tells you!

Jayapatākā Swami: Practice makes perfect!

So we practice them,

and get better and better.

I mean, Lord Caitanya said we should wear that verse around our neck,

and try to follow it every day.

So, as you practice you get more expert at it.

If you see someone who is doing that, you think they are doing that, then you ask them how they are doing it.

Jayapatākā Swami: By reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā,

one should naturally obtain spiritual qualities.

And so by reading naturally one gets association with different spiritual personalities,

so we try to obtain these qualities.

And eventually we can achieve many things.

The other qualities that one should have like patience, tolerance,

usually that automatically comes through reading.

Jayapatākā Swami: That verse is not just meant in front of the guru,

it is for everyone.

We want to be humble and tolerant

and appreciate others,

but not expect any appreciation for ourselves.

This way you can chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra always.

If you want to chant always, then you should follow this principle.

Someone gave me a book once by Dale Carnegie called How to Win Friends and Influence People,

and in that book, he simply mentioned that you offer our respect to everyone and don’t expect any respect yourself.

So, I was kind of surprised that this famous person he is giving, the essence of Lord Caitanya’s third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭaka.

Try it, tell everyone you meet how wonderful they are.

Oh! they are thinking you are a great person!

Don’t expect anyone to reciprocate.

If they do that is ok, but don’t expect it.

Jayapatākā Swami: Very good!

Lord Caitanya said that

we should be very humble to all.

To think oneself very sinful, fallen is a humble state of mind.

But in the humble state of mind, one should not lose their enthusiasm.

They should remain enthusiastic, not to remain in the fallen state.

We should not think that I am sinful and therefore I should not practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Because we are sinful that is why we should practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

That way we can solve our problems.

Jayapatākā Swami: Any opportunity we can give out prasāda,

that is good.

And normally people observe birthdays for other reasons.

If you can invite people over and give them prasāda,

that is something auspicious.

You have to think how to take advent of birthdays and different celebrations.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya’s associates,

that sometimes Rāmānanda Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī would try to touch each other’s lotus feet.

And they would have a face off and have some competition trying to touch each other’s lotus feet.

So, being great devotees they would not let the other touch their feet.

But the other was trying to get the foot dust,

so this seems to be a transcendental competition.

Now, it hasn’t been accepted as an Olympic sport yet -

maybe in the future,

when the whole world becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious!!

And Śrīla Prabhupāda, said that there are no hard and fast rules for mahā-prasāda.

He said if you wanted, you can even steal from my plant while I am eating,

but please let me finish prasāda!

So if someone wants to take mahā-prasāda,

appeal to them in the mood of Śrīla Prabhupāda, to have mercy on you, so you could finish your meal!

Let them allow you to finish your meal!

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya forgave Choṭa Haridāsa

but He did that later.

In the meantime, Choṭa Haridāsa left his body at Prayāga.

Lord Caitanya at that time officially, He did not know and asked where is Choṭa Haridāsa.

Lord Caitanya knew that being a sannyāsī knew that he would have wrong dealings with women.

As Choṭa Haridāsa’s mentality was wrong Lord Caitanya was displeased with him

and therefore He said, He will not see him again.

Later, He wanted to see Choṭa Haridāsa.

So we understand that He forgave him but it was much later.

Actually, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura he wrote, how one should choose a spouse.

Spouse means wife for husband and husband for wife.

So He said one should choose a spouse who is more advanced spiritually.

Who is very beautiful, that is not the question.

Who is strong armed is not the question?

Who is spiritually advanced that is what matters.

Just like I was saying today that a husband and wife should discuss how they should please Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see someone gave me a book How to make Friends, by Dale Carnegie.

He was actually saying the third verse of the Śīkṣāṣṭakam.

No matter what anyone says to you, just praise everybody and make friends.

When a material person like that, was able to understand

how we should tolerate offences and just appreciate others,

then how profound are Lord Caitanya’s instructions!

I have seen, someone comes and says you are a rascal, a rogue! And then you just say, thank you very much!

I understand that you are very - just praise the person.

So then what can they say?

So, whether you believe it or you are just doing it because you are told it works, try it!

But like one time in the GBC meeting, someone told us this - tell someone something good, then some criticism, then something good.

So they said I will do it, tell the person next to you. So you have to think something good of the person next to you.

Oh, the way you give class it inspires us!

Sometimes you drink water and you touch the lips to the glass then it becomes muci,

but anyway you are very special person.

So what can they say?

You managed to criticize them at the same time you praised them.

That way, you be like bees look for the honey.

Not like flies looking for the sores and infections.

But a guru or a manager, sometimes he has to find fault.

And if your husband or someone, you just tell people negative, they become distressed.

But you say something like you are very dedicated, you are wonderful,

but sometimes you get worried that people may take advantage of you.

Anyway, I am sure you will take the steps to see that.

Learn how to say things in a positive way.

It is not impractical.

It is very practical.

If you say you are nonsense, you rascal, then people they think he hates me.

If you tell something nice, he then they think, oh, he like me.

Then you may give some advice,

they don’t feel like you don’t like them or something.

We should try to achieve all the 12 qualities.

And if we have difficulty in anyone, we can contact our senior godbrother or godsister or guru.

Taking initiation is like taking a new birth.

After birth there are other things by practicing you can develop.

It is not that just from birth you will have all the qualities you have to practice and acquire them.

Jayapatākā Swami: To do this, one should use his common sense.

Like he went to the Pāṇḍavas and he did not want to make them unhappy and tell them that Lord Kṛṣṇa had already departed.

But with Dhṛtarāṣṭra it was another situation. Therefore, he comes and speaks harshly to Dhṛtarāṣṭra so that he is encouraged to take up devotional service.

So, preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness takes a lot of common sense.

In different situations we have to act differently.

I guess, this may be frustrating but there is no easy formula I can tell you.

That is why, we hear the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam where we find that Vidura according to different situations, he behaves differently.

Jayapatākā Swami: Just like I am serving my spiritual master,

I hope you can learn from my example

and serve me.

Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, one thing is that you don’t talk to the person in front of other people.

Then it gets their ego offended.

Take them aside and talk to them.

But I mean, ladies, they are, you know, sometimes it is better to have the husbands talk to them.

But we like to, there is a saying in India, where you train your daughter-in-law by chastising your daughter.

Jayapatākā Swami: You have to tell them that I am just using you as an example.

Because I love you and you love me.

But daughter-in-law is a different relationship.

Anyway, one thing is that

you have to develop these people skills,

it is not something, just there is saying one time a horse, he swallowed a watermelon or something.

The doctor hit the horse on the neck,

to break up the melon,

and then one student said, “I know how to cure a thousand horses.”

He hit every horse on the neck

and then they died!

The doctor, teacher told him, “You are a fool, this horse had swallowed a melon which was in his neck,

not every swollen neck is a melon!” .

Each person is an individual,

If I did the same thing and hit them on the neck it won’t work.

But you have to be sensitive to their feelings,

and sometimes like we are told to use the sandwich system.

So, glorify and give the message.

Jayapatākā Swami: We don’t think we are worthy of the Lord’s mercy,

that’s why it’s causeless mercy.

We don’t see ourselves as the cause.

Rather we have no such qualities,

and the Lord, if He gives us His mercy,

that is His blessing.

One disciple at the Kumbha-melā asked Śrīla Prabhupāda,

you said that one gets devotional service,

if they have done all these spiritual practices.

But in my life when I look back, I don’t see any such qualifications,

how did I get devotional service?

Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “I made your good fortune for you”.

Jayapatākā Swami: The devotee, when a devotee render pure devotional service,

that’s attractive to the Lord. The conditioned soul, acting in the material world,

independently is that nothing really very attractive about that to the Lord.

In accordance with their desire to serve the Lord, in accordance with their desire to approach the Lord,

it becomes more attractive. It is more glorious when someone wants to do some religious principle.

It is even better if they want to become liberated from the material world.

But he when he realizes the super soul but, the best is when someone is engaging in pure devotional service.

That’s really attractive for the Lord. Just like we have a small child but

when the baby is relating with you, depending on you, there is some attraction there.

Even though one sense insignificant but in another sense and especially

when the baby is trying to say their father’s name, they recognize and say you know,

“da, da” or something, that’s a special.

So, it is a happiness for the mother and father you know, it’s like a little high point there.

So, when the conditioned soul remembers Kṛṣṇa and wants to serve Kṛṣṇa,

that pure devotional service is attractive even to Kṛṣṇa.

Not only attractive, but it can purchase Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa promises to reciprocate although we are insignificant, but if we give our whole self to Kṛṣṇa,

Kṛṣṇa would give His whole self to us. Talk about a business deal. (laughter)

There’s no great king or great person even if some political follower

gives his wife you know for the leader, this leader is not gonna reciprocate

and give everything just for the one little person.

Because he has this one person, he has to see over so many.

But Kṛṣṇa being unlimited, He can individually expand and individually relate to each devotee.

He is not limited like that. So, He can reciprocate, although we are insignificant

but He can, He is so unlimited that He can relate with each insignificant part of Him.

He is not limited.

But like one president, he has got millions or 250 million people,

how can he personally relate with each individual.

It is beyond his capacity. He can only have a cabinet of 20 people and

talk with a few congress committee chairmen.

He can hardly relate to all the representatives in the house of congress.

What to speak of you know in a personal way. It would take his whole time.

He has only 24 hours in a day.

But Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. He is not limited by time also.

In the spiritual world, there is no limitation of time.

So, Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself unlimitedly. He can be having unlimited simultaneous pastimes

going on. So, because of Kṛṣṇa’s grace, although we are so insignificant,

that doesn’t limit Kṛṣṇa because He is so unlimitedly great.

He can relate and He becomes attracted when we approach Him in pure devotional service.

Not only that, They have to purchase. The way to attract even when we do a little devotional service.

He is attracted. Is that clear?

Jayapatākā Swami: Naturally, we should serve the spiritual master as the representative of his guru, the guru-paramparā and Kṛṣṇa.

So, in this way Kṛṣṇa is watching

and how we satisfy our spiritual master

that Kṛṣṇa sees.

He blesses accordingly.

Now how to develop proper attitude.

It happens naturally as we progress in our spiritual life.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, you can either jump into the Ganges, 

or you can touch that person’s feet back. 

We found that Lord Nityānanda and 

Lord Caitanya, were dancing in such a way, They tried to touch each other’s feet. 

They were so expert at dancing 

that They avoided. 

So, sometimes the associates of Lord Caitanya would do this type of 

transcendental competition, 

to touch each other’s feet.

If someone touches your feet, you touch their feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see it may be different it may be the same.

If you have a vision that you want to serve Kṛṣṇa,

you want to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement,

maybe some individual differences.

But if your reason is Kṛṣṇa conscious then it doesn’t matter.

Jayapatākā Swami: Pulling out the weeds?

Well, just like for instance uh, the first weed is described as niṣiddhācāra - unauthorized behavior.

Say that a person uh, is habituated to uh, eating meat,

but chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, friend of Kṛṣṇa coming, but you know still he eats meat.

So, then the person gradually stops eating meat, that is pulling the weed out, say, in the beginning stage.

But then say something that might even attack an older person that’s in devotional service - kuṭīnāṭī or lābha, pratiṣṭhā, pūjā.

Kuṭīnāṭī means diplomatic behavior.

Just like say a neophyte devotee, not very strong, he is trying to practice devotional service, he is practicing.

But somehow, he got mislead… miss… you know, like waylaid.

Went out, did something wrong, maybe went out, got drunk or something, you know.

Just fall.

Say, met some old friends.

They said, “Come on!” Next thing you know, had a beer can in his hand, whatever; and so, got in trouble.

So, then I met a devotee like that.

That is not a devotee, initiated, but just like a bhakta type person.

And then he had something like that happen.

Then he got picked up for drunken driving.

Very… He was come by and he was apologizing.

He was going to really try to be Kṛṣṇa conscious again.

So, the thing was that if a person… say that a person does something like that,

and some senior person is there to help him, some spiritually advanced person, and then if tries to like lie about it, hide the truth,

so or… that’s one form of kuṭīnāṭī, being devious you know.

Well, if the person was just straight forward, “Yeah, I had this problem, can you help me?”

Then he gets some good advice, and that gives him some more inspiration, some more strength to just stay on the path, you see.

So that lack of being straightforward of you know, confiding in uh, people who are actually there to help you spiritually, that’s one form of kuṭīnāṭī.

There are many others.

Like different have diplomatic behavior.

So if one, one gives up that behavior

and then takes the uh, you know, straight forward path, takes the consequences whatever it may be, you see,

there is no consequences like that in devotional service, no one is going to uh,

put anyone unnecessarily on the spot, rather one is compassionate, trying to help someone if they are having difficulties.

So, that’s how you pull the weed.

It’s just that, when you, you have to isolate, you have to recognize,

“This is the defect, this is a mistake, this is a wrong thing.”

And then you… then you work at uh, not doing it anymore.

That’s how you pull it.

That’s the meaning of pulling it.

Just like you know, some people they show you, “Look at my garden.

Look at my lawn.

It’s so beautiful; everything is green, right?” Before… If I look at the lawn, I’ll think it’s great.

But then if some you know, horticulturist comes, he says, “Well that’s crabgrass, that’s too… this is you know, this is uh, hog… hog… hog grass,

and this is not you know you supposed to have all you know Kentucky blue or something.

You got all this other garbage grass in there.”

You see.

For an ordinary, layman, it’s all grass, you know, who cares?

But you know, if you really get into it, it’s all some kind of grass that are ultimately weeds that don’t help the…

They are going to take over the whole thing and make it very scrubby looking.

But it looks the same, it looks similar, you see.

So, all you do, you pull it out, take it out.

So, you have to isolate it first, what is the weed and what is the real plant?

Weed means it looks like a real plant.

It is not… It is a plant also.

It looks similar.

It is not you know necessarily a lot different, it might be a lot different or might even be similar, it’s a plant anyway.

So, some of the things are just a slight difference, some of them are really different.

Just like an oak tree and a piece of grass, same type of living entity: plant, you see, vegetation.

But it’s not that completely different, may be in the beginning stages it looks similar,

when it’s just like a 3 inches ha… high, but in the end, you know, it becomes completely different.

So how you pull it out in terms of practicality, just you guys stopping doing that particularly,

or at least trying to stop.

First you isolate what it is, then you work at pulling it out.

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya is considered a topmost devotee.

And what He is doing is an example for all to follow.

Everyone who is on the level of a topmost devotee, will also be begging from the Lord for service.

In the material world, one wants to control to enjoy

the material nature;

but in spiritual life, one wants to be enjoyed by the Lord.

One wants to please the Lord.

And one wants to serve the Lord.

So the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra means. “Oh Lord! Oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service.”

So as we engage in the Lord’s service, in devotees service, our taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness increases.

So the Lord is enjoying His pastimes.

He is always happy

and the devotees who are participating with His pastimes,

they are also happy.

Who wants to be happy?

[Haribol!]

The real happiness is to please Kṛṣṇa.

We are part of Kṛṣṇa.

When He is pleased, we are all automatically pleased.

When He is happy, we are also happy.

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya is considered a topmost devotee.

And what He is doing is an example for all to follow.

Everyone who is on the level of a topmost devotee, will also be begging from the Lord for service.

In the material world, one wants to control to enjoy

the material nature;

but in spiritual life, one wants to be enjoyed by the Lord.

One wants to please the Lord.

And one wants to serve the Lord.

So the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra means. “Oh Lord! Oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service.”

So as we engage in the Lord’s service, in devotees service, our taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness increases.

So the Lord is enjoying His pastimes.

He is always happy

and the devotees who are participating with His pastimes,

they are also happy.

Who wants to be happy?

[Haribol!]

The real happiness is to please Kṛṣṇa.

We are part of Kṛṣṇa.

When He is pleased, we are all automatically pleased.

When He is happy, we are also happy.

Jayapatākā Swami: It depends, who that devotee is.

If the devotee is a godbrother of the spiritual master, or peer of the spiritual master,

of if he is the guru of the spiritual master,

then one should offer him respect.