19810830 Question and Answer Session with Translation Florence Italy

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja on August 30th , 1981 in Florence, Italy.

Lord Nityananda's son was also a very transcendental dancer. When they were chanting Hare Krsna Mahamantra kirtan, then Veerabhadra Prabhu, Veeracandra, he was dancing and jumping and he was expressing so many transcendental emotions and moods to his dancing. Everyone was just floating in an ocean of nectar. So one blind man, he was in the crowd and he was asking. “What is happening? What is happening? Tell me what is happening?” They said, “Oh! Veeracandra is dancing and now he is just jumping up and he is turning around.” “Now what is he doing? Now what is he doing?” “Now he is on his knees, now he is on his knees with his hands in the air and he is crying and he is chanting.” “And now what is he doing and now what is he doing?” “Now he is spinning around.” “And now what is he doing?” “Now he is slowly dancing.” “And now what is doing and now what is he doing?” And in this way he was just so excited in hearing more and more about Veeracandra's dancing. And the more he heard the more he became eager. And ‘Now what is he doing, now what is he doing?’ So finally, suddenly his blindness went. Then he could see, there was Veeracandra. By the mercy of Nityananda's son Veeracandra, the pure desire to see the Lord, gave him back his eyesight. And he fell down at the feet of Veeracandra and took the dust from his lotus feet, and when all the people saw that by his intense desire to serve the Lord by darshan, by seeing, that he has been given back his eyes and everyone became overjoyed and the whole crowd started shouting “Hari bol, Hari bol, Jai Nitai, Jai Veeracandra Prabhu ki jai.” Even if someone is blind, he may get the sight to see Krsna. After all, we cannot see Krsna with the eyes made out of muscles and bones and all these things. Krsna can only be seen by divine vision. If someone has the pure desire then Krsna will reveal Himself.

Jayapataka Maharaja : Jai Veeracandra Prabhu ki! Devotees : Jai! Jayapataka Maharaja : Jai Nitai Gaura Prabhu gan ki! Jayapataka Maharaja : Hari bol! Hari bol! Devotees : Hari bol!

Devotee: How can we appear humble when we have received a little bit of mercy of the Lord? Because of this mercy, we are having the great desire of giving to others this message and we are trying to show boldness and some enthusiasm, so sometimes people take this enthusiasm for pride. So how can we appear to be more humble?

Jayapataka Maharaj: When you put the butter on the fire and then keep it on the heat then as it stays in the heat automatically the impurities come off to the top; the more that you go on giving the mercy out, then naturally Krsna gives the spiritual intelligence. tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te (BG10.10) He gives intelligence how to advance in the devotional service. There are some people who will always find criticisms against the devotees; those are the people who don’t get Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy. The other thing is that we should remain humble. because even if we may have a drop of mercy, that mercy is only by the mercy of Guru and Krsna and we have yet so much further to go. So when we realize how much further we must still progress on the path, then how can we help but be humble? We may feel little enthusiasm after serving but that enthusiasm is simply the first step, beyond that there is so much higher realizations that we still must achieve.

Devotee: A Vaishnava is equal to both friend and enemy. So how come, Advaita Acarya, he asks Lord Caitanya to not give mercy to the proud and envious?

Jayapataka Maharaj: That also is His mercy. Of course Advaita, He Himself is the Lord. Actually Advaita, Nitai and Lord Caitanya, They all three are the Lord; in different forms for different purposes. Advaita wanted that everyone should get the opportunity, even those who are ordinarily missing the chance. But especially He mentions that Chakravartis, the Mishras, those who were the high caste priestly people, but who are always inimical to Lord Caitanya. Because a devotee cannot tolerate when someone is inimical to the Lord. Lord cannot tolerate when someone is inimical to the devotee, and a devotee cannot tolerate when someone is inimical to the Lord. Actually those proud people, they don’t want Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy; so they are not getting. But those who are not proud, they want some type of relief; they want some type of answers to their problems. So Advaita, he didn’t want that they should get just a part solution; they should get more than they expected; the highest gift of life. By not giving the mercy to the proud people, this is forcing the people those who are proud to give up their false position. By giving up their false position, they can achieve perfection. Why should we mislead people and tell them that if they maintain a false position they can be happy? But even one is unfortunate (otherwise he is not qualified even to worship God) but somehow or other at least he is a little humble and he has a desire, he can get the mercy. That is unequaled in all history. A Vaishnava can tolerate all types of offences to himself but he cannot tolerate offences to the Lord or to other Vaishnavas. Is that alright, ok? Devotee: Why did Lord Caitanya leave the planet at 44 years, why did He not stay here longer? Jayapataka Maharaj: Because He is independent, He can do whatever He likes. He left a lot of work for you to do, (devotees laugh) but He is still here in the form of His order and His message and He has left you lots of service. Now you can get Lord Caitanya's misericordia (Italian for ‘mercy’)

Devotee: Lord Caitanya was in the mood of Gopis and He is ... also, so how come they were feeling separation if they were always with Krsna by speaking of Him?

Jayapataka Maharaj: Why they are feeling separation? Because they are feeling separation, then their desire to talk about Krsna is more. Then when they talk about Krsna then they feel the presence of Krsna and then they feel union even in separation. That is why they would sometimes feel union even in separation. That is why their separation is different than material distance because in that separation they are feeling union, otherwise how can they survive without Krsna. They would all die. The nectarine emotion of separation from the Guru or Krsna is so real and wonderful that a devotee would not exchange millions and billions of dollars or liras for the exchange for that real emotion.

Devotee: Before the coming of Lord Caitanya was there a line of spiritual masters who were chanting Hare Krsna?

Jayapataka Maharaj: The Hare Krsna Maha mantra is written in the Vedas which was written 5000 years ago. Kali Santarana Upanishad, Narada Pancharathara, different Sastras mention Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna Hare Rama mantras but, Hare Krsna is chanted on different levels. When Hare Krsna is chanted by the Gopis in separation of Krsna, that is the most intense. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He brought down the Hare Krsna Mahamantra from Goloka Vrindavan. Therefore the chanters following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, their chanting is the most intense.

Devotee: It is said that many of the appearances of Krsna is on the full moon. So I want to know a little more about the moon. The moon is only reflecting the light of the sun, but still the light of the moon is giving the taste of vegetables even influencing a person?

Jayapataka Maharaj: Moon is having different influences at different stages of this cycle. And the full moon has much significance, so whenever the Lord appears, He appears when all auspicious astrological signs are present. So the full moon is one of the auspicious signs, it’s not the only auspicious sign. Sometimes the moon in other positions is also auspicious. But because the full moon is auspicious many times the devotees and the Lord are appearing at a particular time when such auspicious constellations are present. Whereas Krsna, when He appeared, that was the 8th day of waning moon. It is said that at that time, all of the stars took up the most auspicious constellation known as Rohini. But because Krsna Himself was coming in the dynasty of the moon god; there are two lines of kings in India one coming from Surya Vamsa (Sun) and one coming from Candra Vamsa that is from the moon. Ramachandra is coming from sun dynasty and Krsna appeared in the moon dynasty. So it is said that although it was the 8th day of the waning moon, because Krsna Himself was coming as the representative of the moon dynasty, the moon himself, he became on his own full in happiness that Krsna was coming. Krsna Himself is greater than the full moon. But He was coming in the full moon’s dynasty. So that was another auspicious point. So that's a whole science, the science of astrology.

Devotee: We want to know why the moon is having psychological effects on people.

Jayapataka Maharaj: Moon represents the mind; mind is affected by the moon. So when the moon goes through different changes, that affects the peoples’ minds. Like that different planets affect different parts of the body, different situations and each of the planets is controlled by the demigods. So the demigods, they are controlling those different functions of the body. So in India, people wear stones and worship those different demigods to avoid the bad influences when they have some astrological weakness at one particular sign. Sometimes you see people with a coral, with this one or that, different stones, and pearl is for the mind. Pearl is for the moon. They wear so many different rings. But Srila Prabhupada said that devotee simply has to chant Hare Krsna. That will be more effective then wearing different types of stones. Srila Prabhupada ki ! Devotees : Jai!

Transcribed by: Cinmayi Citra Devi Dasi, March 31 2013.

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