Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Jayapataka Swami Guru Maharaj on the 70th Vyasa Puja ceremony by your disciple Narahari Dev dasa (Toronto, Canada)
Dear Guru Maharaj,
Please accept my respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this auspicious occasion of your 70th Vyasa Puja.
With every passing day I am able to realize the greatness of your legacy a little bit more. You resisted the temptation of going back to Godhead and fought back from the jaws of death just to give fallen conditioned souls like me your association. What can be a more illustrative act of compassion than this? Since the past one year I’m deeply touched with how much you exert yourself to share Gaura Katha through your daily online classes. These classes are literally keeping me afloat and nourished so I don’t sink back to my sinful life. I’m also indebted to my Godsister Jaya Raseshwari Mataji who painstakingly transcribes every lecture, without fail, for the benefit of all your disciples.
In my recent reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam I came across the following commentary by Srila Viraraghava Acarya on the definition of a jivan-mukta which immediately reminded me about you.
“Śrīla Vīrarāghava Ācārya states that in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad there are eight symptoms of a jīvan-mukta, a person who is already liberated even when living in this body. The first symptom of one so liberated is that he is freed from all sinful activity (apahata-pāpa). As long as one is under the clutches of māyā in the material energy, one has to engage in sinful activity. Bhagavad-gītā describes such people as duṣkṛtinaḥ, which indicates that they are always engaged in sinful activity. One who is liberated in this life does not commit any sinful activities. Sinful activity involves illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling.”
Dear Guru Maharaj simply by following your instructions even sinful people become apahata-papa. Isn’t this a miracle that you have given us?
“The second symptom of a liberated person is vijara, which indicates that he is not subjected to the miseries of old age.”
You also exhibit this vijara quality. Generally old people, even those without any health problems, tend to forget things. You on the other hand remember every single detail about almost anything. You remember the names of your disciples, the transcendental activities of Lord Caitanya and His associates, all the instructions that Srila Prabhupada gave you, your services to Sridham Mayapur, your GBC responsibilities and so many things. I don’t think this list can stop. Generally people who have a stroke hardly can remember anything. You on the other hand have exhibited another quality of a jivan-mukta by exhibiting this vijara quality.
“The third symptom is vimṛtyu. A liberated person prepares himself in such a way that he does not take on any more material bodies, which are destined to die. In other words, he does not fall down again to repeat birth and death.”
In one of your recent classes you mentioned that my only mistake is that I have accepted so many unqualified disciples and I’m suffering because my disciples DO NOT FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS!!! We have seen that even those disciples that simply follow your instructions become vimṛtyu so what to speak about your Divine Grace.
“The fourth symptom is viśoka, which indicates that he is callous to material distress and happiness.”
Who in this world immediately after a stroke and while still in the ICU travels in an ambulance for 5 hours and 5 hours back just to give an hour lecture! You recently mentioned in your Facebook classes to a question from your disciple that we can never be free from problems in this material world! We must learn to manage them properly taking guidance and help while at the same time become Krishna Conscious. Your life is a practical demonstration of this principle of viśoka.
“The fifth symptom is vijighatsa, which indicates that he no longer desires material enjoyment.”
In the early days of Mayapur while constructing the Mayapur temple you used to sleep on a pile of bricks just so that the local villagers do not steal Srila Prabhupada’s property. In the early days of preaching in Bangladesh, your initial followers were very poor and you used to sleep in a goat shed! Even though you have so many followers I have never seen or heard you asking anything for yourself. Everything for Krishna and nothing for me! Isn’t this a symptom of vijighatsa?
“The sixth symptom is apipātā, which means that he has no desire other than to engage in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, his dearmost pursuable Lord.”
You engage all your disciples to serve Krsna and you make sure that everyone under your care is engaged according to their nature to help propagate the mission of Lord Caitanya. Without a doubt we can say that the standard of deity worship of Sri Sri Radha Madhava is uncomparable to any other place in this world! Isn’t this not an exhibition of the quality of apipātā.
“The seventh symptom is satya-kāma, which indicates that all his desires are directed to the Supreme Truth, Kṛṣṇa. He does not want anything else.”
This principle of satya-kāma is indicated whenever you speak about any topic. You somehow or other connect every topic of this material world back to Krishna or Lord Caitanya. As stated in the Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya-Lila 8.274 sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti. “The mahā-bhāgavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.” Because of your constant ecstatic vision of Lord Caitanya all your activities are directed towards pleasing Him and not desiring anything for yourself. Is this not satya-kāma?
“The eighth symptom is satya-saṅkalpa. Whatever he desires is fulfilled by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. First of all, he does not desire anything for his material benefit, and secondly if he desires anything at all, he simply desires to serve the Supreme Lord. That desire is fulfilled by the Lord’s grace. That is called satya-saṅkalpa.”
You recently mentioned that your desire is to complete the TOVP, develop the Gaura-mandala Bhumi, finish your book on Lord Caitanya and develop Mayapur. And we can see that all these desires are slowly being manifest by Lord Gauranga’s mercy. This is nothing but satya-saṅkalpa.
Guru Maharaj by your causeless mercy you accepted this ungrateful wretch as your disciple. You came to this material world and snatched me by the hair to pick me up from a materialistic way of life, but this fool doesn’t want it. I continue to resist your boundless compassion. Through your personal example you illustrate an ideal example of a Vaishnava and ask us to follow you, but I reject it and carry on with my arrogant life giving your instructions no heed. You even came back from the jaws of death to give me your mercy but I have no regard for your instructions. This wretched fool continues to enjoy Maya’s kicks but not the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Nevertheless, you never stop giving me your mercy. I really hope that atleast in the very near future I can properly follow your basic instructions of chanting atleast 16 rounds without fail, following the four regulative principles, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books daily and assisting in the mission of Lord Caitanya’s Sankirtan movement. Praying and hoping that a day comes very soon in my life when I would be able to say that I am a humble follower of His Divine Grace Srila Jayapataka Swami Guru Maharaj the beloved disciple of Srila Prabhupada.
Your fallen servant,
Narahari Dev das