His Holiness Śrīla Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja displays exemplary guru-bhakti. Guru is not an individual. Guru is a tattva - absolute truth. Guru actually indicates the members of the entire paramparā. Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja’s guru-bhakti is really touching my heart. Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja is trying to fulfill whatever orders he got from His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja wrote to me last year, "It was the desire of Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura that all of his descendants work cooperatively together to preach the divine message of Rūpa and Raghunātha. During his final days on this planet, my gurudeva, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, instructed me to unite all of the descendants of Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura. My gurudeva established the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust to also help in fulfilling this purpose of unification.”
In order to fulfill his gurudeva’s desire, Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja is trying his best to fulfill this order even though his physical condition is giving
him obstacles in moving and doing it personally. However, he is sending his favorite disciples to every Gauḍīya Maṭha to bring everyone together in order to fulfill Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura’s and Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Swami Mahārāja’s last will.
The main goal of the vaishnavas is to constantly chant the holy names with humility, extreme tolerance, freedom from the desire for mundane name, fame, and recognition, while simultaneously giving due respect to everyone. Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja, in order to fulfill the qualities of being a vaiṣṇava, is following Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Swami Mahārāja, Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Goswami Ṭhākura as well as the other disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura.
I heard from Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja that when he was a brahmacārī and stayed in Kolkata’s Śrī Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha, my gurudeva, Śrīla Bhakti Pramode Purī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, had requested him to bring flat rice and yogurt (cida-dahi) when his stomach was upset; at that time, Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja happily brought the flat rice and yogurt. Over the last few years, I saw that although he is physically not fit to attend any program, he still attends our Guru Mahārāja’s disappearance program. Even this year, he sent a voice recording from England which was played at the disappearance festival in Māyāpur. Even on 23rd November 1999, Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja came to our Māyāpur temple while my gurudeva was being put into samādhi.
All of these activities prove that he is trying to fulfill the desire of the previous teachers (guru-varga) to keep everyone united. ISKCON is a big society. Although it is a challenge for ISKCON to keep amicable relations with the various Gauḍīya Maṭhas, Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja is still trying his best. This is very admirable.
I am praying to Prema-purusottama Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu from the bottom of my heart for curing Śrīla Jayapatākā Maharaj's obstacles and that he continues this service mood for the rest of his life. Also, I am begging Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja to bestow his blessings to me for spreading the loving mission of Lord Caitanya with purity and amicable relations with all the different units of Mahāprabhu’s mission around the world for the rest of my life. I hope that Mahārāja will mercifully fulfill my desire.
Haribol.
Yours in the Service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Mission,
B.B.Bodhayan
Śrī Gopīnātha Gauḍīya Maṭha (President)