Narrator
Jane
Ameyatma
Saloni
Phillip/ Virabhadra
Narrator: This is skit about the causeless mercy of a pure devotee of the Lord - HH Jayapataka Swami and the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.
The scene is set at the Hare Krishna Temple Ashram in Kalamunda around 10years ago.
All characters are non-fictitious meaning that they do exist.
Jane : Hi, is Sitaram around? We have arranged a meeting with him at 5pm.
Ameyatma: - yes - yes. He is just caught up at the moment. His spiritual master just arrived and they will be back soon from the Temple.
Jane: oh okay we'll just wait here for a bit then.
Narrator: Jane looks up curiously as she notices through the window the crowd walking behind HH Jayapataka Swami while someone pushed his wheelchair.
Jane: Who is he?
Ameyatma: He is THE JAYAPATAKA SWAMI a very special disciple of Srila Prabhupāda and
Narrator: Jane interrupts
Jane: Or really?
Jane: What does that mean? Sorry for interrupting and Pardon my ignorance!
Ameyatma: Not at all.
He joined the Hare Krishna movement when he was just a young man in America and was initiated by our Founder Arcarya
Narrator: Jane interrupts
Jane: What does that mean is that like ummm a Guru or someone.
Ameyatma: yes that's correct - Srila Prabhupāda is the Guru that started the Hare Krishna movement in the west.
Narrator: Jane looks up and sees His Holiness Jayapataka Swami in a wheelchair.
Jane: Oh why is he in wheelchair - that looks like too much trouble, sorry I meant travelling and everything.
Ameyatma: He only recently suffered a stroke. The devotees all around the world were praying for his recovery.
Jane: Oh ok.
Ameyatma: His mood of service and compassion transcends the bodily concept.
Jane: sorry, I don't get that, what do you mean?
Ameyatma: I meant that his strong determination and commitment that is driven by his compassion and mood to serve goes beyond his obstacles.
Jane: Oh wow. A living Saint hey.
Ameyatma: Definitely! Oh here they all come.
Jane: Gosh - Look at them all - I've never seen anything like this before! They look soooo umm I don't know - happy I think.
Jane: Hi Sitaram, we are here for our 5pm meeting. It's 5:25 now.
We can see that you are busy. I can come later, what time?
Narrator: Sitaram greets Jane and Markus then introduced them by saying “Gurumaharaj this is Jane, she is helping with the Shire Town Planning application. Markus is her husband and is a Civil Engineer.”
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami then turns his gaze towards them then says in a very thoughtful and slurred yet clear voice. “Thank you for using your intelligence to help us.”
Jane: No worries. My father always says that if we are in a position to help others then it is our duty to do so.
Narrator: His Holiness Jayapataka Swami replies by saying: Your father was a very pious man.
Jane softly replies – “yes”. Looking puzzled that he referred to her father in the past tense. As he had only just passed away she hadn't adjusted to speaking of him in the past tense.
Jane: Sitaram okay. See you later. At 7 pm.
Narrator: Later that evening Jane arrives and enters the Hare Krishna Temple ashram. The room is still filled with people.
She notices Virabadhara who she knows as Phillip the architect at the back of the room and sits next to him on the floor.
Jane: Hi, so you are here to see Sitaram too, Philip.
Phillip/ Virabhadra: No. I'm here to see JAYAPATAKA Swami.
Jane: Oh really. I was introduced to him earlier. I haven't quite put my finger on it yet but I sense something extraordinary about him. Tell me about him.
Jane: Where does he come from?
Virabadhara: He travels around the world but is based in India.
Jane: Oh, what does he want?
Phillip/ Virabhadra: To please Srila Prabhupāda and to GIVE Krishna Consciousness to everyone.
Jane: that's interesting. It's hard to believe that in his condition he is doing that. Verrrry mindboggling.
Jane: How does he do it?
Phillip/ Virabhadra: He is has full faith in Srila Prabhupāda and is surrendered. He just gives, gives, gives
Jane: Gives what?
Phillip/ Virabhadra: Mercy
Jane: Oh that's good, hey. Where is he going to? Some place we all want to be.
Jane: Thanks for the interesting chat. Tell Sitaram I left 'cos it's now 8pm!
Narrator: Jane is about to leave when she is asked by a Chinese lady to join the queue.
Jane politely says that she is sorry and she must leave.
However, the Chinese lady insists that she joins the queue. Jane asks her what’s it for and Chinese lady tells her to go and get a cookie.
Jane lines up and is the last in the queue.
When Jane's turn comes, His Holiness Jayapataka Swami tells her something and she can't understand.
So he repeated it and she doesn’t understand what he means about girls over 12 covering their hair. She assumed that he does not want to give her a cookie and turns and points at the Chinese lady and explains.
Jane: that lady, she asked me to line up to get a cookie.
Saloni: no no here - wear this he wants U to cover your head so he can bless you
Narrator: Saloni gives her a shawl and helps her cover her head
Jane: Okay thank you, sorry what’s your name?
Narrator: Saloni doesn’t reply but gestures to Jane by showing her how to bow her head.
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami then touches Jane's head and as she raised. her head, her eyes catches his and she feels as though his X-ray vision penetrate her as he puts a cookie in her hand.
Jane leaving, sees Ameyatma Prabhu at the door and says as she leaves in state if confusion -
Jane: I really don't know what just happened then.
10 years later – through this homage to her spiritual master on His 71st Vyasa Puja
Jane now known as Janesvari Gopi dd answers those very questions that she had once asked others.
Dearest Gurumaharaj,
Please Accept my Humble Obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
All Glories to You on this most auspicious day of Your Vyasa Puja,
Gurumaharaj, please bless me so that I can make an offering for your pleasure, as well as to keep within the allocated time limit of maximum 3 minutes. Otherwise, I may get into trouble for non-conforming - yet again.
Normally, when I write my fingers cannot keep up with the thought flow, yet I find myself somehow struggling for words when it comes to describing You and all that You have done and continue doing. Why? I hear the voice in my head say and it then goes on to try and make sense of it all “maybe it’s because I have not chanted properly, maybe because my consciousness is not right and Gurumaharaj is not giving me the mercy to glorify Him, maybe, maybe, maybe.
These justifications may be true, however, deep down I know that the reality is that there are no words that can properly describe everything about you Gurumaharaj. Even after all these years, there is still a big question mark after Why?
I just cannot conceive the level of faith in and self - surrender to Srila Prabhupad, which motivates you to continue to honour His instructions relentlessly, resiliently, seriously and determinedly. I can’t comprehend the seemingly unlimited level of love and compassion that you possess to fight with even death personified in order to deliver to Srila Prabhupada all the conditioned souls from the vice like grip of maya and because of this - I feel as though I can’t do justice to articulate in words the many divine qualities that emanate from you.
Yet one thing that I can say for certain is that in this world, which is plagued with so many uncertainties and dualities, You give us hope against hope. You are the shelter and stability that makes life particularly in the west worth living.
I take inspiration and empowerment from You.
From our very first meeting, You had showered me with Your causeless mercy and continue to do so in every aspect of my life.You have taught me that the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple is very unique and personal and is according to the level of sincerity that exists. It can not be checked by anybody or any force what so ever. It is something that is completely inconceivable.
As a spiritual master nothing escapes You. You are fully aware of the collective karma that You are burdened with due to Your disciple’s indiscretions – yet You still continue to selflessly sacrifice and serve us with love and compassion. For me this is unfathomable.
I thank you for always being readily available. Whenever I turn to You, all I have to do is reach out and You are there sometimes directly sometimes indirectly. It’s hard to go through life now, without acknowledging Your all pervading presence in all that I try and do to serve the Sankirtan Movement.
By Your mercy I have learnt to understand myself in relation to the matrix or the field as well as how to maneuver through it without force or resistance. By Your mercy, I am no longer trying to stick a square peg into a round hole. By Your mercy, in recent times, I have come to meet many “square pegs” that I can some how relate to and nurture and cultivate that are nicely taking to the process of Krishna Consciousness. This has truly made me appreciate what is involved in bringing someone to Krishna Consciousness and understand what Srila Prabhupad meant by stating “you have to spend or waste gallons of blood before you can convert a person to Krishna Consciousness. It is a difficult task”.
With this knowledge, I incessantly pray for You to empower me with just a drop of the love and personal care that You have given me, so that I can somehow also share with them and give them a reason to stay regardless of the obstacles that may arise.
Thank you Gurumaharaj for all your patience and sacrifice, thank you for empowering me to continue - especially when I couldn’t see the point. I understand now more than ever, that the only way forward is to grab on to Your lotus feet and never to let go.
I pray that Lord Narasimha Dev protects You from all sides and all times.
Your eternally indebted spiritual daughter,
Janesvari Gopi Devi Dasi