Diary of HH Jayapataka Swami on 16-02-2009 at the Bhaktivedanta Hospital on
Monday program.
As per today, the activities of HH Jayapataka Swami Gurumaharaja, are as
usual normal, with physiotherapies and doctors checking etc. The main
activity or the highlight of the day was at night, were GM gave a special
lecture to the devotees at the Hospital.
He was visited by many devotees between 6pm and 7pm, including a devotee
from Mathuradesh his name is Divyakeshava das, who told about the preaching
there and the last Rathayatra festival and how they were expecting
Gurumaharaja to participate in this big festival.
For the first time in the history of this country, the authorities of this
Muslim nation allowed it to be so big so there were 7000 people in the
closed door rathayatras at the Krishna temple in Mathuradesh at Dar Said
town. Even the police helped in organizing the adjacent areas and roads to
that temple. He also gave donations to GM. There were also a couple of
devotees from Guwahati- Assam who when he entered amazingly GM recognized
him along with his wife, His name is UdharKrsna das, although it was long
time ago that GM stayed at their house. He offered a Chaal GM.
Also many Old devotees came from Navadwipa dham who are disciples of Srila
Prabhupada’s God brothers especially to see Guru Maharaja.
During this visiting hour, HH JPS got a call from HG Gopal Bhata prabhu who
is his God brother. He spoke to GM in a very inspiring way, he told him that
when he heard the news of his health problem he was very much affected and
that he has a software reminder in his computer, so he programmed it to
remind him to pray for Jayapataka Swami each one hour and he did it like
this. As soon as it popped up the name Jayapataka , Prabhu use to go and
pray for GM. This was for 3 and half months. He also told him that they miss
him in the meetings of ISKCON strategic planning and that will miss him a
lot as he is leaving next 18th but GM arrives to Mayapur by Krishna’s mercy
on 20th of February.
GM was not scheduled to deliver any lecture today, but as Mahabaho Govinda
prabhu, the speech therapist, wanted HH JPS to talk for 15 minutes on some
topic like Bhagavatam so he can check were to correct or diagnose the
limitations in the speech capacity of Gurumaharaja, therefore it was
suggested to do that with a group of visitors between 6pm to 7pm as this is
the scheduled time for devotees to have darsan, but plan was not made like
that nor arranged to happen, so suddenly as GM was requested long time back
when he is able to give any lecture to the new devotees or aspiring devotees
who are invited by the spiritual counselors of the BVH, but he couldn’t make
it, but Krsna has a plan to make it happen today itself. Then it was
suggested to offer a lecture in the auditorium of the BVH at the 5th floor,
as GM wished it at that time, then Acyutananda prabhu was informed and
arranged for it. He asked and GM first agreed it would be 10 to 15 minutes
only as it was late but ended up for 45 minutes the whole lecture.
After the facial therapy at 8 pm we prepared GM to sit in the wheel chair
and was taken to the auditorium hall at the 5th floor of the HOSPITAL. Just
imagine how happy were all the devotees and the visitors when they learned
at last minute that HH JPS was going to speak tonight at their program, so
we reached at 8:10 pm. HH JPS was greeted by all devotees and by the devotee
in charge of tonight´s lecture who came from Chowpati Mandir. He was in fact
the most impressed for the unexpected mercy to have this lecture given by a
very senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada as he mentioned in his welcome
address. Who else then Jayapataka Maharaja to talk to us on the Gita course
as he mentioned.
GM was garlanded and then started kirtans with Govinda jaya jaya, then Radha
Madhava then Hare Krishna kirtans. Immediately after GM started talking
about his health problems but how nice he has been taken care here and in
the Hinduja by devotees and that by krsnas mercy and their prayers he was
able to be with them tonight, he thanked also lord Jagannath, as they also
have the mobile altar of lord Jagannath placed in the hall. Then GM spoke
about eh importance of the Gita, and started relating the lecture of the
experiences patients who come to hospital have with reading the Gita, and
mentioned about some suicide cases that people have but that after reading
the Gita they change their minds even if they are from other faiths or
creeds. He explained why to commit suicide if you will get a ghost body and
also related some stories of the books on karma that were given to patients
at the hospital that in fact changed their understanding of life of many
patients, thus saving them from hellish conditions,
HH JPS spoke on the dilemma of Arjuna but that after Krsna preached to him
he fixed up his mind in his seva to Krsna.
Arjuna didn’t care if he would win or lose but wanted only to please Krsna.
Gurumaharaja added that the teachings of the Gita are for all, He added, ¨We
believe in one God, so even if they are Christians or Muslims we can preach
to them.
In fact the night Monday program was like The Gita course and the suicide
issue as in fact the main topic of the class, but amazingly HH JPS GM gave
the class based on this topic unknowingly. This shows how devotees are
connected to the Supreme Lords will.
GM spoke about many stories that are happening with patients who come to the
hospital and that how many of them were saved by the prayers and care of
devotees, like a man who almost lose his hand and other who was alcoholic
for 30 years and stopped drinking alcohol and after getting 6 books of Srila
Prabhupada to read. All these lectures were really inspiring.
At the end Gurumaharaja gave chance for questions and answers and the first
one was if he would be available at Mayapur, then GM said yes, I am usually
available at Mayapur Dham for the main festivals, like Gaurpurnima, GBC
meetings, Mahaabhisheka, Narasimha Caturdasi, Radhastami and Bhisma Pancaka,
but that he will go this Friday and maybe coming back next 28th then back to
Mayapur for the 60th Vysapuya celebration. But then told the devotee, now I
am available here, all laughed, from 6pm to 7 pm he added.
The second question was about the first time he met Srila Prabhupada.
As I remember some part of the answer HH JPS replied as follows:
I was searching for a guru as also HH Radhanath Swami was, but instead of
going to India as HH RNS did I found him there in USA, I met the devotees
preparing for the San Francisco Rathayatra, I saw one sign board advertising
for the Yatra and also there was one sign board saying a vegetarian meal for
25 cents only, so I was vegetarian as u all know so I wanted to take this
meal, so I went and took the mean and when I wanted to pay there was no body
to get the money, then they said you inside that room and a devotee there
will take it from you, it was Gargamuni prabhu, so they use to call him
garga money ( all laughed) so I gave him the 25 cents, then I was attracted
by the Rathayatra. So I met Jayananda prabhu and he was the first one who
shaved my head and it was the time I surrendered.
So I wanted to meet Srila Prabhupada but he was in Montreal and one devotee
told me not to go to meet Prabhupada, as he is Indian and u won’t understand
his Indian accent in English. But other devotee said yes you must go and
meet him. Then I went. When Srila Prabhupada use to give lectures as I was
told he liked people to make intelligent questions in every lecture. So I
went and after each lecture I use to make one question. But happen that one
time I was busy doing some service to bring money to the temple and I was
hearing the lectures after in a tape recorder and I heard that at the end of
the lecture Srila Prabhupada said where is Bhakta Jay? He used to ask
intelligent question, so I heard this and just imagine how happy I was after
hearing this! Then Srila Prabhupada said have him come and take lunch with
me.
I went to take prasada with Srila Prabhupada and I was seated between
Brahmananda and Gargamuni who were very fat, I was skinny and tall so just
imagine seated in the middle of them, they ate a lot in fact they were
already trained to eat a lot of prasada but I could only eat little bit. I
was given the chance to be the assistant of the secretary of Srila
Prabhupada but then whenever his secretary were not there; I use to do their
sevas. I used even to do the service of door keeper of Srila Prabhupada. (I
remember once Gm told me he waited once 16 hours outside the room to see if
Srila Prabhupada called him for any seva).
HH JPS GM added, ¨There were only 3 centers in North America, San Francisco,
New York and Montreal in Canada, so I visited them all but now I can’t visit
them all as there are more then 500, All laughed.
HH JPS Gm told many more sorties between him and Srila Prabhupada like once
when Srila Prabhupada was in Mayapur in the bathroom and he started calling
him for help as one snake was planning to enter to the bathroom, but finally
I went and saw Srila Prabhupada trying to close the door but the snake was
pushing and he couldn’t do it, then I came and smashed the snake with the
door and grabbed Prabhupada outside to save him from the bite of the snake.
Also once we saw 2 snakes in the 3rd Floor of the Lotus building but we
never knew how they came up.
Gurumaharaja continued with his lecture telling us that Srila Prabhupada was
ordered to preach in the west by His Gurudeva Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati
Thakura Prabhupada, but not ordered to preach in India, but finally His
divine Grace decided as per his own initiative to preach in India as Indian
society became westernize<ed gradually and wondered what his disciples who
come from the west would say, so he taught the best is to also preach in
India, as he made the first temples in Bombay, Mayapur, Delhi and Calcutta
for his foreigners disciples to come and then expanded them to south India.
So as Srila Prabhupada’s Gurudeva ordered him to preach in the west, He
ordered me to preach in India, as HH JPS added, and now I am Indian
citizen, all shouted loudly haribol, haribol , haribol. Then His holiness
started preaching everywhere in India starting from West Bengal.
The lecture finished and GM was thanked by the organizers of the Monday
program then we went down toe GM,s room, where he had night Prasad and took
rest.
I am adding some pictures of this program.
Today 17-02-2009 came to see gm HH Jayadwaita Swami, The BBT director and
had a very nice and good talk to gm, he was telling how HH JPS is so special
to Krsna that he made many devotees chant the hare Krsna Mahamantra, and
that his will power to serve more Krsna made him stay more on the planet,
also they spoke about tickets and airlines, and maharaja updated him on the
new areas of preaching in south Africa that he is going to help the devotees
there and making small books with a lot of pictures to make it easier for
people to understand kc as they are very simple people in that continent.
Also some devotees from Bangalore and sri Rangam came to see GM, as well as
few lady devotees from Russia. Also prema vikas prabhu a Peruvian devotee
who lives in Australia and use to be gm secretary few years back is here
from few days back and helping in coordinating some researches for the next
stage in GM’s health recovery.
About the last few days with no diaries, I meant Friday and Saturday the
activities of GM, were all normal, just to mention that 2 doctors one
naturopathic and one ayurvedic, came to see GM to offer their seva and the
alternatives of their learned sciences for the cases of HH JPS.
YS
Tustimohan Krishna das.