Written by Lakshmi Narasimhadeva Dasa
JSSS Bangalore
For Circulation amongst God brothers & aspiring disciples & well wishers,
I have always heard devotees saying that Srila Prabhupada had mentioned
something about the divinity of our beloved Guru Maharaja as an eternal
associate of Lord Chaitanya. I had tried to find the source and had searched
through the vedabase and other sources but could not find any quote to this
effect. But recently I chanced upon one of the transcribed lectures that he
gave in Chowpatty during 2010 Damodar Month inauguration program. Phew! I
got what I was looking for those eternal words of Srila Prabhupada that
reveals the real identity of the otherwise unassumingly simple and most
beloved Guru Maharaja. This document dwells a little deeper on this evidence
and the consequent inferences for us. For those who say Ah! I already know
this, here is something new, our Guru Maharaj not only acknowledged this
statement but he himself quoted another similar anecdote of Srila Prabhupada
reiterating the same fact which re-confirms his divinity. Read on.
>==== The Lecture ====<
HH Jayapataka Swami is an eternal associate of Lord Chaitanya.
————————————————————–
Introduction of HH Jayapataka Swami by a senior devotee Srinathji in Sri Sri
Radha Gopinath Mandir, Chowpaty, Mumbai:
Hare Krishna!
It is our great privilege that we have amongst us Jayapataka Maharaj ki jaii
He is one of the senior most disciples of HDG AC Bhaktivendanta Swami Srila
Prabhupad. With your permission, Maharaj, I would like to say something
about when you first came to India in 1970. Jayapataka maharaj must have
been at time in his early 20s and Prabhupad brought several of his disciples
to Bombay. They came for lunch at my father’s house and Maharaj was of
course one of them. Prabhupad told my father, who was a Member of
Parliament( Lok Sabha) that this young gentleman whom you see in this chair
now, at that time he was Jayapataka prabhu. So he wanted to become an Indian
citizen from an American citizen. So my father said this is very strange. So
many Indians want to become American citizens and why does an American want
to become an Indian citizen and he wanted my father to sponsor him to become
an Indian citizen. At this stage Prabhupad made a phenomenal statement which
I still remember as I was a witness to it as I was standing there.And he
said that this young man at that time Jayapataka prabhu is an eternal
associate of Lord Caitanya! Hari bol! Hari bol! He will always be in India,
he will preach in India, he will have thousands and thousands of disciples
who will be Indians. They will be from Bengal, he will preach in Bengali
language. Now please note at that time I could see total surprise on
Maharaj’s face and it must have come as a shock to him but anyway I was
right there as a witness. So I can say I am now 70 years old and that time I
was 30 years old. 40 years ago ki baath hai yeh (this is 40 years old
event). So then by Krishna’s mercy, Maharaj became an Indian citizen and
the first thing he did was to write a letter to my father- a thanks letter
to my father, which I have in original, signed by him with his pen in his
handwriting and thanking my father for sponsoring him to become an Indian
citizen. Maharaj, we welcome you with our deepest hearts and gratitude for
coming to this temple. You have undergone so many difficulties,
indescribable how a human being can bear it but you have been able to for
one purpose only- we know this and that is to fulfill Prabhupad’s desire to
preach!! And you started preaching straight away! So once more , thank you
for coming to Sri Sri Radha Gopinath temple and with these few words I would
like Maharaj to give us his class. Thank you very much Maharaj!
Jayapataka Swami Maharaj:
Hare Krishna!
I want to thank Srinathji. As in 1970 on Radhashtami I took sanyasa. At that
time I was in Calcutta. It was a few years later Prabhupad said that I
should stay in India. He asked me how I liked India? I said I liked it. I
was feeling guilty. Because I thought that carrying out the orders of the
guru would be something you don’t liked like it should be hard but I liked
all the Indians and to be in the holy dham so I was feeling guilty.
Prabhupad said no, it is you are lucky, fortunate if you like what guru
orders you. Whether you like it or not you have to do it. Just because you
like it does not mean you should not do it. You should do it whether you
like it or not. So I was actually refused citizenship from Bengal. So I had
to shift my residence over to Bombay and then here Srinathji’s father who at
time was a Rajya Sabha member and there was what you called the united front
or something? No but when I got the actual citizenship there was Atal Behari
Vajpayee, he was the foreign minister there was a coalition. So at that time
I was sponsored by Mr. Desai and had some ministers and also 13 members of
parliament who also cosigned. So but for his father I do not think I would
have got the citizenship… So I am deeply grateful to Srinathji’s father
and I have no comment on Prabhupad’s remark. Once I told him – he said you
were born in India before and I said , oh I am very sinful how can I be
born. He became very angry and said “Don’t doubt the words of the guru! “ So
since then I have no comment….. So long that I am having this body I am
trying to carry out the orders that Prabhupad gave me. So I would like to
offer my prayers to Prabhupad – Om ajnana timirandhasya i.