71st Vyasa Puja offering to Jayapataka Maharaja

4 April 2020

Today we are celebrating Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s appearance day, birthday, Vyasa puja day. Vyasa puja which is being celebrated today in Mayapur and it is not as big it is in previous years. It will be celebrated in a low profile. Every year Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s vyas puja is a huge celebration but due to this corona virus issues this Vyasa puja is taking place with very few devotees. Of course his disciples and other devotees are also celebrating this Vyasa puja in their respective homes as well as temples. Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja has thousands, thirty to forty thousands of disciples, so they must be celebrating and also my disciples, I would encourage them to celebrate Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s vyas puja.

You must have noted that Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s appearance day is on ekadashi also Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja appearance day is on ekadashi and also I was born on ekadashi. Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja and I, both were born in 1949, he is just a few months older than me. Age wise he is a few months older but when it comes to knowledge, experience, maturity he is much more mature and experienced. Srila Prabhupada and Gauranga Mahaprabhu have their special mercy on Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. He joined Srila Prabhupada’s Hare Krsna Movement many years ago, way before me. I guess he joined in 1968 in Canada and I joined in 1971.

There is one important thing which is being talked about him. When he was newly initiated devotee, whenever there was kirtan he would sing and shout the Hare Krsna maha-mantra very loudly. He would create a commotion while doing kirtan, singing the Hare Krsna maha-mantra loudly. He not only shouted the maha-mantras in the temples and asram but whenever he was – on streets, lanes. He would forget where he was and would loudly chant Hare Krsna. That was his way. Neighbors and passersby would get annoyed. They would go to the police and lay a complaint that some individual from the Hare Krsna movement was being a nuisance. “He is disturbing us and disturbing our peace”. When Srila Prabhupada came to know about this behaviour. Srila Prabhupada decided to send Jayapataka Swami Maharaja to somewhere. Srila Prabhupada decided to send him to Bharat, India. “In India we will send Jayapataka Swami Maharaja to Mayapur”. On reaching Mayapur he can do whatever loud chanting he wants to. He is welcome. No one is going to complain about this behavior in relation to this shouting and chanting the maha-mantra loudly.

Jayapataka Swami Maharaja was not a swami then, but he was the oldest among the ones at that time. Then Srila Prabhupada sent him to Mayapur. Amongst the disciples whom Srila Prabhupada had sent to India Jayapataka Swami Maharaja was the first one. Acyutananda Swami was also sent to Mayapur, but Jayapataka Swami Maharaja was one of the first ones or possibly the first one whom Srila Prabhupada sent to Mayapur. He was given responsibilities of the temple. He was also handling the Calcutta temple activities. Gradually he also became a Governing Body Commission (GBC). There was a time when Gopal Krishna Maharaja and Jayapataka Maharaja were the only two GBCs in India. After the steadily the number increased. Srila Prabhupada gave Maharaja the very big responsibility of building the Mayapur temple project. The responsibility of constructing the TOVP project was also given to Jayapataka Swami Maharaja with some other devotees.

Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja ki jai!!

I love Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. I was thinking when we were little younger we felt both love and hate. Sometimes he had love and other times there was envy because of our anarthas. But now not only I like him, I love him. May my love towards him always increase. My love of brotherhood, love among my god brothers and love for Jayapataka Maharaja must increase day by day. This is what I want to pray today.

Jayapataka Maharaj has become a miracle. Even in his present health condition, operations, diseases, he is always active. He is always busy, thinking about how to increase preaching. He attends each and every meeting. Some of the members may miss some of the meetings but Jayapataka Maharaja is very dutiful. He never misses a meeting. He is a miracle. Jayapataka Maharaja is a miracle, just miraculous. And whenever there is a magic there has to be a namaskar.

So dandavat pranam from all of us.

vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha
kripa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaishnavebhyo namo namaha