HH Jayapataka Swami
In 1968, Gordan John took first initiation in Montreal, Canada and was given the name Jayapataka dasa brahmachari and he was very soon awarded 2nd initiation in New York. Arriving in Mayapur and committing to eternal service in the holy Dham, HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja went to Mayapur on the instruction of Srila Prabhupada after ISKCON acquired land there. When he first arrived, understanding that he was in the sacred land, he offered his obeisances and then dipped his head into the cool Ganges mud to receive blessings, recalling how Akrura, upon entering Vrndavana, saw the lotus footprints of Krsna in the holy mud of Vrndavana.
Tridandi Goswami A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Date: December 19, 1972
Camp: A-11 Sea Face Park, 50-B Warden Road, Bombay-54.
My dear Jayapataka,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 29, 1972, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am so much happy to hear from you all the good news of our Mayapur centre! No, your liking of engagement there is not at all an inappropriate attachment, rather it is your qualification for pleasing your spiritual master. Attachment must be there, for Krishna or for maya. So you have become attached to developing the Mayapur centre that is Krishna’s work, so Krishna appreciates very much when His devotee becomes attached to Him in this way. Yes, the cooperative spirit of working together without any argument is especially prominent in Mayapur, more than other places in India. Therefore you are successful, and the work is going on quickly to completion. That is because all of you working there have become very much attached to the dust from Lord Chaitanya’s Lotus Feet, and because you have got such deep personal interest with that engagement of work, you want to see that it is done nicely without any hindrance of selfish motivation, never mind all kinds of conditions of the material nature. That idea has become prominent for all of you, it is bigger than maya’s idea, therefore maya cannot interfere to make you quarrel or other things. But you especially are to take the credit. From the very beginning you wanted that place, and you got the land, got money from me, and now you have built the place by your concentration of energy. That is wanted. If there is some discrepancy anywhere, some non-cooperation, fighting, or if the work is slow or not to the standard, it is to be supposed that the person or persons in charge are not very much attached to Krishna. That means they will discriminate: my engagement is not good, other’s engagement is good, like that. They do not know the secret of surrendering to Krishna. Such surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krishna’s plan, that whatever is meant to be, I am doing that, so let me do it with my full attention to every detail, let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is, but let all other considerations be forgotten and only my desire to do the thing best for Krishna’s alone pleasure be my motive. That is advanced stage of understanding devotional service or Krishna Consciousness.
Thank you very much for your kindly coming to the point. Now I want to officially open the building on Lord Chaitanya’s Appearance Day. So please try to finish it by that time. ..Do everything consulting Bhavananda and Tamal Krishna…
Hoping this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
A song by Srila Jayapataka Swami as an offering to Srila Prabhupada – Yadi Prabhupada na hoito (Bengali version)
(1)
Yadi Prabhupada na Hoito tabe ki hoito
(e)jivana bahita kise?
nitai-gaurera apara karuna ke dita sakala dese
(2)
pascatyera yata papi duracari snyavadi mayavadi
tadera uddara karibare mana hena kon dayanidhi
(3)
tadera nikate kon jana asi bilaita harinam
sabhaya jiva rupe gadite tadera ke haita aguyan
(4)
dese dese hari-vigraha seva arati ratri-dine
ratha yatradi mahotsava saba sikaita kon jane
(5)
gita-bhagavata caitanya carita premamrta rasasara
katha na sundara sarala kariya ke bujhaita ara
(6)
kata kasta sahi prita mane rahi ke va dita harinam
ke dita madera puri vrindavana mayapura mata dham
(7)
parama mangala sricaitanya maha-prabhura siksa dhana
acare pracare sada amadere ke karita niyojana
(8)
premakalpataru nitai-gaurera krpa kana labhibare
niravadhi jaya-pataka hrdaya tomare sarana kare
TRANSLATION
(1) If Srila Prabhupada had not come, what would have happened? How could we have passed our lives? Who else would have distributed the unlimited mercy of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga all over the world?
(2) Which other compassionate person would have endeavoured to deliver the miscreants, sinful, impersonalistic and voidistic people in the West?
(3) Who else would have come to distribute Harinam to them?
Who else would have come forward to transform them into civilized begins?
(4) Who else would have taught them how to worship the Deity form of Lord Hari day and night with arati-kirtana, and how to conduct the Ratha-yatra and other grand festivals?
(5) Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Caitanya-Caritamrita contain the essence of the nectarean mellows of love of Godhead.
Who else would have explained these scriptures so clearly and beautifully?
(6) Who else would have tolerated all difficulties, and distributed Harinama with a pleasant heart?
Who would have given us the dhamas such as Mayapur, Vrindavan and Jagannatha Puri?
(7) The teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu constitute the greatest and most auspicious treasure.
Who else would have engaged us in constantly practicing and preaching it?
(8) Sri Sri Nitai Gaura are desire trees of love of Godhead.
Desiring a drop of their mercy, Jayapataka’s heart incessantl takes shelter of Your Divine grace.