770126 - Conversation Address - Jagannatha Puri

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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770126AD-PURI - January 26, 1977 - 15:49 Minutes

Indian man (1): . . . Prabhupāda, who has been kind enough to grace this occasion when we have assembled this evening to pay our respectful homage to Jagannātha dāsa Gosvāmī, who was a contemporary of Lord Caitanya.

Prabhupāda: Lokera kontate swacchodo bodh korbe? (In which way are these people comfortable with?)

Indian man (1): Lokeder bangla ba engreji konotatei osubidha hobena. (People will not have any difficulty either in Bengali nor English.)

Prabhupāda: Tahole tara engreji bujhbe? (So they will understand English?) I thank you very much . . .

Hari-śauri: The microphone's not working.

Prabhupāda: . . . for kindly receiving me. So in our humble way we are trying to . . .

Indian man (1): Is the mic on?

Prabhupāda: . . . introduce the Jagannātha Swami's culture. Jagannātha svāmī nayana-pathagāmī bhavatu me. You'll be very much pleased that in the year 1967 I introduced Ratha-yātrā in San Francisco. And it is going on continually for the last six or seven years, and the government, they have fixed up a holiday for Ratha-yātrā. We have got 20th July as government fixed-up day, holiday, for Ratha-yātrā. And people take part in the Ratha-yātrā—not all my devotees; even outsiders. Ten to twelve thousand people attend, and we distribute prasādam to all of them. They feel very much obliged. And the newspaper writes that, "People in general never felt such ecstasy as they are feeling in the Ratha-yātrā festival." And the police said that the crowd . . . in the Western country, as soon as there is some big crowd, there is some disturbance. So police were surprised that, "This crowd is not window-breaking crowd." And next we introduced Ratha-yātrā in London, in the London, Trafalgar Square. That is the most famous square within the city. And there is a big column. It is called . . .

Hari-śauri: Nelson's Column.

Prabhupāda: . . . Nelson Column. So our ratha was so high that the Guardian paper, they criticized that, "This Ratha-yātrā is rival to Nelson Column." Next we introduced Ratha-yātrā in Philadelphia, and this year we have introduced Ratha-yātrā in New York and . . .

Hari-śauri: Melbourne.

Prabhupāda: . . . Melbourne, Sydney . . .

Hari-śauri: Paris.

Prabhupāda: . . . Paris. So in the Western countries Ratha-yātrā is being introduced one after another, and Jagannātha Swami is attracting the attention of the Western people. (someone talking in background) What is that?

Indian man: No . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: So people will come in your Jagannātha Purī now from all parts of the world. That is beneficial from various point of view. From the point of tourist program, the government will benefit. And when they're attracted to see Jagannātha Purī, Jagannātha Swami . . . unfortunately, you do not allow these foreigners to enter the temple. How it can be adjusted? This stumbling block should be dissolved. If you want Jagannātha Swami to pack up within your home, and you do not expand the mercy of Jagannātha . . . He is Jagannātha. He's not only this Purī-nātha, or Oriya-nātha; He's Jagannātha. Kṛṣṇa declares in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). That is the definition of Jagannātha: sarva-loka-maheśvaram. So why you should deny the inhabitants of sarva-loka the darśana of Jagannātha? That is not . . . Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never approved such thing. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He said:

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma

sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma

(CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

When that thing is being done and when they are eager to come here, why you should restrain? What is the cause? This is not very good. Arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ (Padma Purāṇa). It is not good.

So we are preaching Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over the world. We have translated into English Bhagavad-gītā, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And they are being received very nicely. In the Christmas period in a week, from 17 December to 24 December, our report is we have sold books, small and big, seventeen lakhs. And our general survey is that we are selling books to the worth of five to six lakhs daily. Daily. And our expenditure is also very heavy. We have started a Bhaktivedanta Book Trust for expanding this movement. We have got about two hundred buses to preach the Jagannātha cult all over the world, village to village, town to town . . . (break) . . . this kṛṣṇa-bhakti cult may be one all over the world. I do not know what is the cause. Here you are all present, many learned scholars and paṇḍitas. So you consider why this restriction should be there. Of course, if you do not allow, there is no, I mean to say, loss on the part of the foreigners, because Jagannātha has already gone there, and they are worshiping. But it is an etiquette that to give samāna to the Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava aparādha has been very much condemned by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So these Vaiṣṇavas, when they are so much eager to come to Jagannātha Purī and see Jagannātha, you should welcome them. You should receive them well, because Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava sevā, nistāra pāyeche kebā. And the śāstra it is said, tadīyānām ārādhanam. Viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param, tasmāt parataraṁ devī tadīyānām ārādhanam (Padma Purāṇa).

So I have specially come to request you to remove this restriction and be friendly to the foreign devotees. And you also come there, see how there are so many Jagannātha temples, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temples, how They are being worshiped, how these foreigners, they have become pure Vaiṣṇava. They are strictly observing the four principles of sinful life by negation: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no fish-eating, no egg-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. They are purified. And Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī openly says, tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 2.12). So there is authority. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu says,

ye bhaje sei baḍa abhakta hīna chāra

kṛṣṇa bhajanete nāhi jāti-kulādi-vicāra

Kṛṣṇa says personally in the Bhagavad-gītā, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ . . . te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim (BG 9.32). So there is ample śāstra-pramāṇa, approved by the ācāryas. Caitanya Mahāprabhu converted many Pathans into Vaiṣṇava, changed their name. So things are going according to śāstra and mahājana. Why you should not receive them as Vaiṣṇava and give them proper reception? That is my request. I hope . . . there are many learned scholars and devotees present here. They should endeavor to remove this, I mean to say, restriction or short-sightedness, and let us combinedly work for Jagannātha to preach the bhakti cult for the benefit of the whole world. Janma sārthaka kari kara para-upakāra (CC Adi 9.41). This Bhāratabhūmi is for para-upakāra, because this knowledge, the Vedic knowledge, is here in the Śrīmad Bhāratavarṣa. So we should assimilate the bhakti cult to the right direction, and making our life successful, we should distribute this knowledge, this cult, all over the world. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Janma sārthaka kari para-upakāra. The modern civilization is very vicious civilization. Because in the human form of life there is the opportunity, athāto brahma jijñāsā—to inquire about the Supreme Truth. So if they are denied . . . the knowledge is there in India. If it is denied, that is not very good human society.

So I shall request you all, learned scholars, paṇḍita, present here, to cooperate with this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and let us conjoinedly work for Jagannātha cult.

Thank you very much.

Indian man (2): . . . to commemorate. This is Bhagavat-sarasundara . . .

Hari-śauri: Śrīla Prabhupāda? There's a question. You want to answer?

Prabhupāda: Hmm? What is that?

Hari-śauri: There's a question. He says why . . .

Indian man (2): (indistinct) . . . don't put them question.

Indian man (3): This is Bhagavat-sarasundara of Jagannātha. You will narrate this?

Prabhupāda: So what shall I do?

Indian man (3): Just this is the Bhagavat-sarasundara of Jagannātha dāsa Gosvāmī . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: So? (to audience) Of course, I do not know the Oriya language, but it is said that it is Bhagavat-sarasundara of Jagannātha. So it is inaugurated today. (applause) (end)