hare krishna

Jaya Nitai-Gauranga!

re. offering meat etc

For those unable to meet the standards of purification required of other Vedic processes, Lord Siva gave the Tantric sastra. The Tantra is categorized as the right and left aspects. The right aspect provides regulations for purification for those engaged in meat eating, intoxication etc...

While all these instructions are provided in the Vedas, they are not put forth as the best path for self-realization. Rather, the Vedas instruct that one must surrender in devotion to complete loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and his eternal consort, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna.
Further reading on this subject can be read in the Krishna book Chapter 87 which is found here http://www.krsnabook.com/ch87.html


For people new to Krishna Consciousness all paths and faiths are one. May your sincerity bring you to the Absolute in whatever way you choose. If anything of what we have rubs off on you then please explore more, their is so much beauty in Srila Prabhupadas writing.

Or simply chant

jaya sri-krishna-chaitanya​

prabhu nityananda​

sri-adwaita gadadhara​

shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda​

​

(I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Nityananda, Sri Advaita,​

Gadadhara Pandit, Srivas Thakur, and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya.) ​

​

then​

​

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare​

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare​

​

​

Krsna will not leave anybody in the cold who approaches him in this way.

Haribol!

 

Sleeping Jiva.

The art of preaching to people not familiar with our ways is ....gently, with great patience and love. Thank you for posting Chapter 9, but it should surely be posted with love not with any other purpose in mind.

Thank you for starting this great thread my friend. Hare Krishna.

SvgGdnBeauty

Not so mataji. One who is in the beginning is often much closer to God than those who have been practicing for numerous lifetimes!! Hare Krishna

 

gdkumar: hahahahaha. I'm laughing, not in mocking way, but in a good way and I want you to laugh with me. Words -abstract terms in a way. I wrote it in my post: I can't hate you. I know why I wrote it there. I never said that I'm more than you, or that all meat-eaters are doomed. Please try to understand, my only task here is to fix the misinterpretations. I don't put myself in here. I don't care too much for affections if they're not Krishna related. Of course I can't help and I add something personal (like now for example), but you can see from my previous posts, that the main thing is to talk about Krishna, not my own person, how good I am or whatever. I don't care if somebody says I'm hot headed, stuborn, or even bad person just because I'm trying to fix these misinterpretations. I'm learning as well as you, but I'm learning from your questions. Because the answers they're all there in Prabhupada's books. Everything is there. There's nothing left. I'm tolerant to other paths sure, but when somebody mix meat-eating with Prabhupada's message, I'm sorry I cannot be tolerant. Please don't see things as good or bad, that is maya. I know you love Krishna and you are attracted to Him and yes I admit that you must be a special person, when you didn't read Prabhupada's books and still love Krishna. But, man read them anyhow
It's easy to say -you're the one intolerant, but I just made this thread in order to discuss Krishna consciousness as it was popularized by Srila Prabhupada. If you come here and you say:" no, no this I don't agree with...you can't think in this way." Who's the intolerant here? I'm not feeling any hatred, I'm asking you as a friend. In maya you see two different things : friend and the question, which is as though from enemy, but beyond maya the two are the same.
Haribol!!!! Chant Hare Krishna and I'll love you all.

 

Rama Nityananda dasa: you're definetely right. it was posted with love, is there anything in my post, what says the opposite? I love al lthose animals, which must be killed becuz of people's ignorance. I have no hatred in me, I said it was revealing, but now I see that you also reacted, so it was good to say
In our society, sometimes love means just to smile even though you don't mean it. That kind of love is hypocritical.

 

Jayananda dasa Thakur with his Spiritual Master Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

 

Jayananda Dasa - A Modern Saint
Written by Bhayahari Dasa
From Back to Godhead Magazine. May/June 2001.

​

0N JANUARY 16,1967, Srila Prabhupada flew from New York to inaugurate the first Hare Krsna temple in San Francisco. His arrival was covered by the Channel Four news and by both daily newspapers. While most of San Francisco may have ignored the story, a young man named Jim Kohr noticed it. Despite having a degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University, he had been driving a taxi on the streets of San Francisco. Never quite able to fit into the corporate rat-race or the upperclass crowd, he was often unhappy and didn't really know why. Though Jim was not a religious person, the article ignited a ray of hope in him. He resolved to check out the Indian Swami.

Unknowingly, Jim was taking his first step toward fulfilling his destiny. Though he would live for only another ten years, in that short time he would witness the culmination of lifetimes of spiritual effort. He would depart the world leaving behind many valuable lessons to inspire and instruct present and future generations of Vaisnavas, devotees of the Lord.

The following evening, Jim arrived at the temple to find it filled mostly with hippies. With his short hair, cleancut looks, and well-pressed clothes, he stood out. And at 28, he was older than most of the others there. But Jim's misgivings disappeared when he saw the Swami enter. Jim sat through the lecture and bought a three-volume set of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which Srila Prabhupada autographed with the inscription "To Sriman Jim Kolr." For the first time in many years Jim felt peaceful. He had just received the audience of his eternal spiritual master.

Jim started coming to the temple regularly. He especially liked the morning program, when most of the hippies were still sleeping. Sometimes he would be the only person in the class. Years later he revealed that he trusted the Swami and felt confident the Swami wouldn't cheat him. As a four-year old, Jim had once stood up in church and looked around anxiously. When his grandmother had asked him what was the matter, he had asked, "Where is God" Now he felt that Srila Prabhupada was answering this ancient question buried deep in his consciousness. In February 1967, Prabhupada accepted Jim as his disciple and initiated him with the name Jayananda Dasa.

In Vaisnava scriptures, such as Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura's Madhurya-kadambini, we learn that a conditioned soul progresses through stages of sadhana-bhakti (devotional practice) before attaining spontaneous love for God. The new bhaktas (devotees) at the San Francisco temple would often struggle with their material desires and their daily spiritual practices, falling in and out of Krsna consciousness. Surprisingly, no one remembers Jayananda in the role of a "new bhakta". He took to Krsna consciousness naturally and effortlessly. He relished all aspects of Krsna consciousness-chanting on his beads, singing in kirtana, eating prasadam, performing Deity worship, and so on. He would often remark, 'Krsna consciousness is so sweet".

In fact, Jayananda found Krsna consciousness so sweet that he soon lost the taste for anything else. He gave his life savings to Srila Prabhupada, and in the Preface to The Nectar of Devotion, Prabhupada publicly thanked him: "I beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the contribution made by my beloved disciple Sriman Jayananda Brahmacari."

PAY1NG THE BILLS

Jayananda became absorbed in practical devotional service. He was constantly serving the Lord, whether buying supplies, cooking prasadam, cleaning the kitchen, taking out the trash, or teaching new devotees. He did all this after a full day of cab driving, by which he'd pay the temple's bills. He became an expert in anything needed to spread Krsna consciousness. He went out to sell Prabhupada's Teachings of Lord Caitanya, becoming a pioneer in a service dear to Prabhupada's heart - the public distribution of hardbound books on Krsna consciousness.

On the appearance day of Lord Caitanya, Srila Prabhupada was very pleased to see Jayananda spontaneously performing kirtana on the street outside the temple. Encouraged, Jayananda then started singing regularly on busier streets with other devotees, laying the foundation for chanting parties that would soon travel all over the country.

Both devotees and others were instinctively attracted by Jayananda's purity. Once, when he offered a garland to Srila Prabhupada, he apologized for his greasy clothes.
Srila Prabhupada remarked, "There is absolutely no offence. You [my disciples] may be dirty, but your hearts are pure."

Jayananda touched the hearts of many people, and they usually responded by doing some service for Kr5na. He would get almost everything for the temple free or at a steep discount. He was friends with shopkeepers, city officials, drunks, and derelicts. Everybody loved Jayananda, and he happily engaged everyone in the service of the Lord. He worked the hardest, but he praised the service of everyone else. He was humble, tolerant, compassionate, and renounced. His actions, his words, his life, and his death all exemplified the process of bhakti, devotional service to the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada's instructions especially those encouraging practical service --became Jayananda's very life. Once, when a devotee asked him how to make advancement in Krsna consciousness, Jayananda shrugged and said, "I really don't know. I'm too busy working."

So immersed was Jayananda in executing Prabhupada's instructions that he would rarely get time to meet Srila Prabhupada. Serving in separation, he understood that association through instructions is more important than physical association. It is said that one must act in such a way that Krsna will want to see you; Jayananda exemplified this dictum by his service attitude.

Invariably Srila Prabhupada would ask for Jayananda, and someone would have to go fetch him. For Jayananda, Sri Krsna and Srila Prabhupada were the only two ultimate truths. Everything else, including his body, was to be engaged in their service.

 

LAUNCHING RATHAYATRA

One day some devotees got a small deity of Lord Jagannatha (Krsna as "the Lord of the universe") from an import store. Srila Prabhupada sent them back to get the other deities of the set-Lord Balarama and Subhadra Devi--and he started their worship in the temple. Meditating on the deities, Srila Prabhupada expressed his intense desire to spread their mercy by organizing a Rathayatra, the chariot festival held in their honour each year in the holy city of Puri in India. Jayananda dedicated himself to fulfilling this desire of Prabhupada's. Starting with a flatbed truck, he put together a "chariot" with whatever help he could get from devotees and anyone else. On July 9, 1967, the first Rathayatra in San Francisco-the first ever outside India-took place because of Jayananda's blood, sweat, and toil.

Jayananda improved the festival year after year, raising money, getting permits, doing the publicity, building huge chariots from scratch, and even baking pies for groups he'd interact with, such as the city police and the U.S. Park Service. He would live with the chariots while they were being built, often working with little or no sleep as the festival date approached. Eventually held in Golden Gate Park, the festival drew bigger and bigger crowds year after year. Thanks to Jayananda's efforts, thousands of people received Lord Jagannatha's mercy. The festivals are now held in cities around the world.

Srila Prabhupada often expressed his deep gratitude to Jayananda for the festivals. When Jayananda passed away, Srila Prabhupada said that his picture should be carried on one of the chariots at every Rathayatra.

DISEASED BODY

While preparing for the New York Rathayatra in 1976, Jayananda found painful lumps growing on his body. A God brother worried that they might be cancerous, but Jayananda made him promise not to tell Srila Prabhupada until after the festival. Jayananda's main concern was that the Rathayatra should be a success; everything else was secondary.

The New York Rathayatra was indeed a great success. Rolling down Fifth Avenue, the three chariots delighted thousands of people, many becoming inspired to inquire into and even take up the practices of Krsna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada was ecstatic. He called it a grand success and thanked Jayananda for his service.

The lumps on Jayananda's body turned out to be cancerous. He was diagnosed with leukaemia, which gradually reduced his body to a shell. Accepting that he would die soon, Jayananda continued to express his deep gratitude towards Srila Prabhupada. His friends were, shocked and saddened to see his disease-ravaged body, but Jayananda was still too busy, performing devotional service to give it much concern. Ane, when he did agree to medical treatment. he used his time in the hospital to tell doctors, nurses, and patients about Krsna consciousness.

Jayananda constantly thought about how to expand Rathayatra to other cities. In his final months, he helped organize the Los Angeles Rathayatra, making phone calls, raising money, and guiding devotees. One day, while walking on Venice Beach, here the festival would be held, he looked down and-as if visualizing the upcoming festival-said, "What a wonderful Rathayatra!"

On May 1, 1977, just a few months before the festival, Jayananda passed from this world. In a letter written to Jayananda after his passing, Srila Prabhupada congratulated him on a glorious life and an even more glorious death, since both in life and at death he had been absorbed in the service of Krsna. Prabhupada ordained that the disappearance day of Jayananda be celebrated like those of other Vaisnava saints. As Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura so eloquently said:

He reasons ill who says that
Vaisnavas die
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaisnavas die to live, and
living try
To spread the holy name around.


As I think about Jayananda, I imagine this scene: Somewhere an ISKCON Rathayatra is about to start. Conch shell blasts and cries of "Jaya Jagannatha!" pierce the sky. Looking on from the spiritual world, Jayananda turns to Srila Prabhupada, who nods and says, "Thank you very much".

 

Memorial by Bhakta dasa

Dear Maharaja & Prabhus,

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glory to Srila Prabhupada! All glory to Sripad Jayananda dasa, a pure and perfect disciple of Srila Prabhupada!

It was my great fortune to work closely with Jayananda on many occasions between 1971 and 1977. From our first meeting in a beaten- up pick up truck, driving across the SF Bay Bridge to prepare a park for the "Lord Caitanya Festival" being held that day, until our final meeting a few weeks before he departed in a "Laetrile Cancer Clinic" in Tijuana, Mexico he was always a source of incredible inspiration and determination for me.

At our final meeting, he was living in a two room apartment at the cancer clinic. He had turned what was supposed to be the bedroom into a temple, and was staying in the laundry room on the floor. He had decorated his "temple" with hundreds of photos of Srila Prabhupad and Lord Jagannatha and was peacefully chanting HARE KRISHNA as much as 108 rounds per day. Although his formerly robust body had become like a tooth pick, his consciousness was not the least disturbed. He was fearless, even happy that his prison term in the modes of nature was coming to an end.

He told me stories of the various treatments had undergone at the behest of different devotees over the last 6 or 7 months. Some of the treatments were rather absurd, like wearing bags of dripping herbal teas on your back, etc. As he related these tales, we laughed, and laughed, and laughed. We laughed so hard our sides were aching, but we could not stop laughing. Actually we were laughing, because everyone in this world took "death" so seriously, but we, fortunate souls we were, knew that death was also only an illusion.

Jayananda knew within himself that he was leaving, he knew his time was up, still to please the devotees, he made the attempts to prolong his life.

The one quality of Jayananda that stood out, above and beyond all his other exalted qualities was his extreme dedication to the service of the devotees. Not just the high and mighty, but especially the newest bhakta or bhaktin. He would invariably make sure they ate well, and were guided properly in the process of bhakti.

In 1974 when he returned from his one pilgrimage to India, he had brought a new "lal imli" chadder and a beautiful new silk dhoti and kurta. He gave all these away to a couple of new bhaktas,preferring to wear his old tattered dhotis.

Jayananda remained constantly engaged in service day in and day out without cessation. I never saw him engage in unnecessary sense gratification once, but for the service of KRSNA he would sometimes drink a cup of coffee when on a long drive, and once he even purchased beer to give a young man who was helping build the Rath carts, but who needed his beer each evening to function!

Jayananda was loved by all. He epitomized the verse from the Goswamiastakam "loved by the gentle and the ruffians". Jayananda was never envious of anyone, he always offered sincere respect to all living beings. He adored prasadam and made sure to carry some cakes or sweets with him everywhere he went to distribute to all.

Jayananda hated to be the center of attention; he always pushed others ahead of himself. Jayananda loved kirtan and could chant and dance for hours very happily. He could also sit down and chant 50 rounds if necessary without getting up. Jayananda loved KRSNA leela, and when he read the Krsna Book he would feel incredible happiness and would giggle like a young child. I felt so sad that I did not have such a sweet taste.

A few years ago while in front of the Gundica Mandir in Puri, early in the morning, I sat of Lord Jagannatha's Rath while Lord Jagannatha was inside the Gundica Temple. My mind was looking at the chariot and was remembering Jayananda, and how beautiful the chariots he made were. I could understand at that time that Jayananda was probably building chariots right there in Puri for lifetimes, and then he took birth in the west to become Srila Prabhupada's assistant in bringing this most wonderful of all festivals to all the conditioned souls in the world.

Now, His Grace Vaiyasaki dasa has written a wonderful book detailing the leela of Jayananda Prabhu, and as soon as he can find some funding it will be published. Then I know that all of you who read about Jayananda will fell the same joy, inspiration, and determination that I feel when I remember him.

Bhakta dasa

 

Memorial by Srila Dasa

Jayananda was one of the only devotees I know that no matter how insignificant you were, Jayananda would recognize you, greet you and treat you as if you were his personal friend. As it states in Bg, *suhrdam sarva-bhutanam.* Jayananda was the living example of a humble, unassuming Vaisnava who took advantage of every opportunity he could to serve other Vaisnavas.

In his last days in NY (at the 55th St Temple) in 1977 before going to LA, I witnessed this *lila*: One devotee had come back hungry from sankirtan, and when he saw Jayananda sitting down about to take a plate of maha-prasadam, he asked Jayananda if there was anymore prasadam. Without hesitating, Jayananda offered the devotee his own plate of maha-prasadam (very hard to get in NY at that time) and insisted he take it. Jayananda always performed selfless service to the Vaisnavas and to his beloved Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada.

 

[size=+2]Sriman Jayananda Thakur, Bhakti Exemplified[/size]

The process of remembering, discussing or enumerating the qualities and pastimes of the Lord and His devotees is very purifying. This week we continue the discussion of the qualities of Jayananda Prabhu, who in the relatively short time he was associated with Krishna consciousness, perfected his devotional service and left us many instructions by example.

Freedom from fault finding
**************************
Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Jayananda was that he never criticized anyone. Even if a devotee did something that warranted criticism, he would usually not say anything, or else make the mistake appear as something perfectly natural. He never spoke harsh words or chastised anybody. Sometimes devotees would come to him with expansive ideas of how to spread Krishna consciousness. Jayananda would encourage these ideas, however extraordinary. At the same time he was not a fool. He could always pick up the right man for the job.

In the Nectar of Instruction (Verse 5), Srila Rupa Goswami says, 'one should associate with and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticize others.' Jayananda could not even bear to hear the criticism of another devotee. If such a thing were happening he would simply leave the room. These are the characteristics of an uttama-adhikari, one who has reached the highest level of perfection in his sadhana bhakti.

Dear to everyone
****************
Like the six Goswamis, Jayananda was dear to both the gentle and the ruffians. He was as much at home with the Italians at the produce market as he was with the Brahmacharis at the temple. Once a devotee was approached by a staggering drunk in San Francisco, who looked at his robes and asked, 'Hey, where is my old friend Jayananda?'

Many devotees who took over Jayananda's old territory would meet people who would say things like, 'Where is Johnny Ananda?' or 'That man - he's the nicest and most pure man I've met' or 'I don't know much about your philosophy, but if Jayananda is into it, it must be all right.'

One woman public official on the San Francisco board was famous for giving the devotees a hard time during Ratha-yatra. One year when the devotees approached her, she asked, 'where is Jayananda?' On hearing that he had passed away she broke down and began to cry. The purity in Jayananda's heart would touch the even most cynical.

In BG 5.7, Sri Krishna says that 'One who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind and senses is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a man is never entangled.' Every one loved Jayananda, since he had completely transcended the bodily conception. He would approach a drunk, a hippie or a devotee with the same compassion and enthusiasm. He spoke to the Supersoul in everyone, and everyone responded accordingly. Like Maharaja Yudhisthira, Jayananda's enemy was never born.

Expert at engaging everyone
****************************
It is said that though Krishna has nothing to do with non-devotees, His devotees are even more compassionate than Him and will try and engage them in the Lord's service. Jayananda was eager to see everyone engaged in Krishna's service. Whenever a new bhakta would come. Jayananda made him feel he was engaged in important work. He was older, bigger and stronger than just about anyone in the temple, and everyone was glad to be working under him.

His preaching style was very simple and direct. He would speak from the heart to the heart. Once he was preaching to a couple of hippies, while crawled under an automobile. All that was visible of him was a pair of legs, yet the two hippies stood there, transfixed by his message. During Ratha-yatra time he would organize a crew of cynics, hippies, bloopers, uncooperative personalities and non-devotees off the street to help build the carts. He would get them to work for ten to fourteen hours a day, always glorifying them.

The Cc Antya 7.11 it is stated, 'The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Krishna. Unless empowered by Krishna, one cannot propagate the sankirtana movement.' Because of the genuine compassion in Jayananda, Krishna gave Him the unique ability to make people want to render devotional service, directly or indirectly.

Materially renounced
********************
Jayananda had almost no possessions, even during his years as a householder. What ever he had, he used for the service of the temple and Srila Prabhupada. When he was gifted five thousand dollars, he promptly donated that to Srila Prabhupada. In the introduction of the Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada acknowledges this contribution. For many years he was almost single handedly supporting the temple by driving his cab for 12-14 hours a day. When he was in his last days of his life, he used the money given to him for his treatment to support the Ratha-yatra in Los Angeles.

He was extremely careful with what he considered to be Srila Prabhupada's money. When selling incense, he would sleep on park benches in bitter cold rather than spend money on a motel. He used his considerable charm to get people to donate almost every thing that was needed. What he could no get for free, he made sure that he received a good value for the money spent.

His final lesson in material detachment came when it was discovered that he was suffering from cancer of the lymph and blood. Jayananda continued as if nothing had changed. When his body became frail and weak, he continued preaching, inspiring and organizing from his bed in the hospital. For him the body was simply a means to render devotional service to the Lord.

In Cc. Madhya 6.254 Caitanya Mahaprabhu summarizes in the phrase 'vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga', which means 'renunciation through the wisdom that comes from practicing devotional service.' Jayananda was a true sannyasi, as one who did not just renounce material objects but actually renounced the desire for these material objects. He was always eager to use everything for the service of Krishna, however he had no personal desire for anything material.

 

Jayananda: king of the Ratha-yatra
***********************************
Jayananda was the backbone of the Bay area Ratha-yatra for several years. Behind the scene he would do everything for the preparation of the festival. He would beg food, flowers, funds - buy materials and build the carts. He would arrange for the permits, organize the cooking and serving of prasad. Although things always went right down the wire, he would consistently succeed in fulfilling all this plans every year. After the festival he would cook a cake or a pie for each and every person who had some how helped in the festival. Because of his efforts the Bay area devotees to this day enjoy an amazingly harmonious relationship with the city officials.

In his last days Jayananda was busy organizing the Ratha-yatra from the hospital bed. He would talk to people on the phone, send his associates to meet various persons and things began to miraculously materialize. Every moment of his life was preciously used in the service of Krishna.

Mystic opulence
*****************
It is said that pure devotional service brings about much opulence. Thought the devotees never seek them out, once they are there, they are used for the service of Krishna.

Jayananda apparently could function with very little or even no sleep. Towards the last few days of the Ratha-yatra he would sleep less than three hours a day, yet he was the most energetic and enlivened member of the crew. His propensity to consume prasad was astounding. He could consume buckets of halva, plates of samosas and potatoes without any side effect. When he was in his last days, he was put on an intravenous diet, yet he would often ask devotees to sneak in huge quantities of samosas and cheese-potatoes for him, which he would happily consume without any apparent distress. He would some times sleep in the Bhagavatam classes, since he was very tired, yet later on he could perfectly quote from the class or have a deep discussion about its contents.

In BG 4.26, Sri Krishna declares that, 'One who is engaged in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.' In the Närada-pancaratra, devotional service to the Lord is likened unto a queen attended by her maidservants in the form of material opulences, liberation and mysticism. Jayananda never had any hankering for these, but when they came, he simply used them in the service of Krishna.

Special relationship with Srila Prabhupada
******************************************
Jayananda has complete faith in Srila Prabhupada. He perfected his devotion by making the instructions of Srila Prabhupada the very core of his life. He was advanced enough to realize that real association was through following the instructions of the spiritual master. Unlike most of the other devotees, who would go out of their way to get some personal association of Srila Prabhupada, Jayananda was contend to work in the background, carrying out his instructions. He exemplified the superiority of association by vani (instructions) over vapu (personal association). Srila Prabhupada would invariably call of Jayananda when he was in the temple. Jayananda would resist saying, 'No, I cannot go. I am too dirty. I am too fallen,' such were the transcendental exchanges between the spiritual master and his dear disciple.

In Cc. Madhya 19.151, Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that, 'Among all the living entities wandering throughout the universe, one who is most fortunate comes in contact with a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus gets the opportunity to execute devotional service.' Jayananda was one of these fortunate souls who came in contact with a pure devotee of the Lord and under his guidance was able to perfect his devotional life.

Conclusion
**********
Jayananda passed away on May 1, 1977. He joined the Krishna consciousness movement in 1967, just when it is in its beginning, and left the planet a few months before Srila Prabhupada. In the scriptures it is said that when the pure devotees of the Lord appear to execute His will, their associates invariably accompany them. One cannot help but speculate that Jayananda had only come to serve his eternal spiritual master. The fact that Srila Prabhupada was on this planet at the time of his passing away is also significant. It let Srila Prabhupada affirm that 'every one should follow the example of Jayananda.' We offer our most humble obeisances to Sri Srimad Jayananda Prabhu, the exemplary teacher of devotional service in Krishna consciousness.

 

Thank you, ChiefCowPie
for this great article. I never heard of this wonderful guy. Now you made me know him, thanks. I have no doubt it was Srila Prabhupada accompany in this world. Wow! Reading the articles you've posted it felt as though I knew him. I especially like the passage, when he's joking about his death -we should all be like that. Y'know laughing out loud, because that is the first thing you do, when you're free from bodily attachments. Once more, thanks ChiefCowPie, I like when you post articles like this one. Carry on! Haribol!

 

Thank you so much for posting that prabhu, he was a wonderful devotee.

Here is another Jayanandas god-brother Tribhuvanatha who left his body a couple of years ago.


Tribhuvanatha Dasa

"The light that burns twice as bright..."

Tribhuvanatha Prabhu left his body early on Tuesday 16th October 2001. Earlier in the year, he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer while on a preaching tour of Africa, and had made several trips to Brazil for treatment from a Christian healer.

Tribhuvanatha was in Brazil with his close friend and associate Giridhari, who was chanting Hare Krishna at his moment of his leaving.

Tribhuvanatha had arranged to sponsor a feast at Bhaktivedanta Manor on the day of his dearture in memory of a devotee friend in Africa. By an ironic arrangement of Krishna, this turned out to be his own departure feast also.

Devotees everywhere have been very moved to hear of his passing, and have been glorifying him as a great and special soul with a very bright future.

Tribhuvanath's funeral was held at Bhaktivedanta Manor and Hendon Cematorium on Saturday 27th October. Around 700 devotees, friends and family participated in his last rites, glorifying, honouring and remembering this most energetic, friendly and austere devotee of Krishna. The next morning, there was a festival of rememberance, with many anecdotes told of Tribhuvanatha's extraordinary life.

Tribhuvanatha is an early disciple of Srila Prabhupada from Bury Place days, and is famed for his exhuberant kirtana. A past president of the Govindadwipa and Birmingham temples, he was a very active preacher in this world, and lead a festival party travelling throughout the UK, Ireland and Africa.

We hope Krishna will be kind upon this special soul so he may long continue the glorification of the Lord in his uniquely special and individual way.

Riddha remembers Tribhuvanatha

Riddha Dasa is one of Tribuvanatha's close godbrothers. In an interview he spoke of Tribhuvanatha's less-well-known preaching.

"Tribhuvanatha was a pioneer of preaching in the Middle East. He told me just a few weeks before he left of how Srila Prabhupada explained Krishna's special mercy received by one who preaches in Arab countries.

In the 1970s, Tribhuvanatha and some of his godbrothers such as Mahakratu and Padmapani risked their lives preaching in numerous Arab countries such as Lebanon and Syria. They survived heavy bombardment during the Yom Kippur war. Then, due to the mercy of Tribhuvanatha, the first arabic Bhagavad-Gita was produced in Palestine.

At that time, because the devotees were so successful in their daily activities, they came under the watchful eyes of the PLO, who mistook them for Israeli spies. Tribhuvanatha was wrongly arrested in Damascus and imprisoned in a terrorist cell, with only enough room to lie down. He was tortured and interrogated for one month, finally being released without charge.

Back in the UK, Tribhuvanatha quietly recovered from his ordeal, being less outwardly active in temple life. Several years later, in 1984, I met Tribhuvanatha on a London street; rekindling our friendship, I took him straight to the Soho Radha-Krishna temple, where his great devotion for Krishna began expanding again.

Tribhuvanatha went on to become one of the most dynamic and best-loved devotees in the UK and Irish yatras, famous for his qualities throughout the Hare Krishna world."

More remembrances of Tribhuvanatha​

http://www.iskcon.org.uk/devotees/tribhuvanatha/​

May we all become half the devotees that these two great jivas were. Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!​

 

thank you prabhu for your appreciations...in your strict devotion to understand the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, ask a little guidance in prayer to Jayananda, a very special soul who understood intimately and profoundly SP's message of love and devotion to Krishna and so water and nurture your creeper of devotion

Remembering Jayananda Prabhu​

(compiled by Kala-kantha das)

​

After the disappearance of Jayananda Das on May 1, 1977, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada instructed devotees all over the world to commemorate the event every year as they would any great Vaishnava's disappearance day.

Jayananda's Beginnings In Krishna Consciousness
Jayananda was the all-American boy. Handsome, strong, intelligent, born in a more than middle-class family, Jayananda (Jim Kohr) took a degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University. With a background like that, it is surprising that Jayananda ended up as a cab driver in San Francisco. Karandhara once asked him why he didn't get a better-paying job. "I didn't fit in with the upper class crowd," he said.

Always introspective in nature, Jayananda felt empty and unsatisfied within himself during his college years. He would often say that he was "never happy" before joining Krishna consciousness. His depression was almost suicidal when, in 1967, he read a small article in a San Francisco paper, about an Indian Swami who had come to the Bay Area to propagate the chanting of the names of God. Jayananda recalled feeling a "ray of hope" when he read that article. Thinking the Swami may have something to offer, Jayananda made up his mind to attend the Swami's lectures.

Srila Prabhupada's early lectures in the Bay Area were mostly attended by hippies, and Jayananda was one of the only "straight" people there. Jayananda later recalled that, "I wasn't much of a religionist, but I was attracted to Srila Prabhupada." He was especially fond of attending the early morning lectures because at that hour, most of the hippies would be in bed. On some occasions Jayananda would be the only guest listening to Srila Prabhupada speak from the Bhagavatam.

Srila Prabhupada was always fond of Jayananda, and sometimes he would invite his budding disciple to take prasad with him in his room. "Srila Prabhupada would cook prasad and serve me," Jayananda recalled. "He didn't say anything - he just kept feeding me, and I kept eating." Jayananda soon donated his life savings of $5,000 to Srila Prabhupada to help His Divine Grace print the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. As more and more devotees joined ISKCON in the Bay Area, Jayananda continued to work as a cab driver and supported the Temple by contributing all of his earnings.

Jayananda's Attraction For The Process Of Krishna Consciousness​

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Chandan Acharya Prabhu remembers this special feature about Jayananda: "He was completely enamored by Krishna consciousness. Even when he'd go out on incense runs all by himself, he would rise every morning before four, have a little mangal-artik, chant all his rounds, read and cook prasad. He never deviated. He loved it. He was completely happy as long as he was practicing Krishna consciousness."

Take prasadam, for example. Jayananda worshiped prasadam. When a little prasad spilled on the floor, he would always bend down on all fours and lick it up. He loved to cook, offer, distribute and eat prasad in a big way. He would always take prasad with him and distribute it, whether he was making a bhoga run (buying bulk foods from the market) or taking a chanting party downtown. He would even say "prasadam" in a special way that made you immediately want to take some.

Jayananda knew how to attract people to Krishna consciousness with the prasadam weapon. When a new devotee came, for example, Jayananda would see to it that he was sumptuously fed with prasadam. When Jambavan Das was just becoming a devotee, Jayananda would bring him a plate of prasadam so big that he thought he could never eat it all. When he finally did finish the plate, Jayananda immediately put an identical plate down before him. "I can't eat that," said Jambavan. "Srila Prabhupada said that we should eat 'til we waddle like a duck," said Jayananda. Jambavan would finish the second plate.

Of course, Jayananda himself could be found honoring large quantities of prasad anytime day or night. He was the kind of devotee who would come up to you at ten o'clock with some peanut butter halava and say, "Hey, Prabhu, come here - check this out!"

Another example of his attachment to Krishna consciousness is Jayananda's love for kirtan (chanting). Jayananda was always eager to take the whole Temple out on hari-nama chanting parties. He had a special attraction for chanting in the streets. Whether kirtan was held in the temple or in the street, Jayananda could always be seen dancing and chanting enthusiastically. When he was making Maharaja Das into a devotee, Jayananda would visit his house and have big kirtans. Even if there were only two of them, they would jump and chant "Nitai-Gaur Hari-bol!" Also, Karandhara recalls how, one day, after working very hard for ten hours straight, Jayananda suddenly announced, "Hey, it's ten to seven. Let's go to artik." Everyone else was so tired that artik was the last thing on their minds, but Jayananda quickly jumped into the shower and then bounced down to the temple room for artik.

Of all the processes of Krishna consciousness, Jayananda was most attached to preaching. Whether it was during the Sunday feast, while making incense runs, or while building Ratha-yatra carts, Jayananda was always trying to find some person with whom he could share his ecstasy in Krishna consciousness. His preaching was very simple and easy to listen to. "We just have to keep chanting and have faith in the Name." "We just have to chant and take prasadam. Srila Prabhupada is so kind to give us such a simple process." Karandhara remembers how Jayananda preached to him on his first day in the temple. As they worked together preparing a little garden for Srila Prabhupada at the old Los Angeles temple. Jayananda said, "You know, things don't always go just right in Krishna consciousness. You have to keep chanting." At the time, Karandhara couldn't imagine how anything could go wrong in Krishna's service. Years later, however, as he found himself still remembering those words, Karandhara could appreciate the real potency of what Jayananda had said. "So many things may come and go. Just have faith in the Name."

Jayananda's preaching was very attractive for the non-devotees. Chandan Acharya recalls seeing Jayananda engaged in preaching late one night. It was 11:30, and Jayananda was up fixing a broken-down sankirtan van. As he lay on his back working under the van, he preached to two hippies who were standing nearby. All they could see of him was a pair of legs, but they stood by listening, completely absorbed, as Jayananda worked and preached away.

As soon as he felt a person was at all ready, Jayananda would preach to him about chanting and about Srila Prabhupada. There was no protocol or strict etiquette. Just sincere and confidential glorification of Krishna. True to his character, Jayananda was often seen preaching to guests from his wheelchair even during his last days in this world. Devotees who knew him could tell from a distance exactly what he was saying: "You just have to have faith in the Name."

 

Jayananda's Humility​

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Humility was certainly Jayananda's most prominent quality. He treated everyone as his superior, even new devotees. Maharaja Das remembers that Jayananda was always asking his advice: "Hey, Bhakta Mike, what do you think of this?" Although his service was glorious, he never wanted any glory. He avoided praise like the plague. Devotees got to know that if they wanted to be around him, they'd better not praise Jayananda. Otherwise he would simply leave. Once when he was with Danavir, someone came to Jayananda and began praising him. Jayananda just ignored it. Later he turned to Danavir and said, "You know, if you've been around this movement a few years, people naturally offer you some respect." Not that his service or qualities were so great, he just was around a few years was his humble thinking. If he ever spoke about himself at all, Jayananda would speak so humbly that Lochan Das recalls, "It was difficult not to think of yourself as being better than him. If you had any reason to be puffed up, Jayananda would bring it out in you." Feeling himself unworthy, he would step aside so that others could lead kirtan, give classes, or do artik. Instead, he could be found fixing cars, unplugging toilets, washing dishes, or taking out trash.

Once a new boy came to visit the San Francisco temple. He wanted to help, so Kesava Das sent him to the trash area where Jayananda was preparing the weekly trash run. Jayananda told the boy, "I'm the garbage man around here. For years I've been watching garbage men carry out trash, and now Krishna is giving me a chance to do this for Him." The boy not only helped load the trash, but accompanied Jayananda to the garbage dump. Later that boy became a devotee, and he recalled thinking, "If the garbage men at this temple can be so blissful, just imagine what the rest of the devotees are like!"

Karandhara recalls another incidence of Jayananda's humility. "One day, before Ratha-yatra, I spent the whole day running around with Jayananda. By the time we got back to the temple it was midnight. The whole building was so crowded that we couldn't find any space to lie down. Finally we found room in one little storage closet. I was so tired that all I could do was throw my sleeping bag on the floor and lie down. Then I saw Jayananda walking out of the room. I asked him, `Where are you going?' He said he'd be right back, but I kept pressing him, and finally he explained that he had some rounds of japa chanting to finish up. He didn't want to keep me awake by chanting in our room, nor did he want me to feel bad because he was going out to do something else. He just wanted to slip away to some corner and fulfill his vow. I remember saying, `Sometimes it's not possible to finish all one's rounds because there is so much work to do.' `That's okay, I'm not too tired,' Jayananda replied. I was amazed not only by his consideration for me but by his full submission to Srila Prabhupada."

Although perfectly qualified, Jayananda was reluctant to take a post as temple president or sannyasi. It was not that he wouldn't or couldn't do it - he would do whatever was asked of him. He was happiest just to be working under someone. In this way he was the backbone of the Bay Area's ISKCON temple for years. Through frequently changing administrations, he would always faithfully serve the acting temple president. He was very special, and yet no one paid any special attention to him. That was just the way he liked things.

Jayananda's Service Attitude​

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Jayananda was always ready to do whatever was necessary to push on Krishna consciousness. He was expert at everything: cooking, preaching, Deity worship, public relations, sankirtan, selling incense, construction, and everything else it takes to run a temple. He was a tireless worker. He would be the first one up in the morning and the last one to sleep at night. It was Jayananda who was always running out to get the flowers, Jayananda who was washing dishes and making sure the kitchen was clean, Jayananda who was often missing class while he was out doing some service, and Jayananda who was always encouraging others to go out and preach, and setting the example himself. Whatever assignment he was given, he would always get done, even if he had to suffer personally for it. No matter how hard he was working, he would never stop for a nap during the day. He seemed to be inexhaustible.

Jambavan Prabhu remembers that many times the San Francisco devotees would go out to Berkeley to distribute the leftover prasad after a Sunday feast. "First Jayananda would be in the kitchen cleaning. Then someone would say, `Hey how about this leftover prasadam?' Jayananda would say, `Okay, first let's get this kitchen clean.' He would organize the cleanup crew and then work twice as hard as anybody. Then he would transfer the prasad, load it and the devotees into the van, drive the van to Berkeley, organize the distribution of prasad, and lead the kirtan while we distributed."

In later years, when he was with the Radha Damodar Traveling Sankirtan Party, Jayananda would help manage and sustain the traveling bus program and simultaneously do all day sankirtan day in and day out, side by side with brahmacharis scarcely half his age. In spite of his advanced position and seniority, he never asked for any special treatment. Leading devotees would often describe him as "the most advanced devotee in the movement."

 

Jayananda's Freedom From Fault-finding
​

Those who knew Jayananda always noticed one remarkable quality about him: he could not criticize others. It was against his nature. Even if a devotee did something which warranted criticism, Jayananda would usually say nothing, or else something that made the mistake appear to be perfectly understandable. No matter who was giving class or leading kirtan, he would always appreciate it. He never spoke harsh words or chastised anybody. If one devotee was criticizing another within earshot of Jayananda, Jayananda would simply leave.

Rather than criticize others, Jayananda would contribute nothing less than positive Krishna conscious energy to any situation. Sometimes devotees would bring up their expansive aspirations for spreading Krishna consciousness. Jayananda would always encourage their ideas, however extraordinary. At the same time, he was not a fool. He could always pick the right man to do a particular duty.

Because he knew how to encourage people, the temple leaders would always assign new men to work with Jayananda. He saw no distinction between new devotee and old devotee. Both were his superiors. He could quickly give a new man a sense of identity and a feeling that he belonged in Krishna consciousness. A true Vaishnava, he was expert at fanning any little spark of Krishna consciousness into a big fire. Few will dispute the claim that Jayananda made more devotees and helped more pull through than anyone else in the movement.

Dear To Everyone​

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Like the Six Goswamis, Jayananda was "dear both to the gentle and the ruffians." He was as much at home with the Italians at the produce market as with the brahmacharis in the temple. He would make friends on street sankirtan, and they would often come up to him and say, "Hey, where have you been?" Once a devotee was approached by a staggering drunk in San Francisco. The drunk looked at his robes and asked the devotee, "Hey, where's my old friend Jayananda?"

Many devotees, including Danavir and Chandan Acharya, had the experience of taking over Jayananda's old territory on incense-selling runs or bhoga runs. They would meet people who said such things as, "Where is Johnny Ananda?" or "That man - he's the nicest and most pure man I've ever met." One man told Chandan Acharya, "Well, I don't know much about your philosophy, but if that Jayananda is into it, it must be all right."

Once, near the Ratha-yatra cart work site, Jayananda invited Keshava to step inside a bar and meet some friends of his. They walked inside and immediately some 25 faces looked up and smiled brightly. Someone said, "Oh, this must be your friend you were telling us about, the temple president." They presented the two devotees with a sack full of vegetarian groceries which they had chipped in together to buy.

Among the devotees, Jayananda was like a big brother, always compassionate and willing to listen to them. But devotees rarely burdened him with their problems. "When you were around Jayananda," said Karandhara, "you had no problems."

The devotees loved Jayananda and talked about him during long drives on traveling sankirtan. He was dear to them because he had a sense of humor, too. Jambavan recalls being awakened one night at midnight by Jayananda. "Wake up," said Jayananda, "I've got a benediction for you." He then pushed a big samosa into the sleepy Jambavan's mouth.

Like Maharaja Yudhisthira, Jayananda's enemy was never born.

Expert At Engaging Everyone​

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Jayananda was very eager to see everyone engaged in Krishna's service. He once wrote, "When I reflect on my consciousness had I not had association with devotees and Srila Prabhupada, I shudder to imagine the nightmare I would be in. If we could become a little dedicated to distributing the mercy, so many could be saved so much suffering."

Because of his genuine compassion, Krishna gave Jayananda the unique ability to make people want to serve Krishna, directly or indirectly. Whenever a new bhakta would come, Jayananda made him feel that he was engaged in important work. He was older, bigger and stronger than just about anyone in the temple, and everyone was glad to be working under him. He was willing to let people do things their own way, without getting finicky about details - unless somebody's creativity interfered with practical necessity. New bhakta or old, everyone felt satisfied after a day's work with Jayananda.

 

This was especially evident during Ratha-yatra time. Jayananda would organize a crew of cynics, bloopers, uncooperative personalities and non-devotees off the street to build the Ratha carts. Although many of his men sat down for a smoke during breaks, he would get them to work 10, 12 or 14 hours a day. He was always glorifying others and working hard himself. In fact, he worked harder than anybody else. All those qualities made him very inspiring to work with.

Moreover, there was something very personal about Jayananda that made everyone want to help him. Once he and Maharaja Das were struggling to load a heavy refrigerator on a truck. Two drunks were walking up the alley, and Jayananda said, "I'm going to give them a chance to do some devotional service." His enthusiasm for devotional service was usually contagious, and this was no exception. Those drunks were right in there helping, and the job was done in no time. Afterwards, as usual, Jayananda said to the drunks, "Now say Hare. Now say Krishna. Now say Hare Krishna." "Hare Krishna." "Jai, Hari-bol! Thank you fellas. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!"

Jayananda's Frugality​

​

Jayananda was well known as a transcendental miser. He hated to spend any of Srila Prabhupada's money. Personally he had almost no possessions, even during his years as a householder. When he was on the road selling incense he would sleep in the car or on a bench, or sometimes with friends he'd make in various cities. Many of these friends, such as Maharaja Das and Jiva Das, later became devotees as a result of Jayananda's preaching.

Jayananda would use his personal charm with people to get them to give everything free or at a discount for Krishna. Without spending huge sums of money, he would personally collect nearly all the bhoga, flowers, lumber, paint, and everything else needed to put on Ratha-yatra each year. One year there were hundreds of devotees at the temple to feed just before the festival. Jayananda went to see one of his famous friends at the produce market - Banana King Louie. He came back with four free truckloads of bananas and first-class pineapples. Coupled with some donated milk products, the devotees ate bananas, pineapples and cream - as much as anyone could eat - all for free.

Jayananda would get almost anything done for free, such as printing, advertising, and mimeographing for Ratha-yatra publicity. What he couldn't get for free, he'd get at a discount, and when he paid he'd get his money's worth. For example, after the festival would end, he'd rent a big truck with which to haul all the equipment back to the temple. Although the devotees would be exhausted after weeks of hard work, he'd insist that everyone come out and help pack things away, lest he have to keep the truck another day and pay another $50 rent.

Although he was a senior devotee and could have had anything he wanted, he always dressed in old dhotis and work clothes which he'd buy for one dollar per set at the Salvation Army thrift store.

Jayananda: King Of Ratha-yatra​

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Jayananda was the backbone of the Bay Area Ratha-yatra for years, and his experiences at each one are summarized in the 1977 Ratha-yatra edition of Back To Godhead magazine. Behind the scenes, Jayananda was doing everything in preparation for each festival. He would beg food, flowers and funds, buy materials and build the carts, advertise, arrange for permits, and organize the cooking and serving of prasad. Although things always went right down to the wire, he would consistently succeed in fulfilling all his plans every year. After the festival, Jayananda personally brought a prasadam cake or pie to each and every person who had helped in some way or another. Because of his efforts, the devotees in the Bay Area enjoy, to this day, an amazingly harmonious relationship with the city officials.

During the weeks before the festival, Jayananda would sleep at the site where the Ratha carts were under construction. He would rise every day at 4:00 A.M. without fail, even if that meant he was getting only three hours sleep or less. To keep his crew enlivened, he would cook fantastic prasadam on a tiny gas stove at the site. The preparations were always carefully offered, and each was filled with so much bhakti that the temple devotees would sometimes sneak down to the cart site just to get some.

Jayananda regarded his final Ratha-yatra, the 1976 festival in New York, to be his "most successful." Here is how he described the event in a letter to Keshava Das:

"Somehow I got the good fortune to work on the New York Ratha-yatra. It was such an auspicious opportunity. Prabhupada was coming, there was finally a first-class center in Manhattan, and somehow Toshan got an O.K. to use Fifth Avenue for the parade route. Jambavan was here and we had a couple of other boys who worked very hard. I was praying that somehow we could just get the carts finished. Somehow by Krishna's grace it worked out. You wouldn't have believed some of the events. The night before the festival, Saturday, at about 5 or 6 P.M., we were raising Balaram's dome and it was at the top when a huge gust of wind caught it and blew the whole thing over. The framework was all busted, the tubing twisted, etc. I didn't see how we could rectify the situation as there was so much to do on the other two carts. But two devotees who are expert builders vowed they'd somehow get it back together. I had some extra pipes, etc., and they worked all night and by Krishna's grace all three chariots were at Fifth Ave. and 59th St. by 6:30 A.M. Sunday morning."

"There's no place like New York for Ratha-yatra. The parade was tremendous as was the scene in the park. Even when we pulled the carts back to the construction site people would come out of their apartments and bars and chant Hare Krishna. I guess that occasion was the perfection of my career in Krishna consciousness."

 

Jayananda's Relationship With Srila Prabhupada

Jayananda said of Srila Prabhupada, "I knew he didn't want to cheat me so I wanted to work for him." In his dealings with Srila Prabhupada, Jayananda kept his usual low profile. He was generally off working on some project when Srila Prabhupada came to San Francisco. Their relationship was, therefore, as Karandhara describes it, "one of old friends," or "very economical." That is to say, Jayananda did not go in for long meetings with Srila Prabhupada, even when all the other temple leaders were doing so.

By way of reciprocation, Srila Prabhupada would invariably call for Jayananda when he arrived in the temple. Sometimes he would have to make repeated requests, and when Jayananda was finally located, he would resist, saying, "No. I can't go to see him. I'm too dirty. I'm too fallen." He'd work after festivals and let others see Srila Prabhupada. Thus Jayananda's relationship with Prabhupada was always one of service. Service to Prabhupada was the core of Jayananda's life. Once Danavir asked him, "How does one make spiritual advancement in Krishna consciousness?" Jayananda answered, "I don't know. I'm too busy working to think about it."

Srila Prabhupada always appreciated Jayananda's sincere service. He

wrote to Jayananda in December, 1975:

"I was very happy to get your recent letter. I am always thinking of you and praying to Krishna for your advancement in Krishna consciousness. Yes, I remember the old days in San Francisco. Krishna has been so kind upon me to have sent so many sincere disciples to help me push on this movement on behalf of my Guru Maharaja. You continue with your program there in San Francisco, always strictly keeping our principles and Krishna will bless you with greater and greater realization of the importance of this movement. I am dependent upon you, my older disciples, to carry it on. I hope this meets you well."

Jayananda's final meeting with Srila Prabhupada took place in New York City at the 1976 Ratha-yatra. When Prabhupada arrived at the airport, Jayananda drove the car to pick him up. Prabhupada was sitting in the back seat and he asked, "Who is driving?"

The devotees said, "This is Jayananda." "Oh, I know Jayananda," said Prabhupada. "He gave me $5,000 to print my Bhagavad-Gita."

Prabhupada's final letter to Jayananda, written after his disappearance in May 1977, is enclosed herewith.

Jayananda's Fearlessness​

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Jayananda was not only big and powerful in body; he was strong with faith in Krishna. Therefore nothing could frighten him. Once on San Francisco's Market Street, Jayananda was playing mridanga and leading a kirtan party when, down the street, an enormous man appeared. He was at least seven feet tall and weighed perhaps three hundred pounds. His unkempt beard and drunken appearance indicated that he was an old veteran living in the bars off his pension. As he approached the kirtan party, the temple's reserve kshatriyas, Keshava Das and Guru-kripa Das, readied themselves for a fight. Sure enough, the monster marched up to Jayananda, turned, and began to shout, "Stop that chanting!" Jayananda looked him straight in the eye and said firmly, "Just chant Hare Krishna! Just chant Hare Krishna!" To everyone's amazement, the drunk simply turned and walked away without a scrap.

The ultimate expression of Jayananda's fearlessness came at the end of his life when he was diagnosed with leukemia and cancer of the lymph glands. He wrote from the hospital,

"I was out of the hospital for a month going to the clinic, and now I am back for a couple of weeks of intensive treatment. Actually, the whole thing was a real blessing as it made me realize that death is right at hand. Somehow I need these potent reminders to help me advance in Krishna consciousness. For the time I was in the temple I was appreciating Krishna consciousness so much more than ever before, so it's been a real blessing."

Even in his last few months in L.A. temple, Jayananda never succumbed to fear or self-pity. When his old friends would come to his room and see his withered form and ghostly appearance, they would find it hard to talk their way around his condition. What Jayananda communicated, on the other hand, was complete disinterest in the whole subject of his health. Instead he was scheming how to put on Ratha-yatra in Los Angeles.

Sitting on the lawn in his wheelchair, looking like death personified, Jayananda could not stop thinking and talking about Ratha-yatra. Karandhara remembers looking at him from his desk. Jayananda was there, the epitome of Krishna consciousness and fearlessness of death. Karandhara thought it odd that he didn't feel any great pity or remorse for Jayananda. Then he could understand that if Jayananda was so Krishna conscious, how could anyone look at him and not also be Krishna conscious?

Jayananda pushed on the Los Angeles Ratha-yatra until he was so weak that he could no longer pick up the phone and call old friends to ask for donations. Factually he collected a large amount of laxmi and devised the various means by which the festival could take place. The festival managers will readily admit that, without Jayananda's presence, the first Ratha-yatra festival in L.A. would not have taken place in 1977. Thus he proved that by engaging in devotional service, one transcends even the fear of death.

Conclusion​

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That Jayananda passed away while Srila Prabhupada was still on the planet is not insignificant. In this way, Srila Prabhupada was able to confirm to all of us that "everyone should follow the example of Jayananda." Certainly those who knew Jayananda should take it upon themselves to preach about his qualities of humility, eagerness to serve, equanimity, and devotion to Krishna and Prabhupada. We offer our humble obeisances to all such devotees who understand these qualities and try to share them. We offer our humble obeisances unto His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and to Sri Srimad Jayananda Prabhu, the exemplary teacher of devotional service in Krishna consciousness.

 

Interviewer: Do you believe that other religions have some truth to them because they all are... Prabhupada: I have already told that religion means searching after God, every religion. The process may be different. The audience may be different. Just like in Christianity there is conception of God, "God created this world." So this is a fact. We also say. But we say in very lucid explanation from the Vedas. We don't stop, simply saying, "God created," but how created, how things developed, these descriptions are there in the Vedic literature. That is the difference. Otherwise there is no difference of opinion. The Christians accept God created this world; the Jewish religion, they also accept God created this world; the Muslims they also accept God created this world; we also accept God created this world. So "God is the supreme; God is great," that is accepted by everyone. But the only difference is that we give details so that modern mind, who are advanced in education and scientific knowledge, they can understand, whereas others, they cannot give in detail. Therefore they are deviating gradually because the modern, advanced, educated persons they want to know how God created this world, and that description is lacking. But we can give that. That is the difference. Otherwise the primary principle, to understand God--God is great; we are small, tiny; we are subordinate; we are maintained by God--this idea is everywhere.

 

"Yes, this Krsna consciousness movement is not a sentimental religious system. It is science and philosophy. The attempt is to awaken God consciousness. God is neither Christian nor Hindu nor Muslim. God is God. There may be angles of vision to approach God, but God is one." Srila Prabhupada speaks to La Trobe University, Melbourne , July 1, 74


Btw...I saw Hair last night. Its really cool...they chant the maha-mantra during it while dancing in a circle...I did make sure to sing along