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Question: Many years ago I was telling you about how when we first installed Gaura Nitai, we dressed Them like sannyasis. Then I said to you, maharaj, it will be so nice if we can see Lord Caitanya again as a sannyasi! You said, why do you want to see Him in that condition? It was a suffering condition. Could you please elaborate on that instruction you gave.

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Jayapataka Swami: When Lord Caitanya took sannyasa, they cut His hair. All the devotees said, no, no, no, not that beautiful hair! Sannyasa is an austerity we do to please Krsna. Actually it is not necessary for Him to do any austerity Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself. He did that to preach. Actually, Srila Prabhupada was telling us that we like to see Lord Caitanya with His associates in Navadvip, dancing, feasting and all that. As a sannyasi, of course in Jagannath Puri He attended the Ratha Yatra, but generally He was not with big crowds of people as He was in Navadvip. So Srila Prabhupada was saying that we don’t like to see Him particularly dressed as a sannyasi, because it is kind of an austerity. As a sannyasi, He would eat only a little bit and not so many things. But devotees would like to see Lord Caitanya feast. Right? You want to see how in New Panihati, we offer so many different cida dahi pots? So as a sannyasi, of course technically He may have been a sannyasi at that festival but Lord Nityananda, He was a grihasta. Basically that is what Srila Prabhupada said that we don’t like to see Lord Caitanya as a sannyasi. Near the hospital in Mayapur, somebody put up Lord Caitanya as a sannyasi. Srila Prabhupada was saying that especially in Navadvip we don’t like to see that. Because that means He left Navadvip! Ha! As a sannyasi, He left, He went to Jagannath Puri. If you know the day that He took sannyasa, the thithi maybe, we could observe one day! But generally we don’t like, just like Srila Prabhupada said that when they showed Lord Jesus, crucified, bleeding, if your father was tortured, you wouldn’t want to see him tortured! You want to remember Jesus with children, Mother Mary like that. But crucified, what is that? It is horrible! And they think that Jesus has died for our sins so we don’t have to do anything. He did it for us. We can enjoy our life! That is also kind of miserly. We should be very grateful that He has undergone so much suffering on our behalf. We should avoid breaking any principles after that. I was thinking in my dream that the Bible says, First Commandment, love God. But how, we don’t know! Who, what God looks like? And Biswambar Vyas said, he never knew that the Bible doesn’t describe God. What He looks like, What He does? Nothing. So he was saying it is a mystery. So how would you say, I love my friend, I want to meet my friend. What does he do? I don’t know, it is a mystery! What does he look like? I don’t know, it is a mystery! Ha He would think we are crazy or what! So what Krsna consciousness is, we have descriptions what the Supreme Personality of Godhead is like. And so at least I know that one Universalist church, they are going to have us speak. But I don’t know about others, the point is that we have information what the Personality of Godhead is like – what He does, what He likes, He is a wonderful Person! He is the most beautiful Person! He is the most rich Person! He has all the wonderful qualities! So if you know about Krsna, it is very easy to love Him! Because He is lovable. So people don’t love Him because they don’t know anything! So then, we were in the French Quarter, before Mardi Gras, chanting and by came a group of Christians, who said, turn or burn! So they tried to instill fear. Lord Caitanya, He said, you chant the name of God and dance in bliss and ecstasy, and this way awaken your dormant love of Krsna! Srila Prabhupada said, if you don’t want to chant the name of Krsna, if you have any other name given in your bona fide scripture, then chant that name, but chant the name of God! We chant the Sanskrit name, Krsna – Krs means all attractive and na comes from the word ananda, which means the reservoir of all pleasure. But if you have another name you would like to chant, chant that but do some chanting.
15-NOVEMBER-2019 ATLANTA, USA