From work in progress, from Jayananda Thakur volume two,
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"Dear Lord Nrsimhadeva, please protect us"
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Chapter 6
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by Vishoka Dasa
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The final conch shell vibrates through the air, and all devotees bow to the floor as the "Jay Om" prayers ensues, led by Tapana Misra dasa. After the last line of "all glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!" finishes, the devotees murmur their pranam prayer to Prabhupada, and take sitting positions for the Sri Nrsimha Pranama prayers.
Jayananda prabhu sweetly leads the Nrsimha prayers, while playing mrdanga and chanting very melodiously, "namas te narasimhaya, prahladahlada-dayine....."
I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha
who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja
and whose nails are like chisels on the
stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu
Devotees strongly feel Lord Nrsimhadeva's divine protection in His mantras, and Jayananda increases their feeling of protection with his strong resonant chanting. The devotees are feeling safe and secure in this dangerous material world under the umbrella of Lord Nrsimhadeva and Jayananda's powerful voice, which exudes deep devotion to Lord Nrsimhadeva. Thus devotees get spiritual courage to wage war with maya by following Jayananda's example.
At the end of the Narasimha mantras, Makhana Taskara dasa closes the diety doors, and Vijitatma dasa displays his highly eccentric and intense feelings of separation from Their Lordships. As each door closes, he throws a little anxiety temper tamtrum ... his arms flinging upward in frustration ... emitting strong feelings of disappointment and separation in response to the sudden disappearance of each Lordship behind a closed door ... and all the devotees exclaim, "Jaya Jagannatha! ... Jaya Gour Nitai! ... Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda, ki jaya!!"
Notes-
This world is a very dangerous place where maya is always attacking us until we become cent per cent surrendered pure servants of Krishna's pure devotee. Thus we can still find our bastion of security from the darkness of maya by taking shelter of the association of Jayananda Thakur's memories, and his life gives us courage to fight onward for Krishna.
When I first had experience of seeing Vijitatma doing his exhibition of feelings of separation from the Lord, it was such an astonishing sight to behold, one of the most incredible things I ever witnessed. Vijitatma had genuine feelings of separation from Krsna when arotik was over and the doors were shut. I also experienced street sankirtan with Vijitatma, at Fisherman's Wharf, seeing him giving mercy to the fallen souls. He would look straight at their hearts while articulating his entreaties for them to take a magazine or book, as he was directly appealing to Supersoul in their hearts, asking Him to prompt them into taking a piece of literature, for as he told me one day, "at the time of death, even the smallest amount of Krishna's mercy can save them from the greatest fear." Srila Prabhupada said that if they take a book, even touch a book, their devotional service has begun. He also told me about this boy at Fisherman's Wharf, who was a really big demon, harassing the devotees with every chance he got. Somehow, Jayananda and devotees got him to take a little prasad, like a sweetball now and then, and then more, and soon he loved the devotees.
Repeatedly may I fall in the dust with heartfelt obeisances for Vijitatma dasa and Jayananda prabhu, and all the sankirtan devotees in the Valencia temple, for their sublime service of spreading Krishna's mercy to the fallen souls.
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The perfection of Krsna consciousness is culminated in the shedding of tears
Jayananda was dear to all, even ordinary workaday people. Police officers, city commissioners, hippies, he charmed all their hearts. There was a lady commissioner of some sorts who always gave devotees a hard time. But even her hard heart was conquered by Jayananda, and she burst into tears when she heard of his passing away. I also saw this personally. The year after his passing, I was going to some store to get a part for Ratha-yatra. When I told them about Jayananda, immediately I could see tears in their eyes, men and women, and they gave me the part free, in commemoration of him. JT
The next morning, after greeting the Deities, Prabhupada sits down on his vyasasana when the record starts. As the song begins to build, some devotees notice that tears are streaming down Prabhupada's cheeks. He is so moved by the beauty of Yamuna's singing, that he becomes stunned with emotion, his body visibly shivering in ecstasy. (Vedabase RDV, March, 1970)
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Meditation Three
We pray to Jayananda, because Jayananda is the acharya for the most sublime service to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. He was supremely successful in the goal of life, which is to give complete satisfaction to Guru, get the grace of Guru, which is the only way to please Lord Krishna. By praying to Jayananda, we can hope to get a little bit onto that road, and go onward to this supreme goal of life, which is to please the pure devotee of Lord Krishna, Srila Prabhupada, and make our life sublime and go back to godhead. The best way to be a success in any endeavor, is to follow the path of the most successful person who has already accomphished that success on the path of bhakti. The supreme goal of life was attained by Jayananda Thakur, whose shining example shows the path to they who follow.
We read in Caitanya-caritamrta, that the initiating spiritual master is one, and the instructing spiritual masters are many. The bhakta can approach many siksa gurus in the course of his devotional career, and Jayananda Thakur is a very important siksa guru in the lives of unlimited devotees now and in the future, who can be propitiated by prayer and meditation upon his sublime life, and he is reciprocating most powerfully with those devotees who beseech his help and guidance.
Jayananda is the siksa guru who works out in the streets, out in the field of maya, who seeks out the most fallen and struggling devotees, to bring them back to the shelter of Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet. Like when he went to the hotel, to bring back the boy who had to smoke cigarettes. He went to some kitchen, where the boy was cooking with meat, still Jayananda tolerated the atmosphere of meat, having compassion on the fallen boy. Jayananda was never judgmental and always giving forgiveness to all devotees, automatically and unconditionally, all our offenses are forgiven by Saint Jayananda.
Jayananda spent his whole life helping other people, devotees and non-devotees. He spent his whole day going from person to person, filling each one with spiritual joy and determination to make a difference in this world. No person was turned down or neglected.
And, in the present time of his spiritual existence, Jayananda still wants to help anybody and everybody, just like he did when physically manifested on earth. I kind of know this through my own personal experiences which will be told shortly. He is now in the spiritual stratum, and he is more powerful in energy and communicative and interactive powers than he was in his earthly form. On the material plane, only one person can be heard and responded to at a time. Whereas on the spiritual stratum, there is no such limitations. The material body has it's physical dimensional limitations, whereas Jayananda's spiritual personality is free from time and the restrictive boundaries of material dimensions, and his everlasting desire to give service to the devotees here on earth, is enhanced by the dynamic spiritual power endowed upon him by Lord Sri Krsna.
Jayananda wants to serve you, he is "service attitude" personified. He never will stop serving all us little guys, Actually there are no "little guys" nor are there big or little devotees. We are all little guys, and are all qualified to receive blessings from Saint Jayananda. He wants to give us the bliss he feels eternally.
Within the realm of spiritual dynamics, he is ready to help devotees all day long, as many as there are to help, and there is no limitations. He is ready to hear your desires for service, and your problems of impediments to service.
There is no waiting room, no appointments, he is right there, ready to give you guidance and bliss in your service to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna and His pure devotees.
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Website for Jayananda-
Vishoka Dasa
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