Message from Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja
By now most of you must have heard about the positive health developments of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. Maharaja has become more conscious, is moving his limbs, and attempting to talk.
But my humble request to all devotees around the world is that they kindly do not relax their prayers, chanting, and kirtans on hearing this news. The doctors are giving no medicine, as there is nothing to give and no surgery is possible. That means the only improvement we see now is due ONLY to the medicine of prayers from the devotees around the world, and the chanting of the holy names.
Every little step towards improvement that Maharaja makes is fully dependent on how seriously devotees are chanting and praying. This is the only way he will recover.
I humbly request all devotees to continue your prayers to the Lord for the recovery of our beloved Guru Maharaja, His Holiness Jayapataka Swami.
Thank you very much.
Your humble servant
Bhakti Purusottama Swami
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Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
This is to bring to your notice that HH Jayapataka Maharaja is in a very crucial state of recovery; but, he is not out of a critical condition. The doctors have warned us that any little infection, that he get, in this critical condition could endanger his life to the extent of being fatal.
With folded hands I beg you to not try to come and visit him because the doctors have issued a strict warning, “NO VISITORS AT ALL!” Kindly bear with me.
Please continue your prayers and chanting and that is very important for his
recovery.
Hare Krishna
Your servant,
Bhakti Purusottama Swami
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Dear Maharajas, Prabhus, & Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Over the past several days, many of you have written letters to HH Jayapataka Swami, expressing your feelings and encouraging him to remain with us and continue serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission and the devotees in ISKCON worldwide.
It is without a doubt that this outpouring of loving sentiment has contributed to Maharaja’s improved condition. He has heard every letter sent, and sometimes becomes emotional when hearing the devotees read them. Due to these loving exchanges, his health is on the rise. He has remained in his conscious state and is improving slightly daily. While sometimes the entire letter cannot be read due to his excitement, he is told of who has written and what they’ve said.
Please continue to send these letters, to check by phone, and to arrange to visit Maharaja if and when you can. These are the things that sustain him; his bodily health is in Krishna’s hands, no more can be done than what is now happening. But his recovery on other levels is in the hands of the devotees: their prayers, chanting, and well wishes are his medicine. Please continue to pray and to send your expressions of love that he may remain with us for many years and continue to serve the Lord.
It is not possible to speak for all disciples about everything, but on this one point I know I can say I speak for them all when I express our gratitude to you for your loving care of our Guru Maharaja.
Hare Krishna
Your servant
Bhakti Purusottama Swami
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Ratnavali dd: The doctors tried to wean Maharaj from the ventilator for 2 hours today. He is back on the ventilator now. The doctors said it will take its own time.
Maharaj’s consciousness is the same as yesterday.
Please continue to pray intensely. Maharaj remains critical as he is still on the ventilator.
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HH Jayapataka Maharaj’s status report by Dr Madhavananda das, Director of Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Mumbai
Maharaj’s consciousness in the evening is the same as morning. He is fully conscious and trying to talk. The other parameters are also stable. Tomorrow the doctors will try to wean Maharaj off the ventilator. Please continue to pray intensely for this to be a success.
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Bhaktisiddhanta Swami: At 10:45 am Bhakti Caru Swami, Kavicandra Swami, Braja Hari and myself went to see him and GM was awake chanting. He looked at each of us and Bhakti Caru Swami said, placing his hand on GM’s chest..”Wow you look great, just look at your fighting spirit… you really had us worried… we need you so much to guide us in service to Srila Prabhupada” Kavicandra Maharaja said “There are 24 hour kirtans going around the world for you”.
GM was choked up with tears in his eyes and he tried to speak, Bhakti Caru Swami said “Don’t try to exert your self please relax.. And we all chanted Hare Krnsa out loud to calm him. Kavicandra at the foot of the bed yelled out “Gauranga” and then GM had to shift his attention to the end of the bed. Then BCS asked him would you like to hear from the CC?… how about the chapter Talks between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Caitanya? Gm made a slight affirmation. During the reading Kavicandra Maharaja was giving him reiki around the leg area and noticed that when the description of Mahaprabhu dancing GM’s right leg gave a small kick. He then was able to feebly lift his left hand over his chest to hold Bhakti Caru Swami’s hand.
For the first time he was moving his head from right to left, up and down to take in all the persons that were there… sometimes he would look over head as we spoke.
Doctor Madhavanada, the director of the Bhaktivedanta hospital arrived and GM recognized him motioning with his left hand and pointing at the ventilator system that is a plastic pipe that goes into his throat. The doctor said “that we have to keep that in for a while to help you clear the mucus… just some more days. You are doing very very well, we are very happy at your progress”.
Last night the doctor had a dream and he was with GM at his hospital bed and he was pulling the ventilator pipes from his chest saying “I don’t need them any more”. The DM was amazed to see that he was pointing to the very pipes he pulled out in the dream. Again GM tried to talk and the doctor said you are doing fine in a few days you can write to us. A large card with the alphabet was brought over and he tried to point to a few letters but it was too strenuous… DM said don’t worry you can do this later”
At the same time the local doctors had arrived and were watching, I think Doctor Ashok, the nuerologist, was there for the first time to see GM active, we were going to clear out but he motioned for us to stay saying” This is the best thing for him now”.
Again we began to chant together and you could see how GM was trying to speak the mahamantra and say Gauranga… One could easily perceive that GM appeared to be restless… wanting to do more… Kavicandra jokingly quipped “He is probably thinking of an unused plane ticket that he hasn’t used up yet” As we were leaving it was clear that GM, looking at Bhakti Caru Swami, silently formed the words ‘Thank you’.
Out in the hall DM said things are going well, he is stable and his platelets are up to 70,000 in my opinion we should not move him until he is completely off the ventilator. Two days ago I saw him and today I am amazed to see this. Kavicandra added “I could really see he has taking the reiki… I have not seen him like this since he arrived”
In conclusion… a strong indication has been made: This is such good news but we are still in the critical stage… all of the prayers and yajnas are being felt, and now we have to only increase and not let up. Kavicandra mentioned(because today is Ekadasi) that if everyone in the movement did nirjala just think how powerful that could be? Krsna is reciprocating with the desires of his devotees… this is the most important cure. Now we have a lot of work to do to try to bring GM back to 100%… please please please continue….
Best wishes Your servant Bhaktisiddhanta Swami
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Bhakti Purusottama Swami: At present Maharaja is showing less signs of consciousness and not responding to doctors orders. The doctors say this doesn’t mean there’s less hope, but it is difficult to give a prognosis of how long he will remain this way.
At present there is no treatment going on for the the brain hemorrhage. The doctors are simply trying to keep his blood pressure, blood sugar, and platelet count stable.
Now devotees are reading Srila Prabhupada books Maharaja throughout the day and night, 24 hours.
The doctors will observe Maharaja’s condition for the next four days; after that time it will be reviewed and a decision made as to the next step.
We request every one to continue with their intense prayers .
Thank you very much.
Your humble servant
Bhakti Purusottama Swami
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Bhaktisiddhanta Swami visited Jayapataka Maharaja and wrote the following note:
When I saw Maharaja in the morning around 11am and again at 7:00pm he was sleeping, some coughing clearing of mucus etc, and I was a little sad to not see so much of a continuation from the previous day, however in leaving the hospital one doctor alleviated my lamentations about the fact that Maharaja’s external condition has been pretty much unchanged for the last 15 days. He said that there have been some cases where patients have even been in this state for 3 to 6 months or even up to a year… and they suddenly snap out of it with no memory of the time involved and recover
100%.
Of course we are not insinuating that it will take a long time for GM to recover from this state but my point is that we should not be disheartened at the apparent slow progress and that we has crossed a point of no return.
The doctors are optimistic of a recovery.
Bhanu Swami has also indicated that astrologically after Nov 14th… this is a period that GM should come out of his present condition.
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Devakinandan Das: Hare Krsna Kavicandra Maharaj,
Please accept my dandavats at your lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I have been reading the regular updates on the transcendental progress of H. H Jayapataka Swami Mahraj in Mumbai. I wanted to inform you Maharaj that devotees have daily been offering Nrsimha kavacas in Singapore. For the public programmes, we have been chanting one round of japa together and 1 round of the kavaca together. We have had 4 special japa sessions (once every week). We are all praying for Maharaj’s recovery.
Personally, Maharaj’s present state reminded me very much of my Guru Maharaj’s condition 8-9 years ago and I wanted to share it with you Maharaj because it gives me great faith in the Lord.
Guru Maharaj was diagnosed with brain stem bleeding and infarction to the left side of the brain. There were at least 2 major areas of bleeding in the brain and an embolism in the left lung. Doctors were not hopeful because of his age and the very nature of the medical condition. He also could not move his limbs. They told me that even if he regains consciousness, he would either live and become a vegetable or he would not make it. The 13 hours of flight to London was the most tortuous I had ever taken because I had no idea what to expect when I arrived in London.
When I did, and rushed into the hospital, I found Guru Maharaj putting up both his hands high above his head and saying “Haribol”. Yet skeptical doctors cautioned me not to be very pleased as the bleeding was still there, but they could not explain how Maharaj was conscious despite the bleeding. It confounded them totally.
In the next 72 critical hours, Maharaj got the small team of us disciples to daily do mangal arati at his bedside – and continuously chant Srimad Bhagavatam and particularly Narayana Kavaca from 6th Canto. Midway through the week, a
2nd embolism began to form in Maharaj’s lung, and the doctors got worried that this would spell trouble. Guru Maharaj’s purity got him through that to. He told us that we should never underestimate the power of devotional service – the process Srila Prabhupada has given us is complete and pure – we just have to sincerely follow it and Krsna will always protect us. He also told me that Krsna sends 2 kinds of diseases – the 1st can be cured when we try. The
2nd no matter how we try cannot be cured – that means the only cure to that disease is death.
Guru Mahraj suffered very much, from my material vision. The pain and numbness alternately tortured his old body, but I realised that he was transcendental to pain.
That is why Maharaj I am very hopeful of Jayapataka Mahraj’s recovery.
Just wanted to share this with you Maharaj..
Your servant Devakinandan Das
Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja so lovingly reguested – “But my humble request to all devotees around the world is that they kindly do not relax their prayers, chanting, and kirtans on hearing this news. The doctors are giving no medicine, as there is nothing to give and no surgery is possible. That means the only improvement we see now is due ONLY to the medicine of prayers from the devotees around the world, and the chanting of the holy names.
Every little step towards improvement that Maharaja makes is fully dependent on how seriously devotees are chanting and praying. This is the only way he will recover”.
I find this statement by Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja very interesting, inspirimg and very, very personal. After nearly 40 years of aspiring to be a servant of Srila Prabhupada, I am now just beginning to understand PERSONALISM.
As the Supreme Personality of Godhead (the personification of Personalism), Krsna always tries to please His PURE devotees, just as His dear humble prideless devotees try to please Him.
Therefore, Krsna’s discission is ALWAYS based on the reciprication with His dedicated sincere non-materialistic Devotees. So this is why the prayers to Prabhupada and Krsna are so important from those truely aspiring to unconditionally serve Krsna’s PURE devotees, because it is those wonderful selfless prayers that win the favour and attention of Krsna as the ‘Nectar of Devotion’ teaches.
Krsna is not impersonal as the foolish impersonal ‘Swamis. yogis and Sanyasis portray, He does everything for His sincere devotees and NEVER makes a discission alone, Krsna is never alone.
We rightly say everything is in Krsna’s hands, yes, that is true, but His discission is never made alone, it is always made in the association of His pure loving selfless devotees and frankly, that discision between Him and His devotees is really inconcievable to our small conditioned minds!! But Prayer to the Lord does work if we pray with the desire to bring a massive Krsna Conscious revolution to this mundane world dominated by exploitation and sense gratification. Such prayers WILL help wonderful devotees like Jayapataka Maharaj heal and again preach EVERYWHERE.
We must always remember that Krsna can even put an elephant through the eye of a needle to please His dear sincere devotees. Krsna therefore, is always under the control of His pure selfless austere merciful devotees and rewards them accordingly.
Your fallen servant Gauragopala dasa
Last Friday in San Jose, Sanat Sundaram Prabhu and his good wife Gandharvika-Radha hosted a home program dedicated to praying for the recovery of Jayapataka Maharaja.
The program was attended by many devotees and there was beautiful kirtan, arotik and Damodarastakam offering of flames.
We chanted in unison Prahlada’s Narasimha Kavaca prayers from (I forget which…Brahmanda?) Purana, along with a number of other prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva, three times. This chanting felt very potent. Then various devotees spoke about their feelings, and finally sumptuous prasadam was served.
Many devotees recalled how Srila Prabhupada had allowed us to pray in 1977, “My dear Lord Krishna, if you so desire, please cure Srila Prabhupada”, and how this prayer and the ups and downs of Srila Prabhupada’s physical condition drew us closer in devotional service.
I remember one audio tape was circulated, of Baradaraja describing his experiences at Srila Prabhupada’s bedside, and we all felt that this experience of Prabhupada’s health crisis had made Baradaraja much more mature and advanced, as it was doing to so many disciples.
Anyway, the home program with many devotees chanting mantras in unison and praying that, if it is Krishna’s will, He may please bring Jayapataka Maharaja back to a healthy condition, was very powerful. These programs should be organized more and more, along with 24-hour kirtans and individual prayers.