HH Jayapataka Swami

In 1968, Gordan John took first initiation in Montreal, Canada and was given the name Jayapataka dasa brahmachari and he was very soon awarded 2nd initiation in New York. Arriving in Mayapur and committing to eternal service in the holy Dham, HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja went to Mayapur on the instruction of Srila Prabhupada after ISKCON acquired land there. When he first arrived, understanding that he was in the sacred land, he offered his obeisances and then dipped his head into the cool Ganges mud to receive blessings, recalling how Akrura, upon entering Vrndavana, saw the lotus footprints of Krsna in the holy mud of Vrndavana.

Tridandi Goswami A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Date: December 19, 1972
Camp: A-11 Sea Face Park, 50-B Warden Road, Bombay-54.
My dear Jayapataka,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 29, 1972, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am so much happy to hear from you all the good news of our Mayapur centre! No, your liking of engagement there is not at all an inappropriate attachment, rather it is your qualification for pleasing your spiritual master. Attachment must be there, for Krishna or for maya. So you have become attached to developing the Mayapur centre that is Krishna’s work, so Krishna appreciates very much when His devotee becomes attached to Him in this way. Yes, the cooperative spirit of working together without any argument is especially prominent in Mayapur, more than other places in India. Therefore you are successful, and the work is going on quickly to completion. That is because all of you working there have become very much attached to the dust from Lord Chaitanya’s Lotus Feet, and because you have got such deep personal interest with that engagement of work, you want to see that it is done nicely without any hindrance of selfish motivation, never mind all kinds of conditions of the material nature. That idea has become prominent for all of you, it is bigger than maya’s idea, therefore maya cannot interfere to make you quarrel or other things. But you especially are to take the credit. From the very beginning you wanted that place, and you got the land, got money from me, and now you have built the place by your concentration of energy. That is wanted. If there is some discrepancy anywhere, some non-cooperation, fighting, or if the work is slow or not to the standard, it is to be supposed that the person or persons in charge are not very much attached to Krishna. That means they will discriminate: my engagement is not good, other’s engagement is good, like that. They do not know the secret of surrendering to Krishna. Such surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krishna’s plan, that whatever is meant to be, I am doing that, so let me do it with my full attention to every detail, let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is, but let all other considerations be forgotten and only my desire to do the thing best for Krishna’s alone pleasure be my motive. That is advanced stage of understanding devotional service or Krishna Consciousness.
Thank you very much for your kindly coming to the point. Now I want to officially open the building on Lord Chaitanya’s Appearance Day. So please try to finish it by that time. ..Do everything consulting Bhavananda and Tamal Krishna…
Hoping this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami