Question: Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, whoever remembers Me, comes back to Me. So it is already predestined in people’s karma that at the time of death, a certain individual may remember Kṛṣṇa and go back to Godhead. Is it a personal choice or freewill?

Jayapataka Swami: That is why we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa all our life, so that we can remember Kṛṣṇa at the time of death. We heard that loving Kṛṣṇa, remembering Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa, going back to Kṛṣṇa is not a matter of karma, it is a matter of our bhakti and free will....

Question: If any of our relatives leave their body, for how many days should we observe and not touch the altar? As I am not initiated, so how many days should I observe and how many days should an initiated disciple observe? Please kindly enlighten me Gurudeva.

Jayapataka Swami: It depends, like a sannyāsī doesn’t have to go through this, the days of aśuci. I think that for vaiṣṇavas, generally it is for 11 days. But if there is no one to do the worship and it is an emergency, that emergency knows no rule. Just like a mother...

Question: As a manager, how to solve disputes between devotees?

Jayapataka Swami:  I was thinking that to be a manager, one should learn how to counsel and resolve disputes. In a nutshell, the secret is to see have each person see the thing from the other’s point of view. So in this way, they can understand the solution...

Question: It was a revelation to hear the Sivastakam as recited by Lord Caitanya. But we don’t seem to recite in our temples nor do we celebrate Śiva Rātri in our temples, highlighting this. Please correct me if I am wrong Guru Maharaj, and enlighten us.

Jayapataka Swami: Here in Māyāpur, we celebrate the Śiva Rātri, at the Jagannātha temple. I pray to Lord Śiva every day, since he is the protector of the holy dhāma of Navadvīpa. Without His mercy we cannot enter into Navadvīpa dhāma. But I don’t think that temples...