Initiations—Initiation Letter by Srila Prabhupada to Giriraj Swami

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. It is a great honor and privilege and pleasure to be here today on this auspicious occasion, at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, Sri Gaura-Nitai, and Srila Prabhupada, and in the midst of all of you.

I will begin by singing some mantras to the disciplic succession, and then I will speak about the conditioned souls within the material world and how they get out, as these devotees are in the process right now. And then my esteemed and beloved godbrother, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami, will speak about the holy name and the ten offenses against the holy name. Then we will call the new initiates forward to take their vows and receive their beads and new names. It’s part of initiation that the initiate should receive a new name that indicates that he is a servant of Krishna. And then our very dear and highly qualified priest will lead us through the fire sacrifice and the chanting of the mantras.

I shall begin.

[Prayers]

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

So, we are at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari. Giri of course means mountain, and dhari means one who lifts the mountain. And we are also sitting at the feet of Giriraj, which is a name for Govardhana Hill, which is the mountain that Giridhari lifted. So, I thought to read Srila Prabhupada’s initiation letter to me and speak on it.

At the time that I was initiated, I was in Boston and Srila Prabhupada was in Los Angeles. I had been living in the temple for about two-and-a-half months, and the temple authorities thought I was a good enough prospect, and they needed another pujari. So, they thought that they could recommend me, and I should write to Srila Prabhupada and ask for initiation, and I did. And in those days we would go on hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana for many hours every day and distribute BTGs mainly at the time, Back to Godhead magazine.

So, one day we were distributing magazines and chanting the holy names in Harvard Square, and I suddenly felt some divine presence descend on me, and I just had a very clear realization that I’m not the body, that I’m distinct from the body, I’m the soul, not the body, and I was filled with spiritual emotion. I started to cry, and I really did not understand it, but I experienced it. And on the way back from saṅkīrtana to the temple, I mentioned it to some of the devotees, and they said, “It could be that at that moment Srila Prabhupada was initiating you.” And then a few days later I received this letter, and it could very well have been written on that date.

LETTER by Srila Prabhupada:

My dear Giriraj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1969, sent along with your beads. I have chanted on them, and your initiated name is Giriraj. Giriraj is the name of the Govardhana Hill, on which Krishna used to tend His cows. In Vrindavan, Govardhana Hill is worshiped as a representation of Krishna. Sometimes devotees take a stone from Govardhana Hill and keep it at home as a representation of Krishna, and they worship in this way.

COMMENT

Now, my family name from before I was initiated is Teton, and to our knowledge at the time, outside of my grandparents, my father and his children, and my uncle and his children, there were no other Tetons. And of course, there is the famous Grand Teton mountain range. So, it’s sort of like a family, a matter of family pride to be, that we were the only Tetons. The Teton mountains were so beautiful. So, that was one of those lingering attachments that I had after being with the devotees for two or three months. And Srila Prabhupada gave me the name of a mountain, and I thought, “To me it just confirmed that he knew everything, just confirmed that he knew everything. He knew I was attached to my name of mountains, and he gave me a better name, of a better mountain.”

LETTER (continued)

I am very glad to understand that you have relished at least some of the transcendental bliss of Krishna consciousness.

COMMENT

Because everyone is seeking happiness. Generally people will go to the place where they can find happiness. So, he, well, knew that I had relished some of the bliss of Krishna consciousness, and therefore I wanted to make further progress.

LETTER (continued)

It is a great fortune for you. Living entities are roaming within the universes in different species of life and in different planetary systems, enjoying and suffering the reaction of pious or impious activities, but they have no information how to get out of this entanglement of the repetition of birth and death. Due to the darkness of ignorance, most living entities have no idea about the values of life. Therefore, one who understands the importance of Krishna consciousness must be a very fortunate soul.

COMMENT

So, this applies to the new initiates, who are sitting here today, and even those who are not sitting today, who are not initiated yet, it could apply to you too, if you are so fortunate.

Srila Prabhupada here is paraphrasing a verse from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta [Madhya 19.151]:

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

COMMENT

Brahmāṇḍa bhramite, within the universes, not just one, within all the universes. Kona bhāgyavān jīva, a fortunate living entity. Guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya, by the mercy of the spiritual master and Krishna. Bhakti-latā-bīja, will get the seed of devotional service.

How this happens is a mysterious process. In the purport to that verse, Srila Prabhupada says that the Lord is situated within the heart of every living entity, and He knows the desires of every living entity, so when a living entity is sincere to get out of the repetition of birth and death, is sincere to make progress in Krishna consciousness, then the Lord within the heart will arrange for the living entity to come in touch with the Krishna consciousness movement and gain the association of devotees. And these devotees are all gurus, śikṣā-gurus, vartma-pradarsaka gurus, who show the new person the path, show him or her the way in the beginning.

And then after associating with devotees for some time and developing faith in the devotional scriptures, faith in the process of devotional service, one may decide, “I want to be like the other devotees. I want to surrender to Krishna and get out of the entanglement of the repetition of birth and death and go back home, back to Godhead.”

In the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Krishna says, daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā, that this material nature consisting of the three modes is very difficult to overcome, but one who surrenders to Krishna can easily cross over maya.

So, this is the process. These fortunate souls have made the decision to surrender to Krishna. But we do not surrender to Krishna directly, we surrender through the medium of the spiritual master. And both work together; Krishna and the spiritual master, to help the conditioned soul make progress, back home, back to Godhead.

LETTER (continued)

So, I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may become aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.

COMMENT

Now, this is the process really. When some devotee wants to show mercy to some living entity, he will pray to Krishna to be merciful to the person. And this I consider to be the cause, if you can say there is a cause of my good fortune, the cause of my taking to Krishna consciousness, the cause of my continuing my efforts in Krishna consciousness—Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.

Now, this principle is encapsulated in a word yadṛcchayā. Yadṛcchayā means somehow or other, or by good fortune, or say by its own accord, freely by its own accord. And it appears in a very significant verse that Srila Rupa Gosvami cites as adhikāra for bhakti, what makes one eligible to take to devotional service [Śb 11.20.8]:

yadṛcchayā mat-kathādau

jāta-śraddhas tu yaḥ pumān

na nirviṇṇo nāti-sakto

bhakti-yogo ‘sya siddhi-daḥ

TRANSLATION

If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanting My glories.

COMMENT

This is Krishna speaking to Uddhava in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

TRANSLATION

Such a person, being neither disgusted with nor very much attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.

COMMENT

So that word, yadṛcchayā, somehow or other by good fortune, has been discussed by our acharyas, and they have explained that that really refers to the mercy of a devotee.

How is it that someone develops that faith? Faith is the beginning, ādau śraddhā. How is it? So many people come. They chant the holy name, they hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they see the deities, they take prasāda, they render service, but they don’t develop that faith. So that faith sraddha—yadṛcchayā, somehow or other by good fortune, refers to the mercy of a devotee. It can’t refer to the mercy of Krishna because Krishna is equal to everyone. He is the father of all living entities. So, if Krishna were to bestow mercy on one person and not another person, it would mean that He is partial, but Krishna as the origin of everyone, as the supreme father of all living entities, He cannot be partial.

Well, what about the devotee? Devotee also should not be partial, but the Bhāgavatam describes that the preacher, the madhyam-bhāgavata, makes distinctions.

prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā

yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ

The madhyam Vaishnava does make distinctions. He gives his love to God. He makes friendship with devotees. He shows mercy to the innocent. Kṛpā, he gives mercy to the innocent. And he neglects the envious.

On the highest level, uttamā Vaishnava, he sees everyone as already a devotee, except himself. He sees everyone is serving Krishna, except himself. He sees no need to preach. So, it’s really the madhyam Vaishnava who preaches. He sees [and] makes distinctions, and he deals differently with different categories of people. And even the uttamā Vaishnava, like Srila Prabhupada when he comes to preach, he has to some extent adopt the mood of the madhyam Vaishnava and make such distinctions [and] deal differently with different categories of people.

So, if the preacher sees that someone is sincere to hear, someone is sincere to render service, or maybe just that someone is suffering, and he doesn’t want the person to suffer. So within his heart, he may be moved to pray to Krishna to help the soul to appreciate the importance of Krishna consciousness. I think we all do it. I know when I would go on book distribution and I give someone, initially we would give Back to Godhead’s [but] then we began to give books in their hands, I would pray to Krishna in their hearts, to inspire them to render some service to begin their devotional service, to take the book or the magazine.

So, Srila Prabhupada out of his causeless mercy prayed that this soul could be aware of the importance of Krishna, and somehow everyone sitting here today is to some degree aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness, and therefore they are taking this step to surrender to Krishna.

LETTER (continued)

With my blessings, I’m sending herewith your beads, duly chanted upon by me. You should avoid the ten offenses as far as possible and follow the four regulative principles, as Satsvarupa will instruct you. I know your good godbrother Satsvarupa will always help you in this connection.

COMMENT

Now here Srila Prabhupada mentions the importance of chanting and avoiding the ten offenses, and that will be the subject of His Holiness Indradyumna Swami’s talk. But here Srila Prabhupada also makes another point, that my godbrother Satsvarupa will instruct me. In other words, it is not that we take instruction only from our spiritual master who initiates us, but we take instructions from all good devotees, all sincere devotees, all knowledgeable devotees. Of course, now we have different generations of devotees in ISKCON—we have disciples of Srila Prabhupada and we have disciples of Prabhupada’s disciples.

In Srila Prabhupada’s presence, we were all disciples of Srila Prabhupada, but even then Srila Prabhupada wanted us to take instruction as appropriate from other of his disciples, who are our godbrothers or godsisters. So, that’s a very important point, it’s a very important point. We shouldn’t be puffed up and think, “Oh now I’m initiated. Now I don’t have to listen to anyone. I’ll only listen to my Guru Maharaja. No.” You should listen to anyone who is repeating the message of Krishna, and for us in particular, the message of Krishna as presented by Srila Prabhupada, and the people who are placed in positions of authority in the structure of ISKCON—GBC, temple president, and other authorities—but anyone. We should be prepared to take good instruction from anyone.

gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ

We should identify ourselves as servants of the servants of the servants of Krishna, not just servant of the guru, but servant of the servants and servants of the servants of the servants, and that will be very congenial for our spiritual progress and for our happiness in Krishna consciousness.

One godbrother, who also was in Detroit, but I knew him from Bombay, Jagatpurush Prabhu. He told me the first time he walked into the Detroit temple, Srila Prabhupada was giving a lecture, and just when he walked in, Srila Prabhupada was saying, and he was making a hand gesture that made an impression on Jagatpurush Prabhu. Prabhupada was saying, “The more you become the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna, the more Krishna consciousness becomes sweeter and sweeter and sweeter and sweeter.”

And that too, what Prabhupada said in such simple language and beautiful language, if you keep reading the scriptures, you’ll find everything is there. Even that is a paraphrase of a verse by Rupa Gosvami in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, that is also rendered in the Nectar of Devotion, that one who desires to become more and more important, either in the material sense or the spiritual sense, can never relish the sweetness of Krishna consciousness.

So, initiation means beginning, just the beginning. So we shouldn’t become puffed up, “Now I’m initiated. I can lord it over everyone, and I don’t have to listen to anyone. I’ll just listen to my guru. I don’t have to listen to anyone else.” And that’s also a type of duplicity because your guru never says that you just listen to your guru and no one else. It’s just a duplicity, a type of duplicity. It’s a way of avoiding surrender, and the reason we are here is to surrender because that’s the only way that we can get out of the repetition of birth and death.

Now this one, I don’t know how much application it has, maybe not much, but still, I will read it for the principle involved.

LETTER (continued)

Regarding your $2,000.

COMMENT

I think these devotees have already surrendered whatever they had, but still.

LETTER (continued)

Regarding your $2,000, which you promised to send me within three weeks.

COMMENT

No, it’s not a joke. I wasn’t procrastinating, but these were things I got as a child; bonds and shares and some stocks. So, it was going to take some time to free that money. On top of it, my father was very reluctant to do it. He didn’t want me to give the money to Krishna. But anyway in the end, I asserted myself, and he did it. But that’s the idea of the three weeks, not that I was [procrastinating].

LETTER (continued)

Actually, a brahmachari should contribute whatever he has got to Krishna, through the spiritual master. The spiritual master does not accept anything for his personal use, but he employs everything for Krishna’s service. Therefore, the spiritual master is accepted in the renounced order of life.

COMMENT

Jaya. Sri Sri Radha Giridhari ki jaya. Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra ki jaya. Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya.

Here’s another principle.

LETTER (continued)

As far as householders are concerned, they may contribute at least half of their income to Krishna. Then life is sublime. After all, everything belongs to Krishna, and the sooner we return whatever we have got to Krishna, the better it is. That is our normal life.

COMMENT

I remember when I was first coming to the Boston temple, there was another young man, who was also just beginning to come at the same time. And one day after the kirtan, the last kirtan of the evening program, he was in this really ecstatic mood, and he took out his wallet and he emptied all the money. He gave it to the temple. Then he came to me because he would see me, [as] we were both beginning to come at the same time. He said, “This money doesn’t belong to us. This is stolen property, and the sooner we return it to Krishna, the better.” And that’s exactly what Srila Prabhupada wrote in my initiation letter.

LETTER (continued)

Your engagements are nice, so continue to follow rigidly. I hope this will meet you in very good health.

Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

COMMENT

So, I’m not sure where Indradyumna Swami is. Anyway, it really is a very auspicious occasion, very wonderful occasion. That these devotees are taking the step to surrender to Krishna, officially making a commitment, formal commitment. And as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, of all the processes of devotional service, the most important is the chanting of the holy name. If one chants the holy name, avoiding the ten offenses, one will be delivered from the entanglement of material existence and beyond that develop pure love for Krishna.

So now we will humbly request His Holiness Indradyumna Swami, who is my śikṣā-guru and hero, to speak further. Hare Krishna.