SB 10.15.4–8, 10.15.14 – Lord Balarama—The Older Brother

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

So again we welcome you on the most auspicious occasion of Lord Balarama’s appearance day which today will also be marked by the initiation of three devotees. Two will be receiving second initiation and one, first.

In discussing transcendental topics there are two considerations; one is tattva which means ontological reality or “truth;” and the other is rasa which means “transcendental mellows” or relationships that are experienced in līlā or pastimes. So the understanding of Krishna and Balarama in terms of tattva is that Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead and Balarama is His first expansion. But in terms of rasa or līlā, Balarama is the older brother of Krishna. 

Ordinarily one might think that the expansion of the original Personality of Godhead should be the younger brother but in terms of līlā, there is a reason why Balarama is the older brother and Nityananda Prabhu also is like the older brother of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. 

As many of you know, there are different ages that repeat one after the other like the four seasons, and many millions of years ago during Treta-yuga, Lord Krishna appeared as Lord Ramachandra and Balarama appeared as His younger brother, Laksmana. As the younger brother, Laksmana had to tolerate a lot of suffering in the pastimes of Lord Rama. Of course in terms of līlā he grew up with Lord Rama. He was His constant companion, always by His side as His younger brother, as His servant. But after Sita was won by Lord Rama and married to Him, she thought, “Now I am the wife, I will be the constant companion and servant.” But Laksmana said, “How can that be? I have always been Lord’s Rama constant companion and servant. How can you just come in and change everything?” So Lord Rama considered this very delicate situation and made an adjustment or compromise solution that when Lord Rama was out of His personal quarters, Laksmana would be there by His side as His servant, and when He was in His personal quarters, Sita would be His constant companion and servant.

So, as many of you know, there were many reversals in the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra. On the eve of His coronation, His stepmother, Kaikeyi, reminded Rama’s father, the king, Dasaratha, that he had promised her some boons because the king had been very sick on the verge of death and Kaikeyi had saved him. So she said, “Now I want the boons and I want you to exile Lord Rama and to install my son, Bharata, as the king of Ayodhya.” So this was a great shock to King Dasaratha but as a rule for any civilized human being, all the more so for brahmans and kshatriyas that once you give your word, that’s final, you can’t take it back. “You can take my life but you can’t take my word.” So he had promised the two boons and he gave them but then very shortly thereafter because of the pain and heartbreak, he left his body.

When Lord Rama preparing to go into exile, Laksmana said, “I want to accompany You. I am Your younger brother. I want to be with You.” So He said, “All right.” Then Sita said, “I also want to accompany You. I am Your wife. It is my duty to be with You in good times and bad and to serve You.” So He said, “All right, you can come.” And then all the residents of Ayodhya said, “We want to come too. What is the use of remaining in Ayodhya without Lord Rama? We also want to come.” But Lord Rama, “If you come, what will happen to Ayodhya? There will be no one left. So you have to stay back.” 

So the three, Rama, Sita, and Laksmana went into the forest and there were so many pastimes, but at a certain stage the demon Rāvaṇa came in disguise as a sadhu and kidnapped Sita and took her to his kingdom of Lanka. Lord Rama amassed an army of bears and monkeys and other forest creatures and eventually they attacked Rāvaṇa in Lanka and won back Sita. But when Sita was released, Lord Rama refused to accept her. He said, “I did not fight this war to get back Sita. I cannot accept Sita because she had spent the night in another man’s place.” According to the strict Vedic culture or orthodox tradition, if a girl spends the night outside of the home, she is considered to be fallen or polluted, and so Rama refused to take her back. He instructed Laksmana to inform her. So, what a painful situation for Laksmana to be in, to have to deliver this dreadful news to Sita. And the reality is that Rama loved Sita dearly and He also wanted her back so it is painful for Him too, but to establish a precedent or to establish a principle, He had Laksmana deliver this news.

And then there was the test by fire. A fire was prepared and the idea was that if Sita was unchaste, she would perish in the fire which will purify her to give up her contaminated body and if she was pure then she would enter the fire and come out intact. Laksmana was given this assignment to build up the fire, to inform Sita, to bring her to the fire to enter, and it was a very painful, terrible situation for Laksmana to be in.

Now I should mention that the terms that we are using such as “painful,” “dreadful,” “terrible,” we are not talking about the same types of phenomenon that we experience in the material world. Everything in the pastimes of the Lord is transcendental and blissful. So these are actually different manifestations of bliss but they resemble pain and misery so we use those terms, but actually there are different manifestations or varieties of transcendental bliss or ecstasy otherwise one may think, “Oh, these new initiates, they are being connected to the paramparā, they are getting out of the material world, they are going back home, back to Godhead, and then you hear all this and you think, ‘Wow! I am going back to Godhead which has much misery and sorrow as we have here.’” But that’s only an appearance of misery or sorrow.

So at that moment when Laksmana had to build up the fire and bring Sitadevi to enter it, give her the news and bring her to enter it, he resolved that, “Never again am I going to be the younger brother. This is too much. I wanted to make Rama happy but I am doing all these things that are also causing Him pain. I wanted to make Sita happy and I am doing all these things that are causing her pain and that is causing me pain to see them in pain.” So he decided, “From now I am going to appear as the older brother and then I can serve the Lord to my heart’s content and give Him all sorts of happiness.”

In terms of kṛṣṇa-līlā, today we are specifically celebrating the appearance of Lord Balarama. Lord Balarama, again the first expansion of Krishna, He appeared before Krishna as the older brother. After His appearance the sage Gargamuni did the horoscope of Lord Balarama and said that, “Because You will be very strong, His name will be Bala, and because He will enjoy transcendental pleasure, His name will be Rama. And He will also give strength and transcendental pleasure. And because He will unite two families, He will be known as Saṅkarṣaṇa.” 

So how did Lord Balarama unite two families? He was originally to take birth from the womb of Devaki—it is a little intricate history—He was in the womb of Devaki but Lord Krishna who had not even appeared but in His unmanifest form as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He ordered yoga-māyā to arrange for Balarama to be transferred from the womb of Devaki into to the womb of Rohini. Now Rohini was also a co-wife of Vasudeva but because of the atrocities of King Kamsa, Vasudeva had arranged for her to take shelter in the cowherd village of Vrindavan and to be protected there by Nanda Maharaja who was a relative of Vasudeva’s, but because his mother was a vaishya, so Nanda Maharaja was considered a vaishya. He performed the duties of a vaishya. And Vasudeva was a kshatriya. By Balarama’s being transferred from the royal family of Vasudeva to the cowherd community and family of Nanda, He brought together those two families and therefore one of His names is Saṅkarṣaṇa.

When He left the womb of Devaki, it appeared that she had a miscarriage. It is very intricate, subtle discussions here, but He did take birth from the womb of Rohini in Gokula. And after He appeared Krishna appeared. 

I will read a little about the childhood pastimes of Krishna and Balarama. We are heading into Krishna Janmashtami and the theme of Krishna Janmashtami in Dallas this year is Krishna and His cowherd friends so I will read a few very enchanting verses about Krishna and Balarama that will lead us to a more intimate discussion of the relationship between Krishna and Balarama and what we can learn from Their relationship in terms of our relationships.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

We shall read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Fifteen: “The Killing of Dhenukāsura.” This is a very significant chapter in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because it marks the progression of Krishna and Balarama from the age of kumara as small children to the age of paugaṇḍa. At the age of paugaṇḍa They were given the charge of the cows to take them out to pasture. Before then They were considered too young or too little. They could only take care of the calves and in the village, but now They were old enough to take the cows into the Vrindavan forest to pasture and that created a whole new series of pastimes of the cowherd boys playing in the forest. Simultaneously it created separation from Krishna and Balarama for the residents of the village who stayed back during the day. 

So the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam described Them going into the forest with the cows and I will just read the English although the Sanskrit is very beautiful, but for the sake of time.

TEXT 4–8

The primeval Lord saw that the stately trees, with their beautiful reddish buds and their heavy burden of fruits and flowers, were bending down to touch His feet with the tips of their branches. Thus He smiled gently and addressed His elder brother.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O greatest of Lords, just see how these trees are bowing their heads at Your lotus feet, which are worshipable by the immortal demigods. The trees are offering You their fruits and flowers to eradicate the dark ignorance that has caused their birth as trees.

O Original Personality, these bees must all be great sages and most elevated devotees of Yours, for they are worshiping You by following You along the path and chanting Your glories, which are themselves a holy place for the entire world. Though You have disguised Yourself within this forest, O sinless one, they refuse to abandon You, their worshipable Lord.

O worshipable one, these peacocks are dancing before You out of joy, these doe are pleasing You with affectionate glances, just as the gopīs do, and these cuckoos are honoring You with Vedic prayers. All these residents of the forest are most fortunate, and their behavior toward You certainly befits great souls receiving another great soul at home.

This earth has now become most fortunate, because You have touched her grass and bushes with Your feet and her trees and creepers with Your fingernails, and because You have graced her rivers, mountains, birds and animals with Your merciful glances. But above all, You have embraced the young cowherd women between Your two arms — a favor hankered after by the goddess of fortune herself.

COMMENT

Here Lord Krishna is glorifying His older brother as the Supreme Personality of Godhead but a few verses later we find in Text Fourteen:

TEXT 14

When His elder brother, fatigued from playing, would lie down with His head upon the lap of a cowherd boy, Lord Kṛṣṇa would help Him relax by personally massaging His feet and offering other services.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The word pāda-saṁvāhanādibhiḥ indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa would massage Balarāma’s feet, fan Him and bring Him river water to drink.

COMMENT

So, in this relationship between the older brother and the younger brother, there is a mutual exchange of appreciation and glorification and service. Krishna wants to serve Balarama and Balarama wants to serve Krishna. It is stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya, that only Krishna is the Supreme Lord and all others are His servant. So, even Lord Balarama has the sentiment of being the servant of Lord Krishna. He is very happy to be the servant of Lord Krishna, but Krishna also likes to serve His devotees—it is mutual, it is reciprocal—and in the case of Lord Balarama who is the elder brother, He has more reason to serve Him in terms of Their transcendental relationship because the older brother has friendly relationship—sākhya—but also an element of parental affection or vātsalya.

Generally, among brothers and sisters and, and we refer to spiritual brothers and sisters, godbrothers and godsisters, we can learn from Krishna and Balarama how to enjoy life together in mutual appreciation, each desiring to serve the other and please the other.

One year His Holiness Sacinandana Swami spent the month of Kartika at Radha-kunda and was undergoing a very severe nāma-vrata. He had made a vow to chant so many rounds per day. It is sort of the rule that one doesn’t disclose one’s vow because otherwise one might become proud, “I am chanting so many rounds or doing so much austerity,” and people may also praise you, “You are chanting so many rounds. You are being so austere,” and then that just creates false ego or aggravates the false ego. But he was doing a lot and he hardly had time to eat or sleep. He may have even had vows related to eating and sleeping but he hardly had time, what to speak of talking. But still, he was generous and kind and made a time for the two of us to talk together a little on day.

He described his experience with his nāma-vrata. He had come to Radha-kunda to enter into the nectar of the holy name and he felt that he had come to the door of the palace of the holy name but that he was not being allowed to enter and he was very distressed. He was not been given access to the nectar of the holy name and he didn’t know what to do. He described that under ordinary circumstances in society, in ISKCON, one can divert one’s attention in so many ways. There are so many devotees, you have so many social interactions, there is so much service, you keep yourself busy in so many activities, and you never have to confront the reality of your relationship with the holy name, but here he had no distractions, no diversions—it was just him and the holy name—and he felt he would come to the door, he was knocking on the door, but the door was not opening. So what to do?

So then he thought he must do some humble service: sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ, that when one engages in service, Krishna reveals Himself. So he thought, “I have to do some humble service. What will be a humble service?” He thought, “Okay, I will clean the kuṇḍa. I will clean the walkways, just the whole area around the kuṇḍa,” which is a very menial service. You go to White Rock Lake, they have all sorts of programs, summer spruce up, to get volunteers to come and clean up, but it is unfortunate that everywhere you look, there is some empty water bottle, plastic bottle, can from some soft drink, or a bottle of alcohol, and papers and cups and it is discouraging and you think, “Someone should clean up.” But then who’s going to clean up, it is a type of menial service. Everyone thinks it is beneath them. In India people still sweep with brooms—sweepers—but you have machines for everything here. No one wants to get their hands dirty and if the machine can’t do it then it is not going to get done because no one wants to dirty their hands.

So Sacinandana Swami thought, “Let me sweep Radha-kunda, the area around Radha-kunda.” But then he thought, “If anyone sees me, they’ll come up and say, ‘Oh, that is such a nice service you are doing sweeping the pathways around Radha-kunda and cleaning up,’ and then again the whole point will be lost. It wouldn’t be humble service. The pride will come, ‘Oh, I am doing great service. Everyone is recognizing me.’” So he thought, “I have to do this when no one else is awake, when no one is there to see me.” So he would do it about maybe between twelve-thirty and one-thirty in the morning—something like that—when there was no one there to see him. And that worked. That humble service worked and then the holy name allowed him some entry and reciprocated with his efforts.

And then he brought up another topic which relates to our discussion of Krishna and Balarama which was the need for more advanced association. Srila Rupa Gosvami describes the five most potent items of devotional service and one of them is sādhu-saṅga. He gives the definition of sādhu-saṅga as svato vare: one who is more advanced than you. It is always been there; it was there then and it is probably there now and it will always be there probably, that someone thinks that to get that advanced association, they have to go outside of ISKCON and get sādhu-saṅga. And many devotees have done so and I am sure in the future they will. Even during Srila Prabhupada’s time some individuals thought they had to leave him to get higher knowledge. But there is a problem with that which is that those sadhus who are not following in Srila Prabhupada’s line will give a presentation of the philosophy and practices of Krishna consciousness that may be in some ways or almost necessarily will be in some ways different from Srila Prabhupada’s. And on a higher spiritual level there is the question of what is the person’s destination, what is his ultimate destination.

So Sacinandana Swami and many of our godbrothers at the time had the same thought that they don’t want go outside of ISKCON or outside of Srila Prabhupada’s line for sādhu-saṅga. But then how do you get sādhu-saṅga because we are all peers, we are all more or less the same—same age, same background, same learning—we are not finding people twenty years older than us who know Sanskrit, Bengali, and have been Vaishnavas from their birth or whatever the criteria are. But Sacinandana Swami said that that conception of being peers is only external, but internally every devotee will fee that the other is his Prabhu, his master, his superior, and that he can learn from him. 

Sacinandana Swami gave the example related to us that in a way he and I are peers but Giriraj Swami isn’t thinking that, “I am equal to Sacinandana Swami,” he is thinking, “Sacinandana Swami is superior to me. I can learn from him. I should serve him,” which was exactly what I was thinking, and then Sacinandana Swami said of himself, “And I am thinking that Giriraj Swami (of course this is not to be taken literally) is superior to me and I can learn from him and I should serve him.” And in that mood of seeing the other devotees as one’s superior or Prabhu and feeling that one should serve them and learn from them, one can fulfill that injunction to have sādhu-saṅga and at the same time the relationships become very sweet and harmonious like Krishna and Balarama’s. They exemplify this mood, each one glorifying the other and wanting to serve the other.

But still, Balarama is the older brother and He is known popularly in Vrindavan as Dauji which means the older brother. 

Now I would like to relate this thought to His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami who was also the older brother. He liked being the older brother to his godbrothers and godsisters and he was. In terms of seniority he was certainly older than almost all of the other disciples of Srila Prabhupada. And he was in that mood, it was like friendship—sākhya—with some parental or vātsalya. But internally there was always that mutual respect, appreciation, and mood of service, and that idea that he had a number of devotees whom he considered to be his siksa-gurus, and I am sure practically everyone on that list of his siksa-gurus considered him to be their siksa-guru. That is the relationship.

So now this ceremony today, like so many ceremonies, so many occasions, is an occasion of great happiness and joy but for devotees connected with Tamal Krishna Goswami there is always an element of separation that, “I wish he could have been here for this occasion.” Of course in a general sense it would have been nice if he were here to enjoy this occasion. Sitting where I am today, I definitely feel he should have been here. But we continue in the mood of service. We have no choice really but in the mood of continuing his work we will. 

I thought I would read some words that he spoke at an initiation ceremony about fifteen years ago in Houston on Bhima Ekādaśī. It was May, 28th. At that time he accepted for second initiation a disciple of His Holiness Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja named Indranuja Prabhu and he spoke about his own mood in relation to giving second initiation to Indranuja Prabhu and this is an excerpt from his talk.

“He (speaking of Indranuja Prabhu) has approached me to take shelter of me because of the very close relationship I have with his guru maharaja and I also have with him. I shall do my utmost to always fulfill the work of his guru maharaja for him. I think that he, Indranuja Prabhu, has full faith that by assisting and serving me it will not be different from serving his guru maharaja. I consider that he approached me for this as a very good example for all of Sri Gour Govinda Maharaja’s disciples to see and we shall show a very nice example for them to see.”

So this example that Tamal Krishna Goswami wanted to show of the relationship between a first initiated disciple of a godbrother approaching him for second initiation establishes a principle that he exemplified during his own life of in a way taking shelter of godbrothers and taking instruction or taking advice from godbrothers. His disciple Balarama dasa from the Philippines who is now in Los Angeles had a dream or vision before he received the news that Tamal Krishna Goswami had left after the automobile accident. In this dream Tamal Krishna Goswami was telling him that he had to go now and Balarama was begging him, “No, please don’t go. You can’t go. Please stay.” He said, “No, I have to go now.” And then Balarama said something to the effect, “What will we do when you are not here?” And Tamal Krishna Goswami indicated that, “If you serve my godbrothers I will be pleased.” 

So this a principle, it is a theme in Tamal Krishna Goswami’s life of devotional service, he commented at the time that Srila Prabhupada was leaving or left that Srila Prabhupada showed us the perfect example in every sphere—he showed us how to live; he showed us how to die—he is the perfect example in every respect, but the one thing he didn’t show us was how to deal with godbrothers because none of his godbrothers joined him. By extension he didn’t show us how his disciples would deal with his godbrothers if they were working cooperatively with him. But Tamal Krishna Goswami has shown that by example, very important principle and a very significant example. Then Tamal Krishna Goswami continues:

Now he is speaking to Indranuja Prabhu. “I am very happy to have this connection with you because I consider that we will always serve Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja together through this relationship. That is my mood. So I’m grateful that my godbrother, my very, very exalted and dear godbrother is present with me through his disciple and now formally through this connection.”

This is definitely how we feel in this situation. Then he says:

“At the same time (addressing Indranuja Prabhu) you will feel as if you are my disciple and I am sure all of the other devotees will love you just as a godbrother.”

It means they would accept him as their godbrother.

“And if you wonder, ‘How can that be?’ it can be. Just like Srila Prabhupada’s sister was initiated by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, first initiated, and given second initiation by a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura whose name was Gosvami Maharaja (his full name was Bhaktisaranga Gosvami Maharaja but he was known as Gosvami Maharaja) and we have some examples of that. Just like Durasaya dasa and Mukunda Datta Prabhu, they took first initiation from Srila Prabhupada and they took second initiation from me, and they feel as if they have relationships with both persons.”

This is true. I also feel I have a relationship with Tamal Krishna Goswami because I took sannyasa from him. Now some people may say, “Well, sannyasa is a formality. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa from a Mayavadi,” but actually it is a connection. In fact when Srila Prabhupada was discussing forming some trust—this is just before he left—to protect the properties, he was proposing that there should be at least three trustees for each major property and so for Vrindavan someone suggested Bagatti who was a friend of Prabhupada’s and he lived near the Krishna-Balarama temple. Prabhupada said, “He is not my disciple. He cannot be a trustee.” The devotee said,” But he is already initiated by some other guru.” And Prabhupada said, “Then he can take sannyasa from me.”

“Just like Durasaya dasa and Mukunda Datta Prabhu, they took first initiation from Srila Prabhupada and they took second initiation from me, and they feel as if they have relationships with both persons. Krishna consciousness is not so limited that we can have only one relationship but each is special in its own way and one should not cancel out the other. But they are both maintained in their own unique and harmonious way at the same time.”

There is much that could be said but I will just say very briefly about the idea of the two working together for the same goal, the one in the mood of service to the other that that’s the principle of guru, guru-paramparā. But at the same time, because we are all individuals we have our own individual personalities, and we have our own individual personal relationships, so even though the basic message is the same and the purpose is the same, the cause is the same, but there will be that individual flavor of each individual person and the unique relationship between the unique individual persons. 

So then at the same ceremony one young lady named Jaya Sri Chasmawala got first initiation and I will read some excerpts. There is more to it but not wanting to embarrass her too much and if she wouldn’t be embarrassed not wanting to inflate her too much, I won’t read too much, but I read a little, because the other one combined Goswami Maharaja’s mood of a servant of his godbrother and in this one he talks about his mood as the servant of the parents and family of the devotee. It is very beautiful.

“Okay, Jaya Sri. Here is a very auspicious girl.” 

Actually I never thought of this before—of course now I am going to get inflated myself—soon after I joined the Boston temple a lot of things happened. We moved from a very small storefront into a large mansion and the saṅkīrtana which was almost negligible when I came, it became very active and devotees were distributing many magazines mainly BTGs and it really developed. It really flourished. And then when Srila Prabhupada came to visit, I guess Satsvarupa was the temple president, and he was giving some sort of report, and Srila Prabhupada said, “Giriraj is auspicious.” [laughter] So, I don’t know how true it is but at least we can say that your spiritual master said that you were auspicious and mine said that I am auspicious. [laughter]

“Okay, Jaya Sri. Here is a very auspicious girl. She is a very good university student. We are praying that she can gradually follow in the footsteps of guru-bhakti. I want that one day there should a whole line of lady doctors.”

Now, coincidentally sitting next to Jaya Sri Radhe is Bhaktin Laura who will be getting her first initiation today and she is a doctor. [applause] So there is a short line but a whole line of lady doctors. Going back to his speaking of Jaya Sri but if you think it applies to you, it is okay, because I am sure he didn’t think of that only in terms of her but he certainly did. He said:

“She is so charming, very qualified girl. I’m really happy that you are here. And your brothers are also here.”

Here’s one of them with a camera. There is Deepesh.

“I wish that you men will follow the example of your sister and one day get initiated also. [laughter; applause] What do you think?”

It is just like the last time—silence.

“I want you to know that their family fully approved of this initiation. I made them call. What did your parents say?”

And then Jaya Sri Radhe says, “They were really happy but they really wanted to be here.”

So now in that mood of continuation, Jaya Sri’s mother is here. She couldn’t come the first time but she is here which is very important for her and her daughter and the whole family and all of us. I should mention that in the meantime her father took initiation and became Hari-carana dasa and he, in my estimation—I think it is pretty clear to everyone—he became very advanced in Krishna consciousness, very exalted in Krishna consciousness. The general feeling or consensus is that, in a way it was obvious, he had no attachments to the material world. He loved his family but as a devotee who wanted their spiritual welfare more than anything else. He was detached but it wasn’t a negative detachment. It was the detachment that comes when you are being called away for another purpose. And he definitely felt that he was being called and that it was time to go and he wanted to be initiated before he left. My service if you wish to say to Jaya Sri Radhe and to all of her family members are in the mood of service to her father who is a very, not only her father, but very exalted devotee who’s attained a very auspicious destination. 

Hari-carana’s mother, Jaya Sri Radhe is grandmother is also very pious lady, very spiritual lady, and she also had a very deep connection with Srila Gurudeva, with Tamal Krishna Goswami. Even though she couldn’t speak English that well but they really understood each other very well and on a very deep level. And they were really close. I was very impressed with her. She was very pious. When she was a young lady, a girl, just newly married, some sadhu, some guru from some sampradāya came, and she basically dropped everything and was just serving that sadhu, that guru. So that was in her from the very beginning to serve saintly persons, to chant the holy names, to read scriptures. She was naturally Krishna conscious. And then she gave birth to Hari-carana and he and his wife, Bhanu, gave birth to Jaya Sri and the other family members. So that line of piety and devotion is continuing both through the biological family and through the paramparā, the succession of saintly persons.

So then Tamal Krishna Goswami continues about her parents:

“They wanted to be here. That was the only thing. They were unhappy that they could not be here to see their daughter initiated. So always be assured whatever the parents will do for their children I will do at least that and if I can do more, I will do more. I always think with the interest of the parents and you will never find that it is not so. Be assured of that.”

So this is very significant, the importance of the parents, and especially in the family where the parents are pious or they are devotees. Hari-carana was a superlative devotee. But in general the parents will have the best interest of the children in mind and if they are devotees they’ll have their spiritual interests in mind. Jaya Sri’s parents’ approval of her initiation in the first place shows that they had her spiritual interest at heart. And she is auspicious because she is brought Krishna consciousness very deeply into the family. 

In fact, not to go too far here, but Hari-carana had a parrot named Syama. You know how it is, pretty much the other family members were busy and it was really Hari-carana that gave attention to the parrot and he would spend time and talk to the parrot and play with the parrot. After Hari-carana left, the parrot was in severe separation. It was really feeling the loss of Hari-carana Prabhu. But the line continues. Jaya Sri Radhe has taken Syama under her wing and now she is chanting for Syama and feeding him and taking care of him. That line of care, spiritual care and physical care is continuing.

So here Tamal Krishna Goswami is saying he is also in that line of care of the parents for the child, especially Jaya Sri Radhe’s parents, for her best.

“I always think with the interest of the parents and you will never find that it is not so. Be assured of that. I understand very much how attached Indian parents are to their children and I know that everything they want for their children I want the same thing and more.”

Very, very wonderful, beautiful and true. [applause] He spoke the truth as always.

Nityananda dasa: Her grandmother’s birthday and disappearance day is on Lord Balarama’s appearance day.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is true, that Jaya Sri Radhe is grandmother, Hari-carana’s mother, was born, appeared on Lord Balarama’s appearance day and she left, disappeared on Lord Balarama’s appearance day. Haribol! [applause] And Balarama is the original spiritual master, so we are all bound up together by so many threads or strands or ropes of spiritual love and connections. So we remember her too. She was a very, very pious, devotional, spiritual lady. As they say the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. So Hari-carana didn’t fall far from his mother and Jaya Sri Radhe hasn’t fallen far from her father and mother and so that makes us think the brothers too aren’t so far. Only time is separating.

We are dividing this ceremony into two parts of the fire ceremony not being suitable for the temple room for different practical reasons. I didn’t give the initiation lecture. [laughter] Well, it was an initiation lecture but we didn’t discuss the ten offenses and I think that we will have to leave that discussion for later. But I will say very briefly that Bhaktin Laura is being given first initiation, hari-nāma, the chanting of the holy name, and the holy name of Krishna is Krishna Himself: nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ. So we should treat the holy name as if we are dealing with Krishna which we are. In fact all the offenses can be understood if you appreciate that the holy name is Krishna and then so if you blaspheme Krishna’s devotees, Krishna won’t like it. If you equate the demigods with Krishna, He wouldn’t like it. It shows you are not understanding His position, but at the same time you shouldn’t disrespect the demigods. That would also be offensive. And the spiritual master, obey the instructions of the spiritual master who is giving you the holy name, who is the representative of Krishna, the servant of Krishna. Not to have faith and reverence of the scriptures or to blaspheme them or minimize them. And so on. 

They are all really important but the one is chanting with attention. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that if you chant with attention all the other offenses will be eradicated and if you chant inattentively it gives [rise?] to the other offenses to flourish. So it is not easy to chant with attention but if you just make the effort then you have come to the clearing stage. If you make the consistent effort to bring your mind back to the holy name, then you are counted to be in the clearing stage. The definition of clearing stage means the anarthas will be cleared and then eventually you can progress to the pure stage.

In second initiation, the candidate who receives second initiation is eligible to render direct service to the Deities. Krishna is brahman, He is the Supreme brahman, and so to serve the Supreme brahman, you have to be on the brahman platform. Māṁ ca yo ‘vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate: one who is constantly engaged in devotional service without devotion, he very quickly transcends the modes of material nature and comes to the platform of brahman. 

So, Jaya Sri Radhe has shown her steadiness for the last fifteen years. She is always shown her unsteadiness but her steadiness has prevailed [applause] and therefore she is being awarded brahman initiation and we are confident that she will fulfill that definition of being steady and unfailing and that she will be allowed to touch the Deity. An ordinary person cannot just touch the Deity. You have to be qualified. You have to be purified. So by the process of devotional service, by chanting the holy name for so many years, studying the scriptures, serving the devotees, she is been purified and she is shown her steadiness.

Now the proper thing is to call the initiates forward. There is one and then we will move up to the hall for the fire ceremony. So Bhaktin Laura, you can begin by offering obeisances to the Deities and then to Srila Prabhupada, to Tamal Krishna Goswami, and then here. In the mean time we all can chant: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Bhaktin Laura, what are the four regulative principals that you vow to follow?

Bhaktin Laura: No meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication, and no illicit sex.

Giriraj Swami: How many rounds will you chant?

Bhaktin Laura: Sixteen at least and twenty-five on Ekādaśī.

Giriraj Swami: Very good. Is there anything else you would like to say before the Deities and the Vaishnavas? You name is Lalita-sakhī dasi. [applause]

Now we will go upstairs for the fire ceremony but first we will do one more thing. There is young devotee here named Brandon or Brandy who will be studying in the gurukula or in the TKG Academy and his mother requested a spiritual nickname for him. So, it is not an initiation or anything. You will have to wait for that but it is just to give him a spiritual name so that by calling his name, people will be reminded of Krishna and become purified. They will make advancement. Brandy, do you want to stand up so people know who we are talking about. I thought we could give him the spiritual nickname Balarama. [applause] 

It is very appropriate because it is Lord Balarama’s appearance day and his name began with a “B” and often the guru will give a name that begins with the same initial. And because there are so many connections, there is even another connection, and that is that Lord Balarama used to like to get intoxicated on the Varuna beverage and brandy is also the name of an intoxicating beverage. [laughter] There is a verse in the Bhagavad-gītā: raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya, which is generally translated, Krishna says, “I am the taste in water,” but literally it can be translated, “I am the taste in liquid things,” and Srila Prabhupada said if you are a drunkard and you are drinking alcohol and you think that Krishna is the taste of the liquor, you also make advancement. So not that anyone here would but if anyone happens to think of brandy, the drink, you can think of Balarama and how He would get intoxicated on the varuni beverage and you will become purified even while thinking of brandy. [laughter]

So this is the immense causeless mercy of the Lord that we are all bound together with so many ropes of love and Srila Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada, the whole paramparā, pulling. They captured us in their net and now they are pulling us along, back home, back to Godhead. Hare Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Srila Gurudeva ki jaya!
Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama ki jaya!
Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!