Initiation Ceremony

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Today is an auspicious day not only because of the initiation ceremony but because today is the disappearance day of nāmācārya Srila Haridasa Thakura. It is described in scripture that when the Lord descends from the spiritual world into the material world, He arranges for different associates to assist Him in His pastimes. Some play the part of elders and they actually appear earlier, and some are peers—they appear at the same time, and some are juniors—they appear later. Haridasa Thakura appeared before the Lord. And, he was actually an incarnation of Lord Brahma about whom we heard already, the first created being within the universe. And, he served the Lord in various ways. 

He was born in a Moslem family. And, he was subjected to many trials and tribulations. He was envied by Muslims and faced so many difficulties. And, he was also tempted by Maya Devi herself but he resisted the temptation because he was fixed in the mood of service to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and in his chanting of the holy name. And, although, he was born in a Moslem family, Lord Chaitanya designated him as the nāmācārya, the exemplar, the teacher and exemplar of the holy name. 

So, after passing many years on this Earth, engaged in the Lord’s service, he exhibited his pastime or līlā of illness, which led to his pastime of disappearance. And, he had some specific desires for his disappearance. And, his exchange with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at the very end, is instructive for all of us. So, I will read some verses from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. I hope you all have this book, this set of books, which form part of a larger set, which I hope you all have. And, if you don’t, you can get them. But, this chapter is from Antya-līlā Chapter Eleven, “The Passing of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.” It begins with

TEXT 1

namāmi haridāsaṁ taṁ

caitanyaṁ taṁ ca tat-prabhum

saṁsthitām api yan-mūrtiṁ

svāṅke kṛtvā nanarta yaḥ

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Haridāsa Ṭhākura and his master, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who danced with the body of Haridāsa Ṭhākura on His lap.

COMMENT

So, now, we will come to Text Twenty-one. The previous day, Lord Chaitanya visited Haridasa Thakura and He brought him some mahā-prasāda. And Haridasa Thakura was so strict in his vow of chanting that he would not eat until he completed his vow. And, his vow was to chant three hundred thousand names daily. One hundred thousand names is sixty-four rounds; so, three hundred thousand names is 192 rounds. To chant sixty-four rounds will take about eight hours, so to chant two times that would take sixteen hours, and to chant three times would take twenty-four hours. But, Haridasa Thakura may have chanted more quickly but still he spent most of his time chanting the holy name. So, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu brought the mahā-prasāda to him, Haridasa Thakura said, “I have not completed my quota of rounds so how can I eat? But, then again, You brought mahā-prasāda and how can I refuse?” So, Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that he honored the prasāda. And, we also use that word, we don’t eat it like a creature devours something edible, but we honor it, so he honored a little mahā-prasāda. Then, the next day, this is what I will read.

TEXT 21

The next day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Haridāsa’s place and inquired from him, “Haridāsa, are you well?”

TEXT 22

Haridāsa offered his obeisances to the Lord and replied, “My body is all right, but my mind and intelligence are not well.”

COMMENT

This is actually a reversal of the fact but that is what he said. And, that was also his humility because he wasn’t concerned with the body. 

TEXT 23

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu further inquired from Haridāsa, “Can you ascertain what your disease is?”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, “My disease is that I cannot complete my rounds.”

If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual life. Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura is called nāmācārya. Of course, we cannot imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but everyone must chant a prescribed number of rounds. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we have fixed sixteen rounds as the minimum so that the Westerners will not feel burdened.

COMMENT

That means, for the Indians, it probably should be sixty-four. This is a concession for the Westerners.

PURPORT (continued)

These sixteen rounds must be chanted, and chanted loudly, so that one can hear himself and others.

TEXT 24

“Now that you have become old,” the Lord said, “you may reduce the number of rounds you chant daily. You are already liberated, and therefore you need not follow the regulative principles very strictly.

PURPORT

Unless one has come to the platform of spontaneous love of God, he must follow the regulative principles.

COMMENT

On the spontaneous platform of love of God, one is always absorbed in thoughts of Krishna. Even before that stage, there is a stage called āsakti, where one is very attached to Krishna, and just on the verge of the stage of love of God. And, at that stage, if one’s mind wanders for a moment away from Krishna, somehow without the person’s making any endeavor, it comes back to Krishna. It is like the opposite of us: we are chanting, and somehow without our knowing how, our mind is somewhere else away from Krishna. We have no idea how it got there, and it is a big effort to bring it back. But at this stage, if for a moment, your mind wanders away from Krishna, it automatically comes back, and you don’t know how it happened, but you are so attached to Krishna. But, until one comes to that stage, one should follow the regulative principles very strictly. 

PURPORT (continued)

Ṭhākura Haridāsa was the living example of how to follow the regulative principles. Similarly, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was also such a living example. In the Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka it is stated, saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. The Gosvāmīs, especially Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, strictly followed all the regulative principles. The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds. Not only was Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī chanting a fixed number of rounds, but he had also taken a vow to bow down many times and offer obeisances to the Lord.

COMMENT

So, we offer obeisances to the Lord and to the devotees. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami composed many beautiful prayers of obeisances to the Lord and the Lord’s associates. And, so, this is also very important item, it is very good to offer obeisances.

TEXT 25

“Your role in this incarnation is to deliver the people in general. You have sufficiently preached the glories of the holy name in this world.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Haridāsa Ṭhākura is known as nāmācārya because it is he who preached the glories of chanting hari-nāma, the holy name of God. By using the words tomāra avatāra (“your incarnation”), Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms that Haridāsa Ṭhākura is the incarnation of Lord Brahmā. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that advanced devotees help the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His mission and that such devotees or personal associates incarnate by the will of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord incarnates by His own will, and, by His will, competent devotees also incarnate to help Him in His mission. Haridāsa Ṭhākura is thus the incarnation of Lord Brahmā, and other devotees are likewise incarnations who help in the prosecution of the Lord’s mission.

COMMENT

So, then there is a beautiful exchange between Haridasa Thakura and Lord Chaitanya in which Haridasa Thakura discloses his real purpose, which is that, he knew that he would be leaving his body soon, and he wanted to leave in the presence of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And so, he asked that Lord Chaitanya grant him that benediction. Then, the next day, Lord Chaitanya returned with His associates and out of His causeless mercy, He placed His lotus feet on the heart of Haridasa Thakura. Haridasa Thakura gazed upon the lotus face of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and chanting the name śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, he left his body. 

And, Lord Chaitanya picked up his body, and in ecstasy, He danced with his body. He took it to the ocean and bathed it in the ocean. He declared henceforth, the ocean will be a holy place. And, He put Haridasa Thakura’s body in, well, they dug a hole and they placed his body in it. He put a tulasi plant on top of it. And, now there is a tomb, a samadhi for Haridasa Thakura. And, Lord Chaitanya personally distributed mahā-prasāda with His own hand. And at the end of this chapter, there is a very beautiful blessing from Krishnadasa, well, from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through Krishnadasa Kavirāja Gosvami that anyone who hears the description of the glorious passing of Haridasa Thakura will be blessed with love for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Krishna. 

So, Haridasa Thakura is our exemplar. As Srila Prabhupada said that we may not be able to chant the number of rounds he chanted but we should chant our minimum number of rounds, and we should chant loudly and with attention. So, there are ten offenses against the chanting of the holy name, and we should be aware of them and avoid them. As part of the morning program in every temple, Srila Prabhupada advised the devotees to read the list of ten offenses. And, that is an indirect prayer to be free from those offenses when we chant. And, I think I will ask you all as a group: each of you can volunteer one of the ten offenses to tell us what it is. You don’t have to describe it, but just in brief, what is the first offense. Yes. . . yes. . . 

Devotee: To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord.

Giriraj Swami: To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord—sādhu-nindā. And, this is a very important offense to avoid. It is said, familiarity breeds contempt. So, when we first come to the association of devotees, we are usually to some extent or another materially exhausted, and we can see very clearly the difference between devotees who are working to purify their hearts and help others, and ordinary people who are trying to exploit others, and enjoy the material world. But, after living in close proximity to devotees for some time, one may start to see them in a material way and criticize them. And, that is very damaging for our spiritual life—sādhu-nindā. 

And, in his book Harināma-cintāmaṇi, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura quotes Haridasa Thakura, explaining the truth of the holy name and the offenses. And, he mentions different grounds that one could find for criticizing a devotee, like his birth, his or her birth, his or her previous sinful activities, even current vestiges of sinful activities, even not having certain good qualities, but Haridasa Thakura says that these are not grounds for criticizing a devotee. There are twenty-six qualities of a devotee mentioned in scripture, and one of them is kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa—to have taken full shelter of Krishna or the holy name of Krishna. And, if a devotee has that one qualification, if he doesn’t, even if he doesn’t have any of the other twenty-five; of course, they will develop and we want to work on that, but if he has that one, that is sufficient to qualify him as a devotee. And, therefore, criticism of that person is an offense. 

Sometimes, we are in a situation where it is our duty to correct someone, and that should be done without malice, with sympathy, and as a service. Like, when the astrologer came to Lord Chaitanya’s home, his father’s home, and did His horoscope, he said, “This boy is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You have to be very careful. You can’t chastise Him or correct Him.” And, he (father) said, “Well, maybe, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead but if He does something wrong, I have to correct Him, otherwise He will go astray.” So, sometimes we do have to correct a dependent, a subordinate, but it should be done with love, in the mood of service, in the mood of service—that is not offensive. But, just criticizing and finding fault and gossiping is very damaging, very damaging, so we have to really control our speech. Then, second offense. . .

Devotee: To consider the names of demigods like Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma to be equal to or independent of the name of the Lord Vishnu.

Giriraj Swami: I won’t say more because, well, I won’t assume that everyone knows this because there are people who are visiting, but in brief, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is like the King and the demigods, even Brahma, Shiva, Durga, Ganesh—they are like ministers to the King. They are very powerful and we do respect them, but they are not equal to the King, and they don’t act independent of the King. And to think that they are equal to or independent, is an offense to the King. There was once a Austrian born person. He came to India, and he became a sannyasi in the impersonal school, and he had the name Agehananda Bharati. And, he was sort of in the mood that Shiva is supreme, and there was a big article of the illustrated weekly of India. And, so I wrote back refuting it. And, so the editor, he was an atheist, Khushwant Singh. He would bring believers together in such a way to try to make them look bad. So, with my response, he published a big article called Hare Krishna vs. Shiva Shiva. And in his own way, he presented Bharati’s position and my position. And I could just see what he was doing—he was trying to make us both look silly. So, I wrote to Prabhupada and I explained what happened and my analysis of it. And he said, “Yes, you are right. Bharati is a fool but Singh as a demon.” So, but still we respect the demigods; we don’t disrespect them, but we see them in their proper position and, otherwise it is an offense. Then, third.

Devotee: To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, guror avajñā, the spiritual master is passing on the same instructions that he has received from his spiritual master, who in turn received them from his spiritual master, and the original spiritual master is Krishna or Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And, so it is an offense to disobey his instructions, especially in the matter of chanting the holy names and also worshiping the deity. And yes, it is. I have had this talk earlier today with Radhika Raman Prabhu because this is a question like how do you take the instructions of the spiritual answer? Even the instructions of the scripture? How absolutely do you take them? Or how much do you contextualize them? And again, there are different categories of instructions and different matters. So, I said that I was always the type that took the instructions literally and that was just the way I was. So, in Juhu, Bombay, where Srila Prabhupada had some land and wanted to build a temple which is there now. He was very disturbed because the construction was not moving along. So, he was very disturbed. So, he wrote a letter that, “I want to see the construction begin even if you only lay one brick.”

So, I called together a few devotees, we took out some stakes and some string, we sort of figured out where the wall would go, and it was right before the Mayapur festival. So, I think we laid about probably eighteen or twenty bricks. So, the Project Director, Saurab, he was a professionally trained architect, and he could not believe what we were doing. He thought, This is useless. And he sort of mocked our effort but later, years later, he said, “Actually although I would have thought that way at the time but I think what you did is very safe spiritually. I think you are actually safer spiritually than me.” I mean I am not saying that just to make this point that it is safer to follow the instructions. And yes, there are many times with Prabhupada. I will tell one other (story). So, the Juhu property had six buildings at the back that were occupied by tenants and in India, you can’t really. . . the tenants have more rights than the owners. So, we couldn’t get them out but we got permission to build one floor, one storey on top of each building. So, we didn’t have much money and the flat roof was made of broken tiles in cement, and Prabhupada said, just let that be the floor of the of the additional storey, and you just build up the walls and the roof on top of it. So, I did that and after some time, that with all the walking on that previous rooftop, this cement started to crumble and little pieces of the tile chips started to come up. So, the GBC complained about me to Srila Prabhupada that, “Giriraj is so cheap, he wouldn’t put in a proper floor. He just kept the same roof from before and now look what is happening.” So, I surrendered to Prabhupada. He could have said anything, and I would have accepted, and I thought he might have just remained silent, but he didn’t. He told that. . . he was a pretty strong-willed GBC, “Actually, I told him to do that.” So, I guess my point is that it is always safe to follow the instructions. And, it could be risky not to. Number four.

Devotee: To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance to the Vedic version.

Giriraj Swami: Now, we read in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that there are different degrees of offenses. You might know the story of Gargamuni—there was a discussion between the sages about Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu—who is the supreme? Or who is in the mode of goodness? Anyway, so yes, blaspheming we shouldn’t do but even mentally, we may have doubts. We may read things in the scriptures that we don’t really believe, and that it is not wrong to bring out one’s doubts, but to just keep those doubts within and sort of conclude that you are right and the scripture is wrong, that is an offense because it is the scripture that describes Krishna; it describes the holy name of Krishna; that describes the process of bhakti-yoga. And, if we go against the scripture, turn against the scripture, it is like our mother, the Vedas are like our mother, it is like we are going against our own source of nourishment. And, then the most subtle manifestation of that is not to read the books. It is a subtle offense. I mean, Vyasa Dev gave us the books. Srila Prabhupada stayed up at night and translated them and not to read them or not to attend the classes on them is a subtle offense. So, we really have to give ourselves fully to the process. So, we will hear the others we won’t discuss them all, for the sake of time but we should hear them. Number five.

Devotee: hari-nāmni kalpanam. To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krishna to be an imagination.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, and some of our devotees like His Holiness Sacinandana Swami say that if we don’t chant properly, if we don’t chant attentively, we won’t really feel the beneficial effects of the holy name, and then we will think it is imaginary. Or we will, yes, we will think this is all pious exaggeration. Next.

Devotee: To give some interpretations of the holy name of the Lord.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is similar. There are good things to say about all of them but we will try to control our tongue. Next.

Devotee: To commit sinful activities on the strength of the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. 

Giriraj Swami: Yes, this is very important and often Srila Prabhupada says this is the greatest offense or the worst offense but the idea is that as Vaisesika Prabhu said that when you surrender to the spiritual master and take shelter of the holy name, your previous sinful reactions are eradicated. And that is a principle. If you chant the holy name, it is said in the scripture: if you chant the holy name, you can destroy the reactions to more sins than you are able to commit. But, if someone thinks, Oh well, I can do whatever I want and then I will just chant and wipe it all clean, that is an offense. Not only is it an offense against the holy name, but it doesn’t work. In fact, you are compounding the reactions by that offense. So, this can also have subtle manifestations that we might not deal with someone nicely. I would think I am a devotee, I am doing it for Krishna, it is okay, but we should actually be very careful in all of our dealings and not to offend anyone, not to cause pain to any living entity, and yes, I mean sometimes we might steal a flower for Krishna, might do a little something and it is for Krishna, I am serving Krishna, I mean, it is but we should be careful, we should be careful. And, we definitely should not get caught. One of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, he did quite a bit of. . . he did a lot of collecting in the name of feeding poor people but he didn’t really use the money for that and then he got caught. And it was a terrible embarrassment for the society and a lot of the society’s assets were frozen and taken by the government; it was really a very bad situation. And the disciple gave the defense to Srila Prabhupada that he was doing it for Krishna.

And so Prabhupada told a story that in. . . might be.. Well, somewhere, we won’t make it too specific. Somewhere, everyone on that little island was engaged in smuggling. And, so one man got caught smuggling black market. So, one man got caught. He was brought before the judge, and he said, “You know, judge, everyone on this island does exactly what I do so why are you punishing me? If you punish me, then you should punish everyone. Everyone knows it.” And, the judge said, “I am not punishing you for smuggling for black marketing. I am punishing you for getting caught.” So, anyway, it is safest is not to do anything wrong in the name of being a devotee. That is definitely the safest I think we will stick to that. If you want, if you have any exceptions in mind, then consult Vaisesika Prabhu but little things, we can do for Krishna. Then next.

Devotee: To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna as one of the auspicious ritualistic activities which are offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (karma-kāṇḍa).

Giriraj Swami: Yes, people do Vedic sacrifices and things to get some material benefit. So, to think that chanting Hare Krishna is like that, it is like some ritual, and if I do it, I will get some material benefit, that is real offense. Once. . . we can’t. Next.

Devotee: Preaching the glories of the Hare Krishna mantra to the faithless.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, this is a very important point that if someone doesn’t have faith, and if you preach about the glories of the holy name, then they will think that what you are saying is just imagination. It is just. . .they will think that you are deluded. Once, I was on an airplane ride with my father, mother, sister, and a devotee friend to Kashmir. And my father was a rational person, sort of scientific. Prabhupada had written the book Easy Journey to Other Planets using some scientific language to appeal to scientific-minded people. So he didn’t have faith and I started to preach to him about the anti-material worlds, and how you can travel to the anti-material worlds, and he was looking at me like, “my poor son. . . It is like, sort of like, I thought he was crazy but I didn’t know he was this far.” I mean, he didn’t say it but I could see it in his face. And, I realized I am making a big mistake here. I am actually making things worse by my so-called preaching, and then I thought this is the offense. And, Prabhupada said that you have to build up faith on the basis of logic and reason. Then, when they have faith, you can speak about things that are appreciated only when someone does have faith, but until they have faith, you just have to speak on the basis of logic and reason or just engage them in service and, gradually, they will be purified and make advancement. So, yes, we have to judge our audience and speak at an appropriate level for them. Don’t say too much too soon. Or give them a book—that is always the best because then they get everything. They can’t argue with you. Yes, that is the best. All right, then.

Devotee: To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy name and to maintain material attachments, even after hearing so many instructions on this matter.

Giriraj Swami: Can you explain what you just said? 

Devotee: It is majorly—Not to have faith in the holy name when we are chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So, when we are chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra, we should not have any doubts hovering in our mind that is it working? Is it not working? Should I chant further? Should I not chant further? We should have complete faith that the name of Krishna and Krishna are non-different. We should try to reduce our material attachments since we are learning the subject matter from such a long time. 

Giriraj Swami: That is good. There is actually a connection between the two. To not have complete faith in the holy name and to maintain material attachments even after understanding so many instructions. The idea is. . . If I have faith that the holy name will fulfil all my desires, fulfil all my needs, then I won’t hold on to my material attachments. I will see that they are impediment to my taking full shelter of the holy name but if I don’t really have faith in the holy name, then I will think, Well, I am not really sure if this is going to work or not, so sort of, I will try it, but at the same time, I will have this thing going on, and that thing going on, and that thing going on, and if the holy name of one doesn’t work, well, I still have this and that and the other thing. So, that really means you don’t have faith in the holy name and it is an offense. It is like you are chanting the holy name but your heart’s not really in it. So yes, but almost everything depends on association; by associating with people who have faith, we develop faith. And, then there is an eleventh one and again, depending on how you divide the Sanskrit, it is one of the ten (offenses). Some of Prabhupada’s translations of the list includes this as one of the ten, which is to be inattentive. Often when we recite the ten from The Nectar of Devotion at the end, someone will say, it is also an offense to be inattentive while chanting. And, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that one is, that is the root of all the other offenses. If you chant inattentively, all the others have scope to flourish. And, if you chant with attention, then that chanting will clear our anarthas and free us from the other offenses, so that is the main one—to chant with attention. So, when we follow everything, I mean, some of the offenses we commit at the time of chanting but others are our offenses that we commit when we are not chanting, like blaspheming devotees. I mean, we are hoping that while you are chanting, you are not blaspheming devotees but it is something to do when you are not chanting. But, it will it will disturb your, the condition of your heart. So, when you do chant, you’ll be disturbed. So, our whole life should be led in such a way that when we do chant, our heart is clean, it is open, it is receptive to the holy name and we can get the real benefit. And then, we know this is. . . it is not exaggeration, it is not imagination, it is real. So, that is good, and as Vaisesika Prabhu said, we have the pañcarātrika-vidhi to help us be regulated and controlled, and it all goes together. So, now by Vaisesika Prabhu’s desire, I will give first initiation to two devotees, and then he will give his initiation. Do they have the neck beads put on?

Vaisesika Prabhu: Yes, now, they will need to have the neck beads.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, so some initiated devotees should put the new neck beads on the new initiates. And, I didn’t get to discuss this with the two, Pratibha and Puja. We didn’t discuss which of you was coming forth first so the two of you discuss and let me know. And in the meantime, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. . .

. . .

Okay, so afterwards, you go and offer obeisances to Srila Prabhupada. So, what are the four principles that you agree to follow?

Pratibha Mataji: I take a vow in front of all the devotees, my śikhā-guru, my guru Maharaja and the deities, to follow the four regulated principles which are no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit-sex. 

Giriraj Swami: And, how many rounds do you promise to follow to chant? 

Pratibha Mataji: I take a vow to chant minimum of sixteen rounds every day.

Giriraj Swami: Is there anything else you would like to say or declare?

Pratibha Mataji: I want to thank you Maharaja so much for accepting me in the shelter of your lotus feet. Then, I take a moment to thank Vaisesika Prabhu, Nirguna Mataji and all the devotees, who have agreed to accept me and given me their shelter and association, which has given me a chance to do whatever little advancement, I have done. It wouldn’t have been possible. And, I also. . . [Unintelligible 00:53:18] want to make Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are my life and soul. But, I take a vow to make them my life and soul till the end. 

Giriraj Swami: Jaya, thank you very much. So, on behalf of Srila Prabhupada and the guru-paramparā, I am pleased to accept you as my duly initiated disciple. And, henceforth, you will be known as Preeti Radhika dasi. Preeti means love or affection and of course, Radhika is Srimati Radharani. So, Preeti Radhika means loving Radhika affection.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:54:36]

Giriraj Swami: I wasn’t timing myself but I have a feeling I spoke too much, so I am not speaking about it. I am not speaking about the candidates.

Giriraj Swami: So, what are the four principles that you promise to follow?

Puja Mataji: I take a vow to follow the four regulative principles of no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit-sex.

Giriraj Swami: And, how many rounds?

Puja Mataji: I take a vow to chant a minimum of sixteen rounds every day. 

Giriraj Swami: And, is there anything else you would like to say or declare?

Puja Mataji: Well, thank you very much Maharaja for taking me under your shelter. I guess, I would also like to take a vow to read Srila Prabhupada’s book every day, at least a page or two.

Giriraj Swami: Good, that is very good. Actually, Preeti Radhika and Puja are sisters and they have been helping each other in Krishna consciousness all along. And, it is a really great fortune for them to be so close as sisters and to have such a spiritual relationship as sisters that all they do is really talk about Krishna consciousness and how to improve. In this path, Puja became more serious a little before Preeti Radhika but she was saying, how Puja had told her that whatever happens, you should chant at least one round during brāhma-muhūrta. And, I thought that was such a nice thing for a sister to say to a sister. And, Preeti Radhika also took it very seriously. So, sometimes familiarity breeds. . . Oh, my sister, my brother but they have a very spiritual relationship and they respect each other spiritually and because of that they each take the good advice of the other, and they both make good progress together. And, it is expanded now from them to. . . they have a third sister, who is now an aspiring disciple in India. And, their mother is chanting, aged mother is chanting. So, it is increasing, it is increasing. So, anything else?

On behalf of Srila Prabhupada and the guru-paramparā, I am pleased to accept you as my newly initiated disciple and henceforth, you will be known as Priya Gopika. So, Priya means dear and the primary meaning of Gopika in this context is Radhika and it can mean other Gopikas. And, so she is the servant of Radhika or Gopika who is very dear, and also the servant of those who are dear to Gopika or Radhika. And, I wanted the two names to be similar but not too similar; simultaneously one and different. And, these two names have, each of the two names has five syllables, and of those five syllables, two and a half are the same and two and a half are different. So, they can be together as they are, as spiritual sisters, and also be individuals as they are. Hare Krishna.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Shyamalangi devi, would you please come up? Today, Shyamalangi devi dasi, who already accepted hari-nāma initiation over a year ago, who has been. . . Shyamalangi, you’ve been extremely steady and especially have been eager for hearing. I always notice how you and your whole family come here to help. And, I always wonder how you do that because you are all so busy. I mean you have, you have such a busy life and children to raise, and somehow or other you always make it to the class, and even in the rare chances, times when you can’t make it to class, you are listening online very carefully with great enthusiasm. And also, you’ve developed a desire to move forward in your spiritual life; you’ve been watching the devotees who are taking care of the deities and this desire in your heart is developed to worship Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan personally, which is the next step. So, today, Shyamalangi is taking mantra dīkṣā and later on, I am going to give her the mantras. And, I will speak them into her right ear as is the tradition, as I heard that from my spiritual master, and in this way, we can pass down various mantras beginning with the Brahmā-Gāyatrī mantra and, there are mantras to worship the spiritual master, Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Krishna. And, these mantras also form the basis for mūla-mantras which are used in the worship of the deity. So, this is a very big occasion to come this far through all the different species of life to come in this lifetime and then reach this level of initiation. So, we are all very proud of you, for your determination, and we are all benefiting from the enthusiasm that you are bringing. And, we don’t have a grand crescendo for this one. I do have a certificate which has a proof that you’ve taken second initiation. And actually, I liked that Maharaja was asking if anyone has anything to say. Yes Shyamalangi? Do you want to say something?

Shyamalangi: I want to serve you better. I want to get better in my service. Please pray for me. 

Vaisesika Maharaja: She wants to get better and she wants blessings, yes. Hare Krishna. This is our preoccupation. It is how to serve better. If someone comes to the point of saying, “my service is fine” then it means, they are in a tailspin ready but if someone is thinking at every moment, how can I improve my service, that person is feeling ecstasy in life that is also connected to Krishna in a very profound way. And, so I appreciate that very much Shyamalangi. Hare Krishna. 

Next, we will have Heero, please come up. Heero, we met in 2009 back in Baskim Avenue which we all.. anyone who lives on Baskim Avenue will always remember it with great affection. We will remember how we have evolved where we came from. We will never forget where we came from. Let’s put it that way. Where did we come from? What neighborhood did we come from? There was a pit bull in the yard, remember? It was 100 degrees at least during most of the programs. Anyway, you were there and the moment you walked in, everyone could see your enthusiasm, and you approached me very early on, telling me that your desire was to make this life a success by moving forward in spiritual life. And, Krishna hears such pleas from His devotee. In fact, it says in the shastra, at one time, Lord Ramachandra says, if one time someone says that I surrender unto You, that is it, He said from then on, He said I consider that person My ward. I will take care of that person forever. And, you’ve given your heart to this idea of surrendering to Krishna and you’ve taken step-by-step this process to come up to this level, so we are all very proud of you, and very happy for this event today. What vows do you have in mind?

Heero Mataji: I take a vow to follow the four regulative principles no meat-eating, no illicit-sex, no gambling and no intoxication. 

Vaisesika Maharaja: Anything else?

Heero Mataji: I want to serve my Guru Maharaja, My Guru Mata better, and serve Radha Madan Mohanji, Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji better and serve all the Vaishnavas to my best physical and mental and financial abilities.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Did you mention anything about chanting?

Heero Mataji: And sixteen rounds of chanting with full attention. 

Vaisesika Maharaja: And, always, whenever you make a vow it is always like this is kind of legalese. . .[Unintelligible 01:06:58] but you always put “at least,” in front of it. . .

Heero Mataji: At least.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Because you have room to grow. So say, at least. Okay, that is good, anything else you would like to say? 

Heero Mataji: I want to thank my husband Prasanth who has been with me till now and I just want to thank him for being in my life.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Thank you very much.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Following the eternal principle of paramparā, taking Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya’s order to expand the saṅkīrtana movement as my life and soul, and depending on their mercy, the mercy of the previous acharyas, and all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord, who are like desire trees, I am exceedingly pleased to accept you as my disciple and therefore grand disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, and a member of the Brahma-madhva-gauḍīya-sampradāya. May all the previous acharyas and the ocean of mercy, Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu shower you with Their grace. I hereby joyfully award you the name Kaala Keli devi dasi. And, this is proof of purchase. You can hold her beads, somebody hold her beads while she offers obeisances.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Lavanya, please come out.

Lavanya Mataji: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Hare Krishna Giriraj Maharaja. Today, I take a vow to follow the four regulated principles of no meat-eating, no illicit-sex, no gambling, and no intoxication. I take a vow to chant at least sixteen rounds every day. I take a vow to follow my Guru Maharaja’s orders whatever they may be.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Lavanya, I first noticed you when I went to a home program, and I remember how Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said about Srila Prabhupada that I marked that he liked to hear. There was something about you that. . . there was extra enthusiasm which is this utsāhā, this enthusiasm for spiritual life, it is very auspicious. In fact, the word enthusiasm “entheos” means “the God within,” to have that means Krishna’s prompting this; it means good fortune. So, you’ve been very steady and determined and enthusiastic in your service. And, it is a wonderful day to see you here taking initiation from the deities and all the devotees.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Following the eternal principle of paramparā, taking Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya’s order to expand the saṅkīrtana movement as my life and soul, and depending on their mercy, the mercy of the previous acharyas, and all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord, who are like desire trees, I am exceedingly pleased to accept you as my disciple and therefore grand disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, and a member of the Brahma-madhva-gauḍīya-sampradāya. May all the previous acharyas and the ocean of mercy, Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu shower you with Their grace. I hereby joyfully award you the name Manjula Kantha devi dasi.

Nirkula’s reminding me that everyone likes to know the meaning of these names. So, Manjula Kantha, I found while I was reading the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, and it means that Krishna’s speech is always charming. Kantha means throat, and Manjula means a jewel so, whatever He speaks is pleasing, charming, and beautiful. 

Kaala Keli devi dasi is one of the assistants of Srimati Radharani. And, I have given you a reference in the certificate where you can look up your name. So, it is a very intimate name of one of the servants in the spiritual world. That is your namesake.

Jayendra Prabhu. Shaara devi dasi, would say something about Jayendra Prabhu? I think you met him first.

Shaara devi dasi: Hare Krishna. Jayendra Prabhu is a result of book distribution yajña. We met him outside India Cash and Carry, Mukharvinda and I, where we had gone with the purpose of distributing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets. Up until then, we had never distributed sets out there in a place like India Cash and Carry. And, he was the first one, he came there. And I remember we had a smaller set of Bhāgavatams and it was cheaper so we sold it to him but he wanted really wanted the full volume—all the twelve cantos. He is an ardent reader but somehow, I managed to sell him the smaller set. But, he came back the next week when we were there again, and he said no, he returned it and he really wanted the big one so he paid more and took the big one. And, then I used to follow up with him about the reading and he was progressing so fast, one chapter after another, one Canto after another, and then as it happens, after reading the Bhāgavatam, he wanted devotee association. So, we saw him at the temple. He started coming regularly there. 

And, Jayendra is very shy and quiet, and unassuming, very, very, talented. He sings, he can play the mridanga. And, I came into very close contact with him when we went to Los Angeles. He volunteered to come there to help Guru Maharaja with the book distribution, and all the days that we were there, they were really long days. And, he was working really hard from three o’clock in the morning through the temple sessions and doing book distribution till late in the night and he never ever complained. So, I really think that I am so fortunate to have him as my god sibling. And, then he has a wonderful family, his wife and daughter are here. He has two daughters – they are super talented. And, I have seen that they also come to the temple and dedicate a lot of their time towards temple activities. So, he comes with a package—he and his entire family. So, it is a wonderful family to have. Hari Haribol. 

Vaisesika Maharaja: What are the vows you have come here to take today?

Jayendra Prabhu: I take the vow to—no meat-eating, no illicit-sex, no gambling, no intoxication. 

Vaisesika Maharaja: For how long is that vow? 

Jayendra Prabhu: Forever.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Forever. Ok. What else?

Jayendra Prabhu: I will take the vow to chant at least sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna maha-mantra every day. I also take a vow to serve you to the best of my capabilities Maharaja.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Thank you very much. Jayendra is a rare jewel and it shows today the efficacy of our efforts to walk out the door to meet people. There are souls who are hankering for Krishna, who are just waiting for the instruction how to connect and some of them are very qualified. And, I find you to be one of those great gems, who comes from a very upright background, and who has a soft devotional heart, very gentle nature. I am very happy to have met you and to be instrumental in bringing you closer to Srila Prabhupada and the rest of the disciplic succession. And, I am especially gratified that you came because the devotees went out to distribute books and this is one of. . . Prabhupada says in the Kṛṣṇa book, “If one person becomes a devotee because of this, my mission is a success.” So,

Devotees: Haribol.

Vaisesika Maharaja: Following the eternal principle of paramparā, taking Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya’s order to expand the saṅkīrtana movement as my life and soul, and depending on their mercy, the mercy of the previous acharyas, and all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord, who are like desire trees, I am exceedingly pleased to accept you as my disciple and therefore grand disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and a member of the Brahma-madhva-gauḍīya-sampradāya. May all the previous acharyas and the ocean of mercy, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu shower you with Their grace. The name I am giving you is a, includes a nickname of Krishna—it is used only by His closest devotees. I hereby joyfully award you the name Jay Kanaiya dasa. 

It is just a small addendum which is to all of you who accepted initiation from me today, remember the verse

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

Spiritual life begins with the tongue. Be very careful about vaco vegam, you should control the tongue, how you speak and take Krishna prasādam, then it becomes very easy to control all the other senses, and it pleases Krishna. He will actually appear before you, if you take the time and the trouble to control your tongue. And, the other is to absorb yourself in Srila Prabhupada’s books. Find out a systematic way to read the books as Prabhupada says in his Caitanya-caritāmṛta purport that, “If my students don’t read all the books, then they will return to eating, sleeping, and then they will fall down again into the material world.” So, you have to renew every day and stay very close to the books, and at last remember to have compassion for the living entities. This is the way to be recognized by Krishna very quickly that if you show mercy to others and help to expand the saṅkīrtana movement especially by distributing books about Krishna to people all over the world, then you’ll be recognized very quickly, and Krishna will give you special, special mercy. Thank you. Thanks to all of you. Hare Krishna. 

Devotees: Haribol!!