Spiritual Initiations

Giriraj Swami: From Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, there have been two divisions to the initiation process: the first initiation is initiation into the chanting of the holy name, hari-nāma. And the second initiation is initiation into chanting the Gayatri mantras, and with the second initiation one is considered to be a brahman and eligible to worship the deity on the altar. Of course, a Vaishnava, pure Vaishnava, is transcendental beyond any of the, you could say, mundane categories of brahman, kshatriya, vaishya, and sutra. But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was concerned that people may misunderstand the position of a Vaishnava which is actually higher than brahman, and therefore, he offered brahminical initiation of the sacred threat to his qualified disciples.

So today some initiates will be getting first initiation and some would be getting second, and some have been waiting so long, some thirty years? Some, they are between twenty and thirty years, so we will give them first and second. So the chanting of the holy name can be performed [by] singing kirtan or quietly on beads, japa. And Srila Prabhupada established the basic minimum for first initiation, that the initiate must chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one round is one hundred and eight beads, and that takes two hours, but whatever it takes, two hours, two and a half, or less, more. And one must vow four regulated principles, that is no eating of meat, fish, or eggs, no taking of intoxicants including even coffee, tea, and cigarettes, no illicit sex life, that means no sex outside of marriage, and actually, only for the sake of procreation, and no gambling, or mental speculation. So these are serious vows. Srila Prabhupada said that if he relaxed the regulated principles, he could have had millions of disciples but he didn’t want cheap disciples. Ekaś candras, that one moon lights up the darkness of the night more than millions of little stars twinkling. So he said he wasn’t after these twinkling stars but he was after that one moon. But then he said, by Krishna’s grace he got many moons.

So, traditionally because the chanting, although Srila Prabhupada says, “Chanting is easy, the determination to chant is not so easy.” I mean anyone can chant.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

But the determination to chant at least sixteen rounds a day it is not so easy. So it is a credit to these devotees that have come to that stage and are ready to take vows to the effect that they will maintain that step. And the chanting should be done, harināma-kirtanam should be done following the ways of the great authorities, and specifically, that means to avoid the ten offenses. And therefore, at initiation Srila Prabhupada would discuss the ten offenses. And I have chosen a verse and purport from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that discusses these ten offenses. And if one chants the holy name while avoiding these ten offenses, as His Holiness Keshava Bharati dasa Gosvami Maharaja said, “If one chants offenselessly, one will progress very rapidly and make significant advancement.”

So this verse is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Fifteen, “Description of the Kingdom of God.” So, I will just recite the Sanskrit and read the purport, otherwise it is a beautiful verse but. . .

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya,

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya,

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya,

Just read the translation.

TEXT 25

Persons whose bodily features change in ecstasy and who breathe heavily and perspire due to hearing the glories of the Lord are promoted to the kingdom of God, even though they do not care for meditation and other austerities. The kingdom of God is above the material universes, and it is desired by Brahmā and other demigods.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

It is clearly stated herein that the kingdom of God is above the material universes.

Brahmājī confirms herewith that only persons who have developed the desirable qualities can enter into the kingdom of God.

COMMENT

So now I am going to read the qualities of the devotee, and we should, of course, it is also said that by Krishna consciousness all these qualities develop automatically. But we should also be aware of the standard and try to develop these qualities.

PURPORT (continued)

In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the devotee’s desirable qualities are described to be twenty-six in number. They are stated as follows:

COMMENT

So check yourself, how you are doing on these qualities.

PURPORT (continued)

He is very kind.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada writes he, but that includes she; he or she.

PURPORT (continued)

He is very kind; he does not quarrel with anyone; he accepts Kṛṣṇa consciousness as the highest goal of life; he is equal to everyone; no one can find fault in his character; he is magnanimous, mild and always clean, internally and externally; he does not profess to possess anything in this material world; he is a benefactor to all living entities; he is peaceful and is a soul completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; he has no material desire to fulfill; he is meek and humble, always steady, and has conquered the sensual activities; he does not eat more than required to maintain body and soul together; he is never mad after material identity; he is respectful to all others and does not demand respect for himself; he is very grave, very compassionate and very friendly; he is poetic; he is expert in all activities; and he is silent in nonsense. 

It may be noted that there are ten offenses we should avoid. The first offense is to decry persons who try in their lives to broadcast the glories of the Lord. People must be educated in understanding the glories of the Supreme; therefore the devotees who engage in preaching the glories of the Lord are never to be decried. It is the greatest offense.

COMMENT

So this is called sādhu-nindā, to blaspheme or criticize devotees - this is the greatest offense. So we should really be careful of that. Sometimes because we associate with devotees so much we may become over-familiar and see them in material ways according to our material conditioning, and criticize them, we should not do that.

PURPORT (continued)

Furthermore, the holy name of Viṣṇu is the most auspicious name, and His pastimes are also nondifferent from the holy name of the Lord. There are many foolish persons who say that one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or chant the name of Kālī or Durgā or Śiva because they are all the same. If one thinks that the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the names and activities of the demigods are on the same level, or if one accepts the holy name of Viṣṇu to be a material sound vibration, that is also an offense.

COMMENT

So Krishna, or Vishnu, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Shiva, Durga, Ganesh, are demigods who are subordinate to and dependent on the Supreme Lord. Krishna, or Vishnu, is like the king, and He has ministers in His court who He rewards due to their loyalty and confidence with positions. So Brahma, you could say, is the minister of creation, Shiva’s the minister of destruction, different demigods have different universal functions, but they are all subordinate to and dependent on the Supreme, Krishna. And to think of them as equal to or independent of Krishna is an offense.

PURPORT (continued)

The third offense is to think of the spiritual master who spreads the glories of the Lord as an ordinary human being. The fourth offense is to consider the Vedic literatures, such as the Purāṇas or other transcendentally revealed scriptures, to be ordinary books of knowledge.

COMMENT

So, sometimes it is said to blaspheme the Vedic literature, literature in pursuance of Vedic version, that of course, would be a gross offense. But it is a more subtle offense not to hear the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Not attending class is also a subtle offense.

PURPORT (continued)

The fifth offense is to think that devotees have given artificial importance to the holy name of God. The actual fact is that the Lord is nondifferent from His name. The highest realization of spiritual value is to chant the holy name of God, as prescribed for the age — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. The sixth offense is to give some interpretation on the holy name of God. The seventh offense is to act sinfully on the strength of chanting the holy name of God. It is understood that one can be freed from all sinful reaction simply by chanting the holy name of God, but if one thinks that he is therefore at liberty to commit all kinds of sinful acts, that is a symptom of offense. The eighth offense is to equate the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa with other spiritual activities, such as meditation, austerity, penance or sacrifice. They cannot be equated at any level. The ninth offense is to specifically glorify the importance of the holy name before persons who have no interest. The tenth offense is to be attached to the misconception of possessing something, or to accept the body as one’s self, while executing the process of spiritual cultivation.

When one is free from all ten of these offenses in chanting the holy name of God, he develops the ecstatic bodily features called pulakāśru. Pulaka means “symptoms of happiness,” and aśru means “tears in the eyes.” The symptoms of happiness and tears in the eyes must appear in a person who has chanted the holy name offenselessly. 

COMMENT

Now, it is a big topic. I will finish this paragraph, and then we will proceed.

PURPORT (continued)

Here in this verse it is stated that those who have actually developed the symptoms of happiness and tears in the eyes by chanting the glories of the Lord are eligible to enter the kingdom of God. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that if one does not develop these symptoms while chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is to be understood that he is still offensive. Caitanya-caritāmṛta suggests a nice remedy in this connection.

COMMENT

We need a nice remedy.

PURPORT (continued)

There it is said in verse 31, Chapter Eight, of Ādi-līlā, that if anyone takes shelter of Lord Caitanya and just chants the holy name of the Lord, Hare Kṛṣṇa, he becomes freed from all offenses.

COMMENT

So I have the Caitanya-caritāmṛta here, we should read that section, but the idea is that there are offenses to be considered in the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. But the Pancha-tattva. . .

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

do not consider offenses, and therefore, Srila Prabhupada said we should chant the Pancha-tattva mantra before we chant the Hare Krishna mantra. Chanting the Pancha-tattva mantra will help us to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

So now we will call forth the new initiates to take their vows. You can begin by offering obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, and then come forward and take your vows, and I will give you your beads and your new name.