SB 3.15.25 – Initiation Ceremony

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. So, we have gathered for the most auspicious occasion for the initiation of Gopi Krishna [Unintelligible 00:09:04]. You can be seated. And generally, on initiations Srila Prabhupada would speak about the ten offenses in the chanting of the holy names, because you are being initiated into the chanting of the holy names, and he would also speak about spiritual master and disciple. So, Kalakanta Prabhu and I have divided the topics, and I will be speaking about the ten offenses, the verse, on his request. And then, he will speak about spiritual master and disciple. So, I will read a verse and purport from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that discusses the ten offenses.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

We read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Fifteen, “Description of the Kingdom of God,”

TEXT 25

yac ca vrajanty animiṣām ṛṣabhānuvṛttyā

dūre yamā hy upari naḥ spṛhaṇīya-śīlāḥ

bhartur mithaḥ suyaśasaḥ kathanānurāga-

vaiklavya-bāṣpa-kalayā pulakī-kṛtāṅgāḥ

TRANSLATION

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. Just as there are many hundreds of thousands of higher planets above this earth, so there are many millions and billions of spiritual planets belonging to the spiritual sky. Brahmājī states herein that the spiritual kingdom is above the kingdom of the demigods. One can enter the kingdom of the Supreme Lord only when one is highly developed in desirable qualities. All good qualities develop in the person of a devotee. It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, verse 12, that anyone who is Kṛṣṇa conscious is endowed with all the good qualities of the demigods. In the material world the qualities of the demigods are highly appreciated, just as, even in our experience, the qualities of a gentleman are more highly appreciated than the qualities of a man in ignorance or in a lower condition of life. The qualities of the demigods in the higher planets are far superior to the qualities of the inhabitants of this earth.

Brahmājī confirms herewith that only persons who have developed the desirable qualities can enter into the kingdom of God. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the devotee’s desirable qualities are described to be twenty-six in number. They are stated as follows:

COMMENT

And as we hear the list, we can check, be a little introspective and check to what extent we are developing these qualities or manifesting these qualities.

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. Similarly, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Third Canto, Twenty-fifth Chapter, verse 21, the qualifications of a saintly person are mentioned. It is said there that a saintly person eligible to enter into the kingdom of God is very tolerant and very kind to all living entities. He is not partial; he is kind both to human beings and to animals. He is not such a fool that he will kill a goat Nārāyaṇa to feed a human Nārāyaṇa, or daridra-nārāyaṇa. He is very kind to all living entities; therefore he has no enemy. He is very peaceful. These are the qualities of persons who are eligible to enter into the kingdom of God. That such a person gradually becomes liberated and enters the kingdom of God is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, Fifth Chapter, verse 2. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Second Canto, Third Chapter, verse 24, also states that if a person does not cry or exhibit bodily changes after chanting the holy name of God without offense, it is to be understood that he is hardhearted and that therefore his heart does not change even after he chants the holy name of God, Hare Kṛṣṇa. These bodily changes can take place due to ecstasy when we offenselessly chant the holy names of God: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

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. 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 chantb 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. The third offense is to think of the spiritual master who spreads the glories of the Lord as an ordinary human being.

COMMENT

Actually, the third offense is guror avajñā, to disobey the orders of the spiritual master. And here, Srila Prabhupada has explained the underlying mentality of someone who would disobey the orders of the spiritual master, which is to think of the spiritual master who spreads the glories of the Lord as an ordinary human being.

PURPORT (continued)

The fourth offense is to consider the Vedic literatures, such as the Purāṇas or other transcendentally revealed scriptures, to be ordinary books of knowledge. 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. . .

COMMENT

With the idea that he could neutralize the effects by chanting.

PURPORT (continued)

. . .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.

COMMENT

Or to preach the glories of the holy name to the faithless.

PURPORT (continued)

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 devotional service.

COMMENT

So, Srila Prabhupada instructed, that is part of our morning program in the temple, we recite the list of ten offenses. They’re usually in the list given in The Nectar of Devotion. And after reading the list, a devotee will add, “It is also an offense to be inattentive while chanting.” And Sanskrit is such that the words can be broken up in different ways. And in Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s rendition of the ten offenses, he counts inattention as the ninth offense, and he says that if one chants attentively, then all the other offenses will be destroyed. And if one is inattentive while chanting, then all the other offenses can flourish. So, that is most important that we chant attentively.

PURPORT (continued)

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. 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

That is what 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

And just to make that discussion a little more complete, I will read from the section that Srila Prabhupada cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. There are a few verses on the topic. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Eight.

TEXTS 29–30

If one chants the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his love for the Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his eyes, it is evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa does not sprout.

COMMENT

And Text Thirty-one, which Srila Prabhupada specifically cited.

TEXT 31

But if one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, very quickly he is cleansed of all offenses. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura remarks in this connection that if one takes shelter of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda, follows Their instructions to become more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the grass, and in this way chants the holy name of the Lord, very soon he achieves the platform of transcendental loving service to the Lord, and tears appear in his eyes. There are offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting the names of Gaura-Nityānanda. Therefore, if one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra but his life is still full of sinful activities, it will be very difficult for him to achieve the platform of loving service to the Lord. But if in spite of being an offender one chants the holy names of Gaura-Nityānanda, he is very quickly freed from the reactions to his offenses.

COMMENT

So, it is a common practice that before we chant, definitely in kirtan, before we chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, we chant the Pancha-tattva. And even in chanting japa, I and many others, we chant the Pancha-tattva mantra before we chant each round of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So, that is a little discussion of the ten offenses. I think I am just going to go for a minute.

Kalakanta Prabhu: Hare Krishna. Maharaja has asked me to speak on the spiritual master and disciple for this wonderful family from Columbus because today Gopi Krishna Prabhu is taking initiation from me, Sumitra from Giriraj Maharaja. Bahu is aspiring for Gopal Krishna Maharaja, Kirti hasn’t made up her mind. [laughter] Some people might say this is a dysfunctional family. [laughter] But in fact, it is a very beautiful family because the purpose is serving Krishna. The meaning of today’s initiation is to formalize that service and cement it in your hearts and minds forever. So, in that regard, I would like to read two verses and some excerpts from purports in Canto Seven, in Chapter Fifteen entitled “Instructions for Civilized Human Beings.”

TEXTS 43–44

In the conditioned stage, one’s conceptions of life are sometimes polluted by passion and ignorance, which are exhibited by attachment, hostility, greed, lamentation, illusion, fear, madness, false prestige, insults, fault-finding, deception, envy, intolerance, passion, bewilderment, hunger and sleep. All of these are enemies.

COMMENT

And if that is not bad enough. . .

TEXT 43–44

Sometimes one’s conceptions are also polluted by goodness.

COMMENT

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada comments. . .

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

If one is fortunate enough to transcend all this so-called goodness and badness and come to the platform of devotional service by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and the guru, his life becomes successful. In this regard, one must be very bold so that he can conquer these enemies of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not caring for the good and bad of this material world, one must boldly propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

And the next verse.

TEXT 45

As long as one has to accept a material body, with its different parts and paraphernalia, which are not fully under one’s control, one must have the lotus feet of his superiors, namely his spiritual master and the spiritual master’s predecessors. By their mercy, one can sharpen the sword of knowledge, and with the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s mercy one must then conquer the enemies mentioned above. In this way, the devotee should be able to merge into his own transcendental bliss, and then he may give up his body and resume his spiritual identity.

COMMENT

So, all of these anomalies that we read are addressed now, that through the mercy of one’s superiors; spiritual master and predecessors, one can sharpen the sword of knowledge, and then conquer the enemies mentioned above. So, in this lengthy purport, Srila Prabhupada writes. . .

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Significant in this verse are the words jñānāsim acyuta-balaḥ. Jñānāsim, the sword of knowledge, is given by Kṛṣṇa, and when one serves the guru and Kṛṣṇa in order to hold the sword of Kṛṣṇa’s instructions, Balarāma gives one strength. Balarāma is Nityānanda. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta haila sei, balarāma ha-ila nitāi. This bala — Balarāma — comes with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and both of Them are so merciful that in this Age of Kali one may very easily take shelter of Their lotus feet. They come especially to deliver the fallen souls of this age. Pāpī tāpī yata chila, hari-nāme uddhārila. Their weapon is saṅkīrtana, hari-nāma. Thus one should accept the sword of knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and be strong with the mercy of Balarāma. We are therefore worshiping Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.2.4) it is stated:

One cannot attain the goal of life without the mercy of Balarāma. Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says, nitāiyera karuṇā habe, vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe: when one receives the mercy of Balarāma, Nityānanda, one can attain the lotus feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa very easily.

If one has no connection with Nitāi, Balarāma, then even though one is a very learned scholar or jñānī or has taken birth in a very respectable family, these assets will not help him. We must therefore conquer the enemies of Kṛṣṇa consciousness with the strength received from Balarāma.

COMMENT

So, I wanted to share this because, of course, today is this auspicious day, Balarama Purnima. And Balarama is the original spiritual master. Lord Krishna is busy with His loving devotees, and He turns everyone else over to Balarama. [laughter] He is a very good manager. So, for us to enter into the realm of Krishna’s loving pastimes, we need to go through the mercy of Balarama. Balarama is the original spiritual master. Giriraj and I were discussing, how do we reconcile this question of worshiping the spiritual master as good as God? In the very early days of ISKCON, the first initiation in fact, Srila Prabhupada beforehand mentioned that the meaning of initiation is from now on you worship the spiritual master as God. And on hearing this, most of the first initiates were about to drop out because that was a bridge too far. So, they asked Srila Prabhupada, and he explained spiritual master is not God, the spiritual master is the representative of God. God is God. And through the spiritual master, we connect with God. One of the qualifications for a spiritual master is that the spiritual master is connected with a spiritual master and the predecessors. And that is how we receive the strength of Balarama to use the knowledge given by Krishna in Bhagavad-gītā.

So, to take this service, to take this vow as initiates, we are promising to, before the deities, Sri Sri Nitai-Gaura Nataraja, and in the presence of the Vaishnavas in the moment before the sacrificial fire, we are vowing to observe these principles for the rest of our lives, and thus conquer these enemies of spirituality mentioned in the Bhāgavatam. The qualification of the spiritual master, in addition to having the connection with the predecessor acharyas, is that the knowledge is understood, and the knowledge is practiced, and the knowledge is taught. This Prabhupada says is an acharya. So, Srila Prabhupada said it is a very simple thing. Postal pion. He said in India, the mail is delivered by the postal pion on a humble position. There is no self-aggrandizement, there is no profit, there is no ulterior motive other than giving the knowledge and continuing the chain of disciplic succession and connecting people to the mercy of Lord Balarama, so that they can connect others. So, the real purpose today is to empower you for that purpose. And as you are taking the mercy from the spiritual master, so you share that mercy with others on behalf of Lord Balarama. Lord Balarama gives us the strength to always apply and practice and share the knowledge of Krishna consciousness. So, may you continue to be blessed in that way on this auspicious occasion.

Thank you, Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Kalakanta Prabhu: So, Gopi Krishna Prabhu? You can kindly offer your obeisances to Srila Prabhupada. And you can offer obeisances our way. So, what are the four regulated principles you are vowing to follow for the rest of your life?

Gopi Krishna Prabhu: No meat eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling.

Kalakanta Prabhu: And how many rounds of Hare Krishna maha-mantra will you chant each day?

Gopi Krishna Prabhu: Minimum sixteen rounds.

Kalakanta Prabhu: Okay. Your new name is Krishna Smaraṇam dasa. [applause] Prahlada Maharaja is the emblem of Krishna Smaraṇam, remembrance of Krishna through all the difficulties, the diseases, the sufferings, the joys and sorrows of this material world. And navigating our life successfully means that we remember Krishna at the time of death. So, may you be blessed in that way. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Beautiful.

Devotee: Krishna Smaraṇam Prabhu ki jaya!

Giriraj Swami: Yes, please offer obeisances to Srila Prabhupada. So, Sumitra, what are the four principles that you vow to follow every day for the rest of your life?

Devotee: No meat eating, including fish and eggs, no intoxication, including coffee and tea, no illicit sex, and no gambling.

Giriraj Swami: And how many rounds?

Devotee: I will chant at least minimum sixteen rounds.

Giriraj Swami: All right. And on this auspicious occasion in this August assembly, is there anything else you would like to say?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:43:21]. I just wanted for all the devotees in Columbus, as well as around the world, every single person has helped us a lot. And I also wanted to acknowledge a sister from another mother, Guru-Vandana.

Giriraj Swami: Beautiful, nice. On behalf of Srila Prabhupada and the guru-paramparā, I am pleased to accept you as my duly initiated disciple, and hence forth, your name will be Krishna Jivani dasi. [applause]

Devotee: Krishna Jivani dasi ki jaya!

Giriraj Swami: Krishna Jivani is the name of Tulasi-devi who is the life and soul of Sri Krishna.

Devotee: Thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: So, should we go out for the yajña?

Kalakanta Prabhu: Yes, that is good.

Giriraj Swami: All right, well, thank you all for joining us and supporting our initiates and all of us. Now we will go out for the fire yajña. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!