20220913 North Bengal Nāmahaṭṭa Initiation Address

The following is a Diksa Ceremony for  the North Bengal Nāmahaṭṭa devotees by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on September 13th, 2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: Devotees have come from Malda and north and south Dinajpur, in Bengal. Who have come from Malda raise your hand? North Dinajpur? South Dinajpur?

Prabhu Nityānanda established Nāmahaṭṭa and then Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura re-established it. And we have tried to establish the Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāmahaṭṭa. Now my special desire is that every Nāmahaṭṭa devotee does not come into the birth and death cycle –that after this life they do not come back to this material world and go back to Godhead. To do this, you have to follow all the rules, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

I am giving the exam for Bhakti-vaibhava degree. After that I will then give the exam for Bhakti-vedānta. If Lord Kṛṣṇa desires, I will then do Bhakti-sārvabhauma. The Māyāpur Institute wanted to give me honorary Bhakti-vaibhava degree, me being the senior most devotee, but I said I wanted to study and then earn the degree. Now I am on the 5th Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and giving the exam. Once I finish 6 cantos, Bhakti-vaibhava will be complete.

In the 5th canto there is description of 28 types of hell. None of us wish to go to any of these hells. Husband and wife there is a proper way by which they can unite to procreate. But if man and woman they unite in an illicit way there is a hell where such people go to. I have read this many times but am reading it again. There are three types of hell. If a man or woman hide and have illicit relations, there is a hell for that. And if by cheating (420) the girls, boys, do some unlawful or wrong things there are two hells meant for such people – Raurava and Mahā-raurava. If either man or woman do something not prescribed, there is another hell for such people. Our devotees, follow the four regulative principles and take vows to not have illicit sex, no gambling or intoxication, no meat eating. Eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda all the time. If this they do then no need to go to hell. And if they chant the holy names of the Lord, then they get special mercy.

Ajāmila had done a lot of sinful activities. But he had given his youngest son the name, Nārāyaṇa. This is there in the 6th canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He was very attached to Nārāyaṇa and so always kept calling out, “Nārāyaṇa, come here. Nārāyaṇa, let us go for a walk, Nārāyaṇa eat. Nārāyaṇa, sit here.” At the time of death he called out “NĀRĀYAṆA!” Then he thought of Ādi Nārāyaṇa. The Yamadūtas came to take him to hell but the Viṣṇudūtas came and told them you have no right over him because he had taken the name of Nārāyaṇa. This way, I hope that you are a devotee and take the names of the Lord willingly. But here we see even though Ajāmila took the name of the Lord without really thinking of Him, he still got saved from going to hell and ultimately went back to Godhead. All of you should chant 16 rounds japa, do service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, help Mahārāja here in various programs, and this way you can go back to Godhead. Also have the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other scriptures at home. Mahārāja, I have so many Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets donated to me. You can maybe think of donating them in different districts. Preachers, please do your service well and try to get Bhakti-śāstrī degree, etc. If any of you want to do Bhakti-vaibhava, I can donate the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam set to you. You can think about, Mahārāja.

All of you should chant 16 rounds japa, do service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, help Mahārāja here in various programs, and this way you can go back to Godhead. Also have the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other scriptures at home. Mahārāja, I have so many Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets donated to me. You can maybe think of donating them in different districts. Preachers, please do your service well and try to get Bhakti-śāstrī degree, etc. If any of you want to do Bhakti-vaibhava, I can donate the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam set to you. You can think about, Mahārāja.

This Bhādra Pūrṇimā just went by a few days ago and many Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams were sold and donated. Now in your home, do kṛṣṇa-nāma, kṛṣṇa-pūjā, eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda and reading Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, your home will become a place of pilgrimage.

Haribol!