20080808 Initiation Lecture

Following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Maharāja on August 8^th, 2008 in Altai, Siberia.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat‑kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī‑guruṁ dīna‑tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa, here we are in this auspicious place before Nitāi-Gauracandra Deities, here in this mountainous region, great sages and ṛṣis used to meditate in the mountains. So, we are performing sacrifice here in the presence of many Vaiṣṇavas in the sunny day, in the midday, during the rohiṇī-muhūrta. This is very auspicious. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Okay, something anyway, it is all right. There are many aspects to this initiation. One is that devotees are being connected to the spiritual master formally before the disciple was under shelter. But even if he made it, it was a practice period and if he made a mistake, it did not bring karma to the guru. [Aside: What seminar?] But now, after initiation, whatever the disciples do that is sinful or against the principles, the guru has to also suffer. So, one has to stay within the boundaries and if there is some mistake, correct it as soon as possible.

Śrīla Prabhupāda used a very heavy word. He said, “If a disciple is engaged in sinful activities, he is a guru-drohī, He is a killer of the guru, guru-drohī.” [Aside: Rādhe! Gaurāṅga] but also Śrīla Prabhupāda said that. “Oh, oh yes. Now the microphone is initiated, connected.” (laughter) So, this is also the rejoicing because disciples are going back to Godhead. This is a matter of rejoicing, of festival because one is going back to Godhead and Hare Kṛṣṇa blooped, fell in māyā. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “We should rejoice like you are sending somebody off. They are going on a big journey. They are guaranteed to get back to Godhead as long as they do not deviate from the path.” But the thing is, of course, initiation means we are connected with the guru-paramparā. Formerly I was accepted as a member of the disciplic succession. So that is also protection from Śrīla Prabhupāda and all the previous ācāryas and Kṛṣṇa.

In the scriptures it says that the initiation is like a touchstone — can touch a base metal and turn it into gold. So, that the disciples are transformed and they are spiritualized. We get new spiritual names. That means that Kṛṣṇa calls us by that spiritual name. Not going to call us Olga or Luri or whatever. He is going to call us by the spiritual name and in our society, we should also address them by their spiritual name. They have their own spiritual identity. Somebody asked me, they said that they were told that the name we get is according to our divya-svarūpa, spiritual rasa. That may happen, but it is not necessarily like that. Because right now, whatever our body is, we may have a male body or a female body. So, we give names according to the gender also.

But someone in a woman’s body may be a cowherd boyfriend of Kṛṣṇa, or someone in a male form, may be a gopī or a sakhī or a mañjarī or something. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, I think he was in the spiritual world. I am not sure about which mañjarī he was, but I think it was Kastūrī. But I may be mixed up. Ānanda? Oh, Kamala, Bhaktisiddhānta was Kastūrī, Kamala.” Okay, he is Kamala. So that does not have anything to do with Bhaktivinoda. But as long as he is in this world and that he is called as Bhaktivinoda, then but so that is also important that we got our spiritual name. We got our... which means we are under protection of guru and Kṛṣṇa. We also take our vows, and we also surrender.

Once Śrīla Prabhupāda was giving initiation, there was a boy sitting down in America. The boy, but the girlfriend came to the door, she called him, he got up and left the yajña. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “He is not initiated. He was not ready. He failed the test.” Now, in ISKCON we have many different gurus, who have different requirements, but we have our basic requirement that I have a list of things I want the disciples to learn before initiation. They should read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam First Canto and Bhagavad-gītā twice. They should know the basic things they need for sādhana-bhakti, like tilaka, offering prasāda, the names of the gurus on the altar – the paramparā, different things. It is about twenty-nine different things, simple things that if you took a bhakta program, you would know it. But because many devotees do not take bhakta programs, as they live in the congregation, this is part of the training. In the modules you give those trainings? Not yet?

So, like this, the minimum of course is sixteen rounds and the four principles. And here in Russia, for getting the second initiation, you have to have the Bhakti-śāstrī. Or sometimes, as an exception, they have to take a test instead. So, like this, second initiation is considered also very important. We have a candidate here. It helps us to control the mind, helps us to become closer to Kṛṣṇa and guru. So, in this way we can advance faster in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if we have second initiation, it is also more serious if we make mistakes, as they are considered like priests. So, whatever they do, it is more serious, and that is so big a reaction.

Like if a normal person commits suicide, they become a ghost. But if a brāhmaṇa commits suicide, they become a brahma-rākṣasa. Actually, it came in a newspaper recently, and we saw it two days ago, that somebody on a bus, he cut off the head of another passenger and he started to cut off his meat and eat it on the bus. Someone said, “Yes, in the West, America or something.” So, it must be a rākṣasa. And the police were amazed. Never saw anybody eating other people’s flesh like rākṣasas — cannibal. Horrible. (laughter) Sorry to mention that. (laughter) There used to be whole armies of rākṣasas at the time of Rāvaṇa that Hanumān and Rāma were fighting against the rākṣasas. Now, still maybe a few around, but you do not see it so much. So, we definitely do not want to become a brahma-rākṣasa. You do not want to be a ghost either. Nobody should ever think about committing suicide. It is the worst alternative because it does not solve anything.

Another one it is just suffering worse. So, also in the morning we sing, “yāni kāni ca pāpāni brahma-hatyādikāni ca,” we circumambulate the tulasī so we can be forgiven even for heavy sins like killing a brāhmaṇa. That means the killing of a brāhmaṇa is more serious than killing a normal human being. This is some practical examples. Being a brāhmaṇa means everything you do is more important. Of course, once a devotee, there is no prāyaścitta for mistakes. You have to just get properly situated. No prāyaścitta. Prāyaścitta means like just for normal bad karma, you fast for so many days, you do this, you do that, then you can counteract. But devotees are recommended, you just have to go back to your pure devotional service. You should go back to your devotional service.

So, like that, today we are having the different births we have the first birth we get from the mother and father — a lot of babies here in the audience. The second birth is from the guru, first initiation, the guru-janma. And the third birth is taking the second initiation, that is called yajñika-janma. So, like this, we want all of you to bless the candidates here because they are taking this responsibility. They are taking a more serious role in their spiritual life. So, devotees should all aspire to be initiated. But you do not have to rush into it. Do not have to rush into it. That is why we have someone is an aspiring disciple, they are sheltered disciples. We give a lot of chance for them to practice first. They can know the guru, they can become more mature in their devotional commitment. Let us give them all a blessing now by chanting Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!”

So, also when we, this is a vaiṣṇava-homa. When we offer in the, in the, this is the flame, is the mouth of Viṣṇu. So, that fruit and other things is viṣṇu-prasāda, you can eat it. It is prasāda. It is not, as some people say, “Oh, they think it is bad karma or something”, karma is burnt up by Viṣṇu, and this fruit is prasāda. There is some karma-kāṇḍa to the different devas and demigods that may have some karma, I do not know but we never perform those yajñas. But this is a viṣṇu-homa, and there is no problem to take prasāda. In the time of Śrīla Prabhupāda, we used to always take the bananas, put them in the fire, and eat the prasāda.

So, when we have the initiation also, that starts to establish a soul-to-soul, heart-to-heart relationship with the guru. He said, as Viṣṇu Tattva Dāsa said, that “When you chant the holy name, you can get love of Godhead. You can achieve all the highest goals in life.” So, this Harināma initiation lasts even when you are in the spiritual world lasts, continues in the spiritual world. Because you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world, the gopīs chanted in separation by the side of the Kālindī River. So, this is eternal. Of course, the relationship between guru and disciple, it is like a contract. The disciple follows instructions guru has to represent the guru-paramparā. If everything continues like that, it does not end. There is no expiry date. Hariḥ oṃ tat sat. So, this mercy is flowing down through the guru-paramparā to the disciples.

But Śrīla Prabhupāda also said that, “You are declaring a war against māyā.” So, māyā may test you. Of course, you have already been tested by māyā. You have already been tested by māyā, and she will continue to test you. Do not leave your guard down. Be always strong in your surrender to guru and Kṛṣṇa. As members of this paramparā, you are followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda and want to help Prabhupāda to carry out this mission of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Also, to help you take some responsibility and help in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Take some responsibility for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Do some sevā for the local temples and yātrās. Even though you have a guru now, it does not mean that you should not also listen to the local authorities. They are the representatives of the guru. The local authorities are also guides and counsellors for your spiritual progress. So, all the people that helped you to get to this point, you should be grateful to them, offer them respect.

If you have some doubt about what they are saying, you can check with your guru. Sometimes some disciple was in trouble, and he did not contact the guru. And I asked, “Why did you not contact me?” “Oh, you are so busy. I did not want to bother you with my problems. You are so busy, I do not want to bother you with my problems.” But that is the duty of the guru to help. So, that is why we should not think it is a botheration for the guru. It is what his service is - to help the disciples to get back to Godhead. You can get help locally, that is okay. But if you are still in difficulty, then you can consult the guru. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Give him the mic. (Aside: What is she saying?) Who is the one lady that is just sitting in the yajña? She can also say the vows before her picture of the guru.” “First. Second can come and pay obeisances. “She is first or second?” “First.” “Uncle guru gets a donation too. (laughter) So, what are the four regulative principles you are going to follow?

Devotee: (speaks in Russian)

Jayapatākā Swami: And how many rounds per day the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra?

Devotee: (speaks in Russian)

Jayapatākā Swami: Okay, here. Bow also to your guru and to the Deities. She is from which guru? She is getting second. She can pay obeisances.” (audio stops abruptly)