20160614 Initiation Ceremony at the house Ashwini

20160614 Initiation Ceremony at the house Ashwini Washington DC

Mukam karoti vacalam

Pangum langhyate girim

Yat kripa tamaham vande sri gurum dina tarinam

Paramananda madhavan

Sri Chaitanya ishvaram

So I am just passing through taking my flight back to Maypur via UK and somehow this auspicious agnihotra, fire sacrifice or initiatiion for some devotees has been organized and my doctors in India advice that I should not fly straight from America to India. I should break the journey in Europe somewhere. So we are stopping in the UK and I was going to spend a few days in Washington on the way here, but because of this new advice I only spent one day here.

Then we went to the New Vrindavan festival inspiration and on the way out we also thought to go via Washington because they got only one day on the way in. (applause)

And because Jyoti had insisted us to come, and Ashwini also, both halves and we are also happy that this hosting family is also getting initiation and Diptimoi Radha is taking second initiation.

We were discussion how Lord Krishna in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana predicted that after 5000 years he would send someone to spread the Harinam all over the world and that is significant because Lord Caitanya came 4500 years and it was Prabhupada who came after 5000 years and in the Caitanya Mangal, Lord Caitanya had predicted that after 500 years he will send a senapati bhakta who will distribute the process of harinam sankirtan in the Western world where he wasn’t let to preach because he would only preach in the Indian subcontinent.

So  it is there in the Caitanya Caritamrita, it is described how Advaita Gosai was giving a class on the Bhagavatam, and in the purport Prabhupada said that grihastas have some regular classses. So we are hoping the grihastas would be engaged in the Bhakti Vriksha or the Namhatta and thus have the regular classes in their houses, or at least attemp some regular classes nearby the house and whenever possible go to the temple.

I was very encouraged in some of the temples I visited. They said that they couldn’t imagine how they would run the temple without Bhakti Vriksha. Now the Bhakti Vriksha takes different responsibilites during the festival days. One group serves the prasad, one group greets guests, two groups cook etc, and everyone is involved in book distribution. In Detriot they do a festival of colours.

This scope of doing amazing things increases more and more when we have devotees in the congregation organize as in Bhakti Vriksha. Of course the devotees get this rare oppurtunity to do a service for Krishna in the jnana yoga process which is very powerful in some parts of India. The jnanis are generally impersolists.

So when asked the devotees of Krishna consciousness, they seem very happy chanting Hare Krishna Hare Ram and in the jnana yogi lectures they say that this is not because of the name of Krishna, Ram or Hari. It’s the void between the names. That’s why Lord Caitanya said, “do not visit the Mayavadis, they are Krishna aparadhis.”

Anyway when our devotees chant japa there are no voids. So anyway.

Sankacharya said that if you want to get liberation you have to be a sanyasi. So for Kali Yuga jnana yoga is out anyway but most of the people would be grihasthas, but in Bhakti Yoga it  is possible to go back to Krishna whether you are grihastha or a renunciant.

I was reading the pastime of Krishna marrying Satya, how Satya had been doing Austreties to make Krishna her husband, and how her father Lagnajit was also desirous of having Krishna as his son-on-law. So they made it impossible for anyone but Krishna test that with their bare hands the prince had to conquer seven wild ferocious bulls and all the princes got broken limbs.

Krishna heard this he went to the place and he was welcomed with a royal welcoming by king Lagnajit, who gave him an elevated seat, gifts but actually he said you are the supreme Lord, you are non-different from Narayan, I am just an ordinary person, what can I give to satisfy you. But by your causeless mercy you come here. So we are very greatly honoured.

Krishna said that as a ksatriya, that he was playing the part of ksatriya, we shouldn’t ask anything from anybody but although this is the principle, I have to break the rule. Just to let you know, then I would like to have your daughter in marriage but it is our policy that we don’t give anything. So he was Indirectly saying that just give me your daughter and don’t have me pass the test of the bull, but the king had made a vow that only to the suitable husband when he gives his daughter the suitable husband will be tested by the bull. So the king was saying you created the whole material unvierses, you have unlimited powers, the goddess of fortune is just sitting by your side, I am sure you will have no troubles subduying this bulls. So indirectly he was saying that I can’t break my vows, you have to defeat the bulls. This is diplomatic talk.

“OK” Krishna tightened his belt up, hold up his sleeves and then he went into the areana with the seven bulls. They were ready to charge him but he manifested seven forms and easily each form took one bull and put a nosering in it’s nostrils and everybody could tame the bull very easily and like this he showed he was capable to tame the bulls and although he had taken many wives, just to reassure Satya that it’s not that when he is with one wife the others were deprived. He multiplies himself in hundreds and thousands of times and so in this way the king immidiately brought his daughter and gave her to Krishna and there was a royal wedding but the word got out, “So many princes have tried to tame the bulls but they were all defeated, so now they were envious, why Krishna has gotten.

That first of all the king out of affection gave the dowry- 9000 elephants, double the chariots, ninety million horses, a profuse amount of things they gave to Krishna out of his affection to his daughter. Then he gave him escorts to see him safely back to Godhead.

So all these envious princes attacked Krishna. They shot arrows in the sky like the covering of clouds but Arjuna was also there with Krishna and with his Gandiva bow he easily drove off all the princes. So what may be difficult to even ordinarily conceive by people than Krishna would achieve this and he brought his new queen back to Dwaraka.

Since the British time, after Krishna left Dwaraka went under the sea. But since the British didn’t allow people to research the sunken city although from satellites if they see the city under the sea, and they saw that the port was bigger than the modern ports like Hanover.

I wonder why now after more than 50 years of independence, why Dwaraka is not been researched. But in any case now we are the age of Prabhupada. By his coming he has ushered in a golden age which will last for 10,000 years, but it is very easy to get back to Godhead. But this is just the start. In the age of Kali, quarrelism, materialism will not be give up easily. Age of Quarrel.

Now you need all the grihastas, all the devotees to drive out and bring in a new age of God consciousness. And through interfaith also bring in the other theists. Stand up and establish that there is one God and we should all be serving them, and that’s the actual purpose of life.

We may call God in different names in different places but there is only one supreme being. So we are very happy that some grihastas have dedicated themselves in addition to their many responsibilities as grihastas, to render regulative service to Krishna and to spend a day or two in the evenings in some bhaktivriksha every week and to attend the temple and do some service there whenever possible. So I thank you all for this great, great sacrifice and by doing so one feels transcendental bliss.

Rup Goswami had said, “how much pleasure is there in this two syllables- Krish and na, it cannot be estimated.

In Your Adhivas Kirtan there are two lines that are song, anander sima nai, anander sima nai, anander sima nai, niranande dure jai, niranande dure jai.

Ananda is happiness, and sima means limit, so anander Sima nai means there  is no limit to the transcendental happiness, nirananda is the absence of happiness, that means sadness, nirananda dure jai- so sadness goes far away. So we want to drive the unhappiness far away and that happens by rendering devotional service to Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead.

So we will like that the wife and husband do their spiritual activities together, at least the major activities. So Ashwin and Jyoti can come up.

So today the temples president has decided that Ashwini will get the temple recommendation and …31.07… will the recommendation in the third time. So as I said that both husband and wife should participate together.

What are the four vows that you will take that you will avoid breaking your whole life?

Devotee : No meat eating, no intoxication, no gambling and no illicit sex.

JPS: How many rounds a day?

Devotee: 16 rounds a day.

JPS: Do you promise to help gurumaharaj and help Srila Prabhupadas mission and instructions given to him.

Devotee: Yes gurumaharaj

JPS: would you like to say something about Aswini Prabhu

Nanda Kumar Prabhu: Hare Krishna, so it is very good to see Laxmi Prabhu and Jyoti Mataji here taking their next step in their spiritual life and receiving their mercy from you maharaj. Both of them are very smiling devotees, so enthusiastic, so joyful. So scriptures say that devotional service is a joyful process and it should reflect in the faces of the devotees in their smiles and it reflects in both of them and my prayers are that they will continue to take up more services in the temple and serve in the temple as Maharaj was mentioning and be a very good example for others who are going to join the movement. Hare Krsihna

(applause)

JPS: Anyone else

Lady Devotee: I just met both of them, one good quality I find in them is that they are both very generous, they like to share their house, they just don’t care how many come, everyone is welcome, and thank your very much for your generosity.

JPS: There are a few things that apparently Jyoti has to fulfill and then she is almost ready to get. I told her as soon as she gets her recommendation I will give her initiation over the internet. She doesn’t have to wait for me to come. So some things are beyond my control and this is some test, I am sure she will pass over this.

So since I was reading the pastime of Krishna and Satya, the third son of Nagnajiti or Satya is Ashwasen. So I thought to give the name Ashwasen Govinda Das.

(applause)

JPS: To reconfirm your vows from the first initiation. I can’t give the mantras to her now because that is a secret mantra.

(laughter)

JPS: Today I should mention I have my purva-ashram sister Leslie and her husband Richard. (applause)

Hari bol greetings three times

Hari Bol, Hari Bol, Hari Bol.

How does it feel to give Hari Bol?

(laughter)

I will repeat the Hare Krishna mantra, no one will say it till I finish.

Hare Krishna Hare Krsihna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

In the civil courts you do it in front of the public, you make an affidavit in front of the judge or you sign infront of a notary public but in the Vedic ceremonies like initiations and weddings and other samskaras, agnihotra or fire sacrifices are indicated.

So hand it over to the priest, he will do the Vaisnava homa and those who are witnessing will also get special blessings.

Transcribed by: Sadananda Krishnaprem Das

Mayapur.