20260131 Initiation Address

Jayapatākā Swami: Today on this auspicious day of Varāha Dvādaśī day we are having this initiation program. Those devotees who are taking initiation today are getting linked to the guru-paramparā. I hope that everyone has taken their oaths. This way, all your life, you should lead a spiritual life, following the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa and serving Lord Kṛṣṇa. The goal of our lives is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. In the material world we look for sense gratification of ourselves, but devotees want to satisfy Lord Kṛṣṇa’s senses because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Enjoyer.

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

This is the exact situation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that devotees should be like a vakil. Whatever they say, they should only say what the śāstra, guru, ācāryas have said, with proof. That is why we have to study the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta very thoroughly. This way, everywhere the devotees should talk as per the scriptures and should not speak anything else. If anyone asks how do you say this? You can say this is mentioned in the scriptures and you can give quotes from the śloka, etc. Anyway, we are all bhakti-yogīs and bhakti-yoginīs. All of you with the help of bhakti-yoga fight Māyā. We work not to satisfy the ordinary people but to satisfy Lord Kṛṣṇa. This human life is very rare. In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa I read that thinking of Kṛṣṇa, meditating on Kṛṣṇa, and remembering Kṛṣṇa is so invaluable! And chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names which are non-different from Kṛṣṇa!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

This way, Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted 3 lakh names of the Lord every day! Our parama-ācārya, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had said in the Gauḍīya Maṭha that they should chant 1 lac names of Harināma. But now Śrīla Prabhupāda, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda said that minimum 16 rounds should be chanted. 16 rounds is quite less, but anyway that has to be chanted. Many people, they do 2, 4, 6, 8 mālās by practice. But for taking initiation, one has to chant 16 rounds minimum, rest of your lives. Some days, I chant 29 or 30 rounds! Anyway, chant Kṛṣṇa’s name, do service to Kṛṣṇa and follow all the rules and regulations laid out by Lord Kṛṣṇa. There are many of my disciples who do not take this very seriously. This affects me in many ways, if you disciples follow all the rules and regulations then I am ok, but if you do not then I am physically inconvenienced. I am giving you initiation for your well-being. I am taking a lot of risk doing this. I am trying that all of you can go back to Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Every fortnight, I send out a letter to all my disciples and I hope that all of you get this. On my email I get roughly thousand letters every month and reply to them. If you do not get a reply, then you should send me a reminder after one week. I hope that in this lifetime itself you are all able to go back to Kṛṣṇa! That is why I am giving you intiation and education. Hare Kṛṣṇa! I will not talk more.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!