Initiation Talk [Partially Recorded]

Prabhupāda: ...that we [indistinct] accepted devotees from any part of the world. Kirāta-hūṅāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ [SB 2.4.18].

[Kirātas, Hūṅas, Āndhras, Pulindas, Pulkaśas, Ābhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.]

Just immediately we initiated a devotee, Bhṛgu Muni dāsa. He is from Iran. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is this, that

pṛthivite āche yata nagarādi-grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma [CB Antya-khaṅḍa 4.126]

[In every town and village of the world, the chanting of My name will be heard.]

Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted that in every village and every town on the surface of the globe should at least hear Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra. So what is your country?

Devotee (1): The United States.

Prabhupāda: The United States. United States, of course, it is going on. In Brazil, other countries, now they spreading. So do it very nicely. What is that?

Devotee (2): Parama-karuṅa.

Prabhupāda: Parama-karuṅa dāsa. Come on.

Devotees: Jaya. Haribol.

Prabhupāda: [break]

...kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te kṛṣṅāya kṛṣṅa-caitanya- nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ [Cc Madhya 19.53]

[O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṅa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṅa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.]

[Hindi?] Huh? And the name? [break] Those who are initiated this evening, I have several times explained what is the meaning of initiation. Initiation means beginning of receiving transcendental knowledge. In the Vedas it is enjoined that in order to understand the transcendental science, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

The human form of life is meant for understanding transcendental knowledge. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. So everyone should be interested to understand the Absolute Truth. But this is Kali-yuga. Practically nobody is interested. The symptoms of Kali-yuga is mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ [SB 1.1.10].

[O learned one, in this iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.]

They are very slow or all bad, mandāḥ. And even if one is little anxious, he is victimized by some false way. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo. And manda-bhāgyā. Therefore preaching is required to awaken them to spiritual consciousness.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement means to awaken the victimized soul to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Kṛṣṅa personally comes to awaken this consciousness, Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa's servants, they also try to do the same business on behalf of Kṛṣṅa. Therefore Kṛṣṅa recognizes such preachers as very, very dear to Him. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścid me priya-kṛttamaḥ [Bg 18.69]. So the whole world is suffering for want of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. So those who are initiated, they should decide that "In this life we shall simply serve Kṛṣṅa." That should be the... Dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Bhajanti māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 7.28].

So this is the... Initiation means beginning. Now, if you follow the rules and regulation—no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication up to the drinking of tea and smoking and chewing pān. So these are considered as the four pillars of sinful life. So nobody can approach Kṛṣṅa with sinful activities. That is not possible.

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṅya-karmāṅām te dvanda-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 7.28]

[Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.]

So if you are actually serious, approaching Kṛṣṅa—He is paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramam—you have to cleanse yourself from all sinful activities [Bg 10.12].

[Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.]

So therefore we request everyone to give up these habits: illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Then he becomes gradually purified. And if he chants Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra... Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam [Cc Antya 20.12].

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

One side, he should personally endeavor, and other side, he should chant, ceto-darpaṅa, the method of cleansing the heart.

So we have got many śāstric evidences how one can become completely sinless simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra and observing very strictly the four prohibitive rules and regulations. I hope those who are initiated today, you have promised before Kṛṣṅa-Balarāma Deity, before Vaiṣṅava and before the fire to give up these habits and do not take to... Even if you are practiced now, you do not take it again. This is the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's initiation. Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to deliver all the sinful men. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo, harināme uddhārilo, tāra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said that "Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu so merciful that He delivered all kinds of sinful men," pāpī tāpī, "all types of suffering from material disease." And what is the medicine? Pāpī tāpī yata chilo, harināme uddhārilo. And evidence? Tāra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. You see Jagāi-Mādhāi. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited one example, to deliver Jagāi-Mādhāi. Jagāi-Mādhāi means they were born in a very aristocratic brāhmaṅa family, but by bad association they became illicit sex, woman-hunter, drunkards and meat-eaters and gamblers. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, through the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu, delivered them. And the only promise was that "You promise no more this sinful life. Then I accept you." So if we give up our sinful activity, immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu takes you. There is no condition, because in this age everyone is addicted to sinful life, but he simply promises that "Henceforward I shall not act anything sinfully," these four principles. Then you go back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Where is the hat[?] Give some. Yes, give him five rupees. You have got? [Hindi] [kirtan] [end]