710717 - Lecture Initiation Excerpt - Detroit

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710717IN-DETROIT - July 17, 1971 - 21:19 Minutes

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: Who's this is? Come on. Just find out a spiritual name . . . then note.

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: Not that. (japa)

Devotee: So the grain should be taken by all initiated devotees.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee: For the fire ceremony repeat these prayers from the disciplic succession. At the end of which we will repeat the words svāhā, svāhā, svāhā. Each time . . .

Prabhupāda: Call Aravinda, where he has kept the list?

Aravinda, call Aravinda.

Devotee: Someone ask for Aravinda to come in. (japa)

Prabhupāda: Where is your tilaka? No tilaka? Hmm. You are making mistake from the very beginning. Go on, have your tilaka (japa)

Whose bead this is? Come on, come forward. Let him come.

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: You know the four rules? Tell me? Thank you. How many rounds you will chant? Thank you, thank you, what is his name?

Devotee: Priyavrata.

Prabhupāda: Priyabrata, Priyabrata. Priya means the lovable object, Kṛṣṇa is most dear or lovable object. So who has taken his vow to love Kṛṣṇa that is Priyavrata.

Devotees: Haribol, haribol.

Prabhupāda: Then, come on, next. Who's this is? (japa) You have got bag? Get one bag. For putting your beads, yes, that's all right. (japa)

Always remain with tilaka everyone—that is our trademark.

Devotees: (laughter) All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda, haribol!

Prabhupāda: (laughs) We are selling Kṛṣṇa for nothing.

(laughter)

Devotees: All glories. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Jaya Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Without any price. Still people are reluctant to take it, what can be done? (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Yes, so this is our trademark.

Devotee: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: Come on, who's is it? Hmm, so this is yours? This is yours? Oh. Hm. What is your name?

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Hm. This is yours? Hm. Come on, what is your name?

Devotee: Anasūyā.

Prabhupāda: Anasūyā, Anasūyā means who is never envious. A devotee is never envious. A non-devotee is always envious their business is to become envious. Because they are envious to Kṛṣṇa they are envious to everyone. And a devotee because he loves Kṛṣṇa he loves everyone. This is the philosophy.

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: All right. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā (SB 5.18.12). A non-devotee cannot have any good qualifications. It is a fact. So one who is non-devotee, you should take immediately that he is not a good man. Hm, come on.

Devotee: Tuṣitā.

Prabhupāda: Eh? Tuṣitā. Tuṣitā means—always who satisfies everyone by distributing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all. You know what are the rules? Tell me?

Tuṣitā: Chant my 16 rounds a day and . . . (indistinct) . . . gamble . . . prasadam?

Prabhupāda: Hmm, you forget? (laughter)

Prabhupāda: All right. (laughs) Come on, next. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotee: All glories.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

(devotees chant japa) (Prabhupāda chants japa)

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Hmm? Let me distribute whatever you can, a little, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Go on.

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: Take it. What is your name?

Devotee: Pūrṇimā dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Pūrṇimā, full moon. Pūrṇimāfull moon. Unless one is full moon. He cannot become Kṛṣṇa conscious, just like the flavour of the rose comes when it is fully grown. Similarly one's consciousness when it is full grown like moon it distributes the light. So Pūrṇimā means distributing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Devotee: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: Śreyaḥ kairava candrikā vitaraṇaṁ (Śikṣāṣṭaka 1), come on next. (japa) Come on, come on quickly. What is his name?

Devotee: Sures vara.

Prabhupāda: Sureśvara. Sura means demigod and īśvara, controller of the demigods Lord Brahmā. Go on. Lord Brahmā's servant you are. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, we are always servant, not that I become Lord Brahmā. I am servant of Lord Brahmā always remember it. Come on next. Who is this? Yes. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Eh what is his name? Hm what is his name?

Devotee: Hari harah.

Prabhupāda: Harihara, Harihara means Kṛṣṇa who takes away all, I mean to say, undesirable things. Kṛṣṇa takes away from the devotee all undesirable things. Thank you, go on. Hara, hara means who takes away, harati. Or in other words he takes away all miseries, Hare Kṛṣṇa, hari haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ, (Nāma Saṅkīrtana 1) Come on what is his name?

Devotee: Suresreṭha.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee: Suraśreṭha, s u r a s r e s t h a.

Prabhupāda: S u?

Devotee: S u r a s r e s t h a

Prabhupāda: Suraśreṣṭha.

Devotee: Suraśreṣṭha.

Prabhupāda: Suraśreṣṭha one who has taken the shelter of a devotee. He is called Suraśreṣṭha. One who has taken shelter of a devotee, that's all, go on.

Devotee: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: Next (japa) And tomorrow morning you shall all go and beg alms for the spiritual master. That is the . . . anyone who is initiated, he must beg. That is the beginning of brahmacārī life, come on. What is his name?

Devotee: Yādavānanda.

Prabhupāda: Yādavānanda, Yādav means the Yadu family and who gives the Yadu family pleasure? That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa appeared in the Yadu family therefore his name is Yādavānanda. All right now we can begin. So what are the prohibitive rules? Prohibitive rules?

Yādavānanda: No meat eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. How many rounds you shall chant?

Yādavānanda: At least 16.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Take it. What is your name?

Devotee: Bṛhaspati.

Prabhupāda: Bṛhaspati, ah very good name. Bṛhaspati was the priest of demigods. Next.

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Who is this? Come on, come forward.

Devotee: Whose beads are these? Anyone who had a new set of tulsī?

Prabhupāda: (singing softly) Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare . . . you gave this? It is yours? Yes. What's his name?

Devotee: Jagat-purūṣa.

Prabhupāda: Jagat-purūṣa. Jagat-purūṣa means Lord Viṣṇu, take. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (japa)

Prabhupāda: Next, come on who is this? Go on you make a bag, you have got bag? Bead bag? Yes, where it is? You must. What is your name?

Svāhna: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Eh? What is that?

Devotee: Svahna.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee: Svahna.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee: S v a h n a.

Prabhupāda: Svāhna. Svāhna, Svāhna was one of the daughters of Svāyambhuva Manu. So you know the prohibitive rules? Prohibitive rules, what are the prohibitive?

Devotee: Four rules.

Prabhupāda: Four . . .

Svāhna: No meat eating, no intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex.

Prabhupāda: All right, thank you.

Svāhna: Can my daughter have a name?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Svāhna: I have a daughter could you name her?

Prabhupāda: That we shall see . . . Bhaktimatī, Bhaktimatī your daughter's name Bhaktimatī. Come on, next.

Devotees: (laughter) (japa)

Prabhupāda: You know what are the rules, four?

Pratyatoṣa: No meat eating, no illicit sex, no gambling and no intoxicants.

Prabhupāda: And how many times you will chant?

Pratyatoṣa: 16 rounds a day.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Take, what is your name?

Pratyatoṣa: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee: Pratyatoṣa, dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Pracetasaḥ, Pracetasa he is also son of Manu. Yes. Come on, next. (japa)

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Auḍulomi.

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Auḍulomi.

Devotee: How do you spell it?

Prabhupāda: O u d a, o u d a l a m i.. Dāsa.

Devotee: l a m i?

Prabhupāda: Yes. A great Sage. You know the rules? So, yes.

Auḍulomi: No intoxication.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Auḍulomi: No illicit sex, no meat eating and no gambling.

Prabhupāda: And how many rounds you will chant?

Auḍulomi: 16 rounds.

Prabhupāda: All right, take it. Next? Yes. (japa)

Devotee: Santoṣa.

Prabhupāda: Santoṣa, very satisfied, come on.

(devotees chant laughter)

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: Next, come on.

(devotees chant japa)

Devotee: Vibhu.

Prabhupāda: Hmm, Vibhu, Vibhu means the great. Kṛṣṇa is the great. God is great. So Vibhu dāsa you are the servant of the great. Come on. Next. Come on.

Devotee: Rocana.

Prabhupāda: Rocana. Rocana means agreeable. So agreeable, devotional service is most agreeable thing. So try to make people agreeable to devotional service. That's all. Next. Come on.

(devotees chant japa)

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda we have two more beads left.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee: We have two more beads left.

Prabhupāda: Come on.

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: Everyone should note down your spiritual name, otherwise you will forget. (laughter) Yes. Make them. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Śantī. Śantī means peaceful. Peace personified, come on. You know the rules?

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

Prabhupāda: Thank you. All right the other two give me. You go on arranging.

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: Give me the other.

(devotees chant japa)

(Prabhupāda chantsjapa)

(break)

You have seen the chanting process, each bead:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Like that. Simply rolling or not, then again next.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Touching not this finger, simply like this.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Like that. (break)

(devotees chant japa)

Prabhupāda: Like this. Name? Hmm?

Kavi: Kavi.

Prabhupāda: Kavi, Kavi means great poet who can write nice glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa. You should write nice glorification poetry. Can you write poetry? Yes, do it . . . (indistinct) . . . go on. (japa) (break) (end of audio)

Prabhupāda: So there are ten kinds of offenses. That is described. And the most important point is the committing sin on the strength of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This is a fact that as soon you chant "Kṛṣṇa," all your resultant action of sinful activities immediately nullified. But if we again commit that sins, that is up to you.

So we should not make it a business that, "Let me go on committing sins, and it will be counteracted by chanting." No. This is not good. This is the greatest offense. Sometimes in Christian Church there is confession, and again they go and commit the same sin, and next time, again confession. Not like that. That is not good. One confession admitting, excused. But not that you commit sins over and over again and it will be excused. Similarly, you cannot commit sins on the strength of chanting. That is the greatest offense. (end)