720901 - Lecture Initiation - New Vrindaban, USA

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

720901IN-NEW VRINDAVAN - September 01, 1972 - 22:28 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (japa)

Kīrtanānanda: Has everyone finished?

(Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā

sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā

yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ

sa bahyābhyantara-śuciḥ

(Garuḍa Purāṇa)

śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu

Begin.

Prabhupāda: sa bahyā abhyantaraḥ śuciḥ. Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja, sa bahyā abhyantaraḥ śuciḥ. Or sa bahyā abhyantaraḥ śuciḥ. Like that.

Kīrtanānanda: sabah . . .

Prabhupāda: Not not sabah! sa bahyā abhyantaraḥ śuciḥ. Like that. (japa) Where is that Indian boy who wanted to be initiated?

Kīrtanānanda: When he came up, I told him to go shave his head.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Kīrtanānanda: I told him last night to tell him. He didn't believe that he had to shave his head. So when he came up, I saw him—I told him again to go do it . . . (indistinct) . . . he was hesitant. He didn't want to do it.

Prabhupāda: Then he cannot be initiated.

Kīrtanānanda: I told him that.

Prabhupāda: And that Indian who came from New York?

Kīrtanānanda: Yes, he's gone back. Bali-mardana didn't recommend him for brāhmin initiation.

Prabhupāda: (japa)

Kīrtanānanda: Everyone finished?

oṁ apavitraḥ (break)

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . he has left.

Kīrtanānanda: Everyone finished? "Purified or unpurified. This mantra means unpurified . . ." (break)

Prabhupāda: We cannot manufacture any . . .

Kīrtanānanda: They have to be bona fide.

Prabhupāda: Yes, bona fide. Yes. That is accepted in the śāstra.

Kīrtanānanda: "The third offense is to neglect the orders of the authorized ācāryas or spiritual masters."

Prabhupāda: This name is not different from the original Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is Absolute Truth. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's form—we are seeing here Kṛṣṇa's form—it is not different from the original Personality of Kṛṣṇa. Or Kṛṣṇa's pastimes—we hear about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā—that subject matter is also not different from Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa is absolute. Anything about Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. It will be realized gradually. For the time being you have to take it for acceptance that "I am chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. This means that Kṛṣṇa is personally present on my tongue. Therefore I am in direct touch with Kṛṣṇa." And we should be very careful so that we may not . . . offense, commit offenses, as they are being described.

Another, Kṛṣṇa has got many names, nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis (CC Antya 20.16, Śikṣāṣṭaka 2). So of all the names, two names are very important: Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are there, and Kṛṣṇa's potency, Hare. So in the śāstra it is said that one thousand names of Viṣṇu . . . there is Viṣṇu's one thousand names, viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma. If one chants Viṣṇu's name—there are thousands—that is equal to one name Rāma. And three times chanting the name of Rāma is equal to one "Kṛṣṇa."

Therefore we should take advantage to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Although there are many names of Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa" is the chief name, mukha, and Lord Caitanya chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So we should follow Lord Caitanya's footstep. Although Kṛṣṇa has got many names, we should, by following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we should take advantage of chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Go on.

Kīrtanānanda: "The sixth offense . . . (break) . . . usually it is said that one can be liberated from the . . ." (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . impure. There is English word like that. So that you may not fall a victim of sinful activities, you shall go on always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa (devotees complete chanting), not that after committing sin, you'll utilize Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra to counteract it. Don't do that. That is a great offense.

Just to keep yourself aloof from sinful activities, you chant always Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, but don't utilize Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra to counteract your sinful activities, "So I am . . . I have got an instrument, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, let me do all nonsense, and I shall chant in the evening Hare Kṛṣṇa and it will neutralized."

Actually, they are doing. There are so many rascals, they are committing this offense, on the strength of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is the greatest offense. They will never make any progress in spiritual life if I utilize Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra for my material purposes. Go on.

Kīrtanānanda: "The eighth . . ." (break)

Prabhupāda: Chant the mantras first. Then I shall tell you all. Then after that, you can perform sacrifice. (break)

Kīrtanānanda:

. . . rūpānuga-viruddhāpasiddhānta-dhvānta-hāriṇe

namo gaura-kiśorāya sākṣād-vairāgya-mūrtaye

vipralambha-rasāmbodhe pādāmbhujāya te namaḥ

namo bhaktivinodāya sac-cid-ānanda-nāmine

gaura-śakti-svarūpāya rūpānuga-varāya te

gaurāvirbhāva-bhūmes tvaṁ nirdeṣṭā saj-jana-priyaḥ

vaiṣṇava-sārvabhaumaḥṣrī-jagannāthāya te namaḥ

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam

bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ namāmi bhakta-śaktikam

jayatāṁ suratau paṅgor mama manda-mater gate

mat-sarvasva-padāmbhojau rādhā-madana-mohanau

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta . . .

(break) (japa)

Prabhupāda: (break) What are the rules and regulation?

Devotee: To not eat meat, fish or eggs, to not gamble, to not have illicit sex, and to not engage in any intoxication.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. And how many rounds do you have to chant?

Devotee: At least sixteen a day.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Sixteen rounds. So your name is Atulānanda. Atula means incomparable, and ānanda means blissfulness. So Kṛṣṇa is Atulānanda. Chant.

Devotees: Jaya!

Nanda-kumāra: John Swindler.

Prabhupāda: Atulānanda dāsa brahmacārī.

(aside) He's brahmacārī? (japa)

Nanda-kumāra: Pyāri-caraṇa.

Prabhupāda: Hmm? Pyāri-caraṇa?

Nanda-kumāra: P-y-ā-r-i.

John?

Prabhupāda: (japa) What are the rules and regulation?

John: No intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling, no illicit sex life, and chanting at least sixteen rounds a day.

Prabhupāda: And no intoxication, also. Hmm. So your name is Pyāri-caraṇa. Pyāri is another name of Rādhārāṇī.

So caraṇa means lotus feet. So Pyāri-caraṇa dāsa. So you are servant of the lotus feet of Rādhārāṇī.

Devotees: Jaya!

Nanda-kumāra: Jayarāma. Harold? Harold Miller? (japa)

Prabhupāda: What is that? Rāma?

Nanda-kumāra: Jayarāma dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Jayarāma? What are the rules and . . .?

Harold: No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling, and at least sixteen rounds a day.

Prabhupāda: So your name is Jayarāma. Jayarāma, "All glories to Lord Rāmacandra."

Devotees: Jaya!

Nanda-kumāra: Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Prabhupāda: Rādhā-kuṇḍa. (break)

Nanda-kumāra: Susan? Sue?

Prabhupāda: What is that? (break)

Nanda-kumāra: Rādhā-kuṇḍa. (japa)

Prabhupāda: Rādhā-kuṇḍa dāsī. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Nanda-kumāra: Is there anyone else who hasn't got . . . (break) (end)