680509 - Lecture Initiation Brahmana - Boston

Lectures by Date, 1968

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

680509LE-BOSTON - May 09, 1968

(No Audio)

Prabhupāda: ". . . such things in devotion and love," aśnāmi, "I eat." So one's purpose is served. If Kṛṣṇa accepts something from a person, that is the perfection of life.

So there are many things, but today we are observing this ceremony, and the other day we also observed. Six boys were offered this facility of this second initiation stage, and today also, they have come from New York, because I'll be going to Montreal, Canada, next week. So they have come and they are . . . this second process of initiation will be performed as far as possible.

Real basic principle is bhakti, devotional service. So far lengthy process, in this age it is not possible. And pāñcarātrika vidhim, just like quoted from Rūpa Gosvāmī, it has made things very simplified. The Vedic vidhi is not possible at the present age. The pāñcarātrika-vidhim means . . . Vedic vidhi means one must be begotten by a brāhmaṇa and he must have followed the family tradition. Then, according to Vedic rites, he can be initiated or offered the sacred thread. But pāñcarātrika-vidhi is especially meant for this age, that anyone who has little, a slight tendency to become a devotee, he should be given all chance, all chance.

That is Lord . . . especially Lord Caitanya's special benediction. And He has actually performed this thing. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He happened to be born in a Muhammadan family, and Lord Caitanya made him the ācārya, nāmācārya, the authority of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, nāmācārya, by His grace. This Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī were rejected from brāhmaṇa society because they engaged themselves as ministers in the Muslim government.

So brāhmaṇa society was so strict that if anyone becomes a servant of, of a mleccha, he at once falls down. There are many such social, I mean to say, injustice. And by that, following such thing, the, practically the Vedic civilization is now demolished practically. There is simply fragmental things are there.

But Lord Caitanya's principle is very nice, and Gosvāmīs, they recommended, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarAdi grāma (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126). His mission should be preached not only in India, but pṛthivīte, means all over the world. Yata, pṛthivīte āche yata nagaradi—all cities and all villages, all countries, sarvatra, everywhere, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be propagated. And He has openly said that anyone—doesn't matter in what, which family or in which country he has taken his birth—anyone, ye kṛṣṇa tattva vettā sei guru haya. Anyone who knows this science of Kṛṣṇa, he's eligible to become a Vaiṣṇava or a spiritual master. And He has also ordered that:

āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra sarva-deśa

yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa

(CC Madhya 7.128)

"By My order, everyone become the spiritual master, and the only duty of spiritual master is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So we are following the same principles and expecting these young boys may preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness mission more, I mean to say, enthusiastically. Because I am old man. I may die at any moment. Last year, practically I was died, but Kṛṣṇa saved me. So tūrṇaṁ yateta. Let us try as quickly as possible before the next death comes. That is the perfectional stage of life.

So we shall now begin our ceremony. If any question . . .?

(pause) So we can begin. Any question?

Student: Is this the ceremony which is often referred to as mantra-dīkṣā?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Mantra-dīkṣā. Yes. The first ceremony is hari-nāma-dīkṣā, and then mantra-dīkṣā. Hari-nāma-dīkṣā, all these boys present, they were, one year before, they were initiated for chanting, and now they are being second time initiated by mantra-dīkṣā, yes. Any other questions?

Student: Has there been a fasting or other preparatory . . .?

Prabhupāda: No. According to Vaiṣṇava tantra, we do not require to fast, because we are taking Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. Hare . . . just like in Jagannātha Purī, there is no fasting, so long one is accepting Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. The fasting means purificatory. One, one who is taking all nonsense things, at least one day fasting to become purified.

But one who is eating simply kṛṣṇa-prasādam and simple foodstuff, vegetable, grains, milk—they are not allowed to eat anything and everything; they are not allowed to take anything in the hotel—so practically, they are fasting. According to the general regulation, they are fasting every day. They are simply accepting kṛṣṇa-prasādam. That is already accepted. And because this ceremony is Vaiṣṇava smṛti, so we do not require particularly to fast.

Student: Do the disciples take on new injunctions and prohibitions at this time? You mentioned that there were four nisidhacara mentioned . . .

Prabhupāda: No. This . . .

Student: . . . at the earlier stage.

Prabhupāda: Earlier, earlier stage, the injunctions were . . . they have already practiced those injunctions. They have already practiced, and they now stand firmly situated in those practices and they have chanted. Therefore the second initiation. Just like in the school education—from one class to another is promotion stage—similarly, it is like that.

Student: Are there any formal rules that they agree to accept at this stage? Over and above the earlier . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. Only form is that the mantra which will be given to him, he has to chant that mantra three times a day: morning, early in the morning; and in the noon; and in the evening. Tri-sandhya. Tri-sandhya means three times, junction of different moments. Morning, day and night, evening, day and night, junction, and the noon, afternoon and before noon. Three times.

Student: Does taking the initiation create a permanent bond between disciple and guru?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is already done. When they were initiated hari-nāma, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, that acceptance of . . . tasmāt guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). Just like one has to enter himself into some educational institution for being educated more and more, similarly, one has to first of all accept a bona fide spiritual master. Then he gives him education one after another, one after another. So that initiation means that is the beginning. But that is not the end. There is no end. It will go on. It will go on. This is the second stage only. But the rules and regulations, they have already practiced, and they are doing them.

Student: The first mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that's for, you say, that's to clean the mind of the material contam . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the basic—that is the first principle. Lord Caitanya says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12, Śikṣāṣṭaka 1): "By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one becomes cleansed of the dirty things, material contamination."

Student: And this mantra, what's the purpose?

Prabhupāda: This mantra is secondary. Of course, one who has purified himself by Hare Kṛṣṇa, this mantra is not very important. But, according to the tradition of Vaiṣṇava smṛti, it is offered better, better, to make the position still confirmed and better. But even this mantra is not given, simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa everything is done. This is extraordinary, so that . . .

In the other, other feature of this sacred ceremony, is that one may not commit offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava by thinking him, "Oh, he's a mleccha, he's a yavana," or "He's lower class, he's higher class," like that. Therefore this is offered. No, he's brāhmaṇa. He's brāhmaṇa. Otherwise, still in India, a person born in a brāhmaṇa family, the most wretched condition and most abominable habits, and he claims to be a brāhmaṇa. And a person who is highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's not accepted.

So in order to save one from the injustice, this ceremony is required that it is bona fide. He's a bona fide brāhmaṇa. As it is prescribed and ordered in the Nārada Pañcarātra or Vaiṣṇava smṛti. So my Guru Mahārāja, His Holiness Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, he introduced this, and we are following. So there is no question. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Follow the principles of a spiritual master who has come down in disciplic succession. That is very nice thing. If you have got a bona fide spiritual master and if you simply follow the instruction, the perfection is guaranteed. Just like a perfect engineer and a neophyte working under his instruction, however foolish he may be, all his work is perfect, because following the instruction of the qualified man. Therefore it is said:

yasya deve parā bhaktir

yathā deva tathā gurau

tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ

prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

(ŚU 6.23)

This is Upaniṣads' injunction. So if anyone who has got implicit faith in the spiritual master and also in God, to him all the imports of Vedic literature becomes revealed, becomes revealed. That is spiritual way of understanding.

So if one has a bona fide spiritual master to guide, then his life is guaranteed to be perfect. This is the way. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo: "By the mercy of the spiritual master, one gets immediately the mercy of the Lord." Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi: "And if one dissatisfies the spiritual master, then he has no other way of perfection." So we have to follow. That's all. It doesn't matter that I'm not qualified. But if I follow the instruction of the superior, then automatically I become qualified.

All right, let us go ahead. Oh, it is . . . just everyone do like this. (sips water) You can now stop this. (end)