19820309 Sannyāsa Initiation - New Gurus in ISKCON

The following is a Sannyāsa Initiation Ceremony given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on March 9th, 1982, in Sridhām Māyāpur.

Jayapatākā Swami: …new initiating gurus for the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness celebration at this festival. As you know, Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda was asked in May by our… He asked our GBC to decide, in his absence how they would manage things, and any questions they had, they could give. So, they came with several questions and how to print books in his absence. How would initiations go during his illness, since he had stopped initiating for several months, and in his absence, physical absence, and various other technical questions about our management affairs, and at that time, Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned that he would name some people who would initiate on his behalf during his presence, since it is not the proper etiquette to initiate in the presence of one’s guru, and after, in his absence rather, shall we say, that they would, in their own right, initiate, and their disciples would be his grand-disciples, in the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.

So, subsequently, Śrīla Prabhupāda appointed 11 persons to initiate in his presence as ṛtviks, or officiating initiators, and in his absence, to be initiators, initiating gurus for ISKCON. At that time, a question came, “What about others?”, and he said when needed, or when necessary (Aside: Was the exact word “needed”, “necessary” like that.) When needed, then you may increase.

So, in pursuance of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instruction to manage everything, to the Governing Body Commission, that the Governing Body Commission has felt that there is a… it is necessary to expand the spiritual masters and our program in ISKCON will be to continue to expand spiritual masters, so that the preaching may also expand, but under the basic principle that we all work cooperatively together.

Actually, this is the essence of our movement is that we work, we have diversity, but we have unity. Many temples, many zones, many initiating gurus, many devotees from many lands, but we all are united under Śrīla Prabhupāda… movement under this International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. In this way, if we follow Prabhupāda’s instructions very strictly, then there’ll be no difficulty in going out and expanding in various ways, our preaching we’re now expanding the responsibilities of various devotees, so we are very fortunate that very senior vaiṣṇavas, who have taken great risk in preaching Lord Caitanya’s movement on behalf of Śrīla Prabhupāda in different parts of the world, have now been requested to take up this responsibility for initiating on behalf of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, and training their devotees in our Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy and systems.

This time, I’d like to request first that the Pañca Draviḍa Mahārāja could come forward and offer his…So, Śrīla Pañca Draviḍa Swami Mahārāja, we’d like you to give everyone your blessings as well as instruction at this time on how… what mood we should understand this glorious moment. 

Pañca Draviḍa Swami:

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ 

śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam.

nama om viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāyabhūtale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

I am taking this duty to serve as an initiating spiritual master on behalf of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness as the order of my spiritual master, om viṣṇupāda paramahaṁsa parivrajakācārya aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, I am taking it as a… his order, coming through the agency of the Governing Body Commission, of my dear Godbrothers.  They’re requesting me. Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that when he was going to the Western countries to preach, he was asked to take sannyāsa, and he was instructed in this way through Keśava Mahārāja, and he said “In this way, I took it that my spiritual master, he was speaking to me.” So, in the same way, in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu describes:

kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsī kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya
(Cc. Madhya 8.128) 

He says that you Kṛṣṇa-tattva-vetta, when one can imbibe this science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then, he is to preach, and to work on behalf of this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. The position of being a spiritual master, I am seeing this as done on behalf of this great ISKCON movement, this International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. This is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy that He wants this whole world inundated with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And the prime agency for spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is this ISKCON movement. This movement will not be spread by so many fraction-maṭhas, and individuals, working independently, but the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement will go on and expand and expand based on the cooperative sense of all the different members of ISKCON.

This ISKCON… One astrologer, he predicted that Śrīla Prabhupāda was such a great personality that he was capable of building a house in which the entire world can live, and that is ISKCON.

(Devotees: Jaya!)

Actually, no one has any right to be considered as an initiating spiritual master if he cannot satisfy the desire of his spiritual master.  This is what spiritual master means. The whole disciplic succession is coming down and one is accepting the order of his spiritual master as his life and soul.

Śrīla Prabhupāda informed us and the śāstras also confirm that the spiritual master is present in his vāṇī instructions.  During the physical presence of the spiritual master, vapuḥ, one is trained and in the physical absence of the spiritual master, the training now goes on in the form of completing the instructions given. That is the vāṇī.

So, in one sense as Śrīla Jayapatākā Mahārāja Ācāryapāda has mentioned, Śrīla Prabhupāda is still present, within this… is still present. He is present everywhere. He’s present in the worship of the deities. He’s present in the form of so many disciples, and grand-disciples. This is all the śakti of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

(Devotees: Jaya!)

Nothing independent of Śrīla Prabhupāda.  Śrīla Prabhupāda ki Jaya! Śrīla Prabhupāda is present in the form of the distribution of his books all over the world in this saṅkīrtana movement. Śrīla Prabhupāda is present in this way in his instructions and in his blessings, and he is blessing every one of us. So, we should not think in any way that we can function independently of the blessings of our spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

So on this day, I take this as a great benediction that somehow or other, although I’m most unqualified… actually, I have no qualifications, but because the preaching of this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, of this ISKCON movement has to go on, Śrīla Prabhupāda has given me his blessings to somehow or other, take a small part in seeing that this work continues. All glories…

(Devotees: Jaya!) 

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered devotees to take up responsibility for being guru, for preaching.

(Devotee: Yes.)

Actually Śrīla Prabhupāda, he one time said, “All my disciples, all my followers are spiritual masters.”. We know that devotees, they’re going and preaching, Prabhupāda said that it is not difficult to be a spiritual master, a guru, one has to simply repeat exactly what his spiritual master has said, what our previous ācāryas have said, we have to repeat exactly what Śrīla Prabhupāda has said and what Kṛṣṇa has said, and that is the principle qualification of being a spiritual master.

They all share the same responsibility, plus they have the opportunity to take all of the sinful reactions of their disciples, and that is a permanent responsibility that they have to deliver the disciples. In fact, in Caitanya-līlā, we know that sometimes devotees wouldn't mind giving instruction and being śikṣā-guru, but they would refuse to become dīkṣā-guru because if one disciple I take, I can’t deliver, again I have to come down. I’ll be left out of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes for so much time. I’ll be…”, whatever their mood and their humility and their feeling, they didn’t want to take that risk.

So, Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned that from taking many disciples, he also had to encounter so many difficulties. Those who are taking initiation, they should be a little bit merciful on their spiritual masters. Take seriously the vows that are made and try to follow strictly the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: four regulative principles and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, had instituted the same system that's been handed down since time immemorial of dīkṣā-guru. People have to be initiated in the sampradāya. To carry on the sampradāya, initiating spiritual masters are necessary, so Lord Caitanya gave the standard. He said: āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (Cc. Madhya 7.128)

“You become a guru on My order.” So, in the same way, Prabhupāda said, “Now I am ordering you. You become a guru.” So, on behalf of Prabhupāda, what is basically happening is the GBC is ordering, “Now you also have to take up this responsibility.” No one should take it up, without getting the order. That will not be in the proper etiquette.

One should take up on the order, then one can in all faith, even if one feels himself to be somewhat insignificant, or incapable of the great responsibility, nonetheless, having received the order therefore, on the faith of the… Prabhupāda, and the previous ācāryas, and the mercy of Lord Caitanya, one can take up the great responsibilities endowed in this function of initiating. 

So, the Governing Body Commission has also given the order on behalf of Śrīla Prabhupāda, requesting Gopal Kṛṣṇa Goswami Mahārāja to take up this responsibility…

Devotees: Haribol! We request that he come forward.

Devotee: Haribol! We request His Divine Grace, Gopal Kṛṣṇa Goswami to give us a blessing and instruction. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words at this time.

Gopal Kṛṣṇa Goswami:

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

First I would like to thank the managers of the Governing Body Commission for giving me the responsibility to initiate on behalf of His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.  Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that one day, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will be spread to every town and village of the world, and Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda also predicted that a great soul will appear who will lead the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then thus we saw, that this movement, done by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, fruition of these plans, only by continuing to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in every corner of the world.

Prabhupāda formed such a plan. He set up a Governing Body Commission to run the Society. Now very often people would come up to Prabhupāda and ask who will come and succeed him, and he would always say that the Governing Body Commission is going to take on the matter. Prabhupāda said that the GBC body represents him, and any decision made by the GBC body is the statement he decided upon.

We can see, over the past four years since Prabhupāda’s departure, this movement has continued to expand all over the world. Normally, when the Founder-Ācārya disappears, there is a lot of confusion, but this movement has continued to expand all over the world because Prabhupāda injected the principles of purity in this institution. If we remain pure and dedicated to the instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda, then there will be no difficulty in advancing in spiritual life. Prabhupāda used to say that spiritual life is easy for the simple. So, spiritual life is not difficult. The spiritual master’s business is he just repeats what he has heard from his spiritual master, like the postman’s business is just to deliver the mail, and the disciple’s business is to just follow the instructions of the spiritual master, who is only repeating the instructions of his spiritual master.

So it becomes the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to go on expanding as it has been, it is very essential that we stick to the teachings that Śrīla Prabhupāda has given us. We should remember, as his disciples, and grand-disciples that there’s no Ācārya greater than Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.

(Devotees: Jaya!)

We should remember the work that Prabhupāda has done and how very powerful he is.  He not only opened nearly 200 temples, but he also wrote nearly 80 books. And these books will guide the members of this Kṛṣṇa conscious society, eternally.

Prabhupāda said, “This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will go on expanding for the next 10,000 years.”, and said that, “One day these books will become the law books of the world.”, so we should read these books. All of the instructions are there in his books. We don’t have to turn to any other spiritual authority for direction.

Prabhupāda said he has left everything in his books. We should develop the habit of reading his books regularly, and understanding his instructions and the assistance of the senior Godbrothers of this movement are... they can… All confusion can be removed. So, we should remain pure to the principles that are laid down in these books in the different instructions.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Prabhupāda said in the first volume, “Dedicated to my eternal spiritual master, who lives forever by divine instructions, and the follower lives with him.” So, Prabhupāda is living with us in his divine spiritual instructions. We just have to meditate on those instructions, and if we meditate on those instructions, we would feel fully satisfied.

So, on this most auspicious day, the appearance day of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, I would like to request all my Godbrothers and the disciples of my Godbrothers to remain pure to the teachings of Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda has given us everything. We don’t need to go to any other personality to gain any type of spiritual instruction, and I myself, as one of the ācāryas of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, would like to pledge my loyalty to the Governing Body Commission, recognizing the fact that the Governing Body Commission is the true representative of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and even if I am ācārya, I have to abide by their instructions, because when the body is assembled together, and it comes to a decision, that is the same as Prabhupāda making a decision. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Haribol! (Applause) 

Devotee: Jaya oṁ Visṇupāda Prabhupāda kī...!

Devotees: Jaya! [Break] (Applause) 

Jayapatākā Swami: When the sannyāsa candidates…

Devotee: Jaya Śrīla Bhaktipāda kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Then, they’ll get their sannyāsa-mantra, subsequently from their sannyāsa-gurus, the special praṇāma-mantra that Prabhupāda has requested every sannyāsī to say three times a day. [Break] 

Jayapatākā Swami: (Japa chanting) (Commotion in crowd) Bhānu Dāsa. So, actually I first had association with Bhānu, when Śrīla Prabhupāda flew in from Japan. And he… I think that’s where he picked up… delivered…

Devotee: Personally made him…

Jayapatākā Swami: …personally made him a devotee. Guru-kṛpā, special guru mercy upon this movement, upon Bhānu, so, I’m not going to take too much time, I’d just like to give the name. One of our seniors… also senior members. Since 1970 been a devotee, knows Bengali, Sanskrit, wants to preach in India and in Japan and to preserve the strict purity of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s movement and the siddhānta, the conclusions of śāstra, according to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, translating also. Let’s see… Bhānu Swami.

Devotees: Haribol! 

Jayapatākā Swami: Bhānu Swami Mahārāja, kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Bhānu Swami: Japan yātrā kī...! 

Devotees: Jaya! 

Jayapatākā Swami: Śacīsuta was absorbed in saṅkīrtana consciousness, in firing up all the sankīrtana devotees, so now we hope that as a sannyāsī, you will be perfect example and continue to fire up the saṅkīrtana movement in South America, especially in Chile, and see many of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books distributed there, Prabhupāda’s teachings preserved in their pure form. So nombre es Śacīsuta Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya! Haribol! 

Śacīsuta Swami: ISKCON Chile ki...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Śacīsuta Swami: The first one is Nitāicāṅda Goswami.  It would be nice to give them their blessings, they’re new sannyāsīs, to carry out… then we have… Do you know Nitāicāṅda Goswami is our temple president here in Māyāpur.  Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed him that he should especially protect the Māyāpur-dhāma, and now he has a daṇḍa to do it with, so then we have our Tatpara Swami.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami: (to Jayapatākā Swami) Actually, Nitāicāṅda's parents came to see us, yesterday. They said, “Please protect our son.” I said, “What do you mean? He is protecting all of us.”

Jayapatākā Swami: (Chuckles) Should I say that? You want to say it?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami (on microphone): I said that when Nitāi’s parents… Mahārāja’s parents were here yesterday, they are very nice Vaiṣṇavas, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, so he came to see me, and said “Please protect my son.” Because, naturally, the parents always see the son as a little boy, but I had said to them, “Actually, Nitāicāṅda Mahārāja is protecting all of the devotees staying here.”

Devotees: Haribol!

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami: And I said that, “So we should…” 

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, he was a policeman, so now he’s policeman for Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya! (Laughter)

Devotee: Nitāicāṅda Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: And of course, as a sannyāsī, then he has to travel and preach all around Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi, and all around Māyāpura-dhāma. 

Devotee: That he can do by circumambulating… 

Jayapatākā Swami: And that he can do just by circumambulating this temple, and Navadvīpa-dhāma, and the holy land. The whole world is coming to him.

Our Tatpara Swami was taking out the bull party, bollock party, van party, steady. He’s one of the very first devotees that lived in the grass hut here, in 1971, after the land was purchased by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instruction by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami and others.  So Tatpara das, actually Prabhupāda himself wanted to give him sannyāsa, but now he’s finally taking up this responsibility, so he is going to be preaching and establishing Lord Caitanya’s movement all over Bengal, very strongly.

Jaya, Tatpara Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Then we have Subhag Swami.

Devotee: Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: Subhag Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, Subhag Swami Mahārāja was first sent by his parents to England for higher studies. And then in England he met Śrīla Prabhupāda’s movement, and got the highest study.

Devotees: (laughing) Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: So, since then, he has been translating Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, and now he’s preaching in Calcutta. So, now he’ll be taking up as a Swami, as a sannyāsī, the dynamic preaching to the up… to the higher class, and to the citizens of Calcutta and the world, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Subhag Swami Mahārāja kī..!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Then we have our Gurukula Regional Secretary of India. I don’t know exactly all the titles, but he’s the gurukula chief who’s teaching all our students from all around the world, Dhanurdhara Swami Mahārāja.

Devotees: Jaya! 

Jayapatākā Swami: Dhanurdhara Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Gurupāda. Then we have...

Devotee: Dhanurdhara Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: His Holiness…

Devotee: ISKCON Gurukula kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Devotee: Bhaktivedanta Gurukula kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: His Holiness Agramika Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: Who is going to be preaching also, to the intellectuals, no doubt, in the northeast, if there are any. The real intellectual of course is one who understands Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if he can’t read and write. But, we need sannyāsīs to establish pure devotional service, and be perfect examples.

And then, we have Prahlādānanda Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami:: A well-known preacher in our movement.

And Mahākrama Swami Mahārāja kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: (to nearby devotees) Maybe someone else would like to speak.

Devotee: (to Jayapatākā Swami) President…

Jayapatākā Swami:: President, Regional Secretary of Philadelphia. Now our temples are becoming strengthened by sannyāsīs, for preaching. This way, our sannyāsīs, our gṛhastha all are cooperating, each taking their responsibilities seriously.

So that is the end of our sannyāsī… [Break]

Anything else? Those who are going to the sannyāsī new candidates should get their mantras upstairs. I’d like to announce at this time that immediately after this ceremony, we’d like to have the sannyāsī assembly for at least a half an hour, which we haven’t had, and...

Devotee: We have to give just sannyāsa-mantras, or brāhmaṇa thread first?

Jayapatākā Swami: ...for… just for a half hour, just… in the conference room, with just me, and… just formally have it.

Devotee: (talking in background) Where is it?

Jayapatākā Swami: It’s just immediately after this ceremony. (Aside) It can wait here. It’s just a half hour.

Devotee: It’s the sannyāsa list.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, now, next program. Who’s our master of ceremonies? Me?

Devotee: Preaching in China kī...!

Devotees: Jaya!