19850602 Chipped Rice Festival Double Wedding and Initiation Ceremony

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jaypataka Swami on June 2nd, 1985, in New Panihati Dham, in Atlanta, Georgia. This class is an initiation lecture.

 

The first thing is the purification. Please repeat after me.

 

(om) apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato ‘pi va

yah smaret pundarikaksham sa bahyabhyantarah sucih

sri visnu sri visnu sri visnu

 

[with repetition]

 

JPS: So now, everyone take with the achaman cup, you take the water in your right hand, take the little spoon in the little left hand and put a drop of water in your right hand and say the word Sri Visnu. Drink the water. Put a drop of water in your right hand again, and then gently throw it behind you. Not on the people, just on the ground, then do that two more times and then pass it to the person next to you.

This mantra, Om apavitro pavitro va in Sanskrit means that whatever is impure either within or without a person, externally, internally, spiritually, will become purified by remembering the holy name of the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore to become purified one should repeat the name, Sri Visnu, Sri Visnu, Sri Visnu. Visnu is the name of God in sanskrit which means all-pervasive, omnipotent, omnipresent Lord. The form of Visnu is situated in everyone’s heart. So by His presence, one can become purified. Everyone is finished? Repeat again.

(om) apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato ‘pi va

yah smaret pundarikaksham sa bahyabhyantarah sucih

sri visnu sri visnu sri visnu

[with repetition]

Again take water in your right hand, say Sri Visnu, wash your hand, pass the water pot as soon as you finish to the next person.

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

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

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

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

Everyone's ready? Repeat

(om) apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato ‘pi va

yah smaret pundarikaksham sa bahyabhyantarah sucih

sri visnu sri visnu sri visnu

[with repetition]

This is the last time. Now everyone take water again three times. Sipping of water is called achaman. So today the 05:30 … in addition to the wedding ceremony, there is Harinam initiation, where one promises to chant the holy name of Krishna for the rest of ah… the life, and to follow the instructions of the spiritual master there is also a brahman or Gayatri initiation which is given to those who have taken the hari-nam initiation for one year or more, sometimes maybe two or three years of chanting, in which case one is then considered qualified to chant a mantra which is not spoken out loud. It is a silent mantra, and it qualifies one to perform such sacrifices or deity worship as are being performed today. There are also some pre to harinam initiation samskaras for the friends of Lord Krishna or the our… namhatta perfection home program which is working out of this Atlanta and New Orleans centres. We want that people should learn the techniques of devotional service or bhakti yoga and practice in their homes and they are also eligible to take initiation if ah… if they are otherwise qualified, and they can practice in their own homes. But there are also some preliminary stages where one… who is desirous to take initiation sometime in the future and who is otherwise desirous of advancing in Krishna consciousness, they can accept the Krishna Sevak, Krishna Sadhak program which is a type of preliminary to the initiation, accepting the spiritual master as an instructing spiritual master or siksha guru, and placing oneself ah… under the guidance of the spiritual master in order to go deeper into Krishna consciousness as well as to prepare oneself for higher levels of self-realization. So, Everyone’s is ready now? Repeat. So at this time it is customary to speak for a few minutes on the importance of the different functions. At this time I would like to also take the opportunity to speak on the importance of marriage. In the Bhagavad gita it is described that the real renunciant is not someone who gives up sacrifice but one who continues to perform sacrifice but for a higher spiritual purpose, rather than for material prosperity. So one of the sacrifices recommended is the Bibaha yajna or the marriage, just as another sacrifice mentioned is diksha yajna or initiation. So the marriage, of course, is a unity between a man and a woman, not only materially but also spiritually, that they have to work as a one unit. In the eyes of God, in the eyes of…. Not only in the eyes of man, they are considered to be as a one unit or as a team, and therefore just as in a team work. Just as in a team work, sometimes in a say I don’t know what… say in football team or something, just as a crude example, somebody is the right lang… or right guard, someone is a… hand, someone is the quarter back, they all work together as a team. So this stands as a two person team. So as much as they can cooperate with each other to help them advance in their spiritual life or in their material. Of course, we believe that material prosperity is necessary but to the extent that one can be healthy, that one can have sufficient food, clothing, shelter, and so on, and beyond that ah… some spiritual consciousness should be employed, sot that one doesn’t become overly attached to material things just for sense gratification but uses whatever opulence as received beyond what one needs for a happy, healthy life. That should be used to further the cause of God-consciousness or Krishna consciousness. So this is one of the sacrifices recommended in the Bhagavad Gita and the other vedic literatures. So it is someone’s responsibility that husband and wife should cooperate with each other to carry out the instructions of the spiritual master and to remind each other of the spiritual duties in addition to their material cooperative effort and friendship and so on, love… and the most important thing is to produce Krishna conscious children who will in turn, able to not only deliver their mother and father by their spiritual strength but be able to help society in large to create a better world. Bhagavad Gita describes about unwanted children as varna sankara. So in Krishna conscious married life the parents want to have the ..12.10-12.13… want to actually have children, and want those children to get every opportunity to be happy in this life, in the next. In this life full happiness doesn’t come simply from bodily sensations but from actual God-consciousness, Krishna consciousness. So initiation is another type of union between the disciple and the spiritual master. The Hari Nam initiation, you see… time when the spiritual master gives spiritual name and chanted beads to the disciple and accepts a disciple as an eternal son and daughter and the disciple in turn because the spiritual master is taking the responsibilities for all of the pious and impious activities that have been performed, agrees to try to follow or follow the instructions of the spiritual master. Spiritual master doesn’t give any impossible instructions, and the disciple has already tested the spiritual master and is confident that the spiritual master has the better interest of the disciple at the heart. So initiation is also a very joyous occasion because if one fulfills all the obligations of initiation then one is assured not to have to take birth again in the material world at the end of this body, as most of you probably know that this material body of this material life is just one page in a large book which is our life that after this material body is finished normally again we take another birth in another material body. This is the vedic philosophy and this is even… has many evidences in para-psychology about the transmigration of the soul… other scientific evidences are there for those who like to have that type of evidence. So the spiritual master want’s his disciple to be able to return back to Godhead at the end of this life. If for some reason the disciple doesn’t return then the spiritual master may have to or will have to come back again to help the disciple to finish up the remaining spiritual business. It’s a very big responsibility both for the disciple and the spiritual master. At the same time it’s a very great opportunity to go back to home back to Godhead. So it’s such a very great responsibility, because one is first supposed to ask questions to the spiritual master, take instructions from the spiritual master, work under the guidance of the spiritual master and when one is fully convinced that they want to make that relationship eternal until we reach the supreme personality of Godhead, then that person takes initiation. So for those who are in the preliminary stage when they are still preparing to take the final Harinam initiation and then give permanent commitment where the spiritual master would take… the spiritual master can only take the responsibilities for all of the reactions in karma of the disciples of the disciples willing to follow totally the instructions of the spiritual master. So we don’t expect anyone, we don’t anyone to make such a commitment before six months or one year. We like someone to thoroughly try the process out, work under the guidance of the spiritual master and when one is totally convinced that he is ready, that the spiritual master is bonafide, then only should they accept initiation. In fact, if any of the candidates tonight are feeling any kind of doubt or feel that they like to wait a little while longer before taking this serious step of Hari-nam initiation, accepting the beads from the spiritual master, then you are perfectly….without any kind of ah… stigma or anything, you can step back and wait ah… for a future initiation ceremony or whenever you feel comfortable, just to say a few words about the second initiation ceremony that you won’t be giving the mantras here for that tonight because it is late. We will give those tomorrow morning at sunrise, that’s a very responsible position as I mentioned before which qualifies one to deity worship as well as to do this type of sacrifices and it’s the responsibility of such brahmanas to ah… to represent the spiritual master in a more consciousness manner, and to be even more careful about spiritual practices. So… so we have here from Atlanta, Bhakta George and we have our bride here Bhakti Karni, Rica, Linda. So Bhakta George, can you come forward first. The principle is that you first pay your obeisances. What are the four regulative principles in Hari Nam initiation?

Bhakta George: No intoxication Gurumaharaj: No intoxication

Gurumaharaj: How many times chanting japa everyday, harinam?

Bhakta George: inaudible.

Gurumaharaj: So, Your name means you are the servant of Krishna who is the… who is the head of all of the cowherd boys, your name is Goparaj Das Gaura Vanachari….

haribol!!!!

Hare Krishna. …. Because mother of two children living happily with their husband. Her husband was already initiated… she is taking initiation now… Kaunta Hari… So your name means you are the servant of Radharani, who is ah… the, who is golden colour, who is the spiritual energy of the Lord. Your name is Hemaswari Devi Dasi.

Jay!!! Hari Bol

Bhaktin Nanda. The spiritual master is a representative of God. He is a… coming in a line of a disciplic succession, kind of line a postman, delivers the message, takes the mail or tax collector, taking and receiving, delivering to Krishna although he has to accept his homage he always considers himself to be the servant of the servant of the Lord. So Bhakti Vrinda, what are the four principles?

Bhatin Vrinda: Gurmaharaj: Eat meat, fish, eggs… and how many times chanting japa, minimum? Per day?

So your name, means that you are the servant of Srimati Radharani, who is a…. who is the most discreet in every respect, who is filled with very wonderful qualities. So your name is Laccharani Devi Dasi

Jay !!!! haribol!!!!

And now, I think you are going to have to come up with your husband ah… because you tie together, you are almost kind of going to be declared husband and wife in about 10 minutes after the yajna. Husband is known as ah… Gurupati, he is to represent the spiritual master and to also guide the … gives spiritual guidance to the wife and the wife is supposed to be the intelligence of the husband, also giving good intelligence. So what are the four principles? Bhatin …. Meat, fish, eggs….. Thank you very much. 21:49

Your name also means you are the servant of Srimati Radharani, who guides, who is a… who guides her devotees in their devotional service. Your name is Karnika Devi Dasi

Jay!!!

It’s a big day, double header (laughter) The sadhak and sevak samskaras or pre-initiation, because I will use some of the ah… Prasad from the fire sacrifice, that will be immediately after this sacrifice. So anyone who is participating in this sacrifice like to request you, to take… oh… please someone untie the neck-beads on these new hari-nam initiates. Throw the grains in using… using these three fingers or small quantity, because there is around 25 times, goes very quickly but there is swaha…whenever there is swaha you throw it in the fire, little bit, don’t throw it all… in two three times and try to hit it inside the fire as far as possible avoiding our poor priest here, for those members of our… our congregation who are interested in… in knowing more about this different ceremonies and initiation and pre-initiation, you are welcome to discuss with ah… Dudarsha Prabhu or Dhira Dasi who are very active in their respective wings of ah… this program. Is there anyone else? Of course our president or vice-president would also able to give information, but specifically Durdarsha Prabhu is standing here with the camera and Dhira Dasi is standing over there, they will be able to give you more information. 24:19 .....

So everyone ready? The mothers and fathers of the ah… brides and bridegrooms can also ah… participate in this sacrifice if they like to and throw the grains in the fire. Ranganath prabhu, do you hear that ? Fathers and mothers, if you want you can also throw grains into the fire if you like. When we say swaha, this means that this is an offering to the Lord. Can we have four devotees, one on each corner? Reading the Bhagavatam or some ah… transcendental literature for further auspicious purification? Alright, think… someone here?

Ok please repeat after me.

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya

cakshur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

Gurumaharaj: swahah Devotees: swahah Gurumaharaj: swahah Devotees: swahah Gurumaharaj: swahah Devotees: swahah

sri-caitanya-mano-’bhishtam sthapitam yena bhu-tale

svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

vande ‘ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaishnavams ca

sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa jivam

sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krishna-caitanya-devam

sri-radha-krishna-padan saha-gana-lalita- sri-visakhanvitams ca

Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha (recition by devotees)

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

 

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine

nirvisesha-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvatiti namine

 

sri-varshabhanavi-devi-dayitaya kripabdhaye

krishna-sambandha-vijnana-dayine prabhave namah

 

madhuryojjvala-premadhya-sri-rupanuga-bhaktida

sri-gaura-karuna-sakti-vigrahaya namo ’stu te

 

namas te gaura-vani-sri-murtaye dina-tarine

rupanuga-viruddhapasiddhanta-dhvanta-harine

 

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

namo gaura-kisoraya sakshad-vairagya-murtaye

vipralambha-rasambhode padambujaya te namah

 

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

 

namo bhaktivinodaya sac-cid-ananda-namine

gaura-sakti-svarupaya rupanuga-varaya te

 

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

 

gauravirbhava-bhumes tvam nirdeshta saj-jana-priyah

vaishnava-sarvabhaumah shri-jagannathaya te namah

 

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

 

vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca kripa-sindhubhya eva ca

patitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namah

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

namo maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradaya te

krishnaya krishna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvishe namah

 

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

 

panca-tattvatmakam krishnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam .

bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta-saktikam

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha

 

he krishna karuna-sindho

dina-bandho jagat-pate

gopesa gopika-kanta

radha-kanta namo ’stu te

 Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha Gurumaharaj: swaha Devotees: swaha