19890519 Lord Narasimhadeva Appearance Initiations

Lecture Code: 19890519

 

Occasion: Lord Narasimha Dev Appearance Initiations

Date: May 19, 1989

Place: Atlanta, USA

 

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His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Lord Narasimha Deva, Nara means man, Simha means lion, a half man half lion incarnation of Godhead. So about this is a form that many may not know about or be able to understand, or wordly a frightful form of the Lord. The story centers around this little boy, standing on the right Prahlad Maharaj, who was a student of Narada Muni, the great devotee guru. He appeared as a son of Hiraṇyakaśipu demon king, where performed great austerities in order to become immortal. He prayed to one of the demigods Lord Brahma for a boon to become immortal after doing commendus austerities which, inconceivable, the greatest austerities he performed. And then Lord Brahma said that except for the Supreme Lord there’s no one who is eternal, I’m not eternal, the Supreme Lord and His eternal associates, so I cannot give you this immortality. Of course, Hiraṇyakaśipu didn’t believe it and the Supreme Lord, he wanted to himself become Supreme. So then he made a plan that I’ll never be killed, if I can’t be immortal at least I can be indestructible. So he got a boon that he couldn’t be killed during the day, during the night, on the land, in the water, in the air, that he couldn’t be killed by an animal or beast or by a celestial entity from other planets, couldn’t be killed during the day or the night. I had missed a few, and everything he could think of how he couldn’t be killed apparently. Gradually I cannot die inside any residence, outside any residence, during the day time or at night, not on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought by any being other than those created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal. Grant me that I may not meet death from any entity living or nonliving. Grant me that I may not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from lower planets. Grant me I may have no rival, give me sole lordship of all living entities and presiding deities, give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore give me all the mystic powers obtained by long austerities and practice of yoga.

 

So he got all these different benedictions and therefore as soon as he got then he said now I am in power he started terrorizing everybody. He start of terrorizing, he just brought everyone under his control in the whole universe, of course happened millions of years ago. He brought everyone under his control and in this way all the planets were, he just, whatever the normal law he changed it any way he wanted to. So it was a big disturbance in the universe. But he had, so this way he was like in the, I’m fearless, indestructible. And his only son, only his son who he wasn’t very impressed by all his powers, cause he know all these powers coming from Kṛṣṇa. So whenever he talk to his son he’d say how do you like all of my power everything, I want to give it all to you. He said yes! It’s very nice but this power of course it’s just coming from the Supreme Lord. He said what is the Supreme Lord? There’s no one else but me, I am the top, I am the highest, there’s no God, forget this. But Prahlad was a devotee at heart, he knew there was a God, Supreme Lord and so he, he would always preach this fact.

 

So his father he decided that this son of mine is actually my enemy because he’s not accepting that I’m God. So either he accepts either or I’m gonna have to kill him. So he gave another chance but it didn’t work. So he didn’t want to just openly kill him because that wouldn’t look so good if the father kills his son. So he told his soldiers kill him so it appears like an accident, throw him off the cliff. So then they threw him off the cliff, so then he maybe he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa or there may be Kṛṣṇa caught him and just sat him down. So they go on the boy and see the splatt nothing, he’s just sitting there chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa (laughing). So then they, they came another plan alright throw off in the pit of snakes. He’s just like fall in it all along and would be eaten by the snakes. He fell when threw him in the pit of poisonous snakes all the snakes were crawling over but because Kṛṣṇa is in everyone’s heart no snake bit him, that didn’t work. So then he thought okay let him crushed by some mad elephants. But the elephant just held the, didn’t crush him, so then he thought well throw off him in the dungeon and just let the demons torcher him and kill him. So really nice pictures, I don’t know if Jadurani came with some of these, they’re torturing him, but he wasn’t affected, he kept chanting. That the weapons would go in and come out, he immediately be healed again.

 

So then he thought let me try, I can’t kill, let me try to educate him, give him a materialistic education and convert him to become a demon. So then he sent him to school and told the teachers you make him forget everything about God and make him just a good materialist. So they him all education, in this way, but in the recess time he preached to all the student that why you’re wasting time like this? The human life is so valuable. If you just waste your time after material persuade it’s all going to be destroyed in the end. All you girlfriends, boyfriends, all your everything, all the material buildings, money, wealth whatever there is just going to be finished in due course. So there’s no use of simply putting all your hopes in these things because they’re going to be destroyed. Better to utilize your time to become God conscious, this is the real happiness of life to chant the names of Kṛṣṇa, then you can feel the transcendental happiness. In this way, he preached to all of them not to be infatuated by the materialism. And so they all started to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and they became devotees. The teachers came in and found him doing this, reported to his father. So then the father he said this, this child is just like a, what do you call, a thorn, a thorn in the whole dynasty, the whole dynasty of progressive people who’re not attached to all the sentimentality and things superstitiousness or dynasty of atheists. He’s come to just pollute everyone with this nonsense.

 

So then he thought I‘ll personally kill my son, no one else could do it, so I’ll do it. You can imagine how this pain is, while you get in America if a father was trying to torcher a son in different ways trying to kill then finally you know he decides he’s gonna cut off his head personally. And the police kept them noticed at the last minute, wouldn’t be surprised in all of these but the FBI whatever rush to the door you know (firing sound) (laughing), save the boy. So, but here there’s no FBI, there’s no one else to save him but who’s gonna save Prahlad? His father is now personally decided I’m gonna kill him. So he calls, and he explains this is the verse that

 

SB 7.8.3-4 TRANSLATION:

 

When Hiraṇyakaśipu understood the entire situation, he was extremely angry, so much so that his body trembled. Thus he finally decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was by nature very cruel, and feeling insulted, he began hissing like a snake trampled upon by someone’s foot. His son Prahlāda was peaceful, mild and gentle, his senses were under control, and he stood before Hiraṇyakaśipu with folded hands. According to Prahlāda’s age and behavior, he was not to be chastised. Yet with staring, crooked eyes, Hiraṇyakaśipu rebuked him with the following harsh words.

 

SB 7.8.5

 

śrī-hiraṇyakaśipur uvāca

he durvinīta mandātman

kula-bheda-karādhama

stabdhaṁ mac-chāsanodvṛttaṁ

neṣye tvādya yama-kṣayam

 

TRANSLATION:

 

Hiraṇyakaśipu said: O most impudent, most unintelligent disruptor of the family, O lowest of mankind, you have violated my power to rule you, and therefore you are an obstinate fool. Today I shall send you to the place of Yamarāja, the Lord of death.

 

SB 7.8.6 TRANSLATION:

 

My son Prahlāda, you rascal, you know that when I am angry all the planets of the three worlds tremble, along with their chief rulers. By whose power has a rascal like you become so impudent that you appear fearless and overstep my power to rule you?

 

SB 7.8.7

 

Prahlāda Mahārāja said: My dear King, the source of my strength, of which you are asking, is also the source of yours.

 

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

na kevalaṁ me bhavataś ca rājan

sa vai balaṁ balināṁ cāpareṣām

pare ’vare ’mī sthira-jaṅgamā ye

brahmādayo yena vaśaṁ praṇītāḥ

 

TRANSLATION:

 

Indeed, the original source of all kinds of strength is one. He is not only your strength or mine, but the only strength for everyone. Without Him, no one can get any strength. Whether moving or not moving, superior or inferior, everyone, including Lord Brahmā, is controlled by the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

So he went on to explain that Lord creates maintains annihilates all the cosmos, He’s the best of all living entities. He explained

 

SB 7.8.9 TRANSLATION:

 

Prahlāda Mahārāja continued: My dear father, please give up your demoniac mentality. Do not discriminate in your heart between enemies and friends; make your mind equipoised toward everyone. Except for the uncontrolled and misguided mind, there is no enemy within this world. When one sees everyone on the platform of equality, one then comes to the position of worshiping the Lord perfectly.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

And then giving so many nice instructions or advices to his father Hiraṇyakaśipu became more angry. He said

 

SB 7.8.11 TRANSLATION:

 

Hiraṇyakaśipu replied: You rascal, you are trying to minimize my value, as if you were better than me at controlling the senses. This is over-intelligent. I can, therefore, understand that you desire to die at my hands, for this kind of nonsensical talk is indulged in by those about to die.

 

PURPORT: Prabhupada explains that

 

It is said in Hitopadeśa, upadeśo hi mūrkhāṇāṁ prakopāya na śāntaye. If good instructions are given to a foolish person, he does not take advantage of them, but becomes more and more angry. Prahlāda Mahārāja’s authorized instructions to his father were not accepted by Hiraṇyakaśipu as truth; instead Hiraṇyakaśipu became increasingly angry at his great son, who was a pure devotee. This kind of difficulty always exists when a devotee preaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness to persons like Hiraṇyakaśipu, who are interested in money and women. (The word hiraṇya means “gold,” and kaśipu refers to cushions or good bedding.) Moreover, a father does not like to be instructed by his son, especially if the father is a demon.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

So explained that he is been called Sri Hiraṇyakaśipu, Sri is a auspicious word because he’s about to achieve salvation. So he said

 

SB 7.8.12 TRANSLATION:

 

O most unfortunate Prahlāda, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?

 

SB 7.8.13 TRANSLATION:

 

Because you are speaking so much nonsense, I shall now sever your head from your body. Now let me see your most worshipable God come to protect you. I want to see it.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

Demons always think that God is victorious, they think He’s an illusion and hopier of the people. So Hiraṇyakaśipu he didn’t believe that there is any God, so then explained that

 

SB 7.8.14 TRANSLATION:

 

Being obsessed with anger, Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was very great in bodily strength, thus chastised his exalted devotee-son Prahlāda with harsh words.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

He asked Prahlad earlier that Is your God here everywhere? Yes! Is He in this pillar? Yes! So that’s why so let me see, then Hiraṇyakaśipu went and just smashed the pillar, broke it down with his powerful bodily strength.

 

SB 7.8.14 TRANSLATION:

 

Cursing him again and again, Hiraṇyakaśipu took up his sword, got up from his royal throne, and with great anger struck his fist against the column.

 

SB 7.8.15 TRANSLATION:

 

Then from within the pillar came a fearful sound, which appeared to crack the covering of the universe. O my dear Yudhiṣṭhira, this sound reached even the abodes of the demigods like Lord Brahmā, and when the demigods heard it, they thought, “Oh, now our planets are being destroyed!”

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

Sometimes we hear the thunderbolt and think our house is gonna be struck and destroyed. The sound when Hiraṇyakaśipu broke that pillar was so great that it covered the entire universe. Everyone from the top to bottom all the planets could hear this vibration like a huge thunder, just roaring. So when Hiraṇyakaśipu heard the sound which he never heard before, no one had never heard before. Even the other demons became afraid where is this sound? Where is it coming from? What does it mean? No one could see the origin of the sound, they could just hear the sound vibrating everything shaking like an earthquake. So it explains13:55

 

SB 7.8.17

 

satyaṁ vidhātuṁ nija-bhṛtya-bhāṣitaṁ

vyāptiṁ ca bhūteṣv akhileṣu cātmanaḥ

adṛśyatātyadbhuta-rūpam udvahan

stambhe sabhāyāṁ na mṛgaṁ na mānuṣam

 

TRANSLATION:

 

To prove that the statement of His servant Prahlāda Mahārāja was substantial — in other words, to prove that the Supreme Lord is present everywhere, even within the pillar of an assembly hall — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, exhibited a wonderful form never before seen. The form was neither that of a man nor that of a lion. Thus the Lord appeared in His wonderful form in the assembly hall.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

So Prahlad maharaj clearly says yes my Lord is present in the pillar, He’s present everywhere. But Hiraṇyakaśipu said alright we’re gonna see, let Him come if He is present. Now I’m going to challenge Him and then going to kill you and show you there’s no other God but me! And he smashed the column and out came Lord Narasimhadeva. The Lord in Bhagavad Gita explain, His devotee is never perished, never vanquished.

 

SB 7.8.17 PURPORT:

 

By appearing from the pillar, the Lord encouraged His devotee, saying in effect, “Don’t worry. I am present here.” By manifesting His form as Nṛsiṁhadeva, the Lord also preserved the truth of Lord Brahmā’s promise that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not to be killed by any animal or any man. The Lord appeared in a form that could not be said to be fully a man or a lion.

 

SB 7.8.18 TRANSLATION:

 

While Hiraṇyakaśipu looked all around to find the source of the sound, that wonderful form of the Lord, which could not be ascertained to be either a man or a lion, emerged from the pillar. In amazement, Hiraṇyakaśipu wondered, “What is this creature that is half man and half lion?”

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

He wanted to out think, out smart God he couldn’t he killed but no one can out think or out smart the Lord. It’s  because he thought that there was no one that they could punish him and he could do anything, he could even torcher a little baby, a little child whose only fault was that he would tell people that there is a God, there’s a Supreme Lord and people should love Him. So explains the beautiful form of the Lord

 

SB 7.8.19-22 TRANSLATION:

 

Hiraṇyakaśipu studied the form of the Lord, trying to decide who the form of Nṛsiṁhadeva standing before him was. The Lord’s form was extremely fearsome because of His angry eyes, which resembled molten gold; His shining mane, which expanded the dimensions of His fearful face; His deadly teeth; and His razor-sharp tongue, which moved about like a dueling sword. His ears were erect and motionless, and His nostrils and gaping mouth appeared like caves of a mountain. His jaws parted fearfully, and His entire body touched the sky. His neck was very short and thick, His chest broad, His waist thin, and the hairs on His body as white as the rays of the moon. His arms, which resembled flanks of soldiers, spread in all directions as He killed the demons, rogues and atheists with His conchshell, disc, club, lotus and other natural weapons.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

By the way anyone that gets killed by God, they get immediate salvation. So it’s not that, they get purified from all their sin because if He kills them then they’re pure and then they their soul, the self goes back of Godhead. So they at least go into the Brahma Jyothi or the impersonal effulgence. So then Hiraṇyakaśipu he thought

 

SB 7.8.23 TRANSLATION:

 

Hiraṇyakaśipu murmured to himself, “Lord Viṣṇu, who possesses great mystic power, has made this plan to kill me, but what is the use of such an attempt? Who can fight with me?” Thinking like this and taking up his club, Hiraṇyakaśipu attacked the Lord like an elephant.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

So he thought that and started to attack the Lord, trying to attack Him with his club. But the Lord was giving out so much effulgence that when Hiraṇyakaśipu went to attack Him he became invisible, he couldn’t see Him because of so much effulgence coming. So the Lord let him boom boom! Beat Him with his club, had no effect (laughing). And after a while he just decide oh! It’s not for this, He just picked him up, just grabbed him like Garuda the great bird would catch a snake. But then Lord Narsimhadeva let him slip from His hand and then all the demigods were watching, all the higher celestial beings they thought finally this demons gonna be finished, we’ll be free from his curse. And they thought oh no! he escaped. Then they all doubted the Lord, they thought oh! Even He can’t get him. So Hiraṇyakaśipu relaxed for a second, shh! what to do, this is! Then he picked up his sword this time, I’ll get him with the sword. The club didn’t work so let me try the sword. Then he attacked Him with his sword and shield. Then Lord Narsimhadeva He made a loud, shrill sound of laughter seeing his attempt of Hiraṇyakaśipu trying to attack Him.

 

Hiraṇyakaśipu is covering himself with the sword making all the moves with the shield, not allowing any gaps to be open, but then he is moving in the sky and the earth. But the Lord’s laughter is making him so afraid, this out shield laughter of the Lord he closes his eyes in fear while he’s protecting himself. Finally, then the Lord just grabs him with His hand again without any difficulty. And even though he is moving around He just captured like one has a little bug in their hand. Then Lord Narsimhadeva watched to the doorway, place the demon on His lap.

 

SB 7.8.29 TRANSLATION:

 

Supporting him with His thighs, and in the doorway of the assembly hall the Lord very easily tore the demon to pieces with the nails of His hand.

 

PURPORT:

 

Hiraṇyakaśipu had received from Lord Brahmā the benediction that he would not die on the land or in the sky. Therefore, to keep the promise of Lord Brahmā intact, Nṛsiṁhadeva placed Hiraṇyakaśipu’s body on His lap, which was neither land nor sky. Hiraṇyakaśipu had received the benediction that he would not die either during the day or at night. Therefore, to keep this promise of Brahmā, the Lord killed Hiraṇyakaśipu in the evening, which is the end of day and the beginning of night but is neither day nor night. Hiraṇyakaśipu had taken a benediction from Lord Brahmā that he would not die from any weapon or be killed by any person, dead or alive. Therefore, just to keep the word of Lord Brahmā, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva pierced Hiraṇyakaśipu’s body with His nails, which were not weapons and were neither living nor dead. Indeed, the nails can be called dead, but at the same time they can be said to be alive. To keep intact all of Lord Brahmā’s benedictions, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva paradoxically but very easily killed the great demon Hiraṇyakaśipu.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

So the Lord generally doesn't get so angry but there is a limit even to the Lord’s tolerance whenever His devotees gets tortured so much and when he has just challenged so directly that He decided to just personally react to this challenge. Normally in present very great devotee for the Lord to do such a thing, but because Prahlad was such a pure devotee the Lord personally came. Actually all have to die sooner or later and this demon he was creating so many troubles for the whole universe and especially for innocent boy. He’s about to just murder this innocent boy, so the Lord was the Supreme authority and protector especially of His devotees He personally intervene. And since this was the only way he could be killed, He took this specific form because there was no other way he could be killed so then since he got some special boon from Lord Brahma. So of course later the Lord calm down and He was worshipped by Prahlad and all the demigods, then He became a little peaceful after some time. Just at that moment, He was so angry that this person who got so many boons he could do so much good, instead he was simply creating trouble and he was torturing the small boy Prahlad.

 

So the devotees see that actually Lord is very fair and He is the protector to His devotees. Actually, when innocent people are tortured they need to be protected by some, normally the government is supposed to protect. But here Hiraṇyakaśipu himself was the king, there was no other government and Prahlad has no one else to protect him but the Lord, so then the Lord personally came. So that’s why especially at sunset it’s very auspicious moment we’re planning to have fire sacrifice at that time so that to celebrate Lord Narsimhadeva’s appearance. The devotees pray every day to Narsimhadeva for protection of the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, the preachers, the spiritual master. Said that Lord Narsimhadeva is so powerful, ferocious that any inauspicious elements are destroyed. In fact if some people have bad dreams at night, if they just sleep with the picture of Narasimhadeva at their head they get no more bad dreams, no more disturbances at night. Whatever evil influence they stay away from Narasimhadeva. In fact even in India you find that the people like fishermen who would go out in the deep seas they also know Narasimha mantras for protection, even though they’re not, say even pure vegetarians they know Narasimhadeva mantra they chant for protection. Whoever surrenders to Narasimhadeva who is everywhere then they can be protected. But whoever challenges the power of Narasimhadeva, the Supreme Lord then what hope is there for them?

 

So you have, you find different forms of the Lord, this Narasimhadeva form is very ferocious at the same time very protective of His devotees. Then you have the loving form like Radha Madan Mohana who are in the right, the loving form, the Lord in His original form. Actually Kṛṣṇa’s original form is like this, loving, He doesn’t need to carry any weapons. If He comes for protecting us He has other forms He takes but His original form is simply for having loving exchanges. So He’s playing on a flute, He’s dancing with His eternal consort, His pleasure potency Radha Rani. And His austorial form from the left Jagannath He shows all opulence. He’s offered in Jagannath Puri 56 offerings a day, very opulent. Different forms are there, golden form, lotus form, He is also under today He has a special form Narasimha form, is called Narasimha vesha. So this is called the opulent form of the Lord where He is worshipped like an opulent king with all jewels and opulence. Radha Kṛṣṇa offered with flowers and music.

 

Then the center is Nitai Gaurachandra, they are the merciful form, they also didn’t have any weapons. Lord Narasimha, Lord Jagannath has a Sudarshana chakra, He’s prepared to protect although He’s also very merciful. But Nitai Gaura they’re simply giving out mercy to everyone. You see when they appeared they would destroy the demonic nature of a person but leave the godly nature, they wouldn’t kill anyone. In this age of Kali, you see in all age there was one demon, a few had, some friends he had with him, but see one powerful demon with few associates. But say in the age of Kali everyone has both in them, demonic and good influences, godly and demonic. The same person may one time think, let me give charity, let me do kind things next moment he may be angry, may be greedy, may be lusty, may do things which are demonic. So Lord Chaitanya appeared to kill everyone would have a demoniac nature then we would all be killed. Because within us everyone has one or ten or a hundred, some percent of demonic nature and some percent of good nature. So instead Lord caitanya by His love, by the weapon of love, by weapon of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa He would cleanse the heart from the demonic nature leaving the people peaceful, calm, loving, gentle. So because in this age we require that mercy.

 

But we on this day we worship the form of the Lord who appeared in the Satya yuga long ago in a previous age another time and so thus basically what we’re observing today. We can take a special opportunity today on this very auspicious day to overcome all obstacles. If we pray Narasimhadeva any obstacles in our devotional service we could pray to Him to help us remove the obstacle in a nice way and let us become fixed up in nice Kṛṣṇa conscious, we can also pray to Lord Caitanya who Narasimhadeva is within Him, all the avatars or incarnations are within Lord Caitanya to give us the mercy, not only to get the obstacles removed from our practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness but to be established in the ecstatic loving devotional service. If we get a taste of pure bhakti, taste of pure love then naturally we become immunized. Just like a vaccine we become immunized from all types of material disturbances and agitation, become fixed in pure devotion. We become so filled with happiness that spiritual happiness that material things don’t disturb anymore. We can be very equipoised, very like Prahlad so many difficulties, he’s threatened still he is very peaceful because he is in a complete state of ecstatic spiritual consciousness. So we hope everyone can achieve that ecstatic spiritual consciousness and get the blessings of the Lord today.

 

Now today we are having the initiation ceremony which is where the Guru and disciple relationship is formally before the Lord, before the fire, before Prabhupada and all the vaishnavas and guests these vows are taken and the relationship is established in a formal way. It’s already been there but now it’s a formally and irrevocable contract is made. No one should revoke that, unless someone voluntarily revokes it, it won’t be ever revoked, it will be there perpetually. So it also some obligations are there, the guru’s obligation is to train and drive the disciple back to Godhead. The disciple's obligations are to especially follow the chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa maha-mantra 16 rounds minimum per day observing four regulative principles which increase our demonic nature if we don’t control those, so avoid them. So this is a kind of very joyful situation because someone who takes these vows and who takes his commitment they are guaranteed if they follow their whole life to go back to the spiritual world after this lifetime to not have to return again to the cycle of birth and death in conditioned life. It is also a type of declaration of war in the sense against maya that one is to follow these principles is not easy, requires serious commitment. In spiritual life what they want is male body or female body, anyone can achieve complete perfection, body is not a limitation. If one is serious and concentrates on following the instructions of guru and Kṛṣṇa they can overcome these obstacles. And we, today is the auspicious day so we hope that all the obstacles in the path of the candidates for initiation will be dissipated and they can become fixed in pure devotional service. Of course they should avoid the ten offences to the holy names.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

(aside:) Anyone here knows the ten offences? Anyone knows the first offence? Can’t hear you!

 

(devotee:) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Second offence?

 

(devotee:) To consider the names of demigods like Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma to be equal to or independent of the name of the Lord Vishnu.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Third offence?

 

(devotee:) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Fourth offence?

 

(devotee:) To blaspheme the vedic scriptures or scriptures in pursuance to the vedic version.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Fifth offence? Can’t hear you, has to speak up!

 

(devotee:) To consider the glories of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa to be an imagination.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: To consider the glories of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa to be an imagination. Sixth offence? Anyone know the sixth?

 

(devotee:) To give some interpretations to the holy name of the Lord.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Seventh offence?

 

(devotee:) To commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

That means like if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa that can get rid of bad karma. If resembles things that we commit some bad karmas, commit problems to the people, let me chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and wipe it away, it doesn’t work that way. Then that we can’t outsmart the holy name which is not different from Kṛṣṇa. Just like we could not like Hiraṇyakaśipu couldn’t outsmart Kṛṣṇa similarly we can’t do that. So we have to be very careful about this offence. We have to be sincere, even if we have a problem if we are sincere we can overcome it. But if we’re trying to be like tedious then as we are difficult. Eighth offence?

 

(devotee:) To consider the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa as one of the auspicious ritualistic activities which are offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (Karma kanda).

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

It means that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is transcendental. There are many pious activities like offering charity to poor people, building hospitals, I don’t know that’s even a pious activity but say the intention is pious to help suffering people, digging wells, planting trees on the side of roads so many pious activities are there. But those are good karma, good karma means good results. But chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is beyond good and bad, it’s transcendental. So if we try to bring it down to some mundane level even a mundane good level is an offence. Because Hare Krsihna is beyond, it’s absolute good, it’s beyond mundane goodness. And ninth offence, anyone knows?

 

(devotee:) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

To preach the glories of Lord to the faithless. The Lord’s glories are so great that if you preach to, too much to someone who doesn’t want to hear anything, why are you people are this? imagining, or I don’t believe it. So we don’t get into too much detail unless a person actually shows able to digest it. Then the tenth offence is?

 

(devotee:) Not to have complete faith

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Not have complete faith even after hearing so many glories of the holy name and to maintain material attachments and being inattentive while chanting. So these are the ten offences, you should also avoid these ten offences, avoid committing them. Offenceless chanting brings transcendental love, joy in the heart Kṛṣṇa prema. So these are the, of course taking these we require that certain tests are taken, some waiting period is there. Then if someone really wants to take it after over year of waiting, then they decide yes I want to take initiation and take these vows. But it’s totally voluntary, if somebody here feels that actually second thought, they don’t want to actually take this serious vows now, maybe later or think about it. No pressure or anything, no embarrassment, you can just get up and sit back there, no problem.

 

Someone can help them tie the neck beads around their neck. Also today we have one brahman initiation, you have a thread on your plate there? Brahman initiation or second initiation is where Gayatri mantra is given. You don’t need new neck beads! I’ll give the initiation and fire sacrifice for Narasimhadeva and then we’ll have the feast prasadam. After one would have more responsible for any transgression of course one is anyway responsible but it’s like given more responsible. Because a brahmana is supposed to know better, supposed to be more experienced, supposed to teach by example. So they get a double, or I don’t know double but they get more, may be more the double but they get more reaction if they are careless. So therefore we have to be careful of taking second initiation. It’s not necessary to have it to go back to Godhead, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of a guru one can go back to Godhead but taking the second initiation if one is careful and very serious in their practice it can help. It’s able to, an aid to concentrate the mind and become more conscious of Kṛṣṇa, giving us control to mental speculation.

 

So we have Bhaktin Caralin, you come up and then pay your obeisances. They said that already the purification, say them out loud. What are the four regulative principles given or the prime practices?

 

(devotee:) No meat eating, no illicit sex, no gambling and no toxicants.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: very good, how many times Hare Kṛṣṇa

 

(devotee:) 16 rounds a day minimum

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: All the beads the same size? One big, little, anyone want small? Tulasi from Vrindavan. So your name is the name of one of Radharani’s direct associates. It means the footer of meaning apart from the fact it’s name of one of the associates, one of the principle one hundred and eight gopis. It means one who is, it gives that servant of someone who is, of the person who is enriched or endowed with artistic cultural dramatic qualities. Your name is Kalavati Devi Dasi

Jai!!!!

(clapping) Haribol!