20220703 Dīkṣā Ceremony Address to Kolkata Devotees

The following is an initiation ceremony address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 3rd,2022 in ISKCON Kolkata, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: Today the first and second initiation ceremonies are being conducted. And before dīkṣā everyone took saṅkalpa to take aspiring and shelter. Normally, this would have been done in front of Lord Jagannātha but because there are so many devotees, a special arrangement has been made. Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is the founder of ISKCON. He had said again and again that the human beings don’t know who they are – they think they are the body, but we are eternal souls. We have a body. In Bengali they ask, “How is your body?” This is the right way. We are souls and we have a body. But now we have a human life which is a good opportunity, in this human life we can try to realize out who we are and what is our relationship with the Lord, we can understand. Lord Caitanya said that bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra, janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra.

To perfect one’s life in one way means we realize ourselves. That we are eternal servants of the Lord. And that if we serve the Lord then we need not have to take birth again and again in this material world. This material world is like prison. And we go through 84 lakh species of life after which we get the human life. And now if we being humans if we do not use this opportunity to understand who we are and what is our relationship with God, then our human life is a waste. This is sanātana-dharma – loving God, serving God. The human beings now don’t know who they are and who God is. That is why Lord Caitanya came to give teach everyone, that God is so beautiful, so strong that serving the Lord, loving the Lord, there is no other work than that.

Today the initiation, which is taking place, means we are doing ātmā-nivedanam, that we dedicate our whole life to serving the Lord. And, under the instructions of the guru will live our lives. Lord Kṛṣṇa gave the teachings, and the initiation is coming through the Brahma-sampradāya down to us. I got taught and initiated by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. In the future, you should read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books well and after reading them, should distribute this knowledge to others. Now you are students, but in the future, you should be masters. Now you are students but in the future you will be teachers for ordinary people. So it is very important for all of us to study the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta very well. This way in the future, all of you will be expert in this śāstra.

Those who are gṛhasthas, they should try to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center of their homes. They should have a small temple at home in which they can install Deities. Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā or Gaura-Nitāi Deities can be installed. And whatever you eat offer to Kṛṣṇa and eat. And study Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta. And be part of Bhakti-vṛkṣa or Nāmahaṭṭa. This way, your environment will be spiritual. This way your environment is very important. Whoever is taking initiation today have been chanting japa for at least one year and following the four regulative principles. You can see that this is not very difficult, anyone can follow this. But this will have to be followed the whole of your life. Whoever here want to spend their whole life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness please raise their hands. Haribol! Haribol! There are many programs, I will not take much.