20220806 Dīkṣā Ceremony Address

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: Dear devotees, today in this sacred Puṇḍarīka dhāma, there is going to be a dīkṣā, initiation ceremony. The intention of initiation is that we surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa. And this way, we can go back to Goloka Vṛndāvana and Vaikuṇṭha dhāma. We see that everyone is eager to get initiation fast. But initiation means that whatever vows you have taken, you will follow all through your life. You have all taken the vows? Okay. There is a vow that we should not gamble. Now there is a lot of advertisement to buy lottery ticket and win one lakh rupees. That way thousands and thousands of people will buy the tickets and one may get it. Those who are promoting this do it for their profit. Another vow we take is that we will not take any intoxicants. But many people have wine, alcohol. We devotees take a vow that we will not take any intoxicants. Because there is so much bliss in taking Kṛṣṇa’s name, there is no need to take intoxicants. The quality of dharma is having mercy. That way, we are not allowed to eat meat, fish, eggs. People hunt animals and that way lose their quality of mercy. In Bangladesh all over people eat non-vegetarian food. We have to be determined in mind that we will not eat non-vegetarian food. We will stay away from businesses and programs where meat, fish are involved. Illicit sex and illicit connection with women. Brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs, they are strictly to follow vow of celibacy. If they have any kind of involvement, that is not good. That is only allowed in gṛhastha āśrama with restrictions. Husband and wife, they can unite. Not with other men and women. This way, one person came up to Śrīla Prabhupāda and said, that he wants to be a brahmacārī and said he is not able to follow his rules strictly. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, why are you not becoming a gṛhastha? The person said, I don’t want to be a fallen gṛhastha. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you are a patita, fallen brahmacārī. You can become a determined, sincere gṛhastha. Now you are a fallen brahmacārī.

I saw that we have many lady, Vaiṣṇavī devotees. Yesterday in Pravartaka Saṅga those who had donated 25 lakhs, 50 lakhs, 100 lakhs, they had come to see me and take my blessings. There I saw there were husband and wife. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Vaiṣṇavī devotees are not ordinary ladies. With their association, men can become devotees. We want that Vaiṣṇavī, Vaiṣṇava, be engrossed in the service of the Lord. If they follow the rules, follow the guru’s instructions, then definitely they can go back to God and God will be pleased. But if they think that after taking initiation, I will not follow these rules, then they will be doomed. They will also be traitors of their guru. They will kill their guru. I have many health problems and the reason for this is because many of my disciples do not follow the rules properly. We want that all of you should follow the rules properly and experience the Lord’s prema-bhakti. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that it took him twenty years to attain prema-bhakti or perfection. How long will it take us, who knows? But if we have Lord Caitanya’s mercy, we can get that. So you should all try to please the Lord. If the Lord is happy, satisfied, then you will be successful. But if you think that by cheating, you will appear to serve the Lord, then that will not do. The Lord is smarter than us.

Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to see that he remained immortal. But then Lord Kṛṣṇa He understood that He would keep all the promises that were made to him, but in the end He would kill Hiraṇyakaśipu. So, there is a saying, that on fasting day, do not drink water under water. We cannot cheat the Lord. On Nirjalā fasting day, we go for a dip in the Gaṅgā and then under water we sip water when no one is watching. But the Lord is watching. He is all knowing, He can see everything. We want that all of you will not only go back to Godhead but preach to your family, relatives, friends and take all of them to Godhead. Haribol! I hope that the people in Bangladesh will also go back to Godhead, to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Anyway, Lord Caitanya said that, and repeatedly we say, that we are not the body, we are the soul, we are eternal living entities. The body dies but the soul does not die. Na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin [Bg 2.20]. This soul will be there eternally. Those who do not service to the Lord, do not believe in God, they will come back again and again in this wheel of birth and death. But those who take the names of God, worship God, read Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they can get back to Godhead. Haribol!

Now if you will stay steadfast then with the Lord’s mercy all of you will experience bliss. There is a song – ānandera sīmā nāi, ānandera sīmā nāi, ānandera sīmā nāi, nirānanda dūre jāi. I hope that all of you will experience this bliss!