20220821 Initiation Address

The following is an initiation address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on August 21st,2022 in Hydrabad, India.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa! We observed the Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, Śrīla Prabhupāda Vyāsa-pūjā. Today we are having the initiations. I think some devotees are here for shelter and aspiring. Taking of initiation is called, taking birth. Just like we have all taken birth from our mother and this is dvija, we are taking special birth. And we want people to take their spiritual life very seriously. And therefore, we have before initiation, some practice period. Where you can see whether or not you are able to follow. So this time of initiation one takes vows, promises that cannot be neglected. If you follow these principles and instructions of the guru properly, then this will be your last birth. That means that guru is like the lead bird of the formation, but he doesn’t carry the other birds, they have to follow him. Scientists did a study and they found that the lead bird has to take 100% of the load and the other birds get 30% less i.e., 70%. I mean, this is just an example of birds flying, we are not birds! But I am following Śrīla Prabhupāda, he is following his guru, his guru the guru-paramparā. I just wanted to say by following your guru properly, it becomes easier.

In every age, there is a recommended sacrifice.

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
(ŚB. 12.3.52)

Satya-yuga was meditation, Tretā-yuga was home yajña, Dvāpara-yuga was temple worship and Kali-yuga harināma. Although we have a temple we always chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. In some ancient temples, they just ring bells. That may have been their practice in Dvāpara-yuga but in Kali-yuga we should chant the holy names. So, keep your houses śuci and keep your consciousness śuci by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa! Read Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Have deities in your house or citras (photos) and worship them. Come regularly to the temple. Eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Remember the Lord, remember Gaura-Nitāi, Rādhā-Madanamohana, Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, Bālājī, all the time. This place, Bhārata-varṣa is very special that you can go back home back to Godhead very easily. One pūjārī in a south Indian temple, he said he wanted to talk to me. He said, I have two sons, one is not very in academics, I put him in pūjā. The other one is good in academics, please get him a visa for the USA! So this is unfortunate that his intelligent son he wants to go to the West and become a śūdra, a yavana. People have forgotten what the real purpose of human life is.

I was giving class to some Persians and Iranians and one person asked a question – can we actually talk to God? Can we see God? Is He a Person? This is the great glory of the Bhārata-varṣa that we know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Person. So we want you all to be Vaiṣṇavas, Vaiṣṇava has all the qualities of the brāhmaṇas but also one more which is devotion to the Śrīla Prabhupāda. So, by achieving perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness you should to try to help others to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And if we get the seed of devotional service, that gives us the perfection of life.

So, this is the start of your voyage – up to now it has been practice and now this is a formal acceptance and you have to very carefully practice. So, I think that you have attended the ten offences class of Rādhe Śyāma Prabhu. And the class of Vedānta Caitanya Prabhu.

Addressing the Bengali devotees: I hear that many devotees have come from Bengal. I live in Māyāpur. Now, I am coming from Bangladesh via West Bengal. After the program, if you want to speak to me, you can do that.

I also know Hindi. But know more of Bengali! Telugu, I am just learning! Bāgunnāra!