20220824 ISKCON Vijayawada Initiation Address

The following is an initiation address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on August 24th, 2022 in Vijayawada, 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: So today we are having initiations. We are also having shelter and aspiring. Normally we have aspiring first but today I think we are doing the initiation first. I am very happy to see devotees in Vijayawada. Also, the devotees from Tenali and Maṅgalagiri. And I am very happy to have darśana of the deities. And Rādhā Śyāma and also Nitāi Gaura. And also, Narasiṁhadeva and other guru-paramparā. Lord Caitanya was very merciful. Kṛṣṇa would give His blessing if one took His full shelter. But Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa in His most merciful form. He came for six years all over South India. And He gave His mercy, He gave kṛṣṇa-prema, if you only chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa! He did not demand that you have to surrender first. And He did something in South India which He did not do in Navadvīpa. When He would see someone on the street, He would embrace them. And He would give them kṛṣṇa-prema. There is some happiness in material life – friendship, society, love – something. But it is very insignificant compared to kṛṣṇa-prema. We hope that everybody here can taste pure bhakti, bhāva, prema. That is the real purpose of human life. People do not understand that they are not the body, they are the eternal spiritual soul, servant of Kṛṣṇa. Thus they think falsely that this life is all that is. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, He wanted to give everybody the blessing of Lord Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-prema. And when He wanted to go to Vṛndāvana, but Lord Nityānanda tricked Him to go to Advaita Ācārya’s house in Śāntipura. When He reached Śāntipura, He saw Advaita on a boat crossing the river. And He thought, what is Advaita Ācārya doing here in Vṛndāvana? He was in such ecstasy! And then He realized that he was not in Vṛndāvana. He was tricked by Nitāi! And then He talked with Advaita Gosāñi, this is not Yamunā, this is Ganges. Advaita Gosāñi said the Ganges and Yamunā meet together at Prayāga. So we are on the western side of the Ganges, that is Yamunā. Anyway, He got on the boat, He crossed the river Gaṅgā to Advaita Gosāñi’s house. And He was chanting there for many days. His mother Śacī came there. But at that time, Gaurāṅga had taken sannyāsa. So He paid His obeisances to His mother and said, you have given Me My life, I owe everything to you, and somehow or another I have taken sannyāsa. So she thought if I tell Him to come home, then He will be disgraced. So she asked Him, please make Your base in Jagannātha Purī and sometimes You may visit Vṛndāvana, but if you are in Jagannātha Purī I will get some news about You. Lord Caitanya was chanting there, taking prasāda. Mother Śacī was cooking for Lord Caitanya. The wife of Advaita Ācārya. So Lord Caitanya said I am a sannyāsī, just give Me a little bit! Koncham koncham! And then Lord Nityānanda He is very funny! I am very hungry, I have been fasting for three days! Give Me a lot of prasāda! So Advaita Ācārya He brought prasāda for Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda. A lot of prasāda! So Lord Caitanya said, it is too much for Me! Advaita Gosāñi said take whatever You want and leave the rest for us! Lord Nityānanda said, what is this? This is nothing! I am hungry!

One time Lord Nityānanda threw some jhutha (ucciṣṭha) rice on Advaita Ācārya. And then Advaita Ācārya started dancing in ecstasy! But then Advaita Ācārya said today I have invited sannyāsīs to eat and You are ruining My brahminical culture by throwing Your ucchiṣṭha on Me! Actually, these pastimes between these three Prabhus are amazing! Advaita Gosāñi is playing the part as if He is a smārta-brāhmaṇa. But actually, He is very happy to get the mercy from Lord Nitāi. So, we hope that all the devotees will be fully absorbed in thinking about Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya. There is so much ecstasy in the pastimes of the Lord! Lord Caitanya after about a week or so headed towards Jagannātha Purī. He told the associates, they were mainly gṛhasthas, go to your homes, join your families and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! So Lord Caitanya said that whether one is a householder or a vairāgī, they should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and go back to Godhead. So we want all the devotees, those who are being initiated, those who are sheltered or aspiring, to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and develop this natural affection for Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya.

Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote his book, and he said that animals are busy in āhāra, nidrā, maithuna and bhāya – eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But human beings are more intelligent, and they have greater potential. Although they do the same āhāra, nidrā, maithuna, bhaya, but they also have spiritual activities and they can practice bhakti-yoga. Human being can understand that he is not this body. But you cannot tell a dog, you are not a dog! We cannot tell the hog that you are not the hog! Snort! Snort! Ha! They are conditioned. But human beings are more intelligent, they can understand they are not this body. The gṛhasthas can make devotees in two ways – through their children and through preaching. We (sannyāsīs) can only make through preaching. So today some devotees are taking their spiritual birth. And have the devotees taken their vows? Who all took the vows? Who did not take the vows? Vairāgya-vidyā is yukta-vairāgya. That means the things we do, we do them to please Kṛṣṇa. And we don’t have to change the situation, just change the mentality. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (Cc. Madhya 19.170) - that we give up all material designations. Use our senses to serve Hṛṣīkeśa, the Master of the senses. This is bhakti-yoga. Alright!