20230625 Initiation Address

The following is an initiation address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 25th, 2023 in Kolkata, 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: Today it is raining, this is very auspicious. Today, many devotees have come to take initiation. Before initiation, there will be devotees to take aspiration and shelter. Anyway, Jaya Jagannātha Jaya Baladeva Jaya Subhadrā Jaya Sudarśana cakra, Jaya Rādhā Govinda. Now in front of the Deities they are taking initiation. That means they are getting connected to the guru-paramparā. Now, everyone has a responsibility towards the guru-paramparā respectively. And that responsibility is preaching. Lord Caitanya said:

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
(Cc. Ādi 9.41)

That one gets perfection of life is the blessing of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That a person gets shelter of Kṛṣṇa is what we try to do. Lord Caitanya said that Lord Kṛṣṇa is so sweet that even one drop of it like a drop of water in the ocean, if anyone can get that, then that one drop can immerse the whole world. Those who are on this earth we think that if we get material things here we will be happy. But it is necessary that we get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. To get Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. Now, because we are devoid of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness, we are all suffering. Now, the thing is that presently we are in the material qualities, and this does not facilitate spiritual understanding.If we go to think of spiritual qualities… ślokas. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that men, ladies, śūdras, whoever, all of them if they can rise to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then they are equal. We are making efforts and trying that everybody comes to the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by their personal endeavor and efforts. Last night many devotees received their Bhakti-śāstrī degrees. This way, I hope that all of you will study Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books – Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other books. This way, one should earn spiritual mercy and one should try to earn this. Now, there are many people in Kolkata but amongst those very few understand who they really are. Sanātana Gosvāmī was the Prime Minister and he said that people call him a paṇḍita, scholar. But he considered himself to be a fool. But he did not know who he was. That is why, he was pleading to Lord Caitanya, “Who am I? Please tell me.” Lord Caitanya said, you are a jīva. Jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya-kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ (Cc. Madhya 20.108). You are an eternal living entity, and the constitution of the living entity is to be a servant of Kṛṣṇa. This way, those who are taking initiation or pre-initiation you are all accepting yourselves to be servants of Kṛṣṇa and continue your transcendental service to Kṛṣṇa. In this way one will become blissful.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!