20250202 Initiation Address to Bangladesh Devotees

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: I have been to Comilla many times. There, I had beautiful darśana of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā and Sudarśana cakra in the temple. They told me that there was a road that led to Agartala by the side of the temple.

Today, I am extremely happy that so many devotees have congregated together. Now we will have the dīkṣā program. Now we are doing that online. I will say the names of the devotees. In the initiation program, we pledge to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. We also say the four regulative principles. Have all of you taken the oath? Very good! This Harināma is non-different from Kṛṣṇa or His name. That is why everyone has to chant the holy name definitely. Yesterday we were reading the glories of the holy name. The name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, the  name of Kṛṣṇa is parama-guru. The name of Kṛṣṇa gives kṛṣṇa-prema. And there were a lot of glorifications of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Many think that what is there in the name, why should we chant? In this Kali-yuga the chanting of the holy name is the sacrifice. Without this holy name, we have no other recourse.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says: “The holy name is transcendental. There is no knowledge like the holy name, no vow like the holy name, no meditation like the holy name, no result like the holy name, no renunciation like the holy name, no sense control like the holy name, no piety like the holy name, no goal like the holy name, anywhere. The holy name is the supreme liberation, the holy name is supreme destination, the holy name is supreme peace, the holy name is supreme abode, the holy name is supreme devotion, the holy name is supreme intelligence, the holy name is supreme love, the holy name is supreme memory, know this for certain. The holy name is the cause of life, the holy name is the Lord of the living entity, the holy name is the supreme object of worship. The holy name is the supreme guru.”  (Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura)

So after reading this we understood the glories of the holy name extensively. If we do Harināma all the time, we can get the blessings of the Lord. If we serve Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, that is bhakti-yoga. To see Kṛṣṇa, to get kṛṣṇa-prema could take many, many years for us. But gradually, we reach closer to prema. We hear the holy name and chant, and get the association of devotees. Then bhajana-kriyā begins when we also could take initiation. There are four regulative principles, those anarthas have to be avoided. After that, on the path of devotion, there is niṣṭhā. When we are in the bhajana-kriyā stage we could give blessings to people. This is not of a very high level but giving this can strengthen the faith of people in Kṛṣṇa. Then we develop ruci, taste for the holy name when we like very much to chant Harināma. What we feel cannot be expressed. After ruci is āsakti, attachment. After that is rati or bhāva. That is the initial stage of prema. The symptom of this is that we will have prema, though prema is still later. When we look at Kṛṣṇa, and serve Kṛṣṇa, then we get prema. Prema again has eight stages. I will not go into those details. We know that ṛṣis, munis take many births to get prema. But because of Lord Caitanya’s mercy we are able to get that prema in one birth! Gaurāṅga!

But all of you with great faith can develop on this path. In this material world everyone thinks that we will enjoy sense gratification. There is some happiness but there is sorrow as well. But in kṛṣṇa-bhakti the bliss that is there is unlimited! I know that the devotees in Bangladesh have lot of obstacles. But I hope that all of you will be doing well. And you will stay in kṛṣṇa-bhakti and service to Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!