Initiation Lecture – May 21, 1968, Boston

680521IN-Boston [39:29 Minutes]

The idea is woman, every woman, is supposed to be married

Prabhupada: This verse is, namaḥ: "I offer my respectful…"Namaḥ means "I offer my respectful obeisances."Apavitraḥ means "uncleanliness," and pavitra means "cleanliness." So either one is in cleanliness or uncleanliness, it doesn't matter. Yaḥ, anyone who chants or remembers punḍarikaksam...

Punḍarikaksam means Visnu or Krsna. Yaḥ smaret punḍarikaksam: anyone, either in cleanliness or uncleanliness, it doesn't matter, if he remembers or chants the name of Visnu and Krsna, yaḥ smaret punḍari…, sa, that person, bahya-bahya means "externally,"abhyantaraḥ, "internally."

There are two things: externally, internally. So that person becomes purified, bahyabhyantaraḥ suciḥ. Suciḥ means "purified." The power is so great that simply by remembering and chanting one becomes purified, and therefore three times we chant this sri-visnu sri-visnu sri-visnu. This is the purport of this mantra.

Now, as I repeat, you chant. [responsive word-by-word chanting by devotees]

I forget. Ah, guru...

Now give up [pause] [japa]

[break] Initiation…, initiation does not mean that it is a ceremony and it is finished. No. It is progressing. It is progressing just like education. It is progressing. So in the first beginning, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc Antya 20.12], just to cleanse oneself from the understanding of material identification, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna.

So at least for one year chanting regularly, observing the rules and regulation, one comes to the platform of spiritual platform. And then, another initiation, this is called diksa. That is also diksa, that is first process. This diksa, second process, is not very essential. The essential is to chant. In this age, there is no need of this second initiation. But those who are going to be recognized as properly initiated, so this second installment was introduced by Sanatana Gosvami. Diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam [Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.12], his twice birth he's completed.

And so far men are concerned, they are offered the sacred thread. Not the woman. The idea is woman, every woman, is supposed to be married. Of course, in your country it is not very compulsory, not very essential. In India is still, but it is gradually declining. Unless a woman is married, his life is frustrated on his debt. Even one woman is diseased or something like that-nobody cares to marry such girl-then the system is that she marries one banana tree in order to get the certificate that she's married.

So marriage is so much compulsory according to Vedic civilization for woman. Woman's independence is never allowed by Vedic smrti. Smrti means regulation, Vedic regulation. Woman must be under the care of father so long she is not married, and then in her youthful age she must be under the care of the proper husband, and she must be under the care of elderly children in old age.

Now you will see how much husband takes care of the wife, how much it is obliging. You will see from the history of Ramayana. Rama…, Lord Ramacandra's wife was kidnapped by Ravana. So it is not that the husband or like, "My one wife has gone; I can marry for the second time. There are many women I can…" No. He fought to the last, and He vanquished the whole family of Ravana to get out Sita. This is husband's responsibility.

So the idea spread here. So many women in this country say that "We are not going to be slave, slave of some man." They say like that. India also there is some of these modern girls. One of my friend's daughter, she was studying in M.A. and she was not willing to marry, so that my friend in my householder life, that friend called the daughter before me and he told me, "Abhay Babu," that she, "she's not willing to marry." So I asked that girl, "Why you are not willing to marry? What is the reason?" "Oh, I'm not going to be a slave."

This is also in India. But the sastra does not allow that. It is not slavery, actually; it is grand protection. If the husband is nice, then wife's position is very secure. Just like a king, and the woman whom the king marries, she becomes at once queen, without any endeavor, and she gets all the respect of the husband. Just see Ramacandra. Ramacandra was very young ksatriya, fighter, everything. Sita has no such record. But Sita has got the same respect as Rama-Sita-Rama. Now we have heard so many activities of Krsna, nothing of Radharani, but Radharani is still as good as Krsna.

So this combination, Vedic idea that woman must be under the… They have got three stages of life. First stage under the father, second stage under the husband. Therefore initiation, to the woman, there is no need of, I mean to say, sacred thread, because she's considered to be the half body of her husband. She's half-shareholder in everything of the husband; therefore there was no necessity.

Even you'll find in the picture of Ramacandra and Sita, Ramacandra has got sacred thread but Sita hasn't got. That is the system. So this is Vedic system, that woman is given the mantra but not the sacred thread. Even she's born of a brahmana father, there is no such system. No. In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find, stri-sūdra-dvijabandhūnam SB 1.4.25].

or… From becoming Krsna consciousness there is no, I mean to say, deter, anything that can hamper for becoming Krsna conscious. But so far this Vedic system is… And this offering of sacred thread, formerly in the Vedic age it was offered only to the brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, higher class, not to the sūdras.

So at the present moment everyone is sūdra. Then why the sacred thread is offered? No, the sacred thread is not offered to the sūdra, it is offered to the highest brahmana in Krsna consciousness. And how? Because in India the caste system is by birth. But that is not recognized. So even one is not born in a brahmana family, a ksatriya family, still Sanatana Gosvami says that by the process of initiation, any man can become a twice-born brahmana. How?

If you can chemically manipulate the bell metal, then it becomes gold. It is chemical process. Similarly, by this purificatory process of…

[aside: Try to sit down like that. You have to learn from him. No, your case is different.]

So the whole thing is purificatory process. We are pure soul. Somehow or other we are in contamination of, in this material world. Now we have to elevate from this fallen condition to our spiritual status; then we shall be eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Just like-one example-that the oil and water, it never mixes. You have seen it? That if you take one bucketful of water and put some oil, it will not mix. But collect that oil and put with oil, and it will mix immediately.

Similarly, because we are spirit soul, in the material world we are unable to adjust, that…, so we always misadjustment. Nobody can be happy. This evening we were discussing this point with that boy, Joe, who came to tape-record. There were two one-and-a-half-hour conversations. He says that "We Americans, we have decided that there is no God. If there is God, He is dead." And this is first-class rascaldom. God cannot be dead, and if anyone thinks like that, he's fool number one. Bring anyone; I shall talk with him. I can challenge with him, and God is neither dead.

So this is the going-on misconception of life. Majority. "It is folly to be wise when ignorance is bliss." So, majority people are godless, animal life. Out of that a small quantity of our society may, at least in this country, be struggling for becoming Krsna consciousness. That doesn't matter. That doesn't matter. We don't want… If somebody comes, that's all right.

My Guru Maharaja used to say, "If I can deliver one soul from the clutches of maya, then my whole mission is successful." Yes. So similarly, we are also trying to get out of this material… So whatever you are receiving as initiation from me, from my humble service, try to perform. Don't neglect it; it is not very difficult. Try to follow. Make life successful. Never mind in whatever conditions you are, the mission should be to get out of the clutches of maya.

The open formula is that the…, to get out of the clutches of maya is very, very, very, very, very, very difficult, but mam eva. Krsna says, "One who surrenders unto Me becomes fully Krsna conscious,"mayam etam taranti te.

So that should be our business. We are a brahmacari, a grhastha and vanaprastha, sannyasa. So sannyasa may not be accepted; that doesn't matter. Those who are brahmacaris, please follow the rules. If to remain as brahmacari is disturbing, get yourself married; live peacefully, husband and wife. Of course for woman, there is no such rule for becoming brahmacari, because every girl was compulsorily married by the father.

But anyway, if you can remain brahmacarini that is very nice, very nice. But if not, get yourself married, live peacefully. Don't be disturbed. Don't be implicated. Remain always pure, because we are aiming to be promoted in the purest kingdom, spiritual kingdom. So we should always remember that, that we are making progress in a different line.

So conscious on Krsna. Krsna is there. Krsna is very kind. If anyone is serious and, I mean to…, good faith, and you love with Krsna, Krsna will guide. Krsna is with you. Simply He wants to see that you are sincere, and everything will come. There is no difficulty.

"One who is engaged in the devotional service of Me in faith and love," tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti…, buddhi-yogam tam. In buddhi-yoga. The yoga system, but not hatha-yoga-buddhi-yoga. Buddhi-yoga. The buddhi-yoga means this bhakti-yoga. This is very intelligent yoga. Why it is called buddhi-yoga? Buddhi means "intelligent." Others, they are so much taking trouble exercising and pressing nose and so many other things, but still they are unsuccessful. Anything done intellectually is better.

So this is called buddhi-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, buddhi-yoga. Simply to take shelter of Krsna, and everything is complete. Therefore it is called buddhi-yoga, very intelligent yoga. Buddhi-yoga dadami tam. Krsna does not say that hatha-yogam dadami tam. Hatha-yogam-no. No hatha-yoga. No jnana-yoga. Buddhi-yoga dadami tam. That is Krsna's gift: buddhi-yoga. You'll find this word in the Bhagavad-gita. He never says that "I'll give in jnana-yogam, karma-yogam, dhyana-yogam or hatha-yogam," or this yogam or that yogam.

Only Buddhi-yoga. And buddhi-yoga is bhakti-yoga. Why? That buddhi-yogam dadami tam yena mam upayanti te. That "I'll give in that intelligent yoga by which he can come to Me." And what is that yoga by which one can go to Him? That is bhakti. That is in other places,

So buddhi-yogamor bhakti-yogam, the same thing. Or "Those who are intelligent, they can take to this yoga system, bhakti-yoga, and by which one can approach Me." It is declared in many places of the authoritative scripture, that there is… Now just like Krsna says to Arjuna, "I am speaking to you this system of Bhagavad-gita, yoga," bhakto 'si, "because you are My devotee."

He doesn't say "Because you are warrior, you are ksatriya, you are Hindu, you are Indian." Not all these nonsense. He said, bhakto 'si: "Because you are My bhakta." So bhakta, anyone can become bhakta. There is no question of becoming Indian, ksatriya, brahmana, or this or that. Anyone can become bhakta. How anyone can become bhakta? That is also stated in Bhagavad-gita:

"Any living creature, born in any sinful family, doesn't matter. If he takes My shelter,"te 'pi yanti param gatim, "he also attains the highest perfection."

So there is no such restriction. Everything is there spoken by Krsna. So we are doing just according to the Bhagavad-gita. Simply we have to know where these things are available. Execute this bhakti-yoga, this kirtana and this mantra, and chanting, and never mind in whatever occupation you are engaged; that doesn't matter. Be happy. I may be present or not present, the guidance is always there. So you can make progress very peacefully, nice. All right. Chant Hare Krsna. Why you stop?

[devotees chant japa] [break]

Prabhupada: Distribute prasadam, and this tika. [devotees chanting japa] So now we have to make program for starting [laughs] [indistinct] policy.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: Yes. Tomorrow just at five-thirty.

Devotee: Should we speak about it tomorrow?

Prabhupada: Huh?

Devotee: The program?

Prabhupada: Yes. After coming back, we make our program.

Devotee: Okay.

Prabhupada: Now about the printing of Teachings, that must be immediately.

Devotee: Yes, I'll do that.

Prabhupada: If somebody wants to eat this banana, one can eat.

Devotee: Yes.

Vaikuntha: Swamiji, how's my new spiritual name spelled?

Prabhupada: Vaikuntha, V-a-i-k-u-n-t-h-a.

Satsvarūpa: Vaikuntha dasa? Is that it?

Prabhupada: Yes. Vaikuntha dasa brahmacari. Yes.

Madhavi-lata: Swamiji, could you tell me how to spell my name?

Prabhupada: Yes. M-a-d-h-a-v-i, Madhavi. Lata, l-a-t-a.

Devotee: Swami...

Prabhupada: Accha! Distribute it. Come on, eat. Everyone. No. I've taken. Everyone can take some, little, little. You can take, divide it. You're not taking?

Devotee: It's solid.

Prabhupada: [laughs] Yes. Yes? Where is Annapūrna?

Satsvarūpa: Outside.

Prabhupada: Outside?

Satsvarūpa: The smoke is too much.

Prabhupada: What is the name of that boy in Montreal who… English boy?

Devotee: Sivananda?

Prabhupada: Sivananda is English boy?

Devotee: Oh, English boy?

Prabhupada: He has got… He has come from England?

Woman Devotee: I think his name is Chris.

Prabhupada: Huh?

Woman Devotee: I think his name is Chris.

Prabhupada: He's there?

Woman Devotee: I don't know if he's still there.

Prabhupada: Annapūrna, you're not eating this banana? Accha. So Annapūrna, can you help in opening a branch in London? Huh?

Annapūrna: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: After Montreal I shall go to London, and you also. So make program like that. Then if it is favorable, then I shall call some of you there in London, set up a branch. Maybe Krsna's desire is like that.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: And you are going... You are going to Germany?

Devotee: Yes. That would be nice.

Devotees: [offer obeisances]

Hare Krsna.

[break] [japa]