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760617IN.TOR
Initiation Lecture

Toronto, June 17, 1976
Prabhupada: I have to speak something?
Pradyumna: If you like. There are some Indians, if you want to speak.
Prabhupada: Huh?
Pradyumna: You could if you wish.
Prabhupada: Where is Pusta Krsna?
Pradyumna: He's very behind on typing or something, so he wanted to...
Prabhupada: Oh. So this is... So many devotees are being initiated. So initiation means, the Sanskrit word is diksa. Diksa, divya jnanam ksapayati iti diksa. Divya-jnana. There are two kinds of knowledge: divya and mundane. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. This is the instruction of Maharaja... What is? Bharata Maharaja's father?
Pradyumna: Rsabhadeva.
Prabhupada: Rsabhadeva. Rsabhadeva is the father of Maharaja Bharata, under whose name this planet is called Bharatavarsa. From Maharaja Bharata. Formerly, the king of Bharatavarsa... The whole planet was called Bharatavarsa. So this... Before that, it was known as Ilavativarsa. So Maharaja Bharata, the eldest son of Rsabhadeva. Rsabhadeva was incarnation of God. So He advised His one hundred sons, "My dear boys, tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1]." Before retirement and making Bharata Maharaja the emperor of the world, He gave them advice. It is the duty of the father. Generally, we do also. Before retirement, the instruction is given by the father how to rule over the kingdom or manage the business. Anyone, as it is. So retirement was compulsory. Not that unless he's shot dead he's not going to retire. No. This was not Vedic civilization. At the present moment there is no Vedic civilization. Nobody is going to retire unless he shot dead. But Vedic civilization was not like that. Retirement compulsory. Brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. Four divisions of spiritual order. Human life is meant for spiritual realization. And sense gratification is animal life. This meeting is for the human beings, not for the cats and dogs. They cannot come here, neither they will understand what is going on here. A human body, human being, has the chance to understand the philosophy of life as it was enunciated by Rsabhadeva.
He said,
He said, "My dear boys, this human form of life," ayam deha, this body... Nayam deho deha-bhajam. Everyone has got body. The Brahma has got body and the small insect, it has got also body. The spirit soul is encaged in this material body. So lower than human being up to the animals, there are so many forms of life. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. In this way, varieties of life. But Rsabhadeva said, "Now you have got this human form of life, don't spoil it like the hogs and dogs simply by sense gratification." Sense gratification is available by the hogs and dogs also. That was the instruction of Rsabhadeva. And what is the duty of human life? Tapo, tapasya. Tapasya. Voluntarily accepting some inconvenience. That is called tapasya. Generally, we want loke vyavayamisa-madya-seva nityasta jantu. Jantu, when one is not on the platform of spiritual understanding, they are called jantu. Jantu means anyone who has got life. The cats and dogs, they have also got life. So loke, in this material world, vyavaya amisa madya seva. Vyavaya means sex indulgence, sex life. And amisa means meat, fish, egg-eating. Amisa. Therefore vegetarian diet is called niramisa, not amisa. So it is general tendency of the living being to become amisa, to eat meat. That is the general laws of nature. Jivo jivasya jivanam. One living entity is the life for another living entity. Ahastani sahastanam. There are animals, two-legged animals, and there are four-legged animals. The four-legged animals is the food for the two-legged animals. So long we remain as animals, then there is the necessity of eating meat. Ahastani sahastanam. Hasta means hands. So those who are living like animals, only two legs. The other animals, four legs, and here is an animal of two legs, dvipad-pasu. For them, the animal is eatable, amisa-madya seva. And drinking wine, or intoxication, and vyavaya, sex life. Loke vyavayamisa-madya sevaya nityastu jantu. So long he is jantu, these things are required. Pravrttir esa bhutanam nivrttis tu maha-phala. That is general tendency. But when one gives up voluntarily for higher status of life, that is called nivrtti-marga. Pravrtti-marga and nivrtti-marga. Pravrtti-marga means to fulfill these desires, amisa vyavaya madya seva. But when one is trained up to give up these habits, that is called nirvrtti-marga. So we have got so many pravrttis, inclinations. But when you voluntarily give up all these nonsense habits, that is called nivrtti-marga and tapasya.
So human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo-divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. Don't be carried away by the general, menial, abominable tendencies. Therefore tapasya required. Tapa, we prescribe for tapasya no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication and no gambling. This is tapasya. This is tapasya. We have to accept if we want superior position of life. Tapo divyam. Tapasya, the aim of tapasya is to be situated on the transcendental platform of knowledge. Tapo divyam. So this life, this human form of life, is meant for tapasya and transcendental knowledge. This is the purport. Not to waste this life, this human form of life, ayam deha. The cats and dogs also have deha, body. The... Analyze the body of a dog and analyze your body, what is the difference? No difference. There is blood, there is flesh, there is vein, there is so many things, all common things. Then what is the difference between the cat's body and dog's body and your body? The advancement of knowledge and consciousness. So for that divyam, knowledge, one has to be initiated. Divyam, diksa means beginning of transcendental knowledge. So Vedic civilization is janmana jayate sudrah. By birth, everyone is born a sudra, fourth-class man. But there is chance of the fourth-class man to become the first-class man. That is possible. Janmana jayate sudrah. Everyone, when he's born by the sex behavior of the father and mother, he's a sudra. Then samskarad-bhaved dvija. By samskara, by the purificatory method, this tapasya, he's becomes a dvija. Dvi means twice and ja means birth, second birth. Samskarad-bhaved dvija. Then when he becomes dvija, properly initiated, then he's allowed to read Vedic literature. Veda-patha. Sudra cannot. If you remain a sudra, no samskara, no purification, then you have no right to understand Vedic knowledge. Either you have no right or you cannot understand. Why... The Bhagavad-gita is there throughout the whole world. Everyone knows Bhagavad-gita. But they have misunderstood, because they are kept sudra. Veda-patha. First of all, by birth, he's a sudra, and when he's purified, then he becomes dvija. Dvija, the sacred thread is, means that this man... Upanayana. This is called upanayana. Upa means near and nayana means bringing. So when one is brought nearer to the spiritual master and he accepts him as his disciple, he gives the sacred thread as badge, that "This man is now dvija, twice-born. He's no more sudra. He's brahmana." So he has the right to read the Vedic literature.
So the Bhagavad-gita is the summary of all Vedic knowledge. So if we pass through this process of divya-jnana, diksa, then we rightly understand what is Bhagavad-gita or we become interested that what is the lesson of Bhagavad-gita. Veda pathad bhaved vipra. After reading... Bhagavad-gita is the summary of Vedic literature. You cannot read all the Vedas at the present moment, neither you have time, nor you have got the capacity. In this Kali-yuga, mandah sumanda-matayo [SB 1.1.10], everyone is fallen. Manda-bhagya. So this human life should be utilized for understanding the Vedic knowledge, divya-jnana; then he'll be purified, tapo divyam yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. My existential identity will be purified. At the present moment it is not purified. Because it is not purified, therefore we are repeatedly dying. But there is no knowledge how to stop death. They think death is natural. It is not natural. It is unnatural. They do not know it. But in the Bhagavad-gita you'll get the information, na jayate na mriyate va kadacin: "The soul is never born, never dies." Na jayate na mriyate va kadacit. "I see he's died, he is dead." No, he's not dying, his body is being annihi...Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. By seeing the body is destroyed don't think he's destroyed. He'll get another body. Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. So this is our position. We have accepted one body, and we live in that body for some days, and then again we give up this body, tatha dehantara-praptir. So this is disease. So in order to get out of this disease there is necessity of tapasya, how to stop this disease.
So this initiation means... Don't think that it is something official, ritualistic ceremony, and as soon as we get the initiation, now we have become perfect, and then whatever nonsense I like I can do. No. Tapasya must continue. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. In order to purify yourself, your existence, you have to continue the tapasyano illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication, and chant Hare Krsna. If you follow these five principles, then your existence will be purified, you'll understand Krsna from the Bhagavad-gita, you'll know Krsna, you'll know what is the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to understand Krsna. There is no other business in this human form of life, but because we have given up Krsna we have invented so many occupational duties. So these so-called occupational duties, running here and there on motorcar, is not the end of life. There is something more for the human being, and that is divya-jnana. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam, yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam [SB 5.5.1]. Why shall I purify my existence? Because you want happiness. That is your desire. So you'll get brahma-saukhyam, the greatest happiness, which will never end. If you purify your existence by tapasya then you will be happy eternally. There will be no end. Here in this material world any happiness is temporaryeither for five minutes or five days or five years or five hundred years or five millions of years. It will end. But if you purify your existence, then the happiness will never end. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam [SB 5.5.1]. Anantam means unlimited. It is very serious thing, and it is offered to the human being. So anyone can take advantage of this opportunity and make his life successful.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya!
Hari-sauri: ...all mixed up. [break] ...got to do the men first, then the women... [break] ...initiated.
Prabhupada: No. Why the men? Anyone can come. Take one, yes.
Devotee: Steve? Steve? (devotee offers obeisances)
Prabhupada: So you know the rules and regulations?
Steve: No meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling, and no illicit sex life.
Prabhupada: And chanting?
Steve: Sixteen rounds per day.
Prabhupada: Minimum.
Prabhupada: Your spiritual name, Sthiti-karta dasa.
Devotees: Jaya, Haribol. (another devotee offers obeisances)
Devotee: All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.
Devotees: Jaya.
Prabhupada: You know what are the rules and regulations, regulative principles?
Devotee: No meat-eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex and no gambling.
Prabhupada: Your spiritual name, Gaudiya dasa.
Hari-sauri: Robert Richards? (devotee offers obeisances)
Prabhupada: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna. (devotees chant japa) What are the rules and regulations?
Robert: No illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no gambling, and no intoxication.
Prabhupada: Prabhu-pati dasa.
Hari-sauri: Bhakta Lloyd?
Prabhupada: Is he a doctor?
Prabhupada: Hmm. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. What are the rules and regulations?
Lloyd: No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling and no meat-eating.
Prabhupada: Lila-kirtana dasa. (another devotee offers obeisances) What are the rules?
Devotee: No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating, and minimum sixteen rounds.
Prabhupada: Thank you.
Pradyumna: Devideva dasa.
Prabhupada: Devideva dasa. Hare Krsna. What are the rules and regulations?
Devotee: No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating, chanting minimum sixteen rounds of Hare Krsna.
Pradyumna: Desika dasa.
Prabhupada: Diksik?
Pradyumna: Desika
Prabhupada: Oh. Desika dasa.
Prabhupada: (japa) What are the rules and regulations?
Ivan: No intoxication, no meat-eating, no sex illicit, no gambling.
Pradyumna: Isavatara dasa.
Prabhupada: Isavatara dasa.
Hari-sauri: Richard Hoffman?
Prabhupada: (japa) What are the rules and regulations?
Richard: No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling.
Prabhupada: Rsi dasa.
Hari-sauri: Gary Hannon?
Prabhupada: What are the rules?
Gary: No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication and no gambling.
Prabhupada: Gurubhavana dasa.
Hari-sauri: Bhakta Allen?
Prabhupada: What are the rules and regulations?
Allen: No gambling, no meat-eating, no intoxication and no illicit sex.
Prabhupada: So after performance of the sacrifice, those who are to be doubly initiated, how many? Eight. They may come upstairs, one by one. So one thing I request that these promisesno illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gamblingthese promises are made by you before Krsna, before the fire, before the Vaisnavas and before your spiritual master. Don't break it. It will be great sin. Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada. (end)

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