"Avoiding The Ten Offenses"

Los Angeles, December 19, 1968


Prabhupada: Just like... I am not criticizing, but it is, I mean to say, a human consideration. Suppose if you have committed some wrong thing within our jurisdiction and you come to me, "Swamiji, I have committed this." So I say, "All right. Don't do it again. Excused." Now, second day you come again. You say, "I have committed this." All right. Second day I can also excuse. The third day also, I can excuse, but fourth day I'll not excuse. Don't make it official business. Just like go to the church every week and confess and... Confessing your sinful activities before Lord Jesus Christ or his representative, surely your sinful activities are squared up. But does it mean, very nice, that every week, the whole week you shall commit sinful activities, and at the end of the week you shall go and confess? Does it look very well? You are not ashamed that "Every week I commit these sinful activities, and on the seventh day I confess"? This process should not be adopted, that because God's name, God's remembrance actually squares up all of our sinful activities. That's a fact. But how it is that we shall go on committing sinful activities and square it up by chanting Hare Krsna or by confessing? No. This is the particular point. One should carefully note. Just like Jagai-Madhai. Jagai-Madhai, they were the greatest sinful men during Caitanya Mahaprabhu's time. So when they surrendered to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu with confession, "My Lord, we have committed so many sinful activities. Please save us," that Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked them that "Yes, I will accept you and I'll save you, provided you promise that no more you shall commit such sinful activities." So they agreed, "Yes. Whatever we have done, that's all right. No more we are going to do it." Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted them and they became great devotee and their life was successful.

The same process is here also. This initiation means that you should, everyone should remember that whatever sinful activities one might have done in his past life, that is now account closed. Debit and credit closed. Now, from this day, no more sinful activities. What are those sinful activities? That is simple. We have mentioned. You should take it note. No illicit sex life. Beyond marriage, there is no sex life. No intoxication. Even drinking tea, coffee, they are also intoxication-cigarette smoking. No intoxication. No meat-eating. Simple. Only Krsna prasadam. Whatever... If you remain in the temple you will get Krsna prasadam, and if not, outside you prepare your capati, dahl, offer to Krsna and take. Don't take anything except Krsna prasada. The third... And no gambling or unnecessary sporting. People are wasting time. So many sportings they have invented-sporting balls, this ball, that ball. You see? Human life is very short. We do not know when we shall die. Before that, we must prepare ourself for the next life. Next life means directly going back to Krsna, highest perfection. As you'll find in the Bhagavad-gita, yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah [Bg. 9.25]. There are innumerable varieties of planet. The higher planetary system, they are resided by demigods, very powerful. They are also human beings, but they are very beautiful; they are very powerful. So you can go there. The moon planet, sun planet -- that is clearly stated -- if you act accordingly, as they are prescribed, that "If you want to go to the moon planet, you have to do like this," then after leaving this body, you can go there. Similarly, you can go any planet. Similarly, you can go to the planet of Krsna. So those who are intelligent, they are not concerned with..., any more with any planet within this material world. Because wherever you go, the four principles of material miseries, namely birth, death, old age, and disease, will follow. Either you go to the moon planet or sun planet or Venus planet or any planet. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. But that planet where going no more comes back in the material world, that is the most sublime planet. So we are... Krsna consciousness means we are preparing living entities directly going back to Krsna planet. The highest perfection. So this is opportunity. You have got human form of life. Now you have got our association. You have got all information from the Bhagavad-gita. So the opportunity is there. Now if you don't utilize it, then you can commit your suicide. Nobody can check you. Otherwise you can utilize all these facilities and go directly to Krsna.

So this is the process. Initiation means beginning of that perfection. One has to utilize it properly, then there is no doubt. It is assured in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna assures if you believe in Krsna, if you believe in His Personality of Godhead, then there cannot be any doubt. And let us execute Krsna consciousness and follow the rules and regulation, and then life is sure to be successful. Now chant mantra. Vande aham sri guru (chants fire sacrifice prayers, devotees responding) Now chant Hare Krsna. [break] ...bead. In this way you come to this side. Again begin from here, come to this side. In this way sixteen rounds. If you feel difficulty you ask your Godbrothers. They'll give instruction. And your spiritual name is Kamalasana dasa.

Kamalasana: Kamalasana dasa?

Prabhupada: K-a-m-a-l-a, Kamala, s-a-n-a, asana. Kamalasana dasa. Kamalasana. Kamalasana means Visnu or Brahma. Brahma is also seated on the lotus sitting place. Asana means sitting place, and kamala means lotus. You have seen Brahma is sitting on kamala? Similarly, Visnu is also sitting on kamala. So Kamalasana dasa means you are Visnu dasa. That is the meaning. Kamalasana means Visnu. This Visnu picture, you see? This is Visnu. So now we shall perform... Chant Hare Krsna. (someone breaks stick for fire) Yes. Chant.

Govinda dasi: Prabhupada? Could you spell it so that I can...

Prabhupada: K-a-m-a-l-a-s-a-n-a. Kamalasana.

Govinda dasi: K-a-m-a-l-a-s-a-n-a. Kamalasana.

Prabhupada: Chant Hare Krsna. (sticks breaking, devotees chanting) Why so much? Least. Give me least. Not so much required. All right. When I shall say svaha you'll take all, little, little. Om apavitrah pavitro va sarva... (chants prayers, devotees respond) Now bow down.

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

Now chant Hare Krsna. (kirtana)

So in the morning, evening, the aratrika should be performed, and this should be parikrama, circumambulating within this hall three times at least. These processes should be followed. Krsna has given you nice place. You utilize it properly. So there are many other processes. Gradually, it will be introduced. All of a sudden, you cannot assimilate. (laughter) So this kirtana, evening aratrika and circumambulating... If possible, you can circumambulate around the temple so that others may see also what they're doing. Yes. If not, within the temple you can circumambulate. Now you can distribute prasadam. Today's function is finished. Where is some... No fruits? You have not arranged any fruits?

Devotee: I made some bread, too.

Prabhupada: Fruits. Bread not required. That's all.

Birabhadra: I would like to know if it is all right to play the Battle of Kuruksetra.

Prabhupada: Huh?

Birabhadra: Like, is it all right to pretend you're Bhisma and pretend...

Prabhupada: What does he say?

Tamala Krsna: He wants to know if it's all right to make believe he's in the Battle of Kuruksetra. Sometimes we are playing that he is Bhisma and one of us might be Arjuna or Krsna.

Prabhupada: No. No. You should not ever think that "I am Bhisma. I am Arjuna." No. Never think like that. You should always think that "I am the servant of Bhisma, servant of Arjuna, servant of Krsna, servant of His servant." Never think... That is Mayavada. If I think I am Krsna or if I think I am Bhisma, if I think I am Prahlada, this is Mayavada. This monism, this is offense. Never think like that. You should always think that "I am servant of such devotee or Krsna." Never think that "I am that." No.

Visnujana: What he wants to know is that... He has a little ksatriya blood in him. He likes to play. He likes to express his energy a lot, run around.

Prabhupada: That is different thing. Just like you have got the blood of your father. That does not mean you are father. That is different thing. Everything is one: Krsna. That is the difference between the philosophy of Mayavada and Vaisnava. They simply take the One, but we take One, but there is diversity. That they do not understand. Actually, unity... Diversity in unity. Monism means they do not accept the diversity. They simply take that oneness. Oneness is certainly -- there is nothing but Krsna. Just like Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, "I am everywhere spread." Maya tatam idam sarvam. "Everything, whatever you see, that is I am, but I am not there." Naham tesu avasthitah [Bg. 9.4]. They are existing. Everything existing in Krsna. But that does not mean... Just like this table. The table is also Krsna in one sense, because it is the manifestation of Krsna's energy. Therefore this is not different from Krsna. But if you think that "Instead of worshiping Krsna, let me worship this table," that is wrong, nonsense. This is the difference between Mayavada philosophy and Vaisnava philosophy. The Mayavada philosophy says that even if I worship the table, it is all right. But Krsna does not say. It is Mayavada philosophers said. Krsna says, "Yes, table is existing in Me. I am also table. But I am not there." You see in the Bhagavad-gita. So never think like that, that "I am Bhisma" or "I am Prahlada" or "I am..." No. You are always servant of such devotee. That's all.

Birabhadra: If we pretend we're the servant of... If we pretend we're the servant of Bhisma and..
.
Prabhupada: Servant of his servant [Cc. Madhya 13.80].

Birabhadra: Servant of the servant of Bhisma...

Prabhupada: Yes, that's all.

Birabhadra: Is it all right to play the Battle of Kuruksetra if you're the servant of the servant of Bhisma?

Prabhupada: What is that?

Visnujana: Is it all right to play like he's fighting the battle as servant of the servant of Bhisma? He likes to play like he's in the battle. He likes to run and play. It makes him think of the Lord.

Prabhupada: Oh, you are playing in the battle? No, you should not manufacture anything. You should be directed by the spiritual master. Don't manufacture anything. That is not good. You'll manufacture today something; next day you'll manufacture something; then you'll go astray. Don't do that. To be under disciplinary activities means to be directed by the authorities. Don't manufacture anything. There are so many activities. Why should we manufacture some other thing? Manufacturing means Mayavada, mental concoction. That is not the process of bhakti. Yes.

Jaya-gopala: If he plays...

Prabhupada: Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. You have to simply follow the footprints. Yes.

Jaya-gopala: If we were in plays and we are playing such great personalities, how should we be thinking?

Prabhupada: Huh?

Jaya-gopala: In plays if we would be...

Prabhupada: Play is play. Suppose you are playing the part of Cromwell, are you Cromwell? So similarly, why do you think like that you have become Cromwell?

Jaya-gopala: No. How should we think, though?

Prabhupada: You think yourself that you are servant of him. Suppose you are playing the part of George Washington in a drama. Are you George Washington? But while playing, you may feel like that; otherwise the play will not be successful. That is different thing. (pause) So Govinda dasi, so long you are here, morning, evening, you should see that the arati is performed. In the morning, evening, and lunchtime. Yes.

Jaya-gopala: When one is fully engaged in transcendental loving service, how is freedom of choice playing a part in your..., in choice of service? Does one have a choice? Like when Krsna completely takes over one's life.

Prabhupada: I do not follow what you said. [break] (chanting of Bhaja bhakata) One line is missing. Purusottama, you have taught them? (referring to arati song) Thank you. That's all right. Now you learn it, it will be all right. Now you can take prasadam. Hare Krsna. In this way one or two, practice daily, then it will come out nice. Yes.

Tamala Krsna: (indistinct) take prasadam, Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Yes. (arati song) Loudly. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Initiation Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968

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© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.