Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.4.3–4 & Initiations

Prabhupāda: [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrī Guru and Gauranga. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [devotees offer obeisances]

Prabhupāda: Where is Pradyumna? Om namo bhagavate…

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

[Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

Prabhupāda: So, we read this verse, 3 and 4, again.

Pradyumna:

papraccha cemam evārthaṁ yan māṁ pṛcchatha sattamāḥ kṛṣṅānubhāva-śravaṅe śraddadhāno mahā-manāḥ

saṁsthāṁ vijñāya sannyasya karma trai-vargikaṁ ca yat vāsudeve bhagavati ātma-bhāvaṁ dṛḍhaṁ gataḥ [SB 2.4.3–4]

[O great sages, the great soul Mahārāja Parīkṣit, constantly rapt in thought of Lord Kṛṣṅa, knowing well of his imminent death, renounced all sorts of fruitive activities, namely acts of religion, economic development and sense gratification, and thus fixed himself firmly in his natural love for Kṛṣṅa and asked all these questions, exactly as you are asking me.]

Prabhupāda: You have read the purport yesterday?

Pradyumna: Ah, no.

Prabhupāda: So read the purport.

Pradyumna: "The three activities of religion, economic development and sense gratification are generally attractive for conditioned souls struggling for existence in the material world. Such regulated activities prescribed in the Vedas are called the karma-kāṅḍīya conception of life, and householders are generally recommended to follow the rules just to enjoy material prosperity both in this life and in the next.

"Most people are attracted by such activities. Even in the activities of their modern godless civilization, people are more concerned with economic development and sense gratification, without any religious sentiments. As a great emperor of the world, Mahārāja Parīkṣit had to observe such regulations of the Vedic karma-kāṅḍīya section, but by the slight association with Śukadeva Gosvāmī he could perfectly understand that Lord Kṛṣṅa, the Absolute Personality of Godhead [Vāsudeva], for whom he had a natural love since his birth, is everything, and thus he fixed his mind firmly upon Him, renouncing all modes of Vedic karma-kāṅḍīya activities.

"This perfectional stage is attained by a jñānī after many, many births. The jñānīs, or the empiric philosophers endeavoring for liberation, are thousands of times better than the fruitive workers, and out of hundreds of thousands of such jñānīs one is liberated factually. And out of hundreds of thousands of such liberated persons, even one person is rarely found who can firmly fix his mind unto the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa, as it is declared by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

"Mahārāja Parīkṣit is specially qualified with the word mahā-manāḥ, which puts him on an equal level with the mahātmās described in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the later age also there were many mahātmās of this type, and they also gave up all karma-kāṅḍīya conceptions of life, solely and wholly depending on the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṅa.

Lord Caitanya, who is Lord Kṛṣṅa Himself, taught us in His Śikṣāṣṭaka [8]:

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo mat-prāṅa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ

Prabhupāda: So let them chant, āśliṣya.

Pradyumna: [chants Śikṣāṣṭaka word by word] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

[07:27]

Prabhupāda: That's all. What is the meaning?

Pradyumna: "Lord Kṛṣṅa, who is the lover of many devotees [women], may embrace this fully surrendered maidservant or may trample me with His feet, or He may render me brokenhearted by not being present before me for a long duration of time. Still He is nothing less than the Absolute Lord of my heart."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. All right, let them begin our..., this function. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṅa!

[japa] [break]

Jayatīrtha: So, I think we can chant now...

Prabhupāda: No.

Jayatīrtha: ...the maṅgalācaraṅa...

Prabhupāda: That's alright.

Jayatīrtha: ...mantras. These mantras...

Prabhupāda: Wait.

Devotee: Do you want to give the names now?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: Maggie?

[to Prabhupāda:] Nāndī-mukhī, Nāndī-mukhī dāsī.

Prabhupāda: Nāndī-mukhī.

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Hm. What are the rules?

Maggie: No meat, fish or egg eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. And how many rounds?

Maggie: Sixteen rounds.

Prabhupāda: Yes, minimum. You are Nāndī-mukhī. Nāndī-mukhī.

Jayatīrtha: Jayate.

Prabhupāda: Who is? [japa]

Śyāmasundara: Dennis? Dvārakānātha dāsa.

Prabhupāda: What are the rules?

Dennis: No eating of meat, fish or eggs, no intoxicants, no illicit sex and no gambling or speculation.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. How many rounds you will chant?

Dennis: Sixteen.

Prabhupāda: Minimum. Hare Kṛṣṅa. Take. Dvārakā...

Śyāmasundara: Dvārakānātha.

Prabhupāda: Dvārakānātha.

Devotees: Jaya, haribol.

Śyāmasundara: Barbara? Bhavatāriṅī.

Prabhupāda: What are the rules?

Barbara: No eating of meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no gambling and no intoxication.

Prabhupāda: And how many rounds?

Barbara: At least sixteen.

Prabhupāda: So your name Bhavatāriṅī. Not in the, right...

Śyāmasundara: Right hand.

Prabhupāda: Right hand.

Śyāmasundara: With your right hand.

Bhavatāriṅī: My right?

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Śyāmasundara: Karen? Kṛṣṅa-priyā dāsī.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. What are the rules?

Karen: No illicit sex, no gambling, no eating of meat, fish or eggs and no intoxicants.

Prabhupāda: So, Kṛṣṅa-priyā.

Devotees: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Śyāmasundara: Jim? Yaśodā-dulal.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. What are the rules?

Jim: No meat, fish or eggs, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling.

Prabhupāda: So your name, Yaśodā-dulal, darling of Mother Yaśodā [laughter.] Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Śyāmasundara: Kay? Keśava-priyā dāsī.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Come on. What is... What are the rules?

Kay: No taking of meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no gambling and no intoxication.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Śyāmasundara: Keśava..., Keśava-priyā.

Prabhupāda: Keśava-priyā. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra. Come on.

Chant little Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṅa! [bell rings as curtain opens]

Prabhupāda: Ah. Thank you. Ah, thank you. Very good. Begin.

[15:24]

[kīrtana] [Prabhupāda plays gong] [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa [end]