By Rukmini devi dasi
Entering the circle of initiation
On Sunday, 4 November, an initiation ceremony was held in Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi which is situated right next to the Krsna-Balarama temple in Vrndavana. It seemed like a mini United Nations event as the initiates came from various countries (Australia, Germany, Norway and Sarajevo) and the guests in attendance represented an even greater multitude of nationalities.
Three devotees received first initiation and and were named Indukanti Rai devi dasi, Sada Santi dasi and Sveta Ganga dasi. Yudhistira das, Sanatani devi dasi and Gayatri devi dasi were given second initiation. In his lecture, Kadamba Kanana Swami emphasized the following point, “My desire is to have disciples who are serious about Krsna consciousness.”
Yudhistira das shared with us his realizations on the significance of initiation:
[quote style=”boxed”]Initiation gives entrance into a circle of confidence in devotional service. The level of commitment designates which circle one is allowed entrance into. However, this does not mean that we should all instantly become pure devotees. In Kali-yuga, the mind and senses are factors that cannot be ignored, as we are conditioned. This may be so, but devotional service connected to the parampara system offers a solution. Stay true to the teachings of the previous acharyas, stay loyal & honest, stay humble and this connection will protect us from our lower natures. Such is the blessing of initiation. It is also very practical. Be conscious in your dealings with people, the Holy Names, the vaishnavas and the scriptures. Offer respect! Entrance into the circle is committing to the vows and tasks that come down in disciplic succession. This means going beyond the mind and “doing it anyway”, giving devotional service importance and priority in one’s life. That is the mood of offering respect. The mind objects to devotional service. This is the reality. Still, initiation means to willingly follow in the lotus footsteps of the acharyas, doing the needful as a representative, facing the challenges as a link in the continuous chain, as a part of the circle and in this way we will always be protected.[/quote]Added to the slide show below, you can also find some further pictures of Giriraja Govinda, Maharaja’s new travel companion.
This is the final coverage of Kadamba Kanana Swami’s stay in Vrndavana. He is currently in South Africa.
If you cannot view the slide-show then click here to visit flickr.
