Initiations

Yesterday in Hari Nam Desh in Hohenstein, Germany I initiated two new disciples: Karuna Sindhu Das, and Jalangi Devi Dasi. Initiation is the ceremony in which one solemnly commits one's entire life to following the process of Krishna consciousness under the guidance of their spiritual master. The ceremony was held in a beautifully decorated temple room which was filled with over one hundred guests. It was festive, joyous occasion which included singing, dancing, and feasting. It gladdened the hearts of all to see these two souls taking their second birth. Our first birth is from our mother and father, and our second birth is from Guru and Krishna. Recently in Houston, Texas I initiated Sukhada Das as my disciple. Below are some photos for your enlivenment from these ecstatic events.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sukadha Das Initiation, Houston, Texas

Karuna Sindhu Das at His Initiation
Hohenstein, Germany

Jalangi Devi Dasi at Her Initiation
Hohenstein, Germany

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Carried Away by Success and Failure

I am Amit, your servant from India. I am about 29 years old. I has been my personal experience in life that only the powerful person is respected in society even if he may be the most evil-minded person in the world. Whereas the not so strong person in terms of money and power is always cursed and ill treated even though he may be the greatest devotee of the Lord.

Since childhood I have lived a very miserable life. I have been very weak physically and social-status wise. People have always considered me as a mentally retarded person. Now at the present phase of my life, by the grace of the Supreme Lord and you blessings I have got well settled in both my job and my married life. But still I sometimes get very depressed when the fearful thoughts of my past day enter my mind. I pray to the Lord to never show me those days again in my future.

Please advise me how to come out of those fearful memories in life and life a Krishna conscious life now. One main problem of mine is that I easily get drawn by feeling of ego and pride even if I get a little success. Then when there are failures I get depressed. Please suggest to me how to come out of the state of being carried away by circumstances in life and get fully absorbed in the devotion of the Lord.

Thank you,

Amit

Answer: See Them Both as the Mercy of Krishna

Material success and failure go together like day and night. Therefore you should understand than whenever there is success it will soon be followed by failure and that whenever there is failure it will soon be followed by success. If you allow yourself to be elated by success, you are sure to become depressed by failure. The simple solution is to be equipoised, equal both in success and failure seeing them both as the mercy of Krishna and both to be engaged in His service. Krishna describes such an equipoised vision as follows in the Bhagavad-gita:

na prahṛṣyet priyaḿ prāpya
nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam
sthira-buddhir asammūḍho
brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ

bāhya-sparśeṣv asaktātmā
vindaty ātmani yat sukham
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā
sukham akṣayam aśnute

"A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is already situated in transcendence. Such a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure within. In this way the self-realized person enjoys unlimited happiness, for he concentrates on the Supreme."
Bhagavad-gita 5:20-21

Sankarshan Das Adhikari