Second Birth, a Rare Opportunity

Yesterday here in Kaunas, Lithuania we held an initiation ceremony. This was conducted in humble submission to the instructions of my spiritual master, our Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He told us, his disciples, that after his physical departure from this material plane that those persons coming forward to join this Krishna consciousness movement should become the disciples of his disciples. So on Srila Prabhupada's order in yesterday's ceremony I accepted six new disciples as well as giving Brahman initiation to three of my already initiated disciples.

What is the the significance of initiation? Our first birth is the acceptance of the material body, which is provided for us by our mother and father. There is nothing extraordinary about first birth because all varieties of living beings in this world get their first birth automatically by the laws of nature. What distinguishes human life from animal life is that human life affords us the opportunity to get a second birth. This second birth comes from a different set of parents, the spiritual master as the father and the Vedas as the mother. Initiation or second birth revives the original, eternal, full-of-bliss, and full-of-knowledge identity of the living being. At the time of initiation the serious disciple who strictly follows the spiritual master becomes deathless. He enters into immortality. Even though he remains within the shell of his first birth day, he lives henceforward within his newly revived spiritual identity as Krishna's eternal servant tasting the sweetest happiness at every minute.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Initiation Ceremony Kaunas, Lithuania--19 April 2009
New Initiates Throw Grains into the Sacrificial Fire

Initiation Ceremony Kaunas, Lithuania--19 April 2009

Bhaktin Nijole Becomes Nandarani Devi Dasi

Bhaktin Nijole Becomes Nandarani Devi Dasi

With the Eight New Initiates and Others

Sankarshan Das With the Eight New Initiates and Others

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: How to Be Humble?

Dear teacher, forgive me if I commit an offense by asking irrelevant questions.

1. How to become humble? Humility is not taught in today's modern education system. Being humble doesn't comes naturally from within.

2. What are the etiquettes one must have to be a Vaisnava?

3. I experience bliss while doing kirtan, but there is no such bliss while performing japa. Why?

From your servant

Answer: Give Respect Without Expecting Respect

The formula for becoming humble is that you should offer all respect to others without expecting any respect for yourself.

The formula for how to be a Vaisnava is given by Lord Krishna as follows in the Bhagavad-gita:

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion."
--Bhagavad-gita 9.14

If you are not tasting bliss when you chant japa, it is because you are trying to taste bliss. If instead of trying to taste bliss you will try to give bliss to Krishna by chanting His names with love, you find yourself swimming in an ocean of unlimited bliss at every minute.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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