Ecstatic Initiation Ceremony in Toronto

It was my great joy to formally connect two sincere young men with our Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya disciplic succession on my recent visit to Toronto. On 13 January, 2013 in ISKCON's wonderful Toronto temple I accepted Mayapur Candra Das and Hemanga Das as my duly initiated disciples. Srila Prabhupada explains the great value of initiation in a lecture he gave on 5 January 1974 in Los Angeles as follows:

"Deathlessness begins from the day of initiation. Adau gurvasrayam. As soon as you take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, your point of deathlessness begins immediately. Immediately. And if you continue the advice and instruction of the spiritual master, or the sastra, then you become deathless. No more death."

All those who are serious to achieve spiritual perfection should qualify themselves for initiation by becoming solidly fixed chanting at least 16 rounds of japa along with the strict avoidance of illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha Superbly Beautiful ISKCON Toronto Deities

Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha Superbly Beautiful Deities

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Second Spiritual World for Non-Devotees?

Please accept my humble obeisances.
Today when I was discussing with devotees, this question came up. Krishna created the souls for His enjoyment. Krishna is the Supreme Enjoyer. When the souls love Krishna, they stay with him in the spiritual world. But, when they do not love him, they are forced to come to this material world, which is a place of miseries.

Couldn't Krishna have created another separate spiritual world full of happiness for those who want to enjoy separately from Him? Is it that we are forced to love Krishna, otherwise we have to suffer in the material world.

Thank you,

Your humble servant

Timir Nandi

Answer: Non-Devotees Shun Spiritual Worlds

It is not that the souls who choose to not love Krishna are forced to come to material world. They want to come to a world where they can consider themselves to be the Supreme because they think that this will be their enjoyment. Krishna is fulfilling their desire. He is not forcing them.

Spiritual world means that place where Krishna is served. Therefore one who does not want to serve Krishna will not be happy either in the spiritual world or the secondary spiritual world that you have proposed.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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