One should not commit sin. The four principal sin, we have several times repeated; again we are repeated, that all sins are based on four principal headings—illicit sex life, and nonvegetarian diet, gambling and intoxication. It is very scientific. If one can avoid these four principles of sinful activities, he becomes pure. He hasn't got to do much.
If these four principles are followed, he will never touch any sinful activities. But if somebody thinks that "Because I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and by chanting I become free from all sinful reaction, therefore let me do all nonsense," no, that is the greatest sin. Nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ (Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-khaṇḍa 25.1). That is . . . should be avoided.
And sāmyam śubha-kriyā mati-pramādaḥ. Just like we are having this function. There are many auspicious function in every religious system, but it is not like that. It is transcendental. It is spiritual. It is not ordinary religious rituals. Chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is not a ritualistic method. It is transcendental. It is natural, original relationship. So this should be avoided. And the conception of realizing oneself as this body, self-realization—no, that should be avoided. And one should not be inattentive while chanting.
In this way ten kinds of offenses . . . of course, in the beginning we have got . . . because our life is contaminated, there may be so many falldown, but we should be careful. The more we become careful, the more we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa without any offense, the more we quickly become advanced.
Just like a person taking medicine, if he takes all care, then the medicine effects very quickly and the disease is cured very quickly, similarly, if we take precaution of these ten kinds of offenses . . . of course, by chanting, gradually everything will be cleared, but still, we must be very cautious. Even we fall down, that . . . Kṛṣṇa will save us if we are sincere.
So these ten kinds of offenses should be avoided, and at least sixteen rounds you must chant. All the Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they had a limited . . . not limited, a number, fixed, that "So many times I shall chant." So we are offering only minimum of sixteen rounds. That, it will take, sixteen rounds, it will take about, utmost, three hours. So you should . . . out of twenty-four hours, you should engage at least three hours for chanting.
So then this is the beginning of initiation, and those who have chanted at least for one year, then the next initiation is to offer him Gāyatrī mantra. Some of the students, boys and girls, will be offered this Gāyatrī mantra. And when the Gāyatrī mantra is offered men, they are offered also sacred thread, and girls, they are not offered sacred thread. If their husband is a brāhmaṇa, she automatically becomes brāhmaṇa, because wife is considered to be the half, better half. She is the better portion. So she automatically becomes better brāhmaṇa. (laughter) So better brāhmaṇa does not require any thread.
There is a Bengali proverb, ya va nauket poiyete darkana naya. The proverb is that in India if one has got sacred thread, he is immediately understood that he must be belonging to the higher caste, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiṣya. But if somebody knows that he is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, he doesn't require to show the sacred thread.
Similarly, the wives of brāhmaṇa is already known that he (she) is brāhmaṇani, so she does not require to show the sacred thread. So don't be sorry because you will not be offered the sacred thread. (chuckles) That's all right.
Now let us perform this yajna. Now chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
(break) Take this . . . (leads chanting of mantras for fire sacrifice)
Take this.
(break) . . . eight, nine, ten. Do it again. Eight. That's it.
And there are seven mantras. (Prabhupāda recites Gāyatrī mantra, Gurudāsa repeating)
- oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svāḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
- aiṁ gurave namaḥ
- aiṁ gurudevāya vidmahe kṛṣṇānandāya dhīmahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayāt
- klīṁ gaurāya namaḥ
- klīṁ caitanyāya vidmahe viśvambharāya dhīmahi tan no gauraḥ pracodayāt
- klīṁ kṛṣṇāya govindāya gopī-jana-vallabhāya svāhā
- klīṁ kāma-devāya vidmahe puṣpa-bāṇāya dhīmahi tan no 'naṅgaḥ pracodayāt
So this mantra, morning, evening and noon. (break)