Initiated members

Expressions researched:
"initiated member" |"initiated members" |"new committee member is an initiated disciple"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

Without tapasya you cannot make advancement in spiritual life, or life of knowledge. If you simply give away..., in the animal propensities of life, eating, sleeping, mating and defending and don't accept the process of tapasya, then your human life is failure. You have to accept some tapasya if you want to make solution of the problems of life. Śukadeva Gosvāmī first recommends tapasya. Just like here, in our institution, whoever comes and becomes an initiated member, we first of all ask them to undergo tapasya. Tapasya. Especially in your country, it is a great tapasya to give up illicit sex life, to give up intoxication up to the point of smoking and tea drinking, and to give up meat-eating, and to give up gambling. Although they're only four, but it is very difficult to give up these four items. Even Lord Zetland, in England, when he was asked to do this, one of my Godbrothers, Lord Zetland, Marquis of Zetland, he inquired from my Godbrother, "Swamiji, whether you can make us brāhmaṇa?" So he said, "Yes, why not? You have to give up these four principles of life, prohibited: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating." The Lord Zetland replied "Impossible." Yes, it is impossible. Because in Europe and America, this is the way of life from the very beginning. And from India, our Indian gentlemen come here to learn this art, how to do it nicely. And they think it is advancement. India is automatically taught this tapasya by their culture, but they come here to forget that culture and accept another type of life.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:

So the first condition is that anyone who comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness as a bona fide initiated member, he gives up all these abominable habits: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. They have given up even smoking cigarette, even drinking tea, coffee. So they are all, after being qualified, they are accepted as Vaiṣṇava and properly initiated. So they cannot be neglected as other than brāhmaṇas. That is not very good proposition. They are, according to śāstra, they are qualified. It may be due to some past habits, they may commit some mistake, unconsciously. Consciously, no Vaiṣṇava commits any mistake, but maybe due to habit. That is also protected by Kṛṣṇa.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- February 1, 1968, Los Angeles:

Interviewer: About how many followers would you say there are in the United States?

Prabhupāda: Initiated members, there are about one hundred or little more, but sympathizers, admirers, there are many. Those who come, those who contribute, take sympathy, they help, and in that way there are many followers. But actually initiated members, there are about a little more than one hundred.

Interviewer: What is the significance of... Right after the chanting, everyone bows, and that I don't understand, what they're doing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is offering respect. The whole, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to ask people to surrender to God. They have rebelled against God. Somebody says, "There is no God." Somebody says that "I am God." These nonsense things are to be eradicated from human society. So they should be trained to submit. So the submission is symbolized by bowing down: "Yes, you are great; I am humble." This should be taught. Otherwise, whimsically somebody is thinking that "I am God." They do not know what is God. It is most foolish proposal if somebody claims that he is God. He is dog. We very much hate this proposal, when a man claims that he is God. It is most blasphemous.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Radio Interview -- February 12, 1969, Los Angeles:

Interviewer: Have you any idea what the number of the people are nationally?

Prabhupāda: So far initiated members, they are about, not less than hundred. But there are many others, admirers. In each center there are at least fifty to sixty members.

Interviewer: I assume that being an initiated member means that the individual has acquainted himself sufficiently with your teaching and gone through certain disciplines? Is that?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Certainly. That is the first condition to accept one as my disciple, because there are some restriction. I don't allow illicit sex life. I don't allow intoxication. I don't allow meat-eating and gambling. So I build up their character. So naturally my followers are very restricted. (chuckles)

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Bhurijana dasa and Disciples -- July 1, 1974, Melbourne:

So we will explain the ten kinds of offenses, and the initiated members should avoid the ten kinds of offenses. (aside) You have got the ten kinds of offenses? So first offense is to blaspheme great personalities who are engaged in glorifying the Lord within this material world. And, śruti-śāstra-nindanam, and to decry the Vedic literature. And third, to interpret the holy name in different way according to our own whims. This is also offense. And the most dangerous offense is namnaḥ balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir. Anyone who thinks that "I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, so I am becoming free from contamination of sinful life, therefore let me commit sinful life and counteract it by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa," this is the greatest offense. We should not commit offenses on the strength of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. And then considering the different names of the demigods, they are independent—no. The Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, Viṣṇu's name, is Supreme; it cannot be equalized with other names. And, in spite of chanting he holy name, if one is attached to material enjoyment, that is also offense. And to instruct about the glories of the name to a person who is out of the jurisdiction of devotional service. Of course, sometimes we have to do this, but that is for preaching sake. But generally we should not do that. I think these ten kinds of offenses are there. Anything more?

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discussions -- June 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Girirāja: "And Śrīdhara Goswami. The committee members who have herein been designated are appointed for life. In the event of the death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said committee members, a successor committee member or committee members may be appointed by the remaining committee members, provided that the new committee member is an initiated disciple and following strictly all the rules and regulations of ISKCON as detailed in the books of His Divine Grace..." Oh. "...detailed in my books, and provided that there are never less than three or more than five committee members acting at one time. 4. I have created, developed and organized the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and as such, I hereby will that none of the immovable properties in India in the name of ISKCON shall ever be mortgaged, borrowed against..."

Prabhupāda: Why India? Everywhere. Everywhere.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Rayarama -- Los Angeles 3 March, 1968:

I am so glad to learn that you are now editing TLC with keen interest. Please do it nicely and finish it as soon as possible. Regarding kitchen affairs, as a rule those who are not initiated may not enter into the kitchen affairs, but uninitiated members can work under the guidance of another initiated member when there is great need. So the direction which you are giving to the willing girls to help with the kitchen affairs is not objectionable. You can go on doing that.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Gopala Krsna -- Hamburg 3 September, 1969:

Regarding Murtis, you will have to prepare a nice altar and throne. The LA temple has done it very nicely, and I am sending herewith the specific design in picture. So your next business will be to construct a throne and altar, and as soon as they are ready, the Deities will also be received, and maybe I shall go and install Them. But when the Deities are installed in the temple, you have to take personal care. Deity worship is very regulative. You have to follow the regulative principles very rigidly. I shall be glad to know how many initiated members are there in Montreal, so I can chalk out the program for Radha-Krishna Deity worship there.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Whom it may concern -- Bombay 14 March, 1971:

Resolved in a meeting of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness held in Calcutta at 3, Albert Road, Calcutta 16 in the presence of the Acarya Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, GBC Secretary Tamala Krishna Das Adhikari and initiated members as Ksirodakasayi Das Adhikari (Kedar Natha Gupta) and Revatinandana Das Brahmacari (Robert Stephen Cusimano) that a checking account of the society be opened in Central Bank of India, Delhi and Ksirodakasayi Das Adhikari (Kedar Natha Gupta) and Revatinandana Das Brahmacari (Robert Stephen Cusimano) will jointly sign the checks. Their specimen signatures are as under.

Letter to Sudama -- Bombay 11 April, 1971:

That there have been no newly initiated devotees from Japan is all right. It doesn't matter whether they are initiated or not. If they are coming in large number, that is the success of our mission. We are not after making initiated members very many but our concern is that people understand this philosophy in wider circles. Initiated members are for managing the temples and preaching work, but our program is to invite people to our feasts, let them hear our philosophy and dance and chant. That is the basic principle of our philosophy in preaching work.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Giriraja -- London 8 August, 1972:

Our initiated members must be in the majority, and if any deed has to be prepared then I shall send you the wordings. If not, verbally is all right. If they want to make any documents, that must be approved by me. The idea is that no one should enter into the management without any sanction. If they pay lump sums then they can be on the committee, but our majority must be there. We have had bad experience in Nairobi due to carelessness in forming the management committee, therefore I am advising you in this way.