Indian man (3): Swāmījī, tomorrow is Guru-pūrṇimā, and a friend of mine, his father or his mother died, you see, on Ekādaśī day. Husband and wife both, they had been fasting Ekādaśī, doing satya-nārāyaṇa-kathā. So now father, he is very lonely, and he said: "I have got no guru." Then I told about you. So he immediately grabbed the idea. He wants to come tomorrow, in the morning, to have your blessings. But then is it possible that he could have the initiation?
Prabhupāda: Well, let him come. First of all let him understand . . .
Indian man (3): That man already comes. But tomorrow is Guru-pūrṇimā. That's why I thought if tomorrow . . .
Indian man (8): If he deserves it.
Prabhupāda: So let him come tomorrow. We shall see.
Indian man (3): Tomorrow morning? Ācchā. The beads, Swāmījī. He wants the beads. We can get it from the office?
Prabhupāda: No, beads, they also purchase from the market. There is no harm. Either you take it from here or from the market.
Haṁsadūta: We buy our beads at the market also. The thing is that if someone wants to be initiated, then he has to be prepared to follow some principles, four principles. Prabhupāda just mentioned them. He must be prepared to give up all intoxicants, all illicit sex life, meat-eating—meat, fish, eggs—and no gambling. And chant the prescribed number of rounds, sixteen rounds. So anyone can be initiated, but he must be prepared to follow these restrictions. Otherwise, the effect of the chanting will not be as . . .
Indian guest: As effective as it would be.
Haṁsadūta: Exactly.
Indian man (4): So what you're saying is that there's no harm by his . . .
Prabhupāda: No, you can . . . that will help you in future to give up these habits. Chanting you can begin at any condition. But when we initiate officially, we take this promise. Then we initiate. This is our condition. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā. According to śāstra, these are four kinds of sinful activities: illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. But these are modern civilization. It is very difficult.
Indian man (3): Swāmījī? Tea and coffee's also included?
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is also intoxicant. Pāna . . . chāi, pāna. Pāna, pāna means intoxication. Dhūmra-pāna.
Indian man (7): Dhūmra-pāna.
Indian man (2): And what about supāri, Swāmījī?
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is also ingredient of pāna. Pāna, it is called pāna.
Indian man (2): I offered Vaikuṇṭhajī supāri. You see, he won't accept it. So I thought, well, it only helps digestion, because it only brings the saliva in the mouth.
Prabhupāda: Well, wine is also very digestive. (laughter) An appetizer also. All Europeans, they take first of all wine to eat voraciously. I see in the airplane. And after taking wine, they eat so much.
Indian man (8): And then they go for dancing to digest it.
Prabhupāda: Simple life. Simple life, innocent life . . . because after all, we have to give up this material world. If we become attached, then we'll have to take birth again. Nivṛtta-tarṣair . . . (SB 10.1.4). There is another verse quoted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is very difficult, but there is possibility. Niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya (CC Madhya 11.8).
Bhagavad-bhajana, those who are eager to go back to home, back to Godhead . . . pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya, on the other side of this material world, for him . . . viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca, hā hanta ha hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu (CC Madhya 11.8). For such person to be attracted by these material things is not good. It is suicide. So material things, viṣaya, simply increasing the method of eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, this is material activity.
Indian man (8): Defense?
Prabhupāda: Defense. Defense means . . . just like we have discovered atomic bomb for defending. This is also material activities. So it requires time to learn. But one thing is, the beginning should be, as far as possible, our life should be sinless. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find it is said, yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpam (BG 7.28): "Anyone who is completely freed from all sinful activities," yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām, "and always engaged in pious activities, such person can become devotee." Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28): "He becomes freed from the duality of this world, and becomes fixed up in My service."
So this is the condition, that yeṣāṁ anta-gataṁ pāpam. Without being sinless, nobody can understand what is Bhagavān, what is Bhagavad-bhajana. Therefore this is the beginning of sinless life: no intoxication, no illicit sex . . . if you can . . . if somebody avoids these things, he does not die. It is simply a little practice. He's practiced to all these bad habits, and if he likes, he can give it up. It is not difficult. And this is tapasya, little tapasya.
Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). To become advanced in spiritual life, one has to accept some tapasya, austerity. So this is a simple austerity. Therefore when we officially initiate, we get this promise from the student that, "You have to follow this." And that's all.
Indian man (4): (Hindi)
Indian man (1): In the evening tomorrow, Swāmījī, have you got any special program or . . .
Prabhupāda: No, anyone can come after four.
Indian man (1): Four to . . .?
Prabhupāda: Four to six.
Revatīnandana: I think tomorrow evening there'll be special . . . some special guests coming. Tomorrow evening.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Revatīnandana: Not tomorrow . . .
Prabhupāda: No, you are also welcome. You are also welcome.
Indian man (5): Some people they work, you see, seven days of the week.
Indian man (8): Sunday night?
Indian man (5): No, Sunday is tomorrow. So they wanted to come.
Revatīnandana: Yeah, except tomorrow evening, I . . . Śyāmasundara's arranging a very special conference. And I don't think . . .
Prabhupāda: That's all right. They also come and hear what is . . . it is open to everyone. Our special conference: Bhagavad-bhakti.
Guests: Thank you very much.