Firm faith that Krishna consciousness fulfills life is the essential foundation of all spiritual initiation and practice.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Initiation of Bali-mardana Dāsā — July 29, 1968, Montreal 680729IN-MONTREAL [28:48 Minutes] Prabhupāda: Two brahmacārīs will be initiated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You can come forward. Yes. [break] ...means the beginning, and the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because at the present moment we are merged into non–Kṛṣṇa consciousness... [aside:] Oh, this sound, down.
No, in this. Girl: Speaker. Haṁsadūta: Oh, that speaker. Something outside. Prabhupāda: All right, you... Let your... Beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness means first of all faith. Ādau śraddhā: the beginning is faith.
What is that faith? Faith means firm conviction that "If I become transcendentally engaged in the service of the Lord, then my life becomes successful." This is called faith. And that conviction must be firm, not tottering faith. So when this faith is created, then actually the initiation begins.
Otherwise initiation is not accepted. Kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya [Cc. Madhya 22.62]. [“Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.] [break] When one is firmly convinced that "If I be engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa..." When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, we should know, speak of God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this firm conviction is the beginning of initiation.
The Bhagavad-gītā teaches this firm conviction gradually. And ultimately the Lord says, Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]: [Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.] "My dear Arjuna, you give up all other engagement.
Just be engaged in My service or be engaged in executing My orders." "Then what about other things?" Kṛṣṇa assures, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. If somebody thinks that "If I give up all other engagements and simply be engaged in Your service, to carry out Your order, then what about my other engagements? I have got so many other duties. I am engaged in my family affairs, I am engaged in my social affairs, I am engaged in my country's affairs, community affairs, so many things, my...
Then what about those things?" Kṛṣṇa says that "That I will see, how you can do it properly." Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was a military man. So Kṛṣṇa said that "You give up all your engagements." That did not mean that Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna gave up his engagement as a military man. To give up all other engagements means to give up the engagements of your sense gratification.