The holy name purifies, but sincere transformation—not repeated sin—must follow initiation.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Initiation Lecture — August 22, 1971, London 710822IN-LONDON [49:04 Minutes] Initiation_710822IN-LONDON Prabhupāda: [prema-dhvani] [Background conversations and japa] [chants, with devotees responding] oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ [Garuḍa Purāṇa] śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu. The purpose of this mantra, apavitraḥ pavitro vā... Apavitraḥ means contaminated, infected, and pavitra means purified. So the mantras says, "Either one is in contaminated stage or purified stage..." Apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthām. Sarva means all; avastha means circumstances.
"In all circumstances, in whatever circumstances one may be, either in contaminated stage or purified stage," yaḥ smaret, "anyone who remembers Puṇḍarīkākṣam..." Puṇḍarīkākṣam means Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. Puṇḍarīka-akṣam, lotus-eyed. So Lord Viṣṇu's eyes are just like lotus petals, so He's called puṇḍarīkākṣam. So such person who remembers, chants the name of the lord, puṇḍarīkākṣam, sa bahya...
Bahya means external, and internal, abhyantaram, śuciḥ. Śuciḥ means purified. Śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu. So simply by remembering the holy name of the Lord, Viṣṇu, one is purified in any stage of life. That is a fact. It is said..., there is a Bengali verse which says, eka kṛṣṇa nāme yata pāpa hare, ai haya tati pāpa karibare nare[?]: "By chanting once the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, the sinful man can vanquish so much volumes of sinful activities, reaction, that he's unable to perform." A sinful man is very expert to commit sinful activities, but the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so strong that he will be unable to commit so much sins as can be extinguished simply by uttering once the name of Lord Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa.
This is a fact. But unfortunately, we, by chanting, vanquish all kinds of sinful activities— that's all right—but the next moment we again begin. So that is the defect. Just like I have taken some poison. Now you go to a doctor, he gives you medicine.
The poisonous effect is finished, or gone. You are now free. And just after coming from the doctor's house, again you take poison, and again go to the doctor. The doctor will give you medicine, but what is this business, that you go to the doctor and counteract the poisonous effect and again come back and again take poison? What is this business?
Is it very intelligent business? If you want to take poison, then take poison and die. Why you go to the physician and counteract it and again take poison? You see? So there are certain systems that...
Just like in Christian religion, they go weekly to the church and confess their sinful activities, and it is counteracted. That's all right. God can counteract anything, or God's representative can do that. But again, just coming from the church, again I begin the same thing?