Iskcon females initiated name with ‘devé däsé’…!?!
Question - MAHÄRÄJ JÉ, is ‘devi däsé’ the name of a female or is ‘devi däsé’ given in the name of a female devotee?
MAHÄRÄJ JÉ - You mean to ask – is ‘devi däsé’ the total name for a female or it is in addition to a name given to a female?
Okay, well, it is seen that when someone gets dékñä in Iskcon, the female gets the name title ‘devi däsé’ after their name, like, let’s say, Lalétä devédäsé or Viçäkhä devédäsé. It is seen that this name is given at the time of initiation in Iskcon. The question is whether it is right or wrong.
The simple answer is, you’ve got eyes, you’ve got legs, use them and go to Jagannätha Puré, Våndävana, Mäyäpura, Rädhä kuëòa, any place of your choice and see, that there are so many, 500 year old ancient paramparäs in Gauòéya Vaiñëava lineages… soo many, 100s of temples are there… just see what name is being given to them, from the last 500 years. And, since we have done that already, to make your journey short, we can tell you…
See, I go to Jagannätha Puré, I’ve been to Navadvépa. I’m going to Navadvépa from the last 30 years, every year, so I know every nook and corner of Navadvépa, Jagannätha Puré, Våndävana, Rädhä kuëòa, we know all these places. And whenever anyone gets dékñä, they get this name as Lalétä däsé, Viçäkhä däsé, Tuìgavidya däsé.. not devédäsé.
‘Devi’ itself is the name of Rädhäräné. Viläpa Kusumaïjali, ‘Devi’ name is given, I think somewhere around 18th, initial çlokas. In Puräëas also, in so many places, ‘Devi Parama Sundaré…’ Devi means Rädhäräné. Rädhäräné is addressed as ‘Devi’.
And My Gurudeva, Çréla Ananta Däsa Bäbäjé, who is called as the Greatest Scholar of the last so many centuries. The Greatest Scholar. Some siddha mahätmäs call Him, ‘na bhüto na bhaviñyati’. He is such a great Scholar, that such kind of Scholar will never appear in future also, and in past also. Siddha Mahätmäs have told us, they haven’t seen anyone as scholarly as Çréla Ananta Däsa Bäbäjé.
Well, Çréla Ananta Däsa Bäbäjé gave name to a female devotee, her total name was ‘Devi däsé’. Däsé, and what was the name – ‘Devi’. Her total name was Devé däsé, not ‘something devé däsé’. Not Lalita devé däsé. Total name was ‘Devi däsé’. And, the entire gauòéya vaiñëava sampradäya, you go and see yourself, only ‘däsé’ is being given. Not ‘devi däsé’.
Well, if ‘devi däsé’ seems to them as the right way forward, then they should give names to males as ‘deva däsa’. Like, Keçava deva däsa. No, name is Govinda däsa, Kåñëa däsa. Have you seen in Caitanya Caritämåta? You must have seen it. The name is Kåñëa Däsa Kaviräja Gosvämé. The name should have been Kåñëa Deva Däsa Kaviräja Gosvämé. It should have been Kåñëa deva däsa.. No? Govinda deva däsa, Balaräma deva däsa, does it make sense to anyone? If, someone is devi däsé, then why are males not deva däsa? They should be deva däsa.
Well, males and females are simple däsa and däsés. We are däsa and däsés of Lord Gauräìga and the Divine Couple in Vraja… Däsa and däsés. There is no deva däsa.
And ‘Devi’ itself is the name of Rädhäräné. So, if you are giving the name ‘Lalétä devi däsé’ …it means you are giving the name ‘Lalétä Rädhä däsé’. You are giving the name ‘Viçäkhä devi däsé’ means, ‘Viçäkhä Rädhä däsé’. Does this make any sense to anyone?
And in all sampradäyas, only the name ‘däsa’ or ‘däsé’ is being given. And in gauòéya vaiñëava sampradäya also, till last 100 years or so, before the advent of Iskcon and Gauòéya maöha, only däsa and däsés were there. Bhakti Siddhänta jé changed… he started whatever he wished to, and innocent poor followers are…
When we are getting connected to some sampradäya, at least we must see from our own eyes and legs, how things go on in that sampradäya. At least go to Våndävana, Navadvépa, Jagannätha Puré, any place of your choice and see for yourself, what is the name given to females. I mean, at least these things should be known very clearly.
Is there any ‘namaù om viñëu pädäya’ you are doing every day, so many times a day? Is there any need for that? Am I doing the right Païca Tattva Mantra? etc. etc. the very basic things.
Well, there is a Devotee, Female Devotee, who was named in Iskcon ‘Kåñëa Ärädhya devi däsé’, but when She got connected to Rädhä Kuëòa, Çréla Ananta Däsa Bäbäjé just canceled the word ‘devi’ in that name, and He gave Her the same name and She became ‘Kåñëa Ärädhya däsé’ from ‘Kåñëa Ärädhya devi däsé’.
So, very clearly, we know that devi is not a bonafide name given to females in gauòéya vaiñëava sampradäya… Be very clear. Have no doubts about it.