Embrace? Yes. So as soon as one, kṛṣṇa-bhuliyā, forgets Kṛṣṇa . . . forgetting Kṛṣṇa means sense enjoyment. Two things are there. One, the materialistic persons, they are engaged in the activities of sense enjoyment, forgetting Kṛṣṇa; and the transcendentalists, the devotees, they are, even though they have not forgotten, but they are not interested in sense enjoyment; they are interested in Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. This is māyā and Kṛṣṇa.
So māyā is always strong. As soon as we little slack in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, māyā will capture us in the same process. So here it is said, bhajann apakvo 'tha. If one is not very strong, not very much advanced, not mature, and falls down under the clutches of māyā again, so, Nārada Muni says, yatra kva vābhadram abhūt: "There is no," I mean to say, "loss." Abhadra means great loss or inauspicity. There is no . . . "It is still good, even if he falls down."
Why? Yatra kva vā abhadram amuṣya kiṁ ko vārtha āpto 'bha . . . "In comparison to the person who is simply sticking to the formalities of religious principles without any development of love of Godhead, simply following the routine work—in comparison to that person, this person who came to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, either by sentiment or some way or other but falls down, this man is better. This man is better. There is no," I mean to say: "any great loss. Rather, it is a great gain."
How it is gain? Kṛṣṇa has confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā that yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāya . . . Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41). This question was raised by Arjuna, that "Kṛṣṇa, one person is engaged in bhakti-yoga. It is very good. If he can execute bhakti-yoga to the perfect point and becomes liberated, goes back to Kṛṣṇa, it is very nice. But if he falls down, then what is his position? He loses both things? He loses Kṛṣṇa consciousness and all this material enjoyment? Then he is nowhere?" Kṛṣṇa said, "No, no, no, no. It is not like that. His position is not like that. His position is better still, even if he has fallen down."
What is that? Now, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41): "If one, anyone, immaturely falls down, then in next life he will have the opportunity to take birth in very rich family or in a family of a," I mean, "real brahmin." Real brahmin means śuci, always pure. That is real brahminical qualification. Truthful, clean, wise, God consciousness—these are brahminical qualification.
We are giving thread ceremony to our disciples to recognize him that he has got the brahminical qualification. He has given up this meat-eating, illicit sex life, gambling and intoxication. He is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. He is being purified gradually. He's trying to understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he's always pure. This is the recognition. This thread ceremony is recognition. But if we simply make it a show that, "Now I have got thread, I have become liberated. I may not do anything," and then again I fall down. The same principle is always going on, māyā and Kṛṣṇa.
Just like in India, those who are born in brahmin family, they are falsely proud that, "We are born in brahmin family. Now we are perfect. Now we can do any nonsense thing; still I am brahmin." And it is actually being done. They are doing works less than a śūdra, and still, they are passing on as brahmin. That is the cause of India's spiritual falldown.
Some people, they have exploited simply being born in high family. But actually that is not the position. Actual position is by quality. If one has got the quality of a brahmin, then he should be recognized as brahmin, as we are doing here. Here nobody is born in a brahmin family, but how we are offering him sacred thread? By the quality.
That is recommended by Sanātana Gosvāmī. Sanātana Gosvāmī gives a very nice example in his Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, that yathā kāṁsyam . . . yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti rasa-vidhānena . . .
- yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti
- kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ
- dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām
- (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 2.12)
He gives that, "Just like by chemical process one can turn gun metal into gold, similarly, by the process of initiation, one can become dvija." Dvija means twice-born, or brahmin.
So the chance is given. If one falls down immaturely from the standard of bhakti-yoga, devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he gets next birth either in a very nice brahmin family or very rich family. So is not . . .? So what is the loss there, even if I fall? But that does not mean I shall wait for falling down. No. Just like in India, formerly, in medical college there were two designation—one as M.D. and another was L.M.S. So what is the distinction? Now, after passing the . . . after regularly attending the class, say, five or six years, if one passes the examination, he takes the title M.D., Doctor of Medicine, or something like that. And if he fails, then he is given the title L.M.S., Licensed in Medical . . . medicine and Surgery.
So after studying in medical college for the regular years, five or six years, so even if he fails, he is recognized, but not to the standard of that passed medical man, but he is given license: "All right, if you don't wish to study more, you get the license to practice." Licensed. Similarly, a devotee, a person in devotional service, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if he falls down by some reason or other, without being mature, then he has . . . he's not in loss.
He says, Nārada Muni says, that evaṁ tāvat tat karma-karmādi anartha-hetutva taṁ vihāya harer līlāiva bandhaniya tam. Therefore everyone should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If we pass Kṛṣṇa consciousness examination at the end of our life, it is very good, but even if we fail, just like the medical man failing, as we can execute, we can work as a medical man, we get the license, just like to take birth in a nice family, that means again devotional service.