Diksa and Nama Bhajana
by Puru das adhikari and
Bhumipati das adhikari
First let us offer our prostrated obeisances at the divine lotus feet of our diksa guru His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and the lotus feet of our divine siksa gurus, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Gosvami Maharaja and all of our other siksa and shastra gurus in the guru parampara coming down from Lord Brahma through Srila Madhvacarya,. Srila Madhavendra Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and in the modern age, through the mercy of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and his divine successors.
At the present time in the age of Kali there is certainly a lot of confusion . Guru-tattva (tattva means truth) is a transcendental subject matter that can only be clearly understood and realized by the mercy of our guru parampara. Therefore we see a paradox for aspiring devotees who are not always presented a clear conception concerning guru-tattva. Without the shelter and siksa (instructions) from a sad guru (a fully self -realized soul) the importance of diksa (initiation) will remain a mystery. Without diksa how can anyone establish his sambhanda (relationshhip) with the Supreme Lord or one day chant suddha nama (the pure name)*? The matter of the need for diksa (initiation) has been clarified very nicely by our acaryas. There is no need to minimize its importance to explain the glory and importance of nama-bhajana (chanting the maha-mantra).
In Sri Gaudiya Kantahara 14.66 we read:
“svayam brahmani niksaptan jatan eva hi
mantratah
vinitanatha putradin samskrtya pratibhodhayet
“When the guru gives the mantra to his disciple according to the rules and regulations of pancaratrika-viddhi, then, by the influence of that mantra, the disciple never takes birth again. A humble disciple conducts himself with great respect for his spiritual master--as if he is a son of the guru. To such a humble disciple, who has been purified by the appropriate samskaras, the guru teaches the meaning of the mantra. This is the way that spiritual initiation is performed according to the rules and regulations of scripture.”
(Narada Pacnaratra, Bharadvaja-samhita 2.34)
The specific topic of chanting the maha mantra and the simultaneous necessity for receiving diksa-mantras from a bona fide sad-guru is explained succinctly in Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura’s book “Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu as follows:
“It is seen in the shastras in connection with the glories of bhagavan-nama that there is so much potency in the Lord’s name that even without undergoing diksa, purificatory ceremonies (sat-kriya), or prepatory rites (purasacarya), harinama is competent to produce results as soon as it comes in contact with the tongue. This is expressed in the following statement of Sri Laksmidhara cited from Padyavali (29):
akrstih krta-cetasam sumahatam
uccatanam cahasam
acandalam amuka-loka sulabho
vasyas ca moksa sriyah
no diksam na ca daksinam na ca purascaryam
mangiksate
mantro ‘yam rasanaspregeva phalati sri krsna-namatmakah
This mahamantra, composed of the names of Sri Krsna, is so astonishingly powerful and accessible that it yields fruit as soon as it touches the tongue. Because it attracts even liberated souls who are purified at heart and whose desires are fully satiated, this mantra is supreme in its power of subjugation. It eradicates great sins which could not e destroyed by Yajna, yoga, tapa, dana and other means. Because it can be chanted anywhere at any time, it is so easily available that even candalas (dog-eaters) or anyone who is not mute can chant it. By its causeless mercy, it submits itself to a person who merely desires to chant. The rare wealth of moksa runs behind to serve it. Unlike other mantras, the chanting of this mahamantra is not dependent on receiving diksa from a guru, moral conduct, or prepatory rites.
Srila Jiva Gosvami, in discussing this
topic in the Bhakti-sandarbha (238), has said that in spite of the statements
in the sastras as to the autonomous potency of the holy name, the previous
mahajanas such as Sri Narada and so on first accepted diksa from their gurus
and then performed their sadhana and bhajana in worship of their istadeva (the beloved
deity of their heart). Similarly,
those who desire to follow in the footsteps of those mahapurusas must also
accept diksa in bhagavad-mantra from Sri Gurudeva, because without accepting
diksa, one’s relationship with Bhagavan as dasya, sakhya, and so on cannot be
awakened. That relationship is
established only by the lotus feet of Sri Guru. The custom of diksa was honored by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
and His followers, the Gosvami. It is prevalent even today in their followers.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti
Thakura has clearly said that those persons who have abandoned the pursuits of
karma-yoga, jnan yoga, japa, tapa, and othe processes of sadhana, who have
accepted Bhagavan as their istadeva and who are engaged in sravana,kirtanam and
smarna of bhagvan-nama, but who have not accepted diksa from a Vaisnava guru
according to the Vaisnava regulations, cannot attain the Supreme Lord. They will merely be prevented from entering
hell, or in their next birth, by the influence of the bhajana performed from
the previous life, they will obtain sadhu-sanga. By then taking shelter at the lotus feet of a guru, receiving
diksa from him and making advancement through the different stages of bhakti,
they can attain the Supreme Lord.”
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu
pp. 52-53
excerpted from
(2) Sri Krsna-diksa-siksadi
(Receiving initiation
and spiritual instructions)
Translation and commentary by
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
We simply need to read and accept what our acaryas have taught in this matter, and then follow Bg. 4.34 to act on that understanding.
“TEXT 34
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
SYNONYMS
tat--that knowledge of different sacrifices; viddhi--try
to understand; pranipatena--by approaching a spiritual master; pariprasnena--by
submissive inquiries; sevaya--by the rendering of service; upadeksyanti--initiate;
te--unto you; jnanam--knowledge; jnaninah--the
self-realized; tattva--truth; darsinah--the seers.
TRANSLATION
Just
try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him
submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart
knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.
PURPORT
The
path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore
advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic
succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master
without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the
disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his
disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process,
as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. The Bhagavatam says: dharmam
tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam--the path of religion is directly enunciated by
the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one
progress in spiritual life. One has
to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such
a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve
the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized
spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries
and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding.
Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual
master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the
spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he
automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. In this verse, both blind following and
absurd inquiries are condemned. One should not only hear submissively from the
spiritual master, but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in
submission and service and inquiries. A bona fide spiritual master is by
nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive
and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and
inquiries becomes perfect..”
Bg. As It is 4.34
Translation and Commentary by
His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The authors of a recent VNN article “Guru & Initiation”
http://vnn.org/editorials/ET0403/ET10-8578.html
falsely concluded:
“With
Srila Prabhupada no longer available - and with no other persons yet proven to
be spiritually pure enough to offer diksha without harsh karmic reactions - we
are presently in such an admittedly difficult situation.”
This relative statement is certainly symptomatic of confusion concerning guru tatta. Among other misconceptions this remark appears to presume that a qualified guru and bona fide sadhakas can only be found in one Gaudiya institution. The Guru & Initiation article should be directed to sectarian thinkers and not the devotee community, since it limits the view of guru to institutional walls. His Divine Grace never claimed the legacy of our parampara exclusively .
“Among Vaisnavas there may be some difference of opinion due to everyone's
personal identity, but despite all personal differences, the cult of Krsna
consciousness must go on. We can see that under the instructions of
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja
began preaching the Krsna consciousness movement in an organized way within the
past hundred years. The disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami
Maharaja are all Godbrothers, and although there are some differences of
opinion, and although we are not acting conjointly, every one of us is
spreading this Krsna consciousness movement according to his own capacity and
producing many disciples to spread it all over the world. . . .”
HDGSACBSP
S.B. 4th Canto Ch.28 Text 31, Purport
Our guru parampara did not end with the maha samadhi of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The guru parampara is an eternal principle that began in the universe with Lord Brahma’s initiation by Lord Krsna Himself. (1)
If the shelter of a sad guru cannot be found in one particular Gaudiya institution then you should simply keep looking for him from somewhere else in the disciplic succession from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Srila Bhaktissidhanta Sarasvati Thakura had many pure devotee disciples, and his line continues to the present in one or more of the many branches of the tree from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu .
Here is the statement of our parama Gurudeva, an eternally liberated soul, concerning this guru parampara:
Srila Bhaksiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Sri Srila Prabhupada has said:
“This line of guru-parampara is existing up to today without any
break and it will continue to exist like this in the future also. To say,
“There is no sad-guru living in the world at present and neither will there be
any in the future,” is an atheistic
opinion.
We can also read from this Vyas-puja offering of one of his exalted disciples :
“The most auspiscious event auspicious event of the 124th Birthday Anniversary of my spiritual master (now in his eternal pastimes,) Om Visnupada 108 Sri Srimad Bjhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura, will be on February 16th. . . Our most worshipable spiritual master Sri Srila Prabhupada has bestowed his affectionate blessings not only to his disciples, but to his grand-disciples and all those who will in the future come to this line of disciplic succession. There is no cause for loss of hope or fear, for Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s disciplic line will never cease. This is the assurance of Sri Srila Prabhupada, the world teacher. . . . “
His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaja
Sri Vyas
Puja of Srila Prabhupada, 16 February
l998
The authors of “Guru and Initiation” need to look beyond their sectarian view of guru-tattva and consider His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s broader viewpoint.
.
” There are many societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone with just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancement to pure devotional service is rapid. The influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes to associate with him with a little faith, one gets the chance of hearing about the Lord from authoritative scriptures like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Thus, by the mercy of the Lord, who is situated in everyone's heart, one gradually develops his faith in the descriptions of such authoritative scriptures. This is the first stage of association with pure devotees. . . “
His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 19
.
Srila Prabhupada has also written in the purport to Cc. Adi ila 1.35:
“. . . A devotee must have only one initiating
spiritual master because in the scriptures acceptance of more than one is
always forbidden. There is no limit,
however, to the number of instructing spiritual masters one may accept.
Generally a spiritual master who constantly instructs a disciple in spiritual
science becomes his initiating spiritual master later on.
One should always remember that a person
who is reluctant to accept a spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be
baffled in his endeavor to go back to Godhead. One who is not properly initiated may present himself as a great
devotee, but in fact he is sure to encounter many stumbling blocks on his path
of progress toward spiritual realization, with the result that he must continue
his term of material existence without relief. Such a helpless person is
compared to a ship without a rudder, for such a ship can never reach its
destination. It is imperative, therefore, that one accept a spiritual master if
he at all desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the
spiritual master is essential. . . It
is imperative that a serious person accept a bona fide spiritual master in
terms of the sastric injunctions. Sri
Jiva Gosvami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of
hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One should
simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual
advancement in spiritual understanding.
In 1936, many years prior to leaving India His Divine Grace said:
“Sixty-two years ago, on this auspicious day, the acaryadeva made his appearance by the call of Thakura Bhaktivinoda at Sri Ksetra, Jagannatha Dhama at Puri.
Gentlemen, the offering of such an homage as has been arranged this evening to the acaryadeva is not a sectarian concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle of gurudeva or acaryadeva, we speak of something that is of universal application. There does not arise any question of discriminating my guru from yours or anyone else’s.
There is only one guru, who appears in an infinity of forms to teach you, me and all others.
In the Mundaka Upanisad (1.2.12) it is said:
tad-vijnartham sa gurum
evabhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham
"In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth."
Thus it has been enjoined herewith that in order to receive that
transcendental knowledge, one must approach the guru. Therefore, if the
Absolute Truth is one, about which we think there is no difference of opinion,
the guru cannot be two. The acaryadeva to whom we have assembled tonight
to offer our humble homage is not the guru of a sectarian institution or one
out of many differing exponents of the truth. On the contrary, he is the
jagad-guru, or the guru of all of us, the only difference is that some obey
him wholeheartedly, while others do not obey him directly. . . “
Abhay Charan Das
aka His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Given originally as an address before the Members of the Sri Gaudiya Math,
Bombay Circa February l936
Excerpted from “Our Eternal Gurde.”
The importance of the second anga of bhakti (Sri Krsna-diksa-siksadi / Receiving initiation and spiritual instructions) was enunciated by Srila Rupa Gosvami and further explained by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. This limb of bhakti should not be rejected or minimized simply because His Divine Grace pointed to the deeper inner meanings of diksa, (beyond the official ceremony) in certain conversations or letters. There is no need to confuse our Gaudiya siddhanta concerning the importance of diksa from a bona fide Gurudeva for aspiring devotees. Quoting His Divine Grace out of context is a typical ploy for those who harbor a hidden philosophical agenda. It is ill advised. to try to fit Krsna Consciousness into our own material conception of what spiritual life means. No one should try to eliminate the necessity of genuine sadhu-sanga for every jiva soul trying to practice Krsna Consciousness.. His Divine Grace wrote in the purport to Cc. Adi lila Ch. 12 Txt 9:
“. . .Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.”
His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada clearly explains the need for taking initiation (diksa) in the following purports. Kindly read them.
TEXT 76
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
SYNONYMS
hareh nama--the holy name of the Lord; hareh nama--the holy name of the Lord; hareh nama--the holy name of the Lord; eva--certainly; kevalam--only; kalau--in this Age of Kali; na asti--there is none; eva--certainly; na asti--there is none; eva--certainly; na asti--there is none; eva--certainly; gatih--progress; anyatha--otherwise.
TRANSLATION
" 'For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.'
PURPORT
For progress in spiritual life, the sastras recommend meditation in Satya-yuga, sacrifice for the satisfaction of Lord Visnu in Treta-yuga and gorgeous worship of the Lord in the temple in Dvapara-yuga, but in the Age of Kali one can achieve spiritual progress only by chanting the holy name of the Lord. This is confirmed in various scriptures. In Srimad-Bhagavatam there are many references to this fact. In the Twelfth Canto (12.3.51) it is said, kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet: In the Age of Kali there are many faults, for people are subjected to many miserable conditions, yet in this age there is one great benediction--simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one can be freed from all material contamination and thus be elevated to the spiritual world. The Narada-pancaratra also praises the Hare Krsna maha-mantra as follows:
trayo vedah sad-angani
chandamsi vividhah
surah
sarvam
astaksarantahstham
yac canyad api
van-mayam
sarva-vedanta-sararthah
samsararnava-taranah
"The essence of all Vedic knowledge--comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity [karma-kanda, jnana-kanda and upasana-kanda], the chandas, or Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods--is included in the eight syllables Hare Kisna, Hare Krsna. This is the reality of all Vedanta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience." Similarly, the Kali-santarana Upanisad states, "Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name." Similarly, Sri Madhvacarya, while commenting upon the Mundaka Upanisad, has said:
dvapariyair janair
visnuh
pancaratrais tu
kevalaih
kalau tu nama-matrena
pujyate bhagavan harih
"In the Dvapara-yuga one could satisfy Krsna or Visnu only by worshiping Him gorgeously according to the pancaratriki system, but in the Age of Kali one can satisfy and worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari simply by chanting the holy name." In his Bhakti-sandarbha (verse 284), Srila Jiva Gosvami strongly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name of the Lord as follows:
nanu bhagavan-namatmaka eva mantrah, tatra visesena namah-sabdady-alankrtah sri-bhagavata srimad-rsibhis cahita-sakti-visesah, sri-bhagavata samam atma-sambandha-visesa-pratipadakas ca tatra kevalani sri-bhagavan-namany api nirapeksany eva parama-purusartha-phala-paryanta-dana-samarthani tato mantresu namato 'py adhika-samarthye labdhe katham diksady-apeksa. ucyate--yady api svarupato nasti, tathapi prayah svabhavato dehadi-sambandhena kadarya-silanam viksipta-cittanam jananam tat-sankoci-karanaya srimad-rsi-prabhrtibhir atrarcana-marge kvacit kvacit kacit kacin maryada sthapitasti.
Srila Jiva Gosvami states that the substance of all the Vedic mantras is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Every mantra begins with the prefix nama om and eventually addresses by name the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By the supreme will of the Lord there is a specific potency in each and every mantra chanted by great sages like Narada Muni and other rsis. Chanting the holy name of the Lord immediately renovates the transcendental relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord.
To chant the holy name of the Lord, one
need not depend upon other paraphernalia, for one can immediately get all the
desired results of connecting or linking with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. It may therefore be questioned why there is a necessity for initiation
or further spiritual activities in devotional service for one who engages in
the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The answer is that although it is
correct that one who fully engages in chanting the holy name need not depend
upon the process of initiation, generally a devotee is addicted to many
abominable material habits due to material contamination from his previous
life. In order to get quick relief from all these contaminations, it is
required that one engage in the worship of the Lord in the temple. The worship
of the Deity in the temple is essential to reduce one's restlessness due to the
contaminations of conditioned life. Thus Narada, in his pancaratriki-vidhi, and
other great sages have sometimes stressed that since every conditioned soul has
a bodily concept of life aimed at sense enjoyment, to restrict this sense
enjoyment the rules and regulations for worshiping the Deity in the temple are
essential. Srila Rupa Gosvami has described that the holy name of the Lord can
be chanted by liberated souls, but almost all the souls we have to initiate are
conditioned. It is advised that one chant the holy name of the Lord without
offenses and according to the regulative principles, yet due to their past bad
habits they violate these rules and regulations. Thus the regulative principles
for worship of the Deity are also simultaneously essential.
Adi 7.76
Translation and Purport by
His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Please take note that this next sloka indicates that one need not undergo initiation
Then His Divine Grace’s purport offers many shastric
references to the need for initiation. The resolution of this apparent contradiction
by Iskcon’s founder-acarya, in his purport, should not be ignored His Divine Grace points out the real essence
of diksa in the quote from Srila Jiva Gosvami, “ divyam jnanam yato dadyat”. The
reader should keep in mind the deeper understanding His Divine Grace points us
to. While Vaisnavas accept the purasacarya and pancaratrika with regard to the initiation
ceremony they are not merely concerned with the external formality of a fire Yajna, a thread , reciting a
mantra etc. concerning diksa.
TEXT 108
TEXT
diksa-purascarya-vidhi apeksa na kare
jihva-sparse a-candala sabare uddhare
SYNONYMS
diksa--initiation; purascarya--activities before initiation;
vidhi--regulative principles; apeksa--reliance on; na--not; kare--does;
jihva--the tongue; sparse--by touching; a-candala--even to the lowest of men,
the candala; sabare--everyone; uddhare--delivers.
TRANSLATION
"One
does not have to undergo initiation or execute the activities required before
initiation. One simply has to vibrate the holy name with his lips. Thus even a
man in the lowest class [candala] can be delivered.
PURPORT
Srila Jiva
Gosvami explains diksa in his Bhakti-sandarbha (283):
divyam jnanam yato dadyat
kuryat papasya
sanksayam
tasmad dikseti sa
prokta
desikais
tattva-kovidaih
"Diksa is the process by which one can
awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful
activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this
process as diksa." The regulative principles of diksa are explained in the
Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.3,4) and in Bhakti-sandarbha (283). As
stated:
dvijanam anupetanam
svakarmadhyayanadisu
yathadhikaro nastiha syac
copanayanad anu
tathatradiksitanam tu
mantra-devarcanadisu
nadhikaro 'sty atah kuryad atmanam
siva-samstutam
"Even
though born in a brahmana family, one cannot engage in Vedic rituals without
being initiated and having a sacred thread. Although born in a brahmana family,
one becomes a brahmana after initiation and the sacred thread ceremony. Unless
one is initiated as a brahmana, he cannot worship the holy name properly."
According to the Vaisnava regulative
principles, one must be initiated as a brahmana. The Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.6)
quotes the following injunction from the Visnu-yamala:
adiksitasya vamoru
krtam sarvam nirarthakam
pasu-yonim avapnoti
diksa-virahito janah
"Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, all
his devotional activities are useless. A person who is not properly initiated
can descend again into the animal species."
Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.10) further quotes:
ato gurum pranamyaivam
sarva-svam vinivedya ca
grhniyad vaisnavam
mantram
diksa-purvam vidhanatah
"It is the duty of every human being
to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. Giving him everything-body, mind
and intelligence-one must take a Vaisnava initiation from him."
The
Bhakti-sandarbha (298) gives the following quotation from the Tattva-sagara:
yatha kancanatam yati
kasyam rasa-vidhanatah
tatha diksa-vidhanena
dvijatvam jayate nrnam
"By chemical manipulation, bell metal
is turned into gold when touched by mercury; similarly, when a person is
properly initiated, he can acquire the qualities of a brahmana."
The
Hari-bhakti-vilasa (17.11,12) in discussing the purascarya process, quotes the
following verses from Agastya-samhita:
puja traikaliki nityam
japas tarpanam eva ca
homo brahmana-bhuktis ca
purascaranam ucyate
guror labdhasya mantrasya
prasadena yatha-vidhi
pancangopasana-siddhyai
puras caitad vidhiyate
"In the morning, afternoon and evening, one
should worship the Deity, chant the Hare Krsna mantra, offer oblations, perform
a fire sacrifice, and feed the brahmanas. These five activities constitute
purascarya. To attain full success when taking initiation from the spiritual
master, one should first perform these purascarya processes."
The word
purah means "before" and carya means "activities." Due to
the necessity of these activities, we do not immediately initiate disciples in
the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. For six months, a
candidate for initiation must first attend arati and classes in the sastras,
practice the regulative principles and associate with other devotees. When one
is actually advanced in the purascarya-vidhi, he is recommended by the local
temple president for initiation. It is not that anyone can be suddenly
initiated without meeting the requirements. When one is further advanced by
chanting the Hare Krsna mantra sixteen rounds daily, following the regulative
principles and attending classes, he receives the sacred thread (brahminical
recognition) after the second six months.
In the
Hari-bhakti-vilasa (17.4,5,7) it is stated:
vina
yena na siddhah syan
mantro varsa-satair api
krtena yena labhate
sadhako vanchitam phalam
purascarana-sampanno
mantro hi phala-dhayakah
atah puraskriyam kuryat
mantravit siddhi-kanksaya
puraskriya hi mantranam
pradhanam viryam ucyate
virya-hino yatha dehi
sarva-karmasu na ksamah
purascarana-hino hi
tatha mantrah prakirtitah
"Without performing the purascarya
activities, one cannot become perfect even by chanting this mantra for hundreds
of years. However, one who has undergone the purascarya-vidhi process can
attain success very easily. If one wishes to perfect his initiation, he must
first undergo the purascarya activities. The purascarya process is the
life-force by which one is successful in chanting the mantra. Without the
life-force, one cannot do anything; similarly, without the life force of
purascarya-vidhi, no mantra can be perfected."
In his
Bhakti-sandarbha (283), Srila Jiva Gosvami states:
yadyapi sri-bhagavata-mate pancaratradi-vat
arcana-margasya avasyakatvam nasti, tad vinapi saranapattyadinam ekatarenapi
purusartha-siddher abhihitatvat, tathapi sri-naradadi-vartmanusaradbhih
sri-bhagavata saha sambandha-visesam diksa-vidhanena sri-guru-carana-sampaditam
cikirsadbhih krtayam diksayam arcanam avasyam kriyetaiva.
Of similar
importance is diksa, which is explained as follows in Bhakti-sandarbha (284):
yadyapi svarupato nasti, tathapi prayah svabhavato
dehadi-sambandhena kardaya-silanam viksipta-cittanam jananam
tat-tat-sankoci-karanaya srimad-rsi-prabhrtibhir atrarcana-marge kvacit kvacit
kacit kacin maryada sthapitasti.
Similarly in
the Ramarcana-candrika it is stated:
vinaiva
diksam viprendra
purascaryam vinaiva hi
vinaiva nyasa-vidhina
japa-matrena siddhida
In other words, the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is so
powerful that it does not depend on official initiation, but if one is
initiated and engages in pancaratra-vidhi (Deity worship), his Krsna
consciousness will awaken very soon, and his identification with the material
world will be vanquished. The more one is freed from material identification,
the more one can realize that the spirit soul is qualitatively as good as the
Supreme Soul. At such a time, when one is situated on the absolute platform, he
can understand that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are
identical. At that stage of realization, the holy name of the
Lord, the Hare Krsna mantra, cannot be identified with any material sound. If
one accepts the Hare Krsna maha-mantra as a material vibration, he falls down. One should worship and chant the holy
name of the Lord by accepting it as the Lord Himself. One should therefore be
initiated properly according to revealed scriptures under the direction of a
bona fide spiritual master. Although chanting the holy name is good for both
the conditioned and liberated soul, it is especially beneficial to the
conditioned soul because by chanting it one is liberated. When a person who
chants the holy name is liberated, he attains the ultimate perfection by
returning home, back to Godhead. In the words of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
(Adi 7.73):
krsna-mantra haite habe samsara-mocana
krsna-nama
haite pabe krsnera carana
"Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna one can obtain freedom
from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one
will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord."
The offenseless chanting of the holy
name does not depend on the initiation process. Although initiation may depend
on purascarya or purascarana, the actual chanting of the holy name does not
depend on purascarya-vidhi, or the regulative principles. If one chants the
holy name once without committing an offense, he attains all success.
During the chanting of the holy name, the tongue must work. Simply by chanting
the holy name, one is immediately delivered. The tongue is sevonmukha-jihva-it
is controlled by service. One whose tongue is engaged in tasting material
things and also talking about them cannot use the tongue for absolute
realization.
atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
According to
Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 17.134):
ataeva krsnera 'nama', 'deha', 'vilasa'
prakrtendriya-grahya nahe, haya sva-prakasa
"With
these material senses, one cannot understand the transcendental holy name of
the Lord or His form, activities and pastimes. However, when one actually
engages in devotional service, utilizing the tongue, the Lord is
revealed."
Madhya 15.108
HDGSACBSP
TEXT 115
guru-padasraya, diksa, gurura sevana
sad-dharma-siksa, prccha, sadhu-marganugamana
SYNONYMS
guru-pada-asraya--shelter at the feet of a bona fide spiritual master;
diksa--initiation by the spiritual master; gurura sevana--service to the
spiritual master; sat-dharma-siksa--instruction in the transcendental process
of devotional service; prccha--and inquiry; sadhu-marga--the path of
transcendental devotional service; anugamana--following strictly.
TRANSLATION
"On the
path of regulative devotional service, one must observe the following items: (1) One must accept a bona fide spiritual
master. (2) Accept initiation from him. (3) Serve him. (4) Receive instructions from the spiritual master and
make inquiries in order to learn devotional service. (5) Follow in the
footsteps of the previous acaryas and follow the directions given by the
spiritual master.
Cc. Madhya 22.115
HDGACBSP
Without diksa from a sad-guru, without sadhu-sanga, and without the goal of chanting suddha nama, Krsna Consciousness is simply non existent, or at best a shadow of what pure-bhakti actually is. The specialty of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy on the residents of this kali yuga is to distribute Krsna prema. Suddha nama means offenceless chanting with prema, pure love for Sri Krsna, as personified in the devotional activities of the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana They appeared as saddhakas in Caitanya lila and are the eternal manjari associates of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna in Goloka Vrndavana . Anyone else’s “own idea” is simply that. Krsna Consciousness is not like other sectarian beliefs. Krsna Consciousness is not dependent on the conceptions of any conditioned jiva soul. Krsna Consciousness is found in the words and conceptions coming from liberated and self-realized souls. A little salt in the sweet rice or ink in the milk and it is ruined.
As It Is, means that; as taught by the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and in particular Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis. There is no question about the potency of the mahamantra. There is also no question about the necessity for taking shelter of and initiation from a bona fide representative of our guru parampara. The statement in a recent VNN article Guru and Initiation suggesting that the need for diksa is a:
“. . . treacherous myth ... - that one must be initiated, in order to successfully pursue Krishna consciousness “
is simply not backed up by guru, sadhu and shastra. The authors of Guru and Initiation are correct to be concerned about the quality of association . However their article falsely implies that Vaisnava association and a bona fide guru can only be found in one corner of the Gaudiya community. This kind of sectarianism appears to have also led them to additional false conclusions about the bhadda- jiva’s (conditioned souls’) capacity to perform nama-bhajana successfully. We should not ignore the explanations of Srila Jiva Gosvami and our other acaryas concerning nama bhajana and diksa.
This next purport by His Divine Grace gives more pertinent information about who can be accepted as guru, and who should be a disciple as well.
TEXT 330
guru-laksana,
sisya-laksana, donhara pariksana
sevya----bhagavan, sarva-mantra-vicarana
SYNONYMS
guru-laksana--the
symptoms of a bona fide spiritual master; sisya-laksana--the symptoms of a bona
fide disciple; donhara--of both; pariksana--the testing; sevya-bhagavan--the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshipable; sarva-mantra-vicarana--consideration
of the different types of mantras.
TRANSLATION
"In
your book there should be the characteristics of the bona fide guru and the
bona fide disciple. Then, before accepting a spiritual master, one can be
assured of the spiritual master's position. Similarly, the spiritual master can
also be assured of the disciple's position. The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krsna, should be described as the worshipable object, and you should consider
the bija-mantra for the worship of Krsna, Rama or any other expansion of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the Padma
Purana, the characteristics of the guru, the bona fide spiritual master, have
been described:
maha-bhagavata-srestho
brahmano vai gurur nrnam
sarvesam eva lokanam
asau pujyo yatha harih
maha-kula-prasuto 'pi
sarva-yajnesu diksitah
sahasra-sakhadhyayi ca
na guruh syad avaisnavah
The guru must be situated on the topmost
platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the
guru must be accepted from the topmost class. The first-class devotee is the
spiritual master for all kinds of people. It is said: gurur nrnam. The word
nrnam means "of all human beings." The guru is not limited to a
particular group. It is stated in the Upadesamrta of Rupa Gosvami that a guru
is a gosvami, a controller of the senses and the mind. Such a guru can accept
disciples from all over the world. Prthivim sa sisyat. This is the test of the
guru.
In India
there are many so-called gurus, and they are limited to a certain district or a
province. They do not even travel about India, yet they declare themselves to
be jagad-guru, gurus of the whole world. Such cheating gurus should not be
accepted. Anyone can see how the bona fide spiritual master accepts disciples
from all over the world. The guru is a qualified brahmana; therefore he knows
Brahman and Parabrahman. He thus devotes his life for the service of
Parabrahman. The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over
the world is also worshiped all over the world because of his qualities.
Lokanam asau pujyo yatha harih: the people of the world worship him just as
they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these honors are offered to him because he strictly follows the
brahminical principles and teaches these principles to his disciples. Such a
person is called an acarya because he knows the principles of devotional
service, he behaves in that way himself, and he teaches his disciples to follow
in his footsteps. Thus he is an acarya or jagad-guru. Even though a person
is born in a brahminical family and is very expert in performing sacrifices, he
cannot be accepted as a guru if he is not a strict Vaisnava. A guru is a
brahmana by qualification, and he can turn others into brahmanas according to
the sastric principles and brahminical qualifications. Brahmanism is not a
question of heredity. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.11.35) Sri Narada Muni tells
Maharaja Yudhisthira what a brahmana is. He states that if brahminical
qualifications are observed in ksatriyas, vaisyas or even sudras, one should
accept them as brahmanas. In this regard, Srila Sridhara Svami has commented:
samadibhir eva brahmanadi-vyavaharo mukhyah, na jati-matradity aha-yasyeti. yad
yadi anyatra varnantare 'pi drsyeta, tad-varnantaram tenaiva laksana-nimittenaiva
varnena vinirdiset, na tu jati-nimittenety arthah.
There is a
similar statement made by Nilakantha, the commentator on Mahabharata:
sudro
'pi samady-upeto brahmana eva
brahmano 'pi kamady-upetah sudra eva
"Although
one may be born in a sudra family, if he is endowed with the brahminical
qualities beginning with sama [control of the mind], he is to be accepted as a
brahmana. Although one may be born in a brahmana family, if he is endowed with
the qualities beginning with kama [lust], he is to be considered a sudra."
No one should present himself as a brahmana simply on the basis of being born
in a brahminical family. One must be qualified by the brahminical qualities
mentioned in the sastras, particularly Bhagavad-gita:
samo
damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam
"Peacefulness,
self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge and
religiousness-these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work." (Bg.
18.42)
Unless one
is qualified with all these attributes, he cannot be accepted as a brahmana. It
is not a question of simply taking birth in a brahmana family. In this regard,
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that Narottama dasa Thakura and
Syamananda Gosvami, although not born in brahmana families, are accepted as
bona fide spiritual masters because they were brahmanas by qualification.
Personalities like Sri Ganga-narayana, Ramakrsna and many others, who were
actually born in brahmana families, accepted Narottama dasa Thakura and
Syamananda Gosvami as their spiritual masters.
The maha-bhagavata is one who decorates his
body with tilaka and whose name indicates him to be a servant of Krsna by the
word dasa. He is also initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and is expert
in worshiping the Deity, chanting mantras correctly, performing sacrifices,
offering prayers to the Lord, and performing sankirtana. He knows how to serve
the Supreme Personality of Godhead and how to respect a Vaisnava. When one has
attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru
and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person
is eligible to occupy the post of a guru. However, if one
is highly qualified but is not a Vaisnava, he cannot be accepted as a guru. One
cannot be a brahmana unless one is a Vaisnava. If one is a Vaisnava, he is
already a brahmana. If a guru is completely qualified as a Vaisnava, he must be
accepted as a brahmana even if he is not born in a brahmana family. The caste
system method of distinguishing a brahmana by birth is not acceptable when
applied to a bona fide spiritual master. A spiritual master is a qualified
brahmana and acarya. If one is not a qualified brahmana, he is not expert in
studying Vedic literatures. Nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau. Every Vaisnava is
a spiritual master, and a spiritual master is automatically expert in
brahminical behavior. He also understands the Vedic sastras.
Similarly, a disciple's qualifications must
be observed by the spiritual master before he is accepted as a disciple.
In our Krsna consciousness movement, the requirement is that one must be
prepared to give up the four pillars of sinful life-illicit sex, meat-eating,
intoxication and gambling. In Western countries especially, we first observe
whether a potential disciple is prepared to follow the regulative principles.
Then he is given the name of a Vaisnava servant and initiated to chant the Hare
Krsna maha-mantra, at least sixteen rounds daily. In this way the disciple
renders devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master or his
representative for at least six months to a year. He is then recommended for a
second initiation, during which a sacred thread is offered and the disciple is
accepted as a bona fide brahmana. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
introduced the system of giving the sacred thread to a bona fide Vaisnava, and
we are also following in his footsteps. The qualifications of a bona fide
disciple are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.10.6) as follows:
amanya-matsaro dakso
nirmamo drdha-sauhrdah
asatvaro 'rtha-jijnasur
anasuyur amogha-vak
The disciple must have the following qualifications. He must give up
interest in the material bodily conception. He must give up material lust,
anger, greed, illusion, madness and envy. He should be interested only in
understanding the science of God, and he should be ready to consider all points
in this matter. He should no longer think, "I am this body," or,
"This thing belongs to me." One must love the spiritual master with
unflinching faith, and one must be very steady and fixed. The bona fide
disciple should be inquisitive to understand transcendental subject matter.
He must not search out faults among good qualities, and he should no longer be
interested in material topics. His only interest should be Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
As far as
the mutual testing of the spiritual master and disciple is concerned, Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that a bona fide disciple must be
very inquisitive to understand the transcendental subject matter. As stated in
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21):
tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasuh sreya uttamam
"One who is inquisitive to understand
the highest goal and benefit of life must approach a bona fide spiritual master
and surrender unto him." A serious disciple must be alert when selecting a
bona fide spiritual master. He must be sure that the spiritual master can
deliver all the transcendental necessities. The spiritual master must observe
how inquisitive the disciple is and how eager he is to understand the
transcendental subject matter. The spiritual master should study the disciple's
inquisitiveness for no less than six months or a year. A spiritual master should
not be very anxious to accept a disciple because of his material opulences.
Sometimes a big businessman or landlord may approach a spiritual master for
initiation. Those who are materially interested are called visayis (karmis),
which indicates that they are very fond of sense gratification. Such visayis
sometimes approach a famous guru and ask to become a disciple just as a matter
of fashion. Sometimes visayis pose as disciples of a reputed spiritual master
just to cover their activities and advertise themselves as advanced in
spiritual knowledge. In other words, they want to attain material success. A
spiritual master must be very careful in this regard. Such business is going on
all over the world. The spiritual master does not accept a materially opulent
disciple just to advertise the fact that he has such a big disciple. He knows
that by associating with such visayi disciples, he may fall down. One who
accepts a visayi disciple is not a bona fide spiritual master. Even if he is,
his position may be damaged due to association with an unscrupulous visayi. If a so-called spiritual master accepts a
disciple for his personal benefit or for material gain, the relationship
between the spiritual master and the disciple turns into a material affair, and
the spiritual master becomes like a smarta-guru. There are many caste gosvamis
who professionally create some disciples who do not care for them or their
instructions. Such spiritual masters are satisfied simply to get some material
benefits from their disciples. Such a relationship is condemned by Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who calls such spiritual masters and
disciples a society of cheaters and cheated. They are also called baulas or
prakrta-sahajiyas. Their aim is to make the connection between the spiritual
master and the disciple into a very cheap thing. They are not serious in
wanting to understand spiritual life.
The words
sevya bhagavan in this verse are important. Bhagavan indicates the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu. Lord Visnu alone is worshipable. There is
no need to worship demigods. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita:
kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah
prapadyante
'nya-devatah
tam tam niyamam asthaya
prakrtya niyatah
svaya
"Those
whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods and
follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own
natures." (Bg. 7.20)
It is also
stated in the Skanda Purana:
vasudevam parityajya
yo 'anya-devam upasate
svamataram parityajya
sva-pacim vandate hi sah
"A
person who worships the demigods and gives up Lord Vasudeva is like a man who
gives up the protection of his mother for the shelter of a witch."
It is also
stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.23):
ye
'py anya-devata-bhakta
yajante sraddhayanvitah
te 'pi mam eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-purvakam
"Whatever
a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kunti, is really meant for Me
alone, but it is offered without true understanding."
Demigods are
also living entities and parts and parcels of Krsna. Therefore in one sense one
worships Krsna when one worships the demigods, but not in the proper way. There
is a proper method to water a tree. One should water the roots, but if one
waters the leaves and branches instead, he is simply wasting his time. If one
worships the demigods to the exclusion of Lord Visnu, his rewards will only be
material. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita:
antavat tu phalam tesam
tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam
devan deva-yajo yanti
mad-bhakta yanti mam api
"Men
of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and
temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods,
but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet." (Bg. 7.23)
Demigod
worship is meant for unintelligent men because the benefits derived from
demigod worship are all material, temporary and retractable. It is also stated
in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa:
yas tu narayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-devataih
samatvenaiva vikseta
sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam
"Whoever thinks Lord Visnu and the demigods are on the same level
is to be immediately considered a rogue as far as spiritual understanding is
concerned."
There are
three modes of nature in the material world, but when one is situated
spiritually, he is above the material modes, even though he lives in this
material world. Lord Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):
mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma bhuyaya kalpate
"One
who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any
circumstances at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to
the level of Brahman." When one engages in the Supreme Lord's devotional
service, he is in a transcendental position. Even though one may be situated in
the mode of goodness in the material world, he is susceptible to pollution by
the modes of passion and ignorance. When the mode of goodness is mixed with the
mode of passion, one worships the sun-god, Vivasvan. When the mode of goodness
is mixed with the mode of ignorance, he worships Ganapati, or Ganesa. When the
mode of passion is mixed with the mode of ignorance, one worships Durga, or
Kali, the external potency. When one is simply in the mode of ignorance, he
becomes a devotee of Lord Siva because Lord Siva is the predominating deity of
the mode of ignorance within this material world. However, when one is
completely free from the influence of all the modes of material nature, he
becomes a pure Vaisnava on the devotional platform. Srila Rupa Gosvami states
in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:
anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
The position
of visuddha-sattva is the position of uncontaminated goodness. On that
platform, one can then understand, aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama
vrndavanam: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda
Maharaja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode,
Vrndavana."
The word sarva-mantra-vicarana means
"considering all different types of mantras." There are different
kinds of mantras for different kinds of devotees. There are the mantras known
as the dvadasaksara, and these are composed of twelve syllables. Similarly,
there are mantras composed of eighteen syllables-the Narasimha mantra, the Rama
mantra, Gopala mantra and so on. Each and every mantra has its own spiritual
significance. The spiritual master has to select a mantra for his disciple
according to the disciple's ability to chant different mantras.
Cc. Madhya 24.330
HDGSACBSP
In this matter of the potency of the maha-mantra and the simultaneous importance of receiving diksa mantras from a sad-guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is in complete agreement with Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and Srila Jiva Gosvami. No one should be confused by speculations to the contrary.
The quality of our chanting is also relevant to our success. To suggest that one can be successful in chanting the maha mantra without simultaneously receiving instructions from the lotus lips of a sad guru in the manner of how to chant is a useless proposal. His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has written:
*
" The holy name of Krsna means divine sound. It can be compared
to a capsule of medicine. The capsule is not the
medicine. Externally one capsule may look like another, but within
one capsule may be medicine and within another there may be cyanide (a deadly
poison). The capsule itself is not the medicine. It is
not the sound of Krsna's name that is Krsna; Krsna is within the
sound. The name must be surcharged with the proper spirit; not any
mundane sentiment."
"The
divine sound of the holy name must have its origin beyond the area of
misconception or maya. Sound must have its origin in Goloka
Vrindavan. The mere physical sound is not the holy name of Krsna. Repeating
the syllables of the holy name is called mayic sound. It has no
spiritual essence. The life of the name is absent in offensive
chanting."
"The most important thing in chanting the holy name is the spiritual
realization backing the name--that is the real name. A tape recorder
can pronounce the holy name of Krsna, just like a parrot. But the
physical sound is not Krsna. In the background there must be
spiritual truth, which is conscious. You cannot capture the holy
name of Krsna simply by vibrating the syllables of the holy name with your
tongue. Ravana wanted to capture Sita and he thought he
did. But factually he did not even touch Her divine
body. Ravana caught only a mundane replica of Sitadevi, an imitation
which was a statue like Sita."
"You cannot vibrate the holy name simply by moving the lips and
tongue. The pure name of Krsna is not lip deep but heart
deep. Ultimately, it goes beyond the heart and reaches the land of
Krsna. When Krsna comes down, the name come through the heart and
moves the lips and tongue. That vibration is the holy name of
Krsna. When Krsna in the form of sound descends from the
transcendental world into the heart, and from the heart, controlling every
aspect of the nervous system, comes to the lips and tongue dancing there; that
is Krsna-nama. "
"That sound is not produced from the material plane. The
spiritual sound has come down into this plane. HE can come down, but
we cannot so easily go up there. The holy name is only realized when
we approach Him with a very intense serving attitude. At that time,
Krsna Himself may come down by His grace, being attracted by our pure serving
nature."
"Then Krsna can influence this element and produce transcendental sound,
and dance within the mundane plane. That is the holy name of Krsna, vaikuntha-nama,
the real name of Krsna. We cannot produce it with our
lips. The sound we create with our physical or mental production is
not Krsna. He is indifferent to whatever sound we may
produce. Yet because He controls everything, He can appear anywhere,
in any form, in any place in any sound."
"Sri Caitanya's Teachings"
from:
"Art of Chanting Hare Krsna"
by Mahanidi Swami (pgs.152-153)
His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada clearly stated on his first record explanation of the maha-mantra, that “chanting must be heard from the lips of a pure devotee, otherwise milk touched by the lips of serpent has a poisonous affect”. We also read in Sri Gaudiya Kantahara
17.55
asadhu-sange bhai “krsna-nama” nahi haya
“namaksara” bahiraya bate anama kabu naya
O brothers, the holy
name of Krsna is never to be found in the association of those who are
un-saintly. The external sound of the holy name is never the name proper.
(Prema-vivarta)
Any minimization of the importance of Bg. 4.34 is a deception. Any philosophy opposed to sadhu sanga, hearing the maha mantra, diksa mantras and hari-katha from the lotus lips of pure Vaisnavas is opposed to the actual teachings of Srila Rupa Gosvami.
Om tat sat
your servants,
Puru das adhikari and
Bhumipati das adhikari
For readers more interested in this topic we can suggest the following articles
for additional reference:
Non-Sectarian Vaisnava-Dharma
By Srila
Bhaktivinode Thakura
http://bvml.org/SBTP/nsvd.htm
Thakur Bhaktivinode
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
http://bvml.org/SBSST/tb.htm
Initiation Into Spiritual Life
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
http://bvml.org/SBSST/diksa.htm
Assuming Responsibility Of Being Guru
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
http://bvml.org/SBSST/guru.htm
Sri Guru and His Grace
by Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/SGaHG.html
Nama Guru and Mantra Guru, Ch.9
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/SGaHG.html#9
Instructing Spiritual Masters, Ch. 10
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/SGaHG.html#10
What is a Guru?
By Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
http://bvml.org/ACBSP/wiag.htm
The Absolute Necessity of Second Initiation
by Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
http://bvml.org/SBNM/tanosi.html
(1)”. . . Lord
Krsna is worshiped by the gayatri mantra, and the specific mantra by which He
is worshiped is called kama-gayatri. Vedic literatures explain that that sound
vibration which can elevate one from mental concoction is called gayatri. The
kama-gayatri mantra is composed of 24 1.2 syllables thus:
klim kama-devaya vidmahe
puspa-banaya dhimahi
tanno 'nangah pracodayat
This kama-gayatri is received from the spiritual master when the
disciple is advanced in chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare
Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. In other words, this
kama-gayatri mantra and samskara, or reformation of a perfect brahmana, are
offered by the spiritual master when he sees that his disciple is advanced in
spiritual knowledge. Even then, the kama-gayatri is not uttered under certain
circumstances. In any case, the chanting of Hare Krsna is sufficient to elevate
one to the highest spiritual platform.
In Brahma-samhita a nice description of the flute of
Krsna is given: "When Krsna began to play on His flute, the sound
vibration entered into the ear of Brahma as the Vedic mantra om" This om
is composed of three letters--A, U, and M--and it describes our relationship
with the Supreme Lord, our activities by which we can achieve the highest
perfection of love and the actual position of love on the spiritual platform. When the sound vibration of Krsna's flute
is expressed through the mouth of Brahma, it becomes gayatri. Thus by being
influenced by the sound vibration of Krsna's flute, Brahma, the supreme
creature and first living entity of this material world, was initiated as a
brahmana. That Brahma was initiated as a brahmana by the flute of Krsna is
confirmed by Srila Jiva Gosvami. When Brahma was enlightened by the gayatri
mantra through Krsna's flute, he attained all Vedic knowledge.
Acknowledging the benediction offered to him by Krsna, he became the original
spiritual master of all living entities.
The word klim
added to the gayatri mantra is explained in Brahma-samhita as the
transcendental seed of love of Godhead, or the seed of the kama-gayatri. The
object is Krsna, who is the ever green Cupid, and by utterance of klim mantra Krsna is worshiped.
HDGSACBSP
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Ch. 31,The Supreme Perfection pp. 268-270
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