Query from Shyamala Sakhi Mataji

[Hrsikesa Dasa]

Hare Krishna Dandavat Pranamam PAMHO.  

Diksha. Dik + Sha. Dik means Divya Jnanam (knowledge of the lord) and Sha means yam papasya (destruction of sin).  So technically diksha is the combination of both transcendental knowledge and destruction of sin.

we have two diksha. One is harinaam and other is brahmnical. Actually real initiation is second initiation. Harinaam diksha is not technically a diksha. But that is sufficient to go back to krsna.

Srila Prabhupada says “if the first initiation is executed very thoroughly that is sufficient. First initiation stands strong.” (Letter to Satsvarupa).

In Bhakti Sandharbha, Srila Jiva Goswami states that Diksha is mainly for rich householders for doing deity worship. Why?. Because the householder should use his money for supreme lord rather than using for sense gratification.

Since the root cause of the sin is ignorance only by knowledge you can destroy the ignorance. So how to attain divya jnana? All types of bhakti can give divya jnana not just diksha. And of all process of bhakti the chanting of the holy name is most prominent one. That is the yuga dharma and that is what emphasized by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

A shiksha guru can give divya jnana but he doesn’t do it through diksha mantra, he does it through by explaining bhaghavatam etc.

Even namabhasa can eradicate all the reactions of sinful life. So the name is powerfully venomous even accidental chanting gives the result. But namabhasa won’t give krsna prema. Only sudha naam gives krsna prema. But to get suddha naam from namabhasa stage we need instruction (proper instruction). We have to get knowledge. We can get it from shiksha guru as well.

Both siksha guru and diksha guru are on the same level. No difference. If you see in Bhakti tattva viveka by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he writes “Only a shiksha Guru can give svarupa jnana”. If diksha guru is present and we are taking directly shiksha from him then its fine. However, if diskha guru is not present to our reach or entered the nitya lila pastime, then choosing who is our shiksha guru plays a major role in our spiritual advancement. In iskcon we have this attitude, whenever we see a devotee we will ask who is your diksha guru. But rather we should ask who is your shiksha guru. The importance of shiksha guru is not much broadcasted nowadays.

So whatever we get from diksha guru we can get it from shiksha guru as well. In our sampradaya, we emphasize the chanting process not the diksha mantra. In other sampradayas, basically it is deity worship and therefore they put more stress on diksha.

Both the margas (pancharatra marga and bhagavata marga) are correct. In pancharatra marga you get (Diksha, Mantra, Archana) whereas in bhagavata marga you get (Shiksha, Naama, Kirtana) Both gives the desired result.

So the conclusion is Krsna Prema can be achieved through various methods of devotional service not just by diksha and deity worship.

Hare Krishna.

[BVKS Sanga]

Subject:	Re: Query from Shyamala Sakhi Mataji
Date:	Tue, 18 Aug 2020 12:20:14 +0530
From:	Jay Nityananda Das

Dear Devotees,

Namo Namah.

Both the margas (pancharatra marga and bhagavata marga) are correct. In pancharatra marga you get (Diksha, Mantra, Archana) whereas in bhagavata marga you get (Shiksha, Naama, Kirtana) Both gives the desired result.

 

So the conclusion is Krsna Prema can be achieved through various methods of devotional service not just by diksha and deity worship. [The Purva-paksa or doubt]

The following two references are sufficient to clear any doubt about the need of deity worship or panca-ratra vidhi in chanting the holy names of the Lord (bhagavata vidhi) in achieving Krsna-prema in ISKCON.

………………………………….QUOTE……………………………………………………..

You write to say that you cannot feel any taste for temple life or Deity worship. This means you are keeping the same temperament you entertained before leaving our society. Our process is to accept both the lines of bhagavata marga and pancaratriki marga. Perhaps you might have seen the picture of the Gaudiya mission. On one side there is the bhagavata book and on the other side a picture of Laksmi Narayana for Deity worship. You cannot make any progress in devotional service unless simultaneously you follow both the lines. Just as the tracks of a railroad line; both must be there. Similarly temple worship is essential for purifying us from the material contamination and without being purified we cannot glorify the Lord. As it is stated in Bhagavad-gita that the Lord is completely pure and we cannot approach Krishna without being purified. So as you say that you do not feel very much encouraged in Deity worship and temple life, I see that your disease is still continuing. Under the circumstances simple academic career will not help you. If you want to live with us you must accept temple life, namely cleanly shaven head, observing the regulative principles, decorating the body with tilak, etc. You know all these things. 

So far your editorial work is concerned, I welcome your good service but if you do not follow temple life and Deity worship, it will set a bad example. When I was there in N.Y. last time I saw that the tendency was there in the press members not to follow the principles. So I said better to stop the press. Since then Advaita and the others are attending temple worship. Similarly you must also do the same and chant at least 16 rounds, etc. [Letter to Rayarama,
Bombay, Oct. 22, 1971]

In his Bhakti-sandarbha (283–84), Çréla Jéva Gosvämé describes the importance of Deity worship and initiation (dékñä) as follows:

 ävaçyakatvaà nästi, tad vinäpi çaraëäpattyädénäm ekatareëäpi puruñärtha-siddher abhihitatvät, tathäpi çré-näradädi-vartmänusaradbhiù çré-bhagavatä saha sambandha-viçeñaà dékñä-vidhänena çré-guru-caraëa-sampäditaà cikérñadbhiù kåtäyäà dékñäyäm arcanam avaçyaà kriyetaiva.

yadyapi svarüpato nästi, tathäpi präyaù svabhävato dehädi-sambandhena kadarya-çélänäà vikñipta-cittänäà janänäà tat-tat-saìkocé-karaëäya çrémad-åñi-prabhåtibhir aträrcana-märge kvacit kvacit käcit käcin maryädä sthäpitästi.

“It is Çrémad-Bhägavatam’s opinion that the process of Deity worship is not actually necessary, just as the specific prescriptions of the Païcarätra and other scriptures do not have to be followed. The Bhägavatam enjoins that even without practicing Deity worship one can achieve the complete success of human life by any of the other devotional processes, such as simply offering oneself at the Lord’s feet for His protection. Nonetheless, Vaiñëavas following the path of Çré Närada and his successors endeavor to establish a personal relationship with the Lord by receiving the grace of a bona fide spiritual master through initiation, and in this tradition the devotees are obliged at the time of initiation to begin engaging in Deity worship.

“Although Deity worship is not essential, the material conditioning of most candidates for devotional service requires that they engage in this activity. When we consider their bodily and mental conditions, we find that the character of such candidates is impure and their minds are agitated. Therefore, to rectify this material conditioning the great sage Närada and others have at different times recommended various kinds of regulations for Deity worship.” [ Cc Madhya 15.108, pu purport ]

……………………………..UNQUOTE…………………………………………………………r

One may read CC Madhya 15.108 purport for more clarification.

das,

Jaya Nityananda Dasa 

("Nandagrama" Varnasrama Community Project)