Thought of the week: Siksha and Diksha

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Diksha and Siksha guru

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Diksha is the formal process of initiation through which the disciple receives

the maha-mantra and gets connected with the disciplic succession. Siksha means

education. Any one who gives spiritual instructions based on the revealed

scriptures should be revered as a siksha-guru. Typically a diksha-guru is also

the siksha-guru, but a devotee could and probably will have more than

siksha-guru from whom he has received instructions.

 

Each individual member of the sampradaya distributes the message of Godhead

according to time, place and circumstance, and each one of them is worshipable.

Therefore, in the first verse of Caitanya-Caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja

Goswami offers his respects to his spiritual masters - in plural, "I offer my

respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the devotees of the Lord, the

Lord's incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies and the primeval Lord

Himself, Sri Krishna Caitanya."

 

The position of the diksha-guru is unique, since he is the one who accepts the

disciple into the sampradaya (disciplic succession), initiates him into the

chanting of the maha-mantra and instructs the disciple. However the scriptures

clearly enjoin that it is the duty of the sincere devotee to inquire from those

who are more advanced. Therefore the focus on the diksha-guru is by no means

exclusive. Quite the contrary the siksha-gurus are assisting the diksha-guru in

enlightening the disciple, and they should also be accorded with the same sense

of gratitude and submission. Their functions is to guide the conditioned soul,

back home, back to Godhead. Thus, the initiating and instructing gurus are

equal and identical manifestations of Krishna, although they have different

dealings.

 

One and many

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A devotee must have only one initiating spiritual master because in the

scriptures the acceptance of more than one is always forbidden. There is no

limit however to the number of instructing spiritual master a devotee may

accept.

 

The physical proximity of the initiating spiritual master and his disciple may

be curtailed due to several reasons. The initiating spiritual master may be

traveling, living else where or may have left his body. Even when the spiritual

master is in physical proximity, the primary service of the disciple is to

follow his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual master

and his instructions. Actually the words spoken by the spiritual master (vani)

are more important that his physical presence (vapu), since they exist

eternally. A sincere disciple serves these instructions with the help of other

devotees who are qualified to understand and interpret these instructions.

 

Thus all the siksha-guru are actually helping the disciple follow the

instructions of his diksha-guru. In that aspect they should be accorded the

same respect and gratitude that one would render to his own initiating

spiritual master. A classic example is that of the three great Vaisnava saints,

Narottama dasa Thakura, Shyamananda Pandita and Srinivasa Acarya. All three had

different initiating spiritual master, but on the orders of these gurus they

became disciples Jiva Goswami and took extensive instructions from him.

 

Another example is in ISKCON, where the current generation of devotees are

taking initiation for disciples of Srila Prabhupada. Thus while they worship

their initiating spiritual master as their diksha-guru they also worship Srila

Prabhupada as their siksha-guru.

 

Who is a siksha-guru?

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Anyone, even a non-liberated souls, who acts as a well wisher and gives

instructions becomes a siksha-guru. In case of Dhruva Maharaja we see that his

mother Suniti advised him to seek the shelter of Vasudeva. Even though he was

later initiated by Narada Muni, Dhruva Maharaja gave his mother all the respect

accorded to the status of a guru.

 

Similarly, Caitanya Mahaprabhu once received instructions from a very young boy

of five years, on the chanting of the holy name and immediately accepted him as

his guru. Thus He personally exemplified the mood of a devotee in accepting

instructions.

 

The primary qualification of the siksha-guru is that his instructions are in

accordance with the sadhu-shastra-guru, and that he is your well wisher. If one

receives contradictory instructions that are not in compliance with this

three-way check then such instructions should be summarily rejected. However a

bona-fide siksha-guru, much like the diksha-guru, is only interested in the

spiritual advancement of a devotee and will clarify or customize the

instructions of the diksha-guru.

 

Conclusion

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Devotees who focus on their initiating spiritual master to the exclusion of

everyone and everything else may well be hindering their spiritual progress.

Krishna mercifully sends many of His devotees to guide the souls lost in the

material world. They are all intimate associates of the Lord and non-different

from Him. While a devotee will take initiation from one of these qualified

associate, he should also take full advantage of the association from the

others, offer them all respects and accept their instructions to strengthen his

service to guru and Krishna.

 

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----- Festivals over the next week ------

Nov 26 2001, Monday Disappearance Srila Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji (Fast)

Ekadasi Utthana (Break fast 07:04-10:19)

Bhisma Pancaka

(Fasting till noon)

(Feasting is done tomorrow)

Nov 29 2001, Thursday Disappearance Sri Bhugarbha Gosvami

Disappearance Sri Kasisvara Pandita

Nov 30 2001, Friday Appearance Sri Nimbarkacarya

Sri Krsna Rasayatra

Tulasi-Saligrama Vivaha (marriage)

Dec 01 2001, Saturday Katyayani vrata begins

 

*** NOTE: All times are for Washington D.C, USA, EST ***

For festival information for your city please go to http://www.iskcondc.org and

click on 'Calendar'

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