Guest guest Posted May 25, 1999 Report Share Posted May 25, 1999 Dear Bhaktarupa Prabhu, Namonamaha. Jaya Srila Prabhupada! The following message of your's was received by me: > Dear Basu Ghosh Prabhu, > > Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! > > You stated: > > > However, kindly note that there is a formal ceremony "conferring" that > > knowledge in form of the "panchangas"; i.e. 1. "nama", the Holy name, 2. > > "pundra", the tilak marks of a vaishnava, 3. "mantra" - the gayatri > > mantra, 4. "homa" - the fire sacrifice & 5. "tapa" - administration of > > the marks of shankha & chakra. > > My understanding is that "naama" here means the new name one is given by > the spiritual master, such as "Krishna Das". > > taapah pundram tathaa naama > mantro yaagas ca pancamah > amii hi panca-samskaaraah > paramaikaanti-hetavah > > -Padma Puranam, quoted in Bhakti Sandarbha > > Unfortunately, none of the English translations I have of this verse give > a word for word translation, so if you have any praman to the contrary I > would appreciate hearing it. > > Thanks. > > The holy name is not simply a part of some Vedic or Pancaratrik process. > It is the essence of them all. All of them depend on the holy name to give > their results, while the holy name gives its results without the help of > any of them. > > Your servant, Bhaktarupa Das It may be what you say about the Holy name... Yet I stick to my point about the word "nama" in the pertinent verse that you have so kindly supplied above. The "pramana" is that the guru chants on the beads of the disciple at the time of initiation. And handing him the beads is the action of "transmitting" the Holy name to the disciple from the guru. Isn't that obvious enough? And there are many instances where a guru DOES NOT change the name of the disciple. One example that comes to mind is that of "Abhay Charan Das". Wherein only the appendage "das" was "added" or "given". This is how I understand this 1st anga of panchanga diksha. Hope you see the logic; from the tradition. Which is another meaning of the word "paramparaa". dasanudas, Basu Ghosh Das Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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