Panchangas

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhaktarupa Prabhu,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupad.

 

One advantage of the discussion we're having is the association of

old friends. I have some sastra praman to support counting the number of

holy names on beads or other media, such as tied cloth or string as did Lord

Caitanya, and for the need and value of accepting initiation.

 

nijatve gaudiyan jagati parigrhya prabhur iman

hare-krsnety evem ganana-vidhina kirtayata bhoh

itiprayam siksam janaka iva tebhyah paridisan

saci-sunuh kim me nayana-saranim yasyati punah

 

nijatve--as His own; gaudiyan--the people of Bengal; jagati--in this

world; parigrhya--accepting; prabhu--the Lord; iman--them; hare-krsneti--the

Hare Krsna mantra; evam--in this way; ganana-vidhina--according to a

prescribed number; kirtayata--please chant; bhoh--Oh! itiprayam--like this;

siksam--instruction; janaka--a father; iva--like; tebhyah--to them;

paridisan--showing; saci-sunuh--the son of Saci; kim--whether? me--of me;

nayana--of the eyes; saranim--to the path; yasyati--wil go; punah--again.

 

"Will Saci's son who, accepting the people of Bengal as His own

children and teaching them as a father, said, 'Please chant the Hare Krsna

mantra a fixed number of times," again walk on the pathway of my eyes?" (Sri

Sacisunv-astaka, Sri Stavavali, Srila Raghunatha das Gosvami)

 

In Harinama Chintamani Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur explains, "Although

in the beginning the jiva has sraddha, his desire for material success poses

an obstacle on his path of progress. The spiritual master graces him with a

disciplinary process suitable for overcoming this obstacle; thus he gains

spiritual strength from chanting. Chanting on tulasi beads and meditating on

a fixed number of holy names daily is the best form of worship, and will

surely lead to success...

"The path of bhakti features two broad occupations: Deity worship,

and chanting and meditating upon the holy name. Although both occupations

are expedient, chanting and meditating on the holy name is preferred by the

more deeply serious devotees. Many elevated pure devotees sometimes chant

aloud the holy names on their beads, and at other times meditate upon

Krsna's pastimes on the beads." (HNC p.103)

 

"...When their sraddha in Krsna's holy name matures, they must

receive initiation. This is the duty of a preacher as he goes from place to

place, teaching everyone." (HNC p.73)

 

There are many other instructions from our previous acaryas in this

matter. The above are only a small sample.

 

One may argue that Lord Caitanya says in His Siksastaka that there

are no hard and fast rules for chanting the holy name and therefore one need

not chant on beads. But by the instructions and practical example of Lord

Caitanya and His followers, including Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and our own dear Srila Prabhupada, we can

see clearly that we are instructed to chant on beads and, indeed, they all

chanted on beads themselves. In fact I once heard Srila Prabhupada

criticize a devotee for not having counter-beads on his bead bag. He

explained that trying to keep track of the number of fixed names within the

mind without counting beads would distract one from concentrating on the

holy name.

The giving of beads duly chanted on by the spiritual master was

practiced by Srila Prabhupada, and should therefore be continued by us as

his disciples, no? I think everyone of us remembers those first rounds on

our initiated beads as a very special experience, one that confirmed the

process that Srila Prabhupada gave us, increasing our faith unlimitedly.

I've heard from hundreds of second generation ISKCON initiates that they've

had a similar experience.

If you suggest that the holy name is enough, why stress initiation

so much, what to speak of chanting a fixed number of rounds on beads, I can

only request you to consider that the only instructions Srila Prabhupada

gave to everyone of us was at the time of initiation when he ordered us to

chant a fixed number of rounds without fail and follow the four regulative

principles to purify ourselves from offences. I might also suggest that you

consider the purports in which Srila Prabhuupada explains that initiation

and Deity worship are needed for us because we're conditioned souls. The

holy name is enough by Himself only for liberated souls.

 

"...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

birth. 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 contamination of conditional 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 Goswami 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...."

 

"...The chanting of Hare Krishna is our main business, that is real

initiation. And as you are all following my instruction, in that matter,

the initiator is already there. Now the next initiation will be performed

as a ceremony officially, of course that ceremony has value because the

name, Holy Name, will be delivered to the student from the disciplic

succession, it has got value, but in spite of that, as you are going on

chanting , please go on with this business sincerely and Krishna willing, I

may be coming to you very soon. I have already written to Jayananda about

this, so don't be impatient. Pray to Krishna that I may meet you very

soon." (Letter TKG 68-8-15)

 

> (3rd anga). I have no problem with accepting tradition and logic. They are

> also pramana of sorts. But I will have to find the sastra pramana. Too bad

> we don't have a folio of the collected writings of Bhaktivinode Thakur!

 

I hope the above quotes help deepen our understanding of the process

of initiation.

 

Hoping you are well and happy, I remain as always

 

Your servant,

Kesava Bharati das