Again Be Initiated Properly

[krsna]

Again Be Initiated Properly

 

BY: DANAVIR GOSWAMI

 

 

Sep 29, USA (SUN) — This paper is in response to Rocana dasa’s article “Faith Before Initiation” posted on the Sampradaya Sun website. Many questions and questionable statements were presented in that article. I am prepared to answer them all however I think it is best to concentrate on thoroughly addressing one of the incorrect statements first:

 

 

“Nowhere within all of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, or elsewhere in our previous diksa guru line, can ISKCON scholars uncover any authorization for the present “guru fall down" policy, with disciple re-initiation being the solution.”

 

 

Unfortunately, this statement ignores the authorized writings of several essential Vaisnava acaryas in our diksa line such as Srila Narahari Sarkar, Srila Jiva Goswami, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami and Srila Prabhupada. Furthermore, these acaryas regularly quote verses from Narada Pancaratra and Mahabharata.

 

SRILA NARAHARI SARKAR

 

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami said that there were four books that every Gaudiya Vaisnava should read: Caitanya Bhagavat, by Vrndavan das Thakur, Dasa Mula Siksa by Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Sri Krsna Bhajanamrta by Narahari Sarkar and Prema Bhakti Chandrika by Narottama das Thakura.[1]

 

 

In the book Sri Krsna Bhajanamrta, Srila Narahari Sarkar discusses the rejection of a pseudo guru and the acceptance of a bona fide guru in his place. Narahari Sarkar’s book Sri Krsna Bhajanamrta was written in Sanskrit. Here are the appropriate verses: [2]

 

tatra gurur yadi visadrsakari isvare bhrantah krsna yaso vimukho vilasa-vinodam na angikaroti svayam va durabhimani loka-stavaih krsnatvam prapnoti tarhi tyajya eva. (64)

tatra--in this matter; guruh--the guru; yadi--if; vi-sadrsa-- improprieties; kari--commits; isvare--about the Lord; bhrantah-- bewildered; krsna-yasah--the glories of Sri Krsna; vimukhah--against; vilasa--pastimes (of Krsna); vinodam--relishing; na-does not; angi- karoti--accept; svayam--personally; va--or; durabhimani-terribly conceited; loka-stavaih--by the praises and flattery of the public; krsnatvam--darkness; prapnoti--comes to; tarhi--then; tyajyah--to be rejected; eva--simply. (64)

 

But if the spiritual master commits improprieties, is bewildered about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is averse to expanding Lord Krsna's glories, personally refuses to hear or chant about the pastimes of the Lord, or has become utterly puffed up by the false praises of ignorant persons and thus falls into darkness, then the spiritual master is simply to be rejected. (64)

 

katham eva gurus tyajya iti no, krsna-bhava-lobhat krsna-praptaye guror asrayah krtas tad-anantaram yadi tasmin gurau asuribhavas tarhi kim kartavyam asura-gurum tyaktva sri krsna-bhaktimantam gurum anyam bhajet. (65)

 

katham--how (is it possible); eva--indeed; guruh--the guru; tyajyah--is to be rejected; iti--thus; no--(if one thinks) not; krsna-bhava-lobhat--out of eagerness for Sri Krsna's transcendental nature; krsna-praptaye--to achieve Sri Krsna; guroh--of a guru; asrayah krtah--one took shelter; tad-anantaram-- after that; yadi--if; tasmin gurau--in that guru; asuri-bhavah-- the demonic nature; tarhi--then; kim kartavyam--what is to be done; asura-gurum--the asura guru; tyaktva--rejecting; sri krsna-bhaktimantam--full of devotion for Sri Krsna; gurum--guru; anyam-- another; bhajet--one should accept and worship. (65)

 

Under those circumstances one should not think, "How can I give up my spiritual master?" With a strong desire to achieve spontaneous devotional service and attain the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, a devotee accepts the shelter of a spiritual master. But if after that the spiritual master takes on a demonic mentality, what is to be done? Rejecting such a demonic guru, in his place one should accept a Krsna conscious spiritual master and worship him. (65)

 

tasya krsna-balad asurasya guror balam mardaniyam iti vaisnava-bhajana-vicarah (66)

 

tasya--his; krsna-balat--by strength derived from Lord Krsna; asurasya guroh--of the asura guru; balam--the strength, influence; mardaniyam--is to be smashed, destroyed; iti--thus; vasnava-bhajana--(the way of) serving and accepting Vaisnavas; vicaraih--the correct analysis of. (66)

 

By the strength of the devotional service of the Krsna conscious spiritual master, the ill effects of the demonic spiritual master are destroyed. This is the authorized way of Vaisnava devotional service. (66)

 

evam tu drsta bahavah sri krsna caitanyavatare (67)

 

evam--thus; tu--indeed; drstah--have been seen; bahavah--many (cases); sri-krsna-caitanya-avatare--during the appearance of Lord Caitanya. (67)

 

During the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu many examples of this were seen. (67)

 

 

DG COMMENTS

 

 

One striking lesson to be learned from Srila Narahari Sarkar is that a Vaisnava should not be sentimental. A Vaisnava whose spiritual master has seriously deviated from the path of pure devotional service should not think, "Oh, how can I accept someone else, I have given my heart to this person." No, the heart is given to attain the "lotus feet of Krsna." The heart is meant for Krsna and none else. If a Vaisnava helps me on the path, I am eternally indebted and my appreciation for him should be real and heartfelt. Nevertheless, if he has become disabled to take me across the ocean of material existence, then I must find another captain to steer my ship and I must proceed on my journey back to Home, back to Godhead. Aham tarisyami duranta-param tamo mukundanghri-nisevayaiva; "I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Krsna." (Srimad Bhagavatam: 11.23.57) By continuing steadfastly on the path back to Godhead, the disciple also performs the most valuable service to the former guru whose help then actually bears fruit. If, on the other hand, the disciple becomes bewildered and gives up pure devotional service like the former guru, then how does that help the former guru or the disciple?

 

It is significant that Srila Narahari Sarkar stated “drsta bahavah” i.e. many examples of gurus falling were seen during the presence of Lord Caitanya. We in the 2000’s are not experiencing for the first time in history that gurus have fallen. Therefore Narahari’s instruction is relevant to the present-day ISKCON. [3]

 

Srila Narahari Sarkar was an intimate associate of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami mentions the devotees of Sri Khanda (the residence place of Srila Narahari Sarkar) as a major branch of the Chaitanya tree of Krishna-prema. For references one can see Caitanya Caritamrta: Adi 10:78-79, Gaura Ganodesa Dipika by Sri Kavi Karnapura and Bhakti Ratnakara by Srila Narahari Cakravarty.

Srila Narahari Sarkar is the spiritual master of Locana dasa Thakura. In his Chaitanya Mangala, Srila Locana Dasa Thakura has written:

"My hope of hopes is to be near the lotus feet of Sri Narahari Thakura, to serve and worship him with my very life. The cherished desire of the fallen Locana Dasa is to be allowed by the grace of Narahari to sing the glories of Sri Gauranga. My Lord is Sri Narahari Thakura, and I am his servant. Bowing and praying before him I beg him to allow me his service. This is my only aspiration." (Lives of the Saints: “Locana dasa Thakura”)

 

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura writes in his Prarthana:

 

dhana mora nityananda pati moro gauracandra

prana mora jugala-kisora

adwaita acarya bala gadadhara mora kula

narahari bilasai mora Lord Nityananda is my wealth. Lord Gauracandra is my master. The youthful Divine Couple is my life. Advaita Acarya is my strength. Gadadhara is my family. Narahari Sarkara is my glory. (Prarthana: 36 by Narottama dasa Thakura)

 

Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura has mentioned Narahari Sarkara in his Gaura-Arati song:

 

narahari adi kori chamara dulaya,

sanjaya mukunda vasughosh adi gaya

 

Narahari Sarkar and other associates of Lord Caitanya fan Him (Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) with camaras, and devotees headed by Sanjaya Pandita, Mukunda Datta and Vasu Ghosa sing sweet kirtana.

 

 

SRILA JIVA GOSWAMI

 

 

 

Srila Jiva Gosvami also writes extensively on the subject of guru falldown in his Bhakti Sandarbha. [4]

 

 

yo vakti nyaya-rahitam anyayena srnoti yah tav ubhau narakam ghoram vrajatah kalam aksayam

yah--one who; vakti--speaks; nyaya--right and good sense; rahitam-that which is devoid of; anyayena--improperly; srnoti--hears; yah--one who; tau--the two; ubhau--both; narakam--to hell; ghoram--terrible; vrajatah--they go; kalam--time; aksayam--unending.

 

He who gives [such] foolish instructions and he who listens to them will both enter into perpetual hell.

 

iti sri narada-pancaratre. ata eva durata evaradhyas tadrso guruh; vaisnava-dvesi cet parityajya eva---

 

iti--thus; sri narada-pancaratre--in the scripture of the name; ata eva--therefore; duratah--at a distance; eva--only; aradhyah-- to be worshipped; tadrsah guruh--such a spiritual master; vaisnava-vidvesi--inimical to the devotees; cet--if; parityajah-- to be renounced; eva--simply.

 

This is stated in the Narada Pancaratra. Therefore, such a guru should be worshipped only from a distance. Indeed, if the guru is envious of Vaisnavas one should give him up:

 

guror apy avaliptasya karyakaryam ajanatah utpatha-pratipannasya parityago vidhiyate

 

guror api--even of a guru; avaliptasya--proud and contaminated; karya-akaryam--what is to be done and what is not to be done; ajanatah-who does not know; utpatha--the wrong path; pratipannasya--who has taken to; parityagah--rejection; vidhiyate--is enjoined.

 

If the guru becomes attached to sense gratification, loses his sense of duty, and follows a degraded path, a path other than devotional service to the Lord, he should be rejected. [Mahabharata]

 

iti smaranat, tasya vaisnava-bhava-rahityenavaisnavataya

"avaisnavopadistena" ity-adi-vacana-visayatvac ca,

 

yathokta-laksanasya sri-guror avidyamanatayam tu tasyaiva maha-bhagavatasyaikasya nitya-sevanam paramam sreyah. sa ca sri-guruvat sama-vasanah svasmin krpalu-cittas ca grahyah---

 

iti--thus; smaranat--from the smrti; tasya--his; vaisnava-bhava-- of the nature of a Vaisnava; rahityena--by the absence; avaisnavataya--by the quality of a nondevotee; "avaisnavopadistena"--in the verse beginning with those words; iti-adi-vacana--of this statement; visayatvat--from the meaning; ca--also. yatha--thus; ukta-laksanasya--with the qualities stated; sri guror--of a spiritual master; avidyamanatayam--in the absence; tu--however; tasya--his; eva--indeed; maha-bhagavatasya--of an advanced devotee; ekasya--of one; nitya-sevanam--regular service; paramam-the greatest; sreyah--good; sah--he; ca--also; sri guruvat--like a spiritual master; sama-vasanah--with the same intention or desire; svasmin-toward oneself; krpalu--merciful; cittah--mentality; ca--also; grahyah--to be accepted.

 

As stated in smti [in this verse from Mahabharata], when one finds that the guru is bereft of the Vaisnava mentality and showing instead the qualities of a nondevotee, one should consider him the avaisnava mentioned in the verse “avaisnavopadistena”.

 

[Note: The verse Srila Jiva Goswami is referring to is found in the Narada Pancaratra as follows:

 

 

avaisnavopadistena

mantrena nirayam vrajet

punas ca vidhina samyag

grahayed vaisnavad guroh

avaisnava-nondevotee; upadistena- instructed; mantrena-with a mantra; nirayam-hell; vrajet-goes; punas-again; ca-and; vidhina-according to the regulative principles of the scriptures; samyag-completely; grahayed-accept; vaisnavad-a vaisnava; guroh-guru.

 

"One who is initiated into a mantra by a non-Vaiñëava must go to hell. Therefore he should again be initiated properly, according to the prescribed method, by a Vaiñëava guru." (Narada Pancaratra)

 

Srila Jiva Goswami continues:

 

 

If one finds himself without a guru with the good qualifications previously described, one should find one advanced devotee and serve him constantly, and that will give one the highest benefit. And if that advanced devotee is merciful toward him and desires to reciprocate, acting like a bona fide spiritual master in his attitude, then one should accept him:

yasya yat-samgatih pumso manivat syat sa tad-gunah sva-kularddhyai tato dhiman sva-yuthyan eva samsrayet

 

yasya--of whom; yat--with whom; sangatih--association; pumsah--of a person; manivat--like a gem; syat--becomes; tat-gunah--that same quality; sva-kula--of one's own community; rddhyai--for the success; tatah--therefore; dhiman--a wise person; sva-yuthyan--of those of one's own community; eva--certainly; samsrayet--one must take shelter.

 

"By associating with a person, one develops his qualities, just as a piece of glass acquires the qualities of a touchstone by coming in touch with it. Therefore an intelligent person, for the sake of his own spiritual community, should associate with more advanced devotees from his own sampradaya."

 

iti sri hari-bhakti-sudhodaya-drstya krpam vina tasmin cittaratya ca

 

iti--thus; sri hari-bhakti-sudhodaya--of the book of the name; drstya--according to the view; krpam--mercy; vina--without; tasmin-toward him (the guru); citta--in one's heart; aratya--not having love.

 

This verse is found in the Hari-Bhakti-Sudhodaya. If that advanced devotee is not merciful toward one, one will not develop a worshipful attitude toward him.

 

 

DG COMMENTS:

 

 

Significantly, Srila Jiva Goswami concludes that the disciple of a so-called guru described in the verse from the Mahabharata, should follow the exact same direction given in the Narada Pancaratra. The disciple should reject the pseudo guru and take reinitiation from a bona fide guru. In other words, Srila Jiva Goswami is clarifying what the term “rejected” (parityagah) means in the Mahabharata. It means the unqualified guru must be rejected and the qualified guru must be accepted, i.e. by taking initiation from him. One should not be without a guru.

 

 

SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKURA

 

In his book Jaiva Dharma, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discusses many topics of devotional service. Among them, he examines the question of reinitiation among Gaudiya Vaisnavas. In the following passage, a devotee (disciple) speaks to an advanced babaji (bona fide guru).

 

 

“I have heard it said that a person previously initiated and instructed by an unworthy person should find a worthy teacher and accept initiation and instruction from him. For some days I have heard your good instructions and now I have faith in the Vaisnava religion. Please be merciful. Teach me the Vaisnava religion and, when your teaching is concluded, initiate me and purify me.” (Jaiva-dharma: Chapter 4: page 31)

 

The babaji (spiritual master) accepts the statement of the disciple, instructs him about sambandha and abhideya aspects of devotional service and then he reinitiates him into the chanting of the maha mantra (harinama diksa). Later on in the book, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura addresses the subject again.

 

 

The same wonderful thought rose in the hearts of Vijaya-kumara and Vrajanatha. With one mind they decided that they must accept initiation (diksa) from the saintly babaji. When he was a child, Vijaya-kumara was initiated by his family-guru. Vrajanatha has received gayatri initiation but not initiation into any other mantras. From the saintly babaji they had learned that by chanting a mantra given by an impersonalist guru one goes to hell. Therefore they decided to be properly re-initiated by a Vaisnava spiritual master. If he is initiated by a perfect pure devotee, the disciple very quickly attains perfection by chanting the sacred mantras. Therefore they both decided, "Tomorrow morning we will first bathe in the Ganges and then accept initiation from the worshipable and saintly babaji."

Their hearts fixed in that decision, the next morning they bathed in the Ganges, decorated their bodies with twelve tilaka markings as previously described, and then offered dandavat obeisances to the feet of Srila Raghunatha dasa Babaji. The saintly babaji was a perfect devotee. Aware of what they were thinking, he asked them, "Why have you come this morning?" The two of them replied, "O master, we are fallen and worthless. Please be merciful to us." The saintly babaji took them separately to his cottage and gave them the eighteen-syllable mantra. Again and again chanting the mantra, the two disciples became maddened with spiritual love. Calling out "Jaya Gauranga,” they danced. Seeing the tulasi beads on their necks, their splendid sacred threads, their twelve tilaka marks, their bright faces, some beginning symptoms of sattvika-bhava ecstasy on their bodies, and streams of tears flowing from their eyes, the saintly babaji embraced them and said, "Today you have purified me." Again and again the two disciples took the dust of the saintly babaji's feet and placed it on their heads. (Jaiva Dharma: Chapter 21; page 224)

 

 

The following is Srila Bhaktivinoda’s immediate elaboration (in Bengali text) supporting the action taken by the Vaisnava guru and disciples cited above. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura states [5]:

 

 

"At the time of choosing the spiritual master, the prospective disciple should test to see whether the spiritual master has traveled to the farther shore of the Vedic scriptures and the science of the Supreme Lord. The spiritual master must be qualified to teach all aspects of the spiritual science.”

diksa guru apartiyajya bate, kintu duiti karane tini parityajya hoite parena. sisya yakhan guru-varana kariyachilena. takhana yadi tattvajna o vaisnava guru pariksa na kariya thakena, taha hoile karyakale sei gurura dvara kona karya haya na boliya tanhake parityaga karite haya. Ihara bahutara sastra-pramana ache; yatha sri-narada-pancaratre

 

diksa-guru--initiating spiritual master; aparityajya--not to be rejected; bate--indeed; kintu--but; duiti--two; karane--reasons; tini--he; parityajya--rejectable; hoite parena--can be; sisya-- disciple; yakhan--when; guru varan--accepting a spiritual master; kariyachilena--did; thakan--then; yadi--if; tattvajna--one who has knowledge about the spiritual reality; o--and; vaisnava-guru-- Vaisnava spiritual master; pariksa--test, examination; na--not; kariya--doing; thakena--did; taha hoile--then; karyakale--in due course of time; sei--that; gurura dvara--by that guru; kona--any; karya--work, purpose; haya na--does not happen; boliya--because; tanhake--him; parityaga--reject; karite haya--should; ihara--of this; bahutara--much; sastra pramana--scriptural evidence; ache-- there is; yatha--for example; sri-narada-pancaratre--in Sri Narada Pancaratra.

 

“It is true that the diksa guru should not be rejected. But there are two instances where one may legitimately reject him. First, a disciple may have accepted a spiritual master without thoroughly ascertaining whether the spiritual master was a Vaisnava practically conversant with transcendental knowledge. Later, however, the disciple may realize that the absolute objective will not be accomplished through the instructions of that guru. In that case, the guru should be rejected. There are many items of scriptural evidence in this regard:”

 

 

To begin, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura cites a Sanskrit verse from Sri Narada Pancaratra which is also quoted in Srila Sanatana Goswami’s Hari Bhakti Vilasa (1.101). This verse is also cited by Srila Jiva Goswami in his Bhakti Sandarbha.

 

 

sri-narada-pancaratre-

"yo vakti nyaya-rahitam

anyayena srnoti yah

tav ubhau narakam ghoram

vrajatah kalam aksayam"

 

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura translates the Sanskrit verse from Narada Pancaratra into Bengali (below).

 

 

jini (acarya-vese) anyaya arthat satvat-sastra-virodhi katha kirtana karena evam jini (sisya-rupe) anyaya bhabe taha srabana karena, tanhara ubhayera ananta-kala ghora narake gamana karena

jini--one who; acarya vese--in the guise of an acarya; anyaya--wrong; arthat--that is; satvata-sastra-virodhi--detrimental to the scriptures in the mode of goodness; katha--instructions; kirtana karena--teaches; evam--and; jini--one who; sisya rupe--as a disciple; anyaya bhabe--wrongly; taha--that; sravana karena--listens; tanhara ubhayera--both of them; ananta-kala--for endless time; ghora--dreadful; narake--in hell; gamana karena-enter, go.

 

The Narada Pancaratra states: "One who (in the guise of an acarya) gives unauthorized instructions detrimental to scriptural injunctions and one who (as a disciple) listens to those instructions will enter into hell eternally."

 

 

DG COMMENTS

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura uses the term acarya vesa to describe the one who gives unauthorized instructions. This means that such a person is not actually a guru but only a guru in disguise or a pseudo guru.

__________

 

 

Next Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura provides scriptural evidence from the Mahabharata, (Udyoga-parva, Asvopakhyana 179.25) [6]. Here is the Sanskrit:

 

 

guror apy avaliptasya

karyakaryam ajanatah

utpatha-pratipannasya

parityago vidhiyate

 

Below is Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Bengali translation of the Sanskrit verse.

 

 

bhogya-visaya-lipta, kimkartavya-vimudha evam bhakti byatit itar panthanugami byakti guru hoileo parityaga karibe.

bhogya-visaya-lipta--absorbed in sense gratification; kimkartavya-vimudha--bewildered; evam--and; bhakti vyatita--other than devotion; itar--inferior; panthanugami--a follower of the path; vyakti--person; guru hoileo--even if he is a guru; parityaga--reject; karibe--one should.

 

"If the guru becomes attached to sense gratification, loses his sense of duty, and follows a degraded path, a path other than devotional service to the Lord, he should be rejected." [Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 179.25]

 

 

And the third scriptural evidence Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura cites is also found the Narada Pancaratna as follows (in Sanskrit). This is the same verse Srila Jiva Goswami cited in his Bhakti Sandarbha establishing the proper behavior for a disciple whose guru has deviated:

 

 

"avaisnavopadistena

mantrena nirayam vrajet

punas ca vidhina samyak

grahayet vaisnavad guroh"

Below is Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Bengali translation of this verse.

 

 

stri-sangi o krsna-abhakta avaisnavera upadista mantra labha karile naraka gamana haya. ataeva yatha-sastra punaraya vaisnava- gurura nikata mantra grahana karibe.

stri-sangi--one who associates with women; o--and; krsna-abhakta-- who is not a devotee of Krsna; avaisnavera--of a nondevotee; upadista--instructed; mantra--a mantra; labha karile--if one receives; naraka--hell; gamana haya--goes; ataeva--therefore; yatha-sastra--according to the scriptures; punaraya--again; vaisnava-gurura--a Vaisnava spiritual master; nikata--from; mantra--mantra; grahana karibe--one should receive.

 

"If one receives a mantra from an avaisnava illictly connected with women and devoid of attachment to Krsna, one goes to hell. Therefore, one must take reinitiation from a Vaisnava guru according to scriptural rules." (Narada Pancaratra)

 

 

DG COMMENTS

 

 

The Sanskrit words avaisnava (or avaisnavera) and the Bengali abhakta refer to one who is not a devotee of Lord Krsna. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura uses the identical criterion for describing a non-devotee as did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

 

asat-sanga-tyaga,--ei vaisnava-acara

'stri-sangi'--eka asadhu, 'krsnabhakta' ara

"A Vaisnava should always avoid the association of ordinary people. Common people are very much materially attached, especially to women. Vaisnavas should also avoid the company of those who are not devotees of Lord Krsna. (Madhya 22.87)

 

 

The Sanskrit words punas ca found in the third scriptural reference verse above directly indicate that one should accept initiation again. This is confirmed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who translates this verse into Bengali using the words punaraya mantra grahan koribe, "one must accept the mantra again."

 

Thus far Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained the first of two instances in which a disciple should reject a spiritual master. To summarize, he is saying that if one mistakenly takes initiation from someone who is not a devotee of Lord Krsna, the person who took initiation is not required to continue with that relationship. Because of being attached to sense gratification and/or mental speculation, the unqualified so-called guru is unable to guide and save the disciple, therefore he must be rejected. [7] The so-called guru could be one's family priest (kula guru), a Mayavadi, a bogus yogi, a prakrta sahajiya, a pseudo Vaisnava who engages in sinful activities, a false avatara, a lusty meditation teacher, etc. In short, the incompetent so-called guru (teacher) must be given up. Gurur na sa syat. He is not a guru because he cannot deliver the disciple from the cycle of birth and death; na mocayed yah samupetya mrtyum.

__________

 

 

 

Next Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains the second instance in which one should reject his spiritual master.

 

 

dvitiya karana ei ye. guru-varana samaye gurudeva vaisnava o tattvajna chilena, kintu sanga-dose pare mayavadi va vaisnava- vidvesi hoiya jan; erupa guruke partyaga kara kartavya; grhita guru yadi mayavadi va vaisnava-vidvesi va papasakta

dvitiya--second; karana--cause; ei ye--is; guru-varana samaye--at the time of accepting the spiritual master; gurudeva--the spiritual master; vaisnava--Vaisnava; o--and; tattvajna--one who has knowledge about the spiritual reality; chilena--was; kintu--but; sanga-dose--due to bad association; pare--afterwards; mayavadi--impersonalist; va--or; vaisnava-vidvesi--offensive to Vaisnavas; hoiya jan--became; erupe--in this way; guruke--to the guru; parityaga--reject; kara kartavya--is a must;

 

The second instance in which one may reject the guru is when the guru was at the time of one's initiation a Vaisnava conversant in the Absolute Truth but later due to bad association became a mayavadi or an offender to the Vaisnavas. That guru should be rejected. (Jaiva Dharma; Chapter 20, page 213)

 

 

DG COMMENTS

 

 

According to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the difference between unqualified gurus in the first and second instance is that those presenting themselves as gurus in first category were not qualified to instruct or initiate disciples from the outset. On the other hand, those presenting themselves as gurus in the second instance were indeed qualified at one time but then became corrupted by maya. This second instance is especially applicable to devotees of ISKCON. In ISKCON, the initiating gurus who fell down were formerly engaged in devotional service. The disciples of such fallen gurus are also enjoined to accept reinitiation.

 

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is bringing home the point that in either case, whether the guru was not qualified at the time of initiation or was qualified at the time of initiation and later became unqualified, the fact remains the same---he is presently unqualified and must be rejected. And since the qualified guru is required for training the disciple, the disciple must find a qualified spiritual master and take complete shelter of him and his instructions by reinitiation.

 

 

SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASVATI THAKURA

 

 

In his book, Brahmana and Vaisnava [8], Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura offers his own realizations on the topic of reinitiation:

 

“Those who desire their own welfare should give up the materialistic, proud, so-called guru and take proper initiation from a Vaisnava guru. If one has a prominent false ego and a material conception of life, then he will naturally become envious of the transcendental Vaisnavas. One should give up the so-called guru who is envious of the Vaisnavas, knowing him to be a nondevotee. If one fails to do so, one will incur sin and deviate from the path of devotion. Sri Jiva Gosvami Prabhu has instructed the devotees of the Lord how to nourish their practice of devotional service in the following way:

vaisnava-dvesi cet parityajya eva, “guror apy avaliptasya” ti smaranat. tasya vaisnava-bhava-rahityenavaisnavataya "avaisnavopadistena" iti vacana-visayatvac ca. yathokta-laksanasya sri-guror avidyamanatayam tu tasyaiva maha-bhagavatasyaikasya nitya-sevanam paramam sreyah

 

“If a so-called guru is envious of the Vaisnavas, then one should reject him, remembering the guror apy avaliptasya verse [9]. This so-called guru does not have the qualities of a Vaisnava, therefore such a nondevotee should not be accepted as a guru. Those devotees who desire eternal welfare should say farewell to such so-called gurus, knowing them to be the subjects of the avaisnavopadistena verse. [10] In the absence of a genuine Vaisnava guru who fits the description given above, one should constantly serve a maha-bhagavata for one’s ultimate welfare.

 

“Those who blaspheme Vaisnavas can never become devoted to Lord Hari. Due to their sinful activities, those who are not devotees of Lord Krsna cannot become Visnu-janas... In His instructions to Sri Sanatana, Sriman Mahaprabhu has personally mentioned two main reasons why a Vaisnava may lose his standing as a Vaisnava. If a practitioner indulges in either of them, he can no longer remain a Hari-jana...Just as a brahmana who does not behave properly and lacks the appropriate brahminical qualities becomes a sudra or outcaste, so a Hari-jana whose devotional service to Lord Krsna becomes interrupted and who comes under the influence of women due to material absorption falls from the position of a Vaisnava and then considers that following the varnasrama principles is of utmost importance.”

 

 

DG COMMENTS

 

 

We see that the acaryas are indeed extremely consistent in their handling of the delicate issue of guru falldown, guru-tyaga and reinitiation. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura concurs that a so-called guru who becomes unqualified should be renounced. He gives us further insight into how one who was once a qualified Vaisnava-guru can become unqualified, i.e. by allowing his devotional service to be interrupted or by coming under the influence of women.

 

 

Importantly, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura emphasizes that a so-called guru who “follows processes other than pure devotional service” must be abandoned. In other words, a guru is not permitted to ramble about incorporating some karma kanda practices, some jnana kanda practices, some new ideas, or some mystical applications. He must stick undeviatingly to the line of pure devotional service as drawn by Lord Krsna and exemplified by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura strongly emphasizes the danger of remaining attached to an unqualified so-called guru or remaining in limbo. He says one “must immediately” take reinitiation. This is because by holding on to a sentimental relationship with a so-called guru who is in maya, the former disciple himself is dragged into maya. Furthermore by opting for a mental limbo or neutral stance, remaining unsure whether one should or shouldn’t take shelter of another bona fide spiritual master, one is subjected to the onslaught of multitudinous foolish theories like ritvik. Therefore Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura urges one to quickly re-establish his proper position by taking shelter once more of a qualified guru.

 

 

SRILA PRABHUPADA

 

 

By confirming with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, members of ISKCON are assured that instructions given by previous acaryas are appropriate for their understanding and use. In this regard, Srila Prabhupada makes reference to the same Vedic evidences and authorities as cited before, primarily Mahabharata and Srila Jiva Goswami.

 

"But when one leaves a spiritual master, the spiritual master, there may be some reason. That reason is also given in the sastra, gurur api avaliptasya karyakaryam ajanatah. Karya akarya. If the spiritual master does not know what is actually to be done, what is actually not to be done, and he acts against the rules and regulations of the sastra, then such spiritual master may be given up. But so long you do not find the spiritual master is doing against the principles of sastra or guru, then if you give up the company of spiritual master, that is not good for you. That is your downfall. First of all, you must take sufficient time to study the movements of a spiritual master. Spiritual master is one-the spiritual master. Because there may be many spiritual master, but if their business is one-to satisfy Krsna-although they're many, they're one. Although they're many, they are still one. The principle is one: to satisfy Krsna." (Lecture: Tokyo Jan 30, 74)

"Anyone who is supposed to be a guru but who goes against the principle of visnu-bhakti cannot be accepted as guru. If one has falsely accepted such a guru, one should reject him. Such a guru is described as follows (Mahabharata, Udyoga 179.25):

 

guror apy avaliptasya

karyakaryam ajanatah

utpatha-pratipannasya

parityago vidhiyate

 

Srila Jiva Gosvami has advised that such a useless guru, a family priest acting as guru, should be given up, and that the proper, bona-fide guru should be accepted." (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.20.1 Purport)

 

"So such kind of guru can be at least rejected. That is Jiva Gosvami's... Karya-karyam ajanatah. A guru who does not know what to do and what not to do, but by mistake, by mistakenly I have accepted somebody as guru, he can be rejected. By rejecting him, you can accept an actual bona fide guru. (Srila Prabhupada Lecture: August 5, 1973)

 

 

 

Srila Prabhupada affirms the decision made by the sastras and previous acaryas, namely that an unqualified guru must be rejected and replaced. Additionally, Srila Prabhupada brings forth another example. This example comes from the supreme authority, Lord Sri Krsna Himself who ordered Arjuna to reject his guru, Dronacarya, because Dronacarya had become contaminated by association with Duryodhana.

 

 

[Krsna speaking to Arjuna] "Although they [Dronacarya and Bhismadeva] are in the position of guru, you can reject them." Karya-karyam ajanatah. "They do not know factually.". Krsna is advising, "He has forgotten his duty. He should have joined you. Therefore he is no more in the position of guru. He has wrongly joined the other party." (Lecture; August 5, 1973)

 

Sri Krsna is advising Arjuna to completely reject Dronacarya and in his place accept Krsna as his spiritual master (gurun ahatva). Arjuna assents and achieves spiritual perfection. Hare Krishna.

 

 

NOTES:

 

[1] Bhaktisiddhanta; compiled by HH Bhaktivikasa Swami

[2] Word-for-word meanings given by HH Hrdayananda dasa Gosvami.

[3] A few years back, a group of Vrndavana Vaisnavas arranged a welcome program for ISKCON’s Russian devotees upon their first visit to the holy land. Interestingly enough, although it was Vrndavana and the organizers of the program were devotees of Krsna, they selected a Mayavadi sannyasi to preside over the function. The explanation is that Mayavada sannyasa is still held in high esteem within society. This phenomenon was even more prevalent during the time of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Consequently the Lord accepted sannyasa from Kesava Bharati of the Sankaracarya line.

Before his conversion, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, also of the Sankaracarya line, openly proposed to reinitiate Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu into a higher sannyasa order.

 

 

kahena yadi, punarapi yoga-patta diya

samskara kariye uttama-sampradaye aniya'

kahena-says; yadi-if; punarapi-again; yoga-patta diya-offering Him saffron cloth; samskara-reformatory process; kariye-I perform; uttama-first-class; sampradaye-to the community; aniya-bringing.

 

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya then suggested, "If Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would like, I could bring Him into a first-class sampradaya by offering Him saffron cloth and performing the reformatory process again." (Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya; 6.76)

 

Although wholly inappropriate under the circumstances, the fact that the leader of the Mayavadis, who are strict in abiding by Vedic rituals, suggested reinitiation, indicates that such practice was prevalent.

[4] Word-for-word meanings by HH Hrdayananda dasa Gosvami from the original Sanskrit written by Srila Jiva Goswami.

[5] HH Bhakti Caru Swami supplies the Roman transliteration, word-for-word meanings and English translation from the original Bengali written by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

[6] Note: In addition to the reference cited here we have another piece of information kindly supplied by HH Hrdayananda Goswami: “The well known verse from Mahabharata describing when a disciple can reject a guru is found in the Critical Edition of the Sanskrit text (the one accepted by most scholars) in the Shantiparva at 12.57.7, and is spoken by Bhisma, on the bed of arrows, to Yudhisthira.”

[7] "If one poses himself as an acarya but does not have an attitude of servitorship to the Lord, he must be considered an offender, and this offensive attitude disqualifies him from being an acarya." (Caitanya Caritamrta; Adi 1.46 Purport)

[8] Translated by Bhumipati dasa, edited and published by Pundarika Vidyanidhi dasa; Vrajraja Press, 1999 (Chapter 3; Harijana Khanda pp. 111-112).

[9] In the Mahabharata (Udyoga-parva 179.25) it is stated:

 

 

guror apy avaliptasya

karyakaryam ajanatah

utpatha-pratipannasya

parityago vidhiyate

“A so-called guru addicted to sensual pleasure and polluted by vice, who is ignorant and has no powere to discriminate between right and wrong, and who follows processes other than pure devotional service must be abandoned.”

[10] In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (4.366) it is stated:

 

 

"avaisnavopadistena

mantrena nirayam vrajet

punas ca vidhina samyak

grahayet vaisnavad guroh"

 

“One who gets his mantra from a guru who is a nondevotee and addicted to female association is doomed to a life in hell. Therefore such a person must immediately approach a genuine Vaisnava guru and again accept the mantra from him according to the rules of scripture.”