Kalki Das

[5:06 PM, 9/11/2018] Gaura Keshava Das SP: Someone asked this question: [5:06 PM, 9/11/2018] Gaura Keshava Das SP: Jay Sriman Narayan, dear swamiji, pranams, according to sastra when the spiritual master brake his sannyas vows and engage in sensual contact with women against their will, and manifest an adharmic behavior what happened with the diksha mantras and upavitam? Does a disciple needs to take initiation again in those mantras from another guru? What about his own sannyas disciples? Does they to need to retake sannyas? Thank you 🙏 Namaskaram

My answer:

There is only one reason why someone will take Vaisnava diksha and mantras again after taking it once already according to sastra:

avaiṣṇavopadiṣṭena mantreṇa niyama vrajet purnas ca vidhinā saṁyag grāhayed vaiṣṇavād guroḥ Hari Bhakti Vilāsa 4.366 (from Nārada Pañcarātra)

"One who is initiated in the chanting of a mantra by a non-Vaiṣṇava must suffer in hell. Therefore, such a person should be initiated again according to the rituals by a Vaiṣṇava guru."

Different people make different interpretations of what it means to be a Vaisnava guru. However in the same book Hari Bhakti Vilasa Vaisnava is simply a  person who himself has taken diksha from a Vaisnava and who worships Lord Visnu. The disciples mantra is not effected by any actions of a Vaisnava guru after diksha. It is the disciple that has to chant and meditate on the mantra. Therefore in my opinion there is no sastric rule to do anything except if one needs siksha take shelter of appropriate siksha guru(s).

Some people suggest that an immoral or doctrinally wrong Vaisnava guru is to be considered as a non-Vaisnava. I don't agree. He can be considered a fallen or neophyte Vaisnava but how is a fallen or doctrinally off Vaisnava considered a non-Vaisnava. In Hari Bhakti Vilasa when the positive simple definition of Vaisnava is made also non-Vaisnavas are also defined. The definitions are Buddhists, Atheists, Jains, etc. So it is pretty clear that in context none of these people are non-Vaisnavas.

There is a common misunderstanding in ISKCON that re-initiation either Vaisnava or Sannyasa is an option. I don't agree. Show anywhere in sastra where it is suggested? There isn't anywhere. The ONLY sloka that deals with taking a mantra again is the one I just quoted and it is pretty simple. Of course if one wants to interpret non-Vaisnava to mean anyone who acts or says something not accepted by oneself that is their business. But if we make the definition of Vaisnava so specfic then how do we know when approaching a guru to take diksha whether he is a Vaisnava or not? If secretly he is fallen even within his mind or heart and this is considered to make him a non-Vaisnava then how can anyone judge a bonafide guru?  The simple straight forward meaning of the sloka is to be taken unless someone can give other sastric evidence in context of this quote. I have done that above and I can cite the definition of Vaisnava and non-Vaisnava in HBV if needed. Other people just give their opinions but where is the sastric explanation of their ideas? There aren't any.

Brahma Muhurta: Thank you for this. The only thing I was wondering about on this subject was when the guru has given but hasn’t attained Siddhi in the mantra. But, say for instance they have attained Siddhi and then have some sort of fall down later after giving the mantra. The mantra Siddhi/purascarana has been attained by the guru and been given accordingly it can retroactively be pulled back. Now the disciple is a caretaker of the mantra. It seems to limit the ability of the mantra to live if it is retroactively “de-activated”

GKdas: Mantras have inherent power. Naturally one might search for a siddha or person perfected in the mantra one wants to take mantra diksha from. However whether the guru is a siddha of the mantra or not, the sisya still has to himself practice the mantra and become siddha. The idea that some sisyas mantra can be deactivated by something a guru does or does not do, I've never heard before. If there is any sastra pramana for this I don't know of it.

There is a common pramana amongst Gaudiyas:

avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyaṁ sarpocchiṣṭaṁ yathā payaḥ

"One should not hear anything about Kṛṣṇa from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects" Quoted in Hari Bhakti Vilasa from Padma Purana

Note the words hari-kathāmṛtam means "talks about Hari" and certainly one should not hear the words of Advaitins or others who give wrong siddhanta about the Lord. Mantras are not specifically stated. However Mantrārtha or the meaning of mantras should not be heard from Advaitins or others with wrong siddhanta. This is sometimes quoted by people as a reason not to hear a mantra from anyone but a siddha in that mantra. However in Gaudiya Vaisnavism the system is Hari Nama Sankirtana. Or Congregational chanting of the name of Hari i.e. Krsna. We have to ask if the chanting is supposed to be congregational, then does this mean one has to only chant with siddhas? The fact is that Caitanya mahaprabhu took the chanting to the streets of towns and villages of India and spread it amongst people who were not siddhas of the mantra. So did Ramanuja spread the mantra from the top of the Gopuram to all and sundry not just siddhas. They wanted everyone to take up the chanting and meaning of the mantras. They wanted people to become siddhas of these mantras. But no one was restricted by them from spreading these mantras on the plea of not being siddhas of them.

The Narayana Upanisad clearly states om namo narayanayeti mantropasakah vaikuntha bhuvana lokam gamisyati. The worshiper of om namo narayanaya mantra will go to Vaikuntha. The mantra has this power. It never says that only the hearer of this mantra from a siddha will go to Vaikuntha.

BMdas: What exactly do you mean by "say for instance they have attained Siddhi and then have some sort of fall down later after giving the mantra. The mantra Siddhi/purascarana has been attained by the guru and been given accordingly it can retroactively be pulled back."The guru does not give mantra siddhi. As you mentioned the system of purascarana or purascarya is for the sisya to perform to attain mantra siddhi. So if gurus gave mantra siddhi then why would the sastra have these systems of purascarana or purascarya? What I mean is that the guru attains Siddhi through purascarana then gives mantra to his or her sisya. After this happens the guru has a fall down. Now of course the sisya needs to attain perfection in the mantra themselves,but the acts of the guru don’t retroactively affect the mantra. It was given and now the actions of the guru should not affect the mantra. The sisya can still go forward with their sadhana and perform purascarana of the mantra.

GKdas: In Sri Vaisnavism both guru & sisya are prapannas. Surrendered to the Lord. Therefore whether they perform actions to gain mantra siddhi or not doesn't really matter. However for others who are followers of paths of individual efforts (non-prapatti paths like bhakti, karma or jnana yogas) they perform mantra sadhana (purascarana) to attain the perfection of the mantra (siddhi).

BMdas: [6:04 PM, 9/11/2018] Brahma Muhurta Das Ji: Sorry there was a typo. What I meant was it CANT be retroactively deactivated. [6:05 PM, 9/11/2018] Brahma Muhurta Das Ji: If mantra is given at one point it is given. It isn’t like an elastic rope that snaps back up the sampradaya if there is a problem later on if the mantra was actually given. [6:06 PM, 9/11/2018] Brahma Muhurta Das Ji: I completely agree with you Swami thank you for sharing all of this.

GKdas: All mantras are active according to mantra sastra. They have inherent power. Like wood has potential power but needs to be set on fire to release it. Similarly the mantras have inherent power but we need to know the meanings and practice the sadhanas with the mantras to get benefits. An example. A guru teaches a Vedic mantra with proper pronunciation of varna, svara, etc. The sisya learns it. Later the guru forgets it. This has no effect on the sisya.

[6:11 PM, 9/11/2018] Gaura Keshava Das SP: Another example. One dvija takes upanayanam and is initiated in to the chanting of gayatri mantra. He later performs upanayanam for someone else and gives that sisya (son?) gayatri mantra. The guru (father) might give up the chanting of the mantra later on. But still this doesn't effect the sisya (son?) who is still chanting the mantra. The dharmas sastras (see Manu Samhita) give prayascittas for a person whose chanting of gayatri has lapsed for different lengths of time. But they never state that this persons' sisyas or sons also have to perform a lapse by the father or guru. People have to perform prayascitta for their own acts of commission or ommission. Not for others mistakes. [7:01 PM, 9/11/2018] Gaura Keshava Das SP: If people are interested we can discuss Hari Bhakti Vilasa 17th vilasa which is purascarana or purascarya attaining the perfection of a mantra.

Question by Neil:

Dandavats to all. Regarding the guru and disciple topic, I believe you were discussing primarily the mantra given by the guru to the sishya. But isn’t the relationship much more than that? For example, there are discussions of the imparting of ‘dead’ mantras because of the proper siksha isn’t given along with diksha, then what is the point? What is the potency behind a mantra? Isn’t it to have the proper conception (siddhanta) of the mantra, rather than just the mantra alone? Certainly the mantras are powerful in and of themselves as the maha mantra for example is directly Krishna Himself. Yet so many unauthorized camps chant the maha mantra. Like all the apa sampradayas, sahajiyas, etc. and we see those misconceptions have entered into Vaishnav institutions as well. In other words, if one was to receive diksha from say a ‘Vaishnava’ who has regular illicit relations as a part of their sadhana, clearly such a person is not a Vaishnava by their achar. Shouldn’t such disciple seek out a real guru to receive the mantra and the proper conception of the mantra elsewhere? That last bit was simply a gross random example, but improper conception and/or practice, behavior, etc. disqualify one from being able to impart a mantra? If I’m a guru for the name, fame, profit, adoration and distinction — if I’m a guru for material reasons and I cling to many philosophical misconceptions in spite of others trying to properly guide me. Wouldn’t mantra and siddhanta given by such a guru be useless if not detrimental? And thus necessitate proper diksha, which may appear to be re-initiation? Also, going back to the first post in this regard, if one’s diksha is still valid in the case of an errant guru, wouldn’t one be obligated to continue to worship said guru, chanting his pranam mantra and other associated mantras when one does their puja, etc.? Like for a disciple of Bhavananda or Kirtanananda, what to do? Also, I would like to hear the definitions of Vaishnava & non-Vaishnava from Hari Bhakti Vilasa as well as to discuss the 17th Vilasa. Thank you for this discussion 🙏🏻

GKdas: Regarding your ideas. I have already quoted two slokas from Hari Bhakti Vilasa explaining this.First I quoted a slokas saying that if one receives a mantra from a non-Vaisnava guru he should again get it with full (vidhina) rituals from a Vaisnava guru. Then I quoted a sloka that hearing the topics of Hari from non-Vaisnavas causes poisonous effects.I said that in context in HBV a non-Vaisnava is someone like an Atheist or Buddhist. And it does not refer to someone who might have a lapse in behavior like Tondaradipodi Alwar who fell prey to a prostitute or to one devotee of Lord Venkatesvara who gambled with the Lord, or to the Pandavas who drank wine, gambled and may have also eaten meat.I will now quote the simple definition of who is a Vaisnava from HBV which is the context for the quote about not taking mantra diksha twice if one has taken it from a Vaisnava guru. You yourself have accepted that mantras have inherent power. So unless you have some sastra pramana that shows that the power of a mantra is completely negated by the giver of that mantra not being a perfect siddha then your idea cannot be accepted. I am not saying that one should not try to find a perfect mantra guru who is a siddha of that mantra. I'm just saying that the mantra has some inherent power and the sisya has to practice it no matter what the siddha or not of the guru. Some mistake by the guru cannot totally negate the inherent power of the mantra. Otherwise if we say that the power of the mantra is only coming from the guru and not anything from the mantra itself we don't find this idea given in sastra. So if you have any sastra pramana to quote to back up your idea then please present it. Otherwise I will give the simple definition of Vaisnava and non-Vaisnava given in HBV in the context of the pramanas I have already given on taking mantra upadesha.

Sri Vaisnavas continue to chant the Tanian (pranam mantra) of Tondaradipodi Alwar despite the fact that he was victimized by a prostitute. Lord Ranganatha even arranged to pay the prostitutes fee for his Vaisnava devotee. He is one of the greatest devotees. His being victimized by a prostitute doesn't change our honoring him for his deep devotion to the Lord. You ask would a person continue to praise his guru if his guru acted in such a bad way. I think I have just answered that above. The guru is always to be honored. If he makes some mistake then still we have to honor him for giving us the mantra (and correct upadesha). We do not honor any bad behavior or bad upadesha that he might do or give. Therefore we have to be grateful for what he has given which is in line with sastra and sampradaya. But we also have to discriminate as to what might be wrong behavior and\or upadesha. Ramanuja honored his first guru Yadava Prakasha even though he wanted to kill Ramanuja. He did challenge the bad upadesha of his guru in a respectful way.

gṛhīta viṣṇu dīkṣāko viṣṇu pūjā paro naraḥ vaiṣṇavo'bhihito'bhijñair itarosmād avaiṣṇavaḥ

"One who is initiated into the chanting Visnu mantras and is engaged in the worship of Lord Visnu is called a Vaisnava. Those who do contrary to this are non-Vaisnavas." Hari Bhakti Vilasa 1.55

jaiminiḥ sugataś caiva nāstiko nagna eva ca kapilaś cākṣapādaś ca ṣaḍ ete hetu-vādinaḥ

etan matānusāreṇa vartante ye narādhāmāḥ te hetu-vādinaḥ proktās tebhyas tantraṁ na dāpayed

"Jaimini, Sugata, Nāstikas, Kapila and Akṣapāda (Gautama) are mental speculators. Those fallen souls who spend their lives under the guidance of these philosophers are counted as mental speculators. A guru should not give instructions about the worship of the supreme Lord to such people." Hayaśīrṣa Pañcarātra

Naturally such persons will not be Vaisnava gurus or sisyas. They are non-Vaisnavas.

There are some other slokas giving qualities of non-gurus (aguru lakṣanam). But they mostly are details. I will post them for completeness.

BMdas: Thank you for sharing this. Even if the Guru is not perfect, the sisya is still indebted to him/her for what good things they have been given. Namely the mantra

GKdas: Yes, and any mantrartha or meaning of the mantra also. Or any other good example or instruction. Note that Ramanuja had one guru Mahapurna who gave him the mantra, and another guru from whom he learned some inner meanings of the mantra, Gosthi Purna. It is not that a guru who only gives the mantra and not the mantrartha is honored less.

GKdas: bahvāśi dīrgha sūtrī ca viṣayādiṣu lolupaḥ hetuvāda rato duṣṭo avāg-vādī guṇa nindakaḥaromā bahu-romā ca ninditāśrama sevakaḥ kāla-danto'sitauṣṭhaś ca durgandhi śvāsa vāhakaḥduṣṭa lakṣaṇa sampanno yadyapi svayam īśvaraḥ bahu pratigrahāsakta ācāryaḥ śrī kṣayāvahaḥ"If a person accept a guru who eats voraciously, who is lazy, who is greedy for acquiring material objects, who is fond of arguing against the śāstras, who is mischievous, who is happy to expose others sinful activities, who is a blasphemer, who have no hair or too much hair on his body, who lives in a condemned state or āśrama, whose complexion is black, has black teeth, who is very cunning, who accepts a great deal of charity even though he does not require it,  then all his good fortune and opulence will become exhausted." Tattva Sāgara

[3:31 PM, 9/12/2018] Gaura Keshava Das SP: There are also many descriptions of the detailed qualifications of gurus. But we cannot say that a guru without one of these details isn't a guru. Some gurus are not expert in Vedas, Yantras, Mantras, Yagas. [3:34 PM, 9/12/2018] Gaura Keshava Das SP: Many in and around ISKCON are very very interested in analyzing the qualifications of gurus. They do not sometimes consider if they themselves are qualified sisyas.

There are 104 rules mentioned from Viṣṇu Yāmala that Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇavas sisyas are supposed to follow listed in Hari Bhakti Vilāsa 2.149-162

BMdas: Exactly we’ll put. It starts to become a thing of looking for the faults in the guru in order to flat out reject him in order to have an excuse to basically be ungrateful for anything that the guru did do. That mood won’t move well into the other aspects of a sadhakas practice

By Sri Brahmananda Das

This pose or mudra of Radha Krishna is Srila Prabhupada's favorite photo. He kept it as the main worshippable photo on the altar in his rooms at the LA temple. He said the pose was the perfect expression of Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy of Radha Krishna rasa. But, he never put it in his books, probably because it could be misunderstood by the common man. It is so intimate that only the most elevated devotees can understand and appreciate it.

When Gargamuni asked Srila Prabhupada about this photo on his altar, SP said it is a perfect portrayal of acintya-bhedabheda tattva, simultaneously one and different, inconceivably.

Srila Prabhupada gives some insight in these verses of CC: CC Madhya Lila Chapter 8 verse 194: " 'Alas, before We met there was an initial attachment between Us brought about by an exchange of glances. In this way attachment evolved. That attachment has gradually grown, and there is no limit to it. Now that attachment has become a natural sequence between Ourselves. It is not that it is due to Kṛṣṇa, the enjoyer, nor is it due to Me, for I am the enjoyed. It is not like that. This attachment was made possible by mutual meeting. This mutual exchange of attraction is known as manobhava, or Cupid. Kṛṣṇa's mind and My mind have merged together. Now, during this time of separation, it is very difficult to explain these loving affairs. My dear friend, Kṛṣṇa might have forgotten all these things. However, you can understand and bring this message to Him, but during Our first meeting there was no messenger between Us, nor did I request anyone to see Him. Indeed, Cupid's five arrows were Our via media. Now, during this separation, that attraction has increased to another ecstatic state. My dear friend, please act as a messenger on My behalf because if one is in love with a beautiful person, this is the consequence.' Verse 195: " 'O my Lord, You live in the forest of Govardhana Hill, and, like the king of elephants, You are expert in the art of conjugal love. O master of the universe, Your heart and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's heart are just like shellac and are now melted in Your spiritual perspiration. Therefore one can no longer distinguish between You and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Now You have mixed Your newly invoked affection, which is like vermilion, with Your melted hearts, and for the benefit of the whole world You have painted both Your hearts red within this great palace of the universe.' " Verse 196: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirmed these verses recited by Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, saying, "This is the limit of the goal of human life. Only by your mercy have I come to understand it conclusively.

Source: 

Once, Srila Madhvendra Puripad travelled to Sri Vrindavan, where he went to Sri Giriraj Goverdhan. Srila Madhvendra Puri was almost mad in ecstacy for love of Godhead. Sometimes, he would stood up and sometimes he would fell to ground. While circumambulating Sri Goverdhan hill, Srila Madhvendra Puri went to Sri Govind-kunda and took his bath. Then he sat beneath a tree. Suddenly an unknown cowherd boy appeared from no-where with a pot of milk and placed the same in front of Srila Madhvendra Puri. He smiled and said, 'Hey Puri, please drink this milk. Why do not you beg some food to eat? What kind of meditation are you undergoing?'

Observing the beauty and hearing the sweet words, Srila Puri forgot all hunger and thirst. He asked, 'Who are you? Where do you reside? How did You know that I am fasting?'

The Cowherd boy replied,' I am a cowherd boy, I reside in this village. In My village, no one fasts. In this village a person can beg food from others. Some people drink only milk, but if a person does not ask anyone for food, I supply him all eatables. The women who come here to take water, saw you, and they supplied Me with this milk and sent Me to you. I must good soon to milk the cows, but I shall return and take back this milk pot from you.'

Boy left and suddenly could not be seen. Srila Madhvendra Puri's heart was filled with wonder. He drank the milk, washed the pot and kept it aside. He waited for the boy, but He did not return.

He could not sleep and sat while chanting Holy Name of Supreme Lord. Eventually he dozed off.

He had a dream.

He saw the same boy. The boy came before him and holding his hand,took him to a bush in the forest. The body pointed Srila Madhaendra Puri towards a bush and said, 'I reside in this bush, and because of this I suffer very much from severe cold, rain showers, winds and scorching heat. Bring the people of the village and get them to take Me out of this bush. Then situate Me nicely on the top of the hill. Construct a temple on top of that hill. Install Me. Bathe me with large quantities of cold water so that My body is cleansed. For many days I have been observing you, and I have been wondering, 'When will Madhavendra Puri come here to serve Me? I accept your service due to your ecstatic love for Me. Thus I shall appear, and by My audience (darshan) all will be delivered. My name is Gopal, lifter of Govardhana Hill. I was installed by Vajra (Krishna's great grand-son). When the bad elements attacked, the priest who was serving Me hid Me in this bush in the jungle. Then he ran away out of fear of the attack. Since then I am staying in this bush. It is very good that you have come here. Now just remove Me with care.'

And the body disappeared. Srila Madhvendra Puri woke up and began to lament and cry.

After morning bath, he went to the village and gathered everyone. He said loudly, 'Sri Govardhan-dhari, diety of the  village, is lying in the bushes. Let us go there and rescue Him. We have to dig Him up.'

After hearing this, everyone accompanied him and according to his directions, cut the bushes, cleared the path and entered. They were pleased to see the Deity covered with dirt and grass.  After cleansing the deity, some strong men assembled to carry Him to the top of the hill, as the deity was too heavy. A big stone was made into a throne, and The Deity was installed upon it. Another big stone was placed behind the Deity for support. Under the guidance of Srila Madhvendra Puri, when the Deity was being installed, nine hundred pots of water were brought from Sri Govind Kunda. Women folk began to sing and musical sounds of bugles and drums began to play. All the milk, yogurt and clarified butter in the village was brought to the festival. Various foods and sweetmeats, as well as other kinds of presentations were brought there. The villagers brought a large quantity of Tulasi leaves, flowers and various kinds of garments. Then Srila Madhvendra Puri personally began the Abhisheka.

Mantras were chanted, initially the Deity was massaged with a large quantity of oil. After the first bathing, further bathing were conducted with pancha-gavya and then with pancha-mrita. Then the maha-snan was performed with ghee and water, which had been brought in one hundred pots. After the maha-snan was finished, the Deity was again massaged with scented oil. Then the last bathing ceremony was performed with scented water kept within a conch-shell. After the body of the Deity was cleansed, He was dressed very nicely with new garments. Sandalwood pulp, Tulasi garlands and other fragrant flower garlands were offered. After bathing ceremony was finished, incense and lamps were burned and all kind of food were offered before the Deity. Finally everyone offered various prayers and then obeisances, falling flat before the Deity in full surrender. The villagers have brought such large quantities of the entire stock of rice, dal, etc that the entire surface of the top of hill was filled. Five to seven men have prepared a huge quantity of chapatis, which were sufficiently covered with ghee, as were all the vegetables, rice and dhal. Pots of yogurt, milk, buttermilk, shikharini, sweet rise, cream and sold cream were placed alongside the vegetables. In this way the Annakuta ceremony was performed, and Sri Madhvednra Puri Goswami personally offered everything to Gopal.

Can anyone imagine that inspite of all the people present in the villages, why would Sri Gopala wait for Srila Madhvendra Puri when He said to him, 'For many days I have been observing you, and I have been wondering, 'When will Madhavendra Puri come here to serve Me?'?

Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah! Union in diversity was the divine plan of Srila Jiva Goswami.- Diversity is to have beautiful temples such as Radha Madan Mohan, Radha Gopinath, and Radha Govindaji.- Diversity is to have such wonderful books such as Sadharvas, the Brihad Bhagavatamrita, and the books of Srila Rupa Goswami.- Diversity is to have so many souls connected to the path of Bhakti through affectionate relationships with their respective spiritual leaders and their efforts.- Diversity is to have the many projects of Krishna consciousness established like the different missions are doing with their different creative contributions.

And what about Union?- Union is the capacity to combine the abilities and achievements of the diversity and apply them to their respective common goals. When there is a need to have more energy and more support, union can provide more assistance than just one guru and one mission could. This is very successful if all these amazing energies and capacities, which have been created in the diversities, can assist each other at crucial moments such as protecting the Holy Dham from destruction, protecting the holy tradition from misrepresentation, and even protecting devotees who are under attack in any particular region of the world.

This is the practical application of union in diversity and this has been promoted by all those who subscribe to the original idea of the Vishva Vaishnava Raj Sabha. It will be up to us and future generations to bring this into more practical applications and more useful efforts whenever the need arises. At the same time, very importantly, what will make Krishna Consciousness grow everywhere in the world will be the diversity which is blessed by the Holy Name and the holy vaishnavas. So we want this very special moment of coming together amongst many different missions to be cherished in the spirit of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His future museum so that we can really relate to each other as dearest and deepest brothers under the protection of our divine parampara. Dasanudasa

Translated by Kusakratha Dasa

The Sri Caitanya Upanisad, excerpted by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura from the Atharva Veda

In honor of Gaura Purnima (March 20), the anniversary of the appearance five hundred years ago of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we present the following excerpt from the Atharva Veda, one of the four original books of the Vedic literature. These texts reveal that in the present age Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the incarnation of God and the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is the recommended mantra for progress in spiritual life.

Text 1

atha pippaladah samit-panir bhagavantam brahmanam upasanno bhagavan me subham kim atra caksasveti.

Carrying firewood in his hands, Pippalada humbly approached his father, Lord Brahma, and asked: “O my Lord, please tell me how I may attain an auspicious life.”

Text 2

sa hovaca, bhuya eva tapasa brahmacaryena sasvad ramasva mano vaseti.

Lord Brahma replied: “Be satisfied by remaining always celibate, and perform austerities. Carefully control the activities of the mind. In this way you will attain an auspicious condition of life.”

Text 3

sa tatha bhutva bhuya enam upasadyaha bhagavan kalau papac channah prajah katham mucyerann iti

Pippalada followed these instructions, and after having become pure in his own heart and mind, he again approached his father and asked: “O my Lord, please tell me how the sinful living entities in the Kali-yuga may be delivered.”

Text 4

ko va devata ko va mantro bhuhiti.

“Who should be the object of their worship, and what mantra should they chant in order to become delivered? Kindly inform me.”

Text 5

sa hovaca. rahasyam te vadisyami jahnavi-tire navadvipe golokakhye dhamni govindo dvi-bhujo gaurah sarvatma maha-puruso mahatma maha-yogi tri-gunatitah sattva-rupo bhaktim loke kasyatiti. tad ete sloka bhavanti.

Lord Brahma replied: “Listen carefully, for I shall give you a confidential description of what will happen in the Kali-yuga. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the supreme enjoyer, whose form is transcendental, who is beyond the touch of the three modes of material nature, and who is the all-pervading Supersoul residing in the hearts of all living entities, will appear again in the Kali age. Appearing as the greatest devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will assume a two-armed form of golden complexion in His abode of Goloka Vrndavana manifested on the bank of the Ganges at Navadvipa. He will disseminate pure devotional service in the world. This incarnation of the Lord is described in the following verses.”

Text 6

eko devah sarva-rupi mahatma gauro rakta-syamala-sveta-rupah caitanyatma sa vai caitanya-saktir bhaktakaro bhakti-do bhakti-vedyah

The one Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all transcendental potencies, and who may be known only by devotional service, appears in innumerable transcendental forms. He has appeared with red, black, and white complexions, and He shall also appear in the golden form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He shall assume the role of the perfect devotee, and He shall teach the conditioned souls the path of pure devotional service.

Text 7

namo vedanta-vedyaya krsnaya paramatmane sarva-caitanya-rupaya caitanyaya namo namah

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Sri Krsna, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, who is understood by the study of Vedanta philosophy. He is the master of all transcendental potencies, and He appears as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Text 8

vedanta-vedyam purusam puranam caitanyatmanam visva-yonim mahantam tam eva viditvati-mrtyum eti nanyah pantha vidyate ‘yanaya

One who understands that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known by the study of Vedanta philosophy, who is the original cause of the universe, and who is the oldest, the original person, crosses beyond this world of birth and death. This is the proper understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and aside from this there is no other way for one to achieve liberation.

Text 9

sva-nama-mula-mantrena sarvam hladayati vibhuh.

Appearing in this golden form, the all-powerful Supreme Lord will fill the entire universe with transcendental bliss by the chanting of His own holy names.

Text 10

dve sakti parame tasya hladini samvid eva ca iti.

In this way the Supreme Lord manifests two of His transcendental potencies: His hladini sakti (the potency of transcendental bliss) and samvit sakti (the potency of transcendental knowledge).

Text 11

sa eva mula-mantram japati harir iti krsna iti rama iti.

The Supreme Lord will chant a mantra consisting of the names of Hari, Krsna, and Rama (the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare).

Text 12

harati hrdaya-granthim vasana-rupam iti harih. krsih smarane tac ca nas tad-ubhaya-melanam iti krsnah. ramayati sarvam iti rama ananda-rupah atra sloko bhavati.

These three names of the Supreme Lord (Hari, Krsna, and Rama) may be explained in the following way: (1) “Hari” means “He who unties [harati] the knot of material desire in the hearts of the living entities”; (2) “Krsna” is divided into the two syllables “Krs” and “na.” “Krs” means “He who attracts the minds of all living entities,” and “na” means “the supreme transcendental pleasure.” These two syllables combine to become the name “Krsna”; and (3) “Rama” means “He who delights [ramayati] all living entities,” and it also means “He who is full of transcendental bliss.” The maha-mantra consists of the repetition of these names of the Supreme Lord.

Text 13

mantro guhyah paramo bhakti-vedyah.

The maha-mantra (Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) is the best of all mantras. Although it is very difficult to understand the maha-mantra, it may be understood when one engages in pure devotional service of the Supreme Lord.

Text 14

namany astav asta ca sobhanani, tani nityam ye japanti dhiras te vai mayam atitaranti nanyah paramam mantram parama-rahasyam nityam avartayati.

Those who seriously desire to make progress in spiritual life continually chant these sixteen splendid names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in this way they cross beyond the bondage of continued material existence. The chanting of these holy names of the Lord is the greatest of all mantras, and it is the most confidential of all secrets.

Text 15

caitanya eva sankarsano vasudevah paramesthi rudrah sakro brhaspatih sarve devah sarvani bhutani sthavarani carani ca yat kincit sad-asat-karanam sarvam. tad atra slokah.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears as Lord Sankarsana and Lord Vasudeva. He is the original father of Brahma, Siva, Indra, Brhaspati, all the demigods, and all moving and nonmoving living entities. He is the original cause of all that is temporary and all that is eternal. Nothing exists separately from Him, and therefore He is everything. He is described in the following verses.

Text 16-18

yat kincid asad bhunkte ksaram tat karyam ucyate

sat karanam param jivas tad aksaram itiritam

ksaraksarabhyam paramah sa eva purusottamah caitanyakhyam param tattvam sarva-karana-karanam

This material world is temporary, whereas the individual living entities who try to enjoy matter are eternal and superior to it. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to both the temporary material energy and the eternal living entities. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is this Supreme Person, the Absolute Truth, the original cause of all causes.

Text 19

ya enam rasayati bhajati dhyayati sa papmanam tarati sa puto bhavati, sa tattvam janati, sa tarati sokam, gatis tasyate nanyasyeti.

One who worships the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with devotion and always remembers Him becomes free from all sins and completely pure. Easily understanding the truth about the Personality of Godhead and becoming free from all material lamentation, such a devotee attains the supreme goal of life, which is unattainable by those averse to the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great acarya, or spiritual teacher, was the father of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Parte I

Comienzo este escrito primeramente ofreciendo reverencias a los pies de loto de mi venerable maestro espiritual y a todos mis profesores que me han guiado y guían en el camino de la autorrealizacion.

El propósito de este documento es presentar evidencia histórica sobre el clásico tema de Diskha Guru y Siksha Guru en la comunidad Gaudiya Vaishnava.

Recientemente estuve conversando con hermanos espirituales al respecto y aunque no soy cualificado ni erudito en el tema, si he tenido la buena fortuna de escuchar y aprender aspectos importantes del Gaudiya Vaishnavismo para poder tener un contexto adecuado en el tema de Diksha Guru y Siksha Guru.

Mi explicación esta dirigida a los seguidores de la escuela Gaudiya Vedanta, especialmente en la linea de Srila Rupa Goswami.

Como sabemos se llama Diksha Guru al maestro espiritual que nos dio iniciación en el Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra y/o el Gopal Gayatri Mantra, por este motivo el Diksha Guru es también llamado Mantra Guru. Siksha Guru es como sabemos el maestro que nos instruye, el Guru que con sus enseñanzas alimenta nuestra fe en la senda del Bhakti. Nuestros Acharyas en diferentes momentos históricos nos han dado una y otra vez explicaciones sobre la importancia de ambos Gurus. Sin embargo, debe saberse que si existe una diferencia en la posición de ambos Gurus, tanto el Diksha como el Siksha juegan un rol super importante en nuestras vidas, pero es necesario aclarar la posición de cada uno de ellos.

Sri Guru es uno y a la vez representa una cadena que desciende de Sri Krishna, una vez mi Guru Maharaj dijo que Sri Guru es una corriente, como la de un rio, que fluye a través del Guru iniciador y que esta conectada permanentemente con el Parampara. Con esta analogía, podemos ver que la gracia de Sri Guru es como el agua fresca que viene para calmar la sed de nuestra existencia material, es el agua que desciende desde lo alto y refresca todo a su paso, dandole vida a todo aquello que toca a su alrededor. Es esta misma corriente a la cual somos invitados en el momento de la iniciación, por este motivo, el Diksha Guru es considerado sākṣād-dharitvena, es decir “El es directamente Sri Hari”. El Mantra Guru o Diksha Guru es único por el simple hecho de ser solo El quien nos da el maha-mantra Hare Krishna y/o el Gopal gayatri mantra.

En el Krishna Bhajanamrta, Srila Narahari Sarkar Thakur dice:

Verso 45

sakala-vaiṣṇavā eva guravaḥ

tatra dīkṣā-guravaḥ śikṣā-guravaś ca

viśeṣataḥ santi tayor eva kāryam.

Traducción:

Aunque es sabido que todos los Vaishnavas son ciertamente Gurus, el Diksha Guru y Siksha Guru sobresalen de todos ellos. Por lo tanto sus instrucciones deben ser seguidas.

Srila Narahari Sarkar da especial relevancia a ambos Gurus, Diksha y Siksha, idealmente como lo he escuchado de mis maestros, es recomendable que el mismo Diksha Guru sea tambien Siksha Guru.

Pero, ¿Qué sucede cuando el Siksha Guru esta mas presente en el día a día de nuestra vida espiritual? Primeramente debemos sentirnos afortunados de tener la presencia e instrucciones bien sea de nuestro Diksha y Siksha Guru. Pero si el Diksha Guru por factores de predica, esta mas ausente en el día a día de nuestra vida, es del todo correcto el tomar guia y refugio en el Siksha Guru.

En este sentido, puede ocurrir el caso que algún hermano espiritual de nuestro Guru o algún hermano espiritual personal ocupe esa posición en nuestra vida, de ser nuestro Siksha Guru. Si es así, debemos acudir a ellos para recibir instrucción y ser ocupados en el servicio devocional.

Sin embargo, en el practicante neófito (en el cual me incluyo yo en la lista) puede surgir la idea, de que al tener en el día a día la presencia del vapuh de mi Siksha pueda confundirme y ver tanto a mi Diksha y Siksha al mismo nivel. Si llegamos a contemplar esta idea, debemos prender la luz de alerta.

El Siksha Guru no reemplaza nunca la posición del Diksha Guru, primeramente porque fue solo el Diksha Guru quien nos dio el maha-mantra Hare Krishna y/o el Gopal Gayatri mantra. De esta manera es exclusivamente el Diksha Guru quien estableció nuestro sambhanda con Sri Hari. Por esta razón, el Siksha Guru no puede estar al nivel exacto del Diksha Guru. Como sabemos no hay nada de malo en que un hermano espiritual de nuestro Guru o algún hermano espiritual sea nuestro Siksha Guru. Diksha Guru es solo uno, Siksha Guru pueden ser muchos. Esto también queda confirmado en el Bhakti-Sandharbha, Srila Jiva Goswami dice que el mantra-guru es solo uno, no se puede tener mas de uno.

Pero, ¿Qué sucede si el Siksha Guru es superior en realización al Diksha Guru? Se puede dar este caso también, sin embargo, nuestros Acharyas nos han enseñado que se deben confirmar las enseñanzas dadas por tal Guru superior al llevárselas al Diskha Guru y que estas enseñanzas sean confirmarlas por El mismo.

Sin embargo también existen falsos contra argumentos al tema antes mencionado, uno de ellos por ejemplo es el decir que en su introducción al Caitanya Caritambrta, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami da una glorificación amplia a todos sus Gurus y no menciona claramente a su Diksha Guru, y por lo tanto, Sus Sikshas y Diksha están al mismo nivel. Nada mas lejano de lo real. Es mas, aun para algunos Vaishnavas hasta el dia de hoy, no es del todo claro quien fue el Diksha Guru de Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, este mismo grupo también dice que Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj acepto a los Goswamis de Vrindavan como sus Gurus, a todos ellos por igual. Nada mas lejos de la realidad y para esto hay que poner las eventos en el contexto histórico apropiado para beneficio de nuestra vida espiritual.

Como sabemos, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, instruyo directamente a tres de sus discípulos de escribir y manifestar las glorias de tres diferentes bases o columnas de su Sampradaya recién establecida (nuestra Sampradaya Gaudiya), Srila Rupa Goswami fue encargado por Mahaprabhu de escribir sobre las glorias de Sri Radha Krishna, Srila Haridas Thakur fue encargado de esparcir las glorias del santo nombre de Krishna y Srila Sanatan Goswami fue encargado de escribir los “estatutos" del Gaudiya Vaishnavismo y los deberes de los seguidores de Mahaprabhu, en este sentido el Hari-bhakti Vilas fue manifestado por Srila Sanatan Goswami, con el aporte de Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami.

Siendo Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami, un fiel seguidor de los escritos de los Goswamis, en el verso 2.147 del Hari-Bhakti Vilas se encuentra la respuesta de porque no se sabe del Diksha Guru de Srila Krishna das Kaviraj:

gopayed devatām istam gopayed gurum ātmanah

gopayec ca nijam mantram gopayen nija-mālikām

Traducción:

Uno debe mantener en secreto el nombre de su ista-deva, el nombre de su maestro espiritual, el mantra (entregado por el maestro espiritual) y la japa-mala.

Extracto del Krishna Kathamrta Bindu:

“La persona sabia mantiene sus objetos de valor en un lugar confidencial. De la misma manera, el sadhaka que es inteligente no hace propaganda de su Guru, y tampoco habla abiertamente a la masa de gente de quien es discípulo. El sadhaka medita internamente y se considera a si mismo alguien bajo, caído y descalificado para ser considerado un discípulo de tan magnánima personalidad, en este sentido, los devotos sinceros no quieren hacer propaganda sobre quien es su Guru.”

Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami, siguió el precepto de Srila Sanatan Goswami, de mantener en confidencial el nombre de su Diksha Guru, esta es la razón por la cual el nombre del Mantra Guru o Diksha Guru de Srila Krishna das Kaviraj no aparece en el Caitanya Caritamrta y ha quedado en un casi misterio hasta el día de hoy. Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami, de esta manera se une al grupo de Vaishnava acharyas que eligieron no hacer públicos ciertos aspectos de su glorioso lila en este mundo, tal como fue el caso del Srila Bhugarbha Goswami, quien por voluntad propia, pidió ser eliminado de toda referencia escrita acerca de la vida y obra de El.

Sin embargo, al analizar la historia de nuestros Acharyas, se puede saber quien pudo ser el Diksha Guru de Srila Krishna das Kaviraj. Antes de escribir el Caitanya Caritambrta, Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami fue a implorar el permiso de Srila Lokanath Goswami y Srila Ragunath Bhatta Goswami, este evento se puede tomar como un indicador que uno de ellos pudo ser su Diksha Guru.

Fue en historia reciente que Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur y Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami y sus discipulos, dieron un nuevo enfoque a la confidencialidad del nombre del maestro espiritual de uno, con el visionario propósito de llevar el mensaje de Sriman Mahaprabhu a todo el mundo y así hacer realidad la profecía que el santo nombre de Krishna se escuche en cada pueblo y aldea.

Es una regalo que nuestros Acharyas hayan ampliado el concepto de Guru (Diksha y Siksha) y que nos hayan dado claridad al respecto, sin embargo, debemos mantenernos cautelosos de atesorar las enseñanzas de ellos y no mezclar conceptos como Diksha y Siksha que se complementan de manera armoniosa y quererlos mezclar sin criterio, quizá argumentando que “es uno y diferente a la vez” sin querer genuinamente (o ingenuamente) llegar a la raíz de nuestra teología Gaudiya.

Todas las glorias a nuestro Diksha Guru, que nos regaló el sambhanda con Sri Hari!

Todas las glorias a nuestro Diksha Guru, que en su infinita misericordia, dio su gracia divina a esta alma carente de calificación y revelo el sagrado nombre de Krishna en nuestra vida!

Todas las glorias a nuestros Siksha Gurus que son representantes de la corriente de amor de Sri Krishna!

Gaudiya Vaishnava Guru Parampara Ki Jay!

vaishnava dasanudas,