Srila Prabhupada as the current initiator guru
By: Yasoda Nandana Dasa

14. September 2015 by Prabhupada News — Srila Prabhupada as the current initiator guru

Generally a human being is interested in religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation, but love of God is above all these. A bona fide spiritual master chants the holy names-Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare-and the transcendental sound vibration enters into the ear of the disciple, and if a disciple follows in the footsteps of his spiritual master and chants the holy name with similar respect, he actually comes to worship the transcendental name. When the transcendental name is worshiped by the devotee, the name Himself spreads His glories within the heart of a devotee. When a devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the holy name, he is quite fit to become a spiritual master and to deliver all the people of the world. The chanting of the holy name is so powerful that it gradually establishes its supremacy above everything in the world. The devotee who chants it becomes transcendentally situated in ecstasy and sometimes laughs, cries and dances in his ecstasy. Sometimes the unintelligent put hindrances in the path of chanting this mahā-mantra, but one who is situated on the platform of love of Godhead chants the holy name loudly for all concerned. As a result, everyone becomes initiated in the chanting of the holy names-Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. By chanting and hearing the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, a person can remember the forms and qualities of Kṛṣṇa (Books : Teachings of Lord Caitanya – 1968 Edition : TLC 18: The Conversations with Prakasananda)

Srila Prabhupada is non-different than His picture:

“There is no difference between me and my picture. (S.P.L. Jadurani, 4th September, 1972)

How to accept Srila Prabhupada?

Devotional service entails being initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and following his instruction in regard to hearing about the Lord. Such a bona fide spiritual master is accepted by regularly hearing from him about the Lord. (S.B. 3.5.42)

How to select a bona fide guru?

My guru maharaja, my spiritual master, used to say that you have to select a spiritual master not by seeing but by your ear, but by hearing. And you don’t select a spiritual master who has got a very good hair or beard or some very beautiful feature, “Oh, he is a very good, nice looking.” No. You must hear. Tad viddhi pranipatena. Sruti. The whole process is sruti. The Vedas are called sruti. The ear has to aural reception. (B.G. 4.24.34 Lecture, N.Y. 2nd August, 1966)

Anyone who reads Srila Prabhupada’s original books is hearing from Srila Prabhupada:

Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, book distribution is also chanting. Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution? These books I have recorded and chanted, and they are transcribed. It is spoken kirtanas. So book distribution is also chanting. These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing. Book distribution must not be neglected. If things deteriorate that is another thing, but it is not the fault of book distribution. (S.P.L. to Rupanuga dasa, 19th October, 1974

Srila Prabhupada further clarifies how people in general are initiated by Him [as the foremost Bhaktivedanta] .

The bhakti-vedantas see that the people in general are wasting time in false sensuous things. Their business is to get the ignorant mass of people to re-establish their lost relationship with the Personality of Godhead. By such endeavour, even the most forgotten soul is roused up to the sense of spiritual life, and thus being initiated by the bhakti-vedantas, the people in general gradually progress on the path of transcendental realization. (S.B. 1.5.24)

Srila Prabhupada says:

“Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not physically present now, simply by chanting his holy name people throughout the world are becoming devotees. This is due to the ecstatic chanting of the holy name of the Lord. It is said that a pure devotee can see the Lord at every moment and because of this he is empowered by the Lord……if one hears about him through books like Sri Caitanya Caritamrta and through the parampara system of pure Vaisnavas, there is no difficulty becoming a pure Vaisnava.free from mundane desires and personal motivations.” (C.C. Mad. 17.51)

Srila Prabhupada awakens the living entities to their original consciousness. [purpose of initiation]

It is the spiritual master who delivers the disciple from the clutches of maya by initiating him into the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. in this way a sleeping human being can revive his consciousness by chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. In other words, the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Visnu. This is the purpose of diksa, or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness. (C.C. Mad 9.61)

Srila Prabhupada explains how He delivers the suffering living entities in the blazing fire of material existence.

The spiritual master, by his words, can penetrate into the heart of the suffering person and inject knowledge transcendental, which alone can extinguish the fire of material existence. (S.B. 1.7.22)

The spiritual master initiates the disciple to deliver him, and if the disciple executes the order of the spiritual master and does not offend other Vaisnavas, his path is clear. (C.C. Mad, 1.218)

It is the spiritual master who delivers the disciple from the clutches of maya by initiating him into the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. (C.C. Mad, 9.61)

Note: If we follow this process that is our initiation. By engaging in these spiritual activities our material activities diminish (anartha nirrtti). Thus devotees who  have been chanting and following the four regulative principles, are freeing themselves from gross and subtle anartha’s. They have clearly received initiation from Srila Prabhupada, who is actually giving everyone this process (Bhajana Kriya) in his transcendental books.

If you have understood this Krsna philosophy and if you have decided that you will take Krsna consciousness seriously and preach the philosophy to others. That is your initiation, my touch is simply a formality. It is your determination that is initiation. (B.T.G. Article “Search for the Divine”)

Srila Prabhupada:  These books will do everything/.

After 80 years, no one can expect to live long. My life is almost ended. So you have to carry on, and these books will do everything. (Room conversation, 18th February 1976

Srila Prabhupada: I will live forever from my books

Reporter: Who will succeed you when you die?
Srila Prabhupada: I will never die!
Devotee’s: Jaya! Haribol!
Srila Prabhupada: I will live forever from my books and you will utilise.
(interview, Berkley, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada explains the power of the voice of the pure devotee.

TRANSLATION: My dear Lord, You are glorified by the selected verses uttered by great personalities. Such glorification of Your lotus feet is just like saffron particles. When the transcendental vibration from the mouths of great devotees carries the aroma of the saffron dust of Your lotus feet, the forgetful living entity gradually remembers his eternal relationship with You. Devotees thus gradually come to the right conclusion about the value of life. My dear Lord, I therefore do not need any other benediction but the opportunity to hear from the mouth of Your pure devotee.

PURPORT: It is explained in the previous verse that one has to hear glorification of the Lord from the mouth of a pure devotee. This is further explained here. The transcendental vibration from the mouth of a pure devotee is so powerful that it can revive the living entity’s memory of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In our material existence, under the influence of illusory maya, we have almost forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord, exactly like a man sleeping very deeply who forgets his duties. In the Vedas it is said that every one of us is sleeping under the influence of maya . We must get up from this slumber and engage in the right service, for thus we can properly utilize the facility of this human form of life. As expressed in a song by Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Lord Chaitanya says, jiva jaga, jiva jaga . The Lord asks every sleeping living entity to get up and engage in devotional service so that his mission in this human form of life may be fulfilled. This awakening voice comes through the mouth of a pure devotee.

A pure devotee always engages in the service of the Lord, taking shelter of His lotus feet, and therefore he has a direct connection with the saffron mercy particles that are strewn over the lotus feet of the Lord. Although when a pure devotee speaks the articulation of his voice may resemble the sound of this material sky, the voice is spiritually very powerful, because it touches the particles of saffron dust on the lotus feet of the Lord. As soon as a sleeping living entity hears the powerful voice emanating from the mouth of a pure devotee, he immediately remembers his eternal relationship with the Lord, although up until that moment he had forgotten everything.

For a conditioned soul, therefore, it is very important to hear from the mouth of a pure devotee, who is fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord without any material desire, speculative knowledge or contamination of the modes of material nature. Every one of us is kuyogi, because we have engaged in the service of this material world, forgetting our eternal relationship with the Lord as His eternal loving servants. It is our duty to rise from the kuyoga platform to become suyogis, perfect mystics. The process of hearing from a pure devotee is recommended in all Vedic scriptures, especially by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. One may stay in his position of life–it does not matter what it is–but if one hears from the mouth of a pure devotee, he gradually comes to the understanding of his relationship with the Lord and thus engages in His loving service, and his life becomes completely perfect. Therefore, this process of hearing from the mouth of a pure devotee is very important for making progress in the line of spiritual understanding.(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.20.25)

SRILA PRABHUPADA IS ALWAYS THE INITIATOR

Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental books are non-different than himself. They appear before the external senses of a fortunate conditioned soul, who was wandering aimlessly throughout the universe and plant the seed of devotional service in his heart (Bhakti lata bija) THUS HE IS THE INITIATOR.

1.. . Srila Prabhupada.s transcendental unrevised original books are his loud chanting of the holy name. Such loud chanting is giving the people of the world Harinama diksa (T.L.C. Chapter 18). THUS HE IS THE INITIATOR

2.. . Srila Prabhupada/s transcendental unrevised original books contain the nectarine words from his lotus mouth. Such words penetrate the hearts of the fallen souls, injecting transcendental knowledge, which alone can deliver them from material existence. This is the purpose of initiation. “The spiritual master initiates the disciple to deliver him.” (C.C. Mad., 1.218) THUS HE IS THE INITIATOR.

3.. . Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental unrevised original books are non-different than himself, thus they give the conditioned souls his direct association (sadhu sanga). By such association they receive a process of spiritual activities (Bhajana kriya) (B.G. lec., 2-58-59, N.Y. 27th April, 1966). THUS HE IS THE INITIATOR.

4.. . Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental unrevised original books transmit transcendental knowledge which vanquish all material contamination caused by our previous sinful activities and thus bring us to pure love of God, where we can directly worship Krsna. This perfectly corresponds with sastric definitions of diksa. (C.C. Mad. lila, 15-108, 9-61, 4-111). THUS HE IS THE INITIATOR

5.. . Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental unrevised original books contain his instructions about chanting the holy name. If we accept such instruction and follow them, he is with us as the initiator. (S.P.L. Letter, 19th September 1968) THUS HE IS THE INITIATOR

6.. . Srila Prabhupada in the form of his unrevised original books (instructions) is taking everyone back to home, back to Godhead. This is the purpose of initiating a disciple, to deliver him.”The spiritual master initiates the disciple to deliver him” (C.C. Mad, 1.218) THUS HE IS THE INITIATOR

7.. . In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop. (SPL to Bahurupa dasa, 22nd November, 1974)

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