Deliverer of the Fallen Souls

A Vaisnava, a godly person, is always feeling distress in his heart to see the deplorable condition of the suffering souls of this age. Therefore he fully dedicates his life for the deliverance of all from the clutches of illusion. Even if he has to accept suffering in order to carry out his missionary activities, he will do. A notable example in this connection is Jesus Christ. He preferred to suffer even to the point of being crucified rather than give up his missionary activities. In our Krishna consciousness movement we see the wonderful example of Sriman Ananta Santi Prabhu who single-handedly even at the risk of his own life spread Krishna consciousness throughout Russia during the height of the Communist era. Because of his valiant efforts tens of thousands of people across the former Soviet Union are now blessed with the pathway back to home, back to Godhead.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Process of Becoming a Devotee

Sir, a few days back you told us about practical initiation and formal initiation. You said that by dedication and love towards the spiritual master one can get practically initiated, so:

(1.a) Just by practical initiation a chanter can get converted into a devotee or is formal initiation also required?

(1.b) Does a chanter get practically initiated just by dedication and love towards the master or is the master's feelings also necessary to get practically initiated?

2) If a chanter faces obstacles and frustration on his path of chanting and regulative principles, what should he or she do?

Regards,
Sunil

Answer: Mutual Acceptance

Practical initiation is when the chanter accepts within his heart that he has now found his spiritual master. Formal initiation is when the spiritual master accepts the chanter as his disciple in the initiation ceremony. Since becoming a devotee requires fully surrender unto the regulative principles of devotional service, the chanter will naturally accept formal initiation from the spiritual master. Until the spiritual master accepts the person as his disciple in the formal initiation ceremony, the initiation is not complete.

If the chanter faces obstacles, he must approach the spiritual master seeking guidance how to overcome those obstacles.

 Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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