Spiritual Seekers Beware

Unfortunately many people nowadays who are seeking spiritual enlightenment by taking shelter of a spiritual master end up being grossly cheated by charlatans who use the position of guru for sense gratification. Due to the absence of spiritually enlightened governments these cheaters are allowed to continue with their nonsense without any restriction. Thus it is very easy to find a guru who will take away your money and very difficult to find a guru who will take away your anxiety. Therefore all spiritual seekers should be very cautious before accepting a spiritual master. They should make sure that he is bona fide. How does one tell? Here are some essential guidelines:

1. He must be coming in an unbroken line of disciplic succession from the original spiritual master. Lord Sri Krishna.
2. He must present the teachings of his predecessor gurus without any addition or subtraction.
3. He must be solidly fixed in the Absolute Truth and thus be fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness 24 hours daily.
4. He should be a living embodiment of the scriptures in all of his thoughts, words, and deeds.

Bona Fide Spiritual Master: His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Is Initiation Required?

Dear Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

It is stated by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur that we are a siksha (instruction based) sampradaya (disciplic succession). Furthermore I have heard that diksha (initiation) is essentially given only for the sake of doing deity worship and is not very important for getting the desired result of Krishna prema (pure love of Krishna). Please explain the importance of initiation and whether or not it is compulsory.

Your unworthy servant,
Charan

Answer: Initiation is Absolutely Required

It is true that our disciplic line is based on siksha or instructions. Without the knowledge of Krishna's teachings purely passed down from master to disciple there would be no meaning to the initiation ceremony. But this does not mean that initiation is not important. Initiation is equally important because it is a contract in which the disciple vows to always follow the instructions of the spiritual master and the spiritual master vows to deliver the disciple from the cycle of birth and death.

Just as a train runs on two tracks, our disciplic line runs on two tracks: siksha (instructions) and diksha (initiation). I would be interested to see if such a quote from Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati actually exists, or if it is just hearsay, because according to Srila Jiva Goswami diksha is how one gets the awakening of transcendental knowledge and the release from his previous sinful activities, as confirmed in his Bhakti-sandarbha (verse 283):

divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt
kuryāt pāpasya saṅkṣayam
tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā
deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ

"Diksha is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksha."

These two aspects of the guru/disciple relationship are both are of the topmost importance. Instructions are most essential because if one simply takes initiation from the spiritual master but does not follow his instructions, he has no connection with the spiritual master. Initiation is also most essential because if one decides to follow the spiritual master with no serious commitment, he can easily be deviated by the whims of the fickle mind.

Srila Prabhupada confirms the absolute necessity of diksha or initiation in the Nectar of Devotion as follows:

"The connection with the spiritual master is called initiation. From the date of initiation by the spiritual master, the connection between Krishna and a person cultivating Krishna consciousness is established. Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, the actual connection with Krishna consciousness is never performed."

In conclusion, both instructions (sikhsa) and the solid commitment to follow those instructions (diksha) are absolutely essential for attaining the topmost perfection of going back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore everyone who aspires for spiritual perfection should seek out a bona fide spiritual master who can instruct him how to become spiritually perfect and should commit himself to follow that spiritual master's instructions through the holy sacrament known as diksha or initiation.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari