Arriving in the Oasis After Crossing the Desert

18 October 2013--After a physically taxing two solid days of traveling from Pune to Mumbai, Mumbai to London, London to Helsinki, Helsinki to Vilnius, and Vilnius to Kaunas, we finally arrived last night in Kaunas. It is indeed wonderful to be back in the association of devotees. They are like an oasis within the vast desert of material existence. After distributing mahaprasadam sweets from ISKCON Pune I gave a very short arrival lecture glorifying the sublime process of Krishna consciousness. This is the only solution for all the problems of the Lord. If we could just somehow get everyone to heed the message of Krishna, this entire planet will be transformed into a paradise.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Arrival in Kaunas, Lithuania--17 October 2013

Sankarshan Das Arrival in Kaunas, Lithuania

Arrival Lecture--Kaunas, Lithuania--17 October 2013

Sankarshan Das Arrival Lecture at Kaunas, Lithuania

Distributing Prasadam--Kaunas, Lithuania--17 October 2013

Sankarshan Das Distributing Prasadam at Kaunas, Lithuania

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Can One Become Perfect Without Initiation?

Dear Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisances

Recently while discussing with a devotee I got this doubt. Please clarify it. He said that simply chanting Hare Krishna is sufficient, that simply by chanting one can come to the perfect level of suddha nama (pure chanting). He said our disciplic succession (parampara) is based on instructions (siksha) not on initiation (diksha). He said that therefore initiation is not required for attaining spiritual perfection. Is this true? And if so, please tell me what is role of initiation in our disciplic succession.

Thank you,
Your servant
Manmath Kumar Panda

Answer: Krishna Says That You Must Become Initiated

First of all you need to understand what the relationship between instruction (siksha) and initiation (diksha). Initiation is a contract in which the disciple vows to eternally follow the instructions of his spiritual master. In other words initiation is dependent upon instructions. Without instructions initiation has no meaning; it is simply an empty ritual. Therefore it can be said that the real basis of our disciple succession is instructions. But initiation cannot be removed or minimized because initiation is the commitment to follow instructions. The conclusion is that just as initiation depends on instructions, so also does instructions depend on initiation. They are interdependently entwined with each other. In order for a line of disciplic succession to be bona fide there must be both initiation and instructions. Initiation without instructions is useless. And instructions without initiation is also useless.

To come the perfectional level of suddha nama, pure chanting of the holy names, one must fully surrender himself to Lord Krishna, who states that without becoming the devotee of His devotee (diksha or initiation) one is not accepted as being His devotee. Therefore one may go on chanting for millions of years, but if he does not shelter of the bona fide spiritual master by initiation, his chanting will always remain impure. He will not reach the perfectional platform of pure chanting, suddha nama.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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