How to Taste the Sweetest Honey Every Day

Srila Prabhupada explains as follows in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 5.8.8:

"From this we can understand how we have to be very cautious in executing our spiritual duties by observing the rules and regulations and regularly chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. If we neglect doing this, we will eventually fall down. We must rise early in the morning, bathe, attend mangala-arati, worship the Deities, chant the Hare Krishna mantra, study the Vedic literatures and follow all the rules prescribed by the acaryas and the spiritual master. If we deviate from this process, we may fall down, even though we may be very highly advanced. "

Therefore everyone who is serious about awakening their dormant Krishna consciousness should rise early in the morning before sunrise, bathe themselves, offer mangala arati at their home altar or attend mangala arati at the temple, chant Hare Krishna japa, and study the Srimad Bhagavatam as a regular daily affair.

Such a program may seem very austere at first. But once one becomes a little accustomed to it, he will experience it every day as sweeter than the sweetest honey.

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Is Spiritual Advancement Lost Without a Guru?

Esteemed Guru,,

I have a question concerning the verse from the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.6) which you quoted in Thought for the Day on 19 May 2014:

adīkṣitasya vāmoru kṛtaṁ sarvaṁ nirarthakam
paśu-yonim avāpnoti dīkṣā-virahito janaḥ

"Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, all his devotional activities are useless. A person who is not properly initiated can descend again into the animal species."

I am confused because this verse seems to contradict what I have heard many times in Bhagavad-gita classes in ISKCON temples that whatever spiritual advancement one may realize in the present life will never be lost such that in the next birth we will be able to resume the path of bhakti.

I would appreciate it very much if you could clarify this for me.

Respectfully,
David A.

Answer: No, But Spiritual Perfection Requires Initiation

This verse refers to someone who does not seriously take up the path of Krishna bhakti. Anyone who seriously begins this path will be guaranteed a human birth in their next life and will retain whatever spiritual advancement they made in their previous life. This verse poignantly reminds us that accepting a spiritual is absolutely required for one who wants to go back home to back to Godhead. Even if one has seriously begun this path, he will not be able to complete it if he has not taken shelter of a bona fide spiritual master by initiation.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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