Who Absorbs the Disciple's Sinful Reactions?
Sometimes the question is raised, "Who absorbs the sinful reactions of the disciple, the diksha guru (initiating guru) or the siksha guru (instructing guru)?" In this connection Srila Prabhupada explains as follows in a letter he wrote to Sacisuta das on 19 September, 1969:
"Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that He takes charge of a surrendered soul; so much so that Lord Krishna protects His devotee from all his sinful activities in the past. Similarly, the Spiritual Master, when He accepts a disciple and the disciple surrenders unto Him, He has got the responsibility of absorbing the sinful reaction of His disciple's life. This is a great responsibility of the Spiritual Master. We should therefore be very careful not to overburden our Spiritual Master by further repetition of sinful activities."
When Srila Prabhupada says, "accepts a disciple" he is referring to initiation. So it is very clear that the diksha guru, the initiating spiritual master, absorbs the sinful reactions of his disciples. It should also be noted in this connection as explained by Srila Prabhupada in a letter to Sri Galim written on 20 November 1971:
"Actually, you have only one Spiritual Master, who initiates you, just as you have only one father. But every Vaisnava should be treated as prabhu, master, higher than me, and in this sense, if I learn from him, he may be regarded as guru. It is not that I disobey my real Spiritual Master and call someone else as Spiritual Master. That is wrong. It is only that I can call Spiritual Master someone who is teaching me purely what my initiating Spiritual Master has taught."
It is very important for the disciple to remember the above instructions from Srila Prabhupada because sometimes those who are not well read in the teachings of Srila Prabhupada try to minimize the position of the initiating spiritual master, that he does not absorb the sinful reactions of his disciples. According to the Svetasvatara Upanisad it is absolutely required for the disciple to have complete faith in the words of his spiritual master, because it is only by this faith that he can realize the truth of the Vedic wisdom.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Your insignificant servant,
S.N.
"As soon as a bona fide guru is received by chance or by a program, one should immediately take the opportunity to receive initiation."
If a devotee is saying that one must wait a few years before getting initiated, he is obviously not aware of the above instruction from Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada has also instructed us that we should read all of his books. Unfortunately very few devotees in ISKCON have done so, and thus they sometimes concoct ideas that are not in accordance with the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.
Since there are many initiating gurus in ISKCON one has the freedom to accept any one of them as his spiritual master. He will naturally like to hear various gurus and choose the guru which inspires him the most and should be encouraged to do so. However, if one is serious to go back to Godhead, he will select his guru as soon as possible in accordance with Srila Prabhupada's instruction and will not postpone getting initiated on the plea of not being able to make up his mind as to which guru to accept. In other words, when one is truly serious that now I must surrender fully to Krishna, Krishna will reveal to him who is his guru. One who continues to postpone his initiation is not yet serious about surrendering to Krishna.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
"Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that He takes charge of a surrendered soul; so much so that Lord Krishna protects His devotee from all his sinful activities in the past. Similarly, the Spiritual Master, when He accepts a disciple and the disciple surrenders unto Him, He has got the responsibility of absorbing the sinful reaction of His disciple's life. This is a great responsibility of the Spiritual Master. We should therefore be very careful not to overburden our Spiritual Master by further repetition of sinful activities."
When Srila Prabhupada says, "accepts a disciple" he is referring to initiation. So it is very clear that the diksha guru, the initiating spiritual master, absorbs the sinful reactions of his disciples. It should also be noted in this connection as explained by Srila Prabhupada in a letter to Sri Galim written on 20 November 1971:
"Actually, you have only one Spiritual Master, who initiates you, just as you have only one father. But every Vaisnava should be treated as prabhu, master, higher than me, and in this sense, if I learn from him, he may be regarded as guru. It is not that I disobey my real Spiritual Master and call someone else as Spiritual Master. That is wrong. It is only that I can call Spiritual Master someone who is teaching me purely what my initiating Spiritual Master has taught."
It is very important for the disciple to remember the above instructions from Srila Prabhupada because sometimes those who are not well read in the teachings of Srila Prabhupada try to minimize the position of the initiating spiritual master, that he does not absorb the sinful reactions of his disciples. According to the Svetasvatara Upanisad it is absolutely required for the disciple to have complete faith in the words of his spiritual master, because it is only by this faith that he can realize the truth of the Vedic wisdom.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Giving Initiation to Atma Medha Das18 October 2014--Kaunas, Lithuania
Answers by Citing the Vedic Version
Question: How Long to Wait for Initiation?
During your live lectures and in your daily mails I have heard many times about the great importance of the "tripod" - taking shelter, diksha and obedience to the spiritual master's instructions; and I see that these aspects are absolutely essential for progress in one's spiritual life. I have been torn by this topic as there are many devotees that say one must wait a few years before taking initiation and first become acquainted with numerous spiritual masters. Thus I am humbly asking for your definitive solution to this dilemma.Your insignificant servant,
S.N.
Answer: First Find Bona Fide Guru, Then Get Initiated Immediately
Because at the present moment the world is full of bogus gurus, unscrupulous cheaters who falsely pose themselves as spiritual masters even though they totally lack any real qualifications for such an exalted position, it is of the utmost importance that one should take some time to make sure that the prospective guru is indeed a bona fide spiritual master according the descriptions given in the Vedic literature. Then once having found the bona fide spiritual master Srila Prabhupada instructs us in his purport to CC Madhya 24.331 that we should get initiated immediately:"As soon as a bona fide guru is received by chance or by a program, one should immediately take the opportunity to receive initiation."
If a devotee is saying that one must wait a few years before getting initiated, he is obviously not aware of the above instruction from Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada has also instructed us that we should read all of his books. Unfortunately very few devotees in ISKCON have done so, and thus they sometimes concoct ideas that are not in accordance with the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.
Since there are many initiating gurus in ISKCON one has the freedom to accept any one of them as his spiritual master. He will naturally like to hear various gurus and choose the guru which inspires him the most and should be encouraged to do so. However, if one is serious to go back to Godhead, he will select his guru as soon as possible in accordance with Srila Prabhupada's instruction and will not postpone getting initiated on the plea of not being able to make up his mind as to which guru to accept. In other words, when one is truly serious that now I must surrender fully to Krishna, Krishna will reveal to him who is his guru. One who continues to postpone his initiation is not yet serious about surrendering to Krishna.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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