Is it okay to practice bhakti even without a spiritual teacher and learn through reading Srila Prabhupada's books ..
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Is it okay to practice bhakti even without a spiritual teacher and learn through reading Srila Prabhupada's books ..
You need to be a member of ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT to add comments!
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Nice Reply Prabhuji
Zola pritam prabhu ji/mata ji.,
It is fine if u accept SP as ur siksha guru and read books of SP but u have another person called diksha guru.
you cannot consider SP as ur diksha guru. It is against the rule of ISKCON.
https://iskcondesiretree.com/forum/topics/ritvik
read Reply by Dharmabir Das reply.
pls. refer this. for more easy understanding.
SP is no doubt greatest spiritual teacher.
I am also Initiated and I also read Sp books for ur information.
HK
Hare krsna,
Dont we all practice bhakthi without the spiritual master at the start? Srila Prabhupad dint start to offer initiation before turning the hippies into krsna devotees. He gave them krsna first.
By his books, Prabhupad is already our siksha guru and will always be (even to all the past, present and future maharajas in iskcon)... Between siksha and diksha is how we cultivate and act on the instructions from Prabhupad's purports...
Over time, krsna will see the dedication and determination in everyone and provide His unlimited mercy by sending a guru or guiding us to one.. but yet, the devotee need not be formally initiated to receive this mercy... Krsna can accept a devotee even without any qualification... All krsna needs is love... and love needs no qualification...
I am not saying dont get initiated or approach or take shelter of a spiritual master... It is said that through Krsna once gets guru and through guru one gets krsna prem...
Krsna says:
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
Ekalavya wanted drona to be his guru he even made a status of drona and practised archery before it.
Even Karna wanted drona to be his guru..
these two disciples were not accepted by guru drona.
Notice that it should be two way.
Sp books are learning understanding...no doubt he is greatest teacher.. Even Sri Krishna is called Jagadguru.
You can make bramha ji or narad ji or Sri Chaitnaya mahaprabhu or even any of the 6 goswamis' as ur guru. and read their literature.
But ...the fact is ..guru should also accept u as shishya.
To get qualify for that.. we may read the SP books ( Shiksha guru).
after u take the test and pass the test u get a degree from a diksha guru.
Is initiation a must?
Well, In Vaishnavism or Bramhanism.. the person has 2 births. brahmin is called a brahmin only after his thread cermony ( UPANAINA ritual done).
until then bramhaana is only a shudra only.
That is why we say a Bramhana has got 2 births. ( he is called DWIJA) DWI Means two. ja- janams.( lives).
In Vaishnaism.. we have 3 births.. ( now a days) in olden days it was only 2.. as upanaina ( thread ceremony) was mixed with guru diksha ceremony.
1. birth by parents.. 2. birth when we r done upanina ( sacred thread when gayatri mantra is receited into the ears of the bramhana.
3. guru acceptance.
Bramha ko jaanene wale ko bramhmin kehte hai.. ( the one who learns and understand bramhan) gayatri mantra makes him see .. reality of world...
The Gayatri is considered as the essence of the Vedas. Veda means knowledge, and this prayer fosters and sharpens the knowledge-yielding faculty. As a matter of fact the four core-declarations enshrined in the four Vedas are implied in this Gayatri mantra.
Once gayatri mantra is given thread ceremony is completed and then only u are eligible to get a diksha from a guru.
which is the final step of initiation.
If u are born brahmin also u have to undergo thread ceremony and diksha from guru ji.. to be qualified to be called as Vaishnava.
simply we read books...today we follow tomorrow lazy to follow today we chant tomorrow we don't..
we are trying to become perfected.. we r aspiring to be devotees.. we eat meat and drink but we also chant.. we have onion garlic but we also do chanting.. ( IT IS OKAY TO CHANT AS U ARE ASPIRING DEVOTEE as SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING).
will it work?
Srila Prabhupada requested that candidates for second initiation sit an exam based on several of his main books: Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Sri Isopanishad, The Nectar of Instruction and The Nectar of Devotion (Rupa Goswami’s Upadeshamrita and Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, respectively). He also required that they be conversant with his ‘small books’ such as The Perfection of Yoga and Krishna Consciousness, the Topmost Yoga System.
IT MEANS THAT WE NEED TO READ ALL BOOKS BECOME PERFECTED AND GET TESTED IN THEM.. AND GET A DEGREE ( initiation).
There are 2 steps.
first initiation: the promise that u give to the guru that u read all books , u are chanting 16 rounds and following regulative principles.
second step is --Being offered the Gayatri mantra and other Pancharatrika mantras
This makes u a qualified Vaishnava.
Hare Krishna.
You get a different name after this birth.. you get adopted to guru ( another father) another birth.. you become a Vaishnava. you maybe belonging to another caste, creed or religion after this initiation only u are called brahmin.
Even it is same for those who are born Vaishnava or Brahminas also. They have to take the second birth until then they are considered shudra only.
All are born shudras until second birth happens as SP says.
HK
Is it must to get initiation? can I do devotion without it? I read Sp books and I even follow rules and regulation..Well, who is validating it? you maybe doing it right now as u are reading SP books. after few months u may lose interest. u may fall down. If u have a guru, atleast u will have fear of offending a guru. So you will try to be regular and do follow rules and regulations properly. You have given a vow to guru during initiation that u will keep following rules and regulations properly.
But again there are many Vaishnavas who fall down even after given vow to guru. Its becoz of the kaala ( time) Kali prabhava.
But there is always a chance that one may at some point of time realize his mistake and take shelter of merciful guru and seek forgiveness.
To err is human ..to forgive is divine.
And one more important thing is....KC is not done completed in one life. Its a continuous process. Ek janam mein aane wali cheez nahi.
kai janmo se sanskaran ho raha hai.
until we get perfected we cannot attain goloka.
One thing good about this life -- Is we got understanding of Mahamantra ( we came to know its efficacy) . That is only a great thing. Atleast now we know that we are on the right path.
Its all by the mercy of Lord Sri Krishna and our guru's.
Now we must strive to control all bad habits and attain love of God.
As prem hi jagat ka saar hai.
LOL!!!!!
Uddhava was very learned he was disciple of Brihaspati he learnt and understood Bramhan also. But to understand prem ( love) he had to take the dust of lotus feet of gopis' on his head. They only became his siksha guru's.
ALL knowledge of all books is all to know What is love !!!!!!!
Pothi padh padh jag muya, pandit bhaya na koye
Dhai akshar prem ka, padhe so pandit hoye
पोथी पढ़ पढ़ जग मुआ, पंडित भया न कोए |
ढाई अक्षर प्रेम का, पढ़े सो पंडित होए ||
Reading books everyone died, no one became any wise
One who reads the words of love, only became wise
Jai Shrimati Radha rani ji ki.
As others already replied, if you're studying Srila Prabhupada's books and can grasp the essence of what he is trying to convey, then you are as good as any of his serious disciple (not exaggerating, although of course you can't initiate and all). Everything else said by others are simply variations of the Bhaktivedanta Purports. So relax. You'll do fine. Besides, if you're sincere enough, Krishna will help you fully. (Source: personal experience)
Rightly said...
The below words is enough if one can read and UNDERSTAND what Srila Prabhupad is trying to say....
All glories to Srila Prabhupad!!!
Hare krsna.
agreed, association makes it easy to maintain discipline. what about people who live far from temples & who are not from vaishnav families ? how will they get chance for initiation ? i don't mean to argue but Lord's arrangement varies from person to person - prabhupad initiated many disciples by writing letters - not physically present also ! He said - "An expert acharya always knows how to adjust rules of shastras according to time, place & circumstances." i'm sorry if i'm hurting your beliefs, please trust me that's not my intention, thanks
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