Great question! My ex-Guru left in 2002. I have been taking shelter of Srila Prabhupada ever since. However, I am planning to get re-inititated in the future because I have found someone who really inspires me and who I trust 100%. I think it would be very helpful for me spiritually to be re-initiated. That is my personal opinion. However, I can totally understand someone being afraid and distrustful and not wanting to get re-initiated again.
@Pandora Hinson What are you looking for if you get re-initiated? What guarantee is there that this guru will not also fall? What has Srila Prabhupada said about this?
Hare Krishna Jeremiah. Thank you for your questions. I am hoping to get more personal spiritual guidance by getting a re-initiation. This material world is full of danger at every step and yes fall downs do occur. I personally feel that this new Guru is way too advanced and too intelligent to fall down. I feel so happy and so inspired when I watch his classes on facebook. I am not quite sure exactly what Srila Prabhupada has said about this situation. So what about you Jeremiah? Who inspires you the most in your spiritual life? What are your plans?
why you want to be re-initiated again. dont you have 100 percent faith on your previous guru. srila prabhupada also didnt take re-initiation when his ex-guru srila bhaktisiddhanta saraswati goswami maharaj leaves his body. he had also 100 percent faith over him. what do you want to say about this?
Hare Krishna Prashanta. Thank you for your question. I think when it comes to re-initiation, everyone has to decide for themselves as to whether they want to do it or not. That is my personal opinion. I had decided in the past (15 years ago) that I would never ever want to get re-initiated again. But now it is 15 years later and I am ready to trust again.
What about if the guru has fallen down e.g. not kept his vows and has diviated from our principles? He obviously will not take us back to Godhead. Maybe he was never pure in the first place. Should we just stick with Srila Prabhupada? What did he say?
Thank you for your reply prabhu. I have met some devotees more senior to me and they have had re-initiation, but unfortunately that guru also "fell down" so they asked one gbc member and they were advised to just stick with Srila Prabhupada and he will take care of them and take them back to Godhead. So they these seniors also told me the same thing.
There is no gaurantee that any of the present gurus will not fall down.
I have found some quotes from Srila Prabhupada:
"A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal and he does not deviate at all from the instructions of the Supreme Lord." (Bg. 4.42, purport)?"
"There is no possibility that a first class devotee will fall down." (C.c. Madhya, 22.71)
"A spiritual master is always liberated." (SP Letter to Tamal Krsna, 21/6/70)
"Narada Muni, Haridasa Thakura and similar acaryas especially empowered to broadcast the glories of the Lord cannot be brought down to the material platform.
( S.B. 7.7.14, purport)
I was told that Srila Prabhupada taught that a guru would only fall down if he were not properly authorised to initiate.
So my question is were these gurus ever authorised in the first place?
You've mentioned that there is no guarantee that the present guru will fall down, and this statement is correct. Well, that's because becoming a pure devotee is difficult, and takes a long time. Even the most advanced devotees can fall down because of material energy and the restless mind. So, the gist of what I am saying here is that pure devotees are extremely rare, like diamonds and this is because of them situated in an exalted transcendental platform. When one is a pure devotee, there is no chance for fall down, nor any more anartha's residing in the heart. That said, we can't judge who is pure and impure because only Krsna knows the degree of sincerity of his devotees. While there may be many mixed devotees who were once gurus but eventually fell down hence never reached the pure devotee platform, that isn't to say there aren't any pure devotees, besides HDG Srila Prabhupada, who are qualified to bring us back to Godhead.
Hope I answered your original question and sorry for the lengthy answer,
So if one is not a pure devotee he should not occupy the seat of a Guru or put himself forward as a Guru. If he does then he is a cheater and is misleading his followers.
"When one has attained the topmost position of mahabhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the ... Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."
Replies
Great question! My ex-Guru left in 2002. I have been taking shelter of Srila Prabhupada ever since. However, I am planning to get re-inititated in the future because I have found someone who really inspires me and who I trust 100%. I think it would be very helpful for me spiritually to be re-initiated. That is my personal opinion. However, I can totally understand someone being afraid and distrustful and not wanting to get re-initiated again.
Hare Krishna Jeremiah. Thank you for your questions. I am hoping to get more personal spiritual guidance by getting a re-initiation. This material world is full of danger at every step and yes fall downs do occur. I personally feel that this new Guru is way too advanced and too intelligent to fall down. I feel so happy and so inspired when I watch his classes on facebook. I am not quite sure exactly what Srila Prabhupada has said about this situation. So what about you Jeremiah? Who inspires you the most in your spiritual life? What are your plans?
why you want to be re-initiated again. dont you have 100 percent faith on your previous guru. srila prabhupada also didnt take re-initiation when his ex-guru srila bhaktisiddhanta saraswati goswami maharaj leaves his body. he had also 100 percent faith over him. what do you want to say about this?
hare krishna.
Hare Krishna Prashanta. Thank you for your question. I think when it comes to re-initiation, everyone has to decide for themselves as to whether they want to do it or not. That is my personal opinion. I had decided in the past (15 years ago) that I would never ever want to get re-initiated again. But now it is 15 years later and I am ready to trust again.
There is no gaurantee that any of the present gurus will not fall down.
I have found some quotes from Srila Prabhupada:
"A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal and he does not deviate at all from the instructions of the Supreme Lord." (Bg. 4.42, purport)?"
"There is no possibility that a first class devotee will fall down." (C.c. Madhya, 22.71)
"A spiritual master is always liberated." (SP Letter to Tamal Krsna, 21/6/70)
"Narada Muni, Haridasa Thakura and similar acaryas especially empowered to broadcast the glories of the Lord cannot be brought down to the material platform.
( S.B. 7.7.14, purport)
I was told that Srila Prabhupada taught that a guru would only fall down if he were not properly authorised to initiate.
So my question is were these gurus ever authorised in the first place?
Hare Krsna,
You've mentioned that there is no guarantee that the present guru will fall down, and this statement is correct. Well, that's because becoming a pure devotee is difficult, and takes a long time. Even the most advanced devotees can fall down because of material energy and the restless mind. So, the gist of what I am saying here is that pure devotees are extremely rare, like diamonds and this is because of them situated in an exalted transcendental platform. When one is a pure devotee, there is no chance for fall down, nor any more anartha's residing in the heart. That said, we can't judge who is pure and impure because only Krsna knows the degree of sincerity of his devotees. While there may be many mixed devotees who were once gurus but eventually fell down hence never reached the pure devotee platform, that isn't to say there aren't any pure devotees, besides HDG Srila Prabhupada, who are qualified to bring us back to Godhead.
Hope I answered your original question and sorry for the lengthy answer,
yrs,
Tamal Krsna
So if one is not a pure devotee he should not occupy the seat of a Guru or put himself forward as a Guru. If he does then he is a cheater and is misleading his followers.
"When one has attained the topmost position of mahabhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the ... Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."