15.108
diksa-purascarya-vidhi apeksa na kare
jihva-sparse a-candala sabare uddhare
SYNONYMS
diksa—initiation; purascarya—activities before initiation; vidhi—regulative principles; apeksa—reliance on; na—not; kare—does; jihva—the tongue; sparse—by touching; a-candala—even to the lowest of men, the candala; sabare—everyone; uddhare—delivers "One does not have to undergo initiation or execute the activities required before initiation.
One simply has to vibrate the holy name with his lips.
Thus even a man in the lowest class (candala) can be delivered.
PURPORT
Srila Jiva Gosvami explains diksa in his Bhakti-sandarbha (283):
divyam jnanam yato dadyat
kuryat papasya sanksayam
tasmad dikseti sa prokta
desikais tattva-kovidaih
“Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity.
A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa.” The regulative principles of diksa are explained in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.3,4) and in Bhakti-sandarbha (283).
As stated:
dvijanam anupetanam svakarmadhyayanadisu
yathadhikaro nastiha syac copanayanad anu
tathatradiksitanam tu mantra-devarcanadisu
nadhikaro ’sty atah kuryad atmanam siva-samstutam “Even though born in a brahmana family, one cannot engage in Vedic rituals without being initiated and having a sacred thread.
Although born in a brahmana family, one becomes a brahmana after initiation and the sacred thread ceremony.
Unless one is initiated as a brahmana, he cannot worship the holy name properly.” According to the Vaisnava regulative principles, one must be initiated as a brahmana.
The Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.6) quotes the following injunction from the Visnu-yamala:
adiksitasya vamoru
krtam sarvam nirarthakam
pasu-yonim avapnoti
diksa-virahito janah “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.”
Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.10) further quotes:
ato gurum pranamyaivam
sarva-svam vinivedya ca
grhniyad vaisnavam mantram
diksa-purvam vidhanatah “It is the duty of every human being to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master.
Giving him everything-body, mind and intelligence-one must take a Vaisnava initiation from him.” The Bhakti-sandarbha (298) gives the following quotation from the Tattva-sagara:
yatha kancanatam yati
kasyam rasa-vidhanatah
tatha diksa-vidhanena
dvijatvam jayate nrnam “By chemical manipulation, bell metal is turned into gold when touched by mercury; similarly, when a person is properly initiated, he can acquire the qualities of a brahmana.” The Hari-bhakti-vilasa (17.11,12) in discussing the purascarya process, quotes the following verses from Agastya-samhita:
puja traikaliki nityam
japas tarpanam eva ca
homo brahmana-bhuktis ca
purascaranam ucyate
guror labdhasya mantrasya
prasadena yatha-vidhi
pancangopasana-siddhyai
puras caitad vidhiyate “In the morning, afternoon and evening, one should worship the Deity, chant the Hare Krsna mantra, offer oblations, perform a fire sacrifice, and feed the brahmanas.
These five activities constitute purascarya.
To attain full success when taking initiation from the spiritual master, one should first perform these purascarya processes.” The word purah means “before” and carya means “activities.” Due to the necessity of these activities, we do not immediately initiate disciples in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
For six months, a candidate for initiation must first attend arati and classes in the sastras, practice the regulative principles and associate with other devotees.
When one is actually advanced in the purascarya-vidhi, he is recommended by the local temple president for initiation.
It is not that anyone can be suddenly initiated without meeting the requirements.
When one is further advanced by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra sixteen rounds daily, following the regulative principles and attending classes, he receives the sacred thread (brahminical recognition) after the second six months.
In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (17.4,5,7) it is stated:
vina yena na siddhah syan
mantro varsa-satair api
krtena yena labhate
sadhako vanchitam phalam
purascarana-sampanno
mantro hi phala-dhayakah
atah puraskriyam kuryat
mantravit siddhi-kanksaya
puraskriya hi mantranam
pradhanam viryam ucyate
virya-hino yatha dehi
sarva-karmasu na ksamah
purascarana-hino hi
tatha mantrah prakirtitah “Without performing the purascarya activities, one cannot become perfect even by chanting this mantra for hundreds of years.
However, one who has undergone the purascarya-vidhi process can attain success very easily.
If one wishes to perfect his initiation, he must first undergo the purascarya activities.
The purascarya process is the life-force by which one is successful in chanting the mantra.
Without the life-force, one cannot do anything; similarly, without the life force of purascarya-vidhi, no mantra can be perfected.” In his Bhakti-sandarbha (283), Srila Jiva Gosvami states:
yadyapi sri-bhagavata-mate pancaratradi-vat arcana-margasya avasyakatvam nasti, tad vinapi saranapattyadinam ekatarenapi purusartha-siddher abhihitatvat, tathapi sri-naradadi-vartmanusaradbhih sri-bhagavata saha sambandha-visesam diksa-vidhanena sri-guru-carana-sampaditam cikirsadbhih krtayam diksayam arcanam avasyam kriyetaiva.
Of similar importance is diksa, which is explained as follows in Bhakti-sandarbha (284):
yadyapi svarupato nasti, tathapi prayah svabhavato dehadi-sambandhena kardaya-silanam viksipta-cittanam jananam tat-tat-sankoci-karanaya srimad-rsi-prabhrtibhir atrarcana-marge kvacit kvacit kacit kacin maryada sthapitasti.
Similarly in the Ramarcana-candrika it is stated:
vinaiva diksam viprendra
purascaryam vinaiva hi
vinaiva nyasa-vidhina
japa-matrena siddhida In other words, the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is so powerful that it does not depend on official initiation, but if one is initiated and engages in pancaratra-vidhi (Deity worship), his Krsna consciousness will awaken very soon, and his identification with the material world will be vanquished.
The more one is freed from material identification, the more one can realize that the spirit soul is qualitatively as good as the Supreme Soul.
At such a time, when one is situated on the absolute platform, he can understand that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical.
At that stage of realization, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna mantra, cannot be identified with any material sound.
If one accepts the Hare Krsna maha-mantra as a material vibration, he falls down.
One should worship and chant the holy name of the Lord by accepting it as the Lord Himself.
One should therefore be initiated properly according to revealed scriptures under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master.
Although chanting the holy name is good for both the conditioned and liberated soul, it is especially beneficial to the conditioned soul because by chanting it one is liberated.
When a person who chants the holy name is liberated, he attains the ultimate perfection by returning home, back to Godhead.
In the words of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 7.73):
krsna-mantra haite habe samsara-mocana
krsna-nama haite pabe krsnera carana “Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna one can obtain freedom from material existence.
Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.” The offenseless chanting of the holy name does not depend on the initiation process.
Although initiation may depend on purascarya or purascarana, the actual chanting of the holy name does not depend on purascarya-vidhi, or the regulative principles.
If one chants the holy name once without committing an offense, he attains all success.
During the chanting of the holy name, the tongue must work.
Simply by chanting the holy name, one is immediately delivered.
The tongue is sevonmukha-jihva-it is controlled by service.
One whose tongue is engaged in tasting material things and also talking about them cannot use the tongue for absolute realization atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah According to Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 17.134):
ataeva krsnera ’nama’, ’deha’, ’vilasa’
prakrtendriya-grahya nahe, haya sva-prakasa “With these material senses, one cannot understand the transcendental holy name of the Lord or His form, activities and pastimes.