“Those who sing of the auspicious occasion of the initiation and the wedding of Sita and Rama with excitement get countless auspicious blessings day after day, says Tulsi.” (Janaki Mangala, Chand 24.2)

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उपबीत ब्याह उछाह जे सिय राम मंगल गावहीं
तुलसी सकल कल्यान ते नर नारि अनुदिन पावहीं

upabīta byāha uchāha jē siya rāma maṅgala gāvahīṁ
tulasī sakala kalyāna tē nara nāri anudita pāvahīṁ

“I am having trouble with a particular issue. It is from noticing a recent trend, which has sparked contemplation, deliberation, rational thought, and unfortunately, confusion, on my part. Everything begins at initiation; you could say literally so. That is when the prospective disciple makes an official entry into the lineage. They are trying to learn. They want to progress further. They want to declare their allegiance through a ceremony.

“I liken it to gaining admission to a university. You have an application. You have references. You have a track record that can be reviewed. The university is a collection of teachers, after all. If you gain admission, it means that the teachers now agree to teach you. They accept you as a student. They don’t have to accept just anyone. They have criteria, which might vary from university to university. Implied in the acceptance of admission is that the student will abide by the rules of the institution. They will try their best to listen to the teachers, to assimilate the knowledge, and to demonstrate that assimilation whenever called upon.

“The relationship with the spiritual master should be the same. Within the line of instruction, parampara, tied to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, there is the promise to abide by the four regulative principles. No meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication, and no illicit sex. Depending on the time and circumstance, you might have fewer or greater restrictions. To me, the justification is obvious. These are behaviors harmful to progress. They are anartha, or unprofitable. These behaviors will interfere with the transfer of knowledge from teacher to student.

“Lately, however, I have noticed a trend which does not sit right with me. The initiation ceremony has become more like a lifetime achievement award than the beginning of something. It is like this grand celebration to validate the standing of the teacher. They need the students to substantiate their position as guru. Along those lines, there are additional regulative principles.

“One of them is promising not to go online and research the other gurus in the institution. The disciple will not look for negative information. They might also vow to never leave the institution. These are alarming to me because there is a tacit admission of corruption. There must be a lot of negative material online if the gurus feel the need to create a new regulative principle. There must be a lot of people leaving the institution after initiation if the leaders feel the need to force a vow of allegiance.

“Just extrapolate out further. Refine each of the new regulations. This would mean that the disciple promises to never say anything negative about criminal behavior they might encounter. They will do whatever the institution tells them to do, even if it violates the law. If someone should learn that a guru has beaten innocent children, stolen the respect of young women, embezzled millions of dollars of donations, or put a hit out on a fellow practitioner, this disciple is now bound by a vow to keep quiet. That sounds like a cult to me. What am I missing?”

The initiation ceremony in Sanskrit is upanayana. The sacred thread worn by the disciple indicating their having gone through initiation is known as upavita. The Hindi equivalent is upabita, which is referenced by Goswami Tulsidas in his Janaki Mangala. Formal worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as upasana. The common theme in these words is “getting closer” or “moving towards something.”

“When Lord Brahma was perplexed about how to construct the material manifestations in the universe and went down within the water to find out the means and the source of his lotus seat, he heard the word tapa vibrated twice. Taking the path of tapa is the second birth of the desiring disciple. The word upashrinot is very significant. It is similar to upanayana, or bringing the disciple nearer to the spiritual master for the path of tapa. So Brahmaji was thus initiated by Lord Krishna, and this fact is corroborated by Brahmaji himself in his book the Brahma-samhita.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.9.6 Purport)

We see that there is initiation even during the times of the avatara. When the Supreme Lord descends as Shri Rama, the eldest son of King Dasharatha, there is a close relationship with the teacher known as Vishvamitra. Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana essentially go through a training exercise in the forests. Instead of officially declaring vows, they undergo a kind of entrance examination. This is something mortals could not pass. Rama is able to handle a villainous female beast known as Tataka. Rama defeats her using only sound, as she has the ability to appear and disappear from sight.

बधी ताड़का राम जानि सब लायक
बिद्या मंत्र रहस्य दिए मुनिनायक

badhī tāṛakā rāma jāni saba lāyaka
bidyā mantra rahasya di’e munināyaka

“Rama showed His tremendous knowledge of fighting by killing the demon Tataka. The muni then gave to Him knowledge of secret mantras to be used in fighting.” (Janaki Mangala, 36)

It is not uncommon for institutions to impose new requirements based on negative trends that emerge. We find in many religious organizations this sort of training period for potential newlyweds. If they want to get married in a particular establishment, they must first learn the common issues that arise after marriage. In summary, they should understand what they are getting into. They should not make a mockery of the process, by quickly divorcing after going through an elaborate ceremony officiated by a priest.

In the same way, the spiritual master determines the necessary requirements for accepting students. Indeed, the vows always benefit the student more than the teacher. If the institution is corrupt to the core, if they are accepting students only as a form of income, if they have nothing substantial to offer in the relationship other than an official standing that grants entry into an exclusive club, then surely the newly concocted regulations will themselves be anartha.

As is the case with anything negative we encounter in this world, we can always find refuge in the example of the Supreme Lord. The stories continue to be told. The memories take shape in such a way that we can be transported back in time. We can daily sing the glories of those two brothers, who were like the best students of the respected guru. Rama and Lakshmana saved the sages in the forests of austerity, and they save the students of today, who are navigating the turbulent waters of Kali Yuga, looking for safe passage across the ocean of birth and death. Despite invested with the awesome authority of creating the universe, Brahma himself was perplexed. It was the Supreme Lord who then personally came to initiate him.

In Closing:

Institution corrupt to the core,
Adding regulations from the four.

That never anything negative to see,
Always loyal to leaders to be.

Whether lying, cheating, or stealing,
Blind and deaf in eyes and ears sealing.

Initiation model from Rama and Lakshmana take,
How brave in forest battles for guru’s sake.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, diksha, guru, initiation, life, poem, poems, poetry