The One With The Deprogramming Course

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.10)

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तेषां सतत-युक्तानां
भजतां प्रीति-पूर्वकम्
ददामि बुद्धि-योगं तं
येन माम् उपयान्ति ते

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

If there is one person in the universe who could accurately claim to be self-made, it would be the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  He confirms this truth in the sacred Bhagavad-gita conversation, wherein many comparisons are made to origins, seeds, cycles of life brought on by the passage of time, and truths themselves.  Shri Krishna is the common thread.  He holds all of the individual truths.  If you have Him, then you have everything.

मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्
किञ्चिद् अस्ति धनञ्जय
मयि सर्वम् इदं प्रोतं
सूत्रे मणि-गणा इव

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

“O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.7)

Nevertheless, we only know of these truths because of a conversation that took place.  Krishna spoke Bhagavad-gita to someone.  Technically, it was sung, in the language of the gods, Sanskrit.  The bow-warrior named Arjuna was the recipient.  That conversation represents something important, but the exact participants are exclusive to that period of time, which is five thousand years behind the present day.  Krishna speaking to Arjuna is not only God speaking to the individual, but also a teacher counseling their student.  The recipient then passes the knowledge forward.  The Sanskrit word “parampara” describes the chain of disciples that results.

In this regard, if we want to enter the same field of study, if we want to both accept the wisdom and assimilate it, to make the most of the human form of life, we should find someone within the chain.  It is not that we should expect Krishna Himself to appear and teach us.  The guru is His representative.  If we find a qualified guru, it is like we are accepting the knowledge directly from Krishna.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

It is in this area where enthusiastic students of the modern day might run into issues.  On the one hand, the opportunity has never been better, due to saints like His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who follows in the line of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in attempting to bring tattva to others.  Rather than wait for the students to arrive, there is the hope of attracting others through the simultaneous connection that is the sankirtana-yajna, the congregational chanting of the holy names:  Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

To get an idea of the issues a devotee today might face, we consider the following hypothetical situation.  One person has joined an ashrama dedicated to bhakti-yoga.  They are trying to learn the principles taught in Bhagavad-gita.  They are trying to advance in purification of the consciousness, through maintaining good association, eliminating bad habits, and regularly studying sacred texts like Shrimad Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita.  The following conversation takes place one day between this student and the leader of the local ashrama.

…

Leader:  So, have you given any thought to initiation?

Sadhaka:  I think I am ready for it.

Leader:  I think you are, too.  You have been doing a great job.  I can see that your enthusiasm is steadily increasing.  Enthusiasm, or utsaha, is very favorable, or anukula, for advancement in devotional service. I see that you are always on time to the classes.  The questions you ask are sincere and pertinent to the discussion at hand. You carry humility, while maintaining confidence in the path, abhidheya.

Sadhaka:  Thank you so much.  I am trying my best.  It is such a privilege to have wonderful guides such as yourself, who have the patience necessary to tolerate my offenses.

Leader:  So, who do you want to be your guru?  Have you decided?

Sadhaka:  Umm, haven’t you been guiding me this entire time?  You are kind of the top administrator at this place.

Leader:  You flatter me.  But seriously, you haven’t even looked?  There is no one you like?

Sadhaka:  Who else would I know?  I have learned practically everything I know from the books that we read and your expertise.

Leader:  Okay, but I can’t be your guru.

Sadhaka:  Why not?

Leader:  Because I am not on the list.

Sadhaka:  What list?

Leader:  Of approved gurus.  Here, let me fetch the most recent version.  There.  Now go through it and see if someone matches your learning style.

Sadhaka:  Who made the list?  How does someone get on here?  Why are you not on here?

Leader:  It is only for pure devotees.

Sadhaka:  But I think you are a pure devotee. Actually, I know it!

Leader:  Listen, you are asking too many questions.  I cannot answer all of them for you.

Sadhaka:  Right, but I don’t know any of these people on the list.  Would you recommend any of them?

Leader:  Off the record, I certainly would not.  On the record, I would recommend any of them.  I have to, if I want to keep my job.

Sadhaka:  This still doesn’t make sense.  Are any of the people on the list your guru?

Leader:  No way!  I mean, no, they are not, but only because I already have a guru.  You know the person whose books we read?  I am his disciple.

Sadhaka:  That’s great, but I can’t take initiation from him, right?

Leader:  Don’t be ridiculous.  Of course not.  My guru left this world a long time ago.  How would he give you initiation now?

Sadhaka:  Oh, yeah, I forgot.  That makes sense.  So how did you get initiation?  Did you have to pick from a list?

Leader:  Well, there was only one guru back then.  I wrote him a letter.

Sadhaka:  Oh, that’s nice.  So he responded to the letter and that’s how you got initiated?

Leader:  Not quite.  At the time, the guru wasn’t really reading any mail that came to him.  He empowered some of his assistants to approve the initiations.  They essentially managed the whole process.

Sadhaka:  Wait a second.  So you at least met your guru, right?

Leader:  Sadly, I never got that opportunity.

Sadhaka:  Let me get this straight.  You got initiated by someone you never met, who never met you, who never heard directly from you.  Despite the lack of contact, you are a disciple in good standing. Everyone agrees on that.  But for some reason, I can’t get initiated today by the same person?

Leader:  How would you?  That person is no longer here.

Sadhaka:  But I’m reading their books.  My access to their recorded instruction is exponentially greater compared to the people of your time, back when you got initiated.

Leader:  Listen, what can I tell you?  That’s how it goes.  Oh, and one more thing.  Once you pick the guru you want, you have to take this training course.

Sadhaka:  Really?  What kind of course?  Did you have to take it?

Leader:  No, of course not.  This is a new thing, just to make sure new disciples are clear of any confusion as to who their guru is, what initiation means, where their loyalties lie, and so forth.  It’s called the Deprogramming Course.

Sadhaka:  Wait, what?  Deprogramming?  Are you serious?

Leader:  Nah, I’m just messing with you.  It’s called the Disciples Course.

Sadhaka:  Oh, okay.  You had me going there for a second. Will the teachers of that course clear up the confusion I have?  About why I have to pick a guru from a list?

Leader:  Maybe.  Maybe not. I don’t really know what they teach in that course.  Listen, you should feel lucky.  Originally, people didn’t even get to pick.  Their guru was assigned to them, based on the geographic location.

Sadhaka:  Are you serious?  You were forced into the relationship with a guru you might not even like?  How did that go?

Leader:  Not well, obviously.  A lot of those gurus fell down.

Sadhaka:  What does that mean?  They stumbled on the stairs or something?

Leader: I wish. No, it just means they got caught doing some bad stuff.  And before you ask, no, I cannot detail what happened. Anyway, that’s why we have the new system.  Listen, I think we have reached the limit of the questions we can tolerate.  If we talk any more about this stuff, I might get into trouble.  Just let me know your decision one way or another.  Keep in mind, that if you don’t get initiated, you will not have any status in the society.

Sadhaka:  What does that mean?

Leader:  You know, like you won’t get a new name.  You won’t be able to sit on the elevated seat in the temple and give class.  You won’t be able to worship the deities directly on the altar.  People might start to wonder, also.  They might suspect you of being one of those crazy people who thinks they can get initiated by someone who is no longer in this world.

Sadhaka:  As opposed to someone licensed to be a guru, from an institution?

Leader:  Now you are beginning to understand.  Best of luck to you.

…

The institutions will come and go.  The culture of devotion may be prominent during some periods of time, while it may diminish in stature during other eras.  The acharya is an ocean of mercy, who sacrifices every personal comfort in order to attempt to lift others out of darkness.  They extend their mercy through written instruction, which has its own kind of parampara, passed down such that the distressed, the downtrodden, and the confused will have access to eternal wisdom, irrespective of the inhibiting forces that may surround them.

In Closing:

Rather than with corruption to deal,
Knowledge in books to seal.

Such that in future to stay,
Despite dark forces at play.

Krishna Himself to provide,
Knowledge as guru inside.

Who to the external the same,
Mercifully for my rescue came.