Transcendental Knowledge

On the morning of Gaura Pūrṇimā, Śrīla Gurudeva shaved off his hair and mustache, symbolizing his renunciation of family life in a dedication to service of Kṛṣṇa, and then received initiation from Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. After receiving the dīkṣā–mantras, Śrīla Gurudeva inquired from Ācārya Kesarī, “What is the meaning of dīkṣā initiation in the Gauḍīya-sampradāya? How should I meditate on the dīkṣā-mantras?”

Ācārya Kesarī explained: “The dīkṣā-mantras are not mundane or meant to give temporary relief. They are the medicine that affords eternal release from material bondage. At the time of dīkṣā, the divine master accepts responsibility for his disciple’s spiritual progress. He destroys the disciple’s ignorance, the root of sin, by giving knowledge of the disciple’s spiritual nature. In the Bhakti-sandarbha it states: divya-jñāna is transcendental knowledge contained within a mantra, which reveals the form and identity of the Supreme Person, as well as knowledge of the practitioner’s own identity and relationship with Him.

“To construct a building, one needs raw materials such as sand, cement, and bricks. Without water, however, nothing will adhere; the sand and cement would blow away in a heavy wind. Like the water that binds all the elements to make a building, rasa, or pure love, is the binding force that forms the soul’s eternal spiritual identity. Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of pure consciousness, and Baladeva is the foundation of all space and existence. Śrīmatī Rādhārānī is the source of all transcendental bliss. Without realizing rasa, or one’s loving emotion, the soul can never establish a relationship with Kṛṣṇa, even though Kṛṣṇa is present in the hearts of all beings as the indwelling Supersoul. This rasa enters the heart by sincere meditation on the dīkṣā–mantras.

“Under Śrī Guru’s guidance, mentally serve the presiding Deity of each mantra as you meditate on the syllables. Śrī Guru is present within the mantra; thus, if you neglect guru while chanting the mantra, you will never realize his spiritual form or your own. Remembering Śrī Guru and coming in the shelter of his lotus feet connects the disciple to the spiritual powerhouse. He then loses all desire for superfluous wealth and sense gratification.

Ācārya Kesarī concluded, “Śrī Guru’s pleasure is Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, and surrendering to him is surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. A guru’s heart has pure love, reserved only for Kṛṣṇa. If Śrī Guru is pleased with the disciple, then he will connect him to Kṛṣṇa. At that time, the flow of pure love comes from the heart of Śrī Guru and reflects in the hearts of his sincere disciples; their nature then becomes sweeter than nectar.”

Every brahmacārī serving in the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samīti had received brāhmaṇa initiation. Caste brāhmaṇas claim that only the son of a brāhmaṇa can receive the sacred thread, but Śrīla Gurudeva saw that Ācārya Kesarī mercifully gave the sacred thread to persons of any caste, as long as they were eager and followed the regulations of spiritual life. Śrīla Gurudeva was pleased to see that sincere aspirants were given the opportunity to awaken their dormant spiritual consciousness. He asked Ācāryadeva the determining quality of a real brāhmaṇa.

“A true brāhmaṇa is not identified solely by birth,” Ācārya Kesarī said. “The most important characteristic is his nature. Through saintly association, a person’s nature and proclivity are elevated. According to the Vedas, a human being can undergo three births in life. The first birth is as a crying infant or sūdra from the mother’s womb. A ‘sūdra’ means: someone who laments. The second birth is when a boy receives the sacred thread during a fire ceremony. He is then twice-born and qualified to study the Vedic scriptures. The third birth is spiritual initiation into the gāyatrī–mantras from a bona fide guru. The genuine spiritual master has a personal relationship with the mantras and is surrendered to their worshipable Deity. He does not give these mantras to unqualified persons; he waits to see if the aspirant is eager to serve and surrender to the presiding Lord of the mantra.

“A genuine brāhmaṇa is one who has a relationship with Parabrahma, the Supreme Being. By receiving dīkṣā–mantras from a spiritual master, one can develop such a relationship and become a brāhmaṇa without prior qualifications. In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (2.12), it is described: as bell metal is turned to gold by a particular alchemical process, a person can be spiritually born by the process of vaiṣṇava-dīkṣā.

Ācārya Kesarī concluded, “At the time of dīkṣā in the Gauḍīya-sampradāya, Śrī Guru tells his disciple, ‘You will now serve Kṛṣṇa under guidance of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and Her maidservants.’ You can never understand Kṛṣṇa or attain His service without the grace of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. And as long as you are disconnected from Her Divine Potency, you will never be freed of the suffering born of interests separate from Kṛṣṇa. To become connected to Kṛṣṇa, you must first be connected to His Divine Potency, Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. Śrī Guru is Her cherished servitor in the transcendental abode, and in this world he is the connecting agent who purifies and presents the hearts of sincere devotees into Her service.”

[Excerpted from the Bhakta Bandhav Publication “Sri Guru Darsana”]