Only Sraddha is Needed

Those who want to serve Krsna should be initiated into the gopala-mantra and kama-gayatri because the kama-gayatri is the embodiment of Krsna Himself, the highest Krsna. We must chant these mantras daily with very great respect. Also, we should accept these mantras from a bona-fide Guru. A Guru should also give the outline of all the mantras. What is the outline? We should know that each mantra has one aradhya-deva. So, who is the aradhya-deva, the presiding deity of this mantra? We should always know this. If you don’t know—the mantra will not be fruitful.

Secondly, one should know the relation between that worshipable deity and oneself. What is that relation? If you have no relation—it’s not fruitful. Thirdly, we should know the meaning of the words in the mantra. If you are not knowing the meaning of the words in that mantra, it will be fruitless. Prapatti,
saranagati, atma-nivedana. There is some difference between prapatti and saranagati. Prapatti means, “I am taking shelter of the deity of this mantra forever.” Saranagati is of six kinds. What is favorable for bhakti, we will adopt those things. Then we should give up those things that are not helpful for bhakti. “Krsna is my supporter and nourisher, I should take His shelter. I am His. I will serve Him with all my opulence, with all my wealth, intelligence, and mind. Whatever I have I will offer to Him.” Then atma-nivedana. Now, we cannot do atma-nivedana. You can never do this because you don’t know your atma. So how will you surrender your atma to Him? You may say that you have done atma-nivedana, but you cannot do it because you don’t know your atma. You have no realization of your atma, your true self, so you cannot do this.

So knowing these five things from a bona-fide Guru, you can adopt these five kinds of processes. Then your chanting and remembering of that mantra will give the fruit that you want—krsna-prema. Otherwise not. If the Guru himself does not know what these five things are, then how can he give all these things to his disciples? He can never give these things. Srila Jiva Gosvami has especially written in his Sandarbhas that we should chant our mantras like this. A Guru should help the devotees with these things, otherwise, all the mantras are fruitless.

Devotee: So without these five things, if one is chanting the mantra, what is the result?

Srila Gurudeva: The result is that after lakhs and lakhs of births or after so many years you can have any sadhu-sanga. Then in that association you will get some purification and then you will have a real Guru. Then you will be able to chant like this.

Devotee: What is the qualification to enter into these five limbs?

Srila Gurudeva: Sraddha, only sraddha. For everything, only sraddha is needed. Sraddha in nama, sraddha in meditation, sraddha in sadhu-sanga. Only sraddha is needed for all of these things.

[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on January 26th, 1998, Bali, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 24]