Between the ages of seven and eleven it is a customary part of Vedic tradition for brāhmaṇa boys to receive the gāyatrī-mantra and sacred thread. If the boy is old enough to have a mustache, it is too late for the ceremony. At the age of nine, the time had come for Gurudeva to receive the sacred thread. His father called him and said, “Son, it is time for your upanāyana-saṁskāra. The son of my Gurudeva will come and give you the mantra; then we will perform the yajña to give you the sacred thread.”
“Pitājī,” Gurudeva answered, “I will take initiation from him if I am satisfied with how he answers my questions. Otherwise, how can I have faith in him? He must explain the meaning of the mantra, who the presiding Deity of the mantra is, and how one can have a connection with Him. Why are we separated from Him? Why is He neglecting us, and why do we have to pray to establish a relationship with Him? Is He not already related to us?”
Paṇḍitajī replied, “Forget all these impertinent questions and simply accept the mantra.”
“I will take initiation from a realized soul who can remove all my doubts,” Gurudeva said.
“Our family guru is bona fide and our custom is that his son must give you mantra initiation,” said Paṇḍitajī.
“Yes, I will accept the mantra, but only from he who has realization.”
A few days later, Śrīkānta Miśra, the son of the family guru, came to the Tiwārī’s home. Gurudeva respectfully invited him in, gave him a seat, washed his feet, and then requested if he could pose a question. Śrīkānta Miśra nodded in agreement.
Gurudeva said, “The Vedic scriptures state, ‘athāto brahma jijñāso—now we shall inquire about brahma.’ Who is Parabrahma, the Supreme Being? Is Kṛṣṇa Parabrahma, or is Nārāyaṇa, Rāma, or Hari? How can I realize who He is and go close to Him? Where does He reside and how can I be related to Him?”
Nervous and unable to answer, Śrīkānta Miśra began to sweat as if under an examiner’s scrutiny. Gurudeva continued, “Tulasī dāsa accepted Hanumān as his guru and he was then able to meet Lord Rāma. Can you also do this? If I chant the mantra you give, will Rāma be pleased and give me His direct audience? Do you have this ability?”
“One’s guru is not subject to interrogation,” Śrīkānta Miśra rebuked.
“Do you have realization of Bhagavān?”
“You should be devoted to your guru,” Śrīkānta Miśra said.
“If I devote myself to you,” Gurudeva said, “what spiritual benefit will I get? Will my bondage to the cycle of birth and death cease? Will I realize Bhagavān and my spiritual identity.”
Śrīkānta Miśra trembled and said, “I’ll answer your questions later. Now I must go see to some urgent duties.” Then, without eating or resting, the boy ran home to his father.
Paṇḍita Tiwārī and Lakṣmī-devī chastised their son, “You neglected and disobeyed your guru. This is very inauspicious! What if a curse comes upon our family?”
“I didn’t say anything offensive,” Gurudeva said. “I only asked him some pertinent questions, and he said he would tell me later. Then he left in a hurry—what could I do?”
“I will invite our Gurujī to speak with you,” Paṇḍitajī said. “When he comes, listen to his advice with respect and don’t argue.”
Later, Śrīkānta Miśra’s father arrived at the house. Śrīla Gurudeva and his father served their family guru with proper etiquette. They gave him a seat and sat humbly at his feet. Paṇḍita Miśra said, “O Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, tell me your questions.”
“Gurujī, what is the duty of human life?”
“One should follow his proper role in society according to varṇaśrama-dharma. Get married, and maintain your wife and children. God will be pleased if you serve your family.”
Gurudeva contemplated Paṇḍita Miśra’s words and then asked, “Gurujī, will I be with my family members forever? If service to one’s family is pleasing to God, then why does everyone in family life seem so miserable? I see that people try to be happy, but they always remain unsatisfied. All beings come to this world, live for a short time, and then die and are reborn. Why do they continuously rotate in the cycle of saṁsāra?”
“They suffer as a result of their karma,” Paṇḍita Miśra answered.
“If in all species of life the soul accepts the results of his karma, what is unique about a human birth?”
“You won’t be able to understand; you are only a small child.”
“Gurujī, if you know the answer, then what is the harm in telling me?”
“You are just a boy and lack mental discipline. How can you comprehend such elevated topics? Just be a good boy, serve your parents and elders, go to school, and play with your friends. Why are you worried about all this? When you are older, you can worry about philosophy.”
“Please be merciful. You are such a learned scholar. I can’t halt my inquisitive mind. I hear in hari-kathā that the soul is eternal and ageless. Then why do we have to endure the pain of repeated birth and death in physical bodies?”
“Son,” Paṇḍitajī intervened, “what gain will come by trapping someone in a web of questions? Why don’t you tell us what you think?”
“Yes, Father. I think we are in this material world because we have turned away from God. Having forgotten Him and our true identity, we are suffering, wandering lost in the cycle of saṁsāra. The purpose of human life is to realize the Absolute Truth by taking shelter of someone who has love and relation with Bhagavān. Engaging in spiritual life under such qualified guidance, we can attain love for God and blissfully enter into His transcendental realm.”
Surprised to hear Śrīman Nārāyaṇa’s wisdom, Paṇḍita Miśra said, “You will understand everything in time by God’s grace. Now I must return to my āśrama (hermitage).” Saying this, the guru went back to his residence.
When the family guru left, Paṇḍitajī told his son, “Look, Nārāyaṇa, if you don’t accept the gāyatrī-mantra and sacred thread, then you won’t be qualified to worship the Deity, study the Vedas, or perform the functions of a brāhmaṇa in society. For now, accept the sacred thread, and in the future you may meet a transcendental guru like Śukadeva Gosvāmī.” Gurudeva accepted his father’s wishes and an auspicious date was chosen for the fire ceremony. Many brāhmaṇas attended and were duly respected by the family.
When everything was prepared according to oral customs passed through the generations, Gurudeva bowed down to the priests and brāhmaṇas. He then asked submissively, “Before accepting the sacred thread, I am curious as to its purpose. You are enlightened souls; kindly dispel my doubts. Does Hanumān wear a brāhmaṇa thread; did Nārada Ṛṣi, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, or the great crow devotee of Lord Rāma, Śrī Kākabhuśuṇḍi? Can people who belong to non-brāhmaṇa castes serve God and attain self-realization without the sacred thread? If so, what is the benefit of this ceremony and why must the thread be worn?”
One paṇḍita responded, “To acquire knowledge of the Vedas, one must surrender to Lord Viṣṇu in the presence of a sacred fire and receive the brāhmaṇa thread. Lord Viṣṇu is the presiding Deity of all sacrifices and the Supreme Enjoyer of all austerities and spiritual practices. When one offers his heart to Him in the presence of the fire, which acts as a witness, Lord Viṣṇu bestows the qualification to understand Vedic knowledge, including that of the self and the Supreme Lord.”
The paṇḍita continued, “The fire ceremony is an external ritual that helps the internal process of offering the heart and desires to Bhagavān. When one takes a human birth it is essential to become connected to Bhagavān and His devotees. As long as there is no relationship with Bhagavān, there is no relation with devotion or with those in whom such devotion resides. By offering the heart to Lord Viṣṇu, knowledge of His potencies and dear devotees manifest. Before this ritual one is independent and without a guardian; taking the thread reminds one to link the heart to God.”
“I have faith that this is true,” Gurudeva said. “But did all those who accepted the sacred thread attain knowledge of the self and the Vedas? Did they meet with Bhagavān? If so, this tradition is greatly beneficial. Otherwise, one will be full of pride, being an initiated brāhmaṇa who took part in a ceremony and wears a thread. What is the truth? How can one actually gain knowledge of the self and the Vedas? How can I develop a loving relationship with God? By taking this brāhmaṇa thread, will all material attraction be removed and pure love of God awaken in the soul?”
Another brāhmaṇa priest advised, “For the time being, accept the sacred thread and live peacefully with your relatives. Marry, work, and maintain a family. Young age is not the time to worry about surrendering to God. When old age comes, you can devote your time to attaining self-realization and love of God. However, if you don’t take the brāhmaṇa thread now, then in old age you won’t have any foundation upon which to build. For now, it is best to advance gradually.”
Śrīla Gurudeva was still unsatisfied, “But if Bhagavān is the Supreme Absolute Truth, why should we delay the opportunity to be with Him?”
One erudite and devout Vaiṣṇava sādhu had been listening to the exchange between Śrīman Nārāyaṇa and the priests. He approached Śrīla Gurudeva’s parents, “Your son is not an ordinary boy,” he said. “After observing his nature I feel that he is a great saint or associate of God. Ordinary children do not endeavor to understand the heart of such deep matters so persistently. They have no such intelligence. You are fortunate to have him as your son. In time to come he will preach love of God all over the world and many will faithfully accept his shelter and guidance.”
Paṇḍita Bāleśvaranātha and Śrīyuta Lakṣmī-devī became speechless hearing this. The Vaiṣṇava sādhu approached Gurudeva and lowered his hand to touch the young boy’s feet. Gurudeva stepped back in shock, bowed before him, humbly touched the sādhu’s feet, and prayed, “Please bless me.”
The Vaiṣṇava sādhu blessed Gurudeva and spoke with him at length. Later, the fire ceremony was completed and charity was distributed to all.
After Śrīla Gurudeva received the sacred thread, he went to beg alms as an offering to the family guru. Tradition ordains that the young boy should live at the guru’s āśrama as a brahmacārī (celibate student) after accepting the sacred thread. There the student would carefully serve his guru by mind, body, and words, only then can he achieve perfection in the mantra. Gurudeva stayed at the home of his family guru for seven days in accordance with this custom.
While residing there the guru’s son and friends kept their distance from him. When he asked his guru questions, he was given short replies. He spent his time studying the Vedic literature where he once read that only a pure devotee is a helpful friend in this world. As a result of his readings a deeper desire grew within him to find such a personality. “Where can I go to receive knowledge of the soul and God?” he thought. Gurudeva felt lonely and solemnly prayed to come in contact with pure devotees.
The brahmacārīs there ate haviṣyānna, a simple preparation made of boiled rice, dāl, and vegetables. Śrīla Gurudeva served in the āśrama, studied, and bathed in the Gaṅgā. After seven days in Majariya-gaon, his family came with a grand procession to bring him home. They asked, “You didn’t disturb your guru, did you?”
“Who could I disturb?” he said. “No one would speak with me. I have to find a self-realized soul who can guide me. I will not waste my life.”
“It is your duty to stay in family life and serve your elders,” his parents reminded him.
Gurudeva accepted his parents’ instructions, but in his heart his desire to meet with a pure devotee intensified.