The Real Meaning of Initiation – Part 2 [granthraj]

DAILY SB/BG 29-Jan-2010 Friday MALA:7 BEAD:033
NITYAM BHAGAVATA SEVAYA SB 1. 2. 18 (Regularly reading/hearing Srimad Bhagavatam or Serving the pure Devotee)
Karma Yoga	(Do Your Duty, Leave the result to Krsna)	Great (easy to do)
Gnana Yoga	Realising Self by controlling senses and mind	Very Great (tough)
Bakthi Yoga KC	Realising the Paramatma is Everything and Surrender to Krishna is the Ultimate goal	Very Very Great (very easy to do)

This is a humble effort to transcribe the remaining part of the message from lecture of our beloved Guru Maharaj during Initiation of devotees in Singapore.
In B.G. 4.34:

tad viddhi pranipaatena / pariprashnena sevayaa
upadeksyanti te jnaanam / jnaaninas tattva darshinah

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self realised souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."

[granthraj] The Real Meaning of Initiation – Part 1

SB 6.3.19 dharmam tu saakshaad bhagavat-pranitam – the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Both blind following and absurd enquiries are condemned.

We should always find out what is suitable to us to alteast continue with this material life. To leave everything and put on saffron clothes is the best way. But we are not ready for that. We have our own desires, responsibility, in Kali yuga – everyday we require Lakshmi – so this side cannot be overlooked. But we must find some relationship to spiritual progress material activities. They cannot be separated. We must overcome the tendency that we only perform everyday morning the puja but we cannot follow these things at work. We must think about it. A sane person always thinks and comes to the practical point. As soon as we decide whole heartedly that I have to have the spiritual progress without that I cannot survive. Our foundation must be always spiritual. Same time in order to fulfil our desires and our parents desires or society’s requirements,we have to have some connection between our spiritual progress and our day to day activities. And this is where the next verse gives us the clue.

BG 4.35:

yat jnaatva na punar moham / evam yaasyasi paandava
yena bhutani asheshaani / drakshyasi aatmany atho mayi

"Having obtained a real knowledge from a self realised soul, you will never fall again into such illusion, for by this knowledge you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or in other words, that they are mine."

The above verse speaks about Illusion – which we have to find out. In Hindi there is a nice word – Dharmasala – Free residences in Pilgrim Centre. The facilities and Everything is fine over there. We may stay there for a day or two or a week. But we are fully aware that we have to go. But we have full consciousness. We utilise everything but we are not attached. No ownership. As soon as there is ownership, then illusion creeps in. As soon as we have clean idea that one day we have to go, all our activities will be quiet correct. Because of that ownership, all inebrities creep in.

All the time we are surviving on full mercy of Krsna. We had this experience in Dwaraka, when everything was right, we were sleeping nicely in concrete structures, with doors locked and thought we are very safe. But Krishna in his own way just shook everything. The building which we regarded very safe was very cruel and just collapsed down. We all survived because of the mercy of RadhaMadanji. This is real knowledge.

Every port has a light house, which warns the steamers not to approach the rocks, otherwise it will get smashed. This idea should always throw light in our mind. Please do your activities with full awareness that we have to go from here. When this idea sinks in our mind, then all our activities will be very pure. If we forget this final day,then all our activities will go wrong. Again we should not glide down, get into this material rut, thinking that we are here forever.

In SB 2.1.4 it is clearly said:

dehaapatya kalatradishu / aatma-sainyeshv asatsv api
teshaam pramatto nidhanam / pashyann api na pashyati

"Persons devoid of atma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction."

pashyann api na pashyati - We see our own relatives going one by one. As we advance in age, we see all the sky scrapers are getting empty. Those people who used to be there are not there now. Everybody is going. But we don’t see our own end. That is Moha. As soon as we conquer this Moha, i.e. illusion, then we dont have to worry. As soon as we are scared about the final day, then we are alright.

Here in Singapore, there was an elderly mataji who was working in the prison. When I asked her, you are in prison, amidst all rowdies and criminals, how you survive with them. She said I am working with the life sentence wing. Those who know that they are going to die, they behave very well. This is the knowledge. Anybody who is completely afraid of his death, will be very much alright. Because we don’t remember our own end, that’s why all this moha etc. follows in our lives.

Yat jnatva – as soon as you know this, then you will not again go back to the same deep well.of illusion. As soon as we conquer illusion, then all our activities from today, shall be free of envious nature. We should be child like innocent. As soon as we come to this stage, without envious nature on any body, and the root of this understanding is in BG 15.7:

In B.G. 15.7 Sri Krsna Says:

mamai vaamso jiva loke / jiva bhuta sanaatanah
manah sashthaanindriyaani / prakrti sthaani karshati

"The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind."

Let us read the BG 4.35 again. You shall never go back to the illusion, knowing this fact, remember Dharmasala – temporary residence and we are always conscious that we have to go- that’s how we dont get attached, we dont claim any ownership also. This is what Srila Prabhupada wanted to insist in the society. The whole society is going to the material side mode and because of that the problems are here.

I will try to post Maharaj’s instructions from remaining part of this initiation lecture in Singapore, in subsequent mails, Krishna willing.

Maharaj will definitely continue to live with us and guide us in the devotional path – Krsna Consciousness – through his practical instructions.

Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Radharamana Krsna Das,
Abu Dhabi.

Moderator’s Note: Our dear spiritual master has taken his transcendental samadhi in the outskirts of Nasik and all the disciples who had come from all over the world gathered today at Maharaj’s ashram and glorified Maharaj’s transcendence. It was a wonderful experience for all of us as by speaking about a pure Vaishnava’s transcendental qualities we were feeling his presence very strongly. We need to do this continuously and constantly and strictly follow the instructions and services he has left behind for us and definitely our Guru Maharaj will be with us forever.
Due to absolute lack of time and availability of internet I am approving this mail from Mumbai airport where interestingly there is no internet access. By Krishna’s mercy somehow I got internet access for just 5 minutes in the business class lounge to approve this offering. So please forgive any errors or mistakes.

Disclaimer: This article was originally published in the Yahoo Groups granthraj – run by the disciples of H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj – by the devotee name mentioned above. The posting in this article, is original realizations of our Guru Maharaj and the devotee who wrote this. Any comments regarding this article would be passed on directly to the devotee. In this article, ‘Maharaj’ and ‘Gurudev’ implicitly refer to our spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj.