What is dīkṣā? In his Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ (283 anuḥ), Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has described the glory of dīkṣā by quoting from śāstra:

divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṁkṣayam |
tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ ||

“Those ācāryas who truly understand reality define the word dīkṣā as ‘that which bestows divine knowledge and completely destroys sin.’”

divyaṁ jñānaṁ hy atra śrīmati mantre bhagavat-svarūpa-jñānaṁ tena bhagavatā sambandha-viśeṣa-jñānaṁ ca (Śrī Jīvapāda) –
“Here, the phrase divyaṁ jñānam, or divine knowledge, indicates the understanding that God is present in the form of the mantra. It also means knowledge of the jīva’s particular relationship with God.”

jībera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa |
kṛṣṇera taṭastha-śakti bhedābheda-prakāśa ||

“The nature of the jīva is that he is the eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As the marginal potency of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he is a manifestation of the principle of simultaneous oneness with, and difference from, the Lord.” (CC. M. 20.108)

Even though the jīva is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, since time immemorial he has been gripped by the ignorance of māyā[1] because of his aversion to God. Being captivated by illusion, he has forgotten his own true nature and has become overwhelmed by the material body, senses and mind, thinking them to be himself. Having forgotten his eternal relationship with Śrī Hari, and instead uniting with a wife, children, money and possessions, he has entered a state of bondage.

kṛṣṇa nitya-dāsa jība tāhā bhuli gela |
sei doṣe māyā tāra galāya bāndhila ||

“Forgetting that he is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, the jīva becomes bound at the throat by māyā.” (CC. M. 22.24)

In this way, even though the jīva is actually eternally cognizant and blissful, when he is under the illusion of māyā, he is forced to cycle through the wombs of various other miserable jīvas wherein he must suffer terrible worldly agonies. The word dīkṣā means that by the mercy of Śrī Guru, the knot of māyā is loosened, the jīva’s heart is infused with the spiritual faculty of bhakti and his eternal relationship with Śrī Hari is awakened.

Moreover, the mantra is a direct form of God. By the mercy of the sādhus and gurus, who are the embodiments of Śrī Hari’s compassion, Śrī Bhagavān enters the disciple’s heart as the mantra and spiritualizes his body, mind and vital airs, making them suitable for performing bhagavat-sevā.[2] The following is a statement by Śrīman Mahāprabhu:

dīkṣā-kāle kare bhakta ātma-samarpaṇa |
sei-kāle kṛṣṇa tāre karena ātma-sama ||
sei deha karena tāra cidānandamaya |
aprākṛta-dehe tāṅra caraṇa bhajaya ||

“At the time of initiation, the bhakta offers himself to Kṛṣṇa. The Lord then makes the devotee equal to himself by transforming the devotee’s body into one of spiritual bliss. In that transcendent body, the devotee worships the Lord’s lotus feet.” (CC. Ant. 4.192-193)

Some people, even after learning of the importance of dīkṣā, think there is no need for them to acquire it. They believe that just by chanting harināma, everything is accomplished. For those who have been somehow harmed or deceived in spiritual matters, that is a natural attitude. But this is not the opinion of the Gosvāmīs. Even though observing that in the śāstras and the writings of the mahājanas[3] that dīkṣā is described as a necessity, and seeing that great devotees, past and present, have followed this virtuous practice, some people are still averse to accepting the shelter of a sad-guru. The chanting of this type of person only results in nāma-aparādha (offense to the Holy Name). On one side, they ignore the śāstras and the statements of the mahājanas, and on the other they ignore guru-tattva, both of which are serious offenses.

 

Dīkṣā-mantra

Concerning dīkṣā, of all the mantras mentioned in śāstra, śrī-kṛṣṇa-mantra is the most important because Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān Himself, or the origin of all forms of God. Among Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s three pastime sites of Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā, the quintessence of divinity, sweetness, is manifest in the cowherd līlā of Śrī Vṛndāvana. For this reason, the mantras concerning vṛndāvana-līlā are best. And the best of all are the ten-syllable and eighteen-syllable ‘gopījana-vallabha’ mantras, which bring together all the pastimes dealing with the most attractive madhura-rasa.[4] Even though all mantras are available from books and so forth, chanting a mantra received in that way will bear no fruit. Mantra must be received from a sad-guru.

Some people also consider the sixteen-name, thirty-two-syllable hare-kṛṣṇa-mahāmantra as a dīkṣā-mantra, but in some dīkṣā-paddhatis (manuals) the harināma-mahāmantra is not considered as such. Because it is chanted loudly in kīrtana, how can it be a dīkṣā-mantra? Now, in some situations, before dīkṣā is given, harināma may be given for the purpose of purifying a person’s ears and mind, but that is not called dīkṣā. It may be asked that since hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare, hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare is called a mahāmantra,[5] then if one accepts this, why does this not constitute dīkṣā? The answer to this is that concerning the bestowal of prema, hare-kṛṣṇa-nāma holds a position of greater importance than all other mantras. Because of this, it is called a mahāmantra. But still, since it has no words in the dative case and is not accompanied by the standard six components beginning with ṛṣi, it is not a dīkṣā-mantra.

Before accepting dīkṣā, the fruit of nāma-kīrtana[6] is to get the shelter of a sad-guru and receive dīkṣā and instruction from him. After receiving dīkṣā, the fruit of nāma-kīrtana is prema.

 

Dīkṣā-guru and Śikṣā-guru

One who gives mantra is called a dīkṣā-guru and one who teaches bhajana is called a śikṣā-guru. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (11.3.48) says: labdhānugraha ācāryāt tena sandarśitāgamaḥ. “After receiving mantra-dīkṣā from Śrī Guru, one should obtain knowledge of śāstra and the use of mantras from him.” If this is so, it can be understood that whoever has the duty of giving dīkṣā also has the duty of teaching the use of mantras. It is the opinion of śāstra that one should take shelter of a sad-guru. Therefore, if one thinks the sad-guru is unable to teach bhajana, he is soiled by the offense of diminishing the importance of the guru. If the disciple’s dīkṣā-guru passes away before he learns bhajana from him, he should accept another advanced devotee who is skilled in bhajana as his śikṣā-guru. The disciple should learn from him and, regarding him as guru, render service to him. One who teaches the art of bhajana by his own example is a called a śikṣā-guru. In order to attract the jīva to himself and bless him with bhakti, the merciful Śrī Kṛṣṇa appears both within the jīva’s heart as śikṣā-guru and externally as the highest bhakta-ācārya. Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta Ādi 1.47 says:

śikṣā-guruke ta jāni kṛṣṇera svarūpa |

antaryāmī bhakta-śreṣṭha ei dui rūpa ||

“I understand the śikṣā-guru to be a form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He appears both as the Indwelling Guide and the best of bhaktas.”

The meaning is that among the two kinds of śikṣā-guru, the antaryāmī (Indwelling Guide) and the highest bhakta, the one who teaches from within and is not perceptible by the senses is known as the caitya-guru. He who, as paramātmā,[7] directs and stimulates the intellect of the worldly-minded jīva is not the director of the bhakta’s heart. Therefore he doesn’t give instruction to the bhakta as caitya-guru. The form of God being worshipped by the bhakta as his own cherished Deity appears in his mind as the indwelling śikṣā-guru. The Lord then guides him by revealing the manners and customs regarding the bhakta’s particular mood. And he who appears externally as the greatest bhakta to teach bhajana in a way perceptible to the student’s senses is in reality also Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Some people circulate a theory that is contrary to scripture that says if one doesn’t receive a śikṣā-mantra from a śikṣā-guru, there is no real bhajana. According to śāstra and the mahājanas, there is no sacred precept about any mantra called a śikṣā-mantra. Therefore, no one should let himself be deceived by such an erroneous doctrine.

Śrī Ananta Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja

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[1] Illusion

[2] Service to God

[3] Great devotee

[4] Sweetest sentiment, taste, flavor

[5] Literally, great mantra

[6] Chanting of the Holy Names

[7] Supreme Spirit