How should devotee couples follow rules in Public Places?
A girl devotee who requested her anonymity asked like this:
“hare krishna Prabuji…….I ve noted yu r d only devoti who speaks d facts without fear. i get a balancd opinion abt any topic. so i write dis to you.
i hav a frnd in fb. she is residing in d temple hostel in …………. …) and workin dere. she is initiated to d guru ………………. she loves a devoti prabu frm d same temple who is also initiated. she is posting in fb d photos of her and that prabu. wen frnds ask abt dat prabu, she says dat they are going to marry next yr. but, dey hav wandered throughout dat holy town as lovers…
my question is ‘is d rules allow devoti to behave so before marriage and post d pic.s? den, what is d meaning in taking initiation? why are they allowd to remain together? how girls are allowd to work n reside in places of worship where hundreds of bramhacaris are residing? how d temple permits them to wander all over? i m confused as i too am planning for initiation. i hesitate now.
i hv also given d link for her profile.
pl help to clear my my confusion prabuji. yu only cn helpme. hare krishna. pl dont forget to hide allmy identitis coz matter serious prabuji”
REPLY:
Very painful to read your message and to see those pictures! I am unable to speak. Words refuse to come out of my mouth.
First of all, the Devotee Couples should follow rules in Public Places.
Actually, a true devotee will not wander like this in a spiritual town that is very important for a sampradhaya. So, she and he must have got initiation before getting actually qualified for the same! That is why, I have been telling that the scrutiny system should be strong.
Most of the recommendations are made after knowing the standing of the devotees. However, in a few cases, if a devotee maintains cordial approach with the signing authority (or) gives good donations (or) influential person who asked for recommendation (or) a devotee with weak senses but gives more service to the temples, a few signing authorities some times hesitate to refuse the candidate who asked for recommendation for diksha. So, such exceptions happen. Of course, these cases are only minorities, but, more care to be taken before scrutinizing the candidates.
(Courses and Exams for initiations (Diksha) in ISKCON for different levels! READ HERE!)
I know, sometimes, in any year, a temple may have very less number of candidates to recommend for diksha. During those years, such weak recommendations may happen to achieve their own target (!!!) of a certain recommendations per year. They may be thinking that they can please the gurus by sending more and more recommendations. But, actually, they are causing pains to the gurus by making weak recommendations that may affect the health of gurus. There should be no liquidation in the verification process..
However, the cases that are mentioned by you must be those who got diksha a few years ago. Now a days, the gurus have become strict and have suggested to the temples to recommend the candidates for diksha only after thorough scrutiny. The rules have also been tightened and exams are conducted and interviews are done for diksha.
That is why, I delayed to take diksha till my situation allows me to follow the rules and I took diksha only after I became confident that I can follow the rules sufficiently.
Thus, diksha should not be rushed unless you are prepared to follow the rules. If you have strong desire to get initiated, keep praying to Krishna. He will give you life till you become qualified and he will give the guru before you die. Don’t take diksha with fanatic emotions. Your violations will affect your guru’s health severely. They just believe you and accept as disciple. It is your duty to follow the rules. Unless you follow the rules, diksha may not work.
(Is Brahmana Diksha (Second Initiation) Compulsory for all? READ HERE!)
I have read H.H.Bhakti Charu Swami saying: “Don’t think that you take initiation and your spiritual master will take you back to Godhead. You have to become serious, otherwise, the opportunity of Going back to Godhead is Lost”
Actually, those two devotees’ behaviour will add ill repute to the Spiritual organization. First, it can be avoided to appoint or engage girls in the daily jobs in the administration side of temples or mutts where more and more brahmacharis are living and working. This will shake the brahmacharya of some brahmacharis! So, it is my personal view based on the rules of other sampradhayas, that a girl should not be appointed in work in the mutts and temples. Because, there are so many talented computer operators, accountants even among the male devotees! The women may serve in temple halls along with other women devotees and then go back to their homes! Not as an employee!
Such mutts and temples are the places where gurus, brahmacharis and sanyasis come and go. So, there is no need to engage the young girls in employment.
First of all, the girl devotees should not be allowed to stay outside their home. They must be encouraged to do their devotional practices from home!
(BENEFITS OF DIKSHA (INITIATION) AND HOW IT WORKS! EXAMPLES! READ HERE!)
Only because the girls were allowed to work there, such incidents happen in that temple town. After that, they have started to wander throughout the temple town. Because, that brahmachari and that girl devotee – both are staying outside their home 100’s or 1000’s of miles away. The authorities also seem to be weak in monitoring the activities of the devotees! They believe that all the devotees will be good people and there is no need to monitor them. But, a few devotees do like this and add ill repute to the sathsangha.
I ask that girl and boy initiated devotees: Why should you wander publicly in such a holy place, that too, with the vaishnava appearance and post in social media? If you find that boy good, why can’t you tell your parents immediately and marry him? It is very disturbing to see that boy in brahmachari outlook and that girl in devotee outlook! After reading this message and verifying the pictures, I became totally upset.
I beg ALL the spiritual organizations: Please do not modernize your activities and policies beyond a limit. Do not liberalize the advices given by the scriptures beyond a limit! There should be NO liquidity of policies in spiritually important Places. If we liberalize the system beyond a limit, such nasty things will happen among individual devotees that will add ill-repute to us only. Please stop liberalization and save our tradition! Kindly read the Scriptures that speak of these rules.
(How to take Diksha (Initiation) and become a disciple of a guru (spiritual master) in ISKCON? READ HERE!)
I also request the individual devotees: Please do not rush for diksha. First become a follower of all 4 regulative principles and a perfect chanter. Take a pledge to follow the rules and then take diksha.
Please do not approach the spirituality carelessly. Leave atleast this field uncorrupted please!
For the devotee who asked this question: Please do not bother about a few individual devotees violations of regulative principles after diksha. They are here and there. Please do not get dejected because of their activities. You remain as a good devotee and follow all the rules. Do not rush for diksha and after selecting a bonafide guru, take initiation. Do not take initiation without full confidence in your discipline. After diksha, stick with the rules firmly. Though a few other devotees defer, if you are perfect, you will receive all the blessings of Guru and Lord.
These are all the trends of kaliyuga! What else can I say! That is why, I have been writing against too much of modernization and liberalization of the system!
Hope you are now clear about this matter.
Let Krishna protects His devotees from the risks of kali.
(INITIATION (DIKSHA) VOWS & CHALLENGES IN FOLLOWING THEM! READ HERE!)