What if following Initiation Vows difficult with the challenges of life?

What if following Initiation Vows difficult with the challenges of life?

(Part of the Serial Posts DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU)

Many devotees take initiation in their young age, even during their student age.

While taking initiation, they might have been aware of the rules of taking initiation like the four Regulative principles, Chanting 16 rounds a day, fasting for Ekadasis & festivals, etc.

(How to follow initiation (diksha) vows in spite of challenges? READ HERE!)

They might have taken the above vows during Initiation without evaluating whether they can follow the vows even in future after marriage, getting child, getting old, etc.

Actually, One should take initiation only after ascertaining that he can follow the vows taken throughout the life in any situation.

Some take diksha in the young age and fail to follow the Initiation Vows after a few years when their life changes stage by stage.

With these changes in their life, they may find following Initiation Vows difficult.

What should be the conviction every devotee should have while taking Initiation?

HH. Sivarama Swami has given a beautiful advice to be followed by all those who take initiation and then find following Initiation Vows difficult.

(Duties of a disciple to his Guru – Part-1! READ HERE!)

Read his advice and strictly follow before & after taking initiation:

ON KEEPING VOWS

(by HH Sivarama Swami)

Today it is not uncommon to hear some devotees rationalize the breaking of the strict vows they took at initiation.

This rationale goes something like this:

“When I was initiated I was very young and did not know the consequences of making such vows. Therefore I should not be bound for life to a promise I made in ignorance.”

INITIATION:

Of course devotees generally take their vows neither as infants, nor in ignorance. Devotees are initiated when they are at least young adults and after they have been educated at least a year in the principles of Krishna consciousness.

It may be true that one cannot foresee all the consequences of a vow or promise. But it is dishonesty and cheating to argue that such lack of foresight validates breaking a vow or promise.

Neither materialists nor spiritualists can envisage the future; hence they cannot be fully aware of the consequences of their decisions or vows.

For instance: until a married couple have their first child, they cannot understand what a serious and long term commitment they embark upon by starting a family. Still the parents cannot say about their 1 year old baby, “We didn’t know how troublesome, expensive, and exhausting it would be to raise a child, therefore we changed our minds and will abandon him in the local park.”

Similarly, youths decide on a profession without knowing what such work will be like; Boys and girls marry without knowing what married life is like, and so on.

(DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART 2! READ HERE!)

Life is full of decisions and commitments based on a present assumption, without full understanding of future consequences. It is only children who either do or say something and then later change their minds because they “didn’t like” the consequences. But when children grow up they are meant to mature, and part of maturity is that one stands by one’s promises, by one’s vows.

And of all vows, the one of sexual abstinence is the one most generally broken. No doubt we may have been unaware of how difficult it is to keep this vow. But, Srila Prabhupäda says, sticking to that vow and accepting the inconvenience the sex-drive causes is our austerity, tapasya, without which there is no meaning to Krishna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada’s class on SB 6.1.13-14:

“So brahmäcärya, tapasya begins—brahmäcärya, celibacy, no sex life. That is the beginning of tapasya… Sama, to control the senses, to keep in equilibrium. Senses may not be agitated. Damena, even it is agitated, by my knowledge I have to curb down. Just like if I become agitated by seeing a beautiful girl, or for woman, a beautiful boy… That is natural. Yuvatinam yatha yunor yunor yatha yuvah. Young boy, young girl, they are naturally attracted. There is nothing surprising. But tapasya means that, “I have taken vow, no illicit sex.” That is knowledge. “Why? Even if I am attracted, I shall not do this.” This is tapasya. And “Because I am now attracted, now we shall enjoy”—that is not tapasya. Tapasya means even one is attracted, he should not act. That is tapasya.

There may be some difficulty to control, but that should be practiced. It can be practiced. It is not very difficult. But one has to practice the determination: “Now I have taken vow before Deity because at the time of initiation, it is promised before the Deity, before the fire, and before the spiritual master, before the Vaishnava, that ‘I’ll not have illicit sex.’ That is promised. How can I break it?” This is tapasya. “I have taken vow before the Deity, before fire, before my spiritual master, before the Vaishnavas, ‘No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no drinking or intoxication, no gambling.’ I have promised it. If I am gentleman, how can I break my promise?” This is called jnana. With knowledge one has to respect. That is called tapasya.”

Therefore, a disciple should follow the Vows taken by him/her during Initiation at any cost sincerely and happily that will open the gates for their entry into Krishna’s Kingdom Goloka.

(DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART 3! READ HERE!

Author: RAJAN

RAJAN from Tamil Nadu, India, a Life Patron and an Initiated Devotee being in ISKCON for nearly three decades, serves anonymously to avoid Prominence and crowd as an insignificant, Humble and Neutral Servant for all the devotees of Krishna! He promotes Social media forums and this blog-website as e-satsangha (e-forums) blessed with Lakhs of followers, to give Spiritual Solutions for all the Material Problems of the devotees since 2011! He writes friendly and practical tips to practice devotion (i) without hurting the followers of other paths, (ii) without affecting the personal and career life, and (iii) without the blind, superstitious and ritualistic approach! He dedicates all the glories and credits to his Guru and Krishna.