Why don’t you recommend to us which Diksha Guru to choose in ISKCON?
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hk Anna. I am your follower for 8 years from 2013. I just love your posts because they are reliable , unbiased and absolutely practical. Why can’t you recommend a diksha guru to us from ISKCON because I am confused to accept which guru in ISKCON. Please recommend a guru for me and I will do as said by you. Thanks in advance”
REPLY:
You have not yet attained the stage of accepting a guru from ISKCON I think.
Because, you have no clear idea about the Guru system in ISKCON.
First, you should do the DISCIPLES’ COURSE offered by ISKCON that explains everything about the rules and regulations regarding the administrative and diksha system followed in ISKCON. Please join that course and do that by contacting your nearby ISKCON temple.
(Original Guru Parampara of Mahabharatha & Bhagavatham! READ HERE!)
As far as getting a right guru is concerned, if you wish for a good bonafide guru sincerely, Krishna will show a right guru for you.
Srila Prabhupada has said that getting a bogus guru or a genuine guru depends on our desire.
If we desire to satisfy our material desires and if we like to be cheated, we will get a bogus guru.
If we need to perform service to the lord selflessly, the Lord will show a genuine guru to you.
Discuss with your nearest temple management. They will guide you after evaluating your present circumstances.
(TYPES OF GURUS (SPIRITUAL MASTERS) FROM THE SCRIPTURES! READ HERE!)
As per the ISKCON laws, One should not recommend any particular guru to the devotees and every devotee should choose a guru according to his own observation without the influence from others.
A devotee should not drive and collect support for any particular guru and he should not induce anyone about which Diksha Guru to choose in ISKCON. He should honour all the Gurus and the choice of Guru should be voluntary based on your own observation and experience.
That is why, I have been preaching for 11 years without giving more importance for my identity. Even when I started this preaching service, I had decided that this is the media for all the devotees of krishna.
There is a disease among some younger devotees. They give some extra importance for the disciples of their won guru. And, they may not fully associate with the disciples of others gurus to the same level. Smelling this decades ago, I am keeping our media as a common media for all the Krishna devotees.
(KRISHNA’s GURU DAKSHINA TO HIS GURU SANDIPANI – STORY! READ HERE!)
I have a diksha Guru in ISKCON. But, still, I have not declared the name of even my own diksha guru here, because, I want to be the god brother of all the ISKCON devotees, not only the disciples of my own guru maharaja.
I can not expect all the devotees to be like our regular initiated supporters who value the service done by me, not the background like whose disciple I am, etc. They are happy because they are convinced that they are associating with the genuine disciple in the ISKCON society. There are some other devotees who are more interested in my bio data than the performance.
See, a GOOD TEACHER MEANS HE IS A QUALIFIED TEACHER. BUT, ALL THE QUALIFIED TEACHERS NEED NOT BE GOOD TEACHERS,
SIMILARLY, ONE’s PERFORMANCE SHOWS HIS BIO DATA. JUST BIODATA ALONE CAN NOT GIVE GOOD PERFORMANCE.
I ALWAYS LIKE TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH MY PERFORMANCE AND QUALITIES THAT SHOWS THAT I AM A GOOD DISCIPLE.
(Will accepting a Guru alone elevate a devotee to attain perfection? READ HERE!)
I like to avoid sensitivities in our media environment. I like to be peaceful because only if I am peaceful, I can serve better.
That is why, I have shut the doors of the discussions about me. I myself am giving sufficient details that may be useful for the devotees to follow in their life too.
I am more experienced in the politics involved in everything. So, I know what is good for a media like this. Just be relieved and feel fortunate that you are learning from a bonafide preacher.
Let it be.
That is why, I am very careful in following the rules.
(Why should the devotees and gurus be affected by Pandemic like Covid-19? READ HERE!)
If I recommend or promote a guru from ISKCON to the followers of this media, I will be violating the laws of ISKCON. Which Diksha Guru to choose in ISKCON should be voluntary based on your taste and choice.
So, as a self regulated responsible preacher, I can not recommend my own guru for you. Giving more disciples is not the real service we do for our guru. We should make others think and choose themselves. That is the good preaching. In this media, I post from the writings of all the gurus of ISKCON whenever the need comes including my own guru maharaj.
Do not choose a guru just because your friend too has accepted him. If your heart says that this is the guru you should accept, do that. Do not blindly select a guru seeing others.
Follow the books and speeches of all the gurus and then choose a guru who you feel to be chosen.
First of all become fully fit to accept a guru and then accept a guru.
Hope this helps you about which Diksha Guru to choose in ISKCON.
(WHAT IF A DISCIPLE IS UNABLE TO SURRENDER TO GURU? READ HERE!)