Will accepting a Guru alone elevate a devotee to attain perfection?
“Madhav” asked like this:
“I am chanting Hare Krishna Mantra for many years and following four rules but not getting Diksha. What could be the possible causes. I am from ISKCON.”
REPLY:
A guru is necessary for every devotee to get faster elevation.
Just accepting a guru is not sufficient.
By accepting a guru, we can get increased strength to follow the effective chanting, Regulative Principles, etc.
(I have more attachment with Guru than Krishna. What to do? READ HERE!)
Accepting a guru is like getting the approval license to follow the devotional service properly.
So, It is advisable to accept a diksha guru that will help you to get the blessings and strength of the entire guru parampara that will help in our faster growth in our devotional services.
How this happens?
If we are sincere in our devotional service after getting initiated, our guru accepts the karma of the disciples that purifies us. Because of this purification and association with the guru, our sadhanas (devotional practices) will be more effective.
These effective devotional practices will make our devotional advancement still faster.
(How to repent for not following the Vows given to Guru? READ HERE!)
So, if we do not perform the devotional practices and follow the regulative principles, we can not advance in devotion to Krishna.
So, (i) the initiation from a guru, (ii) following the regulative principles and (iii) following devotional practices Sadhanas (Vaidhi bhakti)– all these three are equally important to advance in Krishna Consciousness and to go back to Krishna.
Let us read what Srila Prabhupada said about this quoting Srila Rupa Gosvami:
“Srila Rupa Gosvami warns, however, that if a person is properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, he should not think that simply by the acceptance of such initiation his business is then finished. One still has to follow the rules and regulations very carefully.
If after accepting the spiritual master and being initiated, one does not follow the rules and regulations of devotional service, then he is again fallen.
(WHAT IF A DISCIPLE IS UNABLE TO SURRENDER TO GURU? READ HERE!)
One must be very vigilant to remember that he is the part and parcel of the transcendental body of Krsna, and that it is his duty as part and parcel to give service to the whole, or Krsna.
If we do not render service to Krsna then again we fall down. In other words, simply becoming initiated does not elevate one to the position of a high-class brahmana.
One also has to discharge the duties and follow the regulative principles very rigidly.”
This is what Srila Prabhupada said quoting Srila Rupa Gosvami.
CONCLUSION:
The above explanation, we can conclude that Accepting a Guru alone is not sufficient. Similarly, If we practice devotion without accepting a guru, we may face so many barriers in our Sadhana Bhakti.
So, if you ask will accepting a Guru alone elevate a devotee, the reply will be that both devotional practices (Sadhana Bhakti) and Accepting a guru – Both are equally important for a devotee for faster advancement in devotion.
Of course, Chanting alone is capable of taking us to Krishna, but for proper and effective chanting, purification thru a Guru is important as explained above.
Accepting guru is a ritual. But, you should justify being a good disciple by following the instructions of your spiritual master.
(Why should the devotees and gurus be affected by Pandemic like Covid-19? READ HERE!)