Diikśá and Initiation

Diikśá and Initiation

Published in:
Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 6
Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

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Diikśá and Initiation

2 December 1978 Evening, Madras

In a short discourse, I shall try to say something regarding diikśá and initiation.
As you know, for want of sufficient vocabulary in certain tongues, we are to use some words having close proximity to the required term. [Here, for instance, we have to use the English word “initiation” for the Sanskrit diikśá. But] the word “initiation” cannot represent the spirit of diikśá. The rudimental meaning of “initiation” is “to resort to a new avenue of progress”. Certainly diikśá is a new avenue of progress, but diikśá is also something more.
The first thing to be known and remembered is that, as per the science of yoga, diikśá is divided into two important phases. The first phase is known as Vaedikii diikśá, and the second phase is known as Tántrikii diikśá. In Vaedikii diikśá, the aspirant requests the Supreme Entity, Parama Puruśa, to show him or her the path. It is not a cult; it is just requesting the Supreme Father to let him or her know the secrets of success in the stratum of spirituality. The Gáyattrii Mantra (it is commonly known as the Gáyattrii Mantra, but its actual name is the “Savitr Rk”) is Vaedikii diikśá. Here the request is, “O Lord, show me the path. O Lord, guide our intellect towards the supreme path, so that I may be one with the Supreme Entity.”
Oṋḿ bhúr bhuvah svah oṋḿ tat saviturvareńyaḿ;
Bhargo devasya dhiimahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayát.
This is the “Savitr Rk”, or “Gáyattrii Mantra”. Here the aspirant says, Bhúr bhuvah svah maha janah tapah satya asya saptalokasya savitur devasya, savitur pitur devasya, savitur devasya, tatpitur devasya, vareńyam bhargo dhiimahi, vareńyam pújaniiyam, bhargo jyoti, dhiimahi bayaḿ dhyánam kurmah, kena kárańena bayaḿ dhyánaḿ kurmah. Dhiyo yo nah pracodayát. Dhii buddhih medhá yah nah asmákaḿ sah asmakaḿ dhii pracodayát saḿvidhámaḿ karotu satpathi paricálanaḿ karotu anena kárańena bayaḿ tad vareńyaḿ bhargo dhiimahi dhyánam kurmah.(1)
The exact English translation will be “The Supreme Father who did create the seven strata of manifestation – we meditate on His divine effulgence. And why do we meditate on His divine effulgence? So that He may guide our intellect unto the path of bliss, unto the path of supreme blessedness.” So here the prayer is to guide the brain unto the proper path. It is Vaedikii diikśá – tan no dhiyo pracodayát – “so that He may guide our intellect towards the path of blessedness”… sah no buddhyá shubhayá saḿyunaktu – “so that He may connect our intellect with blessedness.”
So these things are Vaedikii diikśá. There is no scope for such an interpretation or such a phase in “initiation”.
Now, the second phase is Tántrikii diikśá. Actually this Tántrikii diikśá is a cult. In the term “initiation” this cult is not properly clarified, or rather, nothing has been clearly said regarding this cult. As you know regarding the word tantra: tan means “to expand”, and tra means “liberator”; so the science that frees the aspirant from the fetters of bondages by expansion – by expanding the mind, by expanding the existence – is Tantra.
Another meaning: ta is dullness, and tra means liberator. So the science that liberates the aspirant from dullness and expands his or her entire existence is Tantra – Taḿ jádyát tárayet yastu sah tantrah parikiirttitah.
Now this Tántrikii diikśá has three phases, rather you may say three sub-phases: and they are diipanii, mantrágháta and mantra caetanya. And the derivation of the word diikśá is also from diipanii:
Diipajiṋánam yato dadyát kuryát pápakśayaḿ tatah;
Tasmátdiikśeti sá proktá sarvatantrasya sammatá.
[The process which produces the capacity to realize the inner import of mantra and which expedites the requital of the saḿskáras, or reactive momenta, is called diikśá.]
Diipajiṋánam. What is the first letter? Dii. Then, kuryát pápakśayaḿ tatah. Kśayam – what is the first letter? Kśa. So the word becomes diikśa, and the feminine term will be diikśá.
Now what is diipanii? Everything lies coverted within the self. The Supreme Entity is also within your “I” feeling. [He] is with you, but you do not know Him. That is, the Supreme Entity is with you, but You cannot see Him. You cannot realize Him. Why? Because you are covered by, you are surrounded by, Máyá, the cimmerian darkness of Máyá. This diikśá, Tantrikii diikśá, is just like a torch. And by focusing the torch, you see your route through the darkness. That is why the first sub-phase is diipanii – diipanii means “showing the torchlight”. But no such thing is there in the term “initiation”.
Diikśá gives the aspirant the route, the way, or rather the path, of bliss. It shows the path of bliss. And to show the path of bliss, light is required; and that light is also supplied by diikśá. This light is diipanii.
Then, pápakśayam. You know what pápa is: pápa is negative reactive momenta. Whatever you do, the reaction is there, and when the reaction is not satisfied, not quenched, it remains in dormant form. The momentum is there, but not expressed. And there is also the case of positive work, that is, when you do something for the advancement of living beings – that is something positive, it is a positive action. In samája shástra [social scriptures] this positive action is called puńya, and when you do something against the public interest, this negative action is known as pápa. Now this negative action in reactive form, that is, this negative reactive momentum, is called pápa; and pápakśayam is brought about by diikśá. And how is that kśayam(2) to be effected? Through actions – through reactive actions.(3) These reactive actions may be on the physical plane, or may be on the psychic plane. But diikśá teaches us how these reactive momenta are to be satisfied on the psychic plane, thus freeing the person from the bondages of pápa.
Now this process of freeing a person from the fetters of pápa is divided into two sub-phases: mantrágháta and mantra caetanya. Mantrágháta means, as I have already told you, that each and every mantra has the support of an acoustic root: and when that acoustic root strikes at the root of the coiled serpentine, it is aroused. This is called mantrágháta. After that this roused coiled serpentine moves with the force, or the stamina, it gets from the mantra. It moves towards the supreme positivity, and this movement is called mantra caetanya. With the help of this mantrágháta and mantra caetanya, a spiritual aspirant is freed from all the mundane bondages, bondages both on the physical and on the psychic plane.
So whereas in the case of “initiation” we see that it is just a resort to an avenue of progress and nothing more than that, nothing amplified, diikśá is divided into two phases, one primordial and the other final, and that final phase is further divided into three parts, or phases: diipanii, mantrágháta and mantra caetanya. But as we have no proper word for diikśá in English or any other language, we have no alternative but to use the word “initiation” for diikśá. The actual Sanskrit word for the English term “initiation” is abhiśeka, not diikśá.
*Today is Shravanii Purnima*

(First InitiationDay)

🙏 *अवश्य ही पढियेगा* 🙏 *श्रावणी पूर्णिमा* 

 यह सन् 1939 की बात है। आनंद मार्ग के प्रवर्तक भगवान श्री श्री आनंदमूर्ति जी उन दिनों कलिकाता के ईश्वरचन्द्र विद्यासागर महाविद्यालय में 12वीं कक्षा के छात्र थे। बचपन से ही वे अंतर्मुखी थे। उन दिनों वे नित्य प्रति संध्याकाल में भागीरथी नदी के तट पर टहलने जाया करते  थे और अंधकार होने से पूर्व ही लौट आते थे। परंतु वर्ष 1939 के श्रावणी पूर्णिमा के दिन बाबा देर तक टहलते रहे और बाद में काशीमित्र घाट के किनारे ऐसे बैठ गए जैसे वे किसी के लिए प्रतीक्षारत हों। कल- कल, छल -छल करती जल के ऊपर पूर्ण चंद्रमा के दूधिया प्रकाश के पड़ने से वातावरण बहुत ही मनोहारी हो गया था। मानो जलचर प्राणियों की बोलने की आवाज एक नए युग के आने की सूचना दे रहा था।

   पूर्ण चंद्र के धवल प्रकाश में अब सब कुछ स्पष्ट दिखने लगा था। भागीरथी नदी के स्थिर जल में, मानो चांद ने डुबकी लगा अवगाहन स्नान कर, ऐतिहासिक घटना के

साक्षीत्व  के लिए तैयार बैठ गई हो। संध्या भ्रमण करने वाले लोग जा चुके थे। अब चारों दिशाओं में नीरवता रच बस गई थी। बाबा  अपलक प्राकृतिक छटा को निहार रहे थे। तभी हठात बज्र कठोर ध्वनि सुनाई पड़ी कौन हो तुम? ठहरो... और इसी के साथ एक भारी भरकम शरीरधारी कृष्णवर्ण का मनुष्य अत्यन्त आक्रामक अंदाज में सबकुछ छीन लेने के  उद्देश्य से बाबा की ओर बढ़ता चला आ रहा था ।

 तभी बाबा ने धीर गंभीर कर्णप्रिय स्वर में  कहा आओ आओ कालीचरण तुम्हारे लिए तो मैं बैठा हूं।

  कालीचरण का पूरा शरीर मन सिहर उठा । वह आश्चर्यचकित हो यह सोचने लग गया की यह है कौन ? जो मेरा नाम लेकर मुझे बुला रहा है? मेरा तो इस संसार में कोई हितेषी नहीं। मैं  तो दुर्दांत डाकू हूँ,

 लूट खसोट मेरा काम है। लूट का विरोध करने वालों का मैंने कत्ल किया है। यह सब सोचते हुए वह बाबा के सम्मुखीन हुआ । बाबा का दृष्टि पड़ते ही उस कुख्यात व्यक्ति में रूपांतरण प्रारंभ हुआ।

 बाबा ने बड़े ही स्नेह से उन्हें अपने करीब बैठने को कहा। कालीचरण बैठ गया।

तब बाबा ने प्रारंभ किया था देशना, व्यक्तिगत संपर्क और धर्म समीक्षा। अपने अतीत के कुकृत्यों का वर्णन सुन वह हतप्रभ रह गया था। वह बाबा की बातों को सुनता चला जा रहा था और साथ ही पिघल रहा था उसका पाषाण हृदय। आंखों से अविरल आंसू बहने लगे, वह बाबा के कमलवत् चरणों में अपने आपको अर्पित कर दिया। तब बाबा ने अपना स्नेहिल स्पर्श देकर कहा ... उठो और जाओ  अवगाहन स्नान कर आओ।

   आज्ञा का पालन करते हुए अश्रुपूरित नेत्रों से कालीचरण भागीरथी के जल में स्नान कर बाबा के समक्ष प्रस्तुत हुआ। बाबा ने उसी मुहूर्त में कालीचरण के माध्यम से आनंदमार्गिय  तांत्रिक सभ्यता का सूत्रपात किया। दीपज्ञान (दीक्षा )मिलते ही कालीचरण और भाव विह्वल हो चला था क्योंकि उसे मुक्ति का मार्ग जो मिल गया था।

 दीक्षा के अंतिम सोपान में बाबा ने गुरु के रूप में दक्षिणा मांगा, लेकिन उसके पास उस दिन कुछ भी नहीं था । तब बाबा ने स्वयं ही  अपने जेब से एक सिक्का निकालकर उसके हाथ में देते हुते कहा था यह लो और गुरु दक्षिणा दो। वह आश्चर्यचकित हो बाबा को निहारे चला जा रहा था। मन ही मन कह रहा था कि हे अंतर्यामी तुम तो अद्भुत और अद्वितीय हो। अत्यन्त ही भावुक हो कर वह उस मुद्रा को दक्षिणा के रूप में *बाबा* को समर्पित किया था और *बाबा* ने उसे स्वीकार किया।

कालीचरण अब पूर्णरूपेण रूपांतरित हो चुका था। वह अब सिर्फ आध्यात्मिक साधक ही नहीं वरन् ऐतिहासिक पुरुष भी बन गया था। इस प्रकार कालीचरण बंधोपाध्याय की दीक्षा आनन्दमार्ग में प्रथम दीक्षा माना गया। इस ऐतिहासिक दिन को प्रत्येक वर्ष आनंद मार्ग के साधकगण श्रावणी पूर्णिमा के रूप में मनाते हैं। आगे चलकर कालीचरण साधना के अनेक सोपानों को सीखते हैं और  कालिकानन्द के रूप में बाबा के श्री चरणों में सेवारत हो जाते हैं।

 दीक्षा ग्रहण करने के उपरान्त कालीचरण के सामने जीवनयापन एक चुनौती भरा कार्य था क्योंकि तब वह उस क्षेत्र में नहीं रह सकते थे जहां लूटपाट किया करते थे। उसके साथ उसकी बहन रहती थी जिसका विवाह करना अभी बाकी था। इसलिये आजीविका चलाने और एक भद्र पुरुष के रूप में ज़िंदगी जीने के लिये "बाबा" ने उन्हें  लातेहार (वर्त्तमान झारखण्ड) में जाकर लकड़ी का काम करने को कहा था और उन्होंने वैसा ही किया था। हमने अनेक वरिष्ठ साधकों से सुना है कि वे आज भी कापालिक साधकों की सुरक्षा में रहते हैं।

आइए... हम सब उस ऐतिहासिक पुरुष को नमन करते हुए बाबा के कमलवत चरणों में साष्टांग प्रणाम कर पुनः संकल्प और शपथ को स्मरण कर, नई ऊर्जा के साथ आनंद परिवार एवं सदविप्र समाज की स्थापना में जुट जायें । शुभमस्तु....

 *बाबा नाम केवलम*

*About Initiation*

Baba says, “Those who perform sadhana *twice a day regularly,* the thought of Parama Purusa will certainly arise in their mind at the time of death; their liberation is a sure guarantee…” (Supreme Command)

(B) Baba furthermore stresses the importance of getting *all the lessons of sadhana* in a timely way. But here again that is impossible if one does not at least get initiated.

Baba says, “Human life is short. It is wise to get all the instructions regarding sádhaná as soon as possible.” (Caryacarya – 2, Sadhana, point #8)

(C) Here below Baba graciously declares that “dharma is the property of the masses.”

Baba says, “Today, you should remember that *Ananda Marga is not limited to a handful of honest and intellectual people. Rather, it is trying to rally thousands of people under the banner of one sublime ideology. I dedicate Ananda Marga in this DMC [Dharma Mahácakra: a spiritual gathering during which the Guru delivers several discourses] to all sections of society*. Prior to this DMC, I would only discuss intellectual topics, but from this DMC onwards I have become a man of the people because I believe that *dharma is the property of the masses, not the exclusive monopoly of a handful of so-called educated middle class elite*. Dharma belongs to one and all. From this DMC, I recognize it as the property of the common people.”

(Ananda Vacanamrtam – 7, Spiritual Truth Surpasses Everything, 3 January 1979, Patna)

*🍁 Shrávańii Púrńimá 🍁*

- *Where love fails, punishment helps*. One who does both is the real Guru. 

Baba says ;

_"This is Shrávańii Púrńimá. It is an important day. Then I was very young, studying in Vidyasagar College in Calcutta. One evening a very interesting event took place. Suddenly a wicked person came near me. I use the word “wicked”, but it is not a permanent state of human beings. A person who is wicked today may be a noble person tomorrow, and one who is dull or stupid today may be wise tomorrow. These are all relative matters bound by the bondages of relativity. No one can be called permanently wicked. It should always be borne in mind that one should always try to develop the good and the subtle in a wicked person."_

_"That evening a certain wicked person came to me. What could he expect from me? But then he came. In accordance with natural human psychology, I asked him, “What do you want? Why do you adopt this evil path?” In the course of our conversation, he realized that he should change the course of his life, and he took initiation. That was the first spiritual initiation I ever imparted to anyone. And that same day, Shrávańii Púrnima, has again returned._

_A long time has elapsed since then. That was perhaps in 1939. This all took place 41 years ago. You must try to arouse the seed of benevolence that lies hidden in the inner recesses of the human mind. How can this seed be aroused? Human beings will have to apply all sorts of measures – persuasion, scolding etc.; and at the same time you will have to continue your efforts so that the dormant seeds of psychic potentialities express themselves. And with their expression, the whole society will be benefited. Today human beings must be inspired and motivated, and thus discipline is essential. *To impose discipline is not bad.* It has been said in the scriptures: Hitarthe shásanam ityarthe anushásanam. “That discipline which leads to the welfare of all human beings is called anushásanam.” *Society requires enforced discipline*. In the scriptures it is also said: Nigrahánugrahe shakto gururityabhidhiyate: “One who is capable of punishing or rewarding one’s followers is called a Guru, a true teacher”. Only one who can discipline as well as love a person, can be called a Guru."_

_One who only punishes a person is not a Guru, and one who only loves is also not a Guru. Rather he or she is an enemy, for *excessive love and affection spoils a person. Only one who does both these things is a real Guru. That is why people should be trained with both love and punishment.* Where love fails, punishment helps. Medicine is not necessarily always sweet; sometimes bitter medicines are necessary as well. Patients often refuse to swallow bitter medicines; they cry in protest. But the ideal physician will force the patient to swallow the medicine. This is the proper way."_

Shrávańii Púrńimá 25 August 1980

Shri Shri Ánandamúrti ji

A few problems solved - 5

🌷🌾🙏🏼🌾🌷