Mantras Given in Recorded Form by Srila Svami Maharaja
- The Symbol of Faith
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Mantras Given in Recorded Form by Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja
Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja on numerous occasions gave initiations by means of mail. He sent letters containing the names chosen by him, the mantras in written form, tape recordings of the mantras chanted by him, and— depending on the case—the sacred thread, together with various instructions. Below are just several examples of such initiations:
“Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated and have noted the contents carefully. Yes, you have my blessings for the gayatri initiations of Jaya Deva Das Brahmacari and your wife Tilaka Devi Dasi. I am enclosing herewith a tape of the gayatri mantra chanted by me along with two copies of gayatri mantra and one sacred thread, duly chanted on by me, as well. The process should be that you let each of them hear the tape individually (through earphones). Show them how to chant on the fingers. Let them read the mantra and listen to the tape. Then, on my behalf you can present the sacred thread to Jaya Deva. Then hold a fire Yajna as you have seen done so many times before. If there are any questions about procedure, etc, you can consult with Karandhara and he will instruct you properly.”
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“Upon your recommendation I will accept the following devotees for first initiation, as well as the ones you have recommended for second initiation. Hold a fire ceremony and instruct the devotees to follow the regulative principles and to chant a minimum of 16 rounds every day. Play the tape of me chanting gayatri into the right ear of the second initiates. Their beads may be chanted on by Ramesvara Maharaj. The names of the new initiates are:
Mark L.—Madhu Pandita dasa
Marilyn—Madhava-priya dasi
John B.—Janapati dasa
James H.—Jaya Hari dasa”
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“Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your note along with the letter of Sriman Des Louragan, and upon your recommendation, I have gladly consented to accept him as my duly initiated disciple, and to give him Gayatri mantra also. His beads have been duly chanted by me and they have been sent under separate post. Now you can hold a fire yajna for these two boys and give gayatri mantra to Des (Gaura Sakti das). Show him how to count on the finger divisions, and then hang the thread over his shoulder in the proper way, after he has repeated, word for word, the mantra as I intone it on the tape. The tape should be heard through earphones into the right ear.”
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Upon your recommendation I am very glad to accept the six new students as my duly initiated disciples. Their letter is enclosed herewith. As for chanting on their beads, I have delegated Kirtanananda Swami to chant on the new devotees' beads on my behalf in your country. In Europe, Revatinandana Swami will chant on the new devotees' beads on my behalf. Because it is such long distance, therefore it is very expensive to send beads airmail from here, and there are so many instances of the beads being lost in that way. And I am getting now requests up to 20 or 30 each week, so it is practically becoming impossible for me to chant the beads when I am so far distant. Therefore the new devotees may send their beads to Kirtanananda in New Vrindaban, and he will chant the beads and send back to them. Is this all right?
Now hold the fire yajna and give also second initiation to Sarvadarsan, Yajnapati, and Hari Ballav. Enclosed please find three sacred threads, duly chanted by me, along with three copies of Gayatri mantra. Now hold the fire yajna for all nine devotees, and for the second initiates teach them how to chant on the finger divisions and play for them the tape of me reciting Gayatri mantra into their right ear.
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Our comment
Below you will find the ślokas from Hari Bhakti Vilāsa that describe the proper procedure for conducting initiation:
nyasya pāṇitalaṃ mūrdhni tasya karṇe ca dakṣiṇe ।
ṛṣyādiyuktaṃ vidhivanmantraṃ vāratrayaṃ vadet ॥
“After that, the guru will place his hand upon the head of the śiśya and will thrice recite the Śrī Mantras together with explanation within the right ear of the śiśya.”
dīrghamantrañca śiṣyasya yāvadāgrahaṇaṃ paṭhet ।
gurudaivata-mantraikyaṃ śiṣyastaṃ bhāvayan paṭhet ॥
“If the mantra is lengthy, then guru will go on reciting the mantra until the śiśya learns the mantra by heart and after that, both the guru and the śiśya will together recite the mantra with the mood that the mantra and the mantra-devatā are non-different with each other.”
sākṣataṃ gururādāya vāri śiṣyasya dakṣiṇe।
kare’rpayed-danmantro’yaṃ samo’stāvayoriti॥
svasmājjyotirmayīṃ vidyāṃ gacchantīṃ bhāvayed-guruḥ।
āgatāṃ bhāvayechiṣyo dhanyo’smīti viśeṣataḥ॥
“After that “May for both you and me this Śrī Mantra equally (and absolutely) beneficial” — by speaking this mantra (statement), Śrī Gurudeva will give water along with akṣata (unbroken rice grains) in the right palm of the śiśya and will meditate that from his own body the jyotirmayī mantrātmikā vidyā is getting inculcated (transmitted) into the body of the śiśya and the śiśya also will meditate that “by receiving that most special vidyā I am absolutely blessed”.
(Hari Bhakti Vilāsa, 1st Part, 2nd Vilāsa, 170-173 ślokas)
Gaura Hari Haribol!
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