PURPORT

   The nine types of devotional service are mentioned inSrimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.23):

 

            sravanam kirtanam visnoh
             smaranam pada-sevanam
         arcanam vandanam dasyam
          sakhyam atma-nivedanam

 

                  iti pumsarpita visnau
              bhaktis cen nava-laksana
               kriyeta bhagavaty addha
            tan manye 'dhitam uttamam

 

   These are the activities of hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping, praying, obeying, maintaining friendship and surrendering everything. As far as chanting the holy name of Krsna is concerned, one can be freed from all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name without committing offenses. If one chants offenselessly, hemay be saved from all sinful reactions . It is very important in devotional service to chant the holy name of the Lord without committing offenses. The nine devotional processes such as sravana and kirtana can all be attained at once if one simply chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly.

In this regard, Srila Jiva Gosvami states in his book Bhakti-sandarbha (173):

yadyapi anya bhaktih kalau kartavya,
tada kirtanakhya-bhakti-samyogenaiva.

Out of the nine processes of devotional service, kirtana is very important. Srila Jiva Gosvami therefore instructs that the other processes, such as arcana, vandana, dasya and sakhya, should be executed, but they must be preceded and followed by kirtana, the chanting of the holy name. We have therefore introduced this system in all of our centers. Arcana, arati, bhoga offering, Deity dressing and decoration are all preceded and followed by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord-Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Madhya 15.108  The Lord Accepts Prasada at the House of...

   "One does not have to undergo initiation or execute the activities required before initiation. One simply has to vibrate the holy name with his lips. Thus even a man in the lowest class [candala] can bedelivered.

PURPORT

 

  Srila Jiva Gosvami explains diksa in his Bhakti-sandarbha (283):

 

           divyam jnanam yato dadyat
           kuryat papasya sanksayam
              tasmad dikseti sa prokta
              desikais tattva-kovidaih

 

   "Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows thisprocess as diksa."  The regulative principles of diksa are explained in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.3,4) and in Bhakti-sandarbha (283). As stated:

               dvijanam anupetanam
 svakarmadhyayanadisu
yathadhikaro nastiha
syac copanayanad anu
tathatradiksitanam tu mantra-devarcanadisu
nadhikaro 'sty atah kuryad atmanam siva-samstutam

 

   "Even though born in a brahmana family, one cannot engage in Vedic rituals without being initiated and having a sacred thread. Although born in a brahmana family, one becomes a brahmana after initiation and the sacred thread ceremony. Unless one is initiated as a brahmana, he cannot worship the holy name properly."
   According to the Vaisnava regulative principles, one must be initiated as a brahmana. The Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.6) quotes the following injunction from the Visnu-yamala:

 

              adiksitasya vamoru
         krtam sarvam nirarthakam
                pasu-yonim avapnoti
                diksa-virahito janah

 

   "Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, all his devotional activities are useless. A person who is not properly initiated can descend again into the animal species." Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.10) further quotes:

 

           ato gurum pranamyaivam
             sarva-svam vinivedya ca
         grhniyad vaisnavam mantram
               diksa-purvam vidhanatah

 

   "It is the duty of every human being to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. Giving him everything-body, mind and intelligence-one must take a Vaisnava initiation from him."
   The Bhakti-sandarbha (298) gives the following quotation from the Tattva-sagara:

 

                        yatha kancanatam yati
                        kasyam rasa-vidhanatah
                        tatha diksa-vidhanena
                        dvijatvam jayate nrnam

   "By chemical manipulation, bell metal is turned into gold when touched by mercury; similarly, when a person is properly initiated, he can acquire the qualities of a brahmana."
   The Hari-bhakti-vilasa (17.11,12) in discussing the purascarya process, quotes the following verses from Agastya-samhita:

 

              puja traikaliki nityam
            japas tarpanam eva ca
        homo brahmana-bhuktis ca
              purascaranam ucyate

 

         guror labdhasya mantrasya
               prasadena yatha-vidhi
            pancangopasana-siddhyai
               puras caitad vidhiyate

 

   "In the morning, afternoon and evening, one should worship the Deity, chant the Hare Krsna mantra, offer oblations, perform a fire sacrifice, and feed the brahmanas. These five activities constitute purascarya. To attain full success when taking initiation from the spiritual master, one should first perform these purascarya processes."

The word purah means "before" and carya means "activities." Due to the necessity of these activities, we do not immediately initiate disciples in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. For six months, a candidate for initiation must first attend arati and classes in the sastras, practice the regulative principles andassociate with other devotees. When one is actually advanced in the purascarya-vidhi, he is recommended by the local temple president for initiation. It is not that anyone can be suddenly initiated withoutmeeting the requirements. When one is further advanced by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra sixteen rounds daily, following the regulative principles and attending classes, he receives the sacred thread (brahminical recognition) after the second six months.   In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (17.4,5,7) it is stated:

 

              vina yena na siddhah syan
                 mantro varsa-satair api
                   krtena yena labhate
             sadhako vanchitam phalam

                purascarana-sampanno
              mantro hi phala-dhayakah
                atah puraskriyam kuryat
             mantravit siddhi-kanksaya

 

               puraskriya hi mantranam
               pradhanam viryam ucyate
                   virya-hino yatha dehi
               sarva-karmasu na ksamah
                    purascarana-hino hi
                tatha mantrah prakirtitah

 

   "Without performing the purascarya activities, one cannot become perfect even by chanting this mantra for hundreds of years. However, one who has undergone the purascarya-vidhi process can attain success very easily. If one wishes to perfect his initiation, he must first undergo the purascarya activities. The purascarya process is the life-force by which one is successful in chanting the mantra. Without the life-force, one cannot do anything; similarly, without the life
force of purascarya-vidhi, no mantra can be perfected."

   In his Bhakti-sandarbha (283), Srila Jiva Gosvami states:

yadyapi sri-bhagavata-mate pancaratradi-vat arcana-margasya
avasyakatvam nasti, tad vinapi saranapattyadinam ekatarenapi
urusartha-siddher abhihitatvat, tathapi
ri-naradadi-vartmanusaradbhih sri-bhagavata saha sambandha-visesam
iksa-vidhanena sri-guru-carana-sampaditam cikirsadbhih krtayam
iksayam arcanam avasyam kriyetaiva.

 

Of similar importance is diksa, which is explained as follows in Bhakti-sandarbha (284):

 

yadyapi svarupato nasti, tathapi prayah svabhavato dehadi-sambandhena
kardaya-silanam viksipta-cittanam jananam tat-tat-sankoci-karanaya
srimad-rsi-prabhrtibhir atrarcana-marge kvacit kvacit kacit kacin
maryada sthapitasti.

 

Similarly in the Ramarcana-candrika it is stated:

                        vinaiva diksam viprendra

                        purascaryam vinaiva hi
                        vinaiva nyasa-vidhina
                        japa-matrena siddhida

 

In other words, the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is so powerful that it does not depend on official initiation, but if one is initiated and engages in pancaratra-vidhi (Deity worship), his Krsna consciousness will awaken very soon, and his identification with the material world will be vanquished. The more one is freed from material identification, the more one can realize that the spirit soul is qualitatively as good as the Supreme Soul. At such a time, when one is situated on the absolute platform, he can understand that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical. At that stage of
realization, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna mantra, cannot be identified with any material sound. If one accepts the Hare Krsna maha-mantra as a material vibration, he falls down. One should worship and chant the holy name of the Lord by accepting it as the Lord Himself. One should therefore be initiated properly according to revealed scriptures under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master. Although chanting the holy name is good for both the conditioned and liberated soul, it is especially beneficial to the conditioned soul because by chanting it one is liberated. When a person who chants the holy name is liberated, he attains the ultimate perfection by returning home, back to Godhead. In the words of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 7.73):

 

         krsna-mantra haite habe                                  samsara-mocana
                 krsna-nama haite pabe                                 krsnera carana

 

   "Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna one can obtain freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord."
   The offenseless chanting of the holy name does not depend on the initiation process. Although initiation may depend on purascarya or purascarana, the actual chanting of the holy name does not depend on purascarya-vidhi, or the regulative principles. If one chants the holy name once without committing an offense, he attains all success.

During the chanting of the holy name, the tongue must work. Simply by chanting the holy name, one is immediately delivered. The tongue is sevonmukha-jihva-it is controlled by service. One whose tongue is engaged in tasting material things and also talking about them cannot use the tongue for absolute realization.

 

         atah sri-krsna-namadi
    na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
          sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
      svayam eva sphuraty adah

 

   According to Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 17.134):

 

     ataeva krsnera 'nama', 'deha','vilasa'
      prakrtendriya-grahya nahe, haya sva-prakasa

 

   "With these material senses, one cannot understand the
transcendental holy name of the Lord or His form, activities and pastimes. However, when one actually engages in devotional service, utilizing the tongue, the Lord is revealed."

 

Madhya 15.110  The Lord Accepts Prasada at the House of...

   "By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one dissolves his
entanglement in material activities. After this, one becomes very attracted to Krsna, and thus dormant love for Krsna is awakened.

 

Madhya 15.110  The Lord Accepts Prasada at the House of...

   " 'The holy name of Lord Krsna is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that save for the dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily available to everyone, including the lowest type of man, the candala. The holy name of Krsna is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Krsna. Simply by touching the holy name with one's tongue, immediate effects are produced. Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation, pious activities or the
purascarya regulative principles generally observed before initiation.  The holy name does not wait for all these activities. It is self-sufficient.' "

 

Madhya 15.111  The Lord Accepts Prasada at the House of...

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then finally advised, "One who is chanting the Hare Krsna mantra is understood to be a Vaisnava; therefore you should offer all respects to him."

PURPORT

In his Upadesamrta, Srila Rupa Gosvami states:

krsneti yasya giri
tam manasadriyeta diksasti cet.

An advanced devotee should respect a person who has been initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and who is situated on the transcendental platform, chanting the holy name with faith and obeisances and following the instructions of the spiritual master. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura comments that serving Vaisnavas is most important for householders. Whether a Vaisnava is properly initiated or not is not a subject for consideration. One may be initiated and yet contaminated by the Mayavada philosophy, but a person who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly will not be so contaminated. A properly initiated Vaisnava may be imperfect, but one who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly is all-perfect.

Although he may apparently be a neophyte, he still has to be
considered a pure unalloyed Vaisnava. It is the duty of the householder to offer respects to such an unalloyed Vaisnava. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction.
                               

[Editor's note: Hare Krsna-so the conclusion is this: anyone who once chants the Holy Names of Krsna, according ot Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is worshipable/one should take  vaisnava initiation in order to easily perfect this mantra chanting/ if one does not take initiation he or she can fall down into the animal species and all previous devotional activites are useless / the life force of the chanting is purascarya or initiation by a bonafide spiritual master. its true  that by once chanting the names of God one can be liberated-like Ajamila-but  this story is to show a unique  example and the power of the Holy Names in a severe situation / Prabhupada mentions elsewhere that due to our restless minds, we MUST engage in Deity worship and follow all the rules and regulations he has written in his books about, in order for us to continue from neophyte to more advanced vaisnava and ultimately learn how to chant without ANY offenses, because its in THAT state we get the ultimate result-liberation and prema.]

Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das