Verse 1.17.105

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.17.105:

আর দিনে নিভৃতে ঈশ্বর-পুরী-স্থানে মন্ত্র-দীক্ষা চাহিলেন মধুর-বচনে ॥ ১০৫ ॥

आर दिने निभृते ईश्वर-पुरी-स्थाने मन्त्र-दीक्षा चाहिलेन मधुर-वचने ॥ १०५ ॥

āra dine nibhṛte īśvara-purī-sthāne mantra-dīkṣā cāhilena madhura-vacane || 105 ||

ara dine nibhrte isvara-puri-sthane mantra-diksa cahilena madhura-vacane (105)

English translation:

(105) On another day the Lord went privately to Īśvara Purī and in sweet words requested him for initiation.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The phrase mantra-dīkṣā is defined in the Bhakti-sandarbha (207) as mantra-dīkṣā-rūpaḥ anugrahaḥ—“receiving mercy in the form of initiation.” According to the passage, mananāt trāyate yasmāt tasmān mantraḥ prakīrtitaḥ, a mantra is that which delivers one from manana, or absorption in the separate temporary objects of the temporary, external, enjoyable world, or that which delivers the material enjoyer from the principle of enjoying material existence. It is stated in the Viṣṇu-yāmala:

divyaṃ jñānaṃ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṅkṣayam tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ

“Dīkṣā 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 this process as dīkṣā.” According to regulative principles, the initiation ceremony has five factors. Among them, the three saṃskāras—tāpa-saṃskāra, ūrdhva- puṇḍra-saṃskāra, and nāma-saṃskāra—are found in the gross material world. Apart from these three, those who are madhyama-adhikārīs can undergo mantra-saṃskāra and yoga-saṃskāra and thus become fully initiated with the five saṃskāras. Thereafter, those who perform navejyā- karma, or nine forms of arcana, and master the knowledge of artha- pañcaka are called uttama-adhikārīs. Persons who have received pāñcarātrika initiation are qualified to worship the Deities. By the

influence of mantra-dīkṣā, a living entity attains freedom from the bondage of material existence. Then, by attaining perfection in chanting one’s mantra, knowledge of the Lord and His holy names awakens in one’s heart and one becomes qualified to serve the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. In the bhāgavata-sampradāya, the kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs who engage in Deity worship lack scientific knowledge regarding the devotees of the Lord, because at that stage, apart from worshiping the Deity, appreciation for the wonderfully glorious service of the Lord’s associates does not manifest in their materialistic hearts. Gradually, due to increased good fortune and the mercy of the Lord, when the living entities surpass the stage of kaniṣṭha and become conversant in knowledge about the devotees, then by the result of achieving transcendental knowledge the four following principles are found: love for the Lord, friendship with those who are attached to His servants, display of mercy by instructing the innocent who are ignorant of the Absolute Truth, and neglect of those who are opposed to the Lord. In the advanced stage of uttama-adhikārī, the principle of neglecting those who are averse to the Lord is slackened and, as a result, one obtains indirect cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by which the conception that everything in the world is meant for the service of Kṛṣṇa awakens and thus one always and everywhere continually remembers the Lord.