ALL GLORIES TO SRI GURU,

SRI SARASWATA GAUDIYA VAISHNAVAS

AND SRI GAURANGA.!!

Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math

Founder, President and Acharya, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri
Goswami Maharaj, dearmost disciple of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DISCIPLES TAKING FIRST

INITIATION
First initiation is a very important step on the devotional path. It is absolutely
necessary for anyone who wishes to reach the lotus feet of Lord Krishna,
which is the ultimate purpose of this human birth.

Purification rituals
1. The disciple should wake up early in the morning, before sunrise, and take
bath, or at least change into fresh clothing (men should wear dhotis and
women saris).
2. The disciple should then sit down on a woolen or cotton mat (sana) that
is reserved exclusively for the purpose of meditation on his or her personal
mantra. A disciple should not use the mat for eating, nor allow anyone else
to use it for any purpose. While seated on this asana, one should face to the
east in the morning and midday, or to the north in the evening.
3. After sitting comfortable on the asana, the disciple should take a copper or
silver pot, called a paca-ptra, filled with holy water (i.e., water from the
Ganges, Yamuna or another holy river). If water from these rivers is not
available, then one should fill the paca-ptra with fresh water, place a tulasi
leaf in it, and. chant the following mantra to summon the seven holy rivers
gage ca yamune caiva
godvari sarasvati
narmade sindhu kveri
jalesmin sannidhi kuru

After chanting this mantra, the disciple should touch the water with the ring
finger of the right hand. The fresh water will then be transformed into holy
water.
4. The disciple should next take the spoon in his or her right hand and put
one or two spoonfuls of water in the left palm. They should then take gopi
chandan or Radha Kund clay and mix it with the water on the palm to make a
creamy paste. Using the right hand ring finger, the disciple should make the
tilaka markings on the body in the following order, reciting the given mantra
with each mark:
1. Forehead o kl keavya nama.
2. Above the navel o kl nryaya nama.
3. Chest o kl mdhavya nama.
4. The throat o kl govindya nama.
5. Right side, above the waist o kl viave nama.
6. Right bicep o kl madhusdanya nama.
7. Right shoulder o kl trivikramya nama.
8. Left side, above the waist o kl vmanya nama.
9. Left arm o kl rdharya nama.
10.
Left shoulder o kl hkeya nama.
11.
The upper back o kl padmanbhya nama.
12.
The base of the back o kl dmodarya nama
The gopi chandan paste remaining in the palm of the hand should be wiped
on the crown of the head, and if any is still left, it can be wiped off with a
special cloth used only for this purpose.
5. After finishing the tilaka ritual, disciples should chant the following mantra
for the purification of the mind and body
apavitra pavitro v
sarvvasth gatopi v
ya smaret puarkka
sa bhybhyantara uci
om uci, om uci, om uci.
:
Whoever remembers the lotus-eyed Lord in all circumstances,
pure or impure, will always remain pure and holy, both internally
and externally.

Meditation
After completing these purification rituals, the disciple is now ready to chant
the mantras given by the spiritual master.

Counting the mantras. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, devotees chant

a fixed number of mantras, counting them on their fingers in multiples of
twelve. The method is to keep track of each mantra chanted, beginning by
first touching the tip of the right thumb to the middle digit of the right hand
ring finger (one), and then moving it to the bottom digit of the ring finger
(two), to the bottom digit of the right pinkie (three), its middle (four), and top
digits (five), then the top digit of the ring finger (six), the top digit of the
middle finger (seven), top digit of the index finger (eight), index finger
middle digit (nine), index finger bottom digit (ten), and then back to the ring
finger bottom digit (eleven) and, finally, the ring finger middle digit (twelve).
1. Counting in this way, one should chant the Pancha Tattva mantra twelve
times:
r ka-caitanya, prabhu nitynanda,
r advaita, gaddhara, rvsdi-goura-bhakta-vnda
2. The disciple should then recite the Pancha Tattva pranam mantra once
with folded palms:

paca-tattvtmaka ka
bhakta-pa-svarupakam
bhaktvatra bhaktkhya
nammi bhakta-aktikam
I offer obeisance unto Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in His five
features as Bhakta Rupa (Mahaprabhu), Bhakta Svarupa (Nityananda
Prabhu), Bhakta Avatar (Advaita Acharya), Bhakta (Srivasa Pandit) and
Bhakta Shakti (Gadadhar Pandit). (CC 1.1.14)
3. Next, the disciple should chant the Maha Mantra twelve times mentally,
not aloud, counting in the manner described above.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
4. Then, with palms folded, the disciple should recite the following verse in
obeisance to the Maha Mantra.

sditrita-janrti-raye
ramya-cid-ghana-sukha-svarpie
nma gokula-mahotsavya te
ka-pra-vapue namo nama

O Krishna Nam! You destroy the sufferings of those who take

shelter of You. You are the playful embodiment of sat-chit-ananda
(eternity, consciousness, and bliss), the great festival of Gokula,
and the complete manifestation of Krishna Himself. I offer
obeisance unto You again and again. (Nmakam, 2)
On completing the meditation on these mantras, the disciple should
remember the Parampara (disciplic lineage) by either chanting each gurus
pranam mantra, or by reciting the jai dhvani given below.

Pranam mantras to the spiritual masters in the disciplic succession

1. Sri Sri Bhakti Bibudh Bodhayan Maharaj
nama o viu-pdya gaurga-preha-rpie |
r-bhakti-vibudhya vai bodhyaneti-nmine ||1||
1. I offer obeisance to Srimad Bhakti Bibudh Bodhayan Maharaj,
who is the representative of Lord Krishna, appearing as the
dearmost devotee of Lord Gauranga.
namo bhakti-pramoda-r-pur-preha-svarpie |
tad-abhinna-prakya karu-mrtaye nama ||2||
2. I offer my obeisances to him, who is the most beloved disciple
of Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj and is nondifferent from him. He is an incarnation of pure compassion.
ka-bhakti-gukhyne tan-mhtmya-pracrae |
sad sanniha-rpya gurave prabhave nama ||3||
3. I offer my obeisances to my spiritual master, who is eternally
committed to speaking about the virtues of devotion to Krishna
and Krishnas glories.
prabhupda-rati caiva r-guro prema-sevine |
vive gaura-manobha harer nma-pracrie ||4||
4. I offer obeisances to my spiritual master, who is engaged in
preaching the Holy Names throughout the world in fulfillment of
Lord Gaurangas cherished desires, and who lovingly serves his
own guru, who was completely devoted to Srila Prabhupada.
naumi bodhyana deva ka-akti-svarpakam |
prabhupda-priyaiknta-r-pur-preha-sevakam ||5||

5. I offer obeisances to my lord, Bhakti Bibudh Bodhayan

Maharaj, who is imbued with Krishnas potency and is the dearest
servant of Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj, who
was most dear to Srila Prabhupada as his devoted servitor.
2. Sri Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj

nama om viu-pdya
gaura-prehya bhtale
rmate bhakti-pramodya
pur-gosvmin iti nmine
I worship with deep adoration my gracious beloved divine master, Sri
Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Vishnupada, the most dear
associate of his Lordship, Sri Gaurasundara.

divya-jna-pradtre ca
prabhave janma janmani
jna-vairgya-dehya
stra-siddhnta-savide
I humbly offer my prostrated obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila Bhakti
Pramoda Puri Maharaj, who perpetually illuminates this dark world with the
radiance of transcendental knowledge, who is the dearly beloved sovereign
of my life, birth after birth, who is the veritable embodiment of sacred
knowledge and renunciation, and the personification of all scriptural
testimony.

patitn samuddhre
yati-vea-dharya vai
pracrcra-krye ca
jgarkya sarvad
I offer obeisances to Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Maharaj, who has adorned
himself in the august robes of a mendicant to kindly redeem the fallen souls;
and who is forever vigilant in both the practice and preaching of the
Bhagavata Dharma.

yathoddhavasykumrd
bhagavad-arcane rati
vaiavn sarva-ktye
dakat param tath

I offer obeisances to Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Maharaj, in whom was

manifest from childhood the divine loving attachment to the holy service of
Lord Sri Krishna, just as was found in Sri Uddhava, and who thus
possesses a wonderful proficiency in all the devotional rites of the
Vaishnavas.
3. Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur
nama o viu-pdya
ka-prehya bhtale
rmate bhakti-siddhnta
sarasvatti nmine
Obeisances to him who is named Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
Goswami, who sits at the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu, and is most dear to
Krishna on this earth.
r-vrabhnav-devdayitya kpbdhaye
ka-sambandha-vijnadyine prabhave nama
Obeisances to you, O Master, the most beloved of the daughter of King
Vrishabhanu, an ocean of compassion and the bestower of realized
knowledge of our relation with Krishna.
mdhuryojjvala-premhyar-rpnuga-bhakti-da
r-gaura-karu-aktivigrahya namostu te
Obeisances to you, O giver of the devotion that follows the mood of Rupa
Goswami and is filled with the sweet, erotic sentiment. You are the
embodiment of Gauranga Mahaprabhus compassionate potency.
namaste gaura-vr-mrtaye dna-trie
rpnuga-viruddhpasiddhnta-dhvnta-hrie
Obeisances to you, the embodiment of Mahaprabhus message, the savior
of the most fallen. You destroy the darkness of misconceptions that go
against the teachings given by Rupa Goswami and his followers.
4. Sri Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj

namo gaura-kiorya
skd-vairgya-mrtaye
vipralambha-rasmbodhe
pdmbhujya te nama
I bow down to Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj, who is the very
embodiment of renunciation. O Maharaj ! You are the ocean of love in the
mood of separation! I bow down to your lotus feet.
5. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

namo bhaktivinodya
saccidnanda-mrtaye
gaura-akti-svarpya
rpnuga-varya te
I offer my obeisance to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, who possesses a form of
eternity, knowledge and bliss. He is the manifestation of Gaurangas
potency and the best of Srila Rupa Goswamis followers.
6. Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj

gaurga-janma-bhmes tva
nirde sajjana-priya
vaiava-srvabhauma rjagannthya te nama
O Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj ! You are most dear to the pious, for you
were the one who indicated the exact spot where Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu was born. You are the king of all the Vaishnavas and I offer my
prostrated obeisances to you.

Jaya dhvani
1. Jai r-gopntha-gauya-maha vartamncrya o viupda paramahasa
parivrjakcrya Sri Srimad Bhakti Bibudh Bodhayan Goswami Maharaj k jai.
2. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda aottara-ata-r Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri
Goswami Maharaj k jai.
3. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda aottara-ata-r Srila Prabhupada
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur k jai.
4. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji Maharaj k jai.
5. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda Satchidananda Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur k jai.
6. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj k jai.
7. Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Acharya Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushan Prabhu k jai.

8. Srila Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur Mahasaya k jai.

9. Jai Sri Narottam, Srinivas, Sri Shyamananda Prabhu traya k jai.
10. Jai Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami Prabhu k jai.
11. Jai Vyasa Avatar Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur Mahasaya k jai.
12. Jai Sri Rupa, Sanatana, Bhatta Raghunath, Sri Jiva, Gopala Bhatta, Das
Raghunath Sri Shad Goswami k jai.
13. Jai Swarup Damodar, Raya Ramananda Prabhu, gaura-akti-varga k jai.
14. Jai Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhar, SrivasadiGaura-bhakta-vrinda k jai.
15. Jai Sri Nabadwip Dham, Sri Kshetra Dham, Sri Vrindavan Dham and
Dwaraka Dham, cri dhma k jai.
16. Brahma, Sri, Rudra, Sanak, cri sampradya k jai.
17. Sriman Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya, Vishnuswami and
Nimbaditya, cri smpradyika crya-vnda k jai.
18. Jai Bhakta Raj Prahlad Maharaj k jai.
19. Jai sarva-vighna-vinana Sri Nrisingha Deva k jai.
20. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhva Goswami
Maharaj k jai.
21. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda Srila Bhakti Raksakha Sridhar Dev
Goswami Maharaj k jai.
22. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava
Goswami Maharaj k jai.
23. nitya-ll-pravia o viupda Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada k jai.
24. Jai Saraswata Gaudiya Vaishnava Vrinda k jai.
25. Jai Jai bhuvana-magala Hari Nam Sankirtan k jai.
_______________________________

Chanting the Harinam Maha Mantra

The procedure for chanting on ones beads is as follows.
The disciple should begin by repeating Pancha Tattva mantra aloud twelve
times, using the same process as above to count, and reciting the Pancha
Tattva pranam mantra (see above) once with folded palms. The disciple
should then place his or her bead bag on the crown of the head with both
hands and chant the following prayer:

nikhila-ruti-mauli-ratna-mldyuti-nrjita-pda-pankajnta
ayi mukta-kulair upsyamna
paritas tvam harinma! saraymi

O Harinam! I take complete shelter of You. You are adored by the

liberated sages, and the nails of Your lotus feet are worshipped
by the glowing radiance emanating from the necklace of jewels
known as the Upanishads, which themselves are the crown
jewels of all the revealed scriptures, the Vedas. (Nmaka, 1)
One does not need to remain sitting on the meditation mat for the whole
time one is chanting.

The Ten Offenses Against the Chanting of the Holy Name

While chanting, all disciples must keep in mind the following ten offences to
the Holy Name and take care to avoid them:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for

propagating the holy name of the Lord.
To consider the names of demigods like Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma
to be equal to or independent of the name of Lord Vishnu.
To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.
To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the
Vedic version.
To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krishna to be imagination.
To give some fanciful interpretation on the holy name of the Lord.
To commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name of the
Lord.
To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna to be nothing but one of
the auspicious ritualistic activities offered in the Vedas as fruitive
activities (karma-ka).
To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the Holy Name.
To not have complete faith in the chanting of the Holy Name and to
maintain material attachments, even after understanding so many
instructions on this matter.

The disciple should then mindfully chant the minimum number of rounds
selected by the spiritual master.
When disciples have finished chanting their rounds, they should once again
touch their bead bag to the crown of the head and chant the Maha Mantra
pranam..

sditrita-janrti-raye
ramya-cid-ghana-sukha-svarpie
nma gokula-mahotsavya te
ka-pra-vapue namo nama

Worshiping Tulasi
As far as possible, all disciples should serve the Tulasi plant each morning by
watering her as needed, and offering her a ghee lamp and incense. The
same should also be done in the evening, if possible. Tulasi Devi should be
respectfully kept in a place where others cannot touch her with their dirty
hands.
The following are the benefits of serving Tulasi Devi:

Lord Krishna becomes very happy with anyone who plants Tulasi;
Lord Krishna will take anyone who offers Tulasi to his lotus feet to
Goloka;
All ones sins are removed by simply seeing Tulasi;
Ones body becomes holy simply by touching Tulasi Devi with
faith;
By offering water to Tulasi Devi, one is freed from the fear of
Yamaraj, the Lord of Death.

The following prayer (Sri Tulasi pranam) should be recited:

vndyai tulas-devyai
priyyai keavasya ca
viu-bhakti-prade devi
satyavatyai namo nama
I offer pranams again and again to Tulasi Devi, who is also renowned
as Vrinda Devi and Satyavati (the embodiment of pure truth). She
is most dear to Lord Sri Krishna and is the bestower of Krishna
bhakti.

Vaishnava vandana
The disciple should always pay obeisances to the Vaishnavas with the
following prayer (r-vaiava-vandan):

vch-kalpa-tarubhya ca
kp-sindhubhya eva ca
patitn pvanebhyo
vaiavebhyo namo nama
I offer pranams unto the Vaishnavas, who are just like wish-fulfilling
desire trees, who are oceans of mercy, and who deliver the fallen,
conditioned souls.

Regulative Principles
All disciples should follow the following principles in order to get the full
benefit of their devotional practices:
1

The following six principles help to keep the mind focused on the
lotus feet of Lord Krishna
no gambling
no intoxication
no illicit sex
no violence (no eating meat, fish, or eggs)
no gossip
no criticism

Before we can become proper devotee, we must first become

proper human beings. For this, we have to follow the five principles
of humanity:
No stealing (All things we acquire should be offered to Krishna,
otherwise it is considered stealing.)
Controlling the senses (e.g., not using bad language)
No violence,
Cleanliness,
Truthfulness (accepting only Krishna)

Always keep your mind, body and clothing clean. Your residence
should always be kept clean and nicely decorated, as Krishna likes
decorations. Krishna particularly likes natural decorations (ex.
Flowers and fragrance, especially sandalwood, rose, lotus, etc.).

Always be respectful of others and avoid quarrels.

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