First Initiation Test Questions

1. What are the qualifications of a bona fide spiritual master?

He must come in a bona fide disciplic succession.

He must know the science of pure devotion to Lord Krishna.

He must be learned in the Vedic Literature & be able to convince others about the Vedic conclusions.

He must be self-controlled.

He must teach by his personal example.

Without the 4 defects - mistakes, illusion, imperfect senses, cheating.

When a devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the Holy Names, he is quite fit

to become spiritual master and deliver all the people of the world.

(Teachings of Lord Chaitanya)

The guru must be situated on the top most platform of devotional service. There are 3 classes of devotees and

the guru must be accepted from the top most class. When one has attained the top most position of maha

bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. ONLY

such a person is eligible to occupy the post of     guru.

(Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 24.330)

Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the super soul, He appears before us as a liberated devotee.

Such a spiritual master is none other than Krishna Himself.  

(Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya 5.171)

When a pure devotee speaks, he speaks perfectly. How is this? His speech is managed by Krishna Himself

within the heart.”

Help can only be given by a spiritual master like Krishna. Therefore, the conclusion is that a spiritual master

who is 100% Krishna Conscious is the bona fide spiritual master for he can solve the problems of life.

(Bhagavad-Gita purport).

The guru is the most confidential servitor of Radha Krishna. The sum total of all the demigods, and the object of

worship for Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva.

 
 Astottara sata (108 gopis) is added to the name of the spiritual master to indicate one situated in the suddha

sattva or the transcendental state of Vasudeva. Only in the suddha sattva state can one always see Krishna eye to

eye by dint of pure affection for the Lord.

(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.3.23)

2. Why are you convinced to follow the orders of the spiritual master in this life, and even life after

life?

1. It is the verdict of the Vedic Scripture that to understand Vedic knowledge & to realize the Truth one must

approach a spiritual master.

2. Only by following the order of such a bona fide spiritual master can one solve the problems of material

existence and attain pure devotion to Lord Krishna, which is the perfection of life.

3. To emphasize this point even the Lord accepts a spiritual master when He descends into this material world.

3. Why does one worship the spiritual master like God?

1. The spiritual master is not God, but he is to be worshipped like God because he is the representative of God.

2. Only by his grace can we attain the perfection of life.

3. Krishna is very pleased when the spiritual master is properly served and worshiped.

4. Do you believe the spiritual master speaks the Absolute Truth? If so, why?

1. The bona fide spiritual master teaches strictly according to the Vedic injunctions and

2. the examples of the previous acaryas.

3. In fact, he simply repeats what has already been spoken in the parampara.

5. Under what circumstances should the spiritual master be rejected?

1. If the spiritual master concocts a speculative philosophy contrary to Srila Prabhupada’s teachings or if

2. he is breaking the four regulative principles and does not rectify himself according to GBC guidelines, he should

no longer be accepted as a bona fide spiritual master.

6. What are the qualifications and responsibilities of a disciple?

2. He must be submissive and humble.

3. He must serve the spiritual master.

4. He must satisfy and please the spiritual master.

5. He must strictly follow the instructions of the spiritual master. At the time of initiation, he must vow to chant

at least sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna mahamantra every day and to follow the four regulative principles of no

meat eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex and no gambling.

6. He must have faith in the spiritual master. 7. He must honor and respect the spiritual master as a

representative of God.

7. What is the unique position of Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON?

1.Srila Prabhupada’s contribution to the preaching mission of Lord Caitanya is historic and

unprecedented. Due to his efforts the cult of pure Krishna bhakti has spread to every corner of the globe.

2. As the Founder Acarya of ISKCON, he will always remain the most prominent siksa guru in the

institution, uniting not only those who have accepted diksa from him directly, but also all succeeding

generations of disciples. As a testimony to this fact, all ISKCON devotees gather together every morning

to offer Guru-puja to Srila Prabhupada.

3. Furthermore, his books will be the beaconlight and law books for us for the next ten thousand years.

8. Why do you accept Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

1. We accept Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead because this is the verdict of the Vedic

scriptures.

2. Furthermore, the great sages of the past like Narada, Asita etc. have also declared this fact.

3. And finally, in Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna Himself makes the same declaration.

4. Lord Krishna is the source of everything, material and spiritual. He is the source of all incarnations and also the

source of all the demigods. The demigods are never to be equated with the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna. The

demigods are always subordinate to Lord Krishna and they are his faithful servants.
5. Worship of Lord Krishna in pure devotion is the perfection of life and there is no need to separately worship the

demigods. The example is given that by watering the root of a tree, the whole tree is nourished automatically and

there is no need to separately water the leaves and branches. So also, devotees of Lord Krishna understand that

worship of Krishna, who is the source of everything, is perfect and complete in itself and there is no need for any

other kind of worship.

9. Why do we follow the four regulative principles?

1. Bona fide religion rests upon four pillars, namely – mercy, austerity, cleanliness and truthfulness. There are four

activities which destroy these four pillars. They are respectively: meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex and gambling.

Therefore, these activities are called the four pillars of sinful life. 2. For one who wants to develop pure love of God,

one must avoid these sinful activities. Otherwise, one will not be able to make progress on the path of Krishna

Consciousness.

10. Why do we chant Hare Krsna?

1.The Vedic Scriptures declare that chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord is the only way to realize God

in this age of Kali.

2. Lord Caitanya, quoting from the Kalisantarana Upanisad, has instructed us to specifically chant the Hare

Krishna mahamantra to attain the perfection of life. Therefore, everyone, regardless of their material

designation, must take to this process of chanting Hare Krishna.

11. What is the position of the GBC Body?

1. Even when he was physically present on this planet, Srila Prabhupada oversaw the formation of a

Governing Body Commission (GBC) that

2. would help him to manage ISKCON affairs in his presence and which

3. would be his representative body after his departure.

4. In accordance with Srila Prabhupada’s desire, the GBC is now the ultimate managing and spiritual authority

in ISKCON and it
 5. has the responsibility to steer the movement through these turbulent times according to the principles of guru,

sadhu and sastra.

12. Explain the difference between the body and the self.

1. The body is a temporary perishable structure made up of eight material elements, earth, water, fire, air, ether,

mind, intelligence and false ego.

2. The self or the spirit soul, on the other hand, is a spiritual entity distinct from the body. It is eternal, full of

knowledge and full of bliss.

13. What is ISKCON, and why should one remain in ISKCON?

1. ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) is the institution founded by Srila Prabhupada

to spread the message of Krishna Consciousness all over the world.

2. Srila Prabhupada said that ISKCON was his body and that all devotees should work co-operatively together

to fulfill the mission for which he gave his life.

3. So by staying in ISKCON and serving according to Srila Prabhupada’s desire, we will express our gratitude

to him for what he has done and also,

4. we can become humble instruments in Lord Caitanya’s mission to transform the world.

14. Have you read the paper “Harmonizing ISKCON’s Lines of Authority”?

Yes, I have read and understood the Harmonizing ISKCON’s Lines of Authority

15. What have you understood as the most important points of the “Harmonizing ISKCON’s Lines of

Authority” paper? 

http://gbc.iskcon.org/gbc_res/Harmonizing_ISKCON%27s_Lines.pdf

Yes , I understood the “Harmonizing ISKCON’S lines of Authority paper

16. Have you read GBC Resolution 303/2013: “GBC Statement on the Position of Srila Prabhupada?”

 Yes , I read and understood the GBC statement on the Position of Srila Prabhupada .
Required Reading

303. GBC Statement on the Position of Srila Prabhupada

Whereas there is a need to clarify within our society, via a succinct statement, Srila Prabhupada’s

preeminent position in relationship to diksa and siksa gurus as well as all ISKCON members, and to

provide clarity on the function and position of diksa and siksa gurus in the ISKCON society:

RESOLVED:

That the GBC endorses the following statement: 

As the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and the
preeminent teacher and ultimate authority within our society, Srila Prabhupada has a unique
relationship with every ISKCON devotee.
 
Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original guru whose Divine Grace descends
through the medium of the guru parampara.  As such, a devotee is ultimately delivered by Sri Krishna
acting through a combination of various manifestations of His mercy. These include, but are not limited
to, the caitya guru, Srila Prabhupada, the guru parampara, one’s diksa guru, other siksa gurus, the
Holy Name, sastra, and the nine processes of devotional service.
 
Within these cooperative elements, Srila Prabhupada, as the Founder-Acarya of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness, is the preeminent guru for all members of ISKCON. All members of
ISKCON, for all generations, are encouraged to seek shelter of Srila Prabhupada.  All members of
ISKCON are entitled and encouraged to have a personal relationship with Srila Prabhupada through
his books, teachings, service, and his ISKCON society.
 
All members accepting leadership roles within ISKCON, including diksa gurus and siksa gurus, have
the duty of serving together under ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) to fulfill Srila
Prabhupada’s instructions as he has given in his books, lectures, and personal communications. [1]
 
 Overall, the primary duty of all diksa gurus, siksa gurus, and others in leadership positions, is to assist
Srila Prabhupada in his service to his Guru Maharaja Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, and our
Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya.
 
Those who accept the service of diksa guru or siksa guru in ISKCON are required to be exemplary in
representing Srila Prabhupada’s teaching in their words and personal behavior. The siksa guru gives
spiritual instruction and inspiration on behalf of Srila Prabhupada and our guru parampara. The diksa
guru gives spiritual instruction, inspiration, formal initiation, a spiritual name, and later imparts the
sacred Gayatri mantras to a qualified disciple as a service to Srila Prabhupada and our guru
parampara.
 
Srila Prabhupada has clearly explained that devotees who are strictly following the Krsna conscious
principles are acting on the liberated platform, and, as such, are pure devotees, even though they may
actually not yet be liberated. [2] (Such unalloyed devotional service is not necessarily determined by
one’s role or position of service, but by one’s realization.)
 
Those who accept the service of diksa or siksa guru within ISKCON are mandated to be strict followers
of the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, and, as long as they follow, they are acting on the liberated
platform. Thus they may serve, as Srila Prabhupada ordered, as bona fide representatives of the Lord
and the guru parampara and be a via media of their mercy. Yet it should be clearly understood that if
such diksa or siksa gurus deviate from strictly following, they may fall down from their position.

Thus, to act as a diksa guru in ISKCON means to serve under the GBC and in cooperation with other
ISKCON authorities by functioning as a “regular guru” as Srila Prabhupada has directed.

This statement, while conclusive, is not exhaustive in its discussion of these principles. The GBC may

authorize additional statements and papers in the future to further explain the preeminent position of our

Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada, the role and responsibilities of those who serve as gurus in our

society, and the related duties of ISKCON members and initiates.

All GBC members must distribute this resolution to all ISKCON temples, communities and congregations

via appropriate means of communication for the education of all ISKCON members. This statement shall

also be studied in ISKCON courses including introductory courses, the ISKCON Disciple Course, the

Spiritual Leadership Seminar: Being a Guru in ISKCON, and other relevant venues. Reading this
statement, and affirming it has been read prior to initiation, shall be part of the test for all prospective

initiates.

1. More details on these spiritual relationships and duties may be found in the official “Harmonizing

ISKCON’s Lines of Authority” Paper approved by the GBC in 2012.

2. “This Krishna consciousness movement directly receives instructions from the Supreme Personality of

Godhead via persons who are strictly following His instructions. Although a follower may not be a

liberated person, if he follows the supreme, liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally

liberated from the contamination of the material nature. Lord Caitanya therefore says: ‘By My order you

may become a spiritual master.’ One can immediately become a spiritual master by having full faith in the

transcendental words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by following His instructions.”  SB

4.18.5, purport

And:

A person who is liberated acharya and guru cannot commit any mistake, but there are persons who are

less qualified or not liberated, but still can act as guru and acharya by strictly following the disciplic

succession.” Letter to Janardana, 26 April, 1968.

And:

“We may not be cent percent perfect, but as far as possible, if we follow the instruction as it is, that much

perfect. In this way one will get perfection. So one has to follow. The same example, try to understand,

that a perfect, expert technologist or technician or mechanic is working, and somebody is working under

his instruction. So this somebody, because he is strictly working under the instruction of the expert, he's

also expert. He may not be cent percent expert, but his work is expert. Is that clear? Because he is

working under the expert. Do you follow? So if you follow pure devotee, then you are also pure devotee. It
may not be one is cent percent pure. Because we are trying to raise ourself from the conditional life. But if

we strictly follow the pure devotee, then we are also pure devotee. So far we do, that is pure. So pure

devotee does not mean one has to become immediately cent percent pure. But if he sticks to the principle

that "We'll follow a pure devotee," then his actions are... He is as good as a pure devotee. It is not I am

explaining in my own way. It is the explanation of Bhagavata. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc.

Madhya 17.186].”  Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968