So you will find in this instruction, in this chapter, these sages decided at the end of the meeting, that ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. The resolution was passed like this, because there were all brāhmaṇas. Therefore the president, Sūta Gosvāmī, he said all the brāhmaṇas, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. He addressed. Dvija means twice-born: one birth by the father and mother, and next birth by the spiritual father and the Vedic knowledge. This is second birth, initiation. The spiritual father, or spiritual master, he gives the second birth through the mother, Vedas. Therefore they are called dvija, twice-born. Twice-born. Unless one has accepted bona fide spiritual master, he is once born, śūdra. Śūdra has no such thing as twice-born. Only the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas. Because śūdras were less intelligent, they were not initiated. They were not initiated. Only the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, dvija. So among the three kinds of dvija, twice-born, the brāhmaṇas were the first class, dvija.
Spiritual father
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
Anyone can join the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and be initiated to become twice-born. As recommended by Sanātana Gosvāmī, by the process of initiation and authorized training, any man can become twice-born. The first birth is made possible by the parents, and the second birth is made possible by the spiritual father and Vedic knowledge. Unless one is twice-born one cannot understand the transcendental characteristics of the Lord and His devotees. Study of the Vedas is therefore forbidden for śūdras. Simply by academic qualifications a śūdra cannot understand the transcendental science. At the present moment, throughout the entire world the educational system is geared to produce śūdras.
SB Canto 6
In the transmigration of the soul through different bodies, everyone, in every form of life—be it human, animal, tree or demigod—gets a father and mother. This is not very difficult. The difficulty is to obtain a bona fide spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the duty of a human being is to capture the opportunity to come in touch with Kṛṣṇa's representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Under the guidance of the spiritual master, the spiritual father, one can return home, back to Godhead.
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
General Lectures
Dvija means not only brāhmaṇas, but the kṣatriyas or the vaiśyas. Kṣatriya means ruling class, administrative class, politicians. They are called kṣatriyas. And brāhmaṇas means learned scholar in philosophy, in science, in theology, they are brāhmaṇas. And kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas... Vaiśyas means traders, mercantile people. And śūdras means worker, laborer. So the brāhmaṇas and the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they are called dvija. Dvija means twice-born. The śūdras, those who are once born simply by the father and mother, they are called śūdras. They are not counted amongst the higher class. But those who are twice-born. That means once born by the father and mother, and the second birth is the spiritual father and Vedic knowledge. Once born by this material bodily father and mother, and the second birth is Vedic knowledge, the mother, and the spiritual master, the father. So that is second birth. So second birth, those who accept the second birth, they are called dvija, twice-born.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So viṣaya means sense enjoyment. The sex enjoyment is both; the dogs and the man, they will have. But the man can get Kṛṣṇa; the dog cannot get Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Viṣaya, that sex enjoyment, is available both for the dogs and the man. But the man can achieve Kṛṣṇa; the dog cannot. That is special. Viṣaya khalu sarvataḥ syāt. (break) ...of eating, sleeping, mating. That is available in every life. (break) ...another passage is there in Prema-vivarta, :janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya: "In every life, one can get father and mother." Kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhajahun re bhāi(?): "But Kṛṣṇa and guru cannot be had in every life." That is only in human life. Otherwise, as soon as there is birth, there is father and mother. Either you become human being or tiger or snake or bird, the father mother is there. But the spiritual father and Kṛṣṇa, that can be obtained in human life, not in every life.
- janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya
- kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhajahun re bhāi.(?)
So we should take full advantage of the human life. That is civilization. And in sense gratification it is not civilization; it is animal life. (break) ...for sense gratification. This is the modern civilization.
Prabhupāda: Saṁskāra, reformation, that makes a twice-born. (break) ...na jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ, vedo-pathad bhaved vipro brahmā jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Everyone is born śūdra, and by undergoing the reformation process, he becomes twice-born. The father is the spiritual master, and the mother is Vedic knowledge. First birth is ordinary father and mother. That even cats and dogs gets. Everyone gets father and mother. Without father and mother, there is no question of birth. That janma is śūdra janma. Then, when he gets second birth by the spiritual father, then he becomes a dvija, twice-born. Again birth. Then he is allowed to study the Vedic literatures. Vedo-pathad bhaved vipraḥ. And when, by studying, he understand the Brahman, then he becomes brāhmaṇa. This is the process. Brahmā jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. And then, after becoming a brāhmaṇa, when he understands Kṛṣṇa, then he becomes Vaiṣṇava.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: That is a fact. I got good father and good spiritual master. That's all.
Gargamuni: We have gotten bad father, but now we have spiritual father.
Prabhupāda: No bad father. Unless good father, son cannot be good. Yathā yoni yathā bījam.
Hari-śauri: They must be just fallen.
Gargamuni: They have not accepted your mercy.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They'll all benefit by the son's devotional service. It doesn't matter how fallen they are, you know.
Prabhupāda: My father never chastised me.
Hari-śauri: I think you said your mother was always very strict.
Prabhupāda: Because he was very lenient. So mother had to be little strict for my education.
Correspondence
1967 Correspondence
You have asked me how many hours you should work. Our life is dedicated to Krishna, and you should work for Him 24 hours. We have different varieties of service. For you, you should work on painting as long as you think yourself fit; don't overwork. Balance time should be spent for chanting and reading S.B. So far remembering me and Krishna, it should be simultaneous. I am your Spiritual Father, and Krishna is your Spiritual Husband. A girl can never forget either her father or her husband. In the Sastras it is said that Spiritual advance of life is achieved thru the combined mercy of the Spiritual Master and Krishna. Those who are sincere souls, Krishna helps them to have a bona fide Spiritual Master, and the bona fide Spiritual Master helps the disciple to approach Krishna. This is the process. I know you are a sincere devotee of Krishna and He will give you proper intelligence how to prosecute your present activities. I can simply pray to Krishna that He may bless you with all energy for serving Him. I am very much appreciative of your work, which you are doing for the society, and I wish you may continue to do like that.
1968 Correspondence
I received your letter of Nov. 7, 1968, and I prayed to Krishna that He may put His merciful glance upon you. So by Krishna's Grace, I learned from Tamala Krishna that your father has already given you a nice apartment. So it is a sort of tug-of-war between your material father and spiritual father. And you are the rope in between. So in the first test I think I have come out successful. But this is a sporting. I have already told you that your father and mother are very good souls. They might be under the illusion of maya but still I must say that they are good souls, otherwise they could not have produced such nice children like Brahmananda and Gargamuni. We are trying to educate our disciples to produce Krishna Conscious children, but your father and mother, without being Krishna Conscious, have produced such nice Krishna Conscious boys, so I am very much obliged to them. The facilities which your father is giving you is going to his credit in Krishna Consciousness. The more he gives you facility, the more his balance in Krishna Consciousness. He does not know how his Krishna Consciousness balance is increasing, but one day will come when you will see that actually your father is a good soul. So you try to win the love and affection of your father some way or other. You are very intelligent boy and Krishna will also give you extra intelligence how to deal with your father. But you must treat your father as respectful as myself; even if you are sometimes ill-treated, you should tolerate.
1969 Correspondence
You have learned this philosophy for so many years, so try to execute it to your best capacity. So far as I am concerned, I have accepted you as my disciple and you have accepted me as your spiritual father. This relationship cannot be ended anymore. It is eternal. So it will be my duty always to pray to Krishna for your further and further improvement in Krishna Consciousness, so you should go on serving this movement to your best capacity.
I am pleased to learn that you have now finished your college studies, and now you are going to engage yourself fully in promoting our Krishna Consciousness books. Your idea of not working for your father is nice, and several times I have stressed that our devotees are becoming twice-born. They are dvija, or twice-born. The first birth is by the natural father and mother, and the second birth is by the Spiritual Father and the Vedic knowledge. The second birth is the real birth; the first is as good as an animal's birth. It is said by a devotee of Lord Caitanya that in every birth we have got a certain type of father and mother, that is not very wonderful, but it is not possible in every birth to get Krishna and a Spiritual Master. Therefore, the form of life in which Krishna and the Spiritual Master is obtained is the most sublime. So I am very glad to know that you have become more affectionate for your Spiritual Father than for your natural father, and this is quite to the standard of spiritual advancement. Now Brahmananda and yourself are a good combination. Try to organize our book selling department very nicely. That will be great service to the society and to the people in general. The books we are publishing are completely novel to the Western world.
1970 Correspondence
Sriman Brahmananda Swami Maharaja joined me in my apartment in New York sometimes in 1966 and since then he is working so hard for upliftment of our activities and later on you also joined to help the Movement so strenuously. So your service to Krsna in this connection will never go in vain even though accidentally something contrary has been done. So far I am concerned, I am the same Spiritual Father and Guide of both of you and I have prayed all along to Krsna for bringing you back to your good conscience. I hope Krsna is already helping you sitting in your heart and thus you are executing the regulative principles.
1971 Correspondence
Yes, it is all right that you address me as Spiritual Father. As I have several times explained, when initiation is given, the Spiritual Master becomes the spiritual father and the gayatri mantra becomes the spiritual mother and thus second birth takes place.
1972 Correspondence
Krishna assures us that "After many many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare." (Bhagavad-gita, VII, 19). In this light, try to view these children. They have realized that life together spent in the pursuit of God is real knowledge, and that they have not done lightly by any means, no actually they must be considered as great souls, the most exalted persons among all persons. Our married couples are rendering the greatest service to humanity, their countrymen, and to their parents, of that kindly be assured by me. Do not worry for anything in this connection, you are a great gentleman, otherwise you could not have fostered such intelligent daughter, and gentlemen are known to be broad-minded, so therefore I appeal to you as their spiritual father to encourage them in every respect.
1977 Correspondence
Spiritual Father's name: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Year of initiation: 1974, Sri Dham Mayapur
full disciple of Srila Prabhupada
(1st and 2nd initiation)
| Page Title: | Spiritual father |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Laksmipriya |
| Created: | 13 of Oct, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=2, Con=3, Let=8 |
| No. of Quotes: | 15 |