Initiation...................................Different kinds...............

Initiation....................different kinds....A good read indeed.


The water of a reservoir dug in a meadow is evaporated by the heat of the sun. Likewise the water of the reservoir of sin is dried up by the singing of the Name and glories of God.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Initiation.............................

There are three kinds of 'diksha' (initiation) . Initiation by touch, initiation by sight and initiation by thought. Ramana Maharishi also speaks of these three 'dikshas' in his 'Aksharamanamalai' .

Initiation by touch:..............................

A hen lays her eggs and sits on it to hatch it. By the touch of the hen the egg is hatched and the chickens come out of the eggs. Likewise, the Guru touches his disciples and this activates the spiritual fervour in them. This is 'hasta diksha' (initiation by touch).

Many young boys used to visit Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Suddenly these young boys would stop visiting him. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa would feel disturbed and when the boys visited him after a gap would question them, 'why have you not come here for a long time?'

The young boys would explain, 'our elders at home do not like our visiting you. They say that by visiting you our studies would be spoilt. They refuse to permit us to come here.'

Sri Ramakrishna would tell the boys to somehow bring the elders at home - the parents or uncle or whoever it was who tried to stop the young ones from visiting him , to him. When those elders came to him, he would touch them while speaking to them. This touch would change their attitude and they would begin to visit Sri Ramakrishna!

Initiation by sight:...........................

The fish lays its eggs in the water and keeps moving hither and thither in the water. But, the fish keeps looking at the eggs laid. Though the very gaze of the fish the eggs are hatched. This is 'chakshu diksha' (initiation by look). The Guru looks at his disciple and this triggers off the spiritual fervour in him.

Paul Brunton came to the presence of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi at the advice of Maha Periyava. He had a number of questions to be placed before Bhagavan. Bhagavan said to him that he would meet him in his room. Bhagavan went as promised and sat gazing at Paul Bruton. At the end of it, Bhagavan asked him, 'you wish to place some questions before me. What are those questions?'

Paul Brunton said, "No! The need to question does not arise. All my questions have been answered." Such is the gaze of the Guru.

Initiation by thought:..................................

A tortoise lays its eggs on land and moves over to the water. Staying in water, its thoughts rest on the eggs laid on the land. By the constant thought of the eggs by the tortoise the eggs get hatched. Similarly, the Guru thinks of his disciple and this takes the disciple higher in his spiritual path.

Guru, Sadhana, Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa