HH KKS: …when I approached my Spiritual Master for intiation …He said, “Hmmmm…...As good as God….. are you prepared?” …and I said umm well ………i don’t know …errr “Yes" I thought: “I don’t know” …I didn’t say that! I just said with a weak voice ..I said “Yes”….because it’s not so simple ..…but that is Krishna’s standard…so what can we say …that is Krishna’s system ….so somehow or other gradually we must bring this relationship to that point……….for me it was not so easy because I had been initiated before and then somehow or other that relationship did not work…somehow or other the spiritual master did not maintain spiritual standards and then to try again was not so easy and to get into the mood of like being a disciple again was a little difficult. I was the temple president of Vrndavana..one of the big international headquaters of Iskcon …people would salute me as I would walk by ..pranamas pranamas!…Half the town would come and offer respects …what to speak of devotees in the temple ……and suddenly I had to sit in a yagna again witht the new bhaktas and take off my Brahmin thread and sit down there and be initiated !….So I had a complete identitiy crisis to tell you the truth!
At hat time I felt somewhat awkward …but my Spiritual Master understood and was kind and gave me some credit in the midst of that Sacrafice and said, “I want to give him two intiations at once”...well that was a relief because I wasn’t sure if he was going to do that! So ok, ok at least I would get my Brahmin thread back..that was something and then he said “infact I would like to give him three, we would like to give him sanyassa as well …but we will have to postpone that for..the particular rules and regulations in that regard….but otherwise that was there…by then it got pretty nice ….so…but it was not easy to do this..and that was just sitting down in the sacrifice!But afterwards it was a whole thing – bow down…. to bow down and it was..ermmm…I had to get used to it ..to bow down…and scriptures say to bow down many times and when one sees the Spiritual Master …that was a bit of an adjustment …like that I had to practise …….and I still have to practice in this relationship ..to not take it causal ..to not take it cheaply …to get really serious about it as a disciple and try to really act in such a way as he likes …..as he would like in all situation ….by now I have some idea of what he likes and what he doesn’t like and so the Spiritual Master is always present in his instructions and it doesn’t come at all automatic that one is just ‘well you know I’m a disciple and just following"......…It is a real endeavour…but if that endeavour is being made then the relationship becomes really meaningful and that is the whole purpose of it .The time of initiation is a very significant time , the disciple makes vows and vows are to follow the regulative principles ..to chant sixteen rounds ………and follow the instructions of the Spiritual Master.
HH KKS: …when I approached my Spiritual Master for intiation …He said, “Hmmmm…...As good as God….. are you prepared?” …and I said umm well ………i don’t know …errr “Yes" I thought: “I don’t know” …I didn’t say that! I just said with a weak voice ..I said “Yes”….because it’s not so simple ..…but that is Krishna’s standard…so what can we say …that is Krishna’s system ….so somehow or other gradually we must bring this relationship to that point……….for me it was not so easy because I had been initiated before and then somehow or other that relationship did not work…somehow or other the spiritual master did not maintain spiritual standards and then to try again was not so easy and to get into the mood of like being a disciple again was a little difficult. I was the temple president of Vrndavana..one of the big international headquaters of Iskcon …people would salute me as I would walk by ..pranamas pranamas!…Half the town would come and offer respects …what to speak of devotees in the temple ……and suddenly I had to sit in a yagna again witht the new bhaktas and take off my Brahmin thread and sit down there and be initiated !….So I had a complete identitiy crisis to tell you the truth! 
At hat time I felt somewhat awkward …but my Spiritual Master understood and was kind and gave me some credit in the midst of that Sacrafice and said, “I want to give him two intiations at once”...well that was a relief because I wasn’t sure if he was going to do that! So ok, ok at least I would get my Brahmin thread back..that was something and then he said “infact I would like to give him three, we would like to give him sanyassa as well …but we will have to postpone that for..the particular rules and regulations in that regard….but otherwise that was there…by then it got pretty nice ….so…but it was not easy to do this..and that was just sitting down in the sacrifice!But afterwards it was a whole thing – bow down…. to bow down and it was..ermmm…I had to get used to it ..to bow down…and scriptures say to bow down many times and when one sees the Spiritual Master …that was a bit of an adjustment …like that I had to practise …….and I still have to practice in this relationship ..to not take it causal ..to not take it cheaply …to get really serious about it as a disciple and try to really act in such a way as he likes …..as he would like in all situation ….by now I have some idea of what he likes and what he doesn’t like and so the Spiritual Master is always present in his instructions and it doesn’t come at all automatic that one is just ‘well you know I’m a disciple and just following"......…It is a real endeavour…but if that endeavour is being made then the relationship becomes really meaningful and that is the whole purpose of it .The time of initiation is a very significant time , the disciple makes vows and vows are to follow the regulative principles ..to chant sixteen rounds ………and follow the instructions of the Spiritual Master.
