Diksa or Second/Brahminical Initiation Mantra - Left Ear or Right Ear?
In ISKCON Srila Prabhupada consistently initiated (diksa or second/brahminical initiation) his disciples by speaking the mantra through the RIGHT ear.
As far as I understand the confusion comes from the following texts, from the Fourth Canto, The Creation of the Fourth Order - Chapter 25: The Descriptions of the Characteristics of King Purañjana, and purports.
राष्ट्रमुत्तरपञ्चालं याति श्रुतधरान्वित: ॥ ५१ ॥
uttareṇa purañjanaḥ
rāṣṭram uttara-pañcālaṁ
yāti śrutadharānvitaḥ
devahūḥ — of the name Devahū; nāma — as it was called; puryāḥ — of the city; dvāḥ — gate; uttareṇa — on the northern side; purañjanaḥ — King Purañjana; rāṣṭram — country; uttara — northern; pañcālam — of the name Pañcāla; yāti — used to go; śruta-dhara-anvitaḥ — with his friend Śrutadhara.
On the northern side was the gate named Devahū. Through that gate, King Purañjana used to go with his friend Śrutadhara to the place known as Uttara-pañcāla.
The two ears are situated on the northern side and the southern side. The ear on the southern side is very strong and is always anxious to hear about sense enjoyment. The ear on the northern side, however, is used for taking initiation from the spiritual master and for gaining promotion to the spiritual sky. The right ear, or the ear on the southern side, is called Pitṛhū, which indicates that it is used for attaining the higher planetary systems known as Pitṛloka, but the left ear, which is known as Devahū, is utilized for hearing about even higher planetary systems, such as Maharloka, Tapoloka and Brahmaloka — or yet even higher planets, situated in the spiritual universe, where one becomes more inclined to be permanently situated. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā (9.25):
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām
“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.”
One who is interested in being happy on this planet as well as after death generally wants to be elevated to the Pitṛlokas. Such a person can use the right ear for hearing Vedic instructions. However, one who is interested in going to Tapoloka, Brahmaloka, the Vaikuṇṭha planets or Kṛṣṇaloka may take initiation from the spiritual master in order to be elevated to such lokas."
But before we go on let us look at the quotes that proofs Srila Prabhupada was consistently giving gayatri mantras through the RIGHT ear.
"Upon your recommendation, I am happy to accept Nakula dasa Adhikari for second initiation. Now hold a fire yajna, and play the tape into the right ear of me chanting Gayatri." Letter to: Balarama -- Calcutta: January 16th, 1977
" [...] for the second initiates teach them how to chant on the finger divisions and play for them the tape of me reciting Gayatri mantra into their right ear." Letter to: Bhutatma -- Bombay (Mumbai): January 5th, 1973
"So you can hold a fire yajna and give them their second initiation. One thing, as you have got no tape of me reciting Gayatri Mantra, you may ask Dayananda in London or Rupanuga in New York to send you one. The tape should be heard through earphones into the right ear." Letter to Bhavananda -- Los Angeles: May 28th, 1972
Another quote from the Fourth Canto, The Creation of the Fourth Order - Chapter 29: Talks Between Nārada and King Prācīnabarhi, text 9:
दक्षिणा दक्षिण: कर्ण उत्तरा चोत्तर: स्मृत: ।
पश्चिमे इत्यधोद्वारौ गुदं शिश्नमिहोच्यते ॥ ९ ॥
iti pañca puraḥ kṛtāḥ
dakṣiṇā dakṣiṇaḥ karṇa
uttarā cottaraḥ smṛtaḥ
paścime ity adho dvārau
gudaṁ śiśnam ihocyate
akṣiṇī — two eyes; nāsike — two nostrils; āsyam — the mouth; iti — thus; pañca — five; puraḥ — on the front; kṛtāḥ — made; dakṣiṇā — southern gate; dakṣiṇaḥ — right; karṇaḥ — ear; uttarā — northern gate; ca — also; uttaraḥ — left ear; smṛtaḥ — understood; paścime — on the west; iti — thus; adhaḥ — downward; dvārau — two gates; gudam — rectum; śiśnam — genitals; iha — here; ucyate — is said.
Two eyes, two nostrils and a mouth — all together five — are situated in the front. The right ear is accepted as the southern gate, and the left ear is the northern gate. The two holes, or gates, situated in the west are known as the rectum and genital organ.
Of all sides, the eastern is considered most important, primarily because the sun rises from that direction. The gates on the eastern side — the eyes, nose and mouth — are thus very important gates in the body."
So from the texts and the purport there is a mention that the left ear is used for taking initiation from the spiritual master: "The ear on the northern side, however, is used for taking initiation from the spiritual master and for gaining promotion to the spiritual sky." (ŚB 4.25.51) So that does make it confusing. However when giving diksa or second/brahminical initiation Srila Prabhupada consistently instructed his disciples to use the RIGHT ear. In this purport Srila Prabhuapda clarifies: "the left ear, which is known as Devahū, is utilized for hearing about even higher planetary systems, such as Maharloka, Tapoloka and Brahmaloka — or yet even higher planets, situated in the spiritual universe, where one becomes more inclined to be permanently situated." (ŚB 4.25.51 - purport).
So then why use the RIGHT ear when he gave diksa or second/brahminical initiation?
मन्त्रेणानेन देवस्य कुर्याद् द्रव्यमयीं बुध: ।
सपर्यां विविधैर्द्रव्यैर्देशकालविभागवित् ॥ ५४ ॥
mantreṇānena devasya
kuryād dravyamayīṁ budhaḥ
saparyāṁ vividhair dravyair
deśa-kāla-vibhāgavit
om — O my Lord; namaḥ — I offer my respectful obeisances; bhagavate — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vāsudevāya — unto the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva; mantreṇa — by this hymn, or mantra; anena — this; devasya — of the Lord; kuryāt — one should do; dravyamayīm — physical; budhaḥ — one who is learned; saparyām — worship by the prescribed method; vividhaiḥ — with varieties; dravyaiḥ — paraphernalia; deśa — according to country; kāla — time; vibhāga-vit — one who knows the divisions.
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. This is the twelve-syllable mantra for worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa. One should install the physical forms of the Lord, and with the chanting of the mantra one should offer flowers and fruits and other varieties of foodstuffs exactly according to the rules and regulations prescribed by authorities. But this should be done in consideration of place, time, and attendant conveniences and inconveniences.
[...] The prescribed rules, as stated here by Nārada Muni, are that one should accept the mantra through a bona fide spiritual master and hear the mantra in the right ear. Not only should one chant or murmur the mantra, but in front of him he must have the Deity, or physical form of the Lord. [...]"
So here Srila Prabhupada states that it should be the RIGHT ear. Mind you, Srila Prabhupada is now talking about Narada Muni the author of the Sri Narada-pancaratra, the basis of all deity worship, at least in the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya.
In Canto 4, The Creation of the Fourth Order, Chapter 13: Description of the Descendants of Dhruva Mahārāja, Srila Prabhupada explains that Narada Muni was sharing his knowledge to the Pracetas, specifically describing the life of their forefather Dhruva Maharaja (as clarified by the following texts "maitreya uvāca dhruvasya" (ŚB 4.13.6) Srila Prabhupada clarifies in the purport what that knowledge is specifically: the Sri Narada-pancaratra.
इज्यमानो भक्तिमता नारदेनेरित: किल ॥ ४ ॥
bhagavān yajña-pūruṣaḥ
ijyamāno bhaktimatā
nāradeneritaḥ kila
sva-dharma-śīlaiḥ — executing sacrificial duties; puruṣaiḥ — by the men; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yajña-pūruṣaḥ — the enjoyer of all sacrifices; ijyamānaḥ — being worshiped; bhaktimatā — by the devotee; nāradena — by Nārada; īritaḥ — described; kila — indeed.
While all the Pracetās were executing religious rituals and sacrificial ceremonies and thus worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead for His satisfaction, the great sage Nārada described the transcendental qualities of Dhruva Mahārāja.
[...] The great sage Nārada’s mission is to broadcast the devotional service of the Lord. For this purpose he has compiled the Nārada-pañcarātra, a directory of devotional service, so that devotees can always take information about how to execute devotional service and thus engage twenty-four hours a day in performing sacrifices for the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [...]"
So from this we can understand that when Dhruva Maharaja is being instructed into Deity worship and "the chanting of the mantra" Narada Muni is conveying the pancaratra, i.e. the official instruction for Deity Worship and "the chanting of the mantra", ergo we must follow, as did Srila Prabhupada, those instructions, which are: "that one should accept the mantra through a bona fide spiritual master and hear the mantra in the right ear." (ŚB 4.8.54, purport)
To conclude, the tradition is to chant the mantra through the right ear, as per instruction of Sri Narada Muni, our param-guru, and confirmed by Srila Prabhupada the Founder and Acarya of ISKCON.
However if one wants to go deeper, one should be careful to hear the Srimad Bhagavatam through the LEFT ear, and I quote: "the left ear, which is known as Devahū, is utilized for hearing about even higher planetary systems, such as Maharloka, Tapoloka and Brahmaloka — or yet even higher planets, situated in the spiritual universe, where one becomes more inclined to be permanently situated." (ŚB 4.25.51, purport)
So in other words, the tradition is to receive the mantra through the RIGHT ear, but the disciple is advised to conduct further studies through the LEFT ear.
To me these are actually very intimate instructions, and as you can see from the above quotes, very hidden, in other words: rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ (Bg. 9.2). It further shows that Srila Prabhupada and the previous acaryas where always careful not to disturb ancient traditions, in this case brahminical traditions, albeit instructed by Narada Muni, but that there is also a higher principle as Srila Prabhupada, as well as Prahlada Maharaja, a direct disciple of Narada Muni, many times explained:
पादारविन्दविमुखात् श्वपचं वरिष्ठम् ।
मन्ये तदर्पितमनोवचनेहितार्थ-
प्राणं पुनाति स कुलं न तु भूरिमान: ॥ १० ॥
pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham
manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha-
prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ
viprāt — than a brāhmaṇa; dvi-ṣaṭ-guṇa-yutāt — qualified with twelve brahminical qualities*; </a> aravinda-nābha — Lord Viṣṇu, who has a lotus growing from His navel; pāda-aravinda — to the lotus feet of the Lord; vimukhāt — not interested in devotional service; śva-pacam — one born in a low family, or a dog-eater; variṣṭham — more glorious; manye — I consider; tat-arpita — surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord; manaḥ — his mind; vacana — words; īhita — every endeavor; artha — wealth; prāṇam — and life; punāti — purifies; saḥ — he (the devotee); kulam — his family; na — not; tu — but; bhūrimānaḥ — one who falsely thinks himself to be in a prestigious position.
If a brāhmaṇa has all twelve of the brahminical qualifications [as they are stated in the book called Sanat-sujāta] but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything — mind, words, activities, wealth and life — to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such a brāhmaṇa because the devotee can purify his whole family, whereas the so-called brāhmaṇa in a position of false prestige cannot purify even himself.
Here is a statement by Prahlāda Mahārāja, one of the twelve authorities, regarding the distinction between a devotee and a brāhmaṇa expert in karma-kāṇḍa, or Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. There are four varṇas and four āśramas, which divide human society, but the central principle is to become a first-class pure devotee. It is said in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya:
jātiḥ śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ
aprāṇasyaiva dehasya
maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam
“If one is born in a high family like that of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya but is not a devotee of the Lord, all his good qualifications as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya are null and void. Indeed, they are considered decorations of a dead body.”
In this verse Prahlāda Mahārāja speaks of the vipras, the learned brāhmaṇas. The learned brāhmaṇa is considered best among the divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, but a devotee born in a low caṇḍāla family is better than such brāhmaṇas, not to speak of the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and others. A devotee is better than anyone, for he is in the transcendental position on the Brahman platform.
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” (Bg. 14.26) The twelve qualities of a first-class brāhmaṇa, as stated in the book called Sanat-sujāta, are as follows:
hy amātsaryaṁ hrīs titikṣānasūyā
yajñaś ca dānaṁ ca dhṛtiḥ śamaś ca
mahā-vratā dvādaśa brāhmaṇasya
The European and American devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are sometimes accepted as brāhmaṇas, but the so-called caste brāhmaṇas are very much envious of them. In answer to such envy, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that one who has been born in a brāhmaṇa family but is falsely proud of his prestigious position cannot even purify himself, not to speak of his family, whereas if a caṇḍāla, a lowborn person, is a devotee and has fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord, he can purify his entire family. We have had actual experience of how Americans and Europeans, because of their full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, have purified their whole families, so much so that a mother of a devotee, at the time of her death, inquired about Kṛṣṇa with her last breath. Therefore it is theoretically true and has been practically proven that a devotee can give the best service to his family, his community, his society and his nation. The foolish accuse a devotee of following the principle of escapism, but actually the fact is that a devotee is the right person to elevate his family. A devotee engages everything in the service of the Lord, and therefore he is always exalted.
तपसा विद्यया तुष्टया धत्ते वेदं हरेस्तनुम् ॥ ४१ ॥
supātraṁ brāhmaṇaṁ viduḥ
tapasā vidyayā tuṣṭyā
dhatte vedaṁ hares tanum
puruṣeṣu — among persons; api — indeed; rāja-indra — O best of kings; su-pātram — the best person; brāhmaṇam — the qualified brāhmaṇa; viduḥ — one should know; tapasā — due to austerity; vidyayā — education; tuṣṭyā — and satisfaction; dhatte — he assumes; vedam — the transcendental knowledge known as Veda; hareḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tanum — body, or representation.
My dear King, of all persons a qualified brāhmaṇa must be accepted as the best within this material world because such a brāhmaṇa, by practicing austerity, Vedic studies and satisfaction, becomes the counterpart body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
From the Vedas we learn that the Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Person. Every living entity is an individual person, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the Supreme Person. A brāhmaṇa who is well versed in Vedic knowledge and fully conversant with transcendental matters becomes a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore one should worship such a brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava is superior to a brāhmaṇa because whereas a brāhmaṇa knows that he is Brahman, not matter, a Vaiṣṇava knows that he is not only Brahman but also an eternal servant of the Supreme Brahman. Therefore, worship of a Vaiṣṇava is superior to worship of the Deity in the temple. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ: in all the scriptures the spiritual master, who is the best of the brāhmaṇas, the best of the Vaiṣṇavas, is considered to be as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This does not mean, however, that the Vaiṣṇava thinks himself God, for this is blasphemous. Although a brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava is worshiped as being as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such a devotee always remains a faithful servant of the Lord and never tries to enjoy the prestige that might accrue to him from being the Supreme Lord’s representative.
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