Diksha

Swaminarayan giving diksha to Gunatitanand Swami in 1810.

Satsvarupa das Goswami during ISKCON dīkṣā ceremony (1979)

Satguru Bodhinatha gives samaya diksha, initiation into the Aum Nama Sivaya mantra, to a devotee at Tiruvannamalai in 2008.

Diksha (Sanskrit: दीक्षा, IAST: dīkṣā) also spelled diksa, deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru (in Guru–shishya tradition) of Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Diksa is given in a one-to-one ceremony, and typically includes the taking on of a serious spiritual discipline. The word is derived from the Sanskrit root dā ("to give") plus kṣi ("to destroy") or alternately from the verb root dīkṣ ("to consecrate").

Diksa can be of various types, through the teacher's sight, touch, or word, with the purpose of purifying the disciple or student. Initiation by touch is called sparśa dīkṣā. The bestowing of divine grace through diksa is sometimes called śaktipāt. Another type of diksha, into a monastic order, involves a vow of celibacy, renunciation of all personal possessions and of all worldly duties, including family ties. Diksha has the same meaning in Jainism. Diksha is also called Charitra or Mahanibhiskraman in Jainism.

Initiation in Hinduism involves performing one of several rituals depending on the person being initiated and the Hindu group involved.

Vishnu Yamala (tantra) says: "The process that bestows divyam jnanam (transcendental, spiritual knowledge) and destroys sin (pāpa), the seed of sin and ignorance, is called diksha by the spiritual persons who have seen the Truth (desikais tattva-kovidaih)."

Shaivism

In Shaivism, dikṣā (initiation) takes various forms. Cākṣuṣī dīkṣā involves the guru imparting energy through a spiritually charged gaze. Sparṣa dīkṣā is given by placing the right hand on the initiate’s head, while Vācikī dīkṣā involves chanting the saṃhitāmantra aloud, preceded by withdrawal of the guru’s senses in meditation. Mānasī dīkṣā is the mental equivalent of Vācikī dīkṣā. Śāstrī dīkṣā occurs during the study of the scriptures. Yoga dīkṣā is bestowed when the disciple realizes śivatattva through yoga. Hautrī dīkṣā is initiation through agnikārya (sacred fire ritual), which, when internal, is Jñānavatī dīkṣā and when external, Kriyāvatī dīkṣā. Kriyāvatī dīkṣā is further divided: sabīja and nirbīja, with nirbīja having subcategories of sadyo nirvāṇada and dehapātānte nirvāṇada, and sabīja into loka dharminī and śiva dharmini, with loka dharminī further divided into nirādhikāra and sādhikāra.

Tantra

Tantra mentions five types of diksha: initiation by a ritual or samaya-diksa; sparsa-diksa is an initiation by touch and is done without a ritual; vag-diksa is done by word or mantra; sambhavi-diksa is arising from perception of external appearance of the guru; mano-diksa is when initiation is performed in the mind.

Shakta

Diksha for Shaktas is described in various texts such as Śāradātilaka Tantra (chapters 3-5), Prapañcasāra Tantra (chapters 5-6), and Śrītattva-Cintāmaṇi (chapters 2-5). These works enumerate 4 different types of diksha rituals: Kriyāvatī, Kalāvatī, Varṇamayī, and Vedamayī..

Living examples

Different traditions and sects treat diksa in various ways.

• ISKCON members first diksa, or harinama-diksa initiation, is performed as part of a fire sacrifice where grains, fruit, and ghee are placed on an open fire of the sacrifice.
• The Bengali saint Anandamayi Ma often gave sparśa dīkṣā (divine touch) or drik diksa (through her look), in which she would bestow śaktipāt (divine grace).
• Transcendental Meditation (TM) began initiation under the guidance of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the late 1950s. New members were initiated through a "devotional ritual (puja) whose focus was Brahmananda Saraswati and the Shankarcharya lineage. Initiates were given a specially suited mantra, and taught how to practice meditation."
• The Pushtimarga Sampradaya initiates its devotees in a two-step process. The first part, known as śaraṇa mantropadeśa, is administered in infancy or at a later age if requested. A descendant guru of Vallabhacharya has the initiate repeat the aṣṭākṣara mantra 3 times, and is given a kaṇṭhī. The second part, known as Brahma-sambandha, occurs before the initiate is married or as soon as they are considered mature enough to understand its significance. The guru administers the brahma-sambandha mantra, completing the initiation.

See also

• Abhisheka
• Brahmin
• Dvija
• Initiation
• Rite of passage
• Parampara
• Prana Pratishtha
• Ordination
• Shakti
• Shaktipata
• Tantra

Sources

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