One Without Training Is Unlucky
Śrīla Prabhupāda consistently emphasizes that human life is meant for training. Whether one aims to become a qualified administrator of a state or a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, rigorous discipline under expert guidance is essential. The modern failure of society stems from promoting untrained individuals to positions of power, while spiritual failure results from attempting to access advanced spiritual truths without foundational purification.
The Necessity of Spiritual Training
Spiritual realization is not a cheap or automatic attainment. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that one must become a mahātmā by undergoing strict training and initiation under a bona fide ācārya. Without practicing self-control and following the regulative principles, seeing God is impossible.
- One cannot become a bona fide devotee without being trained up under the regulative principles of sruti-smrti-puranadi-pancaratra-vidhi.
- One is not considered a perfectly cultured man without being initiated and trained by an acarya. It is said, therefore, that one who has approached an acarya is actually in perfect knowledge.
- Dhruva Maharaja went to the forest, and he had practiced so much penance and austerities. Then he saw God. And I can see God immediately without being trained, without undergoing training? No. It is not possible.
- Here we are having sense pleasure artificially through this body. Before leaving this body, if we practice to stop sense pleasure as much as possible... There is training, of course. Without training, nothing can be done.
The Danger of Premature Advancement
Entering into the higher mysteries of spiritual life requires extreme purity. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that attempting to hear about Kṛṣṇa's intimate pastimes, imitating advanced devotees by chanting in seclusion, or even attempting complex mantras without proper philosophical and disciplinary training leads to spiritual failure or falldown.
- No one should be eager to understand the conjugal love of Krsna without undergoing disciplinary training under the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana.
- The purpose of reading Vedanta means to understand Krsna. So without understanding Krsna, without being trained up how to understand Krsna, if one reads about Krsna's rasa-lila, he'll go to hell.
- Without being trained in the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, it is not advisable to chant the holy name of Krsna in a secluded place where one may acquire only cheap adoration from the innocent public.
- The Vedic mantras mostly begin with pranava omkara and it requires some training to pronounce the metrical accent, without which the mantras cannot be successfully chanted.
The Tragedy of Untrained Leaders
A peaceful society requires leaders trained in the qualities of a kṣatriya. Śrīla Prabhupāda heavily critiques the modern democratic system, where individuals without any moral or administrative training achieve high posts simply by gathering votes, resulting in a chaotic and intolerable condition for the citizens.
- In the so-called people's government there is no trained ksatriya king; as soon as someone strong accumulates votes, he becomes the minister or president, without training from the learned brahmanas expert in the sastras.
- The word ksatra-bandhu refers to the so-called administrators or persons promoted to the post of the administrator without proper training by culture and tradition. Nowadays they are promoted to such exalted posts by the votes of the people.
- Unfortunately, in the age of Kali the lower-class men, without training, occupy the post of a ruler by strength of popular votes, and instead of protecting the sufferers, such men create a situation quite intolerable for everyone.
- Now the fault is without being trained, simply by votes one becomes prime minister or home minister, he has no training how to administer, but simply by vote, he occupies a big post. And that is his qualification.
The Spontaneous Power of Chanting
While administrative duties and complex Vedic mantras require specific training, the process of bhakti-yoga is inherently natural to the soul. Śrīla Prabhupāda joyfully observes that the chanting of the holy names is so powerful and universally appealing that even a small child can engage in it without any prior training.
- Even a small child can chant Hare Krsna. We see every day. A small child is chanting and dancing without any training.
- You have seen when this chanting, bhakti-yoga system goes on, even a small child, he also begins to clap. You see? Without any training, without any education, automatically he takes part.
- Without any training there is a natural attraction due to the sex impulse. This is a material example, but the devotee is praying that he may develop a similar spontaneous attachment for the Supreme Lord.
- The Vedic mantras mostly begin with pranava omkara and it requires some training to pronounce the metrical accent, without which the mantras cannot be successfully chanted.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly defines the necessity of proper education and discipline for the elevation of human society. Materially, a society degrades when it is governed by a so-called democracy that places lower-class men in power without the required kṣatriya training, leading to the exploitation of the citizens. Spiritually, a person who tries to bypass the training of a bona fide spiritual master and artificially jumps to advanced topics like the rāsa-līlā faces certain falldown. However, the supreme mercy of Lord Caitanya is found in the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. While profound philosophical understanding requires guidance, the holy name is so pure and potent that anyone, regardless of age or education, can spontaneously take part in the chanting without training and awaken their dormant love for God.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Without Training. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.