Satsvarupa das Goswami during ISKCON dīkṣā ceremony (1979)

Diksha (Sanskrit: दीक्षा) also spelled diksa, deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony",[1] 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.[2] The word is derived from the Sanskrit root dā ("to give") plus kṣi ("to destroy") or alternately from the verb root dīkṣ ("to consecrate").[3] When the mind of the guru and the disciple become one, then we say that the disciple has been initiated by the guru.[4] 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.[3] 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)."[5]


Tantra mentions five types of initiation or diksa: 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.[6] Various tantric works enumerate different types of diksha rituals:[7]

Living examples

Different traditions and sects treat diksa in various ways.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary". University of Cologne. pp. d. Archived from the original on January 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
  2. ^ Coward, Harold G.; David J. Goa (2004). Mantra: hearing the divine in India and America. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-12960-2.
  3. ^ a b Grimes, John A. (1996). A concise dictionary of Indian philosophy. SUNY Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-7914-3067-5.
  4. ^ "Initiation or Guru Deeksha - when Mind of Disciple Connects to Mind of the Master | Gurumaa.com". Archived from the original on 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
  5. ^ Pandey, Vraj Kumar (2007). Encyclopaedia of Indian philosophy. Anmol Publications. ISBN 978-81-261-3112-9.
  6. ^ The madness of the saints by June McDaniel, University of Chicago Press, (1989) p. 106 ISBN 0-226-55723-5
  7. ^ Jnana Sankalini Tantra by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
  8. ^ Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America [Five Volumes]Eugene V. Gallagher, W. Michael Ashcraft (2006) Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 23 ISBN 0-275-98713-2
  9. ^ Yogananda, Paramhansa (2003). Autobiography of a Yogi. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 102. ISBN 978-81-207-2524-9.
  10. ^ Hallstrom, Lisa Lassell (1999). Mother of Bliss: Ānandamayī Mā (1896-1982). Oxford University Press US. pp. 140–144. ISBN 978-0-19-511647-2.
  11. ^ Humes, Cynthia. "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Beyond the TM Technique". In Gurus in America, ed. Cynthia Humes and Thomas Forsthoefel. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005.
  12. ^ Sadhu Mukundcharandas. Hindu Rites and Rituals. 4th edition. Amdavad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, 2007. Page 237.
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