I recently took initiation.

[Maya3]

Congratulations!

Maya

 

[Asha]

Namaste

Congratulations,

Shall we now call you Malola Das ?

Wishing you the very best for your new devotional life.

Jai Shree Krishna

Asha

 

[StarryNightshade]

Namaste

Congratulations,

Shall we now call you Malola Das ?

Thanks!

If you want to, you can.

Wishing you the very best for your new devotional life.

It's quite the change, that's for sure. I'm still trying to get in the rhythm of things, but I'll get there someday.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

Thanks!

If you want to, you can.



It's quite the change, that's for sure. I'm still trying to get in the rhythm of things, but I'll get there someday.

How do you think life will be different now? Is there a new structure to your life/day? Do your gurus guide you through rituals and scripture or are you expected to explore on your own and come to them with any questions?

 

[StarryNightshade]

How do you think life will be different now? Is there a new structure to your life/day? Do your gurus guide you through rituals and scripture or are you expected to explore on your own and come to them with any questions?

In the end, I'm still the same Starry as I was before the initiation, with the same interests, hobbies, and aspirations. It's just I now have a few extra duties and regulations.

For one, I have to adopt vegetarianism. Which I was planning on doing anyway, but I know have extra motivation. I also am in the Brahmachari stage of my journey, which means for the next year, I'm going to be celibate. In addition, I wear a thread which will need to be changed when it breaks or becomes dirty.

There are also the rituals I'm adopting. It's ideal that once become initiated, that they go into their sadhana right away. However, since I'm not used to such a life style, my gurus believe that it is best to gradually adopt this rituals over time. So that I will become used to them and they become second nature. These include a morning hand washing and mantra, pre eating rituals (for home cooked meals), learning Sanskrit, the Vedas, and other scriptures, and meditation.

My gurus want me to learn the way of the tradition, and they will guide me every step of the way. However, they also want me to explore and come to my own conclusions. They don't want me to follow them blindly.

 

[Madhuri]

Congratulations, Starry This is an awesome step in your spiritual story. I trust you will find it highly rewarding.

 

[punkdbass]

I was recently gone from RF for the past week and, in another thread, I had mentioned that I was on vacation. That's partially true, as I indeed needed a break from work and general life, but there was another reason.

For the past few months, I had been studying Ramanuja's Sri Vaishnavism with a couple of people whom have been practicing for years. One is a Tamil Iyengar, the other is an American devotee. In the past, I identified as an Advaitan, as well as a Shaiva-Shakta. I had a budding interest in Vaishnavism about a year ago, but I always brushed it away. Mainly for two reasons: 1.) I saw too many similarities between Vaishnavism and my cultural religion (Christianity) and 2.) I was weary of the Vaishnava stereotypes (primarily pertaining to ISKCON and the like). It took me a little while, but I eventually brushed away my biases and prejudices against Vaishnavism and began exploring it further. Granted, there were times when I stopped and went back to other traditions, but I eventually went back to studying Vaishnavism. I soon discovered that my connection to Narasimha was leading me to a place that I had not thought of before. That I could still have Shiva and Ganesha and still be a Vaishnava. That Vaishnavism isn't merely "Christianity in disguise", but rather a rich tradition filled with culture, philosophy, and saints. As such, I no longer held back my urges and began to seriously practice Vaishnavism.

A while back, I came across a Hindu FB page and began conversing with the admins (both of whom were Sri Vaishnava priests, and one of whom was one of my initiators). After speaking with them over the past few months, I felt this urge to delve into my practice even further. To finally take on the role of Hinduism and integrate it more into my life. As such, when they (my initiators) prepared for Vaikunta Ekadashi, they invited me to their home not only for the holiday, but also offered to perform Upanayana for me. At first, I was hesitant. However, after some thought, I decided that it was time to go further into my religious practice. I had initially though that maybe it was all too soon. but then remembered that, even back when I identified as a strict Shaiva, that I ultimately would want to take on initiation.

And that is just what happened. On New Years Day 2015 (pretty appropriate, eh?) I had my Upanayana. I took on a Hindu name, was given the Gayatri Mantra, as well as other purification rituals, and the sacred thread. I also took on two major vows: lifetime vegetarianism and one year of celibacy. Later on this year, I will begin to learn chants from the Vedas, the Upanishads, Sanskrit, rituals, and other Hindu scriptures like the Gita and the Ramayana. I'm also currently planning a trip to India with my initiators later this year.

All of this may seem like it's out of the blue, but I feel as if I'm doing the right thing for me. That this is the change in my life that I was looking for. That I'm still the same Starry as I was even before New Years Day, but now I'm also something more. A fully initiated Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava.

Sorry for not posting sooner... Congratulations! This is awesome news. I hope the path of Vaishnavism will bring you many great blessings in this new year, and for many years to come. I look forward to hearing your thoughts here in the Hindu DIR as you progress, for I too am very interested in Vaishnavism.

Namaste