HG Ranji Prabhu recounts an experience from 1976 in Vrindavan when he went to receive the Gayatri mantra initiation from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. When he offered respects and loudly glorified Prabhupada, Prabhupada immediately redirected the honor toward his own spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, illustrating how a genuine spiritual teacher passes all respect up the disciplic succession to Krishna. The storyteller saw this as evidence that Prabhupada acted as a transparent medium for the parampara.
During the initiation, assistants had already placed the Brahman thread on candidates before entering the room. While reciting the mantra with Prabhupada, the speaker noticed that Prabhupada skipped a line. Unsure what to do and worried it might be offensive to correct a spiritual master, he followed the printed sheet instead. Prabhupada paused, noticed the discrepancy, and then corrected himself so they could finish the mantra.
Afterward, Prabhupada asked for the thread, but the candidate already had one on, which caused some confusion. The candidate removed it, and Prabhupada properly placed the thread on him.
Later it was explained that the assistants had pre-placed the threads to save time because they could get tangled. However, at a later initiation ceremony in Melbourne, the same method was used and Prabhupada became upset, insisting that the guru himself must give the Brahman thread, emphasizing the proper role and authority of the initiating spiritual master.
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