Initiation into the Ideal Awakens Love; Love Brings Mastery over the Instincts
Love First, Then Freedom — What True Initiation Actually Does
"Initiation into the Ideal awakens loving devotion; loving devotion brings the instincts under control."
This profound statement reveals a simple yet universal law of inner growth.
The Instincts Are Naturally Regulated Through Loving Devotion
We naturally begin to absorb the qualities of those whom we truly love. Even without conscious effort, the subconscious mind starts shaping itself in their likeness. Gradually, reflections of their personality begin to shine through our own character.
When our heart is filled with loving devotion for the Beloved Supreme (Priyaparam), the various impulses and tendencies of our mind willingly dedicate themselves to His service. They spontaneously adjust themselves to fulfill His purpose rather than merely satisfying our own desires. Living in this way, we gradually become accustomed to rising above the compulsions of our instincts instead of remaining governed by them.
This repeated practice is the very foundation of attainment. As the saying goes, "Practice is the first instrument of perfection."
Loving Devotion Awakens Through Initiation into the Ideal
It is true that love may arise naturally on its own. Yet genuine devotion is far more than an invisible sentiment or a passing emotional fancy. Its presence reveals itself unmistakably through the lover's actions, words, and personality—in almost every circumstance of life.
Momentary emotional excitement or fleeting thoughts should not be mistaken for love of the Ideal.
As beautifully expressed:
"Love caught in a moment of rapture will fly away. If you give yourself to love, abide in love, then love will determine every act of your body."
There is, therefore, a practical way of awakening such steadfast love. It rests upon three inseparable disciplines:
Doing what one naturally does for the Beloved.
Speaking what arises from love for the Beloved.
Thinking sincerely and wholeheartedly in accordance with that love.
When these three are practiced together with honesty, love wells up naturally like a spring.
The Three Disciplines:Yajan, Yājan and Ishtabhrity
The first is Ishtabhriti—the regular offering made out of love for the Beloved Supreme, along with the responsibility of contributing to His sustenance and mission.
The second is Yajan—speaking about Him with heartfelt inspiration, sharing His message, and encouraging others to draw nearer to Him.
The third is Yajan (in the sense of inner worship and contemplation)—keeping one's mind constantly absorbed in Him through reflection, meditation, and the sincere effort to embody His virtues within one's own character.
These three disciplines are not alternatives; they are complementary and must be practiced together.
Diksha: What True Initiation Means
To consciously accept Yajan, Yajan, and Ishtabhriti as the guiding vows of one's life is called Diksha (initiation). Through Diksha comes Dakshata—true competence and spiritual efficiency.
In Sat-Diksha (True Initiation), one also receives the Sat-Naam (True Name) and the age-appropriate spiritual discipline bestowed by the Ishta. Through this sacred initiation, the virtues of the Ideal find a natural entrance into the seeker's inner being. Along this path, loving devotion arises not as an artificial effort but as an inevitable flowering of life itself.
Therefore, when the Beloved Supreme—the living embodiment of the Ideal and of Dharma—prescribes a particular method of initiation and instructs us in the disciplines to be practiced thereafter, following those instructions faithfully is what constitutes true religious living. It is the path by which life is protected, nourished, and allowed to grow.
Not Bondage, But Freedom
This is not a bondage imposed upon human life. On the contrary, it is the supreme source of life's expansion, fulfillment, and joy. It is the pathway to genuine freedom.
It is the one meeting ground where all sincere spiritual paths ultimately converge.
Only the awakened heart truly understands it.