When Your Beads Break

[Guruvani]

Most all devotees have been through the problem of wearing out the string that holds japa beads together.

When this happens, if these were the sacred beads that one was initiated with, then the best thing would be to re-string the beads.

 

anyway, some of us children of the ritvik system in ISKCON had our beads chanted on by ritviks who were not very well known as ritviks back then, but back when the GBC members were all mostly authorized to chant on beads on behalf of Srila Prabhupada.

 

Nobody ever told me about how special or important the initiation beads were.

When they broke, I just went and bought another set and I don't even remember what happended to them.

 

anyway, over the years I have had a number of sets of japa beads.

 

The set I have now are a very nice set of those big tulasi beads.

 

I thought about the fact that I wanted them sanctified by Srila Prabhupada, so I went into the temple room at New Raman Reti Mandir and put them at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada.

Then I touched them to his hands and to his feet.

 

In that way, I just accepted that Srila Prabhupada had given me the beads.

 

I need to use them more. that is for sure.

[Guest guest]

 

Most all devotees have been through the problem of wearing out the string that holds japa beads together.

When this happens, if these were the sacred beads that one was initiated with, then the best thing would be to re-string the beads.

 

anyway, some of us children of the ritvik system in ISKCON had our beads chanted on by ritviks who were not very well known as ritviks back then, but back when the GBC members were all mostly authorized to chant on beads on behalf of Srila Prabhupada.

 

Nobody ever told me about how special or important the initiation beads were.

When they broke, I just went and bought another set and I don't even remember what happended to them.

 

anyway, over the years I have had a number of sets of japa beads.

 

The set I have now are a very nice set of those big tulasi beads.

 

I thought about the fact that I wanted them sanctified by Srila Prabhupada, so I went into the temple room at New Raman Reti Mandir and put them at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada.

Then I touched them to his hands and to his feet.

 

In that way, I just accepted that Srila Prabhupada had given me the beads.

 

I need to use them more. that is for sure.

 

I got beads that were chanted on by ritivk priest HG Revatinandana das at that time HH Revatinandana Swami. At those times we all got beads made very cheap - cheap wood and cheap strings. Not only that the string broke, also the beads broke apart after a couple of months. First we started to glue them but when visiting Vrindavana Dham immediately bought tulasi beads and threw the broken ones in the Yamuna river.

Nice thought to offer the beads to Srila Prabhupada so that they are chanted on by him!

[Guruvani]

 

I got beads that were chanted on by ritivk priest HG Revatinandana das at that time HH Revatinandana Swami. At those times we all got beads made very cheap - cheap wood and cheap strings. Not only that the string broke, also the beads broke apart after a couple of months. First we started to glue them but when visiting Vrindavana Dham immediately bought tulasi beads and threw the broken ones in the Yamuna river.

Nice thought to offer the beads to Srila Prabhupada so that they are chanted on by him!

yeah, me too.

I had them red beads made from some common wood.

I don't even think they were new when I got them.

They were hand-me downs.

 

That is why us children of the ritvik era don't put much importance to formal ritual.

We know that Srila Prabhupada eventually resorted to a very institutional form of initiation and the traditional rituals of the Gaudiya cult became somewhat neglected and relegated to an official form.

 

At one time early in ISKCON devotees kept sending beads back to Srila Prabhupada to chant on when their initiation beads broke.

 

Eventually, Srila Prabhupada stopped re-chanting beads for devotees who had broken or lost their beads and he just said..."beads are beads".

 

So, I am from the "beads are beads" generation.

I am a product of that standard that Srila Prabhupada accepted.

 

Still, I thought that offering my new japa beads to the Murti of Srila Prabhupada was an inspired concept.

 

I think any devotee can go into a temple and offer beads to Srila Prabhupada and pray for him to give him maha-mantra.

Srila Prabhupada would surely give his mercy and blessings.

[gHari]

I remember the Centennial bathing of Srila Prabhupada's murti in Toronto. Many devotees had containers of water from 1008 Indian pilgrimage sites. At the end I found myself impelled to immerse my japa beads in the water that had poured over Prabhupada. The air was so thick that day, that I knew something wonderful was happening.

 

After my first beads broke (after a chanting offense while driving - totalled the car at the same instant - chuckle), I have used plastic line instead which never breaks.

[Beggar]

Generally a disciple should serve his gurudeva for at least seven years as a brahmacari, living in the guru's asrama. Eventually his service will become quite intimate with his gurudeva and there will be many loving exchanges. Eventually awe and reverence will fall away and his relationship with his gurudeva will become so close that the younger neophytes will think it inappropriate. Later on such a disciple will feel great separation from his gurudeva. If we don't feel separation from guru then how will we feel separation from Krsna? This is the traditional system. In a world where there are billions of people and our gurudeva is preaching on many continents etc. there will be many adjustments for time, place and circumstance. Senior godbrothers will chant on beads after initiations are granted by mail and e-mail etc. But we should still yearn for that intimate service relationship even if it comes in dreams or in another realm. Srila Sridhar Maharaja once said, "it doesn't matter who is right, it matters who is sincere".

 

I thought about the fact that I wanted them sanctified by Srila Prabhupada, so I went into the temple room at New Raman Reti Mandir and put them at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada.

Then I touched them to his hands and to his feet.

 

In that way, I just accepted that Srila Prabhupada had given me the beads.

 

I need to use them more. that is for sure.

Very sincere, very nice sentiment.

[raga]

The sentiment behind offering beads is indeed good, for it is said:

 

 

haraye nArpayed yas tu tulasI-kASTha-sambhavAm |

mAlAM dhatte svayaM mUDhaH sa yAti narakaM dhruvam || HBV 4.310

”That fool, who accepts the mala made of tulasi-wood without offering it to Hari, will attain a permanent hell.”

There is a whole vidhi prescribed for offering beads in Hari-bhakti-vilasa. Bottom line is that the beads should be offered. Just as we wouldn't eat Tulasi leaves straight out the bush, so we wouldn't take beads made of Tulasi wood for ourselves without offering them to the Lord first.

 

Having offered them to the Lord, one will of course offer them to all of his companions and to all of one's guru-varga, accepting the beads as their prasadi (gift of grace). However, they are best offered to their hands, for a japa-mala is an item to be held in the hand. The offered beads blessed with the Lord's touch can be offered by touching them to the hands or the foreheads of his companions, but not the feet. Tulasi is given only at Bhagavan's feet.

[Guruvani]

 

The sentiment behind offering beads is indeed good, for it is said:

 

 

There is a whole vidhi prescribed for offering beads in Hari-bhakti-vilasa. Bottom line is that the beads should be offered. Just as we wouldn't eat Tulasi leaves straight out the bush, so we wouldn't take beads made of Tulasi wood for ourselves without offering them to the Lord first.

 

Having offered them to the Lord, one will of course offer them to all of his companions and to all of one's guru-varga, accepting the beads as their prasadi (gift of grace). However, they are best offered to their hands, for a japa-mala is an item to be held in the hand. The offered beads blessed with the Lord's touch can be offered by touching them to the hands or the foreheads of his companions, but not the feet. Tulasi is given only at Bhagavan's feet.

we should always aspire to do things better and do things right.

Madhava is always there re-enforcing proper vidhi.

 

However, I would like to point out that I saw in the picture on your journal of the sadhus listening to lecture than some of them were allowing their bead bags to touch the floor where the feet are.

Srila Sridhar Maharaja was always very particular to correct devotees when they let their beads touch below their waste or to touch the floor.

Even Srila Prabhupada never allowed disciples to wear their japa mala around their necks like we somethimes see.

 

Sridhar Maharaja did not the harinama chadder much because devotees would allow it to fall below the waist around the genitals and anus area and Sridhar Maharaja objected to that.

[Kulapavana]

 

There is a whole vidhi prescribed for offering beads in Hari-bhakti-vilasa. Bottom line is that the beads should be offered. Just as we wouldn't eat Tulasi leaves straight out the bush, so we wouldn't take beads made of Tulasi wood for ourselves without offering them to the Lord first.

 

Having offered them to the Lord, one will of course offer them to all of his companions and to all of one's guru-varga, accepting the beads as their prasadi (gift of grace). However, they are best offered to their hands, for a japa-mala is an item to be held in the hand. The offered beads blessed with the Lord's touch can be offered by touching them to the hands or the foreheads of his companions, but not the feet. Tulasi is given only at Bhagavan's feet.

 

good points certainly worth remembering.

 

a side personal note on Tulasi beads. for several years now I have been wearing neck beads hand made from a departed Tulasi we served in our temple. they seem very special to me and I'm quite attached to wearing them.

 

hopefuly all Tulasi beads imported from India are made from naturally departed plants, but I'm not so sure they are.

[Nitai108]

i like to soak mine in ghee instead of mustard oil to stop them cracking.

[Guruvani]

 

i like to soak mine in ghee instead of mustard oil to stop them cracking.

 

I prefer no oil.

Sometimes ghee will putrify and cause some rotting of the beads.

 

But, mustard oil has some anti-bacterial qualities.

 

I prefer no oils, as they all can putrify over time.

 

I guess that exposes that I have let my beads setting too long?

 

The proteins in the Ghee are food for the bacteria.

 

Nothing worse than moldy beads!

[Beggar]

 

i like to soak mine in ghee instead of mustard oil to stop them cracking.

Soaking beads is not done in Gaudiya Math or any spin offs except perhaps by some ISKCON devotees. In fact it is strongly discouraged. Can anybody show me that Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the origin of this practice?