Hare Krishna Siksha Guru Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories Srila Prabhupada; all glories to your good self for your own continued service to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna; all glories to all the devotees of Lord Chaitanya.

With regard to your posting on Whatsapp on the topic of diksha gurus, it is my understanding that a disciple acts as a ritvik guru whilst his own diksha guru is still on the planet.

When his own diksha guru leaves the planet, then the disciple can act in the role of diksha guru, accepting his own initiated disciples.

I could be wrong, but that is my understanding on this matter.

I don't know of any shastric references that indicate any arguments contrary to this protocol. Although it may be possible that there is some precedence to indicate otherwise; such as Narada being the guru for Vyasadeva, who in turn accepted Madhavacharya, who in his own turn accepted disciples, and so on. But I believe these were all siksha guru/disciple relationships. The formalities are not exactly similar, when it comes to diksha and siksha. No formal declaration is expressed, no fire yajna is performed, within a siksha & disciple relationship, although the implications and consequences are just as serious. We learn from guru, shastra and sadhu that one can have many siksha gurus, but only one diksha guru.

This is my understanding of these things (of course I could be completely wrong).

Your lowly servant,

Balabhadra dasa

HpS - I was thinking the same thing, but Kadamba kanana Swami started initiating with the permission of his ISKCON Diksa guru, Jayadvaita Swami.

Even remember letter from Srila Prabhupada where he expressed the same thing as you are saying to one disciple.

We don't feel comfortable with the word "ritvik" because we do not find it in a single Bhaktivedanta Purport, what to speak of detailed discussions.

The big leveler that we remember, came from "Guru and His Grace" by Sridhara Swami, Srila Prabhupada's godbrother, who said that the goal is trnad api sunicena... to have as many gurus as possible, to see everyone as guru, not to try to have as few as possible, and worse even keep those as a pet.

Of course, we have to advance in spiritual life to see how this is a reality and some are Diksa, Siksa, Sampradaya, Kula, Ashrama, Astra gurus.

One definition of Siksa guru that we like from Srila Prabhupad is: One who initiates according to the formalities.

If someone is giving Hari nama, or Gayatri Diksa, who received it from me, but does not have decent respect for me, then of course, the process is invalid.

Of course, I may have been properly situated when I gave the Mantra in the right ear, but now I have fallen into illusion, but the Disciple can appreciate that HpSwami, Disciple of Srila Prabhupada was properly situated at that time, and he has earned eternal respect for that time of purity, no?

Looking for reasons to love people, not hate them, no?

So... thank you for this observation, please send more as you have them. In the end, the authority for Diksa, Siksa rests and is alive in Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON.