Text Five
51
thinking of how to expand the Krṣṇa consciousness movement. Such a Vaiṣṇava should be accepted as an  uttama-adhikārī , a highly advanced devotee, and his association should always be sought.
The process by which a devotee becomes attached to Krṣṇa is described in  Caitanya-caritāmṛta  ( Antya  4.192):
dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa sei-kāle krṣṇa tāre kare ātma-sama
“At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders to the service of the Lord, Krṣṇa accepts him to be as good as He Himself.”
Dīkṣā , or spiritual initiation, is explained in the  Bhakti-sandarbha  (868) by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī:
divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṅkṣayam tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ
“By  dīkṣā  one gradually becomes disinterested in material enjoyment and gradually becomes interested in spiritual life.”
We have seen many practical examples of this, especially in Europe and America. Many students who come to us from rich and respectable families quickly lose all interest in material enjoyment and become very eager to enter into spiritual life. Although they come from very wealthy families, many of them accept living conditions that are not