Question: I have grown up chanting the Gayatri Mantra but since joining Krishna consciousness movement, I was told that we can not do it until we are brahmana-initiated. Why is that?
Answer by Romapada Swami :
According to Vedic injunction, “sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah” i.e. unless one is initiated in the mantra by a bona fide spiritual master, coming in disciplic succession, the mantra will not be effective or will not give the desired result.
The Gayatri mantra, in particular, is meant for spiritually trained persons who are perfectly situated in the mode of goodness. Unlike the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra, there are certain rules and standards to be upheld in chanting the Gayatri mantra, such as specific times when it should be chanted, certain circumstances in which it should not be uttered and so on. When chanted by a duly qualified and properly trained brahmana, with proper purity and without offenses, then one can attain success in chanting Gayatri mantra which has the potency to immediately bring one to the transcendental realm. When the spiritual master sees that the disciple has reached the necessary standard and spiritual advancement for chanting the Gayatri mantra, he then awards brahminical initiation to the disciple.
In contrast, there are no such rules and regulations in the chanting of Hare Krishna maha-mantra. It is the yuga-dharma for the age, and by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it can be chanted by anyone, at any time and under any circumstances without consideration of qualifications. This, indeed, is our principal sadhana, and simply by perfectly chanting the maha-mantra one can attain full spiritual perfection. Chanting the Gayatri mantra and other such pancaratriki system of activities (such as worshiping the Deities etc), however, offer further purification and impetus for the devotee to quickly come to the stage of perfection in chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra.
