Answer
Initiation is the point at which we surrender to the spiritual master and agree to follow his instructions sincerely and faithfully. Specifically, we commit ourselves to chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily and following the four regulative principles by avoiding the four kinds of sinful activities.
Along with this, we also strive to increase our devotional activities so that we can prepare ourselves to return to Krishna’s personal abode at the end of this life.
Thus, initiation marks the moment of commitment, when from that day onward, for the rest of our life, we resolve to follow the principles, rules, and regulations given by the spiritual master. These practices are not actually very difficult, but they require sincerity and commitment.
So initiation means offering this commitment to the spiritual master. In return, seeing the disciple’s sincere commitment, the spiritual master gives his assurance that if the disciple follows the instructions faithfully, then at the end of this life he will go back to Godhead. The spiritual master gives this guarantee.
In one sense, initiation may be understood as a spiritual contract. The disciple agrees to follow the instructions of the spiritual master, and the spiritual master accepts the responsibility of guiding the disciple back to Godhead.
The disciple’s duty is simply to follow sincerely and not become overly anxious about the ultimate result. The responsibility of delivering the sincere disciple ultimately rests with the spiritual master.
