The topic of siddha-pranali has come up rather frequently in several recent discussions, and the same points are unnecessarily being discussed over and over again.
Please read the following collection of references and consider the contents carefully before starting a new siddha-pranali thread or bringing up other topics already covered.
ON SIDDHA-PRANALIA siddha-pranali consists of the guru-pranali, a channel of gurus, in their siddha-forms (manjari-svarupas). One’s own guru, his guru, and the subsequent gurus traced back to the associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu form the guru-pranali, or guru-parampara.
In due course of time, a guru in the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya reveals the details of his own siddha-form, of the siddha-forms of the preceding gurus, and of the siddha-form of the sadhaka to the qualified practitioner. This is popularly called the giving of siddha-pranali, as the initiate becomes the last link in a channel of manjaris preserved over the generations from a guru to a disciple.
The legitimacy of this practice is sometimes brought into question. This document is compiled to shed light on its doctrinal basis.
Last updated 19th of December, 2005. 365 downloads.[attachmentid=2019]
The thread on
Bhaktivinoda's teachings on siddha-pranali should also be of interest.
If there are any questions or comments on the contents of the document, you may either PM me or discuss it in a separate thread. I'd like to keep the FAQ - style contributions separate from discussions.
The document has been updated. Slight editing has taken place, an important passage from Prema-vilasa
has been added.