The nature of initiation in the Hare Krishna movement and more widely in the whole Vaishnava philosophy is a widely debated and analyzed subject. Is initiation dependent on some formal ceremony, or it is it a process of realization of transcendental subject matter. His Divine Grace herein comments on the pastimes of Sri Narada Muni, a great devotee and sage, in relation to his initiation by the sages. Let us know what you think about this down in the comment section below.
Sri Narada said: The great sages, who had imparted scientific knowledge of transcendence to me, departed for other places, and I had to pass my life in this way. PURPORT In his previous life, when Naradaji was impregnated with spiritual knowledge by the grace of the great sages, there was a tangible change in his life, although he was only a boy of five years. That is an important symptom visible after initiation by the bona fide spiritual master. Actual association of devotees brings about a quick change in life for spiritual realization. How it so acted upon the previous life of Sri Narada Muni is described by and by in this chapter.
SB 1.6.5