We Accept The Author as Our Bonafide Spiritual Master

By: 

 Hasti Gopala Dasa

This article is in response to the article – Hearing: The real tradition written by Vidura Das.

 

This is a most intricate and clear presentation dealing with the subject of "accepting a physically manifest guru". Very nicely done and very informative. 

 

Srila Prabhupada never recommended en masse that his disciples seek anyone else to link to and serve other than himself after his physical departure. He reinforces his position as the pure devotee to serve and take shelter of throughout his books. It is more than obvious that by being the commentator on the Chaitanya Charitamrita for example, the qualified person to seek out as a bona fide guru is himself. Otherwise how could he compose his commentaries? No one else in ISKCON has written independent commentaries on the Chaitanya Charitamrita, so who is the most qualified? Srila Prabhupada. And because he is the most qualified to imagine that not being physically present would have any effect on his books is illogical and ludicrous. 

 

Therefore by reading and following the teachings throughout his books is the same as having his association, you get his association through his books and you get Srila Prabhupada.  Once someone makes that preliminary contact with Srila Prabhupada and accepts him as their prime teacher progress begins, not that the acceptance is the end of the affair. One must constantly read Srila Prabhupada’s books and follow as sincerely as possible all of his instructions and that is where the fun begins because this Krishna consciousness is the most joyful of all states of being. Some of what Srila says about the necessity of accepting a bona fide spiritual master is presented below in the Adi-lila of the Chaitanya Charitamrita,  courtesy: causelessmercy

 

Adi 8.17  TRANSLATION

 

“By cultivating philosophical knowledge one can understand his spiritual position and thus be liberated, and by performing sacrifices and pious activities one can achieve sense gratification in a higher planetary system, but the devotional service of the Lord is so rare that even by executing hundreds and thousands of such sacrifices one cannot obtain it.”

 

PURPORT

 

Prahlada Maharaja instructs:

 

matir na krsne paratah svato va

mitho ’bhipadyeta grha-vratanam

 

(Bhag. 7.5.30)

 

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim

sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah

mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam

niskincananam na vrnita yavat

 

(Bhag. 7.5.32)

 

These slokas are to be discussed. Their purport is that one cannot obtain Krishna-bhakti, or the devotional service of the Lord, by official execution of the Vedic rituals.

 

** One has to approach a pure devotee. Narottama dasa Thakura sings, chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba: 

 

“Who has been elevated without rendering service to a pure Vaishnava?” It is the statement of Prahlada Maharaja that unless one is able to accept the dust from the lotus feet of a pure Vaishnava there is no possibility of achieving the platform of devotional service. That is the secret. **

 

The above-mentioned tantra-vacana, quoted from the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (1.1.36), is our perfect guidance in this connection.

 

                                                                               ********

 

Now in the final selected section of Adi-lila for this comment, Srila Prabhupada refers to a pure devotee being necessary to take shelter of and to serve. Is he not automatically including himself in that qualified position? Yes he is, again, because if he were not then he would not have written his commentaries on the Chaitanya Charitamrita. Association of Srila Prabhupada takes place while reading his original pre 1978 books and the reader becomes eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. Supreme association, supreme destination. Association means destination.

 

Adi-lila Chapter 8 Text 20 page 174

 

The two brothers Jagai and Madhai epitomize the sinful population of this Age of Kali. They were most disturbing elements in society because they were meat-eaters, drunkards, woman-hunters, rogues and thieves. Yet Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu delivered them, to say nothing of others who were sober, pious, devoted and conscientious. The Bhagavad-gita confirms that to say nothing of the brahminically qualified devotees and rajarsis (kim punar brahmanah punya bhakta rajarsayas tatha),

 

*** anyone who by the association of a pure devotee comes to Krishna consciousness becomes eligible to go back home, back to Godhead.***

 

In the Bhagavad-gita (9.32) the Lord thus declares:

 

mam hi partha vyapasritya

ye ’pi syuh papa-yonayah

striyo vaisyas tatha sudras

te ’pi yanti param gatim

 

“O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth - women, vaishyas [merchants], as well as shudras [workers] - can approach the supreme destination.”

 

Finally for all those reading this web site and Srila Prabhupada’s books:

 

 Adi 8.15 TEXT 15

 

sri-krsna-caitanya-daya karaha vicara

vicara karite citte pabe camatkara

 

If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful.

 

The Bonafide Guru is connected to Karuna Sagara-Krs​na--SP

761130SB.VRN                   Lectures                 

 Similarly, the mercy cloud, karunya, karuna,

ghanaghanatvam... So just like ordinary cloud is made possible by

evaporating water from the sea, similarly, Krsna has the sea of mercy,

karunayamaya, karuna-sagara. Krsna's another name is Karuna-sagara. So

as the air evaporate or the heat evaporate from the sea, and the cloud

is formed in the sky, similarly, one who has connection or the power

to evaporate the mercy sea of Krsna, he can extinguish the samsara

davanala.(repeated birth and death) And that is guru. Guru is the cloud or he is the agent of

drying water from the ocean of mercy of Krsna and turn it into a mercy

cloud and pour water on the samsara davanala, and then it is

extinguished. Samsara davanala-lidha-loka-tranaya

karunya-ghanaghanatvam, praptasya kalyana.

   Therefore guru must be authorized person, not that

bhumi-phala-guru(?). No. "I am guru," no. You cannot become guru

unless you are agent to draw out the mercy water from the ocean of

mercy of Krsna. That is guru. And therefore a guru is not an ordinary

person. He is the representative, bona fide representative of Krsna.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung, krsna se tomara, krsna dite para:

"Vaisnava Thakura, Krsna is your property. If you like, you can give."

Vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau. You cannot get Krsna by

studying Vedas. That is not possible. There is Krsna in the Vedas, but

you cannot pick up. It is not possible. But if you go to the Krsna's

favorite person... Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya. Krsna's very

dear servant, confidential servant, is guru. Nobody can become guru

unless he is in confidence of Krsna. Na ca tasmad manusyesu kascid me

priya-krttamah. These things are there. Not that by magic one can

become guru. No. .

 

[So if somebody is considering accepting someone as his guru, he should ask that person

can you, my dear Mr. guru, extinguish the blazing fire of my material existence by your being directly connected to Karuna Sagara, the unlimited Ocean of Mercy called God ?? And are you

in direct confidence with God, you can speak to Him as well?]

 

761130SB.VRN                   Lectures                 

cannot be changed. God's word cannot be changed. Then what will be the

difference between God and ourself? He is always perfect. He is always

perfect. What He said forty millions of years ago, what He said five

thousand years ago, that is also correct up to date. That is sastra.

Not that "So many years have passed and it has become old. Now let us

reform it and put it into new way." No. You can put the same thing in

a new way, but you cannot change the principle. Sadhu sastra

guru-vakya, tinete kariya aikya. Sastra is never changed. And the

sadhu... Sadhu means who follows the sastras. He is sadhu. He also

does not change. Sadhu, sastra. And guru? Guru means who follows the

sastra and sadhu. So there are three, the same. A guru will not

change, that "It was spoken five thousand years ago. That is not

applicable now. Now I am giving you something new, jugglery." He is

useless. Sadhu sastra guru-vakya tinete kariya aikya. Yah

sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama karatah, na siddhim avapnoti. These

things are there.

 

[the above words  of Srila Prabhupada could be sent to Jayadvaita and Dravida asking them both

after reading the above, how they can justify changing the words of their spiritual master?] 

 

761228SB.VRN                   Lectures                  

   Sometimes bhakti is observed as similar to the activities of the

karmis, but there is difference. One is bhakti, one is going back to

home, back to Godhead; and the other is going forward to the hellish

condition of life by the same activities. This is the technique. How

it is possible? It is possible. By practical example, it is said in

the sastras... Just like if you take more quantity of milk

preparation, you get diarrhea. But the same milk preparation, yogurt,

is there. It will stop diarrhea. Both of them are milk preparation.

One has created the disease diarrhea, and another is stopping

diarrhea. So why? Cikirsitam. One is by medical process and the other

is without any medical process. The medical process is to satisfy

Krsna. Here the building is being constructed to satisfy Krsna. To

satisfy Krsna. And in other places the building is constructed to

satisfy senses. This is the difference, material and spiritual.

   Material means to satisfy one's senses. Nunam pramattah kurute

vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti. Karma means they are working very

hard like dogs and hogs, but the purpose is indriya-priti. Nunam

pramattah: they are mad. They should not... And why mad? Because the

karma means you are creating another body. And as soon as there is

another body, dehantara-praptir, so long you have got this material

body, you'll suffer. That is the law of nature. Karmanu bandhah. Yavan

priti mayi deve... tavat karmanu bandhanah. The karmanu-bandha will

continue. Therefore in the sastra it is recommended, yajnarthe karma

anyatra karma-bandhanah. Don't act anything except for the

satisfaction of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness movement. If you do

anything for your sense gratification, that means you are being bound

up by the laws of karma. Laws of karma, it is very strict according to

the modes of activities. Purusah prakrti-stho hi bhunkte karma-jan

gunan.

 

[How do we know if we are satisfying Krsna by our acts? A conditioned soul does not know. That

is why we have to act under the constant direction of a bona fide spiritual master,

Srila Prabhupada. Otherwise--another birth, perhaps??]

 

750520SB.MEL                   Lectures                 

...The human form is the full manifestation of the soul.

Hari-sauri: They are covered in the spiritual world?

Madhudvisa: He is asking if they were actually covered in the

spiritual world as well.

Prabhupada: Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some

devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I

want that "As a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna,"

he becomes flower, voluntarily. And he can change his..., from flower

to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If

some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as

calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father,

as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. Ye yatha mam prapadyante

tams tathaiva bhajamy aham. That is Krsna's all-powerfulness,

spiritual life.

 

[I liked these instructions so much I thought it would be nice to see a beautiful

arrangement of flowers made from our gardens, for our altar, just yesterday.] 

 

 

Srila Prabhupada is not subject to material conditions

As Hari is not subject to the criticism of mundane rules and regulations, the spiritual master empowered by Him is also not subjected.
- Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya, 10.136, text and purport
"Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Ishvara Puri is not subjected to any Vedic rules and regulations"
- Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya, 10.137