Glorification of Hari, Guru, Vaishnavas
on Vyasa-puja Day by Dina-akincana

A presentation by
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja,
on his Vyasa-puja day 7th January 2002
at Sri Kesava Gosvami Gaudiya Matha, Siligudi

Today is a special day. On the ocassion of someone’s appearance day, an arrangement is made for the special worship of Sri Guru, Vaishnavas and Bhagavan. Turyasramigana (those in the sannyasa order), coming in the line of Sri Vyasa, perform the worship of previous gurus on their respective appearance days. The invocation and performance of Vyasa-puja on the guru’s appearance day, indeed, includes the worship of Bhagavan Sri Vyasadeva and that of the whole Vaiyasaki-sampradaya (that sampradaya in which Srimad-Bhagavatam is spoken by Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, the son of Vyasadeva). Without following Vyasa, there is no real fruit of guru-puja. As His prakasa-vigraha, Sri Vyasadeva is non-different from Bhagavan Himself. In order to reveal Himself, Bhagavan has manifested Himself in the form of transcendental sound as Veda-sastra. Furthermore, since the Vedas are incomprehensible by ordinary intelligence, there was a need to expand and explain them. Bhagavan Himself, as Vyasa, performed the act of expanding the Vedas. He Himself is tattva-vastu, the Absolute Reality, and unless He makes Himself known to others, no one can know Him in truth.

Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krid vedavid eva caham. Sri Krishna has said (BG 15.15): “I am indeed that ‘vastu’ (reality) that is established by the Vedas, I alone know the import of the Vedas, and I alone have manifested Vedanta. Therefore, without the anugatya (guidance) of Vyasa, there is no other bona-fide or proper means to know Bhagavan.”

Sri Gurudeva, as the representative of Sri Vyasadeva, reveals bhagavat-tattva. Through gurupuja, Vyasa-puja is indeed accomplished, and this is the vaishishtya, (speciality) of the Vyasanuga-sampradaya. Sri guru-tattva and sri vyasa-tattva are the same. For this reason, Sri Vyasa-puja means to offer padya to the lotus feet of Sri Guru. The disciple who knows the mano-’bhishtam of Sri Gurudeva, understands that the innermost desire of his guru is that he engages in perfect bhajana. That distinquished bhagavat-seva is not just an external offering, but it is the offering of padya in a real way.

Sastras say:

tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nishtham

“To understand these things properly, one must humbly
approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master
who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the
Absolute Truth.” (Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.12)

The word tad-vijnanartham does not only mean tattva-jnana, (knowledge of the Absolute Truth) but rather tattva-jnana endowed with vijnana, realization. In other words, one has to attain the tattvajnana of prema-bhakti.

In many instances, the understanding of tattvajnana leads to the conception of impersonal brahma, by which a jiva cannot attain deliverance from the spell of avidya, ignorance. The Transcendental Entity who is actually referred to by sastra by the word nirvisesa cannot be comprehended or conceived by those endowed with mundane understanding. If brahma is devoid of variety, then from where have all the specialities and varieties of this world come? The impersonalists have imagined a conception about brahma, the Transcendental Reality, however, brahma is not such an imaginary conception. Since in the very beginning of their tattva-jijnasa, (inquiry about the Absolute), there is confusion in their attempt, therefore they can never attain auspiciousness for the soul.

Sri Vyasadeva has said in the very beginning of his Vedanta-sutra: athato brahma jijnasa—“I do not know the identity of brahma and I do not know what is my relationship with Him. I want to know these truths. If this knowledge would have been within me, I would not have made such inquiry. I therefore need a teacher who can bestow such knowledge.” Therefore, the necessity of a genuine brahmajna-guru is instructed within this sutra. Gurum eva abhigacchet. The words gurum eva declare that it is imperative to approach a guru, and without guru there is no other source by which one can know that brahma vastu. Abhigacchet, therefore, one has to do abhigamana to that guru. Abhigamana means approaching guru with service temperament and honest enquiry.

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadekshyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master.
from him submissively and render service unto
him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you
because they have seen the truth.” (BG 4.34)

The explanation of abhigamana is found in this verse from Gita. Abhigamana means approaching guru with pranipata, pariprasna and seva. Pranipata, self-surrender, is the first requirement. The second requirement is pariprasnena, honest enquiry with sincerety devoid of a challenging mood in order to know and understand the Truth. The third requirement is seva, a serving temperament. If these are not present, there will not be proper reciprocation with him.
dadati pratigrihnati
guhyam akhyati pricchati
bhunkte bhojayate caiva
shad-vidham priti-lakshanam

“Offering pure devotees items in accordance with their
requirements, accepting prasadi, the remnant items given
by pure devotees, revealing to pure devotees one’s confidential
realizations concerning bhajana, inquiring from
them about their confidential realizations, honoring the
prasada remnants given by devotees with great love, and
lovingly feeding them prasada—these are the six symptoms
of loving association with devotees.”(Upadesamrita verse 4)

Without complete priti, love for that guru, one will not be able to understand the moods of his heart. Thus, without abhigamana a person cannot obtain tattva-jnana, and he will only waste time. However, one must consider the nature and speciality of the person he is thinking to approach. Sastra says: srottriyam brahma-nishtham. The guru must be brahmanishtha, steadfast in the realization of Transcendental Reality, and coming down in srauto-pantha, the line of aural reception.

The nature of brahma, the Transcendental Reality or Transcendental Entity, can only be known through srauta-pantha, the line of aural reception. That Absolute Truth is not the subject of any kind of mental speculation, mundane argument or mundane logic. Acintya khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yo jayet, prakritbhyah param yaca tadacintasya lakshanam. He is beyond prakriti, material nature, and He cannot be measured or grasped by mundane reasonings. Such material endeavor does not give any evidence of good intelligence, and therefore, besides srauta-pantha, there is no other means to know Him or understand Him.

What is the meaning of srauta-pantha? It is not like the parampara of ignorant people, where someone says anything and his statements are ‘repeated’ by one person after another. In srauta-pantha, the original speaker is Bhagavan Himself and the listener is one of His own special devotees, the recipients of His mercy. As mentioned earlier, unless brahma reveals Himself, no one can know Him perfectly—and this is confirmed by the great-grandfather Brahma, the Creator of the universe:

athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-prasada-lesanugrihita eva hi
janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno na canya eko ’pi ciram vicinvan

“O Prabhu, O Bhagavan, without receiving a particle of Your
mercy, no one can know You, even if he searches You for an
unlimited period of time.” (SB 10.14.29)

isvarera kripa-lesa haya ta’ yahare
sei ta’ isvara-tattva janibare pare

“If one receives but a tiny bit of the Lord’s favor by dint of
service, he can understand the nature of the
Personality of Godhead.” (CC Madhya 6.84)

Thus, only those who have received a particle of the mercy of isvara can know His tattva. It is said in the Upanishad:
nayam atma pravacanena labhyo
na medhaya na bahudha srutena
yam evaisha vrinute tena labhyas
tasyaisha atma vivrinute tanum svam

“The Supreme Lord is not obtained by expert explanations,
by vast intelligence, or even by repeated hearing. He is
obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses, and He
manifests His own form.” (Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.3)

If a person thinks that by his ample scholarship or sharp intelligence he can understand Bhagavan and imagine Him according to his whims, he is mistaken. Tena labhyah—that person only who is accepted by Bhagavan can attain Him.

Bhagavan personally communicated with Brahma. Why? Brahma engaged in intense efforts to know Bhagavan, but when he gave up the ascending path and surrendered, then Bhagavan revealed the Vedas to him:

kalena nashta pralaye / vaniyam veda-samjnita
mayadau brahmane prokta / dharmo yasyam mad-atmakah

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “By the influence
of time, the transcendental sound of Vedic knowledge
was lost at the time of annihilation. I Myself am the religious
principles enunciated in the Vedas. Therefore, when the subsequent
creation took place, I spoke the Vedic knowledge to
Brahma.” (SB 11.14.3)

Krsna is saying: “In the beginning of the creation I revealed Veda, sabda-brahma, unto the surrendered Brahma.” What is there in the Vedas? Dharmo yasyam mad-atmakah: The Vedas contain the message and process of bhagavat-dharma, by which one can attain prema-bhakti unto Me:
yavan aham yatha-bhavo
yad-rupa-guna-karmakah
tathaiva tattva-vijnanam
astu te mad-anugrahat

“By My causeless mercy, let everything about Me, namely My
actual eternal form and My transcendental existence, color,
qualities and activities, be awakened within you by factual
realization.” (SB 2.9.32)

“O Brahma! I bless you with tattva-vijnana (realization) of My tattva (the established truths of Bhagavan) regarding Myself, My bhava (nature), form, qualities and activities. Thus, srauta-pantha has started from that tattva-vastu (Absolute Reality) Himself and the four Vaishnava sampradayas have manifested from Him alone.
sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nishphala matah
sri-brahma-rudra-sanka vaishnavah kshitipavanah
The four Vaishnava sampradayas, Sri-sampradaya, Brahma-sampradaya, Rudra-sampradaya and Kumarasampradaya—these are four srauta-panthas, and everything else is asrauta-vicara. Everything that is not heard in the line of aural reception is self-imagination. Those who only accept one aspect of brahma—the nirvisesha (varietyless and impersonal) aspect—are followers of asrauta-pantha. In the srutis where the impersonal aspect of Bhagavan is mentioned, however, in the very same srutis, the truth of His personal aspect is also explained:
ya ya srutir jalpati nirvisesham
sa sabhidhatte sa-visesham eva
vicara-yoge sati hanta tasam
prayo baliyah sa-visesham eva

“Whatever Vedic mantras describe the Absolute Truth impersonally only prove in the end that the Absolute Truth is a person. The Supreme Lord is understood in two features—impersonal and personal. If one considers the Supreme Personality of Godhead in both features, he can actually understand the Absolute Truth. He knows that the personal understanding is stronger, because we see that everything is full of variety. No one can see anything that is not full of variety.” (CC Madhya. 6.142)

Thus, although there are two simultaneous considerations, the personal aspect is indeed more important. The personal aspect is the svarupa-lakshana, intrinsic characteristic of brahma, and the impersonal aspect is just a tatastavicara, extrinsic characeristic. The impersonal aspect is vyatirek-vicara, the indirect (negative) aspect. Nirvisesha means devoid of mundane or material characteristics, and savisesha means endowed with aprakrita-viseshata (transcendental characteristics), aprakrita-rupa (transcendental form), guna (qualities), and aprakrita-vilasa (transcendental pastimes). Indeed, both considerations have the same meaning. Where is any disagreement or contradiction between the two thoughts?

Those who see a contradiction in these two considerations, accepting the impersonal aspect alone to be paramarthika (spiritual), and thinking the personal aspect as false or temporary, imposes whimisical meanings to the statements of the Vedas. They are not brahma-nishtham, steadfast in the nature of brahma. They are offenders. By accepting one aspect of brahma and rejecting the other, considering it as unfavorable, does not prove someone’s brahmanishtha.

However, Sri Gurudeva is brahma-nishtham; he can reconcile both considerations in an excellent manner.

tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasuh sreya uttamam
sabde pare ca nishnatam
brahmany upasamasrayam

“Any person who is seriously desirous to achieve real happiness
must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of
him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is that
he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation
and arguments, and thus he must be able to convince
others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have
taken complete shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside
all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide
spiritual masters.” (SB 11.3.21)

Those who want to know and understand the topmost, complete and eternal auspiciousness, and how to attain it, should surrender to a guru who is expert in the realization of sabda-brahma (the Vedas) and para-brahma (Bhagavan). Sabda-brahma means nama-brahma—vacaka- brahma, the transcendental sound vibrations of the names, etc., of Bhagavan, and para-brahma means namibrahma—vacya-brahma, Bhagavan Himself. Sabda-brahma param brahma mamobhe sasvati tanu, vacyam vacakamity udeti bhavato nama! svarupa-svayam, the bona fide guru is a realized soul. He is well-versed, in both of these svarupas of Bhagavan. He is not a professional priest nor is he a platform speaker. He is tattva-darsi—he sees tattva-vastu and realizes it. Tattva-vastu means Bhagavan and His nama, rupa, guna, parikara, lila and dhama. Tattva-vastu includes all of these, and Sri Gurudeva is a tattva-darsi.

Sri Krishna has described that only that gurudeva who is realised in the Absolute Truth, is in fact His own svarupa: acaryam mam vijaniyan
navamanyeta karhicit
acaryam mam vijaniyan
navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyasuyeta
sarva-deva-mayo guruh

One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect
him in any way. One should not envy him,
thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative
(sum total) of all the devas. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.17.27)
Here, one should not consider that sri gurudeva is directly Krishna Himself. Those who interpret in this way have been condemned by sastra as wicked and possessed of a hellish mentality. Although Bhagavan and His associates are in truth non-different, it does not mean they are the same entity. Bhagavan’s eternal associates (nityaparikars) render service to Him, and gurudeva is he who manifests such service to Bhagavan (bhagavata-sevaprakasaka). Therefore gurutva, the quality of being guru, is fundamental in an eternal associate.
yadyapi amara guru—caitanyera dasa
tathapi janiye ami tanhara prakasa
Although I know that my spiritual master is a servitor of Sri Caitanya, I know Him also as a plenary manifestation of the Lord. (Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.45) Just as sunlight cannot be separated from the sun and is therefore non-different from the sun, similarly gurudeva cannot be separated from Bhagavan. Furthermore, just as sunlight is subordinate to the sun, gurudeva as guru-tattva is subordinate to Bhagavan; he is Bhagavan’s sevaka-tattva. For this reason, sastra describes gurudeva as non-different from Krishna.
suddha-bhaktah sri guroh sri sivasya ca bhagavatasaha
abhedadrishtim tatpriyatamatvenaiva manyante
One should consider the pure devotee, sri gurudeva and Lord Siva as non-different from Bhagavan, due to their being His priyatama, dearest beloved. (sruti)
sakshad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri caranaravindam

All the scriptures proclaim sri gurudeva as sakshat hari, the direct potency of Sri Hari. He is thus considered by saintly authorities to be His non-different representative. Because sri gurudeva is so dear to the Lord, being His confidential servitor (acintya-bhedabheda prakasa vigraha, the inconceivable, different and nondifferent worshipful manifestation of the Lord), I offer prayers unto his lotus feet. (Sri Gurvashtakam 7)

Thus, it has been described everywhere that gurudeva is most dear to Bhagavan. It is for this reason that he is nondifferent from Bhagavan. Srila Sarasvati Prabhupada has therefore said that one aspect of Krishna is vishaya-jatiya (the object of love) and the other aspect is asraya-jatiya (the abode of love). In these two wonderful aspects of revelry, variegatedness finds its completeness.

Sri Krishna is vishaya-jatiya in full and sri gurupada-padma is asraya-jatiya in full. Therefore, gurudeva has been described as krishna-svarupa. He has not been described as Krishna Himself. Why is this?

krishna bhakte krishnera guna sakali sancare

All the transcendental qualities of Krishna gradually develop in Krishna’s devotee. (Caitanya-caritamrita,Madhya 22.75)

In sruti it is stated brihatvad brihannatvad brahma: “That which is great and which makes others great”. Brahma is the infinite aspect of the Absolute Truth (brihat-tattva) and He bestows the quality of infinity upon those who take his shelter. Therefore, he is brahma. In the association of the infinite, minuteness is removed, just as by the influence of light, darkness is cast out.
surya-sama maya haya andhakara
yahan krishna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara

Krishna is compared to sunshine and maya is compared
to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine there cannot
be darkness. As soon as one takes to Krishna consciousness
the darkness of illusion immediately vanishes.(Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.31)

bhidyate hridaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah
kshiyante casya karmani mayi drishte ’khilatmani

When the sadhaka directly sees Me as Paramatma situated
in the hearts of all living entities, the knot of the
false ego in his heart is pierced, all of his doubts are
cut to pieces, and his desires for fruitive activities are
completely nullified. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.20.30)

In the association of the bhagavata (the pure devotee), the knot of all types of avidya is removed from the heart, all doubt is cut asunder, and all karma is destroyed. In this way, all types of insignificance in the jiva are removed and gurutva, the quality of greatness which is inherent within Krishna, is transmitted into that jiva. Parama durmati chila, tare gora uddharila, tara haila patita-pavana: “When delivered by Gauranga Mahaprabhu, extremely wretched and sinful persons became the deliverers of the fallen.”
(Gauranga-nishtha, song 37 in Prarthana).

According to the logic of “nagna-matrika”, although a mother was naked when she took birth, it would be offensive to accuse her of always being naked; similarly it is an aparadha to judge a bhakta’s previous insignificance.

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
jei krishna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya

Whether one is a brahmana, a sannyasi, or a sudra, if he is fully conversant with all the truths regarding the transcendental knowledge of Sri Krishna, he can become a guru. (Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.128)

Gurutva, the quality of greatness, is not ascertained by external mundane vision. One’s gurutva manifests to the same degree that his eternal function (svarupa-dharma) develops within him. It has therefore been said, sudra kene naya, “whether one is a sudra or not.” Is a bhagavadbhakta a sudra? Never!
na sudra bhagavad-bhakta te tu bhagavata matah
sarva-varneshu te sudra ye na bhakta janardane

A devotee should never be considered a sudra. All the devotees of Bhagavan should be recognised as bhagavatas. However, if one born in a brahmana, kshatriya or vaisya family is not a devotee of Sri Krishna, he should be considered a sudra. (Padma Purana)

Atri Rshi has given this clear conception: bhagavadbhaktas can never be called sudras. They are all bhagavata and transcendental brahmanas, because no type of lamentation ever exists in them. Socana iti sudrah, “One who laments is known as a sudra.” It is therefore a great aparadha to call bhagavad-bhaktas, who are free from all types of lamentation, sudras.

Who then can we call a sudra? Sarva varneshu te sudra ye na bhakta janardana. “If one is not a devotee of Sri Krishna, he should be considered a sudra even if he was born into a brahmana, kshatriya or vaisya family.” Sudras have no bhakti or inclination towards Bhagavan. They are constantly gripped by lamentation, illusion and fear. Bhagavad-bhakti alone removes these obstacles. Unless the jiva takes shelter of bhagavad-bhakti, his lamentation (sudratva) cannot be dispelled.

There is no place for such lamentation in bhagavadbhaktas who are knowers of the science of Krishna (krishnatattva-vetta). Does someone who knows the science of Krishna possess only theoretical knowledge? All theory may be on someones lips, but there may be no improvement within his heart and he may not have embraced the science of Krishna even partially. Is a person who knows the science of Krishna something like this? No.

One who knows this science is naturally and firmly fixed in practice, not merely in theory. There is no contradiction between his words and his deeds and he is intrinsically surrendered exclusively to Krishna. Only a bhagavad-bhakta such as this is spoken of here. All of his senses are constantly engaged in Krishna’s service, so he is never disturbed by the six urges.

vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegam yo vishaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prithivim sa sishyat

A wise and self-composed person who can subdue the
impetus to speak, the agitation of the mind, the onset
of anger, the vehemence of the tongue, the urge of the
belly and the agitation of the genitals can instruct the
entire world. In other words, all persons may become
disciples of such a self-controlled person.
(Upadesamrita 1)

He who has conquered these six urges is jagad-guru, spiritual master of the entire world. To totally disengage the senses by performing the process of pranayama such as exhalation and inhalation of breath (recaka and puraka), retention of breath (kumbhaka), control of the senses (yama) and various regulative principles (niyama), is not actually controlling the six urges. Proper engagement of the senses is real control of the urges.
yamadibhih yogapathaih kamalobhahato mundah
mukundasevaya yadvad tathaddhatma na samyati

It is true that by practising restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this satisfaction is derived from seva to Mukunda. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.34)

Krishna-bhaktas alone can conquer the six urges; they are the real jagad-gurus, preceptors of the world. Krishnam vande jagat gurum, “I worship Sri Krishna who is jagadguru.” Sri Krishna alone is the original jagad-guru. By His greatness (gurutva), everyone else attains greatness. He bestows upon others gurutva, the quality of being great.
yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krishna’-upadesa
amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa

Whomever you meet, teach them about Sri Krishna, and
in this way, under My order, become a guru and
deliver the people of this land. (Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 7.128)

kabhu na badhibe tomara vishaya-taranga
punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga

Your life will not be obstructed by the waves of the
desires for sense enjoyment and you will again
receive my association at this very place. (Caitanyacaritamrita, Madhya 7.129)

Thus, investing his potency in those who are under His shelter, Bhagavan sends them as guru to this world for the welfare of the jivas. Unless the potency of Bhagavan is transmitted to the jiva, he does not attain the quality of guru. Due to the lack of this potency, the insignificant jiva thus falls into the waves of materialism. But this does not happen to a guru who is empowered by the sakti of Krishna. It is therefore said, kabhu na badhibe tomara vishaya-taranga.

“The waves of materialism will not hinder you.”

In this context, Srila Sarasvati Prabhupada has said:

“Give up himsa (malice, envy and violence) and be compassionate to the jivas. Do not act as guru to commit violence. Do not act as guru to sink into materialism; but if you can, become my sincere servant and attain My potency. Then you will have nothing to fear.”

This means that the potency of Bhagavan is transmitted into the bhagavat bhakta who is free from deceit. Without obtaining that potency, one’s compassion for the jivas becomes jiva-himsa, violence to the living entity.

What does jiva-himsa mean? Srila Prabhupada explains: “The word jiva-himsa means being narrow-minded or miserly in propagating suddha-bhakti, and giving shelter or speaking to please mayavadis, anyabhilashis (those who act for personal, selfish motives) and karmis.” Jiva-himsa actually means to give fuel to the jiva’s desire for liberation and their hunger for sense enjoyment, to conceal the impartial truth of the sastra, and to support the whims of the mind. Karmis, jnanis and yogis, are selfish and unsurrendered, and they follow the ascending process. Dressed as guru they commit great jiva-himsa. It is never possible for the function (dharma) of the spirit soul to manifest through their endeavours of karma, jnana, or yoga. They are non-Vaishnavas. In many instances they accept Vishnu, but only for their own gain. They consider Vishnu to be a temporary designation; hence their acceptance of Him has no value.

The type of Vishnu we see worshipped in pancopasana (worship of five deities, namely Surya, Ganesa, Sakti, Siva and Vishnu) has no eternality at all. Such worshippers neither understand their eternal relationship with Vishnu nor accept their identity as His eternal servants. Therefore their Vaishnavism is impure. Such pancopasakas are nirvisesha-brahmavadis, or those who consider brahma to be impersonal and unvariegated. They consider the personal aspect of Godhead who has features and unique qualities, to be subservient to the material qualities of maya. Therefore they are offenders.

prakrita kariya mane vishnu-kalevara
vishnu-ninda ara nahi ihara upara

One who considers the transcendental body of Lord Vishnu to be made of material nature is the greatest offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. There is no greater blasphemy against the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.115)

Since their svarupa, constitutional identity as Vaishnavas, remains covered, they have no escape from inauspiciousness. How then can they remove the inauspiciousness of others? For this reason sastra states:
avaishnavopadishtena mantrena nirayam vrajet
punas ca vidhina samyag grahayed vaishnavad guroh

One goes to hell if he accepts mantras from a non-
Vaishnava guru, that is, from one who is devoid of
krishna-bhakti. Therefore, according to the rules of
sastra one should take mantras again from a
Vaishnava guru. (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 4.144)

A hellish destination is the only reward for receiving a mantra from a non-Vaishnava. For this reason one must again accept the mantras and the proper conception of them from a Vaishnava guru. What is the fate of a non- Vaishnava guru?
yo vyaktir nyaya-rahitam anyayena srinoti yah
tav ubhau narakam ghoram vrajatah kalam akshayam

He who poses as an acarya but gives false instructions that are opposed to the sattvata-sastras, will reside in a terrible hell for an unlimited period of time, and so will the misguided disciple who mistakenly listens to such a false guru. (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 1.62)

Both he who explains sastra for his own gain in a way that contradicts the actual meaning, and he who hears that opinion, will on the account of impropriety reside in hell for an unlimited period of time. Bhagavad-bhakti alone destroys all the inauspiciousness of the jiva. Karma, jnana and yoga exist in excellent harmony only when they share the common purpose of bhagavad-bhakti. There is no duality.
yat karmabhir yat tapasa jnana-vairagyatas ca yat
yogena dana-dharmena sreyobhir itarair api
sarvam mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate ‘njasa
svargapavargam mad-dhama kathancid yadi vanchati

Through the power of bhakti-yoga, My bhaktas easily
obtain whatever results are obtained with great difficulty
through fruitive activities, austerity, knowledge,
renunciation, practice of yoga, charity, religious duties
and all other auspicious types of sadhana. My bhaktas
are free from all ambition, but they could easily be
promoted to the celestial planets, or attain liberation
or residence in Vaikuntha, if they desired such things.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.20.32–3)

“Whatever is separately obtained through the performances
of karma, tapasya, jnana, vairagya, ashtanga-yoga
and other voluntary religious observances is easily
obtained by My bhaktas.” Therefore there is all perfection
in bhakti. This is the verdict of Bhagavan Himself and it
is free from partiality or bias. The glory of that Vaishnava
guru who manifests and propagates such bhagavad-bhakti
is like the glory of Vishnu Himself.
yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah prakasante mahatmanah

All the confidential purports of the Vedas are fully
revealed to that great soul who has the same parabhakti
for his gurudeva as he has for Sri Bhagavan.
(Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.23)

He who has the same para-bhakti for a Vaishnava guru as he does for Bhagavan, is a mahatma, a maha-bhagavata. In the appropriate manner, the true meaning of sastra is revealed only to him. For this reason it is stated, mannathah srijagannatho mad-guruh srijagad-guruh. “My master is the master of the universe and my guru is the guru of the universe.” Unless there is nishtha, or firm faith, in both vishaya- and asraya-tattva, all confusion remains.

Vishaya-vigraha Bhagavan is the controller of all controllers, the omnipotent Lord of all lords (sarvvesvaresvara). In the same way asraya-vigraha sri gurudeva is not an ordinary jiva, but the sum total of all the devas (sarvadevamaya). He is isvara in that he has the qualities of the supreme controller. If one does not adopt this understanding he will consider gurudeva to be an ordinary human being. Then there will be a great danger for him because his own attachment to worldliness or mundane qualities will never be removed.

For this reason the phrase gurudevatatma has been used (i.e. Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.2.37). Only that person who knows his gurudeva to be devata and regards him as atma meaning priya (“dear like his own self”), is gurudevatatma.Unless one becomes gurudevatatma, he cannot render intimate service to guru (visrambena guroh seva); and unless one becomes gurudevatatma one cannot perform krishnabhajana.

tate krishna bhaje, kare gurura sevana
maya-jala chute paya krishnera carana

If the conditioned soul engages in the service of the
Lord and simultaneously carries out the orders of his
spiritual master and serves him, he can get out of the
clutches of maya and become eligible for shelter at
Krishna’s lotus feet. (Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.25)

The relationship between krishna-bhajana and guru-seva is inseparable.

Sastra describes many kinds of guru: caityaguru, vartma-pradarsaka-guru, sravana-guru, bhajana-siksha-guru, mantra-guru and so on.1 Caityaguru bestows the ability to discriminate in regard to what is and is not favourable for bhajana. He gives genuine transcendental knowledge only to those who have a sincere inclination to perform bhajana with affection. “Dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te – I bestow the transcendental knowledge by which they can come to me” (Bhagavad-gita 10.10). On the other hand, when the jivas have selfish ulterior motives, caitya-guru remains silent, and through His maya He makes them wander in the karmic cycle of birth and death.

isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrid-dese ’rjuna tishthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya
Bhagavad-gita (18.61)

O Arjuna, Isvara is situatedin the heart of all jivas
and is causing them towander in the cycle of
birth and death by Hismaya, as if they are
mounted on a machine.

When the jiva becomes ready to renounce his absorption in maya, the indwelling Lord (antaryami), awakens the jiva’ sense of wisdom regarding krishnabhakti and externally He manifests as a mahantasadhu, a great saint. At that time the successive appearance of the vartma-pradarsaka-guru, sravana-guru, diksha-guru, bhajana-guru and so on occurs in the life of that jiva. Srila Sarasvati Prabhupada said, “The abodes of love (asraya-jatiya) – that is, our guru-varga – appear in various forms to bestow mercy upon me. All are the special manifestation of gurupada-padma, the bestower of transcendental knowledge.”

Often the vartma-pradarsaka-guru and the sravana-guru are the same person. If the siksha-guru did not instruct us on how to take shelter of gurupadapadma and on how to behave towards him, we would gain nothing auspicious. He teaches the importance of the diksha-guru and how to worship him. We must submissively obtain the mantra from the diksha-guru, the bestower of sambandha-jnana, and we receive instructions on the process of bhajana from the bhajana-siksa-guru. The diksha- and siksha-guru are one; they are never different. Both are the manifestation of gurupada-padma, the bestower of transcendental knowledge. If someone perceives a difference between them due to their mundane conception, they commit a great offence. Until the conception that gurudeva is a mortal being is dispelled, such thoughts cause disturbance. If one is not particularly vigilant in dealing with such thoughts, his pitiable condition will never be rectified. For this reason it has been said:

sri guru carana padma
kevala bhakati-sadma
vando mui savadhana mate
Sri Prema-bhakti-candrika

With great care I worship and serve sri guru’s lotus
feet, which are a treasure house of unalloyed premabhakti
for Sri Krishna.

On this special day (vyasa-puja ), I remember the super-human (atimartya) character of my gurupadapadma. His foremost characteristic (vaisishtya) is his unparalleled guru-nishtha. He is the glowing example of gurudevtatma, perceiving gurudeva as being devata and regarding him as more dear than one’s very own atma, or soul. At every moment he is so eager for guruseva.

This can only be compared to the highest chastity of a wife for her husband. In every respect he offers his own soul, mind, body and everything at the lotus feet of Srila Sarasvati Prabhupada. My sri gurupada-padma dedicated his life to his guru just as Sri Kuresa, the disciple of Sri Ramanuja, set such a glowing example by offering his life for guru-seva. Offering his own life, my gurupada-padma protected Prabhupada from the challenging uproars of people with demoniac mentalities.

Prabhupada also manifested a pastime to reveal the incomparable guru-nishtha in the heart of gurupadapadma. 2 When the guru-nishtha of the mahopadesaka (great scholarly instructor) and maha-mahopadesaka (very great scholarly instructor)3 disciples is compared to the guru-nishtha of a mere upadesaka pandita (instructing scholar)4 quietly engaged in performing deep and intimate service, it is like a glow-worm before the sun. By this pastime Prabhupada destroyed their boastful pride.

Gurupada-padma had so much guru-nishtha in the tattva-siddhanta of Prabhupada that it astounded people. When there was an attempt to challenge the vicaradhara (“current of conception”) of Srila Prabhupada, gurupada-padma roared like a lion, strongly refuting them: “I do not know the previous gosvamis, but I accept the vicara-dhara of Srila Prabhupada as the unmistakable truth and I shall try to know and understand the previous gosvamis in light of Prabhupada’s vicara-dhara. Acaryera yei mata, sei mata sara /ara yata mata yanka charakhara – ‘The opinion of the acarya is the sum and substance. Let all other opinions be destroyed.’ This is my conclusion.” To this all bowed their heads in amazement. This incident is very instructive.

There are many instances where the words gurunishtha and guru-bhakti are inappropriately used. Nishtha for those who are gurus in name only is inevitably degraded. Guru means “he who is vastavavastu, non-different from reality, and krishna-vastu, non-different from Krishna”. The so-called gurus in the various apasampradayas are not krishna-svarupa. The nishtha and bhakti attributed to them is simply the product of the jiva's ignorance. Therefore, our attempts to put our faith in such persons can never be termed adau guru-nishtha or guru-bhakti.

The guru-nishtha of gurupada-padma towards Prabhupada is the identification of his internal confidential relationship with him, and his deep relationship with vastava-vastu. Gurupada-padma knew very well that there is no mistake in the conception (vicara) of the previous gosvamis. J ivas gripped by ignorance are susceptible to understanding these conclusions incorrectly. However, if one adopts the ideal, or the line of thought of Prabhupada, it is impossible to come to the wrong conclusion.

If one who had had any connection with Prabhupada came to gurupada-padma, be he a temple devotee or renunciant, a householder, or an ordinary person, gurupada-padma would become overwhelmed with bliss, and thereby open-heartedly manifest his intimacy with Prabhupada. Gurusevaka haya manya apanara – “The servant of guru is honourable for us.” Gurupada-padma would feel grateful and indebted to anybody with any kind of service relationship with Prabhupada, and since Prabhupada is the only object of his heart, he would even offer that person financial assistance. His affection was bound in his relationship with those connected to Prabhupada. On the other hand he was as hard as a thunderbolt with those who, on the pretext of performing seva for Prabhupada, acted against him. All this is quite natural and comes from a feeling of relationship.

Gurudeva is the sole custodian of the entire service of Sri Radha-Govinda. Whatever seva is performed to Sri Radha-Govinda is indeed service to gurupadapadma. Gurudeva is so adjusted with the pleasure of Krishna that his only bliss is to give pleasure to Krishna. He has no other source of happiness. Therefore, by rendering service to Krishna for His pleasure, service to sri gurudeva is indeed performed, and therefore everyone is in fact the servant of gurudeva. Gurupada-padma would feel indebted to anyone who was connected with that line of service, even if it was only for a moment. This is because Prabhupada is the only wealth of his heart.

This unprecedented guru-nishtha of gurupadapadma is his primary quality. His countless other qualities, specialties and characteristics are all subordinate to this main quality. For want of time it is impossible to appreciate or discuss all these divine characteristics. Vyasa-puja means to take shelter at the lotus feet of guru and offer padya at those lotus feet. I have tried to accomplish this to the best of my ability. May gurupada-padma be pleased with me by his causeless mercy. This is my humble prayer. All of you please bestow your blessings upon me so that sri gurupadapadma should remain pleased with me.

vancha-kalpatarubyas ca kripa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namah

I offer pranamas unto the Vaishnavas who are just like
desire trees, who are an ocean of mercy, and who
deliver the fallen, conditioned souls.

1 Caitya-guru is Paramatma in the heart of all beings. The vartma-pradarsaka-guru is he who first introduces one to the line of pure bhakti. The sravana-guru gives one initial instruction in bhakti, while the bhajana-siksha-guru gives one detailed instructions on how to achieve success in bhajana.

The mantra-guru, also known as the diksha-guru, initiates one into the vishnu-mantra, a process known as diksha.

2 This refers to the time Srila Bhakti-prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja swapped clothes with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada to protect Prabhupada from an angry mob bent on killing him. For a full account of this pastime, refer to Acarya Kesari Sri Srimad Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami: His Life and Teachings by Tridandisvami Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, pp 40–44.

3 Titles given by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada to a number of his followers

4 Title attributed to Srila Bhakti-prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja


(His presentation on his vyasa-puja day, 7 January 2002)
Translated from Sri Gaudiya Patrika, Year 54, Issue 1
by the Rays of The Harmonist team.
Published in English for the first time in Rays of The Harmonist No. 10 Summer 2002,
Rays of The Harmonist No. 11 Karttika 2002,
and Rays of The Harmonist No. 12 Gaura-purnima 2003


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