Ecclesiastical
Guru! Reality or Illusion?
By Puru das
adhikari
Paramartha-gurasrayo vyavaharika-gurvadiparityagenapi kartavyah
"One should not accept a spiritual master based on hereditary, social or
ecclesiastical conventions. Such a professional guru should be rejected. One
must accept a qualified spiritual master, who can help one advance toward the
ultimate goal of life, krsna prema (Bhakti-sandharba, annucheda 210)
Ecclesiastical committees cannot and do not establish who is a
real guru. The words of self-realized souls, the examples of self-effulgent
acaryas, and the revealed scriptures establish such standards. We must try to
understand what is actually in our spiritual self-interest, and what may be a
deception. We should try to understand Vaisnava aparadha, and how to avoid it
at all cost. To do this we must first understand who is a Vaishnava and who is
not.
To distinguish a diamond from a broken piece of glass you must have some personal qualification to discriminate the difference, or you will be cheated. Therefore, to get a clearer understanding of guru tattva you should study the Sri Cc. Adi lila, Volume One, and The Nectar of Instruction carefully. If you are not properly equipped to discriminate in this matter you can be deceived. Krsna says to Arjuna "Armed with yoga, O Bharata, stand and fight." (Bg.4.42) Similarly, if we are armed with transcendental knowledge we can make clearer decisions concerning guru-tattva. . . ..
Religious Institutions do not
necessarily generate real spiritual leadership. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura has written:
The church that has the best chance of survival in this damned world is
that of atheism under the convenient guise of theism. The churches have
always proved the staunchest upholders of the grossest form of worldliness from
which even the worst of non-ecclesiastical criminals are found to recoil.
It is not from any deliberate opposition to the ordained clergy that
these observations are made. The original purpose of the established
churches of the world may not always be objectionable. But no stable religious
arrangement for instructing the masses has yet been successful. The Supreme
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in pursuance of the teachings of the scriptures
enjoins all absence of conventionalism for the teachers of the eternal
religion. It does not follow that the mechanical adoption of the unconventional
life by any person will make him a fit teacher of religion. Regulation is
necessary for controlling the inherent worldliness of conditional souls.
But no mechanical regulation has any value, even for such a purpose. The
bona-fide teacher of religion is neither any product of nor the favourer of,
any mechanical system. In his hands no system has likewise, the chance of
degenerating into a lifeless arrangement. The mere pursuit of fixed doctrines
and fixed liturgies cannot hold a person to the true spirit of doctrine or
liturgy.
Organised
Religion
SBSST
.Srila Prabhupada's vision was not bound by
institutional considerations. Even though he established temples and
communities he did not "Institutionalize" Vaisnavism. First of all
there cannot be any spiritual life without a bonafide understanding of guru tattva.
While His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gave very clear
explanations of guru-tattva during his lifetime. However since his departure
some of his former secretaries and students (ISKCON GBC) have in their
confusion and due to their lack of realization, flip-flopped on the issue
(guru-tattva) several times. Since 1977 they have been twisting the
Gaudiya siddhanta of guru-tattva like a pretzel. First they foisted zonal
acarya, then in l988 misunderstood "re-initiation" and now have
accepted a rubber stamp political appointment system for guru. Does such
confusion indicate any real understanding of what Srila Prabhupada's vision
actually was? Simply read Nectar of Instruction to understand what His Divine
Grace's "personal vision" was. Srila Prabhupada shared the vision of
Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura. We should not try to separate Srila Prabhupada from the rest
of our guru parampara. ISKCON is not meant to be an entity separate and apart
from the rest of the Gaudiya Sampradaya philosophically, even if it is managed
by its GBC.
The Vaishnava world is not limited to ISKCON,
especially as it is guided by GBC ecclesiastical resolutions. The end result of
their resolutions have simply been to deviate ISKCON from our Gaudiya line with regard to
guru-tattva,jiva-tattva and their tolerance and active participation in
Vaisnava aparadhas, since l977 and even before.They are also not very clear on
nama-tattva, on any tattva for that matter. . ISKCON certainly used to have
Srila Prabhupada's personal stamp upon it, but his real mood of love and
affection has long been erased by GBC bureaucracy and lack of anugatya (proper
guidance) and higher association of
self realized souls, since 1977.
. . . "The Supreme Lord Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in pursuance of the teachings of the scriptures enjoins
all absence of conventionalism for the teachers of the eternal religion. It
does not follow that the mechanical adoption of the unconventional life by any
person will make him a fit teacher of religion. Regulation is necessary for
controlling the inherent worldliness of conditional souls.
But no mechanical regulation has any value, even for such a purpose. The
bona-fide teacher of religion is neither any product of nor the favorer of, any
mechanical system. In his hands no system has likewise, the chance of
degenerating into a lifeless arrangement. The mere pursuit of fixed doctrines
and fixed liturgies cannot hold a person to the true spirit of doctrine or liturgy.
The idea of an organised church in an intelligible form, indeed, marks the
close of the living spiritual movement. The great ecclesiastical establishments
are the dikes and the dams to retain the current that cannot be held by any
such contrivances. They, indeed, indicate a desire on the part of the masses to
exploit a spiritual movement for their own purpose. They also unmistakably
indicate the end of the absolute and unconventional guidance of the bona-fide
spiritual teacher."
SBSST
Also in the purport to Cc. Adi lila Ch.12, Txt
73 we can read:
"In this connection, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in his
Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, gives this short note: "Sri Advaita Acarya is one of
the important trunks of the bhakti-kalpataru, or desire tree of devotional service.
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as a gardener, poured water on the root of the
bhakti tree and thus nourished all its trunks and branches. But
nevertheless, under the spell of maya, the most unfortunate condition of a
living entity, some of the branches, not accepting the gardener who poured
water on them, considered the trunk the only cause of the great
bhakti-kalpataru. In other words, the branches or descendants of Advaita Acarya
who considered Advaita Acarya the original cause of the devotional creeper, and
who thus neglected or disobeyed the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
deprived themselves of the effect of being watered and thus dried up and died.
It is further to be understood that not only the misguided descendants of
Advaita Acarya but anyone who has no connection with Caitanya Mahaprabhu--even
if he is independently a great sannyasi, learned scholar or ascetic--is like a
dead branch of a tree."
HDGACBSP
Cc. Adi 12.73
In Moscow, on June 30, 2000, Srila B.V. Narayana Maharaja pointed out:
What is then the remedy for us? Who will help us? Only the madhyama
adhikari. Sri Gurudeva should actually be acting in the stage of madhyama
adhikari. "Prema maitri krpopeksa ya karoti sa madhyama." Madhyama
adhikaris are of three categories: madhyama kanistha, madhyama madhyama, and
madhyama uttama. The madhama kanistha cannot act as guru. The madhyama madhyama
and madhyama uttama can, however, because they are in the line of their guru,
always chanting and remembering the pastimes of Krsna, chanting Hare Krsna with
rasa and taste, and their anarthas have practically disappear. There remains
only a very little scent of anarthas, and there is no offense at all: no
Vaisnava-aparadha, nama-aparadha, seva-aparadha, or dhama-aparadha. They are
chanting and remembering, and always in the line of their own Gurudeva. Though
they are not so realized, still they can help us. We have these kinds of
devotees in this world, and they can help us. But you should know that a
maha-bhagav! ata can descend in the madhyama adhikari stage, and then he can
preach and accept disciples. In this way we can accept two kinds of gurus, and
they can help us. The madhyama adhikari gurus will take us to the uttama
adhikari, and thus the madhyama gurus and their disciples will develop their
Krsna consciousness.
...In sastra it has been told very clearly and strongly what a disciple
should do if he has accepted a guru who is not in the line of devotion, who is
not a realized soul, and who is not even a madhyama adhikari, and afterwards
that disciple realizes that his guru cannot help him in devotion, in the
service of Krsna and Radhika Conjugal. If that guru is fallen, not actually
chanting and remembering, and if he is not in the line of his Gurudeva, the
disciple should give him up at once and accept a real guru. If anyone wants to
serve Krsna, and has no other motive than to develop his Krsna consciousness,
he should do pranama and say, "O Gurudeva, I want to associate with a
high-class Vaisnava. Please allow me." If his gurudeva allows, as did the
gurus of Sri Syamananda prabhu, Sri Narottama dasa Thakura and others, then
that guru is a madhyama adhikari. However, if he says, "No, you cannot
associate with high-class Vaisnavas. If you do, you will go to hell", then
that class of guru!
He is not guru. He is like a kan-guru (kangaroo). He may say, "If
you disobey me and go to another high-class Vaisnava, then you will go to
hell." I think that such a false guru will go to hell first, and after him
the disciple will go.
...if a guru does not know the meaning of the mantras, like
brahma-gayatri -- if he does not know who is the istadeva, deity, of this
mantra, if he does not know upon whom we should meditate, who should
pracodayat, come in our heart, if he doe not know the meaning of gopal-mantra,
kama-gayatri, gaura-mantra, and he does not practice it in the morning, at
midday, and in the evening, and if he is not realizing anything, how can he be
guru? He should realize all these things. If he has bhakti in his heart, he can
donate it to others. But if he is not really doing all these things, and there
is no bhakti in his heart, then how can he donate that bhakti to others? This
is the thing. That is why we are not developing. But for this, the current will
go further, further, further to Krsna.
---Srila B.V. Narayana Maharaja
As long as ecclesiastically appointed
"gurus" remain inimical to the hari-katha that comes from the lotus
lips of pure devotees; as long as they are inimical to sadhu sanga, and as long
as they are willing to compromise our siddhanta on who is guru, we must come to
the conclusion that they are guilty of apasiddhanta and should be rejected by
any sincere seeker of the Absolute Truth. . One definition of a real sadhu is
found in the 11th Canto of SB . We can be read it in the introduction of the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu,translated by Srila Hrydaya Bon Maharaj:
(II) SADHU SANGA: Company of Sadhus or Saints. This means
an individuals eager desire to be in the company of a Sadhu in order to learn
the methods of spiritual practices for God realization alone and for no other
purpose. But who is a Sadhu?
According to Bhagavatam, Canto XI, Chap. 11, Slokas 29 to 31, the following are the qualities of a genuine Sadhu or Saint: A Sadhu is kind; he cherishes animosity toward none; he smilingly endures even the bitterest miseries; he loves Truth as the vein-blood of his life; he never allows any evil thought to pollute his mind; he looks upon all with equal love and compassion; he does not entertain any kind of mundane desires to darken his mental quantum; he is self-controlled, amiable and pure in character; he remains farthest from any attempt to accumulate for his future subsistence and does not beg anything form anybody; he is abstentious and peaceful; he is steady in his mind; he depends absolutely on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, and remains in constant remembrance of the Lord; he is patient, solemn, magnanimous and undisturbed even by utmost provocations and turmoils; he has control over hunger, thirst, lamentations ,infatuation, birth and death; he does never aspire after respect for himself, but is always respectful to others; he is friendly to all; his heart is full of compassion for others; he is fully conversant with the real nature of God; and he is erudite. To keep company with such a one in person, thought and through discussions is Sadhu-sanga.
You must judge for yourself who is a real sadhu .
. .
We can also discern who should accept disciples
from the last paragraph of His Divine Grace’s
purport to verse 5 of Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Sri Upadesamrta:
“. . . In this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami advises the
devotee to be intelligent enough to distinguish between the kanistha-adhikari,
madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. The devotee should also know his own
position and should not try to imitate a devotee situated on a higher platform.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given some practical hints to the effect that an
uttama-adhikari Vaisnava can be recognized by his ability to convert many
fallen souls to Vaisnavism. One
should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of
uttama-adhikari. A neophyte
Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept
disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be
understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life
under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to
accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master.”
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Nectar of Instruction
Purport Verse 5
If anyone feels that ecclesiastically
appointed gurus are capable of delivering them from birth and death eternally,
we have no argument with them, and nothing to say to them. Such persons should
avoid our association in the same way they avoid a substantial understanding of
guru-tattva. .
Anyone with sufficient discrimination and endowed by the grace of
guru with sufficient paramartmikha sraddha, (faith in the
revealed scriptures) can understand that no one can invent a new religion and call it Krsna consciousness. In Bg.
4.34 Lord Krsna gives a very clear direction to all jivas to seek out and
approach a bona fide spiritual master. Srila Rupa Gosvami re-confirms the same
principle in the first two angas (limbs) of bhakti in his book Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. Srila Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura has elucidated on the same topic in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindhu..
The depth of guru tattva is like the ocean and too vast to discuss
completely in a short article. Suffice
it to say, though, that a bona fide spiritual master is simply not established
by the vote of a regional committee of conditioned souls This is a new idea
that has nothing to do with the guru parampara coming from Lord Brahma and
Srila Madhvacarya and even less to do with the actual instructions of ISKCON’s
founder-acarya, His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
A bona fide spiritual master is self effulgent, otherwise not.
He/She is fully versed in all the
established truths of our shastra and has direct realization of Bhagavan Sri
Krsna. His/Her qualities are firmly
established in the gurvastakam of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and not
by anyone’s vote or a nomination by other conditioned souls.. Srila Prabhupada has written in Cc. Adi lila
1.46 in his purport:
“Following in the footsteps of Srila Raghunatha dasa
Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami, later acaryas like Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti
Thakura have confirmed the same truths.
In his prayers to the spiritual master, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to be
identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear and
confidential servant of the Lord. Gaudiya Vaisnavas therefore worship Srila
Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being the servitor of the
Personality of Godhead. In all the ancient scriptures of devotional service and
in the more recent songs of Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura and other unalloyed Vaisnavas,
the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential
associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila
Nityananda Prabhu.
Cc.
1.46 purport
Krsna Consciousness without the vapuh
(physical) association of ,and hearing Srimad Bhagavatam from, and receiving our sampradaya diksa
mantras from a pure devotee, uttama adhikari Vaisnava of the highest level of
sannyasa, paramahamsa, is simply a rtvk myth.
You can read SB 1.1.5 & 6, Cc. Antya lila 5.131, Cc. Madhya lila
15.108 and so many other place in Srila
Prabhupada’s books to appreciate these
points. Gaudiya-siddhanta is not established by a gbc or any three letters of
the alphabet.
Srila Prabhupada has written in Cc. Adi
lila 1.47 as follows with regard to diksa and siksa gurus:
Srila
Sanatana Gosvami is the ideal spiritual master, for he delivers one the shelter
of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Even though one may be unable to travel on
the field of Vrndavana due to forgetfulness of his relationship with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can get an adequate opportunity to stay in
Vrndavana and derive all spiritual benefits by the mercy of Sanatana Gosvami.
Sri Govindaji acts exactly like the siksa-guru (instructing spiritual master)
by teaching Arjuna the Bhagavad-gita. He is the original preceptor, for He
gives us instructions and an opportunity to serve Him. The initiating spiritual master is a personal manifestation of Srila
Madana-mohana vigraha, whereas the instructing spiritual master is a personal
representative of Srila Govindadeva vigraha. Both of these Deities are
worshiped at Vrndavana. Srila Gopinatha is the ultimate attraction in spiritual
realization.
Cc. Adi 1.47 purport
Who can be an acarya? What does initiation mean? That answer is found extensively throughout His Divine Grace's books and lectures and is actually too vast a topic to discuss here in full. We can refer you however to:
Nectar of Instruction Text 1 & Purport
Nectar of Instruction Text 5 & Purport
Cc. Adi Lila 1.46-48 ,Cc. Madhya lila Ch. 15.108
Cc. Madhya Ch. 24 Txt 330-331 (SEE APPENDIX) and
SB 1.5.32
You can also read:
What is a Guru? London, August 22, 1973, by HDGACBSP
[http://vnn.org/editorials/ET0101/ET04-6492.html]
Guru Tattva: Real And Apparent, By Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana
Maharaja, [http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET0011/ET16-6431.html] where you will find some basis for understanding the qualification of a guru or an acarya.
If anyone is saying not to hear about Lord Krsna‘s pastimes from a superior Vaisnava, not to associate with a pure Vaisnava because of political considerations, and that you should not think for yourself on the basis of guru, sadhu and shastra, then such a so called guru is a cheater. He has some material motive to keep his followers in ignorance so he can either control or exploit them
Accept shastra or ecclesiastics. It is
your choice
Your servant,
Puru das, das anudas
Portions of this article were excerpted from:
To Hear or Not to Hear, That is the Question
by Puru Das Adhikari
http://www.bvml.org/contemporary/question.htm
APPENDIX
|
TEXT 330
TEXT
guru-laksana, sisya-laksana, donhara pariksana
sevya----bhagavan, sarva-mantra-vicarana
SYNONYMS
guru-laksana--the symptoms of a bona fide spiritual master;
sisya-laksana--the symptoms of a bona fide disciple; donhara--of both;
pariksana--the testing; sevya-bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
worshipable; sarva-mantra-vicarana--consideration of the different types of
mantras.
TRANSLATION
"In your book there should be the characteristics of the bona
fide guru and the bona fide disciple. Then, before accepting a spiritual
master, one can be assured of the spiritual master's position. Similarly, the
spiritual master can also be assured of the disciple's position. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna, should be described as the worshipable object,
and you should consider the bija-mantra for the worship of Krsna, Rama or any
other expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the Padma Purana, the characteristics of the guru, the bona
fide spiritual master, have been described:
maha-bhagavata-srestho
brahmano vai gurur nrnam
sarvesam eva lokanam
asau pujyo yatha harih
maha-kula-prasuto 'pi
sarva-yajnesu diksitah
sahasra-sakhadhyayi ca
na guruh syad avaisnavah
The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional
service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted
from the topmost class. The first-class devotee is the spiritual master for all
kinds of people. It is said: gurur nrnam. The word nrnam means "of all
human beings." The guru is not limited to a particular group. It is stated
in the Upadesamrta of Rupa Gosvami that a guru is a gosvami, a controller of
the senses and the mind. Such a guru can accept disciples from all over the
world. Prthivim sa sisyat. This is the test of the guru.
In India there are many so-called gurus, and they are limited to a
certain district or a province. They do not even travel about India, yet they
declare themselves to be jagad-guru, gurus of the whole world. Such cheating
gurus should not be accepted. Anyone can see how the bona fide spiritual master
accepts disciples from all over the world. The guru is a qualified brahmana;
therefore he knows Brahman and Parabrahman. He thus devotes his life for the
service of Parabrahman. The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples
from all over the world is also worshiped all over the world because of his
qualities. Lokanam asau pujyo yatha harih: the people of the world worship him
just as they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these honors are
offered to him because he strictly follows the brahminical principles and
teaches these principles to his disciples. Such a person is called an acarya
because he knows the principles of devotional service, he behaves in that way
himself, and he teaches his disciples to follow in his footsteps. Thus he is an
acarya or jagad-guru. Even though a person is born in a brahminical family and
is very expert in performing sacrifices, he cannot be accepted as a guru if he
is not a strict Vaisnava. A guru is a brahmana by qualification, and he can
turn others into brahmanas according to the sastric principles and brahminical
qualifications. Brahmanism is not a question of heredity. In Srimad-Bhagavatam
(7.11.35) Sri Narada Muni tells Maharaja Yudhisthira what a brahmana is. He
states that if brahminical qualifications are observed in ksatriyas, vaisyas or
even sudras, one should accept them as brahmanas. In this regard, Srila
Sridhara Svami has commented: samadibhir eva brahmanadi-vyavaharo mukhyah, na
jati-matradity aha-yasyeti. yad yadi anyatra varnantare 'pi drsyeta,
tad-varnantaram tenaiva laksana-nimittenaiva varnena vinirdiset, na tu
jati-nimittenety arthah.
There is a similar statement made by Nilakantha, the commentator
on Mahabharata:
sudro 'pi samady-upeto brahmana eva
brahmano 'pi kamady-upetah sudra eva
"Although one may be born in a sudra family, if he is endowed
with the brahminical qualities beginning with sama [control of the mind], he is
to be accepted as a brahmana. Although one may be born in a brahmana family, if
he is endowed with the qualities beginning with kama [lust], he is to be
considered a sudra." No one should present himself as a brahmana simply on
the basis of being born in a brahminical family. One must be qualified by the
brahminical qualities mentioned in the sastras, particularly Bhagavad-gita:
samo damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam
"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance,
honesty, wisdom, knowledge and religiousness-these are the qualities by which
the brahmanas work." (Bg. 18.42)
Unless one is qualified with all these attributes, he cannot be
accepted as a brahmana. It is not a question of simply taking birth in a
brahmana family. In this regard, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
remarks that Narottama dasa Thakura and Syamananda Gosvami, although not born
in brahmana families, are accepted as bona fide spiritual masters because they
were brahmanas by qualification. Personalities like Sri Ganga-narayana,
Ramakrsna and many others, who were actually born in brahmana families,
accepted Narottama dasa Thakura and Syamananda Gosvami as their spiritual
masters.
The maha-bhagavata is one who decorates his body with tilaka and
whose name indicates him to be a servant of Krsna by the word dasa. He is also
initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and is expert in worshiping the
Deity, chanting mantras correctly, performing sacrifices, offering prayers to
the Lord, and performing sankirtana. He knows how to serve the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and how to respect a Vaisnava. When one has attained the
topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and
worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is
eligible to occupy the post of a guru. However, if one is highly qualified but
is not a Vaisnava, he cannot be accepted as a guru. One cannot be a brahmana
unless one is a Vaisnava. If one is a Vaisnava, he is already a brahmana. If a
guru is completely qualified as a Vaisnava, he must be accepted as a brahmana
even if he is not born in a brahmana family. The caste system method of
distinguishing a brahmana by birth is not acceptable when applied to a bona
fide spiritual master. A spiritual master is a qualified brahmana and acarya.
If one is not a qualified brahmana, he is not expert in studying Vedic
literatures. Nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau. Every Vaisnava is a spiritual
master, and a spiritual master is automatically expert in brahminical behavior.
He also understands the Vedic sastras.
Similarly, a disciple's qualifications must be observed by the
spiritual master before he is accepted as a disciple. In our Krsna
consciousness movement, the requirement is that one must be prepared to give up
the four pillars of sinful life-illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and
gambling. In Western countries especially, we first observe whether a potential
disciple is prepared to follow the regulative principles. Then he is given the
name of a Vaisnava servant and initiated to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra,
at least sixteen rounds daily. In this way the disciple renders devotional
service under the guidance of the spiritual master or his representative for at
least six months to a year. He is then recommended for a second initiation,
during which a sacred thread is offered and the disciple is accepted as a bona
fide brahmana. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura introduced the system of
giving the sacred thread to a bona fide Vaisnava, and we are also following in
his footsteps. The qualifications of a bona fide disciple are described in
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.10.6) as follows:
amanya-matsaro dakso
nirmamo drdha-sauhrdah
asatvaro 'rtha-jijnasur
anasuyur amogha-vak
The disciple must have the following qualifications. He must give
up interest in the material bodily conception. He must give up material lust,
anger, greed, illusion, madness and envy. He should be interested only in
understanding the science of God, and he should be ready to consider all points
in this matter. He should no longer think, "I am this body," or,
"This thing belongs to me." One must love the spiritual master with
unflinching faith, and one must be very steady and fixed. The bona fide
disciple should be inquisitive to understand transcendental subject matter. He
must not search out faults among good qualities, and he should no longer be
interested in material topics. His only interest should be Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
As far as the mutual testing of the spiritual master and disciple
is concerned, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that a bona fide
disciple must be very inquisitive to understand the transcendental subject
matter. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21):
tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasuh sreya uttamam
"One who is inquisitive to understand the highest goal and
benefit of life must approach a bona fide spiritual master and surrender unto
him." A serious disciple must be alert when selecting a bona fide
spiritual master. He must be sure that the spiritual master can deliver all the
transcendental necessities. The spiritual master must observe how inquisitive
the disciple is and how eager he is to understand the transcendental subject
matter. The spiritual master should study the disciple's inquisitiveness for no
less than six months or a year. A spiritual master should not be very anxious
to accept a disciple because of his material opulences. Sometimes a big
businessman or landlord may approach a spiritual master for initiation. Those
who are materially interested are called visayis (karmis), which indicates that
they are very fond of sense gratification. Such visayis sometimes approach a
famous guru and ask to become a disciple just as a matter of fashion. Sometimes
visayis pose as disciples of a reputed spiritual master just to cover their
activities and advertise themselves as advanced in spiritual knowledge. In
other words, they want to attain material success. A spiritual master must be
very careful in this regard. Such business is going on all over the world. The
spiritual master does not accept a materially opulent disciple just to
advertise the fact that he has such a big disciple. He knows that by
associating with such visayi disciples, he may fall down. One who accepts a
visayi disciple is not a bona fide spiritual master. Even if he is, his
position may be damaged due to association with an unscrupulous visayi. If a
so-called spiritual master accepts a disciple for his personal benefit or for
material gain, the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple
turns into a material affair, and the spiritual master becomes like a
smarta-guru. There are many caste gosvamis who professionally create some
disciples who do not care for them or their instructions. Such spiritual
masters are satisfied simply to get some material benefits from their
disciples. Such a relationship is condemned by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura, who calls such spiritual masters and disciples a society of cheaters
and cheated. They are also called baulas or prakrta-sahajiyas. Their aim is to
make the connection between the spiritual master and the disciple into a very
cheap thing. They are not serious in wanting to understand spiritual life.
The words sevya bhagavan in this verse are important. Bhagavan
indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu. Lord Visnu alone is
worshipable. There is no need to worship demigods. This is confirmed in
Bhagavad-gita:
kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah
prapadyante 'nya-devatah
tam tam niyamam asthaya
prakrtya niyatah svaya
"Those whose minds are distorted by material desires
surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of
worship according to their own natures." (Bg. 7.20)
It is also stated in the Skanda Purana:
vasudevam parityajya
yo 'anya-devam upasate
svamataram parityajya
sva-pacim vandate hi sah
"A person who worships the demigods and gives up Lord
Vasudeva is like a man who gives up the protection of his mother for the
shelter of a witch."
It is also stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.23):
ye 'py anya-devata-bhakta
yajante sraddhayanvitah
te 'pi mam eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-purvakam
"Whatever a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kunti,
is really meant for Me alone, but it is offered without true
understanding."
Demigods are also living entities and parts and parcels of Krsna.
Therefore in one sense one worships Krsna when one worships the demigods, but
not in the proper way. There is a proper method to water a tree. One should
water the roots, but if one waters the leaves and branches instead, he is
simply wasting his time. If one worships the demigods to the exclusion of Lord
Visnu, his rewards will only be material. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita:
antavat tu phalam tesam
tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam
devan deva-yajo yanti
mad-bhakta yanti mam api
"Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their
fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the
planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme
planet." (Bg. 7.23)
Demigod worship is meant for unintelligent men because the
benefits derived from demigod worship are all material, temporary and
retractable. It is also stated in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa:
yas tu narayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-devataih
samatvenaiva vikseta
sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam
"Whoever thinks Lord Visnu and the demigods are on the same
level is to be immediately considered a rogue as far as spiritual understanding
is concerned."
There are three modes of nature in the material world, but when
one is situated spiritually, he is above the material modes, even though he
lives in this material world. Lord Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):
mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma bhuyaya kalpate
"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not
fall down in any circumstances at once transcends the modes of material nature
and thus comes to the level of Brahman." When one engages in the Supreme
Lord's devotional service, he is in a transcendental position. Even though one
may be situated in the mode of goodness in the material world, he is
susceptible to pollution by the modes of passion and ignorance. When the mode
of goodness is mixed with the mode of passion, one worships the sun-god,
Vivasvan. When the mode of goodness is mixed with the mode of ignorance, he
worships Ganapati, or Ganesa. When the mode of passion is mixed with the mode
of ignorance, one worships Durga, or Kali, the external potency. When one is
simply in the mode of ignorance, he becomes a devotee of Lord Siva because Lord
Siva is the predominating deity of the mode of ignorance within this material
world. However, when one is completely free from the influence of all the modes
of material nature, he becomes a pure Vaisnava on the devotional platform.
Srila Rupa Gosvami states in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:
anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
The position of visuddha-sattva is the position of uncontaminated
goodness. On that platform, one can then understand, aradhyo bhagavan
vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the son of Nanda Maharaja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental
abode, Vrndavana."
The word sarva-mantra-vicarana means "considering all
different types of mantras." There are different kinds of mantras for
different kinds of devotees. There are the mantras known as the dvadasaksara,
and these are composed of twelve syllables. Similarly, there are mantras
composed of eighteen syllables-the Narasimha mantra, the Rama mantra, Gopala
mantra and so on. Each and every mantra has its own spiritual significance. The
spiritual master has to select a mantra for his disciple according to the
disciple's ability to chant different mantras.
|
What
If Guru Is Not Pure?
1
Murwillumbah, Australia: December 3, 2002
(Evening - Part 2)
1
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
1
Suppose a person unfortunately took
initiation from an unqualified guru who was not on the stage of a
mahabhagavat. That guru was not realized in the established truths.
tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasuh sreya uttamam
sabde pare ca nisnatam
brahmany upasamasrayam
["Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a
bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The
qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of
the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these
conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme
Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be
bona fide spiritual masters." (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21).]
The word sabde means sastras, like the Vedas, Upanisads, and so on. It
also means the holy name. Pare means Krsna. Suppose that guru had
no realization of Krsna or His names or His glories, as told in sastra, and he
was only on the level of kanistha-adhikari – and still he thought he was
guru. He had many worldly desires, such as the the desire for name, fame,
and wealth, and someone unfortunately took harinama and diksa from him. *[See
Endnote 1]
Do the verses that glorify the qualifications of guru apply to that guru or
not? Should the disciple obey that guru with the attitude of surrender
ordered by all the sastras? Should he follow that guru totally or
not? Can a person acquire pure cow milk from a male donkey? Can a person
get sweet mangos from a thorn tree? What is the disciple's duty towards
that kind of guru?
[Syamarani dasi:] Srila Gurudeva has ordered me to reply this question: sastra
speaks about the glories of guru and how one must surrender to guru. Should one
surrender to a guru who is not pure and who does not have the qualities of a
sad-guru?
The three main qualifications of the bona fide guru are given in the verse
beginning tasmad gurum prapadyeta. The guru must have three qualities. He must
have heard sabda-brahma, the transcendental sound, the holy names and the words
of sastra, from his bona fide guru, and he must have realized it. He will be
realizing, directly experiencing, the truths written in the sastra, and he will
be realizing the holy name. He will not be chanting nama-aparadha or
nama-abhasa. He will be chanting suddha-nama, and that means he will be a
suddha-bhakta.
He will be learned in all the sastras. The three types of devotees are
kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari, and uttama-adhikari. Even the
madhyama-adhikari bhakta does not fully understand all the sastras. He knows
something, but he does not know all the sastras thoroughly. Therefore, it is
not he who is explained when that sad-guru is explained in this verse. One must
be in full knowledge of the science of Krsna.
In the eleventh canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that the devotee who is
one hundred percent fixed in the knowledge of sastra and can convince others is
an uttama adhikari, and he is qualified to be sad-guru. * [See Endnote] It is
also stated in Caitanya-caritamrta:
kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya
["Whether one is a brahmana, a sannyasi or a sudra—regardless of what he
is—he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krsna"
(Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya-lila 8.128)]
One who is bound cannot untie the ropes of someone else who is bound. He
himself must be unbound. He must be fully liberated. He will not only know
sastra, but he must be fully detached from material life. This is the third
symptom of guru described in the verse. He will have no anxieties and no desire
for material happiness. He is called a vimala Vaisnava. Guru means vimala, or
suddha (pure) Vaisnava. Only by the mercy of a suddha Vaisnava is all
perfection in bhakti possible, and therefore, in his own prayers to Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura teaches us how to pray for that mercy.
In his song "Vimala Vaisnava", he prays, "kandiya kandiya –
Living in this Godruma forest I am simply weeping. O Bhagavan, O Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, I am only living to get this mercy from you." What mercy does
he want?
hari hari kabe more ha'be hena dina, vimala vaisnave,
rati upajibe, vasana haibe ksina
["O Hari! O Mahaprabhu! When will the fortunate day come when rati, deep
love and attachment, will come in my heart for the lotus feet of the
pure-hearted Vaisnavas? At that time I will honor and serve them, and thus all
my material desires and anarthas, especially lust and anger, will go."
(Vimala Vaisnava, first verse).]
Please give me the mercy so that I will develop rati, strong love and attachment
for vimala Vaisnava. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is praying to have love for
that type of guru. Suppose one accepts a guru who is sincere but not
self-realized, and then later on one meets a pure devotee and realizes that the
guru from whom he took diksa is not pure and does not have all the qualities of
sad guru. He will then go to his non self-realized guru and say, "I have
found a pure devotee. Will you bless me that I can have his association?"
If that guru replies, "Yes, go, and I will follow right behind you,"
then that disciple can honor him and at the same time go to that first class
guru for complete shelter. On the other hand, if that guru says, "No, only
follow me," then he should at once be rejected. In Bhakti-sandarbha (Anuccheda
238), Srila Jiva Gosvami has given the injunction that if one's guru is envious
of an exalted Vaisnava one should immediately reject that guru and find a
maha-bhagavat Vaisnava guru.
If the guru is a vimala Vaisnava, then "vasana haibe ksina" – by
having affection for that suddha-bhakta, that vimala Vaisnava, all my material
desires and all my anarthas will disappear. There are four kinds of anarthas –
misconceptions, offences, thirst for material enjoyment, and weakness of heart
in the form of envy, desire for name and fame, and evil-mindedness. This
disappearance of anarthas occurs only by the mercy of that vimala Vaisnava, and
only by having love and affection for him – by guru-devatatma – seeing him as
more dear than our very atmas. Then what will take place?
antare-bahire, sama vyavahara amani manada ha'bo
krsna-sankirtane, sri-krsna-smarane, satata majiya ra'bo
["With a heart free from duplicity, my outer behavior will correspond to
my inner feelings and thoughts. Seeing myself as completely insignificant, I
will give all respect to others, seeking no honor in return. Always dancing and
singing the holy names, I will remain constantly absorbed in remembering Sri
Krsna's beautiful pastimes." (Vimala Vaisnava verse 2)]
When sastra orders one to be free of association of visayis, this does not only
mean karmis or yogis. It also means devotees who are materialistic. Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura is instructing us to give up even that association and
take shelter of the vimala Vaisnava. By that, we will be able to discriminate
between different levels of devotees and respect them according to their
capacity in bhakti. We will respect them without desiring any respect for
ourselves. My bodily activities will then go on as a matter of habit and I will
then be able to remember Krsna. While chanting Krsna's holy names, His pastimes
will continuously come in my heart like a waterfall or a steady stream of honey
poured from a jar.
In this verse, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is teaching us how to pray, and what
to pray for. He says, "I am only living for that. By having love and
affection for such a guru, I will automatically know what to give up and what
to accept. I will automatically accept the right things and I will
automatically give up that which is bad for me. Then at the time of death, I
will leave this body very happily remembering Krsna." Srila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura concludes this song by saying, "O Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I am living
only so that you will give me this mercy – that I can have love for such a
vimala Vaisnava."
bhakativinoda, ei asa kori, bosiya godruma-bane
prabhu-krpa lagi, vyakula antare, sada kande sangopane
["Residing alone in the forest of Godruma and continuously weeping,
Bhaktivinoda anxiously prays, 'I am living only with the hope that Mahaprabhu
will bestow his mercy on me.'" (Vimala Vaisnava, verse 5)]
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] But we must consider that the presence of
uttama-adhikari (mahabhagavata), madhyama-uttama-adhikari (those approaching
the stage of bhava), and even madhyama-madhyama-adhikari (those at the stage of
asakti) devotees are very rare in this world. It is very rare, therefore, to
have a guru of this caliber. What should we do under these circumstances? We
will have to take a guru. If a guru is not "sabde pare ca nisnatam", if
he has not realized the established truths delineated in the Vedas, Upanisads
and other sastras, but he has very strong faith in his pure guru and is
sincerely following him, then, even if he is a madhyama-adhikari – or even
kanistha-madhyama – do not reject that guru. If he is always serving his own
mahabhagavat guru and is obedient both internally and externally to him, then
do not reject him. We can give up our guru only with the consideration given by
Srila Sanatana Gosvami in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa:
avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam
sravanam naiva kartavyam sarpocchistam yatha payah
["One should not hear anything about Krsna from a non-vaisnava. Milk
touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about
Krsna given by a non-vaisnava are also poisonous."]
If a guru is not serving his own gurudeva, he has left the process given by
him, and his guru is not satisfied by his behavior – only in that case can we
reject him. However, if the guru is a madhyama-adhikari and sincere, if he is
very obedient and following the footsteps of his guru, then he will gradually
become uttama-adhikari. So we should not reject him. At the same time, if he is
not perfect and thus cannot remove all our doubts about Krsna Consciousness, what
should we do?
We should offer pranama to him and ask his permission to have the association
of a mahabhagavata devotee: A disciple may ask, "May I go to Srila Jiva
Gosvami"? or "May I go to Srila Rupa Gosvami?" or, "May I
go to a high class of Vaisnava?" If the guru says, "No, you cannot
go," you should give him up. On the other hand, if he says,
"Certainly you can go, and I will also come," then he is a real guru.
In fact, a guru who sends his disciple to a superior guru for instruction may
also be an uttama-mahabhagavata, as there are various stages of mahabhagavata,
and that guru is certainly not to be rejected. For example, Srila Narottama
dasa Thakura was a disciple of Srila Lokanatha dasa Gosvami, but he took
permission from him to take shelter of Srila Jiva Gosvami; and Srila Syamananda
prabhu also took permission from Srila Hrdaya-caitanya dasa Gosvami for that
same shelter of Srila Jiva Gosvami.
There are three levels of devotees who can act as sad-guru, and they are: 1)
bhagavat-parsada-deha-prapt, 2) nirdhuta-kasaya, and 3) murcchita kasaya.* [See
Endnote 3] This human life is so rare, so do not waste your time in this
regard.
labdhva sudurlabham idam bahu-sambhavante
manusyam arthadam anityam apiha dhirah
turnam yateta na pated anumrtyu yavan
nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat
["After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of
life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the
highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the
ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to
death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is
available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna
consciousness is possible only for a human being." (Srimad Bhagavatam
11.9.29)]
Try to follow all these principles, and gradually you will develop your Krsna
consciousness.
Gaura Premanande
Editorial advisors: Pujypad Madhava Maharaja and Sripad Brajanatha dasa
Editor: Syamarani dasi
Transcriber and typist: Basanti devi dasi
[* Endnote 1 – "That religious undertaking which bestows divya-jnana or
transcendental knowledge and destroys papa (sin), papa-bija (the seed of sin),
and avidya (ignorance) to the root is called diksa by learned authorities in
the absolute truth." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa, 2.9) Di means transcendental
realization of ones relationship with Krsna, and ksa means destruction of the
abovementioned obstacles. Therefore, unless one gets initiated from a mahabhavat
devotee, he is not receiving diksa in the real sense.]
[*Endnote 2 – "It should be understood that a madhyama-adhikari, a
second-class devotee, is fully convinced of Krsna consciousness but cannot
support his convictions with sastric reference. A neophyte may fall down by
associating with non-devotees because he is not firmly convinced and strongly
situated. The second-class devotee, even though he cannot support his position
with sastric reference, can gradually become a first-class devotee by studying
the sastras and associating with a first-class devotee. However, if the
second-class devotee does not advance himself by associating with a first-class
devotee, he makes no progress. There is no possibility that a first-class
devotee will fall down, even though he may mix with non-devotees to preach.
Conviction and faith gradually increase to make one an uttama-adhikari, a
first-class devotee."(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22.71 purp.)]
[*Endnote 3 – "Bhagavat-parsada-deha-prapta – After giving up the gross material
body, those who have perfected themselves through the practice of bhakti obtain
sac-cit-ananda spiritual forms which are just suitable for the service of the
Lord as associates (parsadas). Such persons are the best of all
uttama-bhagavatas.
"Nirdhuta-kasaya – Those who, although still residing within the gross
material body made of five elements, have no trace of material desire (vasana)
nor any material impressions (samskaras) within their hearts are called
nirdhuta-kasaya (who have thrown off all material impurities). They belong to
the intermediate class of uttama-bhagavatas.
"Murcchita-kasaya – Those siddha-mahapurusas pursuing the path of bhakti
in whose hearts there remains a trace of desire (vasana) and impressions
(samskaras) based on the material mode of goodness are known as
murcchita-kasaya. Due to influence of their bhakti-yoga, these vasanas and
samskaras remain in a dormant or unconscious state. As soon as there is a
favorable opportunity, their worshipful object, Sri Bhagavan, somehow causes
their desire to be consumed and attracts them to His lotus feet. Such elevated
souls belong to the preliminary stage (kanistha) of uttama-bhagavatas. (Sri
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu)]
To order Srila Maharaja's audio lectures on MP3 CD please visit www.sbnmcd.org
Lecture Index
|
tasmad
gurum prapadyeta
jijnasuh sreya uttamam
sabde pare ca nisnatam
brahmany upasamasrayam
(11.3.21)
["Any person who
is seriously desirous of achieving 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 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." (BBT)]
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