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Guru-disciple relationship continued
In Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhu Rupa Gosvami gives the definition of love: ananya-mamata visnau-possessiveness for Visnu. And mamata also for anything in connection with Krsna-mamata prema-sangata. If someone has mamata for Rupa Gosvami, real mamata, he will also feel mamata for Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Why? Because they are very close together.
When the kanistha-adhikari disciple is covered by anartha, despite the unconditional affection of Guru, actually he can give up Guru at any second. Many thoughts come in his mind, and after some time his mind is restless and he wants to go here and there. Why? He is covered by anartha. This disciple is foolish. He does not understand what Guru gives. Guru gives some service, and the disciple is doing this service everyday. It is not very difficult to go to mangala arati, chant harinama, do some preaching, some typing, some translation, distribute books, help with a preaching center somewhere-some engagement. And the disciple is thinking, "Many years are passing but I have not realized anything yet."
The kanistha does not understand what the Guru gives to the disciple. Guru is giving shelter. If in this life you are not doing any karma, jnana, yoga, but in a simple way just doing some seva everyday-chanting harinama, attending mangala arati-that means that you are under the shelter of your Gurudeva. We can think that this is not so fantastic, but you don’t know. The moment we will come out from the shelter of Guru, any time you can go completely mad. Like taking off your clothes and going completely naked and dancing in the street. This can happen any second. Why? The mind of the conditioned soul in this world is completely crazy. It can do anything at any moment. But we are proud. We think, "No, I can control my mind and senses and everything."
When the disciple is serving in a very simple way under the guidance of Guru and Vaisnavas, then his life is passing and this is fruitful. If you will think, "I cannot go anywhere else. I cannot do anything else," gradually this feeling of belonging will come. This is the main thing-I belong to my Guru-vargas. I belong to my gurudeva, my param-gurudeva, paratpara gurudeva, my paramesthi gurudeva. I belong only there. Just like a materialistic person thinks, "I am Russian, I am French, I belong to this place." Only if every day in a very simple way with confidence in Guru one is serving, this feeling of belonging will come. This is so valuable. You cannot learn it. One person may be studying, learning Sanskrit grammar, and millions of things, but if he has a doubt in his guru, he is nothing. Any day he can leave. Only to be great in some particular service is nothing. Control your mind and be under the shelter of your Guru. And in a simple way just serve every day. Gradually some feeling of belonging will come. This feeling is so valuable. Why? Because the bhava is made of this-this feeling of belonging to one group. If someone wants to do bhakti but your mind is not steady, only when you meet the Vaisnavas your mind can become steady. This is called citta-sthira. When you hear and chant with a steady mind, ruci comes, taste, and sambandha-jnana, relationship.
It is not necessary that the Guru gives you thousands and thousands of pieces of information about this and that, and you become learned. No! The Guru just gives you guru-pada-asraya, shelter. This is the first anga of bhakti. This shelter means your life is peaceful, but not in the sense that you don’t have the speaker blasting in your ear, but peaceful in the sense that you are secure in your life. "I have my Guru and I follow his order. This is my life." By this type of peacefulness, security, of shelter of your Gurudeva, then your mind becomes like that-sthira-buddhi. Then when you chant harinama and do some sadhana bhajana with sthira-buddhi, ruci and sambandha-jnana will come. It is a wonderful thing.
Knowledge is not of so much value. We should know these principles as Krsna told to His gurukula friend, Sudama:
naham ijya prajatibhyam
tapasopasamena va
tusyeyam sarva-bhutatma
guru-susrusaya yatha
(SB 10.80.34)
"I am pleased when someone has feelings of possessiveness and they listen and do what their Guru tells them. I am really pleased." Why? Because He really knows that this person doing guru-pada-asraya. If he will do bhakti, the only way their mind can be steadied is by this guru-pada-asraya. When they chant My name, quickly ruci and sambandha-jnana will come and they will quickly come to Me."
Also, because Guru is so dear to Him, just as the real disciple thinks I am indebted to that person who has served my Guru. So Krsna thinks he who has served My devotee, I am indebted to that person. The principle of love is the same. Narottama Thakura said:
tomara hrdoye sada govinda visrama
govinda kohena-mama vaisnava parana
O Vaisnava Thakura, Govindaji is always resting in your heart. And not only that, but Govinda Himself admits this fact-theVaisnava is My prana. So this is reciprocal.
Gurudeva said: you are chanting so much harinama, but from where will bhava come? Without bhava, what is the value of your chanting? What is your bhajana? When the disciple has possessiveness for his Guru, he will feel intimacy and real faith-without any doubt. Just like any child thinks that this is my father. Every child thinks that his father is great. When they grow up, maybe they find out some other father has more money or more of something else, but anyway this is my father. This relation is there. In the same way, when the disciple’s mind has become steady and realization is coming, he thinks, "I can never repay my Gurudeva because it may be that this Vaisnava is great, that Vaisnava is great, that Vaisnava is great, and in the history of the world all are great. But actually none of them came to me. They did not give me diksa. They did not give me harinama. They did not give me shelter and engagement and encouragement and inspiration. This my Guru. He has saved me. He has caught my choti and dragged me out from the pit of stool." You may think, "Oh, I am not in any pit of stool," but without the mercy of Guru, very soon you will be there. If every day you are only doing your sadhana bhajana-reading, chanting, remembering and doing some service-you should think that Guru is maintaining you by his prayers to Krsna. Why do you have the strength to wake up in the morning? Why do you feel like taking your japa mala and chanting? Why? Your whole spiritual life is being maintained by Guru’s prayers to Krsna. And if he would not pray with tears in his eyes on your behalf to Krsna, at once you would drop down to an endless bottomless pit, fallen. You would not hit the bottom, it goes on down so far. So disciple should be aware of these things and be very grateful to Guru.
There is another very important thing I want to tell. Sometimes Guru is giving mercy through any other disciple. This mercy is coming from Guru. I am telling this because sometimes devotees become more attached to me, but this is very wrong. Everything is coming from Guru. And even he can give through any useless person. So we should know this clearly.
On Vyasa-puja the disciple wants to make some offering to their Guru. Otherwise they want to give some gifts. The disciple especially makes a garland. What is this garland? In the relationship,
dadati pratigrnati
guhyam akhyati prcchati
bhunkte bhojayate caiva
sad-vidham priti-laksanam
If you give a garland, what does it mean? Dadati, but there should be pratigrnati. Something should come in return. Everything should be appropriate. This giving of garland means every flower is like one lila of Radha and Krsna. And the complete garland is svarasiki upasana, service of Radha and Krsna in asta-kaliya-lila. So when the disciple is giving a garland, this means, "I am giving this garland in the hope that perhaps you will also give me a garland-asta-kaliya-lila seva." Otherwise, only giving a garland is meaningless. There should be some feeling.
Sometimes, the disciple is begging here and there or collecting some money. This is also okay, but there should be some aspiration. Gurudeva, some day I want to give you something very valuable. What is that? A danta kasta, a stick for your brushing teeth. When will this day come when I will wake up in the morning and be at the feet of Guru in my siddha deha? I will gently massaging his feet so that he will wake up. I will give some water for washing and then quickly we will go for the service of Radha and Krsna. We want to give something to Guru. When will the day come when we can give this stick? This means laukika sad-bandhu vat. When will this day come? Sometimes we are with Gurudeva, sometimes not. Sometimes Gurudeva is on the other side of the world. But when will the day come when we will always be with Guru, every moment sleeping at her feet, waking up together, serving Radhika together? The disciple should have this aspiration.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura said:
parama anande, sakale miliya, radhika carane rabo
ei parakasta, siddhi kabe habe, pabo radha-pada saba
When will that day come, with so much happiness we will meet together and always be together with Kamala Manjari, Nayana Mani Manjari, Vinoda Manjari-one group altogether, never separated from each other? We will always remain together at the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika. This is our highest aspiration-parakastha means aspiration. When will we attain this? This is easy to say but who actually has this parakastha-svasa? This is one of the eka-dasa bhavas, eleven moods. Who will have will show some symptom. One time Gurudeva said-in our life many problems can come, but we will not be concerned with that. Why? Because our goal is so high that all these things are insignificant. War may come or one devotee leaves. Someone criticizes you. No, not someone, everyone criticizes you! Then what will you do? Become upset and disturbed? Leave the matha? What will you do? Don’t do anything. Our mind is fixed on our goal-parakastha-svasa. This highest aspiration is so sweet, so beautiful, so sublime, so valuable. Everything else is completely pale by comparison. So Rupa Gosvami said the degree to which your sadhana is successful is the degree to which bhava is coming. And the degree to which bhava is coming you can see by the symptoms:
ksantir avyartha-kalatvam
viraktir mana-sunyata
asa-bandhah samutkantha
nama-gane sada rucih
The first symptom is ksantir. There are many causes for you to become angry. All the causes are there but it does not happen. Why? Because your mind is fixed on this goal. Now we become upset. How can we cross over obstacles? This life is short. In the meantime try to do guru-susrusaya yatha. Krsna said, "I am pleased." He never said that I am pleased by puja, by study of the Vedas. He is pleased but not completely satisfied. Krsna’s heart is satisfied when guru-susrusaya yatha, that disciple has faith in his Guru and is serving him. We can think that soon this life will be finished. Parama anande sakale miliya, radhika carana rabo. We will all meet together and always stay together day and night, day and night, serving the lotus feet of Radhika. So what problem will come? It’s nothing. And really if love is strong, Gurudeva said, "Problems? I like problems. I stretch out my arms and call, ‘Problems, please come.’" Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said that prema is like a lion, and the food of this lion is problems. It eats them and becomes fat and strong. So why is there fear? Why do we become disturbed if something is missing? Only in our relation with Guru-if this relation with Guru is intact with a clear and pure connection, everything is included-all strength, all power, all love, all proper etiquette and dealings with others.
I have seen many books and heard many kathas on guru-tattva but as I have told just now I have never heard anywhere else, only from the lotus lips of my Gurudeva. How he explains with so much taste and so much bhava-I have not heard or seen anything anywhere. I am so indebted to him; I cannot repay. The disciple can never repay the debt to Guru. But what they have received from Guru they try to pass on to others. This way they try to repay their debt. They cannot but they must try. This is their duty. Gurudeva’s preaching everywhere is also just his love for his Gurudeva. He is not doing this for his name and fame. Gurudeva-from head to toe-is only living, breathing, thinking and moving only out of love for his Gurudeva. He is made of this.
jogyata-vicare kichu nahi pai
tomara karuna sara
karuna na hoile kandiya kandiya
prana na rakhibo ara
Bhaktivinoda Thakura is saying: Your mercy is all-in-all. I have nothing else. And if you will not give me your mercy, I will cry and cry and will not be able to maintain my life. The disciple really should do bhajana like this, but not for show. Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, "I am crying inside always; everyday I am crying inside."
Guru has some symptoms and disciple has some symptoms. These are the symptoms. In all problems they are not disturbed because their goal is high. The disciple honors and respects anyone who serves his Gurudeva. They have faith not only in Guru but also in Vaisnavas. And inside always crying. The mind cannot go away from Guru for a moment. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, "That day, no, that hour, no, that minute, no, that second, no, that half-second that I forget the lotus feet of my Gurudeva-this is the biggest disaster and anomaly in my life." Who can speak like this? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura can say this because he received something. If we have not received something, then we cannot appreciate what Gurudeva is giving. But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura can say that "that fraction of a second that I forget my Gurudeva is the biggest calamity in my life." Why? That means that his Guru has already given him something. Otherwise, no one can speak like this. We have the songs, the writings, the sayings of Gurudeva and our acaryas. But they are not simple things. What bhava is behind them is something else. Anyway, I am praying that Gurudeva will be kind to me and allow me to always be in his seva, in his matha or anywhere. And everyday only chanting harinama and go to mangala arati, hearing hari katha from Vaisnavas and telling hari katha, and pass my life in this way, and never come out from the shelter of his lotus feet. It seems simple but to do it will take everything that you have. And the result also is not ordinary. The result is extraordinary. This possessiveness for Guru at once will transform and be for Rupa Manjari, Rati Manjari, Vinoda Manjari, like this. So have faith in this.
Gaura Premanande!
When the kanistha-adhikari disciple is covered by anartha, despite the unconditional affection of Guru, actually he can give up Guru at any second. Many thoughts come in his mind, and after some time his mind is restless and he wants to go here and there. Why? He is covered by anartha. This disciple is foolish. He does not understand what Guru gives. Guru gives some service, and the disciple is doing this service everyday. It is not very difficult to go to mangala arati, chant harinama, do some preaching, some typing, some translation, distribute books, help with a preaching center somewhere-some engagement. And the disciple is thinking, "Many years are passing but I have not realized anything yet."
The kanistha does not understand what the Guru gives to the disciple. Guru is giving shelter. If in this life you are not doing any karma, jnana, yoga, but in a simple way just doing some seva everyday-chanting harinama, attending mangala arati-that means that you are under the shelter of your Gurudeva. We can think that this is not so fantastic, but you don’t know. The moment we will come out from the shelter of Guru, any time you can go completely mad. Like taking off your clothes and going completely naked and dancing in the street. This can happen any second. Why? The mind of the conditioned soul in this world is completely crazy. It can do anything at any moment. But we are proud. We think, "No, I can control my mind and senses and everything."
When the disciple is serving in a very simple way under the guidance of Guru and Vaisnavas, then his life is passing and this is fruitful. If you will think, "I cannot go anywhere else. I cannot do anything else," gradually this feeling of belonging will come. This is the main thing-I belong to my Guru-vargas. I belong to my gurudeva, my param-gurudeva, paratpara gurudeva, my paramesthi gurudeva. I belong only there. Just like a materialistic person thinks, "I am Russian, I am French, I belong to this place." Only if every day in a very simple way with confidence in Guru one is serving, this feeling of belonging will come. This is so valuable. You cannot learn it. One person may be studying, learning Sanskrit grammar, and millions of things, but if he has a doubt in his guru, he is nothing. Any day he can leave. Only to be great in some particular service is nothing. Control your mind and be under the shelter of your Guru. And in a simple way just serve every day. Gradually some feeling of belonging will come. This feeling is so valuable. Why? Because the bhava is made of this-this feeling of belonging to one group. If someone wants to do bhakti but your mind is not steady, only when you meet the Vaisnavas your mind can become steady. This is called citta-sthira. When you hear and chant with a steady mind, ruci comes, taste, and sambandha-jnana, relationship.
It is not necessary that the Guru gives you thousands and thousands of pieces of information about this and that, and you become learned. No! The Guru just gives you guru-pada-asraya, shelter. This is the first anga of bhakti. This shelter means your life is peaceful, but not in the sense that you don’t have the speaker blasting in your ear, but peaceful in the sense that you are secure in your life. "I have my Guru and I follow his order. This is my life." By this type of peacefulness, security, of shelter of your Gurudeva, then your mind becomes like that-sthira-buddhi. Then when you chant harinama and do some sadhana bhajana with sthira-buddhi, ruci and sambandha-jnana will come. It is a wonderful thing.
Knowledge is not of so much value. We should know these principles as Krsna told to His gurukula friend, Sudama:
naham ijya prajatibhyam
tapasopasamena va
tusyeyam sarva-bhutatma
guru-susrusaya yatha
(SB 10.80.34)
"I am pleased when someone has feelings of possessiveness and they listen and do what their Guru tells them. I am really pleased." Why? Because He really knows that this person doing guru-pada-asraya. If he will do bhakti, the only way their mind can be steadied is by this guru-pada-asraya. When they chant My name, quickly ruci and sambandha-jnana will come and they will quickly come to Me."
Also, because Guru is so dear to Him, just as the real disciple thinks I am indebted to that person who has served my Guru. So Krsna thinks he who has served My devotee, I am indebted to that person. The principle of love is the same. Narottama Thakura said:
tomara hrdoye sada govinda visrama
govinda kohena-mama vaisnava parana
O Vaisnava Thakura, Govindaji is always resting in your heart. And not only that, but Govinda Himself admits this fact-theVaisnava is My prana. So this is reciprocal.
Gurudeva said: you are chanting so much harinama, but from where will bhava come? Without bhava, what is the value of your chanting? What is your bhajana? When the disciple has possessiveness for his Guru, he will feel intimacy and real faith-without any doubt. Just like any child thinks that this is my father. Every child thinks that his father is great. When they grow up, maybe they find out some other father has more money or more of something else, but anyway this is my father. This relation is there. In the same way, when the disciple’s mind has become steady and realization is coming, he thinks, "I can never repay my Gurudeva because it may be that this Vaisnava is great, that Vaisnava is great, that Vaisnava is great, and in the history of the world all are great. But actually none of them came to me. They did not give me diksa. They did not give me harinama. They did not give me shelter and engagement and encouragement and inspiration. This my Guru. He has saved me. He has caught my choti and dragged me out from the pit of stool." You may think, "Oh, I am not in any pit of stool," but without the mercy of Guru, very soon you will be there. If every day you are only doing your sadhana bhajana-reading, chanting, remembering and doing some service-you should think that Guru is maintaining you by his prayers to Krsna. Why do you have the strength to wake up in the morning? Why do you feel like taking your japa mala and chanting? Why? Your whole spiritual life is being maintained by Guru’s prayers to Krsna. And if he would not pray with tears in his eyes on your behalf to Krsna, at once you would drop down to an endless bottomless pit, fallen. You would not hit the bottom, it goes on down so far. So disciple should be aware of these things and be very grateful to Guru.
There is another very important thing I want to tell. Sometimes Guru is giving mercy through any other disciple. This mercy is coming from Guru. I am telling this because sometimes devotees become more attached to me, but this is very wrong. Everything is coming from Guru. And even he can give through any useless person. So we should know this clearly.
On Vyasa-puja the disciple wants to make some offering to their Guru. Otherwise they want to give some gifts. The disciple especially makes a garland. What is this garland? In the relationship,
dadati pratigrnati
guhyam akhyati prcchati
bhunkte bhojayate caiva
sad-vidham priti-laksanam
If you give a garland, what does it mean? Dadati, but there should be pratigrnati. Something should come in return. Everything should be appropriate. This giving of garland means every flower is like one lila of Radha and Krsna. And the complete garland is svarasiki upasana, service of Radha and Krsna in asta-kaliya-lila. So when the disciple is giving a garland, this means, "I am giving this garland in the hope that perhaps you will also give me a garland-asta-kaliya-lila seva." Otherwise, only giving a garland is meaningless. There should be some feeling.
Sometimes, the disciple is begging here and there or collecting some money. This is also okay, but there should be some aspiration. Gurudeva, some day I want to give you something very valuable. What is that? A danta kasta, a stick for your brushing teeth. When will this day come when I will wake up in the morning and be at the feet of Guru in my siddha deha? I will gently massaging his feet so that he will wake up. I will give some water for washing and then quickly we will go for the service of Radha and Krsna. We want to give something to Guru. When will the day come when we can give this stick? This means laukika sad-bandhu vat. When will this day come? Sometimes we are with Gurudeva, sometimes not. Sometimes Gurudeva is on the other side of the world. But when will the day come when we will always be with Guru, every moment sleeping at her feet, waking up together, serving Radhika together? The disciple should have this aspiration.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura said:
parama anande, sakale miliya, radhika carane rabo
ei parakasta, siddhi kabe habe, pabo radha-pada saba
When will that day come, with so much happiness we will meet together and always be together with Kamala Manjari, Nayana Mani Manjari, Vinoda Manjari-one group altogether, never separated from each other? We will always remain together at the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika. This is our highest aspiration-parakastha means aspiration. When will we attain this? This is easy to say but who actually has this parakastha-svasa? This is one of the eka-dasa bhavas, eleven moods. Who will have will show some symptom. One time Gurudeva said-in our life many problems can come, but we will not be concerned with that. Why? Because our goal is so high that all these things are insignificant. War may come or one devotee leaves. Someone criticizes you. No, not someone, everyone criticizes you! Then what will you do? Become upset and disturbed? Leave the matha? What will you do? Don’t do anything. Our mind is fixed on our goal-parakastha-svasa. This highest aspiration is so sweet, so beautiful, so sublime, so valuable. Everything else is completely pale by comparison. So Rupa Gosvami said the degree to which your sadhana is successful is the degree to which bhava is coming. And the degree to which bhava is coming you can see by the symptoms:
ksantir avyartha-kalatvam
viraktir mana-sunyata
asa-bandhah samutkantha
nama-gane sada rucih
The first symptom is ksantir. There are many causes for you to become angry. All the causes are there but it does not happen. Why? Because your mind is fixed on this goal. Now we become upset. How can we cross over obstacles? This life is short. In the meantime try to do guru-susrusaya yatha. Krsna said, "I am pleased." He never said that I am pleased by puja, by study of the Vedas. He is pleased but not completely satisfied. Krsna’s heart is satisfied when guru-susrusaya yatha, that disciple has faith in his Guru and is serving him. We can think that soon this life will be finished. Parama anande sakale miliya, radhika carana rabo. We will all meet together and always stay together day and night, day and night, serving the lotus feet of Radhika. So what problem will come? It’s nothing. And really if love is strong, Gurudeva said, "Problems? I like problems. I stretch out my arms and call, ‘Problems, please come.’" Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said that prema is like a lion, and the food of this lion is problems. It eats them and becomes fat and strong. So why is there fear? Why do we become disturbed if something is missing? Only in our relation with Guru-if this relation with Guru is intact with a clear and pure connection, everything is included-all strength, all power, all love, all proper etiquette and dealings with others.
I have seen many books and heard many kathas on guru-tattva but as I have told just now I have never heard anywhere else, only from the lotus lips of my Gurudeva. How he explains with so much taste and so much bhava-I have not heard or seen anything anywhere. I am so indebted to him; I cannot repay. The disciple can never repay the debt to Guru. But what they have received from Guru they try to pass on to others. This way they try to repay their debt. They cannot but they must try. This is their duty. Gurudeva’s preaching everywhere is also just his love for his Gurudeva. He is not doing this for his name and fame. Gurudeva-from head to toe-is only living, breathing, thinking and moving only out of love for his Gurudeva. He is made of this.
jogyata-vicare kichu nahi pai
tomara karuna sara
karuna na hoile kandiya kandiya
prana na rakhibo ara
Bhaktivinoda Thakura is saying: Your mercy is all-in-all. I have nothing else. And if you will not give me your mercy, I will cry and cry and will not be able to maintain my life. The disciple really should do bhajana like this, but not for show. Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, "I am crying inside always; everyday I am crying inside."
Guru has some symptoms and disciple has some symptoms. These are the symptoms. In all problems they are not disturbed because their goal is high. The disciple honors and respects anyone who serves his Gurudeva. They have faith not only in Guru but also in Vaisnavas. And inside always crying. The mind cannot go away from Guru for a moment. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, "That day, no, that hour, no, that minute, no, that second, no, that half-second that I forget the lotus feet of my Gurudeva-this is the biggest disaster and anomaly in my life." Who can speak like this? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura can say this because he received something. If we have not received something, then we cannot appreciate what Gurudeva is giving. But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura can say that "that fraction of a second that I forget my Gurudeva is the biggest calamity in my life." Why? That means that his Guru has already given him something. Otherwise, no one can speak like this. We have the songs, the writings, the sayings of Gurudeva and our acaryas. But they are not simple things. What bhava is behind them is something else. Anyway, I am praying that Gurudeva will be kind to me and allow me to always be in his seva, in his matha or anywhere. And everyday only chanting harinama and go to mangala arati, hearing hari katha from Vaisnavas and telling hari katha, and pass my life in this way, and never come out from the shelter of his lotus feet. It seems simple but to do it will take everything that you have. And the result also is not ordinary. The result is extraordinary. This possessiveness for Guru at once will transform and be for Rupa Manjari, Rati Manjari, Vinoda Manjari, like this. So have faith in this.
Gaura Premanande!
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