761106 - Lecture SB 05.05.18 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

761106SB-VRNDAVAN - November 06, 1976 - 30.31 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.) (break)

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt

pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syāt

daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān

na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

(SB 5.5.18)

Translation: (01:27) "One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod."

Prabhupāda:

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt

pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syāt

daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān

na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

(SB 5.5.18)

So in the previous verse it has been described that kas taṁ svayaṁ tad-abhijño vipaścid (SB 5.5.17). The guardian should be abhijñaḥ, and vipaścit, very learned. The government, the father, the guru, the teacher, or even the husband of . . . Because we are guided; everyone is guided by somebody else. That is society. Not cats and dogs. Just like the cats and dogs, they give birth to the children and then they have no responsibility. The dogs are loitering in the street; nobody takes care. The human society should not be like that. There must be responsible guardians. The some of the responsible guardians are described here. First of all, guru. Either you take ordinary teacher in the school or colleges, they are also called guru, and the sublime guru is the spiritual master. Not only the spiritual master, but anyone who has taken the post of becoming guru to teach others, he must be very learned, very responsible, vipaścit, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñātaḥ, it is the qualification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, abhijñaḥ. Janmādy asya yataḥ 'nvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). The controller must be abhijñaḥ. The same thing is here. Of course, we cannot be as abhijñaḥ as God—that is not possible—but little quantity of that abhijñātaḥ must be there. Otherwise what is the use of becoming . . .?

First of all, it is said about guru, anyone who takes care of his subordinate is guru. The first charge is that you should not become a guru unless you are completely in awareness how to save your dependent from the path of birth and death. That is the first . . . (indistinct) . . . Not that "I am your guru. I can cure some colic pain in your belly." They go to guru also for that purpose. People generally go to guru, rascals go to guru, to another rascal. What is that? "Sir, I have got some pain. Give me some āśīrvād so that my pain may be cured." "But why you have come here, rascal, here for curing your pain in the belly? You can go to some doctor, or you can take some tablet. Is it the purpose of coming to visit guru?" But generally they come to guru and ask for blessing for some material benefit. So they are rascals, and therefore Kṛṣṇa also gives them a rascal guru. They want to be cheated. They do not know what is the purpose of going to guru. They do not know. They do not know, "What is the problem of my life and why shall I go to guru?" They do not know. And the so-called gurus also take advantage of this ignorance of the public, and they become a guru. This is going on. The guru does not know what is his responsibility, and the rascal public, they do not know what for one should go to guru. This is the difficulty.

Who requires a guru? Everything is there in the śāstra. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21).

tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet

samit-pāniḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

(MU 1.2.12)

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti tad-jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

This is qualification of guru, tattva-darśi. What is that tattva?

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayaṁ

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

One who knows what is Paramātmā, what is Brahman, what is Bhagavān, he is tattva-darśi. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). So these are the qualification of guru. Why one should go to a guru to see some magic? One who can make some gold, one who can make some . . . So many magicians, they are becoming guru. This is going on. The public, they do not know what is the meaning of guru, and the cheaters, they get the opportunity of becoming false gurus. In the Western countries we have seen so many so-called rascal gurus go there and cheat the public, because the Europeans, Americans, they have got some conviction that India has got some spiritual knowledge, so anyone goes as a sannyāsī, as a svāmī, they expect to get something from them. So they gather round them. But these rascals cheat them. Somebody says, "I am incarnation of God, and I can make my secretary, woman, pregnant, and marry and get some money." This is going on. And somebody is Transcendental Meditation. What is the result of . . . (indistinct) . . .? He'll will get strong. He will get money. Your health will be right. These things are going on.

But śāstra says that you should not . . . you are rascal. You should not become a guru because you have no power to save your disciple from the clutches of imminent death. You should not cheat others. Gurur na sa syāt, this is Bhāgavatam. You are rascal if you are not confident that you can save him from the clutches of birth and . . . This is my problem. But they do not know what is the problem. They think that little pain in my belly or in the head, if the guru can give me a little dust and it is cured. You will find there are so many cheaters. In some . . . about forty years ago, I know near Lucknow, some guru came, he was curing all disease by giving little dust. All cheating. Later on it was detected. Thousands, thousands men came to him, even big, big capitalists, they also. Everyone has got some disease, and they want to see the miracle: by giving little dust, and he is curing disease, "Oh! Such a guru!" These things are going on. But Bhāgavata says that both the public must know what for one should go to guru. Not that it is a fashion to keep a guru, just like to keep a dog. No. He must know what is the purpose of guru.

The purpose of guru is described in the Bhāgavatam, that tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). Guru to go, to surrender. Just like Arjuna, he surrendered, śiṣyas te 'ham śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Prapadye, tasmād guruṁ prapadye. You must find out guru where you can surrender. Not that keep your guru your order supply, "Give me some āśīrvād and I may be benefited." He is not guru; he is your order-supplier, your servant. Guru means he must order it, "You must do this." If you agree, then he is a guru. Not that "I shall order my guru, and he will execute my order." No that. That will do the dog, not the guru. Then the . . . As you have got a dog, and if you ask him, "Sit down here," a dog will sit. That kind of guru-keeping has no value. But here is the responsibility of guru, first that he must save the disciple from the cycle of birth and death. Kṛṣṇa also said, "What is the problem of life?" Not that "I have got some pain here, I have some trouble or some . . ." These are not problems. This problem one should tolerate. Because destiny is there, one should āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata (BG 2.14). We should not be disturbed for all these things. This is material world. You will have sometimes mātrā sparśās tu śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). The whole world is like that. There is sometimes distress, there is sometimes happiness. So to mitigate the worldly distress or getting some happiness, one should not go to guru. That is not the proper way.

The proper way is that you should know the problem of life, and Kṛṣṇa personally says, "This is the real problem of your life." What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is problem. But they do not know. All rascals. Kṛṣṇa says, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit (BG 2.20). And don't they read? "I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, I am great politician, I am great leader. I am reading Bhagavad-gītā." What do you understand? Do you understand that the soul is immortal and it is transmigrating, tathā dehāntara-prāptir (BG 2.13)? Do you know all this problem? Then why you have become national leader? Today I am a Indian; tomorrow I may become a Chinaman. Then where is my nationality? Today I am human being; tomorrow I may be a dog. Then where is my society? Where is my friendship? Where is my love? They do not disclose all these things. Cheat guru. If my soul is transmigrating, tathā dehāntara prāptiḥ, is it guarantee? Is there any guarantee that today I am Indian, and after my death I shall become Indian? No. There is no guarantee. Today I am American, and after death I shall become a . . .? No. That is not in your hand. After death your so-called boastfulness, pride—everything finished. Then at the clutches of, in the māyā's hand, in the nature's hand,

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

You are in the hands of the laws of prakṛti, even in this life. Even in this life. If you can eat one chatāk, and if you will eat little more, immediately you will become diseased. Immediately. Nature will punish you, three days' starvation. You have taken more. So this is the law of nature. You cannot violate the . . . There is salt is required, little in the food. If it is a little more, you cannot take. If it is a little, you cannot take. So stricture, you cannot violate even a slightest degree the laws of nature. But these rascals are thinking that "I am independent." Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). We should take guidance of the spiritual master or the guru or Kṛṣṇa. Guidance of guru means guidance of Kṛṣṇa, because ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit (SB 11.17.27). Ācāryaṁ mām: ācārya is as good as guru . . . as good as Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Not only Kṛṣṇa's mercy, but guru's mercy, both mercy required. Guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja.

So by . . . If you are sincere, actually, if we actually want Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is within your heart, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna (BG 18.61). When Kṛṣṇa sees that "Here is a sincere soul. He wants Me," teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakaṁ, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam (BG 10.10). As soon as sees, Kṛṣṇa, that "Here is a sincere person who wants Me," He'll give you nice guru. Guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpa. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādat (Gurvastakam 8). And if you have really a bona fide guru, then by pleasing him you will get the favor of Kṛṣṇa. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi. If you have become more than your guru, then "Overcoming guru, I shall get Kṛṣṇa's prasāda, Kṛṣṇa's favor, I have learnt more, guru mara vidyā," that is also not good.

Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya . . .. This is the injunction of the ācārya, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. He has described very nicely vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru nandana (BG 2.41). The order of guru should be the life and soul of the disciple, without caring for his personal salvation. This is the qualification of śiṣya. Śiṣyas te 'ham śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7), fully surrendered. And guru's duty is to guide them, guide him how to overcome this cycle of birth of death. These are the relationship between guru and disciple or father and son, mother and son, friend and friend, devatā . . . There are so many devatās. In the śāstras there are thirty-three millions of devatā. They say, "Whatever you worship"—the rascals say, not any intelligent man—that "Whatever devatā. You worship Kali, that's all right. You worship Gaṇeśa, that's all right. You worship Sūrya, that's all right. Whatever you are doing is all right. It is the same thing." No. Kṛṣṇa does not say. Kṛṣṇa says mām ekam. That is wanted. Kṛṣṇa never says that "You are worshiping Goddess Kali or Durga or this or that, that's all right." But these rascals said, "Oh, this is all right." And he has become guru. He does not know what is the path of salvation, how one can get out, can get rid of this problem of birth, death—and still they preach.

There are so many, you will find, rascal gurus, they are preaching like that, that "Whatever you do, it is all right." There is a big mission, they say also that yata mat tata patha: "Whatever you have manufactured, the way of salvation, that's all right." But Kṛṣṇa does not say, or the śāstra does not say. Śāstra says, hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti: unless you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, Hari, there is no question of salvation. There is no question of salvation. Therefore bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). One who is bewildered, he thinks that "Whatever I do, it is all right." That is mistake. That is mistake. The jñānīs, they think that they will merge into the existence of the Supreme, that you can merge. That does not mean that you are delivered, you are liberated. Just like you will find one aeroplane is going up and up, up, up, and at a time you will find the aeroplane is no more seen. . . . (indistinct) . . . That does not mean he has merged in the sky. He has got his separate existence, but you cannot see. So even one has got so high, it does not mean that he has merged into the sky. If he does not get another shelter, he will come back again. He will come back again. He has not merged. There is no question of merging. Brahmajyoti means the . . . it is the combination of millions and trillions of sparks of living entities. That is brahma-jyotir. They are not mixed up. They are just like the sunshine. The sunshine, it is not one homogeneous substance. There are millions and trillions of shining particles. Combination is called sunshine. It is not that they are merged. Similarly, every individual soul is individual. Kṛṣṇa says, "Arjuna, you, Me and all these soldiers and kings, they were existing before, they are now existing now, and they will continue to exist in the future." So where is mixture? You, me and all of you, we are different individuals, and Kṛṣṇa says—not ordinary person—that "They were individuals in the past, they are individual now, and they will continue to become individual." So where is this question of merging? There is no question of merging. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loka sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7), eternally they are individuals, and eternally they will keep individual.

So this is knowledge. Otherwise, artificially if I think the same thing, that because I have gone very high in the sky, I have become mixed up with the sky . . . There is no question of mixing up. Therefore because it is not the question of mixing up, amalgamation, separate identity, but it is light, that is all right. But not that they have lost their individuality. Sanātana. Kṛṣṇa says, "They are individual parts sanātana, eternally." Not that now they are separated, and after liberation they will mix up. No. This is wrong conception. Therefore mixing up means . . . Just like we are here, mixed together. We have got individuality, but for a certain purpose we are sitting together very peacefully, and the real purpose is to learn how to serve Kṛṣṇa.

So when we agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, then that is mixing up of the devotees. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa, that is mixing up. When you assemble together with the same purpose . . . Just like we can understand "nation." What is that nation? Everyone is individual, but the purpose is how to improve the condition of these politics, or the combination of men. Similarly, when you agree . . . Here in the material world we are individual, and in spiritual world we are also individual. But what is the difference between material world and spiritual world? In the material world we are individual to serve my own senses. Therefore there is fight. Everyone is trying to satisfy his own senses. I am trying to satisfy my senses, you are trying . . . So there is clash. That is material world. And spiritual world: when all of them agree to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa . . .

Just like Vṛndāvana. What is Vṛndāvana? The devotees of Vṛndāvana, they are all individuals. The gopīs are individual, the cowherd boys are individual, the calves are individual, the cows are individual. Everyone is individual. But the purpose is how to love Kṛṣṇa. That is oneness. There is no disagreement in that purpose. The gopīs are trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boys are satisfying . . . trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, Mother Yaśodā is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, Nanda Mahārāja is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. The whole center is how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That oneness is required. Not that I become one with Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible.

Therefore śāstra says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32): when they do not agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, then they come back in this material world; again they begin to serve the society, to serve the country, to serve the daridra-nārāyaṇa, to serve this, that, that, that, that. So āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ: even they go to the Brahman effulgence, because they do not agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ, they again come back to serve the society, friendship and daridra-nārāyaṇa, so on, so on, so on.

So this is the Bhāgavata's instruction: one should not begin . . . become a guru, or to cheat the disciple, showing him wrong path. That is not good. That is instructed by Ṛṣabhādeva.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.(end)