Sri Guru:
More Than Only Shelter

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
20 September 2019, Kolkata, part 3

Krishna manifests Himself in this world in the form of the Guru to bestow eternal benefit onto the jiva souls. Being non-different from Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Gurupadpadma does not distinguish who is qualified and who is not qualified. It is said about Sri Nityananda Prabhu,

উত্তম, অধম, কিছু না করে বিচার ।
যে আগে পড়য়ে, তারে করয়ে নিস্তার ॥

uttama, adhama, kichhu na kare vichara
ye age padaye, tare kraye nistara

"Nityananda Prabhu does not consider who is good and who is bad, He saves anyone who falls before Him."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 5.208-209)

Whether one is uttam (high and exalted) or adham (low and fallen)—Nityananda Prabhu, or the Guru, does not discriminate who is better, who is worse, who is best. Nityananda Prabhu, or the Guru, bestows his mercy to whoever surrenders properly.

It is necessary to surrender to the Guru properly, after that the Guru will teach the surrendered jiva soul about the Lord and, removing all unwanted elements, all other desires, all insincerity from their hearts, he will engage them in the service of Krishna and kasna (a servant of Krishna).

I have just told you,

তদ্­বিদ্ধি প্রণিপাতেন পরিপ্রশ্নেন সেবয়া ।
উপদেক্ষ্যন্তি তে জ্ঞানং জ্ঞানিনস্তত্ত্বদর্শিনঃ ॥

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you.

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

This is what awaits those who are fully surrendered. Prahlad Maharaj also told this when he was teaching demons' children about the service of the Lord. He told that there are sixty-four types of services to the Lord, and among all those types of service, he gave special importance to Guru-seva (service to the Guru).

guru-susrusaya bhaktya sarva-labdharpanena cha
sangena sadhu-bhaktanam isvararadhanena cha
sraddhaya tat-kathayam cha kirtanair guna-karmanam
tat-padamburuha-dhyanat tal-lingeksarhanadibhih

"One must accept the bona fide spiritual master and render service unto him with great devotion and faith. Whatever one has in one's possession should be offered to the spiritual master, and in the association of saintly persons and devotees one should worship the Lord, hear the glories of the Lord with faith, glorify the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord, always meditate on the Lord's lotus feet, and worship the Deity of the Lord strictly according to the injunctions of the sastra and guru."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 7.7.30-31)

Through the service to the Guru, all material attachment—all bhukti (propensity to enjoyment), mukti (propensity to liberation), siddhi (propensity to various perfections), all unwanted elements, all unwanted desires—are removed from the jiva soul. After that, when the souls revives its consciousness of its own pure spiritual identity, it gets taste for and attachment to the service of a servitor of the Lord.

If you want to get the darshan of the Lord, the highest and only way is service to the Guru. Service to the Guru, satisfaction of the Guru removes all material attachment from your heart—all that is necessary for us is to serve our Guru properly.

Sri Gurupadpadma not only gives shelter to a soul that surrenders to him—he gives them the Name, the mantra, and the teachings. Gurudev teaches about the nature of the world and, engaging the surrendered soul in service life, he takes care of the progress in their spiritual life. What is the Holy Name? What is the mantra? What is the jiva soul?—Gurudev tries to explain these things and by hearing this teaching from his holy mouth all material bondage, all ignorance, and offences of the disciple are removed.

If you want to see the Lord directly, you must receive aural knowledge (srauta-jnana) from Sri Gurupadpadma. Have I not told you that? I told you that you cannot see the Guru with your eyes. Do not see your Guru with your eyes, you must see your Guru, you must see the Lord with your ears. Even those who pursue fruitive activities (karmis), even those who pursue knowledge (jnanis), even those who pursue mystic powers (yogis), they also always worship their Guru.

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