Who Is Guru?

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, morning programme
1 January 2021, part 4, translated from Bengali

‘Guru-mukha-padma-vakya chitete kariya aikya, ara na kariha mane asa (গুরুমুখ-পদ্মবাক্য চিত্তেতে করিয়া ঐক্য আর না করিহ মনে আশা): make the teachings from Sri Guru’s lotus mouth one with your heart and do not desire anything else’ (Saranagati). Gurudev always spoke about this. There are some important things written here in Sri Gaudiya Kanthahara, I want to read it to you as we still have ten–fifteen minutes.

What did Lord Sri Krishna tell Uddhav Maharaj? ‘Acharyam mam vijaniyan (আচার্য্যং মাং বিজানীয়ান্). Guru is non-different from Me.’ Nityananda Prabhu and Gauranga, Krishna and Balaram are one body, but They manifest themselves in two forms (eka deha-i, dui rupa) – Krishna is one form, and Balaram is the other form, Gauranga is one form, and Nityananda is the other form, but They are actually one. They manifest as two in this world to perform Their pastimes. Therefore, who is Gurudev? Gurudev is Krishna Himself. We were singing in a kirtan this morning:

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

saksadd-haritvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

‘I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru. He is considered to be the Lord Himself by all scriptures and sadhus, but at the same time he is also the Lord’s beloved devotee.’

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

Sri Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur wrote this kirtan. Guru is the Lord Himself, but at the same time, Guru is also the Lord’s very dear associate: Srimati Radhika Herself. The perception of one’s Gurudev depends on each person’s spiritual mood. Some know Gurudev as Srimati Radharani (madhura-rasa), and some say that Gurudev is Nityananda Prabhu (vatsalya-rasa). If somebody asks us, ‘Who is your Gurudev?’, we say, ‘My Gurudev is Radharani Herself’, or, ‘My Gurudev is Nityananda Prabhu Himself.’ This is the answer. Who is Gurudev? Gurudev is the Lord Himself.

সাক্ষাদ্ধরিত্বেন সমস্ত-শাস্ত্রৈ-
রুক্তস্তথা ভাব্যত এব সদ্ভিঃ ।
কিন্তু প্রভোর্যঃ প্রিয় এব তস্য
বন্দে গুরোঃ শ্রীচরণারবিন্দম্ ॥

‘I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru. He is considered to be the Lord Himself by all scriptures and sadhus, but at the same time he is also the Lord’s beloved devotee.’

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

It is said in the scriptures:

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

‘Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of the Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.’

(Svetasvatara Upanisad, 6.23)

‘He who exists in transcendental devotion to the Lord is known as Gurudev.’ How did Srila Rupa Goswami define Gurudev?

vacho vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat

‘A sober person who can tolerate (1) the urge of speech, (2) the urge of the mind, (3) the urge of anger, (4) the urge of the tongue, (5) the urge of the belly and (6) the urge of the genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.’

(Sri Upadesamrita, Srila Rupa Goswamipad)

We sing in one of the kirtans, ‘Please help me control the six urges (chhaya vega dami)’ – Gurudev is the one who has control over the six urges. The six urges are the urge of anger, the urge of the mind, the urge of the stomach, the urge of the genitals, the urge of the tongue and the urge of the speech. He who can subjugate these six urges is a Guru. What is written in Sri Hari-bhakti-vilas? Guru is the one into whom the Lord has invested all his power. One gets the mercy from the Guru by the grace of Lord Krishna. Once you get the mercy of the Guru, you will get all mercy.

krsna yadi krpa kare kona bhagyavane
guru-antaryami-rupe sikhaya apane

‘When Krishna gives His mercy to a fortunate soul, He personally instructs this soul from within in the form of the internal Guru.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.22.47)

If Krishna bestows His mercy on any fortunate soul, then Guru teaches that soul everything in his omniscient (antaryami) form. There are two kinds of Guru, chaitya-guru and mahanta-guru. The chaitya-guru is the Guru that lives in everyone’s heart (he is non-different from the Lord who lives in everyone’s heart) – if you get the mercy of your chaitya-guru, he will bring you to your mahanta-guru (the personality who is your spiritual master). So, it is not that somebody can easily come and get initiation. Only those who have the Lord’s mercy can take initiation. Do you understand what I am saying? All this is explained in the scriptures.

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