(4/7) 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 the 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-kantha-hara, and I want to read it to you as we still have ten–fifteen minutes before we finish.

What did Lord Sri Krishna say to Uddhav Maharaj? ‘Acharyam mam vijaniyan (আচার্য্যং মাং বিজানীয়ান্): the 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 Themselves in this world as two to perform Their pastimes. Therefore, who is gurudev? Gurudev is Lord Krishna Himself. We were singing this morning in a kirtan written by Sri Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur:

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, who is said by all scriptures to be no doubt the Supreme Lord Himself, and considered to be such by pious souls, but who is also no doubt the Lord’s dear associate.’

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

The guru is the Lord Himself, but at the same time, the 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. So, who is gurudev? In short, gurudev is the Lord Himself.

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, who is said by all scriptures to be no doubt the Supreme Lord Himself, and considered to be such by pious souls, but who is also no doubt the Lord’s dear associate.’

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur)

It is said in the scriptures:

যস্য দেবে পরা ভক্তির্যথা দেবে তথা গুরৌ ।
তস্যৈতে কথিতা হ্যর্থাঃ প্রকাশন্তে মহাত্মনঃ ॥

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?

বাচো বেগং মনসঃ ক্রোধবেগং
জিহ্বাবেগমুদরোপস্থবেগম্ ।
এতান্ বেগান্ যো বিষহেত ধীরঃ
সর্বামপীমাং পৃথিবীং স শিষাৎ ॥

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 the urges of (1) speech, (2) mind, (3) anger, (4) tongue, (5) stomach and (6) 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? The guru is 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 the guru teaches that soul everything in his omniscient (antaryami) form. There are two kinds of gurus, chaitya-guru and mahanta-guru. The chaitya-guru is the guru that lives in everyone’s hearts (he is non-different from the Lord who lives in everyone’s hearts) – 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.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 17 Mb
Length: 40 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Gurudev's Appearance
2) Gurudev's Coming to Temple
3) Perfect Adherence
4) Who Is Guru?
5) Sri Guru Tattva
6) Guru's Greed, Disciple's Greed
7) Deceivers and Deceived