Sri Guru Tattva

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 5, translated from Bengali

সেই সে পরম বন্ধু, সেই পিতামাতা ।
শ্রীকৃষ্ণচরণে যেই প্রেমভক্তিদাতা ॥
সকল জন্মে পিতামাতা সবে পায় ।
কৃষ্ণ গুরু নাহি মিলে, ভজহ হিয়ায় ॥

sei se parama bandhu, sei pita-mata
sri-krsna-charane yei prema-bhakti-data
sakala janme pita-mata sabe paya
krsna guru nahi mile, bhajaha hiyaya

‘Those who give divine love for the holy lotus feet of Sri Krishna are my greatest friends – they are my father and my mother. Everybody gets a father and a mother in many births, but it is not in every birth that you can worship Sri Krishna and Sri Guru in your heart.’

(Sri Chaitanya-mangala)

Lord Krishna is our greatest friend, He is our father and mother. That is why we say that you are all my very closest kin. Why? Because you are all sons and daughters of nectar – you are all sons of the Lord. If you are children of the Lord, and I am also a child of the Lord, then it means that we are all brothers and sisters. We are all spiritual relatives, but because we are situated in illusory bondage, we forget this relationship. It is written very beautifully:

কৃষ্ণ-বহির্ম্মুখ হঞা ভোগ বাঞ্ছা করে ।

নিকটস্থ মায়া তারে জাপটিয়া ধরে ॥

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha kare
nikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare

‘When souls become averse to Krishna and desire enjoyment, Maya, who is always nearby, pounces on them.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.3, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

পিশাচী পাইলে যেন মতিচ্ছন্ন হয় ।

মায়াগ্রস্ত জীবের হয় সে ভাব উদয় ॥

pisachi paile yena matichchhanna haya
maya-grasta jivera haya se bhava udaya

‘Those who are possessed by a ghost become delirious, and the same condition arises in those who are seized by Maya, illusion.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.3, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

Such souls forget the Lord, forget Gurudev and forget all their relatives, becoming engrossed in their lives with (material) children and friends.

“আমি নিত্য কৃষ্ণদাস” এই কথা ভুলে ।
মায়ার নফর হঞা চিরদিন বুলে

‘ami nitya krsna-dasa’ ei katha bhule
mayara naphara hana chira-dina bule

‘Forgetting that “I am an eternal servant of Krishna”, souls become slaves of Maya and keep coming and going eternally.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.4, Sri Jagadananda Prabhu)

Sometimes they become kings, sometimes they become subjects, sometimes they become brahmans, sometimes they become sudras, sometimes they are happy, sometimes they are unhappy, sometimes they become ants, sometimes they come to heaven, sometimes they come to earth, sometimes they come to hell, sometimes they become demigods, sometimes they become demons, and sometimes they become servants. We go through all these lives, but we are actually eternal servants of Krishna!

ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।
গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

‘Having travelled throughout the universe, some fortunate souls receive the seed of the devotional creeper by the mercy of Sri Guru, who is non-different from Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151)

Souls wander throughout this universe, but if some fortunate souls take, by Krishna’s mercy, the seed of devotion from Gurudev and practise Krishna consciousness, they can reach the Lord’s abode! Do you understand what I am saying? If you do not understand something, you can ask questions – stay here today and ask questions in the evening.

Who will be the Guru?

কিবা বিপ্র, কিবা ন্যাসী, শূদ্র কেনে নয় ।
যেই কৃষ্ণতত্ত্ববেত্তা, সেই ‘গুরু’ হয় ॥

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya

‘Whether one is a brahman, a sannyasi or a sudra – regardless of what one is – one can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krishna.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.8.128)

To be a Guru, it is not necessary to be a brahman or a great scholar – those who know about Krishna can be a Guru. There are also beautiful verses written in Sri Prema-vivarta by Srila Jagadananda Pandit:

কিবা বর্ণী, কিবাশ্রমী, কিবা বর্ণাশ্রমহীন ।

কৃষ্ণতত্ত্ব-বেত্তা যেই, সেই আচার্য প্রবীণ

kiba varni, kibasrami, kiba varnasrama-hina
krsna-tattva vetta yei, sei acharya pravina

‘Anyone who knows Krishna’s nature is an expert acharya, regardless of whether they belong to a religious and social order or not.’

আসল কথা ছেড়ে ভাই বর্ণে যে করে আদর ।

অসদ্​গুরু করি’ তার বিনষ্ট পূর্ব্বাপর

asala katha chhede bhai varne ye kare adara
asad-guru kari’ tara vinasta purvapara

‘Brother, the past and future of those who reject truth, revere social status and accept a false guru are ruined.’

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 11.16–17, Sri Jagadananda Pandit)

If somebody says, ‘Oh, he is not a brahman, he is a sudra’, this is a bogus guru. There are also those who like to go to Vrindavan to practise in silence or seclusion – they do not preach, they only practise on their own. On the other hand, you can find also those who preach but do not practise what they preach. It is said in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita:

আপনে আচরে কেহ, না করে প্রচার ।
প্রচার করেন কেহ, না করেন আচার ॥
'আচার', 'প্রচার'—নামের করহ 'দুই' কার্য্য ।
তুমি—সর্ব্ব-গুরু, তুমি—জগতের আর্য্য ॥

apane achare keha, na kare prachara
prachara karena keha, na karena achara
‘achara’, ‘prachara’,—namera karaha ‘dui’ karya
tumi—sarva-guru, tumi—jagatera arya

‘Some follow rules and regulations but do not preach Krishna consciousness; some preach Krishna consciousness but do not follow rules and regulation. You perform both duties in relation to the Holy Name by your personal behaviour and by your preaching; therefore, you are the spiritual master of the entire world, and you are the most advanced person in the world.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.4.102–103)

It is necessary to both preach and practise. It will not do to only preach and not practise or only practise and not preach. It is necessary to do both. It is necessary to preach and practise. I have told you before about this sloka, and it is here in Sri Gaudiya Kanthahara also:

আচার্য্যং মাং বিজানীয়ান্নাবমন্যেত কর্হিচিৎ ।
ন মর্ত্ত্যবুদ্ধ্যাসূয়েত সর্ব্বদেবময়ো গুরুঃ ॥

acharyam mam vijaniyan, navamanyeta karhichit
na martya buddhyasuyeta, sarva deva-mayo guruh

Sri Krishna said to Uddhav: ‘You should know the bona fide spiritual master as My very Self. Gurudev is the embodiment of all gods. Never dishonour him or find fault in him by ascribing any mundane conception of place, time or circumstances to him.’

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 11.17.27)

Krishna tells Uddhav Maharaj, ‘Uddhav, you must know the Guru as non-different from Me. You must never dishonour the Guru by considering him an ordinary mortal man.’ Some can say, ‘Gurudev goes to the bathroom like me’, ‘Gurudev eats just like me’, ‘Gurudev sleeps like me’, but this means martya-buddhi – you consider Gurudev a mortal man. Such persons will be cheated by their Gurupad.

Moreover, it is written in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita:

যদ্যপি আমার গুরু—চৈতন্যের দাস ।
তথাপি জানিয়ে আমি তাঁহার প্রকাশ ॥

yadyapi amara guru—chaitanyera dasa
tathapi janiye ami tanhara prakasa

‘Although I know that my spiritual master is a servitor of Sri Chaitanya, I know Him also as a manifestation of the Lord.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.1.44)

It is written very beautifully!

গুরু কৃষ্ণরূপ হন শাস্ত্রের প্রমাণে ।
গুরুরূপে কৃষ্ণ কৃপা করেন ভক্তগণে ॥

guru krsna-rupa hana sastrera pramane
guru-rupe krsna krpa kare bhagyavane

‘The scriptures confirm that Guru is a form of Krishna. In the form of Guru, Krishna bestows His mercy upon the fortunate.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.1.45)

শিক্ষাগুরুকে ত’ জানি কৃষ্ণের স্বরূপ ।
অন্তর্যামী, ভক্তশ্রেষ্ঠ,—এই দুই রূপ ॥

siksa-guruke ta’ jani krsnera svarupa
antaryami, bhakta-srestha,—ei dui rupa

‘One should know the instructing spiritual master to be the Personality of Krishna. Lord Krishna manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the greatest devotee of the Lord.’

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.1.47)

— : • : —

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

• Download / listen to the full class
(16.4 Mb, 40 min | Bengali)