Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Surrender to Śrī Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Initiation into Transcendental Science . . . . . . 33
Descent of the Revealed Truth . . . . . . . . . . . 47
The Original Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
God Consciousness vs. Society Consciousness . . 71

“I Command You—Become Guru!” . . . . . . . . 85
The Initiating Spiritual Master. . . . . . . . . . . 95
Separation from Śrī Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Nām-guru and Mantra-guru . . . . . . . . . . . 125
The Disciplic Succession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Instructing Spiritual Masters . . . . . . . . . . . 145
The Land of Gurus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Servant of the Servant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Lives of the Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
The Line of Śrī Rūpa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Explanation of the Maṭh’s Logo . . . . . . . . . . 220

Om Viṣṇupād
Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj

Om Viṣṇupād
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj

Bhagavān
Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur

Preface

By His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād

Founder-Āchārya
of the

International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

In ten short years, Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād inundated
the world with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the following excerpt
from one of his essays, he smashes the sectarian misconception
that the Spiritual Master is limited to a particular person, form,
or institution, and establishes the universal conception of Guru.

9

10 śrī guru and his grace

sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-charaṇāravindam

“In the revealed scriptures it is declared that the Spiritual
Master should be worshipped like the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and this injunction is obeyed
by pure devotees of the Lord. The Spiritual Master is the
most conCdential servant of the Lord. Thus let us offer our
respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of our Spiritual
Master.”

Gentlemen, on behalf of the members of the Bombay
branch of the Gauḍīya Maṭh, let me welcome you all
because you have so kindly joined us tonight in our con-
gregational offerings of homage to the lotus feet of the
world teacher, Āchāryadev, who is the founder of this
Gauḍīya Mission and is the President-Āchārya of Śrī Śrī
Viśva Vaiṣṇava Rāja Sabhā—I mean my eternal Divine
Master, Om Viṣṇupād Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakāchārya,
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Goswāmī Mahārāj.

Sixty-two years ago, on this auspicious day, the
Āchāryadev made his appearance by the call of Ṭhākur
Bhakti Vinod at Śrī Kṣetra, Jagannāth Dhām at Purī.

Gentlemen, the offering of such a homage as has been
arranged this evening to the Āchāryadev is not a sectarian
concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle

preface 11

of Gurudev or Āchāryadev, we speak of something that
is of universal application. There does not arise any ques-
tion of discriminating my Guru from yours or anyone
else’s. There is only one Guru, who appears in an inCnity
of forms to teach you, me, and all others.

In the Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad (1.2.12) it is said:
tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigachchhet
samit-pāniḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

“In order to learn the transcendental science, one must
approach the bona fide Spiritual Master in disciplic
succession, who is Cxed in the Absolute Truth.”

Thus it has been enjoined herewith that in order
to receive that transcendental knowledge, one must
approach the Guru. Therefore, if the Absolute Truth is
one, about which we think there is no difference of opin-
ion, the Guru cannot be two. The Āchāryadev to whom
we have assembled tonight to offer our humble homage is
not the guru of a sectarian institution or one out of many
differing exponents of the truth. On the contrary, he is the
Jagad-guru, or the Guru of all of us: the only difference is
that some obey him wholeheartedly, while others do not
obey him directly.

In the Bhāgavatam (11.17.27) it is said:
āchāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhichit
na martya-buddhyāsūyeta sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ

12 śrī guru and his grace

“One should understand the Spiritual Master to be as good
as I am”, said the Blessed Lord. “Nobody should be jeal-
ous of the Spiritual Master or think of him as an ordinary
man, because the Spiritual Master is the sum total of all
demigods.” That is, the Āchārya has been identiCed with
God Himself. He has nothing to do with the affairs of this
mundane world. He appears before us to reveal the light
of the Vedas and to bestow upon us the blessing of full-
Iedged freedom, after which we should hanker at every
step of our life’s journey.

The transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was Crst
uttered by God to Brahmā, the creator of this particu-
lar universe. From Brahmā the knowledge descended
to Nārad, from Nārad to Vyāsadev, from Vyāsadev to
Madhva, and in this process of disciplic succession the
transcendental knowledge was transmitted by one dis-
ciple to another till it reached Lord Gaurāṅga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Chaitanya, who posed as the disciple and successor of
Śrī Īśvar Purī. The present Āchāryadev is the tenth dis-
ciplic representative from Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī, the origi-
nal representative of Lord Chaitanya who preached this
transcendental tradition in its fullness. The knowledge
that we receive from our Gurudev is not different from
that imparted by God Himself and the succession of the
Āchāryas in the preceptorial line of Brahmā. We adore this
auspicious day as Śrī Vyāsa Pūjā-tithi because the Āchārya

preface 13

is the living representative of Vyāsadev, the divine com-
piler of the Vedas, Purāṇas, Bhagavad-gītā, Mahābhārata,
and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

We cannot know anything of the transcendental
region by our limited, perverted method of observation
and experiment. But all of us can lend our eager ears for
the aural reception of the transcendental sound transmit-
ted from that region to this, through the unadulterated
medium of Śrī Gurudev or Śrī Vyāsadev. Therefore, gen-
tlemen, we should surrender ourselves today at the feet
of the representative of Śrī Vyāsadev for the elimination
of all our differences bred by our unsubmissive attitude.
It is accordingly said in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.34):

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just approach the wise and bona Cde Spiritual Master.
Surrender unto him Crst, and try to understand him by
enquiries and service. Such a wise Spiritual Master will
enlighten you with transcendental knowledge, for he has
already known the Absolute Truth.”

To receive transcendental knowledge, we must com-
pletely surrender ourselves to the real Āchārya in a spirit
of ardent enquiry and service. Actual performance of ser-
vice to the Absolute under the guidance of the Āchārya is
the only vehicle by which we can assimilate transcendental

14 śrī guru and his grace

knowledge. Today’s meeting for offering our humble ser-
vices and homage to the feet of the Āchāryadev will ena-
ble us to be favoured with the capacity of assimilating the
transcendental knowledge so kindly transmitted by him
to all persons without distinction.

Gentlemen, although it is imperfectly that we have
been enabled, by his grace, to understand the sublime
messages of our Āchāryadev, we must admit that we have
realised deCnitely that the divine message from his holy
lips is the congenial thing for suffering humanity. All of
us should hear him patiently. If we listen to the transcen-
dental sound without unnecessary opposition, he will
surely have mercy upon us. The Āchārya’s message is to
take us back to our original home, back to God. Let me
repeat, therefore, that we should hear him patiently, follow
him in the measure of our conviction, and bow down at
his lotus feet for releasing us from our present causeless
unwillingness for serving the Absolute and all souls.

Sitting at the feet of the Āchāryadev, let us try to
understand from this transcendental source of knowl-
edge what we are, what is this universe, what is God,
and what is our relationship with Him. The message
of Lord Chaitanya is the message for the living entities
and the message of the living world. Lord Chaitanya
did not bother Himself for the upliftment of this dead
world, which is suitably named Martyaloka, the world

preface 15

where everything is destined to die. He appeared before
us four hundred and Cfty years ago to tell us something
of the transcendental universe, where everything is per-
manent and everything is for the service of the Absolute.
But recently Lord Chaitanya has been misrepresented by
some unscrupulous persons, and the highest philosophy
of the Lord has been misinterpreted to be the cult of the
lowest type of society. We are glad to announce tonight
that our Āchāryadev, with his usual kindness, saved us
from this horrible type of degradation, and therefore we
bow down at his lotus feet with all humility.

We are happy that we have been relieved of this horri-
ble type of malady by the mercy of His Divine Grace. He is
our ‘eye-opener’, our eternal father, our eternal preceptor,
and our eternal guide. Let us therefore bow down at his
lotus feet on this auspicious day.

Gentlemen, although we are like ignorant children in
the knowledge of transcendence, still my Gurudev has
kindled a small Cre within us to dissipate the invincible
darkness of empirical knowledge. We are now so much
on the safe side that no amount of philosophical argument
by the empiric schools of thought can deviate us an inch
from the position of our eternal dependence on the lotus
feet of His Divine Grace.

Gentlemen, had he not appeared before us to deliver
us from the thralldom of this gross, worldly delusion,

16 śrī guru and his grace

surely we should have remained for lives and ages in the
darkness of helpless captivity. Had he not appeared before
us, we would not have been able to understand the eternal
truth of the sublime teaching of Lord Chaitanya.

Personally, I have no hope for any direct service in
the coming crores of births in the sojourn of my life, but
I am conCdent that some day or other I shall be delivered
from this mire of delusion in which I am at present so
deeply sunk. Therefore let me with all my earnestness
pray at the lotus feet of my Divine Master to allow me to
suffer the lot for which I am destined due to my past mis-
doings, but to let me have this power of recollection: that
I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute
Godhead, realised through the unIinching mercy of my
Divine Master. Let me therefore bow down at his lotus
feet with all the humility at my command.

Abhay Charaṇ Dās
For Members, Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭh

Bombay

This lecture was originally published in The Harmonist in
1936, on the advent day of His Divine Grace Om Viṣṇupād
Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur.

Introduction

By His Divine Grace
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj

Founder-Āchārya of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh

To err is human. To err is inevitable for all, being not per-
fect. Still, no one wants to remain imperfect. There is an
element within all that is animate that tends towards per-
fection. If it were not so, we would feel no want at all. Our
tendency towards perfection is certainly very weak and
limited; otherwise we could attain the goal at once. Our
limited capacity and tendency for perfection makes room
for the guide or Guru.

17

18 śrī guru and his grace

The imperfect is not so if it is not in need of help,
and that also from beyond itself. The perfect is not per-
fect if He cannot assert Himself or help others, and that
too, of His own accord. So the guidance to perfection or
Absolute Truth is necessarily a function of the Absolute
Himself, and the divine agent through whom this function
manifests is Śrī Guru or the divine guide.

For a seeker of the Absolute Truth, submission to the
Guru is unavoidable. A class of thinkers believe, how-
ever, that when scientiCc research is possible, why cannot
higher spiritual knowledge also be evolved from within?
Such people are ignorant of the most essential nature of
Absolute Knowledge, that He alone is the Absolute Subject
and all else including ourselves constitutionally stand
only as an object to His omniscient vision. It is impossi-
ble for the eye to see the mind; it can have some connec-
tion with the mind only when the latter cares to mind it.
In a similar way, our connection with absolute knowledge
depends mainly on His sweet will. We must solely depend
on His agent, or the Spiritual Master, through whom He
likes to distribute Himself.

Our human society with its Cnest culture forms but an
inCnitesimal part of the dynamic Absolute. How, except by
the direct and positive method of revelation, dare we hope
to comprehend or evolve any conception of the super-
natural knowledge of the unconditioned InCnite? All

introduction 19

intellectual giants prove themselves but pygmies before
the absolute omniscient omnipotence who reserves the
right to give Himself away through His own agents alone.

To our best knowledge and sincerity, however, we
should see not to submit to a false agent. Here of course,
we can’t help ourselves very much; because in our pres-
ent state we are mainly guided by our previous saṁskār
or acquired nature. “Birds of the same feather flock
together.” Yet, although we are generally overpowered by
habit, there is still the possibility of free choice to a certain
extent, especially in the human species, otherwise correc-
tion becomes impossible, and punishment mere venge-
ance. Reality can assert itself. Light does not require dark-
ness for its positive proof. The sun by itself can establish
its supremacy over all other lights. Before an open and
unbiased eye, the Sad-guru (real guide) shines above all
professors of phenomenon.

Śrī Guru manifests himself mainly in a twofold way—
as the director from within and the preceptor from with-
out. Both functions of the Absolute help an individual
soul—a disciple—to reach the absolute goal. In our fallen
state we cannot catch the proper direction to the inner
guide, so the merciful manifestation of the preceptor with-
out is our sole help and hope. But at the same time it is
only by the grace of the Guru within that we can recog-
nise the real preceptor without and submit to his holy feet.

20 śrī guru and his grace

A bona Cde disciple must always remain fully awake
to the fact that his highest spiritual fortune is but a gra-
cious grant from the Absolute Lord, and not a matter of
right to be demanded or fought out. Constitutionally, we
are equipped only to be proper recipients of God’s favour.
In this connection it should be clearly understood that an
individual soul can never be substantially the same as the
Absolute Person. Not even in his liberated or fully realised
condition can an individual soul be one with Godhead.
The misconception of oneness has been introduced from
the slothful nondiscrimination of the Absolute Personality
from the luminous orb around His eternal, spiritual, and
blissful home. In fact, an individual soul constitutes only
a part of a particular power of intermediate value of the
Supreme Lord, and as such he is capable of being con-
verted from both sides. He differs from the Absolute Entity
both in quantity and quality, and is merely a dependent
entity on the Absolute. In other words, the Absolute Lord
Kṛṣṇa is the Master, and an individual jīva-soul is His
constitutional subordinate or servant.

Such a relationship is constant and really whole-
some for the jīva. The apprehension of slavery does not
arise because of his free choice and immense positive
gain. The freedom and individuality of the jīva are not
only unharmed by surrender to the Absolute Good, but
they really thrive in Him alone. Individual freedom and
interest are the part and parcel of those who are of the

introduction 21

Absolute, and so they are quite at home there, as a Csh is at
home in water or an animal in a healthy atmosphere. But
the freedom as well as all other qualities of the Supreme
Personality are unlimited and transcendental, and so only
by their partial functions do they harmonise all relative
entities.

Śrī Guru is not exclusively the same as the Supreme
Lord Himself, but he fully represents the essence of the
whole normal potency and embodies the most compre-
hensive and excellent service and favour of the Lord.
As he is the Cttest servitor of the Lord, he is empowered
by the Lord to reinstate all misguided souls to their best
interest. So Guru is the divine messenger of immortal
hope and joy in this mortal and miserable world. His
advent is the most auspicious and happy event to the
suffering animation and can be compared to the rising
of the morning star that can guide the traveller lost in
the desert. A gentle touch of Śrī Guru’s merciful hand
can wipe away the incessant tears from all weeping eyes.
A patriot or philanthropist makes the problem only worse
in his frantic and futile attempt to alleviate the deep-
rooted pain of a suffering soul, as an ignorant doctor
does in eagerly handling an unfortunate patient. Oh the
day when this poor soul realises the causeless grace of
Śrī Gurudev.

Swāmī B. R. Śrīdhar
This essay was originally published in 1934, in The Harmonist.

Surrender to Śrī Guru
Even great scholars are perplexed in understanding what
is good and what is bad, what to accept, and what to dis-
miss (kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo ’py atra mohitāḥ). Even
great scholars fail to understand their real necessity. This
material world is a jungle of perplexities, where the soul
has accepted so many different kinds of bodies in different
types of consciousness. In the laws of Manu, it is written:

jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati
kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam
triṁśāl-lakṣāṇi paśavaḥ chatur-lakṣāṇi mānuṣaḥ

There are 900,000 kinds of aquatics, 2,000,000 kinds of
trees and plants, 1,100,000 kinds of insects and reptiles,
1,000,000 kinds of birds, 3,000,000 kinds of four-legged
beasts, and 400,000 kinds of human species. Manu says
that the trees are in such a hopeless position as a result of
their own karma. Their feelings of pain and pleasure are
similar to ours; their souls are not of a lower standard. Still,
they are in such a deplorable position as a result of their
own karma. They have no one to blame but themselves.
This is the state of affairs in this external world.

23

24 śrī guru and his grace

We are living in an environment which is afIicted with
serious misconception, misunderstanding, misguidance,
and misbehaviour. How are we to ascertain what is good
and what is bad, what we should aspire after and what
we should reject? Innumerable alternatives have thronged
in a crowd, coming to inIuence us. And when this area,
covered by illusion and inIuenced by misunderstanding,
is Clled with such diversity, how can we hope to know the
inCnite spiritual world of Vaikuṇṭha? With what attitude
should we approach that realm which is transcendental,
beyond the realm of the senses and mind, adhokṣaja?

The genuine Guru
We must accept any way and any alliance that will help us
gain entrance into that realm. We shall try to have even the
slightest connection with that perfect goal of our innate
aspiration. We are helpless; we are hopeless in the midst
of disappointment. We are in extreme danger. We rely on
our free will, our capacity of selection for our own good,
but it is too minute and helpless to guide us. What dan-
ger we are in! All around us are witnesses to this danger.
How important is a real Guru who can guide us to our
real welfare.

We are in the midst of different forces that are drawing
us, attracting us towards different directions, so proper
guidance is the most valuable and the most important

surrender to śrī guru 25

thing for all of us. If we accept direction from anywhere
and everywhere, we will be misguided. Therefore, we
must be careful to get proper direction. That direction has
been given by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.34):

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“To understand transcendental knowledge, you must
approach a self-realised soul, accept him as your Spiritual
Master, and take initiation from him. Enquire submis-
sively and render service unto him. Self-realised souls can
impart knowledge unto you, for they have seen the Truth.”

Quali#cations of a disciple
Here, Kṛṣṇa has given us the standard by which we can
understand what is what from a bona Cde source. The
standard to measure truth or untruth must come not from
a vitiated, vulnerable plane, but from a real plane. And
to realise that, we must have these three qualiCcations:
praṇipāt, paripraśna, and sevā. Praṇipāt means we must
surrender to this knowledge, for it is not an ordinary class
of knowledge which as a subject we can make our object;
it is supersubjective. We may be the subjects in this mun-
dane world, but we will have to become objects to be han-
dled by the superknowledge of that plane.

Praṇipāt means that one approaches a Spiritual Master,
saying, “I am Cnished with the experience of this external

26 śrī guru and his grace

world; I have no charm for anything in this plane, where
I have already travelled. Now I am offering myself exclu-
sively at your altar. I want to have your grace.” In this
mood we should approach that higher knowledge.

Paripraśna means honest, sincere enquiry. We must
enquire not with the tendency of discussion or in the
mood of argument, but all our efforts should be concen-
trated in a positive line to understand the truth, without
the spirit of doubt and suspicion. With full attention we
should try to understand that truth, because it is coming
from a higher plane of reality that we have never known.

Finally, there is sevā, service. This is the most impor-
tant thing. We are trying to gain this knowledge not so
we can get the help of that plane, not so we can utilise
that experience for living here; rather we must give our
pledge to serve that plane. Only with this attitude may
we approach that plane of knowledge. We shall serve
that higher knowledge; we won’t try to make it serve us.
Otherwise, we won’t be allowed to enter into that domain.
Absolute knowledge won’t come to serve this lower plane.
We must offer ourselves to be used by Him, not that we
shall try to use Him in our own selCsh way, to satisfy our
lower purpose.

With the mood of service we shall dedicate ourselves
to Him; not that He will dedicate Himself to satisfy our
lower animal purpose. So, with this attitude we shall

surrender to śrī guru 27

seek the plane of real knowledge and receive the stand-
ard understanding. And then we can know what is what
and have a proper estimation of our environment.

This is Vedic culture. Absolute knowledge has always
been imparted by this process alone and never by the
intellectual approach. Śrīla Prabhupād Bhakti Siddhānta
used to give the analogy of the bee: honey is in a bot-
tle, the cork is in place, and the bee has taken his seat on
the glass. He tries to taste the honey by licking the bottle.
But, just as the bee cannot taste the honey by licking the
outside of the glass bottle, the intellect cannot approach
the world of spirit. We may think that we have attained
it, but that is not possible: a barrier is there, like the glass.
Intellectual achievement is not real achievement of higher
knowledge. Only through faith, sincerity, and dedication
can we approach that higher realm and become a member.
We can enter that higher plane only if they grant us a visa
and admit us. Then we can enter that land of divine living.

So, a candidate must have these three qualiCcations
before he can approach the truth which is on the higher
plane of Absolute Reality. He can approach the Absolute
Truth only with an attitude of humility, sincerity, and
dedication. There are similar statements in the Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam and the Vedas. In the Upaniṣads it is said:

tad-vijñānarthaṁ sa gurum evābhigachchhet
samit pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

28 śrī guru and his grace

“Approach a Spiritual Master. Do not go to him hesitat-
ingly or haphazardly, but with a clear and earnest heart.”

Spiritual life—a one way ticket
One should not approach the Spiritual Master “cutting a
return ticket”. Our Śrīla Prabhupād used to always say,

“You have come here cutting a return ticket.” We must
not approach the Spiritual Master with that attitude.
Rather, we should think that we have seen everything,
that we have full experience of this mortal world, and
that we have nothing to aspire after here. With this clear
consciousness, we should approach the Guru. That is the
only way for us to live. This world is mortal. There is no
means, no possibility of living here, and yet the will to live
is an innate tendency everywhere.

“I only want to live and to save myself. I am running
to the real shelter.” With this earnestness, the disciple will
bring his Spiritual Master the necessary materials for sac-
riCce. He won’t go to his Spiritual Master only to trou-
ble the Guru but will approach him with his own neces-
sities already supplied. He will go there with his own
bed and baggage. Not that he will show some kindness
to the Spiritual Master and give him name and fame by
becoming his disciple.

And what will be the Spiritual Master’s position? He
will be well-versed in the revealed truth, not in ordinary

surrender to śrī guru 29

information. Revelation in many shades has been spread
in the world from the upper realm, but the Guru must
have some spacious, graphic knowledge. He must have
extensive knowledge about the revealed truth. And he
must always be practising real spiritual life. His activi-
ties are all connected with spirit, not with the mundane
world. He is concerned with Brahma, the plane which
can accommodate everything, the fundamental basis of
everything (Brahma-niṣṭham). Not that he is leading his
life with any mortal, mundane reference. He always lives
in the transcendental plane and keeps himself in connec-
tion with that plane his whole life. Whatever he does, he
will do only with that consciousness. This is the version
of the Upaniṣads.

And in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.3.21) it is said:
tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śabde pare cha niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

Māyā means misconception. We are living in the midst of
misconception. Our understanding of the environment
is based on a completely misconceived set of ideas and
thoughts. We have no proper conception of anything in
the absolute sense. Our ideas are all relative. Provincial
selCshness has been imposed on the environment, and
we are living under that misconception. When one comes
to the conclusion that everything around him is mortal
and that everything will vanish, then, with that mood,

Fifty centuries ago, Śrīla Vyāsadev recorded the Vedic literatures
in the Sanskrit language in his ashram in the Himalayas. All bona
2de Spiritual Masters are considered representatives of Vyāsadev.
he will feel the necessity of approaching the Guru, the
divine guide and preceptor, with the purpose of enquiry.

“What is the highest good for me?” With this enquiry, he
will approach the Spiritual Master.

surrender to śrī guru 31

And who will he approach? One who is not only well-
versed in the precepts of the revealed scriptures, but who
has also come in contact with the revealed truth. One who
is conversant with the very object of the scriptures, and
who has practical experience, who is established in pure
consciousness, is a genuine Guru. One should approach
such a guide for his own relief, to understand what is
the highest beneCt in the world and how to attain it. This
is necessary. It is real. It is not imaginary. At the same
time, it is difCcult. The Absolute Truth must be sought out
through a real process; otherwise we shall go the wrong
way and then say, “Oh, there is nothing here; it is not real.”
So, only if we follow this real process of understanding
the truth will we experience the real nature of divinity.

Initiation into
Transcendental Science
Devotee: Can you explain the real meaning of dīkṣā,
initiation?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Śrīla Jīva Goswāmī has explained
this in his Bhakti-sandarbha:
divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṅkṣayam
tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ
Experienced scholars have explained the meaning of dīkṣā,
or spiritual initiation, in this way: dīkṣā is the process
through which transcendental knowledge is imparted by
the preceptor to the disciple. As a result, all the disciple’s
previous bad tendencies are crushed. Through dīkṣā, all
previous commitments are cleared, and one gets the light
of new life in relationship with the transcendental Lord.
Dīkṣā, or initiation, is a process by which we are given a
noble connection with the absolute centre and, at the same
time, our previous commitments are all Cnished. It is an
inner awakenment of life that brings divine knowledge.
That wealth is there within us, but it is suppressed. Dīkṣā

33

34 śrī guru and his grace

means discovering one’s inner wealth and getting relief
from all outward obligations.

With inner awakenment the outward commitments
vanish, just as when you reach home all other arrange-
ments you may have contracted for your comforts are all
cut off, for at home you Cnd full comfort. When we are in a
foreign land we may seek the comforts which are supplied
in hotels, but when we reach home, the hotel comforts
are discarded; we Cnd no more use for them. Sometimes
a minor is kidnapped from home. Later, while visiting
his native place he may stay in a hotel, but if he suddenly
Cnds his father’s house and returns home, his parents will
recognise him and say, “O, my son! You were stolen from
us when you were young. We recognise your face. I am
your mother, this is your father, here is your sister.” Then
the hotel is no longer needed. In a similar way, with the
inner awakenment of the soul, when we return back home,
back to Godhead, we will Cnd our comfortable home with
Kṛṣṇa. So, to make a connection with our real home and
dispense with our outward links is known as dīkṣā.

Mantra: the spiritual formula
Devotee: What is the difference between śikṣā, or spiritual
instruction, and dīkṣā?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Dīkṣā mainly involves initiation
into the mantra, the spiritual formula. Other instructions

initiation into transcendental science 35

are necessary to substantiate it, to help it become effective.
Certain activities are also helpful. These are all parts and
parcels of initiation. So, a general direction is given by
dīkṣā, but how to substantiate that? Details are necessary.
In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (7.5.23-24) it is said:
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
archanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau bhaktiś chen nava-lakṣaṇā
kriyeta bhagavaty addhā tan manye ’dhītam uttamam

“Hearing about Kṛṣṇa, chanting Kṛṣṇa’s glories, remem-
bering Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, worshipping
Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental form, offering prayers to Kṛṣṇa,
becoming Kṛṣṇa’s servant, considering Kṛṣṇa as one’s
best friend, and surrendering everything to Kṛṣṇa—these
nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.”
All these things are advised; a thousand details may be
necessary.

Initiation: spiritual invasion
If a general plans to invade another country, he must Crst
chalk out his strategy of attack in a broad way. When he
goes to practically execute his plan, so many obstacles
appear, and he has to solve them and march on. If one
plans to travel, Crst he conceives of the whole plan in a
nutshell: “From this foreign land, I will return home by
this route.” But to carry out the plan in practice, so many

36 śrī guru and his grace

details are necessary. First it is chalked out in a rough
plan, and then he must practically do so many things.
First he must hire a taxi, then he has to go to the airport
to purchase a ticket for the plane—in this way, so many
details are required. So, from partial knowledge we have
to develop Cnal knowledge. This detailed knowledge is
known as śikṣā.
Devotee: What is the position of a devotee who, although
not yet fully free from the inIuence of māyā, accepts dis-
ciples on the order of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and his
Spiritual Master?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: It is better that a man who begins
business with small capital has a connection with a
wealthier capitalist. Then he can prosper in his business.
In a similar way, as long as one is not completely estab-
lished in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he must have some con-
nection with superior aid. Then he will be safe. If we are to
Cght face to face with māyā, illusion, help from the higher
agency should be our only resource.

It is very difficult to control māyā. Kṛṣṇa says in
Bhagavad-gītā (7.14):

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te

“My illusory energy is impossible to overcome. Only one
who surrenders to Me can cross beyond it.” Māyā dreads

initiation into transcendental science 37

only Kṛṣṇa, for she has her backing from Him. If you
attempt to cross māyā alone, it will be impossible. You
must have some higher connection. And with the help
of that connection you can overcome illusion. Māyā will
withdraw only when she sees that you have the backing
of higher potency. Alone, you cannot Cght and gain vic-
tory over māyā. It is impossible, because wherever you
go, you are within the boundary of māyā, illusion. It may
be more or less intense, but it is all māyā. Only when
you really come in touch with the plane above māyā can
you Cght against māyā; only then will māyā withdraw.
We must have some shelter beyond māyā from where we
can Cght with illusion. We are advised to take shelter of
sādhus (saints) and śāstra (scriptures). Their help comes
from above, and we must accept that help from the inner
core of our hearts.

Accepting disciples and karma
Devotee: It seems that those who accept disciples have to
undergo some physical difCculty or suffering because of
accepting the karma of their disciples.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Physical difCculty should not be
considered. And physical success also should not be con-
sidered of much value. One should not think that if a Guru
has a large number of disciples he is great.

38 śrī guru and his grace

One may voluntarily accept the responsibility of
the spiritual life of so many disciples, but Cnd that their
improvement is not satisfactory. As a result, he may
experi ence some disturbance. He may think, “I have taken
charge of their lives, but I am not able to give them the
desired improvement in their spiritual life.” That is a good
symptom. The Vaiṣṇavas have no trouble for themselves,
but they are troubled for others (para-duḥkha duḥkhī). In
his prayer to Sanātan Goswāmī, Śrīla Raghunāth Dās
Goswāmī writes that Sanātan Goswāmī was always dis-
tressed upon seeing the distress of others. A Vaiṣṇava has
no mental trouble for himself, but he feels mental trou-
ble when he sees the pain of others. It is difCcult for a
Vaiṣṇava to tolerate. They are always sympathetic to the
misery of others. This is the qualiCcation of the interme-
diate devotee. He has no trouble of his own, but he is
troubled by the pain of others. An intermediate devotee
cannot ignore these things.

The Spiritual Master will have to digest some of the
responsibility of the bad and undesirable activities of the
disciple. He has the responsibility of managing them by
his instruction. When a doctor has accepted a patient, and
the patient is in pain, the doctor may feel some trouble
in his mind: “I have taken charge of this patient, and I
can’t remove his difCculty.” In this way, he may feel some
voluntary responsibility.

initiation into transcendental science 39

The Spiritual Master may experience different kinds of
suffering in different stages. Sometimes a Guru may feel,

“I am doing as much as I can to help this disciple.” Such a
Guru does not take so much responsibility for his disciple.
He thinks, “I am doing my duty”, and treats his disciples
with this openness of mind. It is just as in the case of the
consulting physician and the family doctor. The family
doctor cannot shake off the responsibility of caring for his
patients, but a doctor from outside may say, “If you like,
you may engage another doctor.” The consulting physi-
cian is not so much earnest for the patient. He may feel,

“I am not perfect; I cannot make him pure immediately.
Whether he improves is God’s will. I can only do my best.”
From the beginning of their relationship, just as a doctor
may approach his patient with this attitude, the Guru may
approach his disciples. The question of how much respon-
sibility the Guru takes for the disciple is a question of the
attitude he takes towards his disciples in particular cases.
Devotee: Does the disciple’s advancement depend more
on the Guru or on his own efforts? How will the disciple
make proper advancement in following the principles of
his Guru?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: That depends on the stages of reali-
sation of the disciple. Exclusive devotion must come from
the disciple towards the Guru. It is said in the Śvetāśvatara-
upaniṣad (6.23):

40 śrī guru and his grace

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

“The key to success in spiritual life is unIinching devo-
tion to both the Spiritual Master and Kṛṣṇa. To those
great souls who have full faith in both Kṛṣṇa and the
Spiritual Master, the inner meaning of the scriptures is
fully revealed.” The Guru is Kṛṣṇa’s representative. We are
in search of divinity, and so, we must try to concentrate all
our energy wherever we Cnd a real connection with divin-
ity. That is the key to success, because Kṛṣṇa is all-con-
scious. So, the response to our devotional efforts will come
from Kṛṣṇa according to our attentiveness to Him. He
is everywhere. In the conception of inCnite, everywhere
there is centre, nowhere is there circumference. In every
point there may be the centre. Prahlād Mahārāj saw the
centre present everywhere. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked him,

“Is your God in this pillar?” Prahlād replied, “Yes. He is
there.” And when Hiraṇyakaśipu demolished the pillar,
Lord Nṛsiṁhadev came out.

Guru—absolute and relative
Devotee: Can you explain this concept of the absolute and
relative position of the Spiritual Master?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: By the special will of Kṛṣṇa,
Gurudev is a delegated power. If we look closely within
the Spiritual Master, we will see the delegation of Kṛṣṇa,

initiation into transcendental science 41

and accordingly we should accept him in that way. The
Spiritual Master is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa and, at the same
time, the inspiration of Kṛṣṇa is within him. These are the
two aspects of Gurudev. He has his aspect as a Vaiṣṇava,
and the inspired side of the Vaiṣṇava is Guru. On a fast
day like Ekādaśī, he himself does not take any grains. He
conducts himself as a Vaiṣṇava, but his disciples offer
grains to the picture of their Guru on the altar. The disci-
ples offer their Spiritual Master grains even on a fast day.

The disciple is concerned with the delegation of the
Lord, the Guru’s inner self, his inspired side. The inspired
side of a Vaiṣṇava is Āchārya, or Guru. The disciple marks
only the special, inspired portion within the Guru. He
is more concerned with that part of his character. But
Gurudev himself generally poses as a Vaiṣṇava. So, his
dealings towards his disciples and his dealings with other
Vaiṣṇavas will be different. This is achintya-bhedābheda,
inconceivable unity in diversity.

There may be imitation, and there may be deviation.
Both are possible. For ulterior motives one may make a
trade of guruship, just as in the case of the caste goswāmīs
and the sahajiyās, imitationists. For some reason or other,
one may pose as a guru, but the symptoms of a real Guru
are given in the scriptures:

śābde pare cha niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.3.21)

42 śrī guru and his grace

“A bona Cde Spiritual Master must be conversant with the
conclusions of the Vedic literature and Cxed in realisation
of the Supreme Truth.”

Scriptures need saints
Anyone can say, “I am guru. He is not guru.” Imitation is
always possible, but the scriptures give the criterion for
the selection of a real Guru, and the real Guru will extract
the meaning of the scripture. Guru and śāstra are interde-
pendent. One will help another for our ediCcation. The
scriptures say we must read the scripture under the guid-
ance of a proper professor, a Vaiṣṇava Guru (Āchāryavān
puruṣo veda). So, the scripture is dependent on the Spiritual
Master. And who is a Spiritual Master? The scriptures will
explain. So they are interdependent: sādhu and śāstra are
both necessary. They are the active and the passive agents.
Devotee: Can you explain why Kṛṣṇa appears in so many
different Gurus? Why must Kṛṣṇa appear again and
again? Can’t we learn everything we need to know just
by reading Bhagavad-gītā? What is the need for constant
revelation? Don’t the old books contain all the truths we
need to know?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa
says, “First I transmitted Vedic knowledge to this world
through Brahmā.” And that was entrusted to his disciples:

initiation into transcendental science 43

the four Kumāras, Marīchi, Aṅgirā, and other sages. The
knowledge was Crst invested in them and later in books.

First it was presented in the form of sound, not script.
Gradually it became Cxed in writing. In the beginning,
it descended directly through sound from one man to
another, from lip to ear. No script or writing was invented
at that time, but knowledge was contained in the form of
sound. Passing through the ear to the mouth, and again to
the ear of another, gradually it became lost. In connection
with a mediator sometimes it becomes lost and disCgured,
distorted; and then again the Lord feels the necessity of
appearing in this world (yadā yadā hi dharmasya).

Sometimes Kṛṣṇa comes Himself, and sometimes He
sends a normal-thinking man to reinstate the standard of
true religion. Kṛṣṇa says, “This karma-yoga that I have
spoken to you, Arjuna, I spoke Crst to Sūrya, and from
Sūrya it was passed down from generation to generation.
And so it has become mutilated and disCgured. Again I am
speaking that very same thing to you today.” The enervat-
ing plane gradually erodes the truth. The truth is bright
when it Crst appears, but gradually, with the contact of
this enervating plane, it becomes weak, disCgured, and
demoralised, and so Kṛṣṇa appears from time to time to
rejuvenate it and bring about a renaissance.
Devotee: Is there any difference between an Āchārya and
a Guru?

44 śrī guru and his grace

Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Guru and Āchārya are the same
but generally it may be said that an Āchārya does more
extensive work. And also the Āchārya must have exten-
sive knowledge of the scriptures, whereas the Guru may
not have expressly deep knowledge of scripture but may
have real knowledge of their purport. He may not be able
to quote scripture extensively but feels the meaning of
the scriptures. He may be a Guru. But an Āchārya is one
who preaches widely and is able to extensively quote
scriptural evidence.

Marketplace of gurus
Devotee: There are so many imitation gurus in the guise
of Vaiṣṇavas who are simply out to cheat the innocent
public. How can we know who is a real Guru and who is
a cheater? How do we know when we are being given real
knowledge and when we are being cheated?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: We have to Cnd out what is the
source of his knowledge. In the marketplace there may
be imitation gold, but if we are sure that the gold we are
purchasing is coming from a particular mine, we can
buy it with the assurance that it has not been tampered
with on the way. In that way it can be understood; by
examining the source.

Once, here in India, Gandhi wanted to revive the
charkhā system of homespun cloth. In the charkhā system,

initiation into transcendental science 45

the poor produce thread with a spinning wheel, and if
everyone buys that cloth, called khadi, then the money
goes to the pockets of the poor. But the Japanese and
English cloth factories sent imitation ‘homespun’ khadi
here. They began manufacturing rough cloth, imitating
the ordinary homespun cloth produced here by the poor.
Gandhi found himself perplexed, “What is this?” He said,

“My need is that the money go to the poorest pocket, but
now the capitalists are producing imitation rough cloth
abroad, and that is being sold here in India. Instead of
money going to the poor here in India, it is going to the
foreign capitalists.” Then he founded one association,
the Khadi association, and told his followers, “You must
purchase homespun cloth only from those shops who are
connected with this association of mine. Then the money
will surely go to the pockets of the poor.” At that time
he said, “This is guru-paramparā, the system of disciplic
succession.” Of course, this is a crude example.

Revealed truth coming uncontaminated through a par-
ticular process is paramparā. We must connect with a reli-
able succession. Only then can we get the genuine thing.
The authorised association is necessary, Guru-paramparā
is necessary. So, before we read anyone’s book, we shall
try to Cnd out who is his guru, and from where the sub-
stance is coming down. Is it only a facade, or is there any
real substance within? If we can understand that he has

46 śrī guru and his grace

a relationship with a genuine sādhu, then we can give
some attention to him.

I often give the example of the homeopathic glob-
ule. The mere globule itself has no medicinal value. The
potency is within. An ordinary guru may give the same
mantra to his disciple, but what is the potency within
the sound? What quality of conception or divine will is
contained in that sound? That is all-important. To get the
mantra from a Sad-guru, a genuine Guru, means to get the
internal good will or real conception about the Lord. The
seed of a banyan tree may be a small seed, but the great big
banyan tree will come from that seed. The will with which
the particular sound is given by the guru to the disciple
is all-important. We may not trace that at present, but in
time, if a favourable environment is there, it will express
itself and develop into something great. So, when we go
to purchase anything, we must be careful about imitations,
or else we may be deceived.

Descent of the
Revealed Truth

Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the spiritual conception of the high-
est level, descends by Iowing down from one level to the
next, just as from the peak of a mountain the Ganges Iows
in a zigzag way, from one peak to another. Sometimes the
water of the Ganges mixes with the current of the river
Saraswatī. That water is not to be considered Ganges water.
When the water of the Saraswatī joins the current of the
Ganges, it is considered to be Ganges water. When the two
rivers meet, the water that Iows away from the Ganges is
not the Ganges; but when the Saraswatī’s waters enter into
the current of the Ganges, it becomes the Ganges. There is
a saying that whatever water is deep within the current of
the Ganges riverbed is the real Ganges water. That water
will purify us, whatever its point of origin may have been.

The purifying potency of the water has nothing to
do with the water we can feel and see. What can we see
with our physical eyes? The current of the Ganges is pure.
When the spirit and sanction is there, it is a living thing
and can purify everyone.

47

48 śrī guru and his grace

Dead mantras
So, the very gist of the Guru-paramparā, the disciplic
succession, is śikṣā, the spiritual teaching, and wherever
it is to be traced, there is Guru. One who has the tran-
scendental eye, the divine eye, will recognise the Guru
wherever he appears. One who possesses knowledge of
absolute divine love in purity—he is Guru. Otherwise the
guru-paramparā is only a body paramparā: a succession
of bodies. Then the caste brāhmaṇs, the caste goswāmīs,
will continue with their trade, because body after body
they are getting the mantra, but their mantra is dead. We
are after a living mantra, and wherever we can trace the
living tendency for a higher type of devotional service we
shall Cnd that there is our Guru. One who has that sort
of vision awakened will be able to recognise the Guru
wherever he may appear.

Initiation into the mantra means to impart real knowl-
edge and devotional sentiment from one to another. And
that must be genuine. Nothing can be known about a
homeopathic globule by an outer physical inspection,
but the potency is within. So also within the mantra
the important thing is the type of thought or sentiment
which is imparted through that sound. The impersonal-
ists have got the same mantra, and are also chanting the
Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa, but that sort of name will vanish in
the Brahma-jyoti. They won’t be able to cross the Virajā,

descent of the revealed truth 49

the river between the material and spiritual worlds. Śrīla
Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur says that when a māyāvādī chants
the Name of Kṛṣṇa, his chanting of the Name of Kṛṣṇa is
just like thunder to the holy body of Kṛṣṇa. It does not
produce any soothing effect.

The Gauḍīya Maṭh deals with reality, not with the
frame. We are trying to understand what is what in the
spiritual thought-world. We are not enchanted or cap-
tured by the mere form. We are interested in the step-by-
step development in spiritual thought. In his Upadeśāmṛta
(10), Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī has said:
karmibhyaḥ parito hareḥ priyatayā vyaktiṁ yayur jñāninas
tebhyo jñāna-vimukta bhakti-paramāḥ premaika niṣṭhās tataḥ

“Out of many materialists, one may be a philosopher. Out
of many philosophers, one may become liberated and
take to devotional service. Out of many devotees, one
may attain pure love of Kṛṣṇa. He is the best of all.” We
are interested in understanding this gradation: what is the
Virajā River, what is the spiritual sky, the planet of Lord
Śiva, the Vaikuṇṭha world of Viṣṇu, Lord Rāma’s Ayodhyā,
and then Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā, Mathurā, and Vṛndāvan? We
want to know the realistic view of the whole gradation
of devotional thought. Kṛṣṇa shows this gradation in the
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.14.15) where He says:
na tathā me priyatama ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ
na cha saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr naivātmā cha yathā bhavān

50 śrī guru and his grace

“Neither Brahmā, nor Śiva, nor Saṅkarṣaṇ of Vaikuṇṭha,
nor the Goddess of fortune Lakṣmī Devī, nor even My
own self is as dear to Me as you. You are My favourite,
Uddhava.”

We have to follow the spirit; otherwise after Jāhnavā
Devī, the wife of Lord Nityānanda, up to Vipin Goswāmī,
from whom Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur took initiation, there
are so many unknown lady gurus. Through them, the
mantra came to Vipin Goswāmī, and from him Bhakti
Vinod Ṭhākur received the mantra. We accept Bhakti
Vinod Ṭhākur, but should we count all those ladies in our
disciplic succession? What was their realisation?

Slaves of the truth
We are slaves of the truth. We are beggars for the pure cur-
rent of truth that is constantly Iowing: the fresh current.
We are not charmed by any formality. I will bow down
my head wherever I Cnd the river of nectar coming down
to me. When one is conscious that the Absolute Truth is
descending to him from the highest domain, he will think,

“I must surrender myself here.”
Mahāprabhu says to Rāmānanda Rāy:
kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya

“Wherever the truth appears, wherever the nectar of divine
ecstasy descends, I shall offer myself as a slave. That is

descent of the revealed truth 51

my direct concern.” Whatever form it takes doesn’t matter
much; the form has some value, but if there is any conIict,
the inner spirit of a thing should be given immense value
over its external cover. Otherwise, if the spirit has gone
away and the bodily connection gets the upper hand, our
so-called spiritual life becomes sahajiyā, a cheap imitation.

When we are conscious of the real substance of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, the real wealth we are receiving from our
Spiritual Master, then our spiritual life cannot be sahaji-
yāism, imitationism. We must be aware enough to detect
our Guru’s advice when we Cnd it in another. One who is
awake will see, “Here is my Guru’s advice; I Cnd it here
in this man. Somehow or other, it has come here. How,
I do not know, but I see my Guru’s characteristics, his deal-
ings, and behaviour in this person.” When we are able to
recognise a thing for its intrinsic value, then, wherever we
Cnd it, we cannot neglect it.

There is an example of this in an instance regarding
Aurobindo Ghosh of Pondicherry. He was the Crst leader
of the Anarchist Party and practically the founder of the
revolutionary movement in Bengal. In 1928, a case against
him was proceeding in Kolkata High Court. A famous
attorney, Mr Norton, was in charge of the prosecution.
Aurobindo had absconded, and when the case was going
on, he was not to be found anywhere. Norton was con-
cerned. How to Cnd him? Aurobindo’s English was very
good English. He had been educated in England from

52 śrī guru and his grace

childhood and could speak English even better than many
Englishmen. Norton began to search through different
papers and magazines for Aurobindo’s writing. Finally,
he found Aurobindo’s style of writing in the Amrita Bazar
Patrika, a Bengali newspaper. “Here is Mr Ghosh!” he said.
The editor of the Amrita Bazar Patrika was summoned to
court to Cnd out whether Aurobindo Ghosh had written
the article. Norton examined him:

“This is your paper. You must know who has written
this article. You are the editor.”

“Yes, I know.”
“Do you know this man, Aurobindo Ghosh?”
“Yes, I know him. I consider him to be one of the

greatest men in the world.”
“As the editor of this newspaper do you know who

wrote this article?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Has Mr Ghosh written this article?”
“I won’t say.”
Norton asked him, “Do you know what is the

punishment?”
“Yes. Six months imprisonment.”
“You are ready for that?”
“Yes, I am ready for that.” Holding up the newspaper

article, Norton said, “Here is Mr Ghosh! I rest my case.”
He saw Aurobindo in his writing, and in a similar way

we must see, “Here is my Gurudev!” Our Spiritual Master

descent of the revealed truth 53

would also sometimes say of one of his disciples who had
departed, “Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur came to me, but I could
not recognise him.” Those whose divine vision is awak-
ened are always seeing signs of divinity everywhere.

One Kṛṣṇa in many Gurus
We must have the vision to recognise the presence of our
Guru’s temperament. Mahāprabhu says, “Mādhavendra-
Purīra ‘sambandha’ dhara, jāni.” When Mahāprabhu met
the Sanoḍiyā brāhmaṇ, upon seeing his movements, He
at once detected that this brāhmaṇ must have some con-
nection with Mādhavendra Purī. He said, “Without his
connection, I could never Cnd such symptoms of tran-
scendental ecstasy. It must come from Mādhavendra Purī.”
So, we must know Kṛṣṇa consciousness in truth. It is said,

“Āchāryaṁ Māṁ vijānīyān: the Spiritual Master is not to
be differentiated.” One thing is coming down from the
Supreme Lord, so the oneness of continuity is not to be
ignored. Guru can be here; Guru can be in another body
also. The same teacher may come in a different body to
inspire us; he may come to give us new hope and higher
education. The substance should always be given a higher
value than the form.

First understand the degree of purity in Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness. The followers of form are only imitationists;
they want only to exploit Mahāprabhu and not to serve
Him. They are our worst enemies. They are traitors; they

54 śrī guru and his grace

have taken the garb of Mahāprabhu’s sampradāya, and
they are saying something bogus. This is cheap market-
ing; they are extensively selling adulterated things very
cheaply. They have no inner necessity to attain the pur-
est thing (pūjala rāga-patha gaurava-bhaṅge). Although he
was such an exalted Vaiṣṇava, our Guru Mahārāj never
presented himself as a great devotee. He always used to
say, “I am a servant of the servant of the Vaiṣṇavas.” That
was his claim. And he would say, “The higher devotees
are my Guru. They are so exalted.” First come and prac-
tise all these things, and then you can hope to reach the
goal. It is not so easy, or so cheap. “Out of many liberated
persons, a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is extremely rare”
(koṭi-mukta-madhye ‘durlabha’ eka Kṛṣṇa-bhakta).

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is an internal thing, and those
who cannot see the internal truth will make much of the
external cover. We do not support that. Rather we are
interested in the real spirit. All the opposing elements who
are interested in externals cannot touch us. Dogs may bark,
but the barking of a dog has no importance. Because they
make so much of the outer thing, they have no real puriC-
cation of the heart to accept the pure thing, to discriminate
what is purity, or what is love of Godhead, prema, after
which even Brahmā and Mahādev aspire.

The Original Guru
The original Spiritual Master is Nityānanda Prabhu. He
is the general representation of Guru. In the spiritual
world, He is the Guru-tattva principle in the four primary
mellows of devotion, excluding the conjugal mellow. In
madhura-rasa, Baladev’s representation is Anaṅgā
Mañjarī, the sister of Rādhārāṇī.

The position of Nityānanda is greater than that of
Baladev. Why? He is distributing prema, divine love. And
what is prema? It is higher than all other achievements. If
one can give divine love, then all others must be subordi-
nate to him. If Kṛṣṇa is subordinate to Mahāprabhu then,
of course, Balarām is subordinate to Nityānanda. They
are similar, but when magnanimity is added, Balarām
becomes Nityānanda. That Balarām who can distrib-
ute divine love, who can perform that higher function,
has come here as Nityānanda. Our foundation must be
solid and proper. Then the structure should be erected.
Otherwise the whole thing will go down (heno Nitāi vine
bhāi Rādhā Kṛṣṇa pāite nāi). We can get a solid foundation
from Nityānanda Prabhu.

55

Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu, the original Spiritual Master and
general representation of Guru.

the original guru 57

One day Nityānanda Prabhu came to Śrī Chaitanya
Mahāprabhu’s house in Mayapur. Mahāprabhu’s mother,
Śachī Devī, and Viṣṇu Priyā Devī, His wife, were also
there, as well as other devotees. Suddenly Nityānanda
arrived, quite naked.

Mahāprabhu managed to give Him some cloth. And
perhaps He was concerned that the devotees might have
some misconception about Nityānanda Prabhu. So, to pre-
vent this He asked Nityānanda Prabhu for His kaupīn,
His loincloth. He tore it up and distributed it amongst the
householders that were present, instructing them, “Keep
a piece of His loincloth as a kavacha, an amulet, and tie
that with a thread to your arm or wear it around your neck.
Please keep it with you. Then you will be able to achieve
sense control very soon.”

Nityānanda Prabhu has control of His senses to the
extreme degree; He does not know anything of this
world. His vairāgya, indifference to the world of mun-
dane transaction, is of such a degree that He can appear
naked amongst both male and female. So, the grace of
Nityānanda Prabhu will construct a Crm foundation for
us. If there is a Crm foundation, then we may build a great
structure over it. If we have faith in Nityānanda, then that
faith can bear any amount of weight. It won’t betray us.

So, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād has laid
stress amongst the Westerners on devotion to Nityānanda.
First, we must get His mercy. And then, afterwards, we can

58 śrī guru and his grace

get the mercy of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu
means Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa: Śrī Kṛṣṇa Chaitanya Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
nahe anya. First achieve the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu,
and then Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, and then Śrī Rādhā-
Govinda. In these three stages, we must raise ourselves up.
Devotee: How does one attain the mercy of Lord
Nityānanda?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: One who Cnds more inclination
to serve Gaurāṅga and His Dhām, His transcendental
land, and His servants can get the mercy of Nityānanda
Prabhu. Nityānanda is very much kind to one who has
some special tendency towards Gaura-līlā.

“Take the Name of Gaurāṅga”
Nityānanda Prabhu walked from door to door in Bengal,
saying, “Take the Name of Gaurāṅga! I’ll become your
servant. You can purchase Me if you only take the Name
of Gaurāṅga. I’ll be sold to you without any price or con-
dition.” That was His temperament. When Mahāprabhu
was in Purī, He sent Nityānanda Prabhu to Bengal. At
that time He said, “Without You I don’t Cnd anyone who
can spread the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa, or devotional ser-
vice to Kṛṣṇa, in Bengal. They are more engaged in the
tantric method and smṛti. They make too much of these
triIing things. They are puffed up, thinking that they have

the original guru 59

Cnished all knowledge. So, Bengal is a very hard Celd for
preaching. Without You, no one will be able to awaken
the masses. Separate Yourself from the higher castes and
approach the masses with the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa. You
are the Cttest person for this work.”

Nityānanda Prabhu went to Bengal, but without
trying to preach the glories of the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa,
Nityānanda began to preach the Name of Gaurāṅga.
Nityānanda Prabhu found that there is some danger of
thinking that Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes are very much akin to the
mundane debauchery, lying, and stealing of a degraded
soul. Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes are of a highly conCdential nature.
It is very difCcult for the masses to understand the purity
of Kṛṣṇa-līlā. The mass mind cannot accept Kṛṣṇa-līlā as
the highest attainment. So, Nityānanda Prabhu found
it would be difCcult to preach Kṛṣṇa-līlā, but He found
it would be easy to preach Gaura-līlā, where Kṛṣṇa has
come to distribute Himself to the public with so much
capital in His mind. Gaurāṅga means a dynamo which
wants to distribute Kṛṣṇa surcharged with the most mag-
nanimous, intensiCed pity and kindness for the ordinary
people, with the greatest affection even for the criminals.
Nityānanda Prabhu wanted to bring them in connection
with Gaurāṅga, for then Kṛṣṇa-līlā would automatically be
within their Cst. So, He began to preach about Gaurāṅga,
not Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, as commanded by Mahāprabhu.

60 śrī guru and his grace

So, Nityānanda Prabhu says, “Bhaja Gaurāṅga kaha
Gaurāṅga, laha Gaurāṅgera Nāma: worship Gaurāṅga, speak
only of Gaurāṅga, and chant the Name of Gaurāṅga.”

There is another instance of the relationship between
Kṛṣṇa and Balarām, and Gaurāṅga and Nityānanda, which
is described in the Chaitanya-bhāgavat. Śachī Devī had
a dream that Kṛṣṇa and Balarām were sitting on a throne,
and Nityānanda was Cghting with Balarām, “Come down
from the throne. It is no longer Dvāpar-yuga. The Age of
Kali has come, and My master Gaurāṅga must occupy
Your position on this throne. You come down!” Balarām
began giving some opposition. “No, no, why should We
come down? We have been sitting on this throne for such
a long time.” Nityānanda Prabhu began forcibly taking
Him down, and Balarām submitted slightly. Nityānanda
Prabhu said, “My master Gaurāṅga wants to take the
position now. The age for Him has come.” So Nityānanda
is very partial to Gaurāṅga. He says, “Kṛṣṇa is far off.
My Lord is Gaurāṅga.”

So, we must be very grateful to Nityānanda Prabhu,
for He is our Guru. And Guru’s grace is so important that
Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī says, “O, Rādhārāṇī, I want
Your grace. Without You, I don’t want Kṛṣṇa separately.
I never want Kṛṣṇa without You.” That should be the
healthy attitude of a devotee. This has been explained by
Śrīla Viśvanāth Chakravartī Ṭhākur in his Gurvāṣṭakam:

the original guru 61

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi
dhyāyaṁ stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-charaṇāravindam

“I bow down to the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudev. By his grace,
we achieve the grace of Kṛṣṇa; without his grace, we are
lost. Therefore, we should always meditate on Śrī Gurudev,
and pray for his mercy.”

This is the position of Śrī Guru, by whose grace we can
get everything, we can get the grace of Kṛṣṇa, and without
whose grace, we have no other prospect. So, in this way,
we must have reverence for he who has given us our Crst
connection with Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Guru is not a doll
But at the same time, as we offer reverence to Gurudev,
we must not conceive that the Guru is a doll, a lifeless Cg-
ure. Because we are familiar with a particular Cgure and
accept that as our Guru we should not become misled. The
important thing is what he says, his instructions. That is
attracting our inner hearts. I am not this body. I am the
enquirer. That thing which is satisfying me, drawing the
enquirer to the enquired—I must try to locate that thing
in him. I must not rely on material calculation. I am not
this body. Who am I, the disciple? Am I only this body, this
Cgure, this colour, this caste? Or am I this temperament,

62 śrī guru and his grace

this scholarship and intellectualism? No. I am he who has
come to seek. Who is the party within me, and who is the
party in Guru? We must be fully awake to that. What is
the inner thing? I have come for that. We must be awake
to our own interest.

There is the relative principle and the absolute princi-
ple. We shall have to eliminate the form, ignore the form;
we shall always have to keep the spirit. Otherwise, we
become form worshippers, idol worshippers.

Guru: more than meets the eye
It is said, of course, that the connection with the Spiritual
Master is eternal (chakṣu-dāna dila yei, janme janme Prabhu
sei). But we must not identify our Guru with the appear-
ance we perceive with our physical senses. Our inner iden-
tiCcation of him will be clariCed according to the growth
of our vision. When our vision increases and takes shape
from material to transcendental, his look will also change
accordingly.

A man is sometimes known, most externally, by his
uniform, and then by his body, then by his mind, then
by his intelligence. As much as our eye will develop to
see things rightly, what we are seeing will also change its
face. Kṛṣṇa says, “Āchāryaṁ Māṁ vijānīyān: ultimately it is
I who am the Āchārya.” It is the function of divinity, and
in different stages there may be different forms. Different
Āchāryas may work at the same time.

the original guru 63

The knowledge, the ideal, is growing from subtle to
gross. And the depth of the vision of the eye will disclose
the different Cgures of the different Āchāryas. It will go
in different rasas to the highest position, by a gradual
process of realisation. Otherwise our knowledge will be
based on the material conception. And to force the mate-
rial conception onto divinity is a crime, it is ignorance,
it is erroneous.

We have to free ourselves from the snare of identify-
ing reality with the physical form presented to our senses.
The eyes deceive us; they cannot give us the proper form
or colour. The ears cannot give us the proper sound. The
concrete reality is beyond the experience of our senses.
So then, what is that thing? Because we are in such a low
position, we can gradually go there to the inner world
only with the help of our Guru.

But how can we recognise our Guru? Sometimes in
the winter he wears a particular dress, and in the summer
he wears another dress. If we attach so much importance
to the external dress, then what should we do? Should
we think that the dress is indispensable to the body? The
Guru may come to us in a particular body. Suppose the
Guru appears as a young man. When he has become an
old man, and the young form has grown into another form,
how are we to recognise him? How are we to differentiate?
Again, in one birth he may have come in a particular body,
and another time he may appear in a different body. The

64 śrī guru and his grace

same Guru may appear differently at different times. How
are we to recognise him? From the external consideration
we must go to the internal.

If I am devoid of Iesh and blood and I exist only in
a subtle body, then I shall also Cnd my Guru there, in
a subtle body. The demigods, Gandharvas, and siddhas,
the perfected beings in the heavenly planets, also have
their gurus, but they do not have a material body, nor does
their guru have a material body.

So, by eliminating the external conception we have
to enter into the internal, and that will be all-important
to a progressive disciple. That does not mean that one
should disregard the physical form of our guru. But the
real importance is within. We must worship the remnants
of the Guru: his coat, his boot, his sandal. But that does
not mean that his shoe is superior to his body; we must
serve his person. In a similar way, if we are eager to do
some physical service for him, if we want to massage his
feet, but he does not desire that and says, “No, no, no”,
then should we do that? Our internal obedience to him
will be higher. In this way we have to make progress from
the gross to the subtle.

Who is Guru? Where is he to be located? What is his
ideal? What does he really want me to do? These things
must not be dismissed from our ears. We must not give
only formal adherence. We want the spiritual way. The

the original guru 65

spiritual man is going to the spiritual world to have the
spiritual realisation. It is all a spiritual transaction. And
all conceptions of mundane, whether physical, mental,
or intellectual, should be eliminated in our journey if we
want to go to the inner world of substance.

Progress: elimination and acceptance
This attitude will decide our real progress, our real design
of life. Our fulClment comes always from the inner side.
If one can catch up that thread, then he can go and get
things of that higher, spiritual quality. We may appreci-
ate the beautiful Cgure, style, movement, and intellectual
delivery of the Spiritual Master, and so many other things
may be appreciable. But what should be the highest focal
point of our realisation? What should be our highest aim,
for which we will eliminate everything else?

Progress means elimination and acceptance. And our
spiritual life must always be a dynamic thing; otherwise
we shall be dead. Progress means acceptance and elimi-
nation. The scientists also say this in their theory of nat-
ural selection, “survival of the Cttest”. Nature is selecting
some and eliminating others. Life is dynamic; we are liv-
ing in a dynamic world. Everywhere we Cnd acceptance
and elimination. That is progress. And our life must be
progressive, not static.

66 śrī guru and his grace

To get the grace of Nityānanda Prabhu, we should try
as far as possible to study the character of Śrī Gaurāṅga
Mahāprabhu, to serve Him, to serve His Dhām, and
His devotees. That will easily help us attain the grace
of Nityānanda Prabhu. And there will always be so
many practical dealings in our present stage, but we
must always keep the highest ideal over our heads. With
this ideal we shall be able to make progress. Our ideal,
our highest model—that is our all-in-all in life. To be
acquainted with the conception of the highest ideal and
to be on the path of realisation of that goal is the greatest
wealth in one’s life.

Śrīla Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī prays, “I only aspire
after one thing. I cherish the hope that one day I may be
welcomed into the plane where Rādhikā and Mādhava
are in Their glory, sitting and playing.” That should be
our prospect. This is found in Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī’s
prayer to his Guru.

He says:
nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śachī-putram atra svarūpaṁ
rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam uru-purīṁ māthurīṁ goṣṭha-vāṭīm
rādhā-kuṇḍaṁ giri-varam aho rādhikā-mādhavāśāṁ
prāpto yasya prathita-kṛpayā śrī guruṁ taṁ nato ’smi

“I am fully indebted to Śrī Gurudev. Why? He has given me
so many things. He has given me the highest conception
of the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa, the highest form of sound

the original guru 67

which contains the highest form of thought, aspiration,
ideal, everything. And next he has given me the mantra.”
The Name is there within the mantra. Without the Name,
the mantra is nothing. If the Name of Kṛṣṇa is withdrawn
and replaced with another name, the mantra will give
the opposite result. The Name of Kṛṣṇa is all-in-all. And
within the mantra, the Name is couched in a particular
way as a sort of prayer.

And then he says, “He has given me the service of
that great saviour, the son of Mother Śachī, Śrī Chaitanya
Mahāprabhu, who is like a golden mountain standing
to show the direction of Kṛṣṇa-līlā. And Gurudev has
brought me to the lotus feet of Mahāprabhu’s most favour-
ite personal assistant, Svarūp Dāmodar, who is the rep-
resentation of Lalitā Devī, the most favourite friend of
Rādhikā.

“Then he has brought me in connection with Śrī
Rūpa, who was ordered to distribute the highest kinds
of devotional love, rasa.” Vaidhī-bhakti, the worship of
the Lord in awe and reverence, is of a lower order. But
rāgānuga-bhakti, spontaneous love, the heart’s innermost
dealings, was distributed through Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī.
Mahāprabhu considered Śrī Rūpa the best to deal with
rāgānuga-bhakti.

Dās Goswāmī says, “Then, by his grace, I have achieved
the association of Śrīla Sanātan Goswāmī, who adjusts

68 śrī guru and his grace

our position in relation to rāgānuga-bhakti. He explains
the path of vaidhī-bhakti, and gives us sambandha-
jñān: the knowledge of what is what, a proper acquaint-
ance with the environment.” Then he says, “Gurudev has
given me Mathurā Maṇḍal, where Rādhā and Govinda
have Their Pastimes; where the forest, the hills, every
creeper, shrub, and grain of sand, everyone is bearing the
acquaintance of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-līlā, and wherever I shall
cast my glance, they will help me in my remembrance
of Rādhā and Govinda. I have received all these things
from my Gurudev: Vṛndāvan, where the cows and the
milkmen have their village constructed. I am becoming
acquainted with their association, their nature, and their
feelings of love for Kṛṣṇa.

“By the grace of Gurudev, I have become acquainted
with Rādhā Kuṇḍa, the favourite place of Rādhā and
Govinda for Their Pastimes, and this great Govardhan.
And lastly he has given me the hope that one day I can get
the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhikā and Mādhava. I have been
given all these assurances by my Gurudev, so I bow my
head with all my respects to his lotus feet.”

So, if we are conscious of all these spiritual matters,
then we can think that we have approached our Gurudev
properly. What is our Guru? What is his Mission? It is
Clled with all these things. Devoid of that, what is our
interest?

the original guru 69

What is ISKCON?
Devotee: There are so many visions about the International
Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness (iskcon). But what
should the real vision of iskcon be?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: In this verse, Raghunāth Dās
Goswāmī gives the real acquaintance of what is iskcon,
Nāma-śreṣṭhaṁ manum api Śachī-pūtram atra Svarūpam.
Iskcon must not deviate from this line. We have not
come here to deceive ourselves, but to fulCl ourselves.
Iskcon will fulCl everyone’s inner demand, even extend-
ing to the vegetables and stones, taking them to the feet
of Mahāprabhu and the Goswāmīs. From village to vil-
lage, everyone, in every place, should be hunted and
approached, “Take the Name of Kṛṣṇa! Come under the
Iag of Mahāprabhu!” This grand worldwide Mission
will thrive like anything; it will touch the heavens and
cover the earth, and other planets also. That was the aim
of Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād, and we understand
and appreciate that.

God Consciousness
vs.

Society Consciousness
Student: In the quest for spiritual truth one may join a reli-
gious mission to advance towards the ultimate goal of life.
After some time, however, sectarian policies may appear
to bar the path of progress. He may see that within the
society, pragmatic concerns take precedence over spiritual
ideals. If one feels the necessity to look elsewhere, his
authorities may tell him that there are no higher truths
to be found. One may also be warned that if he leaves
the society, he will suffer serious repercussions. He may
become an outcaste, branded as a heretic for pursuing
what he sincerely feels to be the ideal upon which the soci-
ety was founded. Should he risk leaving the society, ignor-
ing the advice of his immediate authorities, or should he
try to remain within the society?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Progress means elimination and
new acceptance. So, when there is a clash between the

71

72 śrī guru and his grace

relative and the absolute standpoint, the relative must be
left aside, and the absolute should be accepted. Suppose
you are American, but at heart you are a socialist. In
your general practices, you will live harmoniously as an
American, but when there is a conIict between the capital-
ists and the socialists, which side will you accept: socialist
or capitalist?

Your creed is that of a socialist. You live in a coun-
try where the majority are capitalists. When there is no
difference between the two parties, there is no conIict,
but when there is a clash, which side will you side with?
Internally you may identify yourself as a socialist, but for
the sake of peace, and for the good of the country, you may
not express it externally. But suppose you are an out-and-
out socialist. You will try to keep your creed, the purity
of your faith for the socialists. You will try to leave the
country and join the socialists.

So, the absolute and the relative are two different
classes of interest. And we Cnd more importance in the
absolute interest. We must be sincere to our own creed.
Sometimes we have to leave our paraphernalia if it does
not suit us. So also, even in the conception of purity of
the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, in the Vaiṣṇava creed
there is purity and form. The form is necessary to help me
in a general way to maintain my present position. At the
same time, my conception of the higher ideal will always

god consciousness vs. society consciousness 73

goad me to advance, to go forward, and wherever I go,
I must follow the greater model, the greater ideal. Spiritual
life is progressive, not stagnant. Do you follow?
Devotee: Yes.

Catholics, Protestants, and Puritans
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: It is progressive. We are in the
stage of sādhana, spiritual practice, and we want a pro-
gressive life. We want to go ahead, not backwards. The
formal position will help me to maintain my present sta-
tus, and my extraordinary afCnity for the ideal will goad
me towards the front. Just as there are so many progres-
sive parties in so many missions: Progressive Communist,
Progressive Christianity. First there were Catholics, then
Protestants, again Puritans, in this way Christianity pro-
gressed. So, there is development in the right way, and
also in the wrong way. The search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is dynamic
and living, so adjustment and readjustment is always
going on. And we should also change our present posi-
tion accordingly, so that we may not have to sacriCce the
high ideal for which we have come.

One is born in a particular land by the arrangement
of nature, but his high ideal may sometimes ask him to
leave the country. Einstein had to leave Germany and go
to America for his high ideal of life. And so many similar
instances may be found in the world. The ideal is all-in-all.

74 śrī guru and his grace

The highest ideal in a man is his highest jewel. Our most
precious gem is our ideal.

Many things are recommended in the scriptures, but
they are meant to promote us towards the truth in an indi-
rect way, sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ. It is recommended
at a certain stage that for the sake of our close friends, we
should give up our ideal. But in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa’s
Cnal instruction is, “Sarva-dharmān parityajya Mām ekaṁ
śaraṇaṁ vraja: if it is necessary to maintain the highest
ideal, you must give up your friends. Surrender to Me.
I am the real purport of the scriptures.” The highest kind
of idealists give up their country, their family, their friends,
and everything else, but they can’t give up their ideal.

In the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, “It is better to die
while performing one’s own duty than to try to do anoth-
er’s duty.” That is one stage of understanding: the relative
consideration. The absolute consideration is also given
in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarva-dharmān parityajya Mām ekaṁ
śaraṇaṁ vraja. Kṛṣṇa says, “Give up everything. Come to
Me directly.” This is the revolutionary way. This is abso-
lute. And this is relative: “Stick to your own clan. Don’t
leave them.” That is the national conception. There is
nation consciousness and God consciousness, society con-
sciousness and God consciousness. God consciousness is
absolute. If society consciousness hinders the develop-
ment of God consciousness, it should be left behind. This
is conCrmed in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (5.5.18):

god consciousness vs. society consciousness 75

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś cha sa syān
na mochayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

“Even a spiritual master, relative, parent, husband, or dem-
igod who cannot save us from repeated birth and death
should be abandoned at once.” What to speak of ordinary
things, even the guru may have to be abandoned. One may
even have to give up one’s own spiritual guide, as in the
case of Bali Mahārāj, or one’s relatives, as in the case of
Vibhīṣaṇ. In the case of Prahlād, his father had to be given
up, and in the case of Bharat Mahārāj, it was his mother.
In the case of Khaṭvāṅga Mahārāj, he left the demigods,
and in the case of the yajña-patnīs (the wives of the brāh-
maṇs), they left their husbands in the endeavour to reach
the Absolute Personality.

We need society only to help us. If our afCnity to the
society keeps us down, then that should be given up, and
we must march on. There is the absolute consideration
and the relative consideration. When they come into clash
the relative must be given up, and the absolute should
be accepted. If my inner voice, my spiritual conscience,
decides that this sort of company cannot really help me,
then I will be under painful necessity to give them up
and to run towards my destination, wherever my spiritual
conscience guides me. Any other course will be hypocrisy,
and it will check my real progress. If we are sincere in

76 śrī guru and his grace

our attempt, then no one in the world can check us or
deceive us; we can only deceive ourselves (na hi kalyāṇa-
kṛt kaśchid durgatiṁ tāta gachchhati). We must be true to
our own selves, and true to the Supreme Lord. We must
be sincere.

Disappearance of the Guru
Student: After the disappearance of the Spiritual Master,
how should the disciples continue his Mission?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: You must not neglect your con-
science. You may go to Cght as a soldier, to save your coun-
try, or your people, or your honour. Your environment
does not depend on your whim. It may appear extremely
perplexing, but you will have to face that. However com-
plex the battleCeld may be, as a soldier, you will have to
Cght. Otherwise you have no faith in your own cause.

There may be disturbances. Rather we say there
should be, there may even be Cghting amongst devotees,
but we should not leave the preaching of Mahāprabhu,
despite all differences. Disturbance must come, because
our most beloved Guru has withdrawn from amongst us.
Such a great curse has been thrown on our heads; should
we like to live peacefully? In its wake disturbances must
come, and we must undergo them. Still, we must remain
sincere; we must face the difCculty in a proper way. It has
come to train us to go in the right direction.

god consciousness vs. society consciousness 77

What we received from our Spiritual Master we under-
stood only in a rough estimation. Now, things have come
in such a way that we have to scrutinise ourselves in every
position. We have to analyse ourselves. Ātma-nikṣepa,
self-analysis, has begun. We are under trial. What we
received from our Spiritual Master, in what way have we
received it? Properly, or only showingly? The time has
come to purify us, to test whether we are real students,
real disciples, or his disciples only in face and confession.
What is the position of a real disciple? If we live in the
society, what is the depth of our creed? In what attitude
have we accepted his teachings? How deep-rooted is it
within us? The Cre has come to test whether we can stand.
Is our acceptance real? Or is it a sham, an imitation? This
Cre will prove that.

Surrounded by karma
So, we must not be afraid of any adverse circumstances.
Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, “A happy kṣatriyā hankers
for the battle you are facing (sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ Pārtha lab-
hante yuddham īdṛśam).” Our karma has come to face us,
to surround us, and we can’t avoid it. These disturbances
are a result of our own karma; they came from within us.
So, we must not quarrel. We must act properly in dealing
with that.

We have to scrutinise more accurately what we thought
we understood. Everyone must ask himself, “Where am I?

78 śrī guru and his grace

What is my real need? And how much am I hankering
for the real thing?” All these things will be expressed and
made public. So, this is the real Celd of sādhana, or prac-
tice. Our practice, our advancement, needs all these dif-
Cculties. Otherwise we may not know what is progress.
We will become hypocrites and give the same adulterated
thing to others. So, to purify ourselves it is necessary that
so many disturbances come.

And God has no error. He commands the environ-
ment. It is not our responsibility. The responsibility of the
environment does not rest upon us. Our responsibility is
within ourselves alone. The environment is in the hands
of the Lord. He has not done any wrong to me. If I am sin-
cere, then I have to adjust myself with this environment
and put my faith before Him. By our stand in any circum-
stances in the battle, our patriotism will be put to the test.
We will be tested to see whether we are real soldiers or not.

Anything may come, but we will have to face that.
I must not forget my Lord, my Guru, my Gaurāṅga, my
Rādhā-Govinda, under any circumstances. Under all unfa-
vourable circumstances, I must stand with my head erect
and say, “Yes! I am a servant of that clan, that sampradāya.
Everyone may leave me, but I shall stand alone!” With this
attitude we must march on, whatever the circumstances
may be. Then the recognition may come in my favour, that,

“Yes, under such trying circumstances he is still there.”
Our superiors will be pleased with us.

god consciousness vs. society consciousness 79

We must analyse ourselves. How much are we selCsh?
To what percent are our unwanted bad habits, anarthas,
still present within our hearts? How much are the impuri-
ties of karma, jñān, mental desires, and other Clthy things
mixed with the real faith—that must come out, and that
must be eliminated in different ways. If we want real good,
no one can hinder us. With this spirit we must move, and
then we will be able to understand what is what.

Jesus and Judas
Even Christ told his followers, “One of you will betray
me.” Judas was amongst the twelve. So, Jesus said,

“Amongst the twelve of you, there is one who will hand
me over to the enemy this very night.” Even this may
be possible. He said, “Even Peter, you will also deny me
thrice before the cock crows.” “Oh, no, no, no. I can’t deny
you.” But no pride of a devotee does the Lord tolerate. He
wants surrender, complete surrender. “No, no”, Peter said,

“I am your faithful servant.” That kind of ego also must
not stand. Peter, who was the leader, was also exposed.
So, no pride is tolerated by the Lord.

Devotees are only tools in the hands of the Lord. One
Muslim king advertised for a sycophant, a ‘yes-man’.
Previously in the court of the kings, they had a sycophant.
Whatever the king will say, he would give ditto to that.
He advertised that he wanted a Iatterer, and many men

80 śrī guru and his grace

came and applied for the job. He began interviewing them:
“Do you think you’ll be able to do your duty properly?”

“Yes, I will be able to do.”
“I think you won’t be able to do it properly.”
“No sir, I shall be able to do it.”
They were all dismissed but one. When the king told

him: “I think you will not be able to discharge the duty of
a Iatterer”, the remaining one said, “I also think like that.”

“No, no, no, you will be able, you are the Cttest.”
“Yes, I am the Cttest.”
“No, no, I doubt.”
“Yes, I also doubt.”
The king said, “This is the man for the job.”
Those that continuously claimed they were Ct were

all dispersed and rejected. So, our soul must have such
Iexibility in the service of the Lord. We must have no ego
whatsoever. Of course, that is in the external sense for we
have our permanent ego within, when the soul enters into
that higher domain. The position of that is a separate thing.
But this material ego, that must be dissolved cent per cent.
When put into the Cre, it will be burned into ashes.

And we must be one-pointed in our aim towards the
truth. Droṇāchārya was the weapon-master, the astra-
guru of the Pāṇḍavas. One day while testing the progress
of his disciples, he put an artiCcial bird in the top of a tree.
One by one he asked the brothers to come forward and

god consciousness vs. society consciousness 81

take aim. Yudhiṣṭhir came forward. Droṇāchārya told him,
“Prepare yourself to hit that bird. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”
“What do you see?”
“I see the bird.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes. I see all of you.”
“Go away.” Then another one of the brothers

approached. Droṇāchārya told him, “Hit the eye of the
bird. That must be marked by your arrow. Take your aim.
What do you see?”

“The bird.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes. The tree also.”
“Oh, go away.”
Then Arjuna was taken in. Droṇāchārya told him,
“Prepare yourself.”
“Yes, my lord, I have done so.”
“Do you see the bird?”
“Yes, I see.”
“The tree?”
“No.”
“The whole of the bird?”
“No.”
“What do you see?”
“Only the head.”

82 śrī guru and his grace

“The whole of the head?”
“No.”
“What do you see?”
“Only the eye.”
“You can see nothing else?”
“I can see nothing else.”
“Yes, my boy! Shoot the arrow!”
We should have that sort of aim in our life—do or

die. Whatever circumstances may come to frighten me, I
won’t be frightened. If my own men seem to be my enemy,
that does not matter. My own is only He. And He cannot
tolerate that anyone else will be a partner of Him. He is
Absolute. He is the Absolute owner of me. He does not tol-
erate any partnership there. In this way, I must go where
my spiritual conscience takes me. By God’s will, friends
may be converted into foes. Foes may be converted into
friends, but I must stick to my ideal. If I am of a progres-
sive nature, then there must be elimination, and there
must be new beginnings. It can’t be avoided in the course
of our realisation.

When we are in school, all do not pass; some fail, and
then we have to meet new classmates. Again we advance,
and again we have new classmates, and old classmates
may fall behind. It is quite natural. That does not mean that
we are envious of them. We are sympathetic. We shall try
our best to help them. But still it may happen. We cannot

god consciousness vs. society consciousness 83

help it, but this is the nature of spiritual life. So, the
absolute and relative principles are always clashing. They
will seem to Cght with one another, but the absolute
should be accepted, and the relative should be sacriCced.

Mental prison
Still, the relative is necessary. A boy must put his whole
faith in his primary school teacher, otherwise his pro-
gress will be hindered. He should not think that what his
teacher teaches him is all false, or of a lower type. When he
grows up, he will accept another teacher for higher edu-
cation, but that does not mean that the primary teacher is
neglected or insulted. For our own interest, whatever we
Cnd which is akin to what was given to us by our Guru
Mahārāj, whatever we Cnd that will enlighten us further,
and whatever will help us to understand more clearly
what we heard from our Guru Mahārāj, must be accepted.

Otherwise, what have I taken in the prison house of
my mind through my scholarship? God is not a Cnite
thing. He is inCnite. And as much as in the cell of my brain
I have imprisoned Him, shall I stick only to that? What
is this? Is my realisation a living thing, or is it dead? Is
there any growth? What I have received from my Spiritual
Master—can it grow? Or is it Cnished? Have I reached the
inCnite standard where I can progress no further?

84 śrī guru and his grace

If someone says that he has reached that standard, and
that there is nothing further to be realised, then we offer
our obeisances to him from far away. We are not worship-
pers of that. If one thinks that he is Cnished, that he has
attained perfection—we hate it! Even an Āchārya should
consider that he is a student, and not a Cnished professor
who has everything. One should always think of himself
as a bona Cde student. We have come to realise the inCnite,
not a Cnite thing. So, this Cght between Cnite and inCnite
knowledge will continue always.

Should we think, “What I have understood is abso-
lute”? No! We have not Cnished with knowledge. Still,
we must know. Brahmā himself says, “I am fully deceived
by Your power, Master. I am nowhere.” Anyone who has
come in connection with the inCnite cannot but say this:

“I am nothing.” That should be the salient point. The pro-
pounder of the greatest scripture in Gauḍīya–Vaiṣṇavism,
Śrīla Kṛṣṇa Dās Kavirāj Goswāmī says: “Purīṣera kīṭa haite
muñi se laghiṣṭha: I am lower than a worm in stool.” This is
his statement, and he is saying so sincerely. Should we be
ashamed to express our negative character, our negative
development, which is the real wealth for a disciple? So,
because such a negative character is shown by him, we
fall at his feet. And if someone says, “I have Cnished all
knowledge. God, Chaitanya, is my disciple”, he should be
shot down as the greatest enemy ever found in the world!

“I Command You—
Become Guru!”

It is stated in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.31.9):
tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ
kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad-ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti te bhūri-dā janāḥ

“O Kṛṣṇa, the nectar of Your words and the narrations of
Your Pastimes give life to us, who are always suffering in
this material world. This nectar is broadcast all over the
world by great souls, and it removes all sinful reactions.
It is all-auspicious and Clled with spiritual power. Those
who spread this message of Godhead are certainly doing
the greatest relief work for human society and are the most
magnanimous welfare workers.”

This is what is necessary, and this is what is univer-
sal. Everyone can be satisCed to the highest degree in their
hearts only by the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s words and the nectarean
descriptions of His activities. This is because Kṛṣṇa is raso
vai Saḥ, the reservoir of all pleasure, and Akhila-rasāmṛta-
mūrtiḥ, ecstasy Himself. Kṛṣṇa’s very nature is sweet:

85

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vapur asya vibhor
madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vadanaṁ madhuram
madhu-gandhi mṛdu smitam etad aho
madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuram

“O Lord Kṛṣṇa! The beauty of Your transcendental form is
sweet, but Your beautiful face is even sweeter. The sweet
smile on Your face, which is like the sweet aroma of honey,
is sweeter still.”

“i command you—become guru!” 87

“I’m being nectarised!”
This verse is found in Bilvamaṅgal Ṭhākur’s Kṛṣṇa-
karṇāmṛtam (92). He says, “Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet-
ness. Kṛṣṇa is sweetness personiCed. At my Crst sight,
I thought Kṛṣṇa was Cupid, who can capture everyone.
But then I saw, ‘No, this is not like lust personiCed, which
can be experienced only in the material world. This is
chinmay, spiritual substance. I see that this sweetness is
spiritual in characteristic. I feel it. It is the very gist of all
sweetness. What is this? My eyesight is being nectarised.
I am experiencing nectar pouring on my eyes. Oh, Kṛṣṇa
has already conquered my heart. I am captured, I am
captivated by sweetness personiCed.”

māraḥ svayaṁ nu madhura-dyuti-maṇḍalaṁ nu
mādhuryam eva nu mano-nayanāmṛtaṁ nu
venī-mṛjo nu mama jīvita-vallabho nu
bālo ’yam abhyudayate mama lochanāya

“My dear friends, where is Kṛṣṇa, who is Cupid personi-
Ced, brilliant as a kadamba Iower? Where is Kṛṣṇa, sweet-
ness Himself, the sweetest nectar for my eyes and mind?
Where is Kṛṣṇa, who loosens the hair of the gopīs? He is
the supreme source of divine bliss. He is my life and soul.
Has He come before my eyes again?”

This is Bilvamaṅgal Ṭhākur’s statement (Kṛṣṇa-
karṇāmṛtam: 68).

88 śrī guru and his grace

Whatever type of sorrow or afIiction there may be,
all different layers of painfulness will be removed. This
nectar of the words and Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa gives us life. It
gives us hope that we can live a higher life, that we were
not created only to suffer in this mortal world, but to live
a life which can soar up and transcend this painful life of
mortality. We have that sort of life of vitality in our own
intrinsic form. The speculationists say that Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness only does away with all sinfulness, but their’s
is only an external acquaintance with Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Sin is nothing in comparison with His purifying capacity.
As soon as we come in contact with Kṛṣṇa, even in the form
of mere sound through the ear, our real welfare begins
to awaken: śreyaḥ kairava chandrikā vitaraṇam. Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness is inCnitely surcharged with all the resources
of our welfare. And those who can distribute Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness to the world are really benevolent and kind-
hearted. They give the most who give Kṛṣṇa to those who
are helpless and disappointed. Only this sort of transac-
tion should be continued in the world, to save these souls
suffering from the disease of mortal connection.

Divine nectar
The descriptions about Kṛṣṇa are like divine nectar. So, go
on with this transaction, always giving Kṛṣṇa conscious-
ness, and if you give Kṛṣṇa consciousness you will have an

“i command you—become guru!” 89

ample supply of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will descend
from the higher position. If you are sincere to distribute
Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will have no want in your own
capital. New capital will be supplied to you as much as
you can give it to others. It will have connection with the
inCnite source. So go on. Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu says:

yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’ upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa

“Whomever you Cnd, talk with him only about Kṛṣṇa.
We have no other engagement. Whomever you Cnd, any
soul you come across, try to save him from this desert of
mortality. I command you. Don’t be afraid; take the posi-
tion of Guru, the giver, and give it to everyone.” Then,
Mahāprabhu says:

kabhu nā vādhibe tomāra viṣaya-taraṅga
punarapi ei ṭhāñi pābe mora saṅga

“And in this transaction, you will Cnd My backing. If you
obey My command for distribution to one and all, then
you will Cnd that I am there, backing you in this work.”

So, your great master has engaged you all like so many
dedicated soldiers. Now you must do relief work in this
world of mortality and death. Do relief work. Somehow
we have to get Kṛṣṇa consciousness for ourselves and
also carry this news to our neighbours. Mahāprabhu says,

“Whomever you meet, tell him about Kṛṣṇa, and in this

90 śrī guru and his grace

way, save the people.” They are all under the inIuence
of eternal mortality. Only this path is relevant to their
condition; all other talks are irrelevant.

Jaws of death
Everyone is rushing into the jaws of death. This is the
sum total of the news of this world; it is the only news.
Every second, everyone is entering the jaws of death. This
is the real problem—nothing else. The whole problem,
if summarised, will come to this, that every second, every
atom here is entering into the jaws of death. This is the
great and only danger in the world. So, all other talks are
irrelevant to the real problem of life; try to help them from
entering into the jaws of death. This is the only problem
in the whole world.

Go forth and tell everyone about Kṛṣṇa. Whatever you
do, make them talk about Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa. Save your-
self, and prepare yourself for the highest goal. Whenever
you meet anyone, wherever you meet anyone, only talk of
Kṛṣṇa. All other talks are irrelevant and redundant.

Mahāprabhu says, “It is My command. Don’t think
that if you do this and take the position of Guru, when
the people come to honour you, you will forget your own
ordinary position, become puffed up with pride, and go
to hell. No, no, no! I order you, ‘Go on!’ The relief work is
there. You can’t stand idle as an onlooker. So I say, ‘Jump!

“i command you—become guru!” 91

Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu said, “I command you. Don’t be afraid;
take the position of Guru, the giver, and give Kṛṣṇa to everyone.”
Start relief work.’ I order you to do so. And I shall take
whatever responsibility is there. The whole world is dying.
So, always, at every second, the real need is Kṛṣṇa-kathā.

92 śrī guru and his grace

You will get My association only by obeying My orders
and discharging the duty that I am entrusting with you.
You will Cnd Me there in your obedience of My order, in
the discharge of the duty I impose on you.”

Is it reasonable or not? Every one of us can judge. What
will be the relief work to save those in the mortal world?
What will give real help to the people? Not clothing them
or feeding them, nothing of the kind. Everyone is drop-
ping down dead. Once, when I was in the Madras Maṭh,
someone came and criticised us saying, “Oh, you are
only talking about Kṛṣṇa, and people are dying without
food. Don’t you mind?” I said, “No.” He told me, “The
Ramakrishna Mission is doing real relief by feeding so
many. If a man dies of starvation, how will he hear you?
Where will you get a listener if he dies? First make them
live, feed them, and then you can tell him about Kṛṣṇa.”

I told him, “Suppose there is a famine. I have some
food. I am distributing that to so many people. There is
a great crowd before me. If, while I am distributing food,
someone from the crowd Iees, what should I do? Should
I distribute the food, or run to catch him?” He said, “You
must distribute the food; that is natural.” I said, “The
crowd is always ready to hear from me about Kṛṣṇa. Why
should I waste my time running after one man? So many
people are coming to hear from me about Kṛṣṇa, and
I cannot attend them all. Why should I stop distribution

“i command you—become guru!” 93

of the nectar, and run to catch one man? This is a foolish
attempt.”

We are interested in helping people by distributing
Kṛṣṇa-kathā, and we pay no attention to any so-called
danger. All are in need of this guidance. You must only
engage yourself in Kṛṣṇa-kathā. Go on talking about
Kṛṣṇa, and continue with that vibration.

When Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu was going from Purī
to Vṛndāvan through the jungle path, the elephants, deer,
and tigers were chanting, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” and dancing.
How? His Kṛṣṇa-kathā created such a Cne vibration that it
entered into the ears of the tigers, deer, and elephants and
awakened their hearts. And they began to chant, “Kṛṣṇa!
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” and dance. Mahāprabhu’s vibration of
Kṛṣṇa’s Name was so Cne and surcharged with force that
the sound entered within the animals, and aroused in
their hearts the innermost plane which was covered by
the elephant’s or tiger’s body. Just like electricity, the Cn-
est current of the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa entered into the
hearts of all the animals, and their souls were aroused.
And when their souls were awakened, then they began
to chant “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!”

Everywhere the environment is full of animation,
and just as a ray of light penetrates the darkness, in
a similar way the vibration of Kṛṣṇa-kathā will strike
a chord within the soul and create some inspiration

94 śrī guru and his grace

there towards Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So continue preach-
ing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have no other duty, no other
work. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād went the length
and breadth of the world with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The
fact that you have all come here is due to his earnestness.
He has gone to the upper world, and so, in his name we
are going on with some sort of transaction.

The Initiating
Spiritual Master

The Spiritual Master always performs his function from
the platform of an intermediate devotee, whether he
comes down from the position of a Crst class devotee to
do the work of Guru, or does so as a bona Cde intermedi-
ate devotee. Because the work of Guru is enacted from the
intermediate stage, it is the duty of the madhyam-adhikārī
to initiate disciples.

A Spiritual Master may be one of three kinds. The Crst
class Guru extends one foot from the spiritual world into
the material world and takes souls from here to there. The
Guru in the intermediate stage is situated here, but he has
extended one foot there and is taking souls to the spiritual
world. The lowest class of Guru has both feet here, but
he clearly sees the highest plane and is trying to take the
souls from here to that plane. In this way, we may roughly
conceive of three kinds of Guru.

These are not three stages of Vaiṣṇava, but three stages
of Guru. A Crst class devotee takes the position of an inter-
mediate devotee when he descends to play the role of an

95

96 śrī guru and his grace

Āchārya, one who teaches by example. He has one leg
there in the spiritual world, and by the order of Kṛṣṇa,
he extends another leg here in the material world to do
the duty of an Āchārya. The Guru who has one leg here
in the material world and extends another leg into the
spiritual world is a madhyam-adhikārī, or intermediate
devotee. He also discharges the duty of an Āchārya. The
lowest class of Āchārya has both legs here in the mate-
rial world, but his vision is towards the spiritual world.
He may also do the duty of Āchārya. These are the grada-
tions of Āchāryas, and the different stages of Vaiṣṇavas
are another thing. They are mentioned in the Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam (11.2.45-47):

Three kinds of devotees
archāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu chānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

“A devotee who faithfully worships the Deity, but does not
properly respect the Vaiṣṇavas or the people in general
is called a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be
in the lowest position of devotional service.” This is the
lowest class of Vaiṣṇava. The second class of devotees is
given also:
īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu cha
prema-maitrī kṛpopekṣā yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ

the initiating spiritual master 97

“The devotee in the intermediate stage of devotional ser-
vice is called a madhyam-adhikārī. He loves the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devo-
tees of the Lord, shows mercy to the innocent, and dis-
regards the envious.” The highest stage of Vaiṣṇavism
according to the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is described as follows:
sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ
bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ

“The Crst class devotee sees Kṛṣṇa in everything, and
everything within Kṛṣṇa.” These are three stages of devo-
tees. Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu explains these three
stages in terms of those devotees who chant the Holy
Name of Kṛṣṇa. One who has even once heard or uttered
the Holy Name of the Lord may be considered a third class
devotee. One who always chants the Name with faith is
an intermediate devotee. And the Crst class devotee is so
powerful that whoever sees him will feel the tendency to
chant the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa. That is the nature of the
highest kind of devotee.

The second class devotee may have some mun-
dane touch, but he deprecates this completely and fully
attends to his spiritual realisation. He is fully engrossed
in spiritual life. His attraction for Godhead is there, but
he has not fully escaped from the inIuence of māyā, or
illusion. Although he is weak, still his attempt to help
others is laudable. He has not completely disassociated

98 śrī guru and his grace

himself from his mundane nature, but he is conquering
it gradually. He is gaining battle after battle and moving
towards Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He has good will. He is
a preacher. He has reached the stage just before he Cnally
disassociates himself from this world, takes his Cnal leave,
and enters the spiritual world.

The neophyte devotee may go to the temple and wor-
ship there, strictly following the rules of the scriptures, but
as soon as he is outside the temple, he may do anything
and everything. In his relations with others he may not
deal in a spiritual way; scriptural dictations have only
a partial inIuence over him. In his dealings with others
he may have no spiritual principles at all. But the inter-
mediate devotee applies the principles of the scriptures in
his ordinary life. From the point of view of the scriptures
he considers who he should make friends with, what sort
of trade he should accept for his livelihood, and how he
should select his friends.

Fight against māyā
When a devotee’s social life is also affected and controlled
by his spiritual principles, he becomes a second-class dev-
otee. When he adopts such a form of life, he is Ct to help
others. He won’t be affected by foreign, unfavourable
association, and because he has already practised and is

the initiating spiritual master 99

settled in that form of life, he knows how to deal with
others and keep up his spiritual vitality. Because he has
practised in that way, he can be eligible to initiate disci-
ples. He is qualiCed to help others because he has already
transformed himself in his dealings with the outside envi-
ronment. He can keep up his standard by Cghting with
the agents of māyā. He has already proved that he has
kept up his spiritual position, so he can be relied upon
and entrusted with the power of Āchārya.

There is still another standpoint by which the qual-
iCcations of a devotee have been expressed to us in the
revealed scriptures. One whose reliance, regard, and faith
is in the śāstra, who attentively observes all the rules and
regulations and practices that are found in the scriptures,
and whose practices and social activities are coloured
by his faith in God is an intermediate devotee. And one
who acts according to his faith in Kṛṣṇa in every stage,
whatever circumstances there may be, is a Crst-class dev-
otee. His faith in Kṛṣṇa is his main guidance. In what-
ever circumstances he may be in—with body, mind, and
soul; in thought, word, and deed; in every way—he does
everything for the service of Kṛṣṇa. He is the topmost
devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So, from these different standpoints
the stages of a devotee, a servant of Kṛṣṇa, have been
expressed to us in the scriptures.

100 śrī guru and his grace

How to see Śrī Guru
Devotee: Should the disciple conceive of his Gurudev
as an uttam-adhikārī situated on the topmost level of
devotional service?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Yes, and not only should he see
his Gurudev as an uttam-adhikārī, a devotee of the high-
est order, but he will even see Gurudev as the special del-
egation of the Lord Himself, or of His supreme potency.
In the madhura-rasa, he will ultimately see his Gurudev
as Rādhārāṇī’s delegation, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī.

In this way, there are different visions of our Spiritual
Master. Our vision of our Spiritual Master varies accord-
ing to our gradual progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
In the primary stage of devotional service the order is
given to the disciple to see the Guru as Kṛṣṇa Himself,
sākṣād Dharitvena samasta śāstrair. Then he will see the
Guru as the potency of Kṛṣṇa, and Cnally he will see him
as a speciCc kind of potency of Kṛṣṇa, according to his
inner demand. He will Cnd his Spiritual Master situated in
a particular mood of devotion, either in servitude, friend-
ship, parenthood, or conjugal love. This differentiation
will continue until one will see Kṛṣṇa Himself with the
internal energy (svarūp-śakti) within Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee: Some people think that one must be a devotee of
the highest order who has descended into this world to act

the initiating spiritual master 101

on the second class platform in order to initiate disciples.
They do not accept any gradation of Gurus. According to
them, one must seek out and take initiation only from the
highest kind of Guru.

Kṛṣṇa’s headache
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: I also had such an idea at Crst, but
my understanding underwent some transformation and
my conception changed. I did not venture to make disci-
ples myself in the beginning, after the departure of Śrīla
Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Prabhupād, but I had some
transformation through three events. Then I came to take
up this work humbly, modestly. The other day this same
question was put to me by one devotee. I told him the
story of Kṛṣṇa’s headache. Perhaps you know the story.

Once, when Kṛṣṇa was in Dvārakā, He told Nārad
Muni that He had been attacked with a severe headache,
and the only cure was the feet dust of His devotees. Nārad
went to so many devotees in Dvārakā, but no one came
forward to give him any feet dust. They said, “Oh, it is
impossible. We can’t do that. We can’t go to hell.”

Frustrated, Nārad returned to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, “Oh,
I am suffering very severely now. Have you got any feet
dust?” “No, sir, no one was prepared to give feet dust.”
Nārad was benumbed. Kṛṣṇa told him, “You may try in
Vṛndāvan.”

102 śrī guru and his grace

At once, Nārad intimated everything to the gopīs, and
the gopīs immediately came with feet dust. They said,

“Kṛṣṇa is suffering? He needs feet dust? Please take our
feet dust and go immediately.” Nārad was astounded.

“What is the matter?” he thought. “No devotees would
offer Kṛṣṇa any dust from their feet, but these people are
doing it.” He told them, “Do you know what is the conse-
quence of your actions?” The gopīs replied “Yes. Eternal
hell. We don’t care for that! If slight relief is there for our
Lord, that is our only concern.”

This is one point that came to my mind at that time.
And another was this: Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu says,
“Āmāra ājñāya Guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa: on My order, become
Guru and deliver the land.” So, we should think, “I am
fallible, but I am conCdent that what my Guru has given
to me is an uncommon, vital, and nectarean thing. And
he has asked me to give it to others. It does not matter.
I shall take the risk. He has ordered me. I am his servant.
He will look after me.” With this spirit of risk, the disci-
ple will approach the responsibility thinking, “I may go
to hell, but I must carry out the order of my Gurudev.
I may die, but I must carry out the order of my com-
mander.” With this spirit he is to approach the task, and
there will be no danger if this consciousness is maintained;
but if he deviates from that connection and goes self-seek-
ing for a mundane purpose, he’ll be doomed. Otherwise,
no destruction can touch him.

the initiating spiritual master 103

This internal spirit should be maintained, and that is
the real qualiCcation of a disciple: “Yes, I am ready to
die to carry out the order of my Gurudev. I feel that this
is nectar, and I must distribute it to others to save them.”

Rāmānuja’s secret mantra
There is another example of this spirit of risk in Rāmānuja’s
case. There was an alwar, a South Indian Guru, who had
the highest type of mantra. Rāmānuja wanted that man-
tra from him. The alwar told Rāmānuja, “If you don’t
disclose this mantra to anyone, then I shall reveal it to
you.” Rāmānuja agreed, and with this pledge, Rāmānuja
approached him and received the mantra. It had already
been announced to the public that Rāmānuja was receiv-
ing that mantra, and so many people were standing out-
side waiting. They had heard that Rāmānuja had accepted
this condition and received the mantra from that Guru.
As soon as Rāmānuja came out, the mob that was waiting
there impatiently began asking him,

“What kind of mantra has he given you? What is the
mantra? Is it of the highest order that will deliver us all?”

“Yes.”
“Then what is it?”
“This is the mantra.”
He gave it out, and his Guru chastised him. “What

have you done? Don’t you know what is the result?”

104 śrī guru and his grace

“Yes, I know: eternal hell, but your mantra cannot but
be fruitful, so they will be saved, although I may go to
hell.” If you can take this sort of risk, your Guru will bless
you, and you cannot be doomed. This sort of risk should
be taken by the disciple and only on the force, on the
basis, of that spiritual inspiration. If he does so, he can
never be doomed. The eye of the Lord is there. God is
there. Guru is there. He cannot but be saved. They can-
not leave him in danger and relish thinking, “The per-
son who is carrying out our orders is going to hell.” Can
they tolerate such a thing? Are our guardians living or
are they dead?

We must be so much selfless that we can think,
“I may go to hell, but I must carry out my Guru’s order. So,
through me, the work may go on.” This sort of conviction
in the process, in the mantra, gives us the strength to carry
out the work of Āchārya. If I think, “This medicine is help-
ing me; I am in the curing process, and this medicine is
helping me”, then, if I see a similar case, I may hand the
medicine over to him.

Jīva Goswāmī says, “Jñāna śāṭhya vitta śāṭhya: if I have
some money and another person is suffering with no
money, if I keep tight my money, and he lies fasting with-
out food, then I’ll be responsible for his suffering.” So,
if I have some knowledge, if I can help my neighbour,
but don’t do that, I’ll be responsible. By not helping him,
I commit an offence against society.

the initiating spiritual master 105

Once I asked one doctor, “Do you know about disease
perfectly? Then why do you venture to treat a patient? You
have meagre knowledge. You don’t know his body fully.
You treat him, and you are wrong.” The doctor submitted
to me. But an answer came in my mind that if we require
every doctor to perfectly know everything about disease,
then the whole method of treatment will vanish. Because
they are all half-knowing and there is not anyone to be
found in full knowledge, should this curing process be
abolished? It is not possible.

In good faith, with whatever knowledge we have, we
must sincerely help others. In that spirit one may take
up the work of Āchārya; otherwise he will be blamed.
But we must be careful that whenever a Guru of supe-
rior quality is there, we must help others to accept him.
We must not be a trespasser. It is also mentioned in the
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa that when a greater person is available,
those of a lower type should not venture to make disci-
ples. Suppose a farmer has fertile land and two kinds of
seed. The good seed should be planted Crst. If the better
seed is not available, then ordinary seeds may be sown.
For the sake of the harvest, the better seed should be given
the Crst chance. If we are detached, if we are pure in heart,
and if we are selIess, the better seed should always be
sown Crst. The lower kind of seed should be withdrawn.
So, when a higher type of guru is available to any circle,
the lower type of guru should not interfere.

106 śrī guru and his grace

Lowest of the low
Devotee: But a devotee always thinks of himself as the
lowest, so he will always want to take someone to the
higher Guru.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: The degree of devotion to Kṛṣṇa
will take us to the point of thinking, “I am nothing, I am
the lowest of the low.” But when the inspiration to act
as Guru will Iow, the necessity to teach will come to
us through the order of Kṛṣṇa: “You have to do it.” In
that case, Kṛṣṇa wants to do it. It is His Iow. Chaitanya
Mahāprabhu says, “Sanātan, Kṛṣṇa’s grace is Iowing
through Me to you; it is passing through Me, but I don’t
understand all these words.” I feel something like that.
I am carrying out my Āchārya’s order. Being so low, still
I have accepted this duty as I have been ordered by my
Āchārya to do. With this necessity within, one may do the
work of an Āchārya.

It is not only external, but internal also. The Āchārya
has asked us, “Go on with the preaching; you are quali-
Ced. If you don’t do so, then why did I give it to you? As
I spread this message, you must also spread it.” If one feels
such a sincere urge within his heart, he must do that work.
If we do not serve society with whatever we have imbibed
from him, then we will be responsible to our Guru. He will
chastise us saying, “You have taken so much energy from
me, and now you are keeping it within you? You must let

the initiating spiritual master 107

this loose to help others.” If one gets this sort of inspira-
tion, he should try to fulCl the order, but still, difCculty is
there. To become a guru, to capture the position of a guru,
the respect of guru, that is one thing; to discharge the duty
is another. Sincerity is necessary. This is of course difCcult.
There is no doubt that it is difCcult; if one is unsuccessful,
he will be lost, and others will also be lost. In the name
of helping others he will deceive others, if he himself is
full of deceit. So, we must be careful about what we have
received from our guru, and we must also take care to see
whether we are eligible to discharge this duty, whether we
are eligible to do good to others.

The trap to capture Guru
Devotee: You can give spiritual guidance without giv-
ing initiation. You can explain what you heard from your
Spiritual Master to others. So, what is the necessity of
giving initiation?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: That is also a trap to catch the
Guru. You give instructions on spiritual life to others, and
those that take your instructions will say, “I cannot go to
anyone else. I can accept only what I have heard from you.
I cannot accept anyone to be guru other than you.”
Devotee: But you can say, “If you accept me, then I tell
you to accept him.”

108 śrī guru and his grace

Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: If he sincerely feels so, he can
say, “If you have real faith in me, then I tell you to go to
that gentleman.” He may say this, if he sincerely believes
that another person is superior to him. But if he sees that
within the society, the constitutional Āchārya is going
down, he will think, “How can I recommend this sin-
cere gentleman to connect with him?” At that time, he
will have to come down himself and take the responsibil-
ity of continuing the work of his Guru. It all depends on
sincere realisation.

Separation from
Śrī Guru

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād
advised his senior disciples that if the need arose to consult
higher spiritual authority after his disappearance, his senior
godbrother, Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj, should be consulted. On
more than one occasion he said, “I consider Śrīla Śrīdhar
Mahārāj to be my Śikṣā-guru, instructing Spiritual Master,
so what to speak of the bene2t that others can have from his
association.” Just after his disappearance, his senior disciples
approached Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj and asked his advice on how
to guide the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. The
following is an excerpt from their conversations.
Devotee: After the departure of our beloved Spiritual
Master, we have come here to offer our respects to you
as well as to hear your highly esteemed advice on certain
matters, if you’d be kind enough.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: The disappearance of the Spiritual
Master is mentioned in the śāstra with an example. The
disciple is like a lotus. The Spiritual Master is like the

109

110 śrī guru and his grace

Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj (left) with Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād
(right). Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād on more than one occa-
sion, said of him, “I accept Śrīdhar Mahārāj as my Śikṣā-guru, so
what to speak of the bene2t that others will have by his association.”

separation from śrī guru 111

water around the lotus, just as in a pond or a lake. Your
late Gurudev’s position is like water, and Kṛṣṇa is like the
sun. As long as the lotus is Ioating on the water, the sun
will nourish the lotus. But if the water vanishes, that very
sun will burn the lotus. Without water, the Kṛṣṇa sun will
burn the lotus. Without the help of the Guru, the disciple
is nowhere.

Without Guru, all is void
Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī has said, “In the absence of my
Gurudev, Govardhan Hill, the representation of Kṛṣṇa
Himself, seems to me just like a big python coming to
devour me. And Rādhā Kuṇḍa, the holiest place of divin-
ity of the Gauḍīya sampradāya, seems like a tiger’s mouth
coming to devour me. They are giving me so much excite-
ment in the absence of my Gurudev, my dearest and high-
est spiritual guardian. My Gurudev, who has the most
intense affection for me, is not here? How can it be?
Everything is void. All has vanished with his departure.”
Such a deep sense of separation will come in the heart
of a sincere disciple.

Once, one of your devotees said in his lecture that sep-
aration is the highest realisation. I was very happy to hear
from his lips that separation (vipralambha) is the highest
attainment. Without separation, nothing else can come to

112 śrī guru and his grace

us. The anticipation of meeting Kṛṣṇa will appear to us
as vipralambha, so vipralambha is the most auspicious
thing pertaining to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And we can have
Kṛṣṇa’s connection also in that separation. So, the safest
and most fearless position is vipralambha. If we can stand
Crm and retain the memory of Gurudev in his separation,
then we will have passed the highest test.
Devotee: In our Spiritual Master’s lifetime he was seen as
the absolute authority above all, including our Governing
Body Commission. How should we understand the posi-
tion of the new Spiritual Masters and their relationships
with their godbrothers and disciples?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: The position of the Āchārya
with his disciples must be absolute; with his disciples,
he will have absolute authority. Still, he must be careful
not to become mad with authority. Authority is a part of
pratiṣṭhā, name and fame. There is also another tendency.
When a guru comes in connection with vātsalya-rasa, the
mood of guardianship over his disciples, his friendly rela-
tion with the godbrothers decreases, some special discrim-
ination arises, and stealthily he is drawn to his disciples,
indifferently neglecting his connection with his god-
brothers. This tendency is sure to come, and it is difCcult
to keep up the balance. So, the brothers are neglected, and
the sons get more attention. In this way the guru becomes

separation from śrī guru 113

partial. When he comes in close connection with his
disciples, he has freedom; he is given an opportunity of
absolute mastership. In that position it is very difCcult
to keep up his purity because of that temptation; there is
the possibility of going down from the plane of Āchārya.

Guru is all-in-all
Autocracy and democracy do not go well together. Our
system is autocratic. Guru is all-in-all. Our submission to
Guru is unconditional. If a disciple sees that his Guru’s
powers are being restricted by other Vaiṣṇavas, it will cre-
ate a great disturbance in his mind, a disturbance to his
absolute faith in his Guru. This is where the Kṛṣṇa con-
ception of Godhead comes to our relief. He whom we
think to be supreme-most—Kṛṣṇa—Yaśodā is whipping
Him. He is carrying Nanda’s shoes on his head, and He is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way we can
adjust everything. Both the absolute faith and the relative
position of the non-absolute—these two things should be
harmonised.

The guru should be recognised by impartial judgment.
Everyone thinks that his own mother is the most affection-
ate. But when a comparison is drawn between two moth-
ers to see who is more affectionate, an impartial criterion
will be applied. This is called taṭastha-vichār: an impartial
comparison of relative and absolute considerations. When

114 śrī guru and his grace

the two are weighed, the absolute calculation will always
have the greater value.

The position of Āchārya is very intricate. It is very dif-
Ccult to bring an Āchārya under rule. You see, that is our
practical experience. You please hear and note this. The
position of Āchārya is a relative thing, and the position
of the disciple is also relative, just like the relationship
between mother and child, father and son, wife and hus-
band. Although to his godbrothers a Guru will be seen in
a relative position to his disciple, the Guru is absolute. So
to adjust between the relative and absolute is a difCcult
thing; it is an eternal problem. Even in Kṛṣṇa-līlā there
is enmity between madhura-rasa and vātsalya-rasa, but
when the absolute consideration comes, both rasas must
be included within the fold.

Guru: more than God
To a disciple, his Guru’s position is Supreme, even more
than God. This is said in the scriptures. The Guru is more
near and dear to us than God Himself. God has many
things to deal with, but Guru is concerned only with my
welfare. The Guru’s position is more helpful to the dis-
ciple than God. If within your society, you want a nat-
ural growth of the disciple’s regard for the Guru and
the Absolute Truth, such room must be allowed in your
constitution, if the constitution is to live at all.

separation from śrī guru 115

Law is not everything. The law of your society should
be accommodating to nurture divine sentiment, otherwise
it is no law. Law should promote faith. Śāstra’s jurisdic-
tion is limited. It is meant only to promote love, and when
love comes, it will be free; smooth, harmonious working
is possible only in the area of love. Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī
says that vaidhī-bhakti, devotion under the guidance of
śāstra, or laws and rules, is helpful only to a certain extent.
It will help the inner awakening of love and affection and
then retire. Law will retire, giving room to the spontane-
ous Iow of love. Law is necessary, especially in the lower
stages, but it should make room for free movement in the
relationship. Freedom is the highest thing. Free service is
rāga-marga, and that is service proper, not service that
is regulated and coerced and pressed by law. That is not
service. Our aim is Vṛndāvan. So, we want free service.
Without freedom, service is not valuable. Forced labour
is no labour; a labour of love is required. And that is the
thing for which all are out. Let us essentially think that
we are all out not only for the constitution, but the thing
for which the constitution has been made; we are out
for that high object of life: divine love. The constitution
should promote that aim. With this feeling we should go
on. Newcomers are coming with their faith, and their faith
should be encouraged and also adjusted so that the faith
of one person may not disturb another.

116 śrī guru and his grace

Messiahs of free faith
No law should go to limit or control the Āchārya, for then
the śraddhā of the disciple will vanish, and all will be
a mechanised machine. Rather the whole thing will be
reduced to matter. We are the messiahs of developing
free, internal faith in the Lord. Faith, that is to be nur-
tured. That sort of creeper should be planted in the gar-
den of the heart and watered and nourished. The very
characteristic of faith must not be lost by infringement,
by over-pressure of the laws and rules. The free Iow of
the heart must be kept. The movement of Śrī Chaitanya
Mahāprabhu is more of heart than of intellect. We should
always consider this. The intellect must not check the
free Iow of the heart. We must always remember that.
Free love and free faith are the only things, the most val-
uable things, for which we have come out of our own
house and joined the mission. This purity of purpose
should always be kept intact. Of course, some help from
law and regulation is necessary, but not so much as to
check the growth of our vitality. We must promote vital-
ity. The real spirit, the real purpose of the mission should
be given Crst hand. And lenient dealings are necessary
amongst you. It is said, “If the tongue is cut by the tooth,
should I pull out the tooth?” You are one organic whole;
your dealings should not be such that the forgiveness of
love is forgotten. The giving of love will conquer more

separation from śrī guru 117

than the giving of law. What is the need of so much for-
mality and fashion, when ultimately we are all servants
of the Lord?

The Āchārya faces two dangers. The Crst is partial-
ity. Partiality means full freedom with his disciples. This
relationship is also more attractive to him. The second
danger is deviation. So, deviation and partiality—these
two things can take down the Āchārya. These are the two
enemies of an Āchārya. And one who takes that position
must be particularly careful about these things. The posi-
tion of an Āchārya is dangerous. It is full of temptations.
Therefore, a strong, sincere, indomitable desire for the
upper aspirations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the indis-
pensable necessity in an Āchārya. Otherwise, he can’t
maintain his position. He will go down. He has become
master and will think, “I am the master of all I survey.” In
a particular circle, he is monarch. And monarchy can bring
madness. That is a great temptation. If one is not sufC-
ciently conscious of this fact, he will not be able to main-
tain his position. For one who has monarchy over men and
money, it is very difCcult to maintain a position as a servi-
tor. The ego of mastership which is generally found within
all of us comes to attack the guru. After all, we are wan-
dering in the land of exploitation. Therefore, we should
be very wakeful and scrutinising in our self-analysis. The
general symptom of health is that the more one will go

118 śrī guru and his grace

up, the more he will think, “I am going down.” This indi-
rect method of measurement may be applied to measure
our internal advancement. Externally one may maintain
a superior position, but internally he should always be
thinking, “O my Lord! I am in want. Give more grace to
me! I can’t maintain my position.”

Money, women, and fame
It is a great misfortune if a Vaiṣṇava guru strays from the
line. It is rare, but occasionally it may be found. Generally
the symptoms of deviation fall into three different classes:
kanak, kāminī, and pratiṣṭhā: money, women, and repu-
tation. First, the guru loses his attraction for his own guru
and śāstra-upadeś, the advice of the śāstra. Then, what
he previously expressed, quoting the scriptures and the
words of his own Guru, gradually becomes absent in him.
His attraction for the higher thing fades. That is pratiṣṭhā,
prestige. Kanak, kāminī, pratiṣṭhā: money, women, and
name and fame—these are the three tests to be put every-
where to see whether one is a sādhu or not, or what degree
of sādhu he is. The Crst thing is deviation from his higher
gurus. That should be detected. That is pratiṣṭhā, pride.

Then, he will show more tendency to amass money
and not to spend it. Money may be collected, but that must
be distributed for the service of the sampradāya, for the
service of the Vaiṣṇavas. But amassing money—this is the

separation from śrī guru 119

second sign of deviation. The third is attraction towards
the ladies. Of course, he may come in connection with
money and women and also with the honour from his
disciples. That is also necessary, but only for the purpose
of the divine object, divine aim, not for himself. But if we
can detect that he is utilising all these things for his per-
sonal interest and not for the cause of the sampradāya,
then we should be careful.

In the beginning, we may neglect some occasional
problems; some instances of these kinds of deviations
may be ignored. But if we Cnd that they are becoming
more prevalent, then we must inspect the situation care-
fully. And we are to bring it to persons similar to my posi-
tion. And after consultation, we can take the matter to
higher sources and consult other Āchāryas who are relia-
ble. When we Cnd that what appeared to us Crst in a small
way is real, injurious, and of a big magnitude, and that our
Spiritual Master is going down, then we must act to save
ourselves. We must try to take steps which may save us
from that epidemic contamination. We must try to save
ourselves. And we must also try to save others who might
fall prey to the same exploitation as us. That must be done
in all sincerity. There is the possibility; it is mentioned in
the śāstras and so many practical examples are also there.
So, we must not make progress in a slumber, but we must
go forward with our eyes always opened.

120 śrī guru and his grace

Abandoning bogus gurus
Devotee: If the initiating guru falls down from the path,
what should the disciple do?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: He may take shelter of the Holy
Name of Kṛṣṇa again and wait for some time. If the guru
was at Crst a sincere disciple of his Spiritual Master, and
now as a result of some offences he is being neglected
by his Guru, he may be led astray for some time. But he
may return to the standard again. Still, it is said in the
Mahābhārata (Ūdyoga-parva: 179.25):

guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ
utpatha-pratipannasya parityāgo vidhīyate

“A guru who does not know what is to be done and what
is not to be done, who has left the path of devotional ser-
vice, should be abandoned.” This is found in Bhīṣma’s
statement in the Mahābhārata. Bhīṣma is one of the twelve
mahājans, and this is his statement to his astra-guru,
Paraśurām.

Jīva Goswāmī says that if the guru goes astray he
should be abandoned, but there may be circumstances
where, by the inconceivable desire of Kṛṣṇa, the guru may
go astray for a time and then come back again. In that case,
the disciple should wait for some time. It is very unfortu-
nate for the disciple when such things happen. You will
Cnd this elaborately dealt with in the Hari-nāma-chintāmaṇi

separation from śrī guru 121

of Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur. If a son leaves home and
disobeys his father, the father may be indifferent to him;
he may exclude him from the will. If, however, the son
returns after some time and is again obedient, then he
may collect his inheritance. In a similar way, a Spiritual
Master may disobey his Guru, and then his Guru may be
indifferent to him for some time, but again if he sets him-
self right, he will not be disinherited. This is explained in
Bhagavad-gītā (api chet sudurāchāro). So we should not deal
very abruptly with these unfortunate incidents, but we
should wait and see. Everything must be done judiciously.

In trying to understand the relationships between
Guru and godbrother, and Guru and disciple, we will
Cnd very subtle points of sentiment. Just as when Kṛṣṇa
entered into the arena of Kaṁsa he appeared differently to
different persons, the disciples will have one view of their
Guru, and his godbrothers will have another view and
disposition. The disciples of a genuine Guru will see their
Guru as being with Kṛṣṇa, but that may not be seen by his
godbrothers. In madhura-rasa, Kṛṣṇa is seen in one way,
and in vātsalya-rasa, Mother Yaśodā sees Him in another
way. The servants see Him in another way. The ṛṣis like
Garga Muni will see Him in another way. As Kṛṣṇa likes
to show Himself, He will be seen.

You may see the Guru in your own way, but still, you’ll
have to behave in such a way that the newcomer’s faith

122 śrī guru and his grace

will not be disturbed. The newcomers should always be
encouraged, because it is very difCcult for a fallen soul to
collect his faith and regard and offer it to the Guru. It should
be our concern that they collect their maximum regard
and offer it to the Guru. On the other hand, I may have my
own conception about my godbrother. I may foster that
within my heart. As much as possible I should try not to
disturb his disciples. If, unfortunately, an Āchārya falls,
and proves himself to be lacking in that capacity, then
if that comes to a sufCcient degree, some steps may be
taken; we may have to take some unhappy action. But let
God save us from that disastrous condition. That should
be our feeling.

Otherwise, as long as possible, the rank should be
respected. Both the relative and absolute consideration
go side by side. The disciples should be encouraged by
the relative consideration mostly. And the godbrothers
will have more feel for the absolute consideration. But still,
they shouldn’t disturb the newcomers in their premier
position. Even if you think that the person performing
the function of āchārya is lower in qualiCcation, adhikār,
than you, still you should formally give some special hon-
our to him because he is in that position. The son may
be the judge, and the father may be the lawyer, but the
father must give respect to the son. He must give respect
to the chair. So that kind of adjustment should be kept in
the Mission. When you are alone, the Āchārya brother

separation from śrī guru 123

and his non-Āchārya brother can mix freely. You can give
a slap to his face. But when publicly amongst his disci-
ples, you must show that sort of behaviour. Respectful
conduct should be publicly maintained to keep up the
peace of the Mission.

Vyās … may not know
Devotee: Although the disciple should regard the Guru
as absolute and of the highest level of spiritual attainment,
how should the Guru view his own position?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Śrīdhar Swāmī wrote a commen-
tary on the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. It was a little different from
the previous commentaries, so the scholars, especially the
Śaṅkarites, refused to accept that commentary as univer-
sal. They put it to the test. They left the commentary in
the temple of Viśvanāth, Lord Śiva, and agreed that if he
accepted the commentary, they would all accept. Then,
from the Śiva temple, this verse was revealed:

ahaṁ vedmi śuko vetti vyāso vetti na vetti vā
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: Madhya-līlā, 24.314)

“The real purpose of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is very difCcult
to conceive”, Lord Śiva says. “I know the true purpose of
Bhāgavatam; Śukadev, the son and disciple of Vyāsadev,
knows it thoroughly, and the author of the Bhāgavatam,
Śrīla Vyāsadev, may or may not know the meaning.”

124 śrī guru and his grace

When teaching Sanātan Goswāmī, Mahāprabhu said,
“Sanātan, Kṛṣṇa is going to give His kindness to you
through Me. I am talking to you like a madman. I feel
many things are passing through Me to you. But I do not
know that I Myself have that thing.” It is possible. It is
wonderful, but still we Cnd it there. It is not unreasonable,
although it is not understandable.

You see, when the Second World War broke out, in
Dalhousie Square in Kolkata, there was a popular gov-
ernment poster. A military uniform was painted on the
wall. Beneath it was a saying, “Just wear this uniform, and
the uniform will show you what you must do.” So, when
a sincere man has taken a particular charge, he will some-
how Cnd out what are the duties of his post. He is sincere.
And God will help. God helps those who help themselves.
You have taken the charge, and that charge has come only
as a chance, but there is some underground link. Then
if you try to go on, help will come to you. He is not a cheat.
You have sincerely taken this responsibility, as given to
you by your master, and the master is not a cheat. He
will come to help you with all his might, saying, “Do this.
I’m helping; I am at your back.” When we are all sincere,
things will happen like this.

Nām-guru and
Mantra-guru

Student: I have heard that one has an eternal connection
with the Spiritual Master who Crst initiates one into the
chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra (Hari-nām-guru).
Does he have a similar connection with the Mantra-guru?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Yes. We may see it as similar, with
a slight difference.
Student: Some devotees who took Hari-nām initiation
from Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād later took their
gāyatrī mantra initiation from one of his disciples. Can
you explain the distinction between the two initiations
and how a disciple should view his relationship with two
different Spiritual Masters?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: The Crst importance should be
given to the Nām-guru, or the Guru who initiates one into
the chanting of the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa, and second to
the Guru who gives initiation into the gāyatrī mantra. The
Dīkṣā-guru, initiating Spiritual Master, must be shown
respect, and then all the other disciples of Bhaktivedānta

125

126 śrī guru and his grace

Swāmī Prabhupād. First, honour must be shown to
Prabhupād, who is the Nām-guru, the Guru of the
Guru, the second honour will go to the Dīkṣā-guru, and
then to the rest, accommodating all. They should all be
recognised according to their status.

Mantra: circle within a circle
Jīva Goswāmī has written that the Name of Kṛṣṇa is the
principal thing in the gāyatrī mantra. Within the mantra,
there are also so many other words, but the Name is the
most important. If the Name of Kṛṣṇa is taken away and
replaced with some other name, the whole thing will be
rotten. This is the decision of Jīva Goswāmī. The Holy
Name of Kṛṣṇa is all-in-all. The Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa is
there in the gāyatrī mantra, and so many other words are
couched there. But if Kṛṣṇa’s Name is taken away and
replaced with the name of Śiva, then the whole thing will
go to Śiva. The Holy Name is the all-important factor.

The Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa is so important that even the
gāyatrī mantra may not be necessary. It is said:
no dīkṣāṁ na cha sat-kriyāṁ na cha puraścharyāṁ manāg īkṣate
mantro ’yaṁ rasanā-spṛg eva phalati śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmātmakaḥ

(Padyāvalī: 29)
“One need not undergo all the puriCcatory processes, or
follow the six ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the
Vedas for pious life; one need not even take initiation into

nām-guru and mantra-guru 127

the gāyatrī mantra. If one simply chants the Holy Name of
Kṛṣṇa without offence, everything will be successful.” The
Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa is the most important consideration.
The gāyatrī mantra may not even be necessary.

We accept the mantra only to help the Nām-bhajan, the
worship of the Holy Name. Otherwise, it may not be nec-
essary at all. It has been judged in such a way. The Name
alone can do everything for a person. It is full and com-
plete. The mantra helps us to do away with the aparādhs,
offences, and the ābhās, or hazy conceptions in our bhajan.
The mantra comes to help us only so far.

An example is given of larger and smaller circles. The
Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa is the larger circle. It extends from
the highest to the lowest. The mantra circle is a smaller
circle within the larger circle. The mantra cannot reach to
the lowest point. The Holy Name can extend itself down

Continues in Goloka

Retires
Hare Kṛṣṇa at Liberation

Gāyatrī
After Mantra
Qualification

Mahāmantra Extends to
Lowest Position

128 śrī guru and his grace

to the lowest position. The mantra gives us entrance into
liberation, and then the Name carries us further. This is the
nature of our connection with the mantra and the Name.

The Name extends to the lowest position, to the
chaṇḍālas and yavanas. Everyone can receive the Name.
But everyone is not eligible for the gāyatrī mantra. Only
after one has reached a developed stage can the mantra
be conferred upon him. And the mantra’s jurisdiction will
be Cnished when liberation is attained. In the Chaitanya-
charitāmṛta (1.7.73):

kṛṣṇa-mantra haite habe saṁsāra mochana
kṛṣṇa-nāma haite pābe kṛṣṇera charaṇa

“The Kṛṣṇa gāyātri mantra liberates one from repeated
birth and death in this world; the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa
gives one shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.” The gāyatrī
mantra helps us achieve liberation, and then the mantra
retires. After giving us liberation, the mantra is Cnished.
But the Name will continue all along, from the lowest to
the highest. In chanting the Name, there is no mention of
any petition—it is an address only. We should not chant
with the mentality that, “I want this.” We must simply
chant the Name spontaneously. That will encourage good
will in us. So, because the function of the mantra is lim-
ited, but the Name is all-important, the Nām-guru will be
honoured Crst, and next, the Mantra-guru, and then the
other Vaiṣṇavas.

nām-guru and mantra-guru 129

Godbrother Gurus
Student: How should a devotee who has taken second
initiation from a godbrother regard his godbrother—
as godbrother or Guru?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: It is inconceivably, simultaneously,
one and different. Generally that godbrother will be seen
as Guru, according to the disciple’s present stage, but if
the disciple transcends and goes to his previous history,
then he will see him more as a godbrother. But generally,
in his present stage, he will see him as Guru, and in the
background, godbrother.
Student: You said the Hari-nām continues after the lib-
erated condition. So, does the Gāyatrī-mantra-guru con-
tinue any activity with the devotee beyond the point of
liberation?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: When he returns to the spiritual
world, even the chanting of the Holy Name will be in
the background, and the function of performing other
services will come in the foreground. When one enters
the Lord’s domain, he will be given some function there
in the service of Kṛṣṇa, and that will be very conspicu-
ous and prominent. At that time, the Name will be in
the background. When one goes to a particular group
in a particular rasa, like sakhya-rasa, then he will be
given a speciCc duty under a group leader like Subal, or

130 śrī guru and his grace

Baladev. His service will have the Crst importance, and
the Name will be in the background, helping, energising.
And there all will be seen as Guru but still, there is a hier-
archy. It is a family life. The Guru’s Guru is there, but the
disciple will work under his own boss who has his boss.
He will receive direction from his immediate superior. In
this way the hierarchy is there, and the disciple will grad-
ually be transformed by that sort of function. Everyone
is under some servitor, and their immediate duty will be
to attend that servitor and his orders.
Student: Many devotees cannot understand how it is that
someone can have two Gurus.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: That is because they are situ-
ated in a formal position, but when they enter into the
substantial spiritual realisation, they will not have such
a grievance because they will see what is Guru. Guru
means one who has come to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The formal difference will be reduced when one can catch
the very substance of the teachings for which the Guru
is respected. When one is intimately connected with the
thread of divine love which the Guru comes to impart to
us, he will accept it, wherever it comes from. He will see
it as a friendly relation, not antagonistic, but cooperative.

Although separate in Cgure, at heart both of the Gurus
are the same because they have a common cause. They
have not come to Cght with one another; they have come

nām-guru and mantra-guru 131

to Cght only with the agents of Satan. If we can recognise
the real thing for which we are approaching the Guru,
then we will understand how to make the adjustment
in our relationship with the Śikṣā-guru, Dīkṣā-guru, and
Vartma-pradarśak-guru.

We are inCnitely indebted to all our Gurus. We are
helpless. What can we do? They are benevolent, they are
inCnitely gracious, they are my guardians. I may have
many guardians; they are to look after my welfare, they
have not come to destroy me.
Student: Kṛṣṇa descends with His associates, friends, and
paraphernalia. Is this true of the Guru also?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Yes, but his associates were mostly
recruited; very few may be his eternal company.

Self-effulgent and self-evident
Student: How will we recognise the Guru if he appears
before us in another form or in a different body?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭāchārya
argued that Śrī Chaitanyadev could not have been an
incarnation. Gopīnāth Āchārya told him, “You do not
know the śāstra.”

“No, no”, Sārvabhauma said. “In the scriptures it is
mentioned that the Lord does not appear in Kali-yuga,
but only in three ages and is therefore known as Tri-yuga.”

132 śrī guru and his grace

Gopīnāth Āchārya replied, “You think that you know
so much about śāstra, but in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
and Mahābhārata, there is direct mention of the Avatār
of Kali-yuga. Have you no knowledge, no recognition of
that?”

Sārvabhauma, apparently defeated, said, “You go and
take prasādam, and afterwards come and teach me.”

Then Gopīnāth said, “Not by the dint of one’s study
or intelligence can one understand God, but only through
His grace.”

athāpi te deva padāmbhuja-dvaya
prasāda leśānugṛhīta eva hi

(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.29)
Then Sārvabhauma said, “You say that you have that
grace, and I do not? What is your reasoning behind this?
You say that you have the grace of the Lord, because you
say that He is an incarnation. And because I can’t give
recognition to that, I have no grace? What is the proof
of this?”

Gopīnāth Āchārya replied:
āchārya kahe,—“vastu-viṣaye haya vastu-jñāna
vastu-tattva-jñāna haya kṛpāte pramāṇa”

(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: Madhya-līlā, 6.89)
“It is evident that I have the grace of the Lord, because
I know Him, and that you have not, because you deny
Him.”

nām-guru and mantra-guru 133

The answer to your question is given here. Our own
inner experience, our internal satisfaction, our connection
or acquaintance with reality is the real evidence; nothing
external can give any real proof.

Our Guru Mahārāj gave the example that if one is born
in the darkness of a dungeon, and someone proposes, “Let
us go to see the sun”, then the prisoner will carry a lan-
tern in his hand saying, “Oh, you will show me the sun?”

“Yes. Come with me. Leave your lantern behind.
No light is necessary to see the sun.”

“Are you trying to fool me? Nothing can be seen
without the help of a light.”

His friend will catch him and forcibly take the prisoner
into the sunlight. “Do you see the sun?” And the prisoner
will say, “Oh, this is the sun! By sunlight alone we can see
the sun.” One will have that sort of experience when he
comes in connection with the truth. Neither calculation,
nor evidence, nor witness, but only direct experience is
proof that Kṛṣṇa is there, like the sun.

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam it is said, ātmāparijñāna-mayo:
what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, even the conscious unit is self-
effulgent. A certain section says, “There is God. Surely
He exists.” Others say, “No, there is no God. He never
existed.” This quarrel is useless; still it will continue.
In a particular section this argument will have no end.
Those who have no eyes will be unable to see the sun. They
will say there is no sun.

134 śrī guru and his grace

ātmāparijñāna-mayo vivādo
hy astīti nāstīti bhidārtha-niṣṭhaḥ
vyartho ’pi naivoparameta puṁsāṁ
mattaḥ parāvṛtta-dhiyāṁ sva-lokāt

(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.22.34)
[“Persons without knowledge of the Supreme will argue
whether this world is real or not. Their focus is always
aimed at trying to understand the dualities of this material
nature. Although such discussions are meaningless, for
those who have turned away from Me, these arguments
will never end.”]

This misconception will continue for those who deny
the existence of both the soul and the Supreme Soul. For
those who have direct experience, however, there is no
question: it exists! But for the owl section who cannot
admit the existence of the sun, the sun does not exist. It is
something like that. Our own realisation of a thing will be
the greatest proof of its existence: vastu-tattva-jñāna haya
kṛpāte pramāṇa.

One may be born blind, but if somehow or other his
eyes are opened, he will be astonished to see the particular
aspects of the environment. But if one has no vision, he
can see no colour or Cgure. Those who have vision will
feel, “How can I deny the fact? I have seen it. I am feeling it,
it is so magnanimous, so great, and so benevolent; I can’t
deny all these things. You are unfortunate; you cannot see.”

nām-guru and mantra-guru 135

Some see, some cannot see. In the same place, one can see,
another cannot. Those to whom Kṛṣṇa wishes to reveal
Himself can see Him; others cannot.

The universal form
In the assembly of the Kurus, when Kṛṣṇa went to
Duryodhan’s party with a proposal for peace between
the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas, Duryodhan thought,

“Now we have our golden chance. If I can put Kṛṣṇa in
the prison house now, then the Pāṇḍavas will die broken-
hearted, and there will be no question of Cghting with
them.” The Kauravas also joined in the scheme, and
they told Duḥśāsan, “Go and bind Kṛṣṇa with this rope.”
Duḥśāsan came with the rope in his hand and tried to bind
Kṛṣṇa. Sātyaki, Kṛṣṇa’s attendant, was there, and he furi-
ously came at Duḥśāsan with a sword. Kṛṣṇa peacefully
caught hold of his hand, and began to manifest Himself
in such a way that it perplexed Duḥśāsan.

When Duḥśāsan saw the universal form displayed by
Kṛṣṇa, he thought, “So many Cgures appear before me. On
whom shall I put the rope? Who shall I bind down?” So
many Cgures were displayed by Kṛṣṇa in His universal
form. On one side there was Baladev, and on another side
stood Arjuna and so many revered ṛṣis, chanting Kṛṣṇa’s
Name. Duḥśāsan was perplexed. And Bhīṣma and Droṇa
began to sing in praise of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone thought, “What

136 śrī guru and his grace

is this? This is a magniCcent vision, with so many faces!”
The whole atmosphere was Clled with the divine spirit.
Then, Devarṣi Nārad and so many ṛṣis began to chant in
praise of Kṛṣṇa. And in this way Kṛṣṇa manifested His
universal form before the assembly.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was blind, but he could hear them all
praising Kṛṣṇa and thought to himself, “Some sort of won-
derful thing is happening around me, but I can’t see.” And
so, he prayed to Kṛṣṇa. “O Lord, for the moment please
remove my blindness. I would like to see Your great mani-
festation. Afterwards, You can make me blind again, but
at least for the time being, remove my blindness.” Kṛṣṇa
told him, “There is no necessity of removing your blind-
ness. I say that you can see, and you can see.” By the Lord’s
will alone, even physical blindness was no bar to seeing
that great manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. So, the physical eye
can’t see God; only the divine eye can see Him. And by
the will of Kṛṣṇa, the divine eye was temporarily given
to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. His blindness did not stand in the way of
his vision, and he could see Kṛṣṇa.

Ultrasonic sound
The ability to recognise divinity descends from above.
We cannot see God with our mundane senses. What to
speak of being able to see the inCnite, our senses are so
limited that our ears can only hear sound of a particular

nām-guru and mantra-guru 137

wavelength. We are told that the sun, the moon, and
all the stars and planets are all revolving and creating
a huge sound, but our ears cannot hear that high degree
of ultrasonic sound. Nor can we hear subsonic sound
with our ears. Our eyes are designed to catch only a par-
ticular wavelength of light. We cannot see either ultravi-
olet or infrared light. Our material senses are limited to
a particular plane of perception.
Student: The Guru accepts the responsibility to take his
disciples back to Godhead. So, when the Guru departs,
how does the disciple maintain contact with the Guru?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: You see, it comes to the same
point. Who is Guru? And why is he Guru? Guru, śāstra,
and sādhu are one and the same thing, and we have to
appreciate that. Otherwise, should we think that our
onward march will be guaranteed only by the vision of
our eyes? The photo of our Spiritual Master is not our
Guru, although the photo has some connection with the
real Guru. The eye experience and the ear experience of
a person is not the whole experience. The real experience
is through the words, the idea that the Guru has given.
That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

If I have a real interest in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I have
to adjust all other things accordingly. Otherwise, if I miss
the real thing that the Guru came to give me, everything
will be dull idol worship. To follow the form alone will

138 śrī guru and his grace

be idolatry. There are so many human Cgures; why is
he Guru? Because he is a mediator, a medium of divine
knowledge. That is the criterion to be tested everywhere.
Put this test anywhere and everywhere. What is the inter-
est for which we came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? And what
is Kṛṣṇa consciousness? There is your Guru. He is Guru
only because he is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and there are
different degrees of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, we must not
make much about the form.

A religious jungle
Student: Why are there so many different religions in the
world?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Uddhava
posed this same question, “Why in the name of religion
are there so many ‘isms’ in the world. Will every ‘ism’ that
is found here independently take me to the goal? Or is
there any gradation?” Kṛṣṇa told him, “When the creation
began, I transmitted the truths of religion into the heart of
Brahmā, the creator, and from Brahmā, that came to his
disciples. But according to the different capacity of those
disciples, what they received was a little changed when
they delivered it to others. When I gave it to Brahmā, that
knowledge was one. Brahmā told his disciples, and when
they received it in the soil of their heart, it entered, but

nām-guru and mantra-guru 139

with some modiCcation. Again, when they gave delivery
to their disciples there was more modiCcation.” It became
lost due to the vitiating nature of the mundane plane. One
point is the difference in the receiver and another, in the
succession.

So, gradually the truth was modiCed, and now we see
that the religious world is a jungle. Some give stress on
penance, some on charity, some this, some that. So many
branches of religion have sprung up. And antagonistic,
ascending opinions like atheism have also grown from
the human mind to oppose those modiCed descending
opinions. So, now we Cnd there is a jungle.

Kṛṣṇa appears now and then to reestablish the princi-
ples of religion: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati. When
religion becomes extremely degraded, Kṛṣṇa comes again,
or sends His representative, telling him, “Go and set it
right.”

There must be religious differences, but one who
can catch the real internal meaning of the truth will be
saved. Others will be misguided, and it will be a long
time before they are delivered. Once having a real con-
nection with a bona Cde Guru, he won’t be lost. In this
way Kṛṣṇa answered Uddhava’s question in the eleventh
canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and it is quite intelligible.
It is neither unreasonable nor dogmatic. If we are sincere,
we won’t be lost.

140 śrī guru and his grace

The lady and the mullah
Every disciple cannot catch the real spirit of the advice
of the Guru. There is a story. A Muslim mullah used to
explain the Koran regularly. In his audience one old lady
used to take her seat in the corner, and as long as the mul-
lah read the Koran, the lady would weep. Tears would
run down her cheeks profusely, so much so that one day
the mullah met that lady and asked her, “What do you
Cnd in my lectures that you are so much impressed with?
Whenever I cast my glance at you, I Cnd your eyes are
shedding tears profusely. What do you Cnd in my lectures
that moves you so?”

To this, the old lady answered, “I had one she-goat,
and her beard was just like yours. When she took her
food, she would move her head on the grass just as you
move your head. You remind me of my dear she-goat. She
was very affectionate to me. I can’t stand to think of her
without shedding tears, and for that purpose, I come to
see your lecture.”

Kṛṣṇa Himself came and went unrecognised by many.
In the case of Jesus also, we Cnd that Judas, one of His
twelve disciples, was a traitor. Jesus said, disappointed,

“The one who will betray me is amongst the twelve of
you.” So, should we think that because we have come to
a great man, now we have attained everything, devoured
everything? It is not such an easy thing. We have only

nām-guru and mantra-guru 141

a slight connection with the inCnite, and we have to pro-
gress with that capital. To think that we have attained
everything is rather the opposite feeling. One who is
approaching towards the inCnite will see, more and more,
that he is nowhere. The symptoms will be the opposite.
Still, of course, sometimes it is necessary to assert our-
selves with courage, on the strength of our faith: “What
I say is true.”

Newton was told by his contemporaries, “You have
reached the highest zenith of knowledge.” He made such
a marvellous discovery that the people in his time thought
that he was sarvajña, a knower of everything. They
thought that he had Cnished the whole world of knowl-
edge. But Newton said, “I know better than you because
I conceive that I am just collecting pebbles at the shore
of the ocean of knowledge. I see that I am more learned
than all of you because you say that I have Cnished all
knowledge, but I know that the vast ocean of knowledge
cannot be Cnished. I have only touched its shore. This
much I know. So, that is also an assertion, that I know
more than you, because I know that knowledge cannot be
Cnished, and you say that knowledge is Cnished.”

This is the nature of the inCnite. One who is going to
deal with the inCnite must always be conscious of his
weakness. Then only will he be able to draw light from
the inCnite. To understand the words of Gurudev is not

142 śrī guru and his grace

very easy. Gurudev is inCnite. In his words, he also deals
with the inCnite. We can’t put it under limitation, thinking
that we have Cnished what he wanted to give us. We are
students, and we shall remain students forever.

The Disciplic
Succession

Brahma–Mādhva–Gauḍīya Sampradāya
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa

|
Brahmā

|
Nārad

|
Vyāsadev

|
Madhva Āchārya

|
Padmanābha

|
Nṛhari

|
Mādhava

|
Akṣobhya

|
Jaya Tīrtha

|
Jñānasindhu

|
Dayānidhi

|
Vidyānidhi

|
Rājendra

|

143

144 śrī guru and his grace

Jayadharma
|

Puruṣottam
|

Brahmaṇya Tīrtha
|

Vyāsa Tīrtha
|

Lakṣmīpati
|

Mādhavendra Purī
|

Īśvar Purī (Nityānanda, Advaita)
|

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Chaitanya Mahāprabhu
|

Rūpa Goswāmī (Svarūp Dāmodar, Sanātan Goswāmī)
|

Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī, Jīva Goswāmī
|

Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāj Goswāmī
|

Narottam Dās Ṭhākur
|

Viśvanāth Chakravartī Ṭhākur
|

Baladev Vidyābhūṣaṇ
|

Jagannāth Dās Bābājī
|

Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur
|

Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī
|

Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur
|

B. R. Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī and A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī
|

B. S. Govinda Dev-Goswāmī

Instructing
Spiritual Masters

Devotee: Can you explain how the principle of disciplic
succession works? I was under the impression that in
your teaching there must be an unbroken chain of dis-
ciplic succession beginning with God Himself, in order
for the knowledge to be properly understood. But when
I read Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupād’s Bhagavad-gītā
As It Is, I found that the disciplic succession contained
only thirty-eight names, although it says that the system
is Cfty centuries old. Is this a complete list, or are some
names left out? How are we to understand these apparent
historical discrepancies?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Our Guru-paramparā, disci-
plic succession, follows the ideal, not the body; it is
a succes sion of instructing Spiritual Masters, not formal
initiating Spiritual Masters. In a song about our Guru-
paramparā written by Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī,
it is mentioned:

mahāprabhu śrī chaitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya
rūpānuga janera jīvana

145

146 śrī guru and his grace

The highest truth of Kṛṣṇa consciousness comes down
through the channel of Śikṣā-gurus, instructing Spiritual
Masters. Those who have the standard of realisation in the
proper line have been accepted in the list of our disciplic
succession. It is not a Dīkṣā-guru-paramparā, a succession
of formal initiating gurus.

Dīkṣā, or initiation, is more or less a formal thing; the
substantial thing is śikṣā, or spiritual instruction. And if
our Śikṣā- and Dīkṣā-gurus, or instructing and initiating
Spiritual Masters, are congruent, then we are most fortu-
nate. There are different gradations of Spiritual Masters.
In the scriptures, the symptoms of the Guru and the symp-
toms of the disciple have been described; the Guru must
be qualiCed in so many ways, and the disciple must also
be qualiCed. Then when they come in connection, the
desired result will be produced.

We are concerned with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, wher-
ever it is available. In the Bhagavad-gītā and especially in
the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa says, “I start the Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness movement, but gradually by the enervating
inIuence of the material world, it weakens. When I Cnd
that it has diminished considerably, I return and begin
a fresh movement. Again, when I Cnd that it is becoming
degraded by the adverse inIuence of the environment,
I send one of My representatives to clear the path and give
some fresh energy, invest some fresh capital in My Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement.”

instructing spiritual masters 147

What is Kṛṣṇa consciousness? We must examine the
standard of knowledge. The Guru should try to impart
to his disciple the capacity of reading what Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness really is. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a trade;
it is not anyone’s monopoly. The sincere souls must thank
their lucky stars that they can appreciate what Kṛṣṇa
consciousness is, wherever it may be.
Devotee: How are we to understand that in the history
of our disciplic succession, it appears that there are gaps
where there was no initiating Guru present to formally
accept disciples?

Spiritual light years
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: We are not concerned with
a material connection. The mediator is not this flesh
and body as we generally think. In studying the devel-
opment of scientiCc thought, we may connect Newton
to Einstein, leaving aside many unimportant scientists.
We may trace the development of science from Galileo
to Newton, and then to Einstein, neglecting the middle
points. If their contributions are taken into account, then
the whole thing is taken into account, and lesser scien-
tists may be omitted. When a long distance is to be sur-
veyed, the nearest posts may be neglected. Between one
planet and another, the unit of measurement is the light
year; distance is calculated in light years and not from

148 śrī guru and his grace

mile to mile, or metre to metre. In the disciplic succes-
sion, only the great stalwarts in our line are considered
important.
Devotee: There was one question still in my mind on
Guru-paramparā which was not clarified. Between
Baladev Vidyābhūṣaṇ and Jagannāth Dās Bābājī is a gap
of almost a hundred years. How is it that between the two
of them no one is listed in our Guru-paramparā?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: We have to forget material consid-
erations when we consider the spiritual line. Here in this
plane, the spiritual current is always being disturbed and
interrupted by material obstructions. Whenever truth is
interrupted by a material Iow and becomes mixed or tam-
pered with, Kṛṣṇa appears to again reinstate the truth in
its former position of purity (yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir
bhavati Bhārata). That attempt is always being made by the
Lord and His devotees.

The Iow of spiritual truth is a living thing, not a dead
thing. The vigilant eye of the Lord is always over our
heads, and whenever it is necessary to keep the current
pure and Iowing in full force, help descends from above.
Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, “What I say to you today, I spoke to
Vivasvān many, many years ago. Now, by the inIuence of
material conception, that very truth has become contam-
inated, and so again I say the same thing to you today.”

instructing spiritual masters 149

Religious mutations
Here in the material world, the material consideration is
always tampering with the spiritual current; the purity of
the truth is always being disturbed. So, sometimes Kṛṣṇa
has to come Himself, and sometimes He sends His per-
sonal representative to again reestablish the truth in its
former and pure state.

When the truth is sufCciently covered, disturbed, and
mutilated by the inIuence of māyā, the illusory energy,
then an attempt is made by the devotees of the Lord, or
by the Lord Himself, to rejuvenate it and return it to the
previous standard of purity. We cannot expect truth to
continue here in this world of misunderstanding without
any tampering or interruption. It is not possible.

The intelligent will understand how to apply these
principles practically. Suppose we are writing a history:
we will note the main Cgures in the history, set aside those
who are not so qualiCed, and begin the dynasty in order
of their importance. Those who are negligible will not be
mentioned. In a similar way, those who are really thirsty
for spiritual truth like to see the line of pure spiritual her-
itage. They search out where it is to be found, connect
the dynasty of stalwart teachers together, and say, “This
is our line.”

The disciplic succession is not a bodily succession.
Sometimes it is present, and sometimes it is lost and only

Śrī Rāmānuja Āchārya Śrī Madhva Āchārya
appears again after two or three generations, just as with
Prahlād Mahārāj. He was a great devotee, but his son was
a demon; then again his grandson was a devotee. Even in
the physical line we see such interruptions. In the spiritual
line we also see the channel of truth affected by the inIu-
ence of māyā, or misconception. So, the experts will seek
out the important personages in the line.

Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein
Suppose a scientist researches some truth. After a few
generations, another scientist comes and takes up that
thread and continues his research. Then after a few more
generations, another comes and takes up that thread and
goes on. If we are to understand the real channel through
which the particular research is progressing, we will have
to study the important thinkers who helped bring it out.

Śrī Nimbārka Āchārya Śrī Viṣṇu Swāmī
We see that Copernicus has contributed something

before Galileo began, then Newton came. Then there may
be a gap for some time, and from Newton, we Cnd that
Einstein took it up. In this way, there may be a gap, but
still that thread is continued. An intelligent man will see
that it began with a particular person, and then it came to
another, and then came here. That will be the proper line
of research. So, in the spiritual line this also holds true.

Those who cannot understand this simple point are
guided by physical considerations. They do not under-
stand what is real spiritual truth. For them, the physical
continuation is the Guru-paramparā. But those who have
their spiritual eyes awakened say, “No. What was there
in the Crst Āchārya is not found in the second or the third.
But again we Cnd the same standard of purity in the fourth
Āchārya.” The Gauḍīya sampradāya of Mahāprabhu is

152 śrī guru and his grace

one, and whoever contributes to
that real line will be accepted.

Śrīla Baladev Vidyābhūṣaṇ’s
contribution to the sampradāya is
no less important than that of the
other great stalwarts in the line.
He may be a member of another
line, the Madhva sampradāya, in
the physical sense, but his con-
tribution, especially in attracting
people to Gauḍīya–Vaiṣṇavism

Śr ī la Baladev Vidyā- with his commentary on the
bhūṣaṇ presented the Vedānta-sūtra, cannot be neglected
Govinda-bhāṣya com- by the students of posterity. So,
mentary on Vedānta
philosophy. His enlight- his contribution has been utilised
ened thought is a valu- by our Āchāryas, considering the
able contribution to our degree, the essence, and the purity
sampradāya. of his thought in our spiritual line.

Śāstra-guru, Śikṣā-guru, Dīkṣā-guru, and Nām-guru
are all taken together; in this way a real channel has
been given to save us, to keep up the Iow of the high-
est truth from that world to this world. This policy has
been adopted by the Āchāryas. Wherever we have found
any contribution that is, by the will of Kṛṣṇa, the high-
est contribution to the line, we have accepted it. So, we
accept Śāstra-guru, Śikṣā-guru, Dīkṣā-guru, Mantra-guru,
Nām-guru—we accept them all as our Guru.

instructing spiritual masters 153

We give respect to Rāmānuja, who is the head of
another school of Vaiṣṇavas, but we do not give respect to
a sahajiyā, an imitationist who is in the line of Mahāprabhu
only in the physical sense, but who is mutilating and tam-
pering with the real teachings of Mahāprabhu. The imita-
tionists are not considered. Although in a physical sense
they are in the line of Mahāprabhu and Rūpa and Sanātan,
when we go to judge the very spirit of the line, we see
that they are nowhere. Their connection with Mahāprabhu
is only a physical imitation.

On the other hand, we Cnd that Rāmānuja has made
a substantial contribution to Vaiṣṇavism, Madhva
Āchārya has given a sufCcient contribution to Vaiṣṇavism,
and Nimbārka has also made his contribution, so we
accept them, according to our necessity. But we reject the
physical so-called current-keepers because what is found
there is all mutilated and tampered with.

There is a proverb. “Which is more useful: the nose
or the breath?” The intelligent will say that the breath is
more essential than the nose. To sustain the life the nose
may be cut off, but if the breath continues, one may live.
We consider the breath to have more importance than the
nose. The physical form will misguide people to go away
from the truth and follow a different direction.

We don’t consider the body connection important
in the Āchāryaship. It is a spiritual current, and not a
body current. The disciple of a true devotee may even be

154 śrī guru and his grace

a nondevotee. We admit that, because we see it, and the
Lord Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.2):

sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa
“The current is damaged by the inIuence of this mate-
rial world.” In the line, some are affected, go astray, and
may even become nondevotees. So, the continuation
through the physical succession is not a safe criterion to
be accepted. We must trace only the current of spiritual
knowledge.

Wherever we can get that, we must accept it, even if
it comes from the Rāmānuja, Madhva, or Nimbārka sam-
pradāya. As much as we get from them substantially, we
accept, and we reject the so-called followers of our own
tradition if they are mere imitationists. The son of a polit-
ical leader may not be a political leader. A political leader
may also have a political succession, and his own son,
although brought up in a favourable environment, may
be rejected. A doctor’s son may not be a doctor. In the dis-
ciplic order also, we admit the possibility that they may
not all come up to the same standard. Those who do not
should be rejected.

And if the truth is found in a substantial way some-
where else, that should be accepted. Wherever there
is devotion and the correct consideration about Śrī
Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, our Guru is there. Who is our

instructing spiritual masters 155

Guru? He is not to be found in the physical form; our
Guru is to be traced wherever we Cnd the embodiment
of the pure thought and understanding which Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Chaitanya Mahāprabhu imparted to save us.

Baladev Vidyābhūṣaṇ was very akin to the Madhva
sampradāya. But when he came in connection with
Viśvanāth Chakravartī Ṭhākur, he showed great interest
in Gauḍīya–Vaiṣṇavism. He has also commented on the
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Jīva Goswāmī’s Ṣaṭ-sandarbha. And
that enlightened thought is a valuable contribution to our
sampradāya. We cannot dismiss him. He is our Guru.

At the same time, if my own relatives do not give rec-
ognition to my Guru or to the service of Mahāprabhu,
I must eliminate them. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī
Prabhupād has explained the Śikṣā-guru-paramparā in
this way. Wherever we Cnd the extraordinary line of the
Iow of love of God, and support for the same, we must
bow down. That line may appear in a zigzag way, but still,
that is the line of my Gurudev. In this way it is accepted.
We want the substance, not the form.

The zigzag line of truth
We have left all social concerns and so many other shack-
les. For what? For the Absolute Truth. And wherever
I shall Cnd that, I must bow down my head. And if a great

156 śrī guru and his grace

soul shows us, “This is the path to where you will Cnd
your thirst quenched. The line is in this zigzag way”, we
must accept that for our own interest. We are worshippers
not of form, but of substance. If the current of spiritual
substance comes another way, but I think that I must try
to go this way to reach my goal, it is only jealousy, blind
tenacity, to stick to the physical thing. We must free our-
selves from this material contamination and try to under-
stand the value of spiritual truth. We should always be
prepared for that. We must follow what is necessary,
for our own interest.

I am not a servant of A, B, C, or D. I am a servant of
Mahāprabhu. I may have to turn this way or that way,
or whatever way will be favourable to reach my Lord.
Wherever I feel the presence of my Lord in an intense
form, I must be attracted to that side. We are out for that
thing, and not for any fashion or formality; that will ham-
per our cause.

Kṛṣṇa says, “Sarva-dharmān parityajya Mām ekaṁ
śaraṇaṁ vraja.” Wherever we shall Cnd Him, we must run
in that direction. The direction may not be always straight,
it may go in a zigzag way, but if Kṛṣṇa comes from that
side, I must run there. Again if He appears on this side,
I must run to this side. My interest is with Him. Not that
we can challenge, “Why did Kṛṣṇa appear here, and why
is He appearing there? That may be a doubtful thing,

instructing spiritual masters 157

so I must stay on this side.” No. If I have genuine appre-
ciation for the real thing, the proper thing, I must go to
that side, the side of Kṛṣṇa.

If I am blind, that is another case. Then, I must have
to suffer for my inability. But, if anyone has the ability to
understand things properly, he will run wherever he Cnds
help. If a man in a boat is passing through the current and
Cnds himself in danger, then from whatever side help may
come, he must turn to that side.

If we are worshippers of Śiva, when we understand the
special superiority of Nārāyaṇ, should we stick to Śiva?
And if we are worshippers of Nārāyaṇ and are shown
the superiority of Kṛṣṇa, should we stick to our Nārāyaṇ
worship? And then should we not try to go from Kṛṣṇa’s
Bhagavad-gītā to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam? One may think,
“I have read the Bhagavad-gītā, I like the Kṛṣṇa who is the
speaker of the Gītā.” Then when the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is
given to us, should we stick to that Gītā Kṛṣṇa, or should
we try to go to the Kṛṣṇa given in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam?
If we have our interest in Kṛṣṇa, we must run to His side,
wherever He appears.

In the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta the story is told of how
Gopa Kumār, by chanting his Gopāl mantra, gradually
leaves one stage and progresses to the next. There, the
gradation of devotion is traced from the karma-kāṇḍa
brāhmaṇ, to a devotee-king, then to Indra, then to

158 śrī guru and his grace

Brahmā, then to Śiva, from him to Prahlād, then to
Hanumān, then the Pāṇḍavas, then to the Yādavas, to
Uddhava, and Cnally to the gopīs.

In this zigzag way he is passing. In the sincerity of
his quest, his thirst is not being quenched. He is going
from this side, to that side, and going up. So, all of them
have their Guru-paramparā. There is Prahlād’s Guru-
paramparā, Hanumān’s Guru-paramparā, the Pāṇḍava’s
Guru-paramparā, Mahādev’s Guru-paramparā. They
have their own Guru-paramparā. Brahmā and Mahādev
are Gurus themselves; they are the creators of their own
lines of Guru-paramparā, but Gopa Kumār passes them
also. Why? His thirst is not quenched until he goes to
Vṛndāvan. So, the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta has shown us the
line of Guru-paramparā, or the real line of our quest, of
our search.

If we are sincerely searching after real truth, then
wherever we go may be a contribution to our experi-
ence for further preaching in the future. If we go some-
where, hoping with all sincerity that our thirst may be
quenched there, but Cnd that it is not quenched, and feel
some uneasiness, then, by the grace of the Lord, a connec-
tion with higher truth will come, and we will go some-
where else, thinking that there our thirst will be quenched.
Gradually we will again Cnd dissatisfaction, the need for
something higher, and again we will progress further. In
this way, we may cross many Guru-paramparās before

instructing spiritual masters 159

ultimately attaining the Vraja-līlā of Kṛṣṇa, as given by
Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.

We are not interested in fashion or form; if we want the
real truth, then wherever it will be found, we must accept
it. Mahāprabhu says:

kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya

(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: Madhya-līlā, 8.128)
“Anyone, regardless of caste or social position, may become
Guru if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa.” Sometimes the
father may not be our guardian. Our uncle may be our
guide, and not the father. It is possible. The line of interest
is to be considered the most important. So, our line is the
Śikṣā-guru-paramparā.

I am thankful to those that are helping my spiritual
understanding not only in a formal way, but in the real
sense. Whoever is untying the knots of our entangle-
ment in this material world, giving us light, and quench-
ing our thirst for inner understanding and satisfaction is
our Guru. In this way, we live on the contribution of all
these Spiritual Masters. They are all our Śikṣā-gurus. All
the Vaiṣṇavas are more or less our instructing Spiritual
Masters. Our spiritual life may live on their contribution.
But we do not accept the imitationists. They are our ene-
mies, asat-saṅga, bad association. They will take us away
from the real path of understanding and progress.

160 śrī guru and his grace

We must ask our sincere hearts, “From whom do
I really get the beneCt of spiritual life?” Our sincere con-
sciousness will be the best judge, not form. If in an earthen
pot there is Ganges water, and in a golden pot there is
ordinary water, which should we select? In a case like
that, brāhmaṇs, the intelligent class of men, take the holy
Ganges water in the earthen pot. So, the substance con-
tained, and not the container, should be given the real
importance.

Am I this body?
I am not this physical body. My own physical identiCca-
tion should be challenged if I am too much addicted to the
physical guru-paramparā. “Who am I? Am I this physi-
cal body?” If I am spiritual, then in the spiritual sphere
I shall have to look with spiritual eyes and pursue who-
ever will come before me who is really following the path
of Mahāprabhu.

When the Pāṇḍavas retired to the Himalayas,
Yudhiṣṭhir Mahārāj was going ahead. Nobody believed
they would fall. Arjuna couldn’t believe that his broth-
ers had fallen. But even after Arjuna had fallen, a dog
was going on, following Mahārāj Yudhiṣṭhir. We may see
many men fall down in the path of our journey towards
the spiritual goal, but still we should try to reach the goal.
And with the help of whoever comes along, I shall go.

instructing spiritual masters 161

Some may be eliminated; even a madhyam-adhikārī
guru may sometimes be eliminated when he falls down.
It is not a happy thing, but it may even occur that my
guru was going ahead, taking me forward, and fell down.
Then with fresh energy, invoking the help of the Lord,
I shall have to go on. Even such a disaster may come in our
journey. But still, we must not be cowed down. Sometimes
alone and sometimes with company we must go on.

First there must be sukṛti, accumulated merit, and then
śraddhā, faith, will guide us. The quality of faith must be
examined. Śraddhā, faith, is a general term, but śraddhā
may be deCned into different classes. A high form of faith
will be our fare on the way back to Godhead. Sometimes
we may Cnd co-workers, and sometimes we may have
to go alone. What of that? We cannot but go to the goal
because we shall have the grace of so many unseen Gurus.

Unseen Gurus
There are others also who are working, and their ideal
will inspire me, although physically I am not seeing any
companion or any follower with me. The inspiration of the
unseen Gurus will be our fare. They will inspire us to go
on with the journey. And our own sincere hankering for
the truth will be our real guide. That is Guru-paramparā.

Who is Guru? Is Guru a body? Or is the Guru a
vairāgī, a renunciant? Or is the guru only a formal guise,

162 śrī guru and his grace

a hypocrite who is showing the appearance of a sādhu, but
within is doing something else? Who is a Guru? Only one
who will exclusively guide me to Kṛṣṇa and Mahāprabhu,
with devotion. He is my Guru, whatever he may be.

Mahāprabhu told Rāmānanda Rāy, “Rāmānanda, why
do you shrink away? Do you think that I am a sannyāsī
and you are a gṛhastha? You are always hesitating to reply
to My questions. Do you think it does not look well for
you to advise a sannyāsī brāhmaṇ? Don’t hesitate. You
know Kṛṣṇa best. Give Kṛṣṇa to Me. Have courage.” In
this way, Mahāprabhu was encouraging Rāmānanda. “By
the grace of Kṛṣṇa, you have that capital. Give it to Me.
You are a real capitalist. I have come to preach to the world
that you are the wealthiest capitalist of the spiritual world.
And that must be used for the good of the public. Don’t
hesitate. Don’t shrink away. Come out.”

Rāmānanda said, “Yes, it is Your capital. You have
deposited it with me, and today You have come to with-
draw it from me. It is Your property. I understand. And
You press and push me to take it out. All right. I am a mere
instrument, used by You. Whatever You want me to say,
I am ready to say.” In this way, Rāmānanda was going on.
But is Rāmānanda a member of a sampradāya? We are so
much indebted to Rāmānanda Rāy, but he is not in the
Guru-paramparā. Still, he is more than many of the Gurus
who are in the Guru-paramparā.

instructing spiritual masters 163

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is not in the Guru-paramparā.
Should we dismiss Her? First there should be Guru, and
then there is the question of paramparā. The question of
Crst importance is, “Who is Guru?” And then there can
be a chain of them coming down.

Alexander the Great—form breaker
Sometimes the formal must be left aside. Once, Alexander
the Great was with his father, and they came upon a char-
iot with a thick knot tied in its rope. There was an inscrip-
tion above the knot, and there it was written, “Whoever
can untie this knot will be a great king in the future.” The
young Alexander asked his father, “What is it, Papa?”
His father replied, “This knot has been Crmly tied here,
and there it is written that whoever can loosen it will be
a great king in the future.” Alexander said, “I shall do it.”
He took out his sword and cut the rope. Is it clear? The
formality was not kept. A man stood by the side. He came
out and said, “Yes, he will be a great king. It cannot be
otherwise.” The formality was left aside, the realistic view
taken, and immediately Alexander cut the Gordian knot.
It is a famous story. Sticking to formality, he would have
been lost. This happened also in the case of Columbus.
Someone challenged, “Can you make an egg stand on
a nail?” Columbus pushed it in, a portion broke, and he

164 śrī guru and his grace

stood it on the nail and said, “Yes, I have done so.” This
is practical knowledge.

So, the real disciplic line provides practical knowledge
in support of the divine love which is coming down. We
must bow down our heads wherever we Cnd support of
that. We should not become formalists, but substantial-
ists; not fashionists, not imitationists, but realistic thinkers.
That should always be our temperament.

The Land of Gurus
In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.9.31) it is stated:
na hy ekasmād guror jñānaṁ su-sthiraṁ syāt supuṣkalam

“One certainly cannot get complete knowledge from only
one Guru.” In the highest stage of devotion, we must see
not only one Guru; we must see that Guru is everywhere.
In the land of Kṛṣṇa, all are Gurus; our transformation
should be towards that. Everything in the spiritual world,
the entire environment, is our Guru, and we are servants.
To enter into Vaikuṇṭha, or Goloka, means that on all sides
we must see Guru and pay our respects. There is grada-
tion of course, but all are Guru.

There are different classes of Guru. All Vaiṣṇavas are
considered Gurus. If the Spiritual Master gives even one
letter to the disciple, what is contained there is inCnite.
The knowledge given by the Spiritual Master is inCnite.
To know and understand it fully, however, different
sources are necessary.

In the highest position one can read devotion to Kṛṣṇa
from everywhere. If we can attain the proper vision,
then everything will supply inspiration towards the

165

166 śrī guru and his grace

performance of our duties. Whenever Mahāprabhu saw
a forest, He saw it as Vṛndāvan. Whenever He saw a river,
He saw the Yamunā. Whenever He saw a hill, He saw it
as Govardhan Hill. In that highest stage, wherever we
cast our glance, it will remind us about our Lord. That is
the duty of Guru. They will teach us, they will press us to
engage ourselves in service to Kṛṣṇa. Wherever we cast
our glance, whatever we come in contact with will only
excite us: “Do your duty.” That is Guru. Our Guru is who-
ever gives us impetus for the service of Kṛṣṇa, whoever
helps us to look towards the centre. So, because every
atom in Vaikuṇṭha and Goloka will encourage us towards
our duty, they are all our Gurus. Gurus will be very amply
available when we can raise ourselves to a higher level.

Guru—dispels darkness
When we are in the lower stages of material conception,
everything we see takes us away from the centre by the
out-carrying current. Whatever we see says, “Oh, come
and enjoy me.” The invitation of enjoyment is found here
in the lower level, and the inspiration of renunciation is
also found in a particular stage. The impersonalists who
desire salvation say, “Whatever we Cnd here is tempo-
rary. Reject it all!” But devotion is the positive side. From
the side of devotion, everything will draw me towards
the centre, towards Kṛṣṇa. And those who will help us

the land of gurus 167

in that way are our Gurus. Guru means ‘one who dispels
the darkness of both enjoyment and renunciation’.

Kṛṣṇa tells us not to particularise in one point
(Āchāryaṁ Māṁ vijānīyān). There are so many Śikṣā-gurus
in the line, and it is our good fortune to see more Gurus,
to come to the stage where we see Gurus everywhere.
Everywhere we shall try to draw the hints of the auspi-
cious presence of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa says, “One who can
see Me everywhere, and everything in Me, is never lost
to Me, nor I to him.”

yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ cha mayi paśyati
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 6.30)

We shall try to see Him in every medium. Then our posi-
tion is safe. Not to see Guru is a dangerous position. But
if we can see Guru everywhere, advising us to concen-
trate our energy towards the service of God, then we’ll
be safe. Of course, there is also a speciCc vision of Guru,
from whom I can get the maximum immediate help. But
ultimately, Kṛṣṇa says, “I am the Āchārya: see Me in him.”

Jewel within the palm
Who is Āchārya? One who knows how to give due respect
to his own Āchārya. Baladev Vidyābhūṣaṇ has explained
in one of his commentaries how both Rūpa and Sanātan
Goswāmī have shown Govinda to the world. He says that

168 śrī guru and his grace

if one has a jewel in his hand, he can show the jewel in
various ways by holding it differently. Rūpa and Sanātan
have each dealt in various ways with the jewel by the
Name of Govinda, who is always served by the supreme
Goddess of fortune. They have both shown that high sub-
stance, Govinda, to the world, just as a jewel within their
palms.

So not only in the supreme goal of life, but in
everything, our knowledge depends on more than one
source. We mainly learn from one place, but this is veri-
Ced and corroborated by many sources; then it comes to be
proper knowledge. In the nyāya śāstra, the codes of logic,
the six processes of acquiring knowledge are mentioned:
viṣaya, the thesis; saṁśaya, the antithesis; pūrva-pakṣa,
cross-examination; mīmāṁsā, synthesis; siddhānta, con-
clusion; and saṅgatiḥ, veriCcation from different sources.
After these six stages, something may come in the name
of truth in this world. Any knowledge presupposes con-
sultation with different sources, although mainly we can
get it from one source. In the beginning we enquire about
the truth, not from one, but from many sources. Then we
concentrate to enquire from a particular higher source.

Our Crst connection with the truth comes from here
and there in small quantities. First there is ajñāta-sukṛti,
unknown pious activities; then jñāta-sukṛti, pious activi-
ties performed in knowledge; then śraddhā, faith; then

the land of gurus 169

sādhu-saṅga, the company with saints. In this way, we
search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. We enquire here and there. Many
saints help us to a certain extent. Ultimately we go to that
Spiritual Master in whom we Cnd the greatest possibility
of learning the truth, and we surrender there.

Having accepted a Spiritual Master, one will Cnd that
his Guru has so many disciples, and he will take from
them also. His Spiritual Master will recommend some
books for him. He will say, “Read Bhagavad-gītā and
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.” That will also help us to get so many
Gurus—through the books, where we will Cnd many ref-
erences and quotations from many Gurus.

All are Guru
All of them have their contribution, and ultimately we
must understand that we have to enter into the land of
the Gurus. Everyone should be respected as Guru that
gives impetus to me to search for Kṛṣṇa, to serve Kṛṣṇa.
They will all help to carry me to the centre. And this is
the most fortunate position: to see everyone, everywhere,
as Guru, to see that no one is our servant, and no one
is indifferent to us. That is our highest fortune: to attain
that highest spiritual environment where everyone is our
Guru. Here, everyone is our servant; even our father and
mother. We want to draw something from everyone in this
world of exploitation. And by renunciation everything is

170 śrī guru and his grace

eliminated; it is a deserted position. If we are to enter into
the land of eternal prospect, then we must learn to see that
all are our Guru, and we are servants.

They are all Gurus, and they are all our well-wishing
guardians. In that plane, we shall imbibe help from every-
where. Their benediction and their grace will come from
everywhere. They are all well-wishers, all guardians; they
all guide us towards the highest attainment of our fortune.
There cannot be any objection to that.

But still there is gradation, just as in the very exist-
ence of God there is gradation: Vāsudev, Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇ,
Dvārakeś, Mathureś, Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa—there are
so many levels. Gradation is always there, according to
our inner position. So, we must not be afraid.

Of course there is a time, when we are surrounded
by an unfavourable environment, that the association of
a real saint is very rare. In that stage, we may be warned
not to mix with the māyāvādīs, Buddhists, Śaṅkarites,
nāgā-bābās, and so many other groups of so-called
sādhus, so that we may not run hither and thither only
to Cnd a guru to get any advice. To save us from such
unfavourable circumstances, to protect us, we are warned,

“Don’t try to see Guru everywhere.” In a particular stage,
however, when we already have a taste for the real truth,
we are taken to that plane where everyone is our Guru,
helping us advance towards our destination.

the land of gurus 171

This caution is valuable in the beginning because there
are so many cheaters who want to devour us. At that
stage especially, to help us proceed towards the goal, we
must exclusively concentrate on our Guru, avoiding the
Buddhists, māyāvādīs, atheists, and all those who wear
red rags in the name of sādhus.

Still, in every sampradāya, or religious tradition, that
trick has been used: “Only listen here. Stick to the words
of your Guru, the advice of your Guru. Don’t try to mix
hither and thither, to run here and there to get advice.
So many teachers are the enemies of your Guru. They
are not preaching the real truth.” That warning is neces-
sary in some stage. “Don’t try to see Guru everywhere,
because in this world so many men in the dress of sādhus
are going on with their lower campaign.” This warning
should come in that stage.

Hurled down to Vaikuṇṭha
And in the lower stage also, to keep up and to develop our
attention and devotion towards our Guru, so much help
should come from our senior godbrothers. They will help
us understand the greatness of our Guru in different ways.
They are also doing the work of Śikṣā-guru. But when we
enter in the kingdom of service, then, of course, every-
one will help us. It is also said that we may have an inner
attraction towards Vṛndāvan, and our inner awakenment

172 śrī guru and his grace

may be in the service of Kṛṣṇa of Goloka, but if we mix
with so many sādhus in Vaikuṇṭha, then we will be hurled
down to Vaikuṇṭha.

In a certain stage we should beware of bad associa-
tion, so in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.90) Rūpa Goswāmī
has said:

sajātī-yāśaye snigdhe sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vare
What sort of saintly persons shall we try to mix with ear-
nestly? Those who are in our line, who have the same high
spiritual aspirations as we do, and who hold a superior
position. To associate with such saintly persons will help
us the most to progress towards the ultimate goal.

There may be some obstacles, but if at heart we are
sincere, the environment cannot deceive us, because
God’s inner help is there, cooperating with our sincere,
inner need: na hi kalyāṇa kṛt kaśchid durgatiṁ tāta gachch-
hati. What we want from our innermost hearts cannot but
come true, because Kṛṣṇa knows everything. There may
be some obstacles but, by Kṛṣṇa’s help, they shall all be
eliminated and our innermost aspiration will be crowned
with success.

Servant of the Servant
Devotee: Today is my birthday. According to the almanac,
it is the most inauspicious day of the year.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: No. This is the happiest and most
fortunate day, because on this day you came to Guru and
Kṛṣṇa. Many birthdays have already passed, but this
birthday has brought you in connection with Kṛṣṇa. So
this day should be respected not only by your disciples,
friends, and relatives; you should also have respect for
this day. Kṛṣṇa has blessed you.

Time is also described in the Chaitanya-charitāmṛta in
a verse recorded by Rāmānanda Rāy: ye kāle vā svapane
dekhinu Vaṁśī-vadane. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī says, “When in
My trance, I came to have a divine vision of Kṛṣṇa, two
enemies suddenly appeared: ecstasy, and also a feel-
ing which is corresponding to extreme love in complete
self-surrender. In that state, I could not see Kṛṣṇa very
clearly. These two enemies disturbed Me. Ecstasy was My
enemy, for it made Me self-forgetful, and My greed for
His touch was another enemy. They did not allow Me to
have a clear vision of Kṛṣṇa, so My thirst for seeing Him
was unquenched.

173

174 śrī guru and his grace

A divine vision of Kṛṣṇa
“If by good fortune I have another chance to have His
darśan, divine vision, then what should I do? Avoiding
Kṛṣṇa, I shall instead try to worship time. I shall worship
that moment, that minute, that second in which I have the
divine vision of Kṛṣṇa. I shall try to propitiate time, so that
time itself may stay for some time. With garlands, sandal-
wood paste, and jewels, I shall try to worship time and
not Kṛṣṇa. If time stands still, being propitiated with My
respectful behaviour, then Kṛṣṇa will remain. In this way,
I shall try to Cx the time, ‘You please stay here for some
time. Kṛṣṇa is showing Himself—Time, you be eternal
here.’ Otherwise, like lightning, Kṛṣṇa comes and vanishes.”

We worship the time, the land, the place, the para-
phernalia of Kṛṣṇa. Anything in connection with Kṛṣṇa
is chinmay, transcendental. The paraphernalia of Kṛṣṇa
is worthy of our worship. In fact, we shall have to hon-
our Kṛṣṇa’s paraphernalia even more than Kṛṣṇa Himself.
That is the clue to success. Kṛṣṇa’s abode, His parapher-
nalia, and His devotees have a relationship with Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa-sambandha. They are Kṛṣṇa’s devotees, and He is at
their disposal. So, if we can propitiate them, they will take
interest in us and take us up into that realm. Otherwise
we are helpless. In the Padma-purāṇa, it is said:

ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param

servant of the servant 175

Once, Pārvatī Devī asked Lord Śiva, “Of all kinds of wor-
ship, whose worship is best?” Lord Śiva told her plainly,

“The worship and devotional service of Lord Nārāyaṇ,
Viṣṇu, is the highest.” Pārvatī became a little mortiCed
and disappointed, thinking, “But I am serving Śiva, so
I hold a lower position.” Then the next line came:
tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarchanam

“But higher than the worship of Nārāyaṇ is worship of the
devotees of Lord Nārāyaṇ. That is even greater than devo-
tion to the Lord Himself.” Then Pārvatī smiled, thinking,

“I am serving the devotee of the Lord. Śiva is a devotee:
Vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā Śambhuḥ. So, I am doing the best thing.”
This is also conCrmed by Kṛṣṇa, in the Ādi-purāṇa:
ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāś cha te janāḥ
mad-bhaktānāṁ cha ye bhaktās te me bhaktatamā matāḥ

“Those who worship Me directly are not real devotees;
real devotees are those who are devoted to My devotees.”
And this principle is true in our own experience. It is said,
“If you love me, love my dog.” How intense one’s love for
his master must be if he can love the master’s dog. And
he loves the dog only because it is his master’s dog; not
that he wants to take away the dog for himself. He loves
it not with the idea of independent love for the dog, but
because it is the master’s dog.

176 śrī guru and his grace

This is a higher test of our love than simply to love
the master. This will test whether we are really lovers.
Kṛṣṇa is more pleased if He sees that His servant is being
served. Why? Because His servant always serves Him,
but he won’t take anything in return from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa
tries to give His devotees something, but they won’t take
it. They have no aspiration to fulCl, no petition to enter
in the course of their service. They want only cent per
cent service. There is no possibility for Kṛṣṇa to award
any remuneration there; He can’t Cnd the slightest hole
in their devotional service through which some remuner-
ation can be pushed. His devotees are wholesale servants,
and nothing but.

Kṛṣṇa tries His best to give something to His devotees
in return for their service, but He fails. So, when Kṛṣṇa
sees that His desired aim of rewarding His servants is
being done by someone else, He becomes indebted to that
person thinking, “What I wanted to do for My servant,
he is doing. I wanted to do that, but failed; it was not
accepted. But now someone else is doing the same thing
I wanted to do.” Kṛṣṇa is more favourable to the devotee
who serves His servant. Then Kṛṣṇa comes to serve him.
That is the underlying purpose of His saying “Those who
are devotees of My devotee, they are the real devotees of
My heart.” So bhakta-pūjā, worship of the devotees, is the
best kind of worship. This statement is conCrmed in the

servant of the servant 177

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, in the Vedas, and by Vṛndāvan Dās
Ṭhākur in the Chaitanya-bhāgavat:

āmāra bhaktera-pūjā—āmā haite baḍa
Bhakta-pūjā, worship of the devotees, is advocated every-
where. At the same time we should try to understand who
is a devotee. That is also to be ascertained. What is the sign
of a real devotee?

Kṛṣṇa says, “Those who say they are directly devoted
to Me are not devotees proper; those who are devotees
of My devotees are My real devotees.” We should try to
follow the principle of this saying. This is not a perverted
remark, but there is some genuine reality in it. If we look
for its inner meaning, we will reach the conclusion our
Guru Mahārāj has announced. He said, “We are śuddha-
śākta, worshippers of the pure potency, not the mundane
potency.” We worship the potency who is wholesale dedi-
cated to the potent without retaining Her individual inde-
pendence as a separate entity at all, who is cent per cent
dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Such a potency as this is very, very
rarely to be conceived.

The direct approach to Kṛṣṇa is improper. One must
approach Him through the proper channel, through the
devotees. That is the real approach. Therefore, Gauḍīya
Maṭh eliminates Mirabai and so many other apparently
great devotees from the category of real devotees because,

178 śrī guru and his grace

although they are mad in praise of Kṛṣṇa, they have little
regard for the real devotees of Kṛṣṇa.

Spiritual bureaucracy
Kṛṣṇa is not alone. A king is always present with his
entourage, his great establishment. If one is really to
approach the king, it must be done through the proper
channel. Kṛṣṇa is always surrounded by a big hierarchy,
a big bureaucracy, and one cannot approach Kṛṣṇa directly.
He whose approach is real must select a proper channel.
He cannot but praise those devotees and revere them for
their magnanimity. It is only by their help that we can get
the nearness of Kṛṣṇa. Should we think it possible that one
can take a jump across the whole system and approach
the king? It is unreal.

Someone may be externally engaged in such a way
that apparently he is a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but if he
eliminates the devotees, that devotion has not taken real
shape; it is a vague thing. He is far away from Kṛṣṇa.
Suppose we take as an example the highest peak in the
Himalayas, Mount Everest. We can see Mount Everest
from far off. But to approach Mount Everest, we must
pass through so many closer mountain peaks. When our
approach to Mount Everest is genuine, we cannot avoid
discovering the name and characteristic of other peaks
surrounding Mount Everest. But from far off we can see

servant of the servant 179

only Mount Everest and not the other peaks surround-
ing it. So, when we say that our connection is with Kṛṣṇa
alone, then we are far off. If we are to actually approach
the king, we must approach him through his entourage. If
we are actually to approach Everest, we cannot but have
a connection with the nearer peaks surrounding that high-
est peak. So, if we are practically engaged in approaching
Kṛṣṇa, our approach will be realistic only when we are
engaged with the many devotees in different departments
of service to Kṛṣṇa.

The real test of devotion
I noted when we were preaching in South India, that
whenever any gentleman who was a renowned devotee
in a particular place approached our Guru Mahārāj, Śrīla
Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur Prabhupād, he used
to ask such men, “Under whose guidance does your devo-
tional service to Kṛṣṇa go on?” Generally they used to say,

“No, no, I am directly concerned with Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord
Rāma.” Then, when they went away, we heard our Guru
Mahārāj say, “He has no devotion.” That person was dis-
missed as an imitation devotee. That is a vague kind of
devotion. It has not taken any particular shape because
he is ignoring the āśraya, the shelter-giving devotees in
the positions surrounding the Lord. That is the great test
of devotion.

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur always used to say, “I am
a servant of the servant of the Vaiṣṇavas.”

Otherwise, without taking shelter of a devotee, if one
shows great devotion, what is his motive? Generally they
think, “We want liberation, not the service of Kṛṣṇa. To
earn liberation, we are accepting the devotion of Kṛṣṇa.”
That is a lower form of worship—worldly worship—not

servant of the servant 181

real worship in the transcendental plane. That is not eter-
nal, but temporary. Devotion to the Lord must not be sub-
servient to any other aim of life. The desire for liberation is
one criterion of an imitation devotee, and another criterion
is the neglect of elevated devotees. When the Lord alone
is being worshipped, that is also false. These two kinds of
apparent devotional practices which are generally seen in
the world may be dismissed. But the world does not get
any news of all these things.
Devotee: So, the Spiritual Master is sometimes called the
Āśraya-vigraha, the personality of whom one must take
shelter?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Yes. Just as in the beginning one
sees the forest from a distance, but in the end he enters
the inner circle of the forest, so from far off Kṛṣṇa alone
appears to be the āśraya, the giver of shelter, but when
we approach Kṛṣṇa more closely, we will Cnd our shelter
among his devotees. Our real shelter is found within His
inner circle of servitors, not with Kṛṣṇa directly.

We are of a vitiated nature, but there are those who
under no circumstances deviate from Kṛṣṇa. They are the
eternal paraphernalia of the Lord. They are not like us;
they are eternally connected with Kṛṣṇa, but we are some-
times coming and going away; we are unreliable servitors.
That is our position, so we cannot claim the same position
as the absolute servitors of the Lord. Under their guidance

182 śrī guru and his grace

we can be given the chance of service, so we must accept
that position. We are recruits, we are not amongst the
permanent servitors of Kṛṣṇa. We must perform our
service under a bona Cde superior. The new followers
must be gradually accommodated under some bona Cde,
permanent servitors in the land of Kṛṣṇa.

Lives of the Saints
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: In his Chaitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Śrīla
Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur has explained that there are two
types of devotees in the stage of premārurukṣu, the begin-
ning stages of pure divine love. These two kinds of dev-
otees are classiCed as viviktānandī and goṣṭhyānandī.
The goṣṭhyānandīs, by nature, love preaching. They live
amongst the Vaiṣṇavas. But there is another group, the
viviktānandī, who prefer a solitary position. There they
chant the Holy Name of the Lord, or think about the Lord’s
Pastimes (līlā). These two groups have both been men-
tioned as being situated on a high platform of devotional
service, just before the stage of pure love of Godhead.
When they have completely attained the highest stage,
there is no qualitative difference between one and the
other: they are one and the same. Whatever work Kṛṣṇa
wants us to do through them, they will perform in sur-
render to Him. Therefore it cannot be said that one who
does not have the preaching tendency is a lower Vaiṣṇava.

Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur has clearly grouped these two
sections of devotees in the stage of those who are just
about to occupy the highest plane. There are two groups:

183

184 śrī guru and his grace

Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur: nineteenth century founder of the Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement.

lives of the saints 185

one of a preaching type, another of a solitary type, but
according to Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur, we cannot make
the distinction that one is higher and the other is lower.
According to the desire of Kṛṣṇa, they will do His will. The
devotee whom Kṛṣṇa wants to preach will do that work,
but those who do not like to work in that way cannot be
called unqualiCed. Those that like preaching will naturally
speak in favour of the preaching camp. Because they are
inspired by Kṛṣṇa to do that service, they are successful.
Kṛṣṇa says, “Āchāryam Māṁ vijānīyān: it is My inspira-
tion that can really deliver the fallen souls.” Whomever
Kṛṣṇa will accept can understand Him—others cannot
(yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas). When Kṛṣṇa delegates
power sufCciently to a Vaiṣṇava and wants to deliver
many fallen souls through him, it takes place by His will.
Svarūp Dāmodar is not found to preach in any extensive
way. Rāmānanda Rāy is also not found to preach in an
extensive way to make disciples, going from door to door.
On the other hand, Nityānanda Prabhu and others did.
Kṛṣṇa selects His instruments according to His own desire.

Kavirāj Goswāmī prays: vande ’haṁ Śrī-Guroḥ śrī-yuta-
pada-kamalaṁ Śrī-Gurūn Vaiṣṇavāṁś cha. First he offers his
respects to the group of Spiritual Masters who are imme-
diately in touch with the fallen souls. Then he says Śrī-
Rūpaṁ sāgrajātam, he offers his respects to the Śāstra-gurus.

186 śrī guru and his grace

Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātan did not practically come in touch
with the masses for preaching, but they gave scriptures for
the preachers. The śāstras, the rules and regulations, and
the ontological questions—all these things were given by
Rūpa and Sanātan. Are they not uttam-adhikārīs? They
did not come in direct touch with the people, but, as they
were meant to by Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, they laid
the foundation for the preaching of Gauḍīya–Vaiṣṇavism.
They are the Śāstra-gurus, the Spiritual Masters who give
the revealed scriptures.

Spiritual touchstones
Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāj Goswāmī Crst offers his respects to
the recruiter Gurus, then in a higher stage, to the Śāstra-
gurus, and then to Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu who
came with His associates and paraphernalia to inau-
gurate a new truth in the world. In Cve stages he offers
his respects to his Spiritual Masters, and in the highest
stages he offers his respects to the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī
Rādhā and Govinda, and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā
and Viśākhā: Śrī-Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa Lalitā-Śrī-
Viśākhānvitāṁś cha. So the Śāstra-gurus are doing some
work as they have been inspired by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They are
not coming in direct touch with the fallen souls. So, we
cannot say that because they are not directly preaching to
the fallen souls, they are not sparśa-maṇi, or touchstones.

lives of the saints 187

To say so would only be expressing our partiality to the
preaching group.

We have to put some faith in the Spiritual Master. We
must have faith that what he does is the activity of the
Supreme Lord working within him, that Kṛṣṇa has come
to preach about Himself through our Spiritual Master. We
must try to see Kṛṣṇa in Guru, and Guru’s actions as meant
to deliver us. We are encouraged in this way.

Still, this is the relative view. From very strict impartial
vision, we can classify the Guru according to his realisa-
tion as an intermediate devotee (madhyam-adhikārī), or
a topmost devotee (uttam-adhikārī). Amongst the servi-
tors of Kṛṣṇa, some are inclined towards Rādhārāṇī, some
towards Chandrāvalī, and some are in the middle. Some
devotees are more attracted to Vraja-līlā, some to Gaura-
līlā, and some are in the middle. This is the nature of the
Lord’s Pastimes. These differences will exist eternally.

Gaura-līlā higher than Kṛṣṇa-līlā
Some devotees have a preaching nature, whereas others
may be of the secluded type, but that does not mean that
all who are of the secluded nature are lower and all who
are of the preaching nature are higher. We can’t say that.
They should be judged according to their surrender and
acceptance of Kṛṣṇa. Both Gaura-līlā and Kṛṣṇa-līlā are the
highest in Goloka, but if we are bold enough to assert that

188 śrī guru and his grace

Gaura-līlā is higher than Kṛṣṇa-līlā because of its mag-
nanimous dealings, because it is distributing itself, then
it should be given more importance. In that considera-
tion, it is superior to Kṛṣṇa-līlā. And if we are to follow
very strictly this point, then, of course, we may have to
appreciate the preaching section of the Vaiṣṇavas, consid-
ering that they are doing the most beneCcial work in the
universe (loka-hitāya cha).

“The preachers are more fortunate because through
them Kṛṣṇa is trying to release many fallen souls.” A rel-
ative form of vision may be seen in that way: “Gaura-līlā
is higher than Kṛṣṇa-līlā.” Why? Because it is spacious
and broad; it is available to everyone. And in Gaura-līlā,
Kṛṣṇa is distributing Himself to the fallen. This is some-
thing in addition to Kṛṣṇa-līlā. Then, whenever we Cnd
that good fortune has made someone an agent to raise up
the fallen souls, we may have some greater appreciation
for him. Some justiCcation for considering the preachers
to be more fortunate may come if we consider that Kṛṣṇa
is better when preaching than when playing within His
own group.

Naturally we will have preference for the preachers
who have brought Kṛṣṇa consciousness here amongst
us. Kṛṣṇa has chosen certain devotees as His agents to
preach about Him to the fallen souls. And that is more
desirable for us, in our present position. So, if we develop

lives of the saints 189

our perspective in that line, of course we can say that
fallen souls like us will give more stress to those who are
the cause for our delivery. To think that some agents are
preferable to others because the symptom of magnanimity
is more easily traceable in them is a relative view in the
ultimate context of reality.

Although sometimes we may judge Vaiṣṇavas accord-
ing to their different activities, we are not always correct,
because a devotee is chosen for a particular service by the
Lord, and whatever the Lord wants to do through him is
done by His will. This is the underlying principle: it is
His selection. Sometimes the selection comes to A, some-
times to B, and sometimes to C. We are all at the disposal
of the Lord’s inCnite will, and according to His sweet will,
according to how Kṛṣṇa wants to utilise us, our activities
will be successful. That is the absolute consideration. We
cannot fail to connect success with the medium; there is
also some value in that, but we must consider that Kṛṣṇa
is there in the background. We must always understand
that the divine will, the highest will, is working through
us. So we should not be extreme in judging a devotee
according to external considerations.

Bābājīs and preachers
Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj did not preach, but his
disciple, our Spiritual Master, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta

Śrīla Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj. His only disciple, Śrīla
Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur, said of him, “All spiritual
knowledge is contained within a particle of the dust of his lotus feet.”
Saraswatī Ṭhākur Prabhupād, preached with great mag-
nitude. Śrīla Lokanāth Goswāmī did not preach at all,
but we Cnd that the preaching of his only disciple, Śrīla
Narottam Dās Ṭhākur, was most extensive. So a Vaiṣṇava
should not be judged only by the amount of work that
he shows outwardly. His success is at the disposal of the
divine will. Kṛṣṇa awards service to a particular person

lives of the saints 191

according to His own choice, and enables that person to
carry out that service. There are many examples of this.

Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu preached throughout the
length and breadth of Bengal with great force, but Śrīla
Gadādhar Paṇḍit, although apparently not doing any
tangible service in the līlā of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu,
is said to be Rādhārāṇī’s bhāva, transcendental senti-
ments, incarnate. And Gadādhar Paṇḍit’s afCnity for
Mahāprabhu exceeds that of all others.

So, we should not judge the position of a Vaiṣṇava by
the magnitude of his external activities alone. Of course,
we cannot ignore the service rendered by a devotee. That
is a noble thing, that is a great thing, but ultimately the key
is in the hand of the Lord (ekalā Īśvara Kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya).

Kṛṣṇa is dancing
Kṛṣṇa is at the root of everything, and whatever He wills is
successful. Kṛṣṇa wants to dance in a particular way with
a particular servitor, and He successfully dances accord-
ing to His own sweet will. Kṛṣṇa is the wire-puller, the
controller. The key is in His hand. He controls both uni-
versal and speciCc dealings. By understanding this, we
can save ourselves from pratiṣṭhā, or false prestige, the
thirst after name and fame. If we are fully conscious of
the fact that everything is in the Lord’s hands, then we
cannot feel any pride.

192 śrī guru and his grace

So to teach us that it is not very easy to recognise
a real Vaiṣṇava by his external dress or manners alone,
Gadādhar Paṇḍit apparently misunderstood the position
of Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi, an exalted associate of the Lord.

Gadādhar Paṇḍit was taken by Mukunda Datta to
see Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. Mukunda Datta came from
the same village as Puṇḍarīk. Mukunda knew him, and
so he asked Gadādhar Paṇḍit, “Would you like to see
a real Vaiṣṇava?” Gadādhar Paṇḍit told him, “Yes, I am
always eager to have the darśan of a real Vaiṣṇava.” Then
Gadādhar Paṇḍit followed Mukunda Datta to the quar-
ters of Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi, and he was dumbfounded
by what he saw. “What is this?” He thought. “Here is an
aristocrat with curled, scented hair, and a stylish, princely
dress, smoking a pipe decorated with a golden thread
and the whole room is Clled with a sweet scent. He is
a Vaiṣṇava?”

Mukunda Datta could understand Gadādhar’s heart
and began to sing a verse from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
(3.2.23):

aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ
jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī
lebhe gatiṁ dhātry-uchitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ
kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

“Oh, how amazing it is! The sister of Bakāsura (Pūtanā),
desiring to kill Śrī Kṛṣṇa, smeared poison on her breasts

lives of the saints 193

and forced Kṛṣṇa to drink their milk. Even so, Lord Kṛṣṇa
accepted her as His mother, and so she reached the desti-
nation suitable for Kṛṣṇa’s mother. Of whom should I take
shelter but the most merciful Kṛṣṇa?”

Rolling in ecstasy
Upon hearing this, Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi became very
serious. His movements stopped, and then some shiver-
ing was apparent in his body. The whole atmosphere was
changed. He began to throw his hands and feet left and
right. He cast his smoking pipe aside and began to roll on
his bed, tearing off his silk clothing and the silk sheets, and
pulling out his beautifully curled and decorated hair. He
began to cry, “Of whom should I take shelter but the most
magnanimous Lord? Where should I take refuge without
such a Lord?” With this on his lips, he was rolling on the
Ioor in ecstasy.

After a long time, he gradually subsided, and
Gadādhar thought to himself, “What did I think about
this great personality? He has so much love for Kṛṣṇa
within. Although externally he appears as an ordinary
man, a slave of luxury, internally he is a great devotee.
What intense love he has for Kṛṣṇa!” Then he thought,
“I have committed Vaiṣṇava-aparādh, an offence to a great
devotee. How can I free myself? I thought ill of him. What
is the remedy for that offence?” So, he thought to himself

194 śrī guru and his grace

and then told Mukunda, “I have committed an offence
against this great mahātmā. How can I get out of that?
I am thinking that generally those who come to this devo-
tional line have to formally accept some preceptor, but
I have not yet taken initiation from any Vaiṣṇava. If I take
initiation from him, he will forgive me and my offences.
He won’t take any offence from me if I surrender unto
his holy feet. Then only can I get release from this crime.
But I have to consult my Master Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu.
So, he went to consult with Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.

Sometime before this, Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu was
seen calling the name of Puṇḍarīk and crying, “Puṇḍarīk,
My father! Puṇḍarīk! Where are you?” In this way He was
suddenly crying. Ordinary people could not understand.
They began to ask, “Who is that Puṇḍarīk? For whom is
the Lord wailing so much? Why is Nimāi Paṇḍit wailing
‘Puṇḍarīk! Puṇḍarīk!’?”

Within a few days, Puṇḍarīk came from another vil-
lage to his Nabadwīp house. Mukunda Datta was his
co-villager, so he knew Puṇḍarīk. When the devotees
enquired, “Who is this Puṇḍarīk?” Mukunda Datta
answered, “Puṇḍarīk has got a small estate; he is a well-
to-do, married man.” So, Gadādhar Paṇḍit asked Śrī
Chaitanya Mahāprabhu about Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi,
saying, “I have committed an offence against the great
Vaiṣṇava, Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi, so for my own spiritual

lives of the saints 195

good I feel the necessity to take initiation from him. But
without consulting You, and getting Your consent, I can’t
do anything. I put it before You. What should I do?”

Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu welcomed the idea, say-
ing, “Yes, this is very good. You must accept him as your
Guru.” It is said by authoritative sources that Puṇḍarīk
Vidyānidhi was the father of Rādhārāṇī, that he was the
incarnation of Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāj. So, Gadādhar Paṇḍit
took initiation from Puṇḍarīk Vidyānidhi. In this way, we
should not be extreme in judging a devotee only from his
external activities.

The Line of Śrī Rūpa
The impersonalist transcendentalists say that once we
are independent of the Iesh connection, the conscious-
ness of the human soul is the highest thing and that no
Cner, higher thing can exist. But the scriptures say that
the Supersoul, or Paramātmā, is superior in existence
to the individual soul, and that the Bhagavān concep-
tion, the personal conception of God, is even higher. This
begins with the Vāsudev conception: Kṛṣṇa alone. The
Nārāyaṇ conception is again higher, and the Kṛṣṇa con-
ception is the highest. And even in the Kṛṣṇa conception
there are divisions: Dvārakā, Mathurā, and Vṛndāvan. Śrī
Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam assert
that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead: Kṛṣṇas
tu Bhagavān Svayam.

The Vṛndāvan conception of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme
Entity is the highest because beauty is above all. Beauty is
above all grandeur and power. Neither physical, mental,
or intellectual power, nor any other power, but beauty and
love is the ultimate controlling power. Absolute good is
absolute beauty, and that is the absolute controller. Mercy
is above justice.

197

198 śrī guru and his grace

Generally, we cannot conceive that anything could be
greater than justice; we think that justice must be the high-
est principle. But we are told that mercy is above justice.
And who can show mercy? Not an ordinary person, but
only a king. One who can compensate for the loss in justice
can give mercy. And the highest court is able to compen-
sate everything. Such a realm exists. And there, the Lord
is engaged in Pastimes with His paraphernalia of equal
quality. There is such a law, a provision beyond the sense
of justice in our puppy brain.

Uddhava is recognised as the principal devotee of the
Lord, and his statement about mercy is found in the Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam (3.2.23):

aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ
jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī
lebhe gatiṁ dhātry-uchitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ
kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

He says, “Where else should I surrender? How can I sur-
render to anyone more merciful than Kṛṣṇa, when I Cnd
that the demoness Pūtanā in the garb of maternal affection
went to kill Kṛṣṇa, but instead received such a wonder-
ful benediction that she was given a higher post as one
of Kṛṣṇa’s mothers? My Lord is so kind, so benevolent.
Where else should I surrender? Her poisoned breast was
put into the mouth of the infant child Kṛṣṇa, and she was
blessed with such a high and affectionate post! So, how

the line of śrī rūpa 199

can we measure His grace, His inCnite mercy? His ways
and mercy are beyond all expectations.” Rather than treat-
ing her with justice, we Cnd just the opposite. He showed
magnanimous behaviour towards His greatest enemy. So,
beyond justice there is mercy, and such a high degree of
mercy, such a quality and intensity of mercy that it cannot
be measured. Uddhava prays, “Where should I Cnd such
a standard of grace as this? I must fall Iat at the divine
feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Why should any man of intelligence
not run to fall Iat at the feet of such a magnanimous per-
sonality as Kṛṣṇa? His nature is that of the highest love.”

Department of mercy
We, the Cnite, should approach the inCnite with this spirit:
“If justice is applied, I have no hope. I omit that depart-
ment. I have come only to seek my fortune in the depart-
ment of mercy, where there is no calculation of right or
wrong, of merit or demerit. I have come to that depart-
ment, my Lord, because I do not know what is within me.
When I analyse and study my own heart, I Cnd that I am
unknown to my own self. I am so helpless and wretched
that I don’t even know my self. How then should I ven-
ture to appeal to a department where something will be
granted only after a calculation of my merits and demer-
its? I don’t want that. I don’t want any decision based on
justice.

200 śrī guru and his grace

“I surrender. You may do whatever you like with me.
I am the worst of sinners. What to do with me now is in
your hands. You, Saviour, I have come to You. If there is
any possibility—save me. This is my open appeal, my
one-sided appeal.” This sort of self-abnegation will auto-
matically cleanse our hearts. By this attitude of śaraṇāgati,
or surrender, we invite the greatest attention from above.
Śaraṇāgati, surrender, is the only way to be reinstated in
our lost prospect.

At present, we are disconnected from the prospect of
divine love which we cherish in the innermost quarter
of our hearts. If we want to have that privilege very eas-
ily and very quickly, we must approach the Lord with
plain speaking, and with a naked body and mind, with
everything exposed. Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī in Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.152) has written:

mat-tulyo nāsti pāpātmā nāparādhī cha kaśchana
parihāre ’pi lajjā me kiṁ bruve puruṣottama

“My Lord, I feel ashamed. How shall I offer You so many
pure things like Iowers? Generally, pure things are offered
to You, but what about me? I have come with the most
Clthy thing to offer to You. I feel ashamed. I have come to
You, with only my shame, to beg for Your mercy. There
is no parallel to my sinful life, criminal life. Everything
that can be conceived of as bad is found in me. It is very
difCcult even to speak about the characteristics of my

the line of śrī rūpa 201

heinous sins and crimes. Still, Your nature, existence,
fame, and benevolence cannot but attract me. You can
save me. You can purify me. Hoping against hope, I have
come to You. And I have only one solace, that I am the real
object of Your mercy. Your tendency is to purify the mean-
est. Those who are the most needy have some claim to
Your mercy. I am the worst of the needy and the meanest
of the mean. This is my only qualiCcation, my only hope
to attract Your attention and appeal to Your magnanimity.”

Rūpa Goswāmī says in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
(1.2.151) that still there is some sort of subconscious
element within him:

yuvatīnāṁ yathā yūni yūnaṁ cha yuvatau yathā
mano ’bhiramate tadvan mano ’bhiramatāṁ tvayi

“Just as a young boy feels attraction for a young girl, I want
that sort of attraction towards You. I want to be engrossed in
You, forgetting all material paraphernalia.” And by sincere
surrender, at once our progress begins. And the develop-
ment of that kind of attraction takes us to the topmost rank.

“I want that intimate connection with You, my Lord. I am
the neediest of the needy, but at the same time I have this
ambition. I am so disgusted with the world outside that I
want the most intense and comprehensive relationship with
You.” With this attitude the surrendering process begins
and rises step by step. “I want that standard of divine love,
of intimacy with You. I want to dive deep within You.”

202 śrī guru and his grace

Appearing and disappearing scriptures
govinda-vallabhe rādhe prārthaye tvām ahaṁ sadā
tvadīyam iti jānātu govindo māṁ tvayā saha

This prayer is found in the Archana-paddhati, which comes
from Gopāl Bhaṭṭa Goswāmī’s edition of the Hari-bhakti-
vilāsa. From there it has sprung through him. It is there
in the śāstra, which is an eternal Iow of a particular cur-
rent of knowledge. Everything is eternal in Vaikuṇṭha and
Goloka. Just as the sun comes up and goes down, appears
and disappears, the thought is eternal and sometimes
appears and disappears.

In this verse, Govinda-vallabhe Rādhe, there is a sudden
turn. Kṛṣṇa says to His devotee, “Oh, do you want an inti-
mate relationship with Me? It is not to be found within
My department. You will have to go to another depart-
ment. Go then to the department of Rādhikā.” Then at
once the devotee’s thought is transferred towards that side.
All his energy is monopolised there. It is Her monopoly.
“Your inner quest is not to be found within My depart-
ment”, Kṛṣṇa says. “You’ll have to go elsewhere and Cle
a petition there.”

And, with this inspiration, at once the devotee puts
his petition to Rādhārāṇī. “Govinda-vallabhe Rādhe: O Śrī
Rādhe, Your master and sustainer is Govinda. He is the
Lord of Your heart.” Govinda means, “He who can give

Śrīla Gopāl Bhaṭṭa Goswāmī, one of the six goswāmīs, wrote,
“O Śrī Rādhe, You are the Queen of the heart of Govinda. Please
engage me in Your service.”
fulClment to all our senses.” With our senses we can feel
perception as well as knowledge. Govinda is the mas-
ter who gives fulClment to all our channels of percep-
tion. “Govinda is Your Lord. But just the opposite is also
true. You are the Mistress of the heart of Govinda, the
Supreme Master. Is it not? You are the Queen of the heart

204 śrī guru and his grace

of Govinda. I have been directed to come to You with my
petition. Please enlist my name in Your department and
admit me as a servitor in Your group.”

Flowing river of nectar
rādhe vṛndāvanādhīśe karuṇāmṛta-vāhini
kṛpayā nija-pādābja-dāsyaṁ mahyaṁ pradīyatām

“O Rādhe, O Queen of Vṛndāvan, You are like a Iowing
river Clled with the nectar of mercy. Please be kind upon
me, and bestow upon me some small service at Your lotus
feet.” You are the Queen of the whole management of
ecstasy (rasotsav). Rasa means ecstasy. That is an unlim-
ited Iow of ecstasy. That is the speciality of Vṛndāvan:
ādi-rasa, the original rasa, madhura-rasa, conjugal mellow.
All rasas are branches of that rasa, in its peculiar develop-
ing character. If analysed, all rasas will be found within
madhura-rasa. And madhura-rasa has been recognised
as the highest mellow of devotion.

In his conversation with Rāmānanda Rāy, Śrī
Chaitanya Mahāprabhu rejected devotion contaminated
with reason. He said, “Eho bāhya, āge kaha āra: this is
superCcial; go further.” Mahāprabhu accepted that real
bhakti begins from the stage of pure devotion, unmixed
with reason. When Rāmānanda suggested dāsya-rasa,
Mahāprabhu said, “This is good, but go further.” Then
Rāmānanda mentioned sakhya-rasa: Mahāprabhu said,

the line of śrī rūpa 205

“This is also good, but go further.” Then he came to
vātsalya-rasa, the sonhood of Godhead. “This is very
good”, Mahāprabhu said, “But go further.” Then he came
to madhura-rasa. “Yes”, Mahāprabhu said, “this is best.”
At that stage in the development of rasa, Vṛndāvan is the
most suitable place.

Madhura-rasa is found most extensively in Vṛndāvan.
So, it is said, “Rādhe Vṛndāvanādhīśe: You are the Queen
of that sort of līlā which is found in Vṛndāvan. There, the
highest type of nectar is Iowing. You are like a Iowing
river of nectar.”

Distributing ecstasy
The very nature of Kṛṣṇa has been described as “Ecstasy
Himself.” He is tasting the innate ecstasy of Himself. He
knows His ecstasy and He feels it, but to distribute that
innate ecstasy outside, a particular potency is indispen-
sable, and that is known as hlādinī. The gist of hlādinī-
śakti, or Kṛṣṇa’s internal ecstasy potency, is Rādhikā, who
is drawing the innermost rasa, the ecstasy of the highest
order, extracting it from within and distributing it outside.

So, it is said, “Karuṇāmṛta-vāhini: ecstasy mixed with
magnanimity is Iowing from that great fountain, and just
as a river Iowing from the mountains may carry with its
current many valuable minerals to the outside world, the
hlādinī potency carries rasa out from the abode of the rasa-
svarūp, Kṛṣṇa Himself, ecstasy personiCed.” The Iow of

206 śrī guru and his grace

that river of nectar carries ecstasy and rasa, the Iow of
sweetness and magnanimity, to distribute to others.

Then, another categorical change is effected within
the mind of a devotee. In the meantime, in the course
of his progress, he realises, “Oh! Kṛṣṇa is of secondary
concern to me. I Cnd my primary connection with You,
Śrī Rādhe. I want Your direct service and not the direct
service of Kṛṣṇa.” This awakening of the heart, intimate
adherence and obligation to the next nearest agent, devel-
ops in a surrendered soul. At this stage the devotee thinks,

“I shall derive more beneCt by giving my closest attention
to the nearest agent, my Gurudev. I shall thrive thereby.”
And it is his concern to sanction the upper connections.
Of course, our intentions should be pure and genuine,
and the business of that agent is to give us a favourable,
normal connection with the hierarchy of service.

All our attention should be concentrated in the service
of our Guru. This should be the idea. Our Crst tendency is
to approach Kṛṣṇa. In that stage, the Crst thing to under-
stand is that we are helpless. Of course, all things must
be sincere. First there is the stage of helplessness, then
we want the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, sweetness personiCed, then
we are attracted to sweetness of a particular type, and to
approach that department. There, we pray for the Cnal,
closest connection or permanent membership as a servi-
tor there. This has been taught by Śrīla Raghunāth Dās
Goswāmī as the highest achievement of the living being.

the line of śrī rūpa 207

Dās Goswāmī lived for sixteen years continuously
in the association of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and
Svarūp Dāmodar. After they disappeared from this world,
Raghunāth Dās, disgusted with his future prospect, went
to Vṛndāvan to Cnish his life. But when he met Rūpa and
Sanātan there, he saw another vision, a dream of a new
life. Then he found, “Although Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu
and Svarūp Dāmodar have disappeared from my physi-
cal eyes, they are living here in Rūpa and Sanātan, within
their activities, in their preaching tendency. Mahāprabhu
is here, as living as anything.” He had to reject the idea of
Cnishing his life, and with new vigour he began to serve
in Vṛndāvan.

And Dās Goswāmī has given us the understanding
of our highest aspiration. He says, “O, Rādhikā, I want
Your service. If You are not satisCed with me, I do not
want Kṛṣṇa, nor His land, Vraja.” This is his prayer, and
he is admitted as the Prayojan-āchārya, the Guru who
has shown us what is the highest aim of our life, prayojan-
tattva, the ultimate destination. And this śloka proves
his position as the giver of our destination.

An ocean of nectar
āśā-bharair amṛta-sindhu-mayaiḥ kathañchit
kālo mayāti-gamitaḥ kila sāmprataṁ hi
tvan chet kṛpāṁ mayi vidhāsyasi naiva kiṁ me
prāṇair vraje na cha varoru bakārināpi?

208 śrī guru and his grace

This śloka is a direct prayer to Rādhārāṇī. It expresses
a particular type of hope which is so sweet and reassur-
ing that it is compared with an unlimited ocean of nectar.
He says, “With that hope I am somehow passing my days,
Iagging my days, dragging my life through these tedious
times only for that hope. That hope is sustaining me, the
nectarean ocean of hope is attracting me and sustaining
me. Somehow I am dragging my days to my only safety.

“Otherwise, I have lost the direct association of
Mahāprabhu, Svarūp Dāmodar, and so many other great
souls, and still I am living. Why? I have a particular ray
of hope. And the prospect and quality of my hope is very
great and high. But my patience has reached its end. I can’t
endure it any longer. I can’t wait. I am Cnished; I can’t wait
anymore. At this moment if You do not show Your grace
to me, I am Cnished. I shall lose the chance forever. I shall
have no desire to continue my life. It will all be useless.

“Without Your grace, I can’t stand to live another
moment. And Vṛndāvan, which is even dearer to me than
my life itself—I am disgusted with it. It is painful; it is
always pinching me. What to speak of anything else, I am
even disgusted with Kṛṣṇa. It is shameful to utter such
words, but I can have no love even for Kṛṣṇa, until and
unless You take me up within Your conCdential camp of
service. Such charm I have come for. I have seen the clue
of such charm within the service of Your camp. Without

the line of śrī rūpa 209

that, everything is tasteless to me. And I can’t maintain
my existence even in Vṛndāvan. And even Kṛṣṇa, what to
speak of others, has no charm for me.” This is the prayer
of Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī.

Service of Rādhārāṇī
So, Rādhā-dāsyam, the servitorship of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī,
is said to be the highest attainment of the living being by
the school established by Mahāprabhu. It is the gist of the
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. It is Kṛṣṇa’s own version. He says in
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.14.15):
na tathā me priyatama ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ
na cha saṅkarṣano na śrīr naivātmā cha yathā bhavān

“O Uddhava! Neither Brahmā, nor Śiva, nor Baladev, nor
Lakṣmī, nor even My own self are as dear to Me as you
are.” And that Uddhava gloriCes Vṛndāvan, the Vraja-
gopīs, and Rādhārāṇī in this way in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
(10.47.61):
āsām aho charaṇa-reṇu-juṣām ahaṁ syāṁ
vṛndāvane kim api gulma-latauṣadhīnām
yā dustyajaṁ sva-janam ārya-pathaṁ cha hitvā
bhejur mukunda-padavīṁ śrutibhir vimṛgyām

“The gopīs of Vṛndāvan have given up the association
of their husbands, sons, and other family members, who

210 śrī guru and his grace

are very difCcult to renounce, and they have sacriCced
even their religious principles to take shelter of the lotus
feet of Kṛṣṇa, which are sought after even by the Vedas.
Oh! Grant me the fortune to be born as a blade of grass in
Vṛndāvan, so that I may take the dust of those great souls
upon my head.

The search for Śrī Rādhā
Uddhava has shown us the high position of the gopīs.
And between all the gopīs and Rādhārāṇī there is also
a categorical difference. That was proved in the Rāsa-līlā.
When Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs openly displayed their trans-
action of heart, with that divine rasa Iowing and inun-
dating all directions, Rādhārāṇī was also there. She gave
the highest contribution to the common rasa-vilās display
of the parakīya-madhura-rasa, paramour mellow. Then,
suddenly, dissatisfaction came in Rādhārāṇī’s heart. She
began to think, “Am I also counted in the common Iow of
rasa?” Some reaction came within Her mind and suddenly
She left. After displaying Her peculiar type of superex-
cellent dancing and singing, introducing a Iow of a new
type there, suddenly She departed. She left the circle of
the Rāsa dance. And Kṛṣṇa suddenly found, “Rādhārāṇī
is not here. It is tasteless.” The Iow of rasa was there, but
the gist, the quality, is a little down. He felt, “Why is it not
so satisfactory to My inner heart?” He felt some ebb in the

the line of śrī rūpa 211

tide. And then by inspection He found that Rādhārāṇī was
absent. Disappointed, He left the circle of the Rāsa dance
and went to search after Her.

Although the parakīya-madhura-rasa, the highest
mellow of conjugal love, Vṛndāvan, and the gopīs were
all there, still there is a categorical difference in qual-
ity between the other gopīs and the particular camp of
Rādhārāṇī. In every way there is a categorical difference,
both in quality and quantity. Jayadev Goswāmī, in his
Gītā-govinda (3.1) has described how Kṛṣṇa left the circle
of the Rāsa dance:

kaṁsārir api saṁsāra-vāsanābaddha-śṛṅkhalām
rādhām ādhāya hṛdaye tatyāja vraja-sundarīḥ

“Lord Kṛṣṇa took Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī within His heart,
for He wanted to dance with Her. In this way, He left
the arena of the Rāsa dance and the company of all the
other beautiful damsels of Vraja.” Jayadev has described
in this way that Kṛṣṇa left the circle of the Rāsa dance,
taking Rādhā within His heart. Kṛṣṇa departed in search
of Rādhārāṇī. Her position is so exalted. It is said, “Lord
Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental desires for loving exchanges could
not be satisCed even in the midst of billions of gopīs. Thus
He went searching after Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Just imagine
how transcendentally qualiCed She is! (śata-koṭi-gopīte nahe
kāma-nirvāpaṇa).”

212 śrī guru and his grace

The other gopīs numbered so many, but in quality they
were a little less. Their total combination could not satisfy
Kṛṣṇa. The qualitative difference was there. That is found.

The Rūpānuga sampradāya, the followers of the line
of Śrī Rūpa, are those who have the unique taste of ser-
vice in the camp of Rādhārāṇī. In that plane, there is no
entrance of any mundane exploitation or renunciation,
and not even legalised śāstric devotion. The highest kind
of devotion is not controlled by any law. It is spontane-
ous and automatic. SacriCce to the highest degree is only
possible in that camp. The highest kind of divine senti-
ment is distributed from the camp of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī,
and that can never be compared with any attainment
hitherto known even in the eternal factor of time and
space.

Then, there is another stage for which we should be
prepared. Why should we try to enter into the camp of
Rādhārāṇī? Should we think that there, in that better
atmosphere, we shall have Kṛṣṇa’s presence more con-
Cdentially? Should we think, “I will have contact with
Kṛṣṇa very intimately?” Should we want to enter into that
camp? No—we want to avoid the connection of Kṛṣṇa,
but concentrate on the service of Rādhārāṇī. Why? What
more beneCt is possible there in the service of Rādhārāṇī?
If we approach Kṛṣṇa directly to give service to Him, we
shall be losers. Rādhārāṇī’s service to Kṛṣṇa is of the

the line of śrī rūpa 213

highest order in every way. If we devote our energy to
help Rādhārāṇī, our energy will be utilised in Her service.
In this way She will serve Kṛṣṇa with Her service more
enhanced. Then the reciprocation will pass to us through
Her as our reward. That will be devotion of the highest
type, mahābhāva.

So, the general inclination of the sakhīs, the conCden-
tial maidservants of Rādhārāṇī, is not to come in direct
connection with Kṛṣṇa. They avoid that. But still, it is the
benevolent and generous nature of Rādhārāṇī to connect
them with Kṛṣṇa on some plea at some time or other. But
their innate nature is always to avoid Kṛṣṇa and concen-
trate on the service of Rādhārāṇī. This is conCrmed in the
Chaitanya-charitāmṛta (Madhya-līlā, 8.208):

rādhāra svarūpa—kṛṣṇa-prema kalpa-latā
sakhī-gaṇa haya tāra pallava-puṣpa-pātā

“By nature, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is just like a creeper of
love of Godhead, and the gopīs are the twigs, Iowers,
and leaves of that creeper.” Eternally the twigs, Iowers,
and leaves sprout from the creeper of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
She is the trunk, and they are the branches. This is their
relationship.

Yet still, there is another, higher thing. We are known
as Rūpānugas, or the followers of Śrī Rūpa. Why? The
service of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī eliminates everything, even

214 śrī guru and his grace

Nārāyaṇ, to go to Kṛṣṇa. There is the Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā,
the Kṛṣṇa of Mathurā, and the Kṛṣṇa of Vṛndāvan.
Then again in Vṛndāvan, where there is free mixing
without hesitation in other camps, Rādhārāṇī’s camp is
the highest. Eliminating all other camps, direct service
to Rādhārāṇī is considered to be the highest. Still, there
is another point.

Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī—Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī
Who is Rūpa? Rūpa Mañjarī. Generally the hierarchy in
the spiritual world is eternal. New recruits can occupy
a particular rank of mañjarī, assistant, in madhura-rasa.
And the leader of the mañjarīs is Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. What
is the special feature in the mañjarī camp which is not
found among the sakhīs, girlfriends of Kṛṣṇa? First there
is Rādhārāṇī, then the camp of Her right-hand personal
attendant, Lalitā. Then, under Lalitā, there is Śrī Rūpa
Mañjarī. What is the unique position of the followers of
Śrī Rūpa? The new recruits can attain to that status. Now,
the privilege of this mañjarī class we are to conceive most
respectfully and attentively.

When Rādhā and Govinda are in secrecy, in a private
place, the sakhīs, who are well-versed in the art of that
kind of play because they are a little grown-up, do not
like to approach there to disturb Their conCdential mix-
ing. If the more grown-up sakhīs enter there, both Rādhā

Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī, the foremost servant of Śrī Chaitanya
Mahāprabhu and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda.
and Govinda will feel shy. So their presence may create
some disturbance. But the younger girls can enter there,
and then Rādhā and Govinda have no hesitation in free
mixing. So in that highest stage of the mixing of Rādhā-
Govinda, the free play of Rādhā-Govinda, these mañjarīs,
the younger girls, can have admission. But the grown-up
sakhīs cannot have admission there.

216 śrī guru and his grace

New recruits may come up to the mañjarī class. And
the mañjarīs have that sort of special advantage under
the leadership of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. So, they get the best
advantage there; the most sacred type of pure service,
which is not open even to the sakhīs, is open to the mañ-
jarīs. That is found in Rādhārāṇī’s camp. So, the position of
the Rūpānugas, the followers of Śrī Rūpa, is the most prof-
itable position. That has been given out by Śrī Chaitanya
Mahāprabhu. That has been shown by Him, and that is
Cxed as the highest limit of our fortune in Kṛṣṇa’s concern.
This is unexpectable, undesignable, and beyond hope, but
our prospect lies there in that subtle camp of Śrī Rūpa
Mañjarī, Rūpa Goswāmī.

So, the camp, the sampradāya of Śrī Chaitanya
Mahāprabhu, is known as the Rūpānuga sampradāya.
There our fate and our fortune are located. Now we have
to conduct ourselves in such a way that naturally we can
connect with that highest, purest spiritual conception
from here. We must not allow ourselves to be satisCed
with anything less than this highest ideal. That should
be the highest goal of our life. And we must adjust our
approach from our present position.

Spiritual inheritance
We are minors. Our father has left us with so many impor-
tant documents about the properties we are to inherit.
As minors, we should try to Cnd out what properties

the line of śrī rūpa 217

belong to us in those documents. When we come of age,
then we shall take possession of our rightful inheritance.
The rāgānuga-śāstra, the scriptures of spontaneous devo-
tional love, has been given to us, left to us, by our Guru,
our guardian, our father. And as we grow more and
more in the spiritual line, we will have to detect what is
our prospect, what is our real wealth. We must recover
that. We must have that. It is there in the document. It is
ours. This is our position. We are minors, but we must
become majors and demand the service meant for us by
our Guardians.
Devotee: We are putting in our claim with you. We think
that in the absence of our father, the court has appointed
a guardian, in order to keep us out of mischief and also
to regulate our inheritance.
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: This is not mine. This is the
property of my Gurudev. And Bhaktivedānta Swāmī
Prabhupād gave you a clue. He has distributed the key
widely and given a clue: “With the key come and open
the iron chest and Cnd out what valuable ornaments
and gems are within the chest.” Of course, no one will
understand us when we say such things. Who will come
to appreciate? They’ll say, “Oh, this is all the product of
a disorganised brain. These people are trying to take elec-
tricity from the sky, leaving aside this concrete earth. They
are like the chātak bird.” Rūpa Goswāmī says that there is

218 śrī guru and his grace

a class of bird known as chātak, who never take a drop of
water from the earth. Their nature is that whenever they
want a drop of water, they always cast their eyes to the
clouds. “One drop of pure water!”—that is their cry. And
so they wait, with their beaks towards the sky, towards
the clouds. And they never use any water from the earth.
So, our line is like that. The spirit of that bird is described
in the following way by Rūpa Goswāmī:

A drop of Your grace
virachaya mayi daṇḍaṁ dīnabandho dayāṁ vā
gatir iha na bhavattaḥ kāchid anyā mamāsti
nipatatu śata-koṭir nirbharaṁ vā navāmbhas
tad api kila payodaḥ stūyate chātakena

“You may punish me, O cloud, You may punish me. If
a thunderbolt comes, I’ll be nowhere. You can throw down
thunder, or You can give me water. But how much can
I drink with my small beak? A Iood of rain may come.
O Lord of the poor, Lord of the helpless, You can give
me a drop of Your devotion, or You may punish me like
anything.”

He is always praying for water. The cloud may sat-
isfy him immediately or, by sending a thunderbolt, it may
Cnish him and efface him from the earth. The bird has no
other alternative by nature. So he says, “My position is
also like that bird. O Kṛṣṇa, You may Cnish me, destroy

the line of śrī rūpa 219

me, efface me from the world, or You may save me by
only a drop of Your grace. I won’t search after my satis-
faction in the mud. That is Cnished. I will never go back to
search for my fortune in the earth, in the mundane. I am
already Cxed to do or die. Either I must receive a drop of
Your grace, or You may Cnish me.” In this way, Śrīla Rūpa
Goswāmī prays that Kṛṣṇa’s mercy will descend like rain
from the clouds, and not only quench his thirst, but bathe
him, satisfy his utmost hankering, and fulCl his innermost
necessity.

So, we should never search for our fortune in the mud.
We must always look to the high sky and pray for Śrī Guru
and his grace.

Explanation of the Logo of
Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh

by His Divine Grace

Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj

Om is the very gist of gāyatrī, and from that Om comes
merciful rays, like the rays of the sun. Śrī Chaitanya
Sāraswat Maṭh, where saṅkīrtan is always going on,
is inside the Iute of Kṛṣṇa, and from there comes this
sound Om. Om, the meaning of gāyatrī, is coming from
Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, and from there the expla-
nation of gāyatrī has been given by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak
Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj:

220

gāyatrī muralīṣṭa-kīrtana-dhanaṁ rādhā-padaṁ dhīmahi
The position of the Guru is like water; the servitors of
Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh are like lotuses; and the
position of the worshippable Supreme Personality of
Godhead is the Divine Form of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Om.
Everything is within Om. Om is coming from the Iute
of Kṛṣṇa, and the meaning of Om, of gāyatrī, is: gāyatrī
muralīṣṭa-kīrtana-dhanaṁ Rādhā-padaṁ dhīmahi. Kṛṣṇa’s
Iute does not make any other sound except the gloriC-
cation of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and that is the real meaning
and gist of the gāyatrī mantram.

The sun’s merciful rays give nourishment to the lotus,
but if there is no water—if one cannot take shelter of Śrī
Guru and His Grace—then the lotus will become burnt
by the rays of the sun.

221

Śrī Chaitanya
Sāraswat Maṭh

Kolerganj, Nabadwip, Nadia, West Bengal, India

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