Giriraj Swami accepted Bhaktin Lori as a disciple and gave her the spiritual name Rohini-devi dasi at this auspicious ceremony in San Diego.
“Srila Prabhupada often quoted the Vedic injunction, tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. He said that the phrase evabhigacchet is emphatic. It is not optional but compulsory: if one wants to realize the goal of life one must approach a spiritual master.
“So, we were fortunate in our own lives to have come in touch with Srila Prabhupada. As disciplic succession works, the student learns from the teacher and then becomes assistant teacher, or teacher. Our process is simple: we repeat what we have heard from our spiritual master, in our case from Srila Prabhupada. It is very simple. Srila Prabhupada has given the example that a guru is like a postman who may not be very wealthy personally but who can deliver you a special envelope with a million dollars in it. His qualification is simply that he delivers what he has been given to present to you. If he brings you a new Mac computer, you will be happy. You won’t ask how much he makes every month. You will be happy: ‘Wow, I’ve got my new computer.’
“Similarly, the spiritual master presents the most valuable message of Krishna. His qualification is simply that he presents it as it is. He doesn’t add anything or subtract anything. He simply presents it as it is. To accept the message as it is and then follow it and repeat it, that is sravanam kirtanam. That is what nourishes the devotional creeper, purifies the heart, and enables us to taste the nectar for which we are eager. It enables us to relish the sweetness of the holy name and the pastimes of the Lord.”
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