Spiritual Master and Disciple—Part 07

Giriraj Swami: Then why should she enter the relationship? First, she should be satisfied, “Yes, he is all right, he’ll be faithful.” In that mood, enter the relationship. And then the woman is supposed to serve the husband. There are so many nice instructions in this section. So, the injunction in the Seventh Canto, Narada Muni’s instructions on varnashrama-dharma, is that it is the duty of the chaste wife to serve her husband who has not fallen.

So, the normal situation is that the wife should be a chaste and faithful servant of the husband, who should be a pure devotee. The extreme situation is when the husband becomes a drunkard or a debauchee or a woman hunter or something like that, then the wife doesn’t have to serve him. But the relationship from the beginning should be based on love and trust, not doubt and suspicion. And if the unlikely and unfortunate does happen, then the woman will have to deal with it when the time comes.

But if from the very beginning she is doubtful and fearful, then first of all, she shouldn’t enter the relationship, and second of all, if she did enter the relationship with that idea and she was always thinking, Where has he been? What’s he been doing? Maybe he has been seeing some other woman or maybe he has been drinking or doing some nonsense, then that sort of doubtfulness and suspiciousness could itself hamper the relationship when there would be no need of any disturbance at all because maybe the husband, or as we are discussing, the spiritual master, is not doing anything bad on the side.

But if the unlikely and unfortunate does take place, and just like the wife, her first request would be to try to plead with her husband, “Please don’t drink,” and then the same would apply to the disciple. The first recourse would be to confront the spiritual master and say, “We are seeing that you are not following certain things or that you are being carried away by certain things,” and speak with him.

Although in the case of ISKCON, because we have a large transcendental family with different grades of Vaishnavas and different relationships, so the disciples do have the opportunity to consult other senior devotees about their doubts and to have other senior devotees approach the spiritual master instead of the disciples approaching directly. And in the GBC resolutions, there are actually many directions for dealing with spiritual masters in the unfortunate event that they do start to deviate in order to prevent the deviation from coming to the worst conclusion.

Incidents of the past and because of the confusion that is existing now, in general, we are discussing the spiritual master in such terms as correcting him and so on. But this is necessary under the circumstances. But generally, when the disciple is convinced, “This is my spiritual master,” it means that the disciple sees the spiritual master as God’s representative and has faith in the spiritual master. And the type of analytical discussion that we are undergoing now is not appropriate then.

Because I don’t think that we could conclude that the instructions that Srila Prabhupada has given over and over again in his books and in his lectures and in his conversations are not meant to apply in ISKCON. They are meant to apply in ISKCON. And first and foremost, they should apply to Srila Prabhupada. So, if we actually see Srila Prabhupada as God’s representative and not as an ordinary man, then we won’t see the arrangements that he made for the continuation of ISKCON and the paramparā as ordinary either. Although there may have been growing pains.

And then again, Nara Hari Sarkar says that there are many examples of this in the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya, in the time of Lord Chaitanya. So, that means that the warnings, just like Lord Chaitanya’s warning to spiritual masters and His instructions to Kamala Kanta, so the warnings for spiritual masters are meant for spiritual masters. They are not meant just for ISKCON gurus, they are meant for all spiritual masters. So, we shouldn’t think that the Vedic injunctions governing the relationship between the disciple and the spiritual master don’t apply in ISKCON because we are dealing with things that have existed probably from the beginning, at least from the times of Lord Chaitanya. And the injunctions about not accepting too many disciples and so on have existed from the beginning.

Then the same Narada Muni’s instructions on varnashrama, the sannyasi should not accept unfit disciples or construct costly monasteries. So, those are regular injunctions, and Srila Prabhupada said we should be regular gurus, and the relationship between the disciples and the guru should also be regular.

“Maharaja, some people believe that many devotees in ISKCON have fallen down due to the fact that we take too many risks by being too close to the objects of the senses like women and wealth, while a real yogi, according to them, should live in a secluded place where he never sees such things. It is much easier to control the senses when the sense objects are out of reach, out of sight, out of mind. Please comment.”

Srila Prabhupada wanted us to preach, and we discussed that when we preach, sometimes we meet materialistic persons and engage them in devotional service, in opulent settings. But the whole point is our sincerity of purpose and our care in executing devotional service. We associate with them only for the sake of engaging them in devotional service, and if we accept opulence only for the sake of Krishna’s service, then we will be protected. But as soon as we accept disciples or accept opulence for the sake of sense gratification, then we become affected in our Krishna consciousness and we may fall down altogether.

So therefore, we should know our own position in devotional service, and we should act in the appropriate way. A devotee on a lesser level should not try to imitate a devotee on a higher level. We should be careful. Definitely, we should be careful. We should be more careful about the injunctions regarding varna and ashram. We may have misunderstood our actual position and thought that we were liberated and beyond the Vedic injunctions, and therefore, we may have transgressed certain Vedic injunctions thinking that we were above them and actually fallen down due to disregarding them.

For example, the injunction, again, found in the Seventh Canto as well as other places, is that a man should not be alone with a woman, not even his mother or his sister or his daughter. But if we think we are very advanced, we can sit alone with a woman and talk for hours, then we break the Vedic principle and we can fall down. So, the whole point is to follow strictly. If one follows strictly the Vedic principles and the instructions of one’s own spiritual master, then one will continue to make progress.

But one should always be careful, and even if one is liberated, he doesn’t think that he is liberated. That’s another point. One who is liberated never says, “I’m liberated.” He always feels that he is conditioned and therefore bound by the Vedic injunctions and subordinate to the order of the spiritual master. That is liberated.

Srila Prabhupada gave the example of Lord Chaitanya, guru more murkha dekhi karila śāśana, “My Guru Maharaja considered Me a great fool and he chastised Me.” So, Srila Prabhupada says Lord Chaitanya was murkha, He was a fool, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, why is He presenting Himself as a fool? Because the disciple is supposed to always feel himself to be a fool before the spiritual master and be ready to be chastised by him. Just like Advaita Acharya, He wanted to be chastised by Lord Chaitanya, and He took pleasure in being chastised.

So, the disciple, he should always be ready to be chastised by the guru, he should always consider himself foolish before the guru, and ready to follow his instructions. That is perfection. Because perfection is unlimited, Krishna is unlimited, and therefore service to Krishna is also unlimited. So, compared to how much there is to know about Krishna or how much service there is to do for Krishna, whatever we know or whatever we offer is very insignificant. So, there is no such thing as complete perfection, in that sense.

So therefore, the spiritual master or the disciple or the liberated soul never thinks that he is perfect. He always thinks that he is the servant of the perfect. He is the servant of Krishna, and the perfect servant of Krishna, namely his spiritual master, and that is perfection. So, if we actually appreciate how great Krishna is and how vast devotional service is, then we will naturally consider ourselves imperfect. And Srila Prabhupada said that the more one considers himself imperfect, the more he is advanced. The more he considers himself imperfect, he is actually perfect. And as soon as one thinks, I am perfect, he becomes a rascal and falls down.

So, as soon as we think, I’m liberated, I am perfect, I can do whatever I want, I’m beyond the guidance of guru, then we fall down. And as long as we think, I am the greatest fool and the most fallen rascal, and we are ready to be chastised by guru and guided by him, then we remain perfect or we remain on the perfect platform which will gradually lead us more and more into perfection.

So, we should never think that we are beyond the control of the shastra or the guru, that will keep us safe. But going away from big cities, going away from opulence, going away from materialistic people does not mean that we won’t fall down. That is impersonal. The same point was implied in what we read, that what to speak of controlling the senses, if we have full faith in the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. And if we deviate even slightly from this principle, even a slight deviation from this understanding can create disaster in the disciples’ Vedic studies and austerities.

So, some of the devotees who fell down had performed great austerities, they had acquired transcendental knowledge, but there was disaster. So, it may be that the disaster was caused not by the fact that they were coming in contact with materialistic persons and opulences, but because they deviated from the understanding of the spiritual master, or in particular, in their understanding of Prabhupada’s position and their position in relation to him. That is the mad elephant offense, and that can create complete disaster in one’s spiritual life. But we should be aware of the risk and we should be very careful and we should act in the way that is appropriate for us. And if we feel that by going out for long hours, by associating with materialistic persons, we are becoming affected, then we should take care.

Srila Prabhupada wanted our program to be balanced, that we chant and hear and associate with devotees in the morning and evening, and we engage in active service during the day. At one stage, some devotee or some sannyasi proposed that the devotees were not spending enough time studying and they should spend so many hours every day studying at the expense of book distribution. So, when asked, Srila Prabhupada wrote back, “This is nonsense. Who is proposing this? If they attend the class in the morning and in the evening, that is sufficient. And then the rest of the day, they should be engaged in active, practical devotional service.” So, we have to be faithful to Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and maintain the balance that Srila Prabhupada thought was healthy for us and not go too much in one direction or too much in the other direction.

There are still some more questions, but I think we have to hold them until tomorrow because we have to maintain our proper balance between discussing and preaching. Sri Sri Radhanath ki jaya!

There are some questions that were handed in on paper, which we haven’t replied to yet, so we’ll start with them. Two are from yesterday, and two are from the day before. From the day before:

“Is it not a known fact that love does not exist in the material world? How then can we, living in this world, develop love for Krishna or for anyone? How do you differentiate between love and lust?”

Well, the definition of love is when one is absorbed in thoughts of the beloved and has no other thoughts of anything else besides the beloved, and has no other purpose than to serve the beloved or please the beloved. That is love. And Bhīṣmadeva, the mahājana, says that this definition of love can be applied to or exist in relation to Krishna only, it cannot exist in relation to anyone else. Of course, we are not impersonalists, so when we say Krishna, we also include everything in relation to Krishna – Krishna’s name, Krishna’s form, Krishna’s qualities, Krishna’s pastimes, Krishna’s paraphernalia, Krishna’s associates, and so on.

So, Lord Chaitanya says that kṛṣṇa-prema or love of Krishna is eternally established in the hearts of all living entities, and that the original love of Krishna has to be aroused by the process of chanting and hearing. So, although there is no love in the material world, love exists originally within us, and if we follow the process for arousing love, then it will come out.

The original sense of love of God is perverted when we come into material association, and instead of desiring to please Krishna, we desire to please our senses or our minds or the extensions of the body, like the family and the dog and whatever else. Now, the basis of lust is sense gratification. So, the desire for sense gratification, which is the perversion of the original sense of love of God, can be reconverted into pure love of God by application of bhakti principles. So, instead of desiring for myself or for the senses, we desire for Krishna.

For example, someone has a desire to become rich. So, the desire to become rich is material, it’s based on lust, “I want money to buy things for my sense gratification or for the sense gratification of my family.” So, the desire to become a rich man can be dovetailed in Krishna consciousness, and instead of desiring to make money for myself or my family, I desire to make money for Krishna. And by giving the money to Krishna, I become purified of the selfish, lusty desire for sense gratification. In fact, in the material world, people are very attached to money. Sometimes they consider money more dear to them than their own lives.

For example, there is one comedian in America named Jack Benny who was supposed to be very miserly. So, the joke was that some robber approached him and said, “Your money or your life?” And he replied, “Just a moment, I want to think about it.” So actually, the fact is that sometimes people value money more than their own lives, and they are ready to risk their lives for the sake of money. Sometimes people risk their physical lives for the sake of money by robbing a bank or doing something like that, or sometimes they risk their spiritual lives for the sake of money by neglecting the regulative principles.

So, money is a very big attachment in the material world because money is the medium of exchange for sense gratification. So, being attached to money means being attached to sense gratification. So, when we give the money that we are attached to, to Krishna, then the amount of attachment that was invested in the money becomes transferred to Krishna. And thus, we make advancement in Krishna consciousness. So, in this way, lust or selfish desires for sense gratification become purified or transformed gradually into love of God.

Love of God also proceeds by various stages. ādau śraddhā, faith is considered the preliminary manifestation of love. So, having faith in someone is actually the beginning of love, and in the broader sense, it could be taken as a sort of love. So then, in between, there is attachment, and then finally, pure love. So, as we give more and more of the things that we are attached to, to Krishna, more and more of our attachment is transferred to Krishna and we become attached to Krishna and detached from maya. And finally, the whole process leads us stage by stage to the final goal of love of God or kṛṣṇa-prema.

So actually, love is not artificial. Lust was actually artificial because we are by nature the eternal servants of Krishna. So, it is artificial that we masquerade as the purusha, as the enjoyer, as the Lord, as the proprietor. That is artificial, and loving Krishna is natural. But because we have become so conditioned by the artificial imposition of the material modes of nature, it seems more natural to be selfish than to love Krishna. But actually, loving Krishna is ultimately more natural, and being selfish is completely artificial. In fact, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that when one takes to Krishna consciousness, one becomes relieved of the burden of enjoying. Actually, trying to enjoy is a big burden.

When I was in college, it was such a burden to enjoy because on the weekend, everyone would be enjoying, and there was fierce competition who could enjoy more. And it was sort of a burden to compete to enjoy. So, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that when we take to Krishna consciousness, we become relieved of the burden of trying to enjoy because it’s just a burden. It’s artificial, and it doesn’t help us.

Next question. “What is the difference between accepting someone as dīkṣā-guru and accepting someone as śikṣā-guru?”

Well, the relationship exists before initiation, but the initiation makes the commitment more binding on both parties. Srila Prabhupada has given the example that two businessmen meet, and they discuss some agreement and they agree on the terms. Then the agreement is written in the form of some document, and the document is signed by both parties. The initial understanding existed between the two parties before, but when the agreement is put into writing and signed by the two, it becomes more binding on them.

So, the main difference is that the initiation makes the relationship binding, and both parties have to accept the full burden of the responsibility that’s involved in upholding the respective commitments. Basically, the respective commitments are that the disciple surrenders fully to the spiritual master as the representative of God, and the spiritual master takes full charge of the disciple and guides the disciple on how to go back home, back to Godhead. So, this commitment is made binding by the initiation.

Once initiated, one can accept other śikṣā-gurus as well. The shastra says that one can have only one dīkṣā-guru, but one can have more than one śikṣā-guru. One should not accept an instruction from a śikṣā-guru which contradicts the instruction of the original guru. Or if there is some question or doubt, then one should refer to the original guru. Of course, every Vaishnava is a guru because every Vaishnava has some realization of Krishna which he can impart to us and which we can benefit from. So, in that sense, we may accept every Vaishnava as śikṣā-guru, and therefore, we address every Vaishnava as Prabhu, and we want to serve every Vaishnava because they are all gurus, and we have to serve them. But one can also accept, in a more binding or committed sense, someone as śikṣā-guru.

Just like Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was always praying śrī-rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇadāsa. So, he accepted Rupa and Raghunatha as his śikṣā-gurus. He actually accepted all of the Gosvamis as his śikṣā-gurus, in the sense that they gave him many instructions and much information about Krishna consciousness. So, there may be degrees of accepting instructions from different Vaishnavas also.

Well, as we’ve been discussing, Srila Prabhupada is the principle śikṣā-guru for all devotees in ISKCON. So, if we disobey any instruction of Srila Prabhupada, that is definitely guror avajñā, the offense of disobeying the order of the guru. So, because Srila Prabhupada has given us instructions on how to work together in ISKCON and how to follow the authorities who represent him within the society, so if we become independent of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions about how to serve within ISKCON, that is guror avajñā.

Everything in Krishna consciousness depends on sincerity. So, if one sincerely accepts a Vaishnava śikṣā-guru, especially in the absence of one’s dīkṣā-guru, and then if guru gives an instruction that the disciple doesn’t want to follow, then the disciple says, “Well, he is not my śikṣā-guru anymore. He didn’t let me do what I wanted, so I have to find another śikṣā-guru that will let me do what I want.” Then, the actual mood of surrender is not there. So, we can use aspects of the philosophy of Krishna consciousness to justify anything. So, we can also use the concept of having any number of śikṣā-gurus to justify doing what we want to do. That, ultimately, depends on our sincerity.

Just like Srila Prabhupada said, we address each other as Prabhu, but actually, we are thinking, You are not Prabhu. I am Prabhu. You should do what I tell you. So, he said that that type of duplicity will not help us. So, we can always misuse the elements of the philosophy of Krishna consciousness to suit our mind or our senses. And the only result will be that we’ll be condemned to remain in the material world for a longer term of imprisonment.

It’s the same point that if one wants to purify his existence to realize God, one must perform austerity. For austerity, this is also austerity, to follow the order of the guru. So, if we don’t perform austerity, then we remain in the material world. It’s not that we can pose as devotees and even chant Hare Krishna and not actually be surrendered to the real process of devotional service and think that we can go back to Godhead. We actually have to surrender to the process to reach the goal. So, the process involves surrender.

The non-devotees sometimes say, “I go to many institutions and I get whatever is best from each, or I read many books and I take whatever is best from each, and then I make my own conclusion.” So, in effect, they are saying that they accept everyone as śikṣā-guru and they take instruction from everyone, and then they accept what they like and they reject what they don’t like. In other words, they are their own gurus.

Now, it’s not necessary that one has to have one particular śikṣā-guru, but one actually has to be sincere about understanding the will of Krishna. That’s the whole point. So generally, the will of Krishna is manifest through the personal spiritual master or through the numerous Vaishnavas. So, if one is actually sincere about understanding the will of Krishna, he can get the message through the Vaishnavas, maybe one or two or three or four or any number, but he has to be sincere. And if he is not sincere, he can always give the excuse, “Well, they are not my spiritual masters. I don’t have to do what they say.” But one looks around for someone who will agree with one, and then for the time being, that person becomes the śikṣā-guru.

So, it depends on our sincerity. But if we are really sincere to understand what Krishna wants and through the medium of sādhu-guru-śāstra-vākya, we can understand. Sadhu is also an authority. Sadhu means śikṣā-guru. So, sadhu is also an authority, but it depends on our sincerity. Srila Prabhupada says that generally, if a group of senior devotees reach a consensus, you should take it as Krishna’s, in general.

“Maharaja, you are saying that the association of devotees is most essential. But sometimes we see relationships between devotees are mundane. How can we overcome this as a yatra?”

The yatra is composed of individuals. So, we, as individuals, have to come to a higher platform of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada said he wants us to act on the platform of madhyamādhikārī. So, madhyamādhikārī means that we love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we make friendship with devotees, we show mercy to innocent persons by giving them Krishna consciousness, and we avoid envious persons. So, the first point is that we have to love Krishna or the spiritual master. Then, if we love the spiritual master, we can have friendly relations with the other devotees. The same example, that if we love the father, then automatically, we will love all the children. So, the idea of the master begins with the spiritual master. We surrender to the spiritual master, and then we can understand how to accept each other as Prabhus also.

One devotee asked Srila Prabhupada how we can overcome envy. So, Srila Prabhupada said, “You begin by not being envious of the spiritual master.” So, we have to work to come to the platform of madhyamādhikārī, which begins with surrender to the spiritual master. And therefore, Srila Prabhupada said that our love for him would be shown by how much we cooperate to maintain his institution. So, it starts from the point of spiritual master, Krishna, and Krishna’s representative, and it extends to the other devotees.

If we haven’t come to the point of surrendering to the spiritual master, where is the question of having proper relations with other devotees? Surrender to the spiritual master is the beginning of spiritual life. Before that, we have animal life. Animal life means eating, sleeping, mating, and fighting. So, fighting, this is animal life, that means we are on the material platform. And we have to come to the spiritual platform, preaching.

Of course, there are other types of instructions like that we should be fully engaged, so we don’t have time to fight. If we are very engaged in preaching and confronting the conditioned souls, then we’ll be able to see more clearly the difference between the conditioned souls or non-devotees and the devotees. And we can appreciate the devotees more. But if we stay back home all the time and try to arrange things for our sense gratification, then we’ll find some devotees are favorable for our sense gratification and some are not. So, some become our friends and those who are not become our enemies. This is material life or material platform.

So, we have to come to the platform of preaching. That is the intermediate stage. And in the intermediate stage, we make friends with devotees. Not just some devotees who are materially more compatible with us, but with devotees because they are devotees. Because they are chanting the holy name. Because they are following the regulative principles. Because they are serving the spiritual master. It doesn’t matter if they are black or white or materially well-educated or materially less educated or materially different in any way. What matters is that they are fully engaged in the service of the spiritual master and in chanting the holy name of the Lord. If they have that qualification, then they are our friends, and we should want their association.

Therefore, Narottama dasa Thakura says gṛhe thake vanete thāke, “It doesn’t matter if you are a renunciant living in the forest or a householder living in the house, if you have accepted the principles of Lord Chaitanya, I accept you as a devotee and I desire your association.” So, that is the spiritual platform. We don’t make distinctions materially, but we appreciate the person in terms of spiritual advancement. And as we have been discussing, one gradually advances from kaniṣṭhādhikārī to madhyam, from madhyamādhikārī to uttamā. It’s not that suddenly, one stops being a kaniṣṭhādhikārī and suddenly becomes a madhyamādhikārī, but gradually, one makes advancement.

So, that means that if we have the tendency to preach and at the same time, we have the tendency to be on the material platform and fight, so we should encourage the tendency to preach and keep ourselves so busy with preaching and serving that we have no time to fight. Fight and defend, attack and defend. And the principle of cooperation is so important that if we don’t cooperate, we cannot get the mercy of God. And there are many verses in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the effect that the Lord is pleased when He sees the devotees cooperating and He showers His mercy upon them.

Some years ago, when Srila Prabhupada was still present, the devotees were having so many problems with the airport authorities. And Srila Prabhupada said that the problems with the authorities were a reaction for the devotees fighting amongst themselves. So, it’s very important to be able to cooperate to get the blessings of the Lord through the paramparā.

“Maharaja, can devotees living in the temple worship their own Deities?”

Well, the general principle is that we should worship the temple Deities. Srila Prabhupada didn’t encourage separate worship in the temple. Sometimes sannyasis travel, so they have Deities that they take with them. But if someone’s living in the temple, it’s recommended that he worships the Deity in the temple. As far as our living situation goes, Srila Prabhupada said that the best is to live in the temple. The next is to live near the temple and come to the temple every day. And the next is to make your house into a temple. So, if we are fortunate enough to be able to live in the temple, then we can worship the Deity in the temple.

I haven’t exactly understood the meaning of the contradiction, but I get reports the devotees want to have their own Deities. And then I get other reports that when devotees are asked to cook or to do an ārati or to do some service for the Deities in the temple, they don’t want to do it. So, I don’t know exactly what the contradiction is. But Srila Prabhupada said that Deity worship is for everyone, especially householders. Deity worship is for everyone. It’s not just for two or three devotees.

Any other questions? Would you like to add anything, Maharaja?

Since tomorrow is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s disappearance day and also one of the two remaining days before Ratha-yatra, I thought that we could include one reading about His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

“Today, Sunday, November 10, 1974-corresponding to the 10th of Kārtikka, Caitanya Era 488, the eleventh day of the dark fortnight, the Rāma-ekādaśī-we have now finished the English translation of Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta in accordance with the authorised order of His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākur Gosvāmī Mahārāja, my beloved eternal spiritual master, guide and friend. Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda passed away from this material world on the last day of December, 1936, I still consider His Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vāṇī, his words. There are two ways of association-by vāṇī and by vapu. Vāṇī means words, and vapu means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vāṇī continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vāṇī, not the physical presence. Bhagavad-gītā, for example, is the vāṇī of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa was personally present five thousand years ago and is no longer physically present from the materialistic point of view, Bhagavad-gītā continues.”

So, we discussed about śikṣā-guru or the instructing spiritual master. Lord Krishna is also the original śikṣā-guru by speaking Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, and He exists eternally in the form of transcendental sound in the form of Bhagavad-gītā. So, when we read Bhagavad-gītā, we are associating with Krishna in the form of transcendental sound. And because the Bhagavad-gītā is passed down to us through disciplic succession, we are also associating with the disciplic succession when we read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

“In this connection we may call to memory the time when I was fortunate enough to meet His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometime in the year 1922. Śrīla Prabhupāda had come from Calcutta to Śrīdhama Māyāpur to start the missionary activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. He was sitting in a house at Ulta Danga when through the inducement of an intimate friend, the late Śrīman Narendranātha Mallika, I had the opportunity to meet His Divine Grace for the first time. I do not remember the actual date of the meeting, but at that time I was one of the managers of Dr. Bose’s laboratory in Calcutta. I was a newly married young man, addicted to Gandhi’s movement and dressed in khadi. Fortunately, even at our first meeting, His Divine Grace advised me to preach the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in English in the Western countries. Because at that time I was a complete nationalist, a follower of Mahātma Gandhi’s, I submitted to His Divine Grace that unless our country were freed from foreign subjugation, no one would hear the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu seriously. Of course, we had some argument on this subject, but at last I was defeated and convinced that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message is the only panacea for suffering humanity. I was also convinced that the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was then in the hands of a very expert devotee and that surely the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would spread all over the world. I could not, however, immediately take up his instructions to preach, but I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order, although I was quite unfit to do so.”

So, sometimes the spiritual master gives an order which circumstantially we may not be able to execute. So, in such cases, it is the duty of the disciple to meditate on the order of the spiritual master and keep the order of the spiritual master within his heart and wait for the opportunity to execute the order.