SB 3.1.25 – Taking Shelter

Giriraj Swami: . . . of the Lord. Similarly, Lord Krishna instructed Uddhava to go to Badrikashrama so that he could discuss more about the Lord and devotees there. It is further described that Lord Krishna, being the knower of the Vedas, or be source of the Vedas, He gave instructions to Uddhava, knowledge to Uddhava that were not to be found even in the pages of the Vedas. Therefore, for some subjects, we cannot get knowledge directly from the Vedas. In any case, even the knowledge that is in the Vedas has to be explained to us by the spiritual master, and we have no ability to approach the Vedic knowledge directly.

So, Uddhava was directly instructed by the Lord and was empowered to reveal things that were not normal to the pages of the Vedas. Similarly, five hundred years ago, even after Lord Krishna had instructed Arjuna and then again instructed Uddhava, there were still things left which He had not disclosed to the world. The Lord thought, I have given so much knowledge, but I haven’t given the most confidential knowledge or the most meaningful knowledge of pure love of Godhead. So, the Lord appeared again as Lord Chaitanya to give the knowledge which he hadn’t given as Lord Krishna. Again, Lord Chaitanya personally only left eight verses, but he gave his most important instructions to Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, or through Ramananda Raya, he gave many important instructions, and he especially favored and empowered Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami to give the confidential knowledge to the world that he wanted to give, which he didn’t give as Lord Krishna. He especially empowered Rupa and Sanatana because they were so humble. When they met Lord Chaitanya, they approached with straw in their mouth which is like extremely low. And when Lord returned to Jagannatha Puri and told about Rupa and Sanatana, he expressed how humble they were, and because they were so humble, they became recipients of the Lord’s mercy.

Therefore, the confidential knowledge that Lord Chaitanya want to impart was given Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami and through them, knowledge is given to the world. So, we followers or aspiring followers of Lord Chaitanya are necessary followers of Rupa Gosvami because Lord Chaitanya has already empowered him to broadcast though him what God Himself wanted to say. So, acharyas in the line after Rupa Gosvami is called rūpānugas, the followers of Rupa Gosvami. And especially, through Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura glorified is, mādhuryojjvala-premāḍhya-śrī-rūpānuga-bhaktida, that he is giving highest love of Radha and Krishna, exactly following the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami; rūpānuga-viruddhāpasiddhānta-dhvānta-hāriṇe, that he never tolerates any statements that against the conclusion of Rupa Gosvami. So, this is paramparā.

And certainly, our dear Srila Prabhupada is following the same line of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Rupa Gosvami. And without the mercy of spiritual master, one does not have any position in spiritual life. yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi. By the grace of spiritual master, one gets the mercy of Krishna and without the mercy of spiritual master, on one can make any advancement. na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi, is mentioned that without mercy of spiritual master, one cannot have any position in spiritual life at all. He is the actually connect the disciple with Krishna through disciplic succession. So, without the connection with the spiritual master, one has no position in spiritual life, even connection with superior personalities.

So, first item is ādau guru-pāda-āśraya, that one must surrender to the spiritual master, take initiation from him, serve him and that is basis of further advancement. Now sometime, someone might think that ‘In the beginning I surrender to the spiritual master, take initiation from him, serve him and now I have become more advanced and don’t need the spiritual master.’ This type of thinking is of Mayavadis. That they want to use the spiritual master to reach God. When they reach God, they think they don’t need a spiritual master. But the Vaishnava philosophy is a completely different. In Vaishnava philosophy, we accept eternal guidance of spiritual master; cakṣu-dāna dila yei, janme janme prabhu sei, we are the servant of spiritual master life after life. Even in the spiritual world, the principle of the guidance of the spiritual master continues. So, relationship with the spiritual master is eternal. And when one does make more advancement by the mercy of spiritual master and then he later thinks he doesn’t need the spiritual master, then whatever advancement he did is lost

Srila Prabhupada gave the example of a yogi and a mouse which probably all of you know but still. Anyway, the mouse approached the yogi and saying that he was being harassed by a cat, so the yogi made him into a cat. The cat came back to the yogi and said he has been harassed by a dog, and the yogi said, “Okay, you become a dog.” The dog came back to the yogi and said he was being harassed by a wolf, so the yogi said, “You become a wolf.” Then, after some time, the wolf came back to the yogi and said he was being harassed by the tigers, so the yogi said, “You become a tiger.” When he became a tiger, he started to look at yogi and want to paunch upon him and devour him. So, the yogi said, “ punar mūṣiko bhava, again you become a mouse.” So, by the mercy of the spiritual master one makes advancement in devotional service, but at some stage, if one thinks that he can take the place of the spiritual master, to do without the mercy of the spiritual master, become more than a spiritual master, then he becomes a mouse again. So, some of the disciple of Srila Prabhupada became so unfortunate, that they thought that they didn’t need Srila Prabhupada mercy anymore, and especially some of the disciples living in Vrindavan and Mayapur and want to approach the scriptures directly. They want to get the knowledge independent of Srila Prabhupada.

So, one of them wrote to Srila Prabhupada that he felt that he wants to get more knowledge outside the Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada should bless him. And Srila Prabhupada replied, “I give you my blessings to become a snake.” So, we should be very very careful. Whatever advancement we’ve made by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, and whatever advancement we will make will be by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and disciplic succession. If we are in connection with Srila Prabhupada then we will get everything.

Of course, we are actually the timeout to go, I am not say anymore. I will see if there are any questions or comments.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:14:07]

Question: How our relationship with spiritual master continues in the spiritual world? Srila Prabhupada says in purport that relationship of the disciple with spiritual master is eternal.

Giriraj Swami: Well, I can quote a statement by Srila Prabhupada, where he says that relationship with the disciple is eternal. Just like a father introduces his daughter to a husband, the relationship with the father continues at the same time that the relationship with the husband continues. So, in the same way, the spiritual master introduces the disciples to Krishna, but at the same time, the relationship with the spiritual master continues. Then, the discussion of guru-tattva in Ādi-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Srila Prabhupada quotes that the spiritual master should be seen as a manifest representation of the Lord Nityananda Prabhu, a most confidential servant of Srimati Radharani. So, when we go to spiritual world, we don’t aspire to serve Krishna or Radharani directly, but we aspire to serve their confidential servants.

So, if we see the spiritual master as the most confidential servant of Srimati Radharani, then even in the spiritual world, we will serve the spiritual master, and through the spiritual master, we will serve Srimati Radharani and Krishna. So, the principle enunciated by Lord Chaitanya, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ, to be the servant of the servant of Krishna, who is the maintainer of the gopīs, it continues both in the material world in the practice of sādhana and it also continues in the spiritual world in the stage of perfection.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:17:50]

Question: A very good question, that if one rejects the bona fide spiritual master, then he loses everything. But what about the case where a disciple wants to take instruction from śikṣā-guru? How does he know whether there is some advanced offense involved that could damage spiritual life?

Giriraj Swami: So, Vedic literatures say that the disciples can approach śikṣā-guru for instructions with the permission of the dīkṣā-guru. Then he should come back to the dīkṣā-guru with knowledge that he received from the śikṣā-guru for confirmation. One should not independently accept someone as śikṣā-guru without the permission of the dīkṣā-guru, otherwise that would be against the etiquette.

Now, the question could be raised that one of the dīkṣā-guru is no longer personally present. How does one know whether acceptance of a śikṣā-guru is justified and in keeping with the desires of dīkṣā-guru? So, we should understand the relationship between śikṣā-guru and dīkṣā-guru also. The śikṣā-guru and dīkṣā-guru have same function and that is to send the disciple to back to Godhead. And they have a complementary function. At one place Srila Prabhupada wrote that śikṣā-guru is one who give the teaching what dīkṣā-guru has taught him or one who understand the teaching of the dīkṣā-guru. So, later disciple of Srila Prabhupada, where śikṣā-guru teach what Srila Prabhupada has taught. Then there no problem. He is actually strengthening my relationship with Srila Prabhupada by strengthening my understanding of Srila Prabhupada.

Then again, we also have the association of other devotees, and therefore we accept three principles of guidance: sadhu, shastra, and guru. So, especially in the physical absence of the spiritual master, the association of one’s godbrothers is very important or the association of other Vaishnava because they knew how to understand whether acceptance of the śikṣā-guru actually help one’s relationship to understand with the spiritual master. So, we should be always humble not make any independent plan. We should to always be open in understanding the Krishna as the revealed through sadhu, shastra, and guru. And, we should accept the guidance of the sadhu, shastra, and guru. And we shouldn’t try to proceed independently without that. When we are sure from sadhu, shastra, and guru, then we can say that, this is what Krishna wants.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:23:40]

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada says that we should not jump over to previous acharyas. Firstly, we should study all of his books, study them and discuss them with the devotee, we shouldn’t attempt read other books. Now, once we read all Srila Prabhupada books and develop relationships with Vaishnavas to understand them nicely then we can read other books of previous acharyas. And see it how they are related to what Srila Prabhupada has taught us. And when the study of Srila Prabhupada is done in the association of the devotee, we can always discuss with them if there appears to be contradictions. Because sometimes, there are apparent contradictions. [Unintelligible 00:25:20] but sometimes even amongst liberated souls, there are difference of opinion, that one matter could be that there might be some contradictions between Rupa Gosvami and Jiva Gosvami.

So, we accept both because both are superior authorities. But ultimately, because we are rūpānugas, so we accept the authority of Rupa Gosvami. Similarly, there may difference in Srila Prabhupada’s explanation and others explanation but as we are followers of Srila Prabhupada, we give preference to Srila Prabhupada’s explanation. But basically, we shouldn’t presume to pretend to enter into these controversies, we accept the controversy taking place on liberated platform, but because we are Prabhupadānugas, so give preference to Srila Prabhupada’s explanation.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!