Humble Submission and Surrender

Giriraj Swami: In other words, the spiritual master is meant to make our spiritual advancement easier, not more difficult. He is there to help us.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple.

COMMENT

But the original spiritual master or the teacher is the Lord Himself, Krishna. Every conditioned soul has four defects. Who can say what are the four defects?

Devotee: Our senses are imperfect, we fall under the illusion, we commit offenses, and we cheat others.

Giriraj Swami: Si. So, Lakshmidevi, you named one. So, every conditioned soul has imperfect senses. For example, if we look at the sun, we will see a small disc, but the sun is actually hundreds or thousands of times bigger than the earth. But if we just see the sun with the naked eye, we will see a small disc because our senses are imperfect. But if we hear from authorities, we can learn that the sun is many times bigger than the earth. It looks small because it is so far away. Learning from authorities or hearing from authorities is a better way to get knowledge than by depending on direct sense perception. Sometimes people challenge, “Can you show me God?” But do you have the eyes to see God? Why are you so proud of your eyes? Your eyes are so imperfect. So, we cannot rely on our senses.

Second is we are subject to illusion. The biggest illusion, which almost everyone shares, is the illusion, “I am the body.” If I ask an ordinary person, “Who are you?” What will the person say? Let me ask the gentleman at the back, who are you? “I am Raman.” He is Raman. So, he has given the answer almost anyone will give, “I am Raman.” And how old are you? “Thirty-three.” Now, where were you thirty-five years ago? He doesn’t know. None of us know, but we were somewhere. We existed. Because we are the souls, we are not the body, and the soul is eternal. It has no beginning and no end. Before it came into the present body, it existed, and after it leaves the present body, it will continue to exist. So, I am actually the soul, not the body. I existed before this body, and I will continue to exist after this body. In Bhagavad-gītā [2.13], Lord Krishna gives one example

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

The spirit soul remains after the body dies. Just as the body changes from childhood to youth to old age, similarly, the body changes at the time of death. Just like when I was born, I had a baby’s body. Now the baby’s body is gone. Then I had a youth’s body. Now the youth’s body is gone. Now I have a man’s body. After some time, the man’s body will be gone. The man will age, the body will be gone, and the old age body will be there. So, I may be an old man, I may be invalid, but I can remember when I was a young boy, I used to run, jump, and play. Now I cannot run, jump, and play because the child’s body is gone, but I am still the same person. I remember my activities from the past and people know me as the same person. They call me by the same name. But the body I had before is gone. I have changed the body. Similarly, at the time of death, I will change the body again. I will continue to exist as a spirit soul, although the body will be different.

So, I am not the body. I am the soul within the body, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. My real relationship is not with the body, but with the Supreme Soul. So, my main concern should be how to revive my relationship with the Supreme Soul. So, my main concern should be how to revive my relationship with the Supreme Soul, not how to enjoy the body. But we actually identify with the body, not with the soul. And therefore, we are always thinking of the body and the bodily relations. We are not thinking of God and our relationship with Him because we are in illusion. We think we are the body.

Another defect of the conditioned soul is that he makes mistakes-to err is human. Even a great man like Mahatma Gandhi made mistakes. On the last day, one friend warned him, “Don’t go to the meeting, there is danger.” But he went to the meeting, and he was killed. So, Srila Prabhupada said he made a mistake. Although he was warned not to go, still, he went and he was killed. So, if even a great man like Mahatma Gandhi makes mistakes, then what to speak about us? Certainly, we all make mistakes.

And the fourth defect of the conditioned soul is that he has a tendency to cheat. Although he has imperfect senses, although he makes mistakes, although he is subject to illusion, he still possesses himself as an authority, as someone with knowledge, and he places himself in a position of a teacher. But Srila Prabhupada says he is not a teacher, he is a cheater. Because he has no perfect knowledge, and still, he is posing himself as the authority.

So, every conditioned soul has these four defects, and therefore, if we want perfect knowledge, we cannot approach the conditioned soul. If we want perfect knowledge, we must approach a perfect authority. And the most perfect authority is God Himself.

Therefore, in the Vedic system, we approach God for perfect knowledge. But we do not know God, we cannot see God, so how do we get knowledge from God? God gives knowledge in the scriptures, Krishna gives knowledge in Bhagavad-gītā. But Bhagavad-gītā is written or spoken in Sanskrit, and the same word in Sanskrit may have different meanings. The word ātmā may mean body or mind or soul, depending on the context. If we find the word ātmā in Bhagavad-gītā, how do we know which meaning applies? Only Krishna knows, because He spoke the Bhagavad-gītā. Krishna has imparted the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā to some disciples, so His disciples know what is His intention.

So, if we want to know the meaning of Bhagavad-gītā, we must approach the representative of Krishna who has learned the Gītā from Krishna Himself. The one who has learned the Gītā from someone who has learned from someone who has learned from Krishna. So, that is the principle of disciplic succession. I have learnt from my teacher, my teacher has learned from his teacher, his teacher has learned from his teacher, and back, back, back, all the way to the original teacher, Krishna. So, we should accept a teacher, a spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. The Bhāgavatam (6.3.19) says, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help lead one to the right path.

COMMENT

So, people talk of religion. What is religion? If I ask an ordinary person, “What is religion?” What will you say? This lady here.

Devotee: Teachings of God.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, very good. Simple definition of religion is the laws of God. So, no human being can manufacture religion because religion is the orders of God. Just like ordinary people cannot manufacture state laws. We cannot get together with a few friends and manufacture new laws because laws are enacted by the parliament, by the government. So similarly, we cannot manufacture state laws because religion is enacted by the Lord Himself.

So, if we want to realize God, we must accept the process, which is given to us by God Himself, and the process comes to us in the scriptures through the disciplic succession, because without the help of the spiritual master, we cannot understand the scriptures. So, we need a teacher, not a cheater.

PURPORT (continued)

Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help lead one to the right path. Nor by independent study of books of knowledge can one progress in spiritual life.

COMMENT

Just like if you want to become a doctor, you cannot just buy a book on medicine and become a doctor. You must study under someone who is already a doctor, then you can become a doctor, not just by reading books. Similarly, if we want to become a lawyer, we cannot just read books. We have to enter a law school and study under a professor, then we have to be approved by the Bar Association, then we can become a lawyer. So similarly, if we want to become self-realized, we must study under a teacher. We cannot become self-realized just by reading books independently.

PURPORT (continued)

One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge.

COMMENT

But what is the process by which we get knowledge from the spiritual master? Because the process for receiving transcendental knowledge is not exactly the same as the process for acquiring mundane knowledge. So, what is the process for receiving transcendental knowledge?

PURPORT (continued)

One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige.

COMMENT

So, in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna explains the process of knowledge. Verses eight to thirteen. What are the first two items in the list of knowledge? Amānitvam adambhitvam—humility and pridelessness, one must be humble to advance in spiritual knowledge. One who is proud can never advance in spiritual consciousness. If we think, Why should I surrender to Krishna? Why should I surrender to guru? I am God, you are God, everyone is God. God is loitering in the street. Why do you go to the temple to worship God? Persons who think they are God or think they can become God are most puffed up. So, they can never surrender.

There is one instructive story in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There was one devotee name Prahlada, who was five years old, and his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, was a great demon, and he wanted Prahlada to become a materialist like him, but somehow, Prahlada became a devotee, and Hiraṇyakaśipu became angry. Hiraṇyakaśipu never allowed Prahlada to have any association with devotees.

So, Hiraṇyakaśipu was very furious that Prahlada became a devotee. So, he blamed Prahlada’s teachers, “You have allowed him to become a devotee.” They said, “We never taught him anything on Krishna consciousness.” Then, Hiraṇyakaśipu said, “You must have allowed some devotees to enter the school in disguise.” So, they said, “No, we have not allowed any devotees to enter in disguise.” Then, Hiraṇyakaśipu said, “Then how did Prahlada become Krishna conscious?” And the teachers said, “We do not know. You should ask the boy.”

So, Hiraṇyakaśipu asked the boy, Prahlada, “How did you become Krishna conscious?” So, first Prahlada replied, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā, that one cannot become Krishna conscious by one’s own efforts. And one cannot become Krishna conscious by the efforts of others. And one cannot become Krishna conscious by the combined effort of oneself and others. Then how can one become Krishna conscious? There seems to be no other alternative. But Prahlada explains; yes, there is a way. How? Mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat, unless one smears his body with the dust of the feet of the pure devotee of the Lord, free from material attachment, no one can become Krishna consciousness.

In other words, we must surrender to a devotee of the Lord. So, indirectly, Prahlada was telling his father, “You have asked me how one becomes Krishna conscious. You do not have to worry about becoming Krishna conscious because you are too puffed up, you will never surrender to any devotee. So, you have no chance to become Krishna conscious. So, do not worry.” So, amānitvam adambhitvam, the first items in the process of knowledge are pridelessness and humility. One who is humble and free from pride, he can surrender. He can approach a devotee of Krishna for instructions.

PURPORT (continued)

Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective.

COMMENT

In 1971, Srila Prabhupada organized a large pandal program in downtown Delhi, and every night, about twenty thousand persons attended Srila Prabhupada’s lecture. So, one night, a young hooligan from Europe or America or Australia approached the stage. He had wild long hair, he had tattoos on his body, he had big muscular arms and shoulders, he was wearing a chain around his neck, he wore jeans and big leather boots. So, he walked up to the front of the stage and he was trying to climb on the stage. So, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples tried to push the boy away from the stage.

Srila Prabhupada was sitting on the vyāsāsana speaking about Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But Srila Prabhupada said to the disciples, “No, let him come on the stage.” Then, Srila Prabhupada said, “Give him asana, give him a cushion to sit on.” Then, Srila Prabhupada said, “Give him the microphone to speak.” So then, the boy began to challenge Srila Prabhupada, “Have you realized yourself within yourself?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes.” Then the boy said, “According to you, when was Bhagavad-gītā spoken?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Five thousand years ago.” The boy said, “I have different information. I think that the Bhagavad-gītā was spoken about much more recently than five thousand years ago.” Srila Prabhupada replied, “That is nonsense. What is your authority?” Then he started saying, “I read this book and that book, and this one said that, and that one said that.”

Then the boy started to ask another challenging question, and Srila Prabhupada refused to answer. He said, “First, you answer my question. What is the process of acquiring knowledge?” The boy said, “No, you answer my question first.” Srila Prabhupada said, “No, you answer my question.” The boy said, “I asked you first.” But Srila Prabhupada said, “I am not your servant. I am not obliged to answer your question.” Eventually, the boy lost complete control and he started shouting in the microphone at Srila Prabhupada. And ultimately, Srila Prabhupada told the disciples, “Ok, you can remove him.” So, they lifted him up and carried him off the stage.

There was complete pandemonium in the audience, and the audience divided into two groups. One part was sympathetic to Srila Prabhupada, and one part was sympathetic to the boy. So, I happened to be distributing books in the audience. Immediately, so many people started to crowd around me and criticize Srila Prabhupada, “Your Guru Maharaja lost his temper, he should have answered the boy’s question.”

Meanwhile on the stage, Srila Prabhupada started to speak again, and what was the subject of the talk? He was answering the very question he had asked the young boy. “What is the process of knowledge?” And he explained that the process of knowledge involves humble submission and surrender. Then one can ask questions. Unless one is submissive and is prepared to accept the answers, there is no use in asking questions. One will simply argue and waste the teacher’s time and waste his own time. So, first surrender, tad viddhi praṇipātena. First surrender. Paripraśnena, then ask questions. Of course, to be satisfied to the point where we can surrender where we are allowed to ask questions, but ultimately, we must come to the point of surrender in order to progress further.

PURPORT (continued)

Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect.

COMMENT

Hare Krishna. Are there any questions or comments? Si?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:55:23].

Giriraj Swami: There is no limit. If we draw some line, “I will go this far and not further,” then we are not fully surrendered. We, disciples of Srila Prabhupada, used to discuss, “If Srila Prabhupada told us to jump from the top of a building, would we jump?” And of course, in principle, the answer was yes. So, there is no limit. One should be prepared to give one’s life for the service of the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Devotee: We must approach a spiritual master, but we still have imperfect senses. So, how can we distinguish between a perfect spiritual master and a cheater? Because we have imperfect senses, sometimes we can commit mistakes. How can we know a true spiritual master?

Giriraj Swami: Well, first, you have to know what is a bona fide spiritual master. Then you can recognize him. If you don’t know what you are looking for, you won’t know whether you have found it or not. Then you can be cheated. If you go to a grocery shop and you ask for gold, the grocer will know you do not know what is gold. If you knew what gold is, you would not come to the grocery shop. So, he can give you rice and say, “This is gold.” “How much do I have to pay?” “Five million pesetas.” So, you have to know what you are looking for. Otherwise, you will be cheated, or you may be cheated.

Once, someone asked Srila Prabhupada, “There are so many cheaters. So, how can one be sure to get a bona fide spiritual master?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “One who knows the science, he can get a bona fide spiritual master.” Or even if one does not know the science, but if he is very fortunate or sincere, he can also get a bona fide spiritual master. Krishna is in the heart. He knows the sincere desire of the candidate, and if He sees the candidate is sincerely desirous to realize God, to find God, then Krishna Himself will send a bona fide spiritual master to guide the person.

Devotee: When one becomes aware that we are part and parcel of God, that God is in our heart, we receive the opportunity to receive the help as a spiritual master on earth.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, by the mercy of Krishna, one gets guru, and by the mercy of guru, one gets Krishna.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:05:20].

Giriraj Swami: So, Mr. Bhatyacharya says the Absolute Truth is realized in three features; Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. So, all three are tattva, truth, but the guru should have knowledge of Bhagavān, because Bhagavān is the last word in God realization. One who has knowledge of Bhagavān, he automatically has knowledge of Paramātmā and Brahman. Bhagavad-gītā is made for bhaktas, not for jnanis or yogis. Jnanis and yogis can come to a certain stage, but only pure devotees can have full realization of the Absolute Truth, of Krishna, and Krishna also said that He is speaking the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna because Arjuna is a devotee. So, if we want to understand Bhagavad-gītā in truth, Krishna, we must approach a devotee.

Devotee: Can you tell what was the final version of this boy and Srila Prabhupada?

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada continued to give the lecture, and the people in the audience who were submissive continued to sit and listen, but some people in the audience became agitated. Even some of the organizers of the program became disturbed. So, I was out in the audience distributing magazines and books, and all sorts of hostile persons gathered around me. So, I tried to get to the stage as quickly as possible. I didn’t climb directly on the stage, but I went around the back of the stage, and from there, some of the organizers of the program were very upset, and they were telling some of the senior devotees, “Your Guru Maharaja has spoiled everything. He has lost his temper. He has become angry. He has spoiled everything.” So, the devotee whose name is Malati Mataji, replied, “Our Guru Maharaja has not spoiled anything.” And she gave the man a slap on the face. That is also another process of knowledge.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:12:16].

Giriraj Swami: Very good question. The soul is eternal. It has no beginning and no end. So, when the soul leaves the body, where does it go?

The body is like an apartment where the soul resides. Now, suppose you are living in an apartment and the landlord says, “You must vacate the apartment, you must get out.” So, where will you go? It depends how much you have to spend. If you have worked hard and saved a lot of money, you can move to a better place. But if you haven’t worked nicely, if you haven’t managed your finances properly, you will not be able to afford a nice place. So, what type of apartment you get depends on your activities, how much money you have in your account.

Similarly, what kind of body we get also depends on how we have worked and how many pious credits we have in our account. If we have many pious credits, we can get a better apartment, we can get a better body, we can take birth on a higher planet. But if we do not have many pious credit, if we perform more sinful activities, then we will get a worse body, we may take birth on a lower planet or in a lower species of life. And if our activities are mixed, some pious and some sinful, we may take birth again as a human being. And if our activities are pure devotional service, then we don’t take birth again at all. If we become Krishna conscious, we go back home, back to Godhead, and never have to take birth in the miserable material world.

Devotee: Where is the body in this transition?

Giriraj Swami: Well, when the next body is ready, then you leave the present body. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives the example that when you are walking, you put down the next step and you pick up the behind step. Bhagavad-gītā is the basic book of knowledge. Well, you must be careful about the translation because the knowledge must be received through disciplic succession.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:20:50].

Giriraj Swami: What you have heard is not exactly correct as you have explained it. We have just read that the disciple has three activities in relation to the master, and one is asking questions. So, the process of inquiry continues even after initiation. Second question.

She asked that when she asks the question from the spiritual master, if she is not immediately satisfied with the answer, does she have the right to pursue the question further?

We should follow the example of Arjuna, how he received the knowledge from Krishna. He would ask Lord Krishna a question, but even after Lord Krishna answered, sometimes Arjuna was not clear. So, he would inquire further. We have the right to inquire further and further and further, until we are satisfied with the answers, or until the spiritual master tells us to stop arguing.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:24:01].

Giriraj Swami: Yes, according to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, there should be a period where the spiritual master tests the disciple and the disciple tests the spiritual master, so that the spiritual master can be assured of the position of the disciple, and the disciple can be assured of the position of the spiritual master. Then, when both are satisfied with the other, then the initiation can take place. Srila Prabhupada has fixed the minimum period of testing as six months, but it can be two years, three years, five years, ten years. There is no limit. However much time it takes for the spiritual master to be assured of the disciple and for the disciple to be assured of the spiritual master.

Devotee: The goal of the relationship of disciple and spiritual master is that we can control all our senses and utilize them in the service.

Giriraj Swami: We engage in the service of the Lord with our senses, with our words, with our mind. So, how to engage in the service of the Lord with body, mind, and words? The spiritual master will show us the way. Under the guidance of the spiritual master, we can engage in the service of the Lord with body, mind, and words.

Devotee: If all the spiritual masters are good, how can we select a personal spiritual master in ISKCON?

Giriraj Swami: How good are you? If you are sincere and serious, Krishna in the heart will guide you. One should not accept a spiritual master just as a matter of fashion, “Many others are accepting spiritual master, so I should also accept spiritual master.” You have to be very eager to advance in spiritual life. Then we can approach a spiritual master.