All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga
By Śrīla Shyam Das Baba Date 09.10.2024
Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda told that— “If I do not remember the lotus feet of Śrī Guru at the beginning of every new year, every new month, every new day and every new moment, then I am sure to fall into far greater inconveniences. If I do not remember his lotus feet, then the desire will come to dress myself in the garb of guru. I will become liable to the bad desire of seeking to be worshiped by other people as guru. It is this which constitutes addiction to things other than the truth.”
Vyāsa-pūjā or Guru-pūjā must go uninterrupted way. Not that today is my Guru-pāda-padma’s Vyāsa-pūjā and I can offer puṣpāñjali at the Lotus feet of my Guru-pāda-padma, and the rest of the year I can do whatever I like. The Prabhupāda said that — “One who is devoid of ānugatya (śuddha guru-Vaiṣṇava ānugatya) is just like a beast.” A sat-śiṣya (an actual disciple) is worshiping Guru-pāda-padma at every fraction of second in different ways, like – publishing books, writing essays, and preaching through periodicals and hari-kathā-kīrtana or through his absolute and pure achar–ādarśa which all can be found totally in line (ānugatya) with his guru-varga.
To offer puṣpāñjali means to offer oneself completely at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru without any compromise or self-interest. It is not possible for someone to obtain knowledge of the Absolute Truth (divya-jñāna) from Śrī Sad Gurudeva if he does not offer him all that he possesses and, indeed, his very self. It is not possible to obtain Śrī Gurudeva’s mercy simply by offering him material objects. Someone qualifies as a true disciple only if he becomes niṣkiñcana (without material possessions) by offering Śrīla Gurudeva everything he has, including his own self.
Śrīla Vaman Gosvāmī Mahārāj used to say that –”If I simply declare –O Gurudeva, everything belongs to you alone!” but I “keep the keys to my safe with me”, then I am revealing that I do not trust him, which is not at all indicative of the most elevated stage of genuine service to Śrī Guru (guru-sevā). When the disciple surrenders from within and keeps nothing as his own, then Śrīla Gurudeva considers that intimate and loving disciple (viśrambha–snigdha śiṣya) as his own.”
To get a Sat Guru in life is very very rare but even more rare is a sat-śiṣya. Nowadays it has become the fashion of the day that not the disciple is serving guru, but the guru is serving the disciple. Actually, guru can have no weakness, fault or misconception, otherwise he cannot be called as guru (heavy). If guru has to serve the disciple, then where from the weight (gravity) of guru can come? So, if there is no Sat Guru then how there can be any sat-śiṣya. If a Sat Guru is there then surly also a sat-śiṣya must be there, maybe we cannot find it out due to Māyā or illusion. At present the situation has become so critical that almost nobody can understand the difference between a praṇaya bhakta and some so-called imitation of praṇaya bhakta. If we are not sincere enough, we will simple cheat ourselves, whether as a so-called guru or as a so-called disciple.
Śrīla Prabhupāda told that –He is guru who has taken all the responsibility from Bhagavan to save all those jīvas from this fearful material ocean, but if we are ignoring Sad Guru-Vaiṣṇava then from where we can get eternal maṅgala.
Gaura Hari Hari Bol