Insulting our intelligence!

[Guest guest]

It amazes me how Srila Prabhupada is continuously defeating the Ritvik

philosophy by giving details of the personal reciprocation of the guru and

disciple. Just in casual reading, over the last two days, and today

researching for class I came upon these jewels of instruction. To say that

these refer to an already departed guru THAT would be insulting the

intelligence of humanity...

 

This was for todays class...

[Vidura accepted Maitreya as his spiritual master. A disciple always

inquires from the spiritual master, and the spiritual master answers the

question, provided the disciple is very gentle and devoted. ®r…la Vivan€tha

Cakravart… µh€kura said that by the mercy of the spiritual master one is

blessed with the mercy of the Supreme Lord. The spiritual master is not

inclined to disclose all the secrets of transcendental science unless the

disciple is very submissive and devoted. As stated in the Bhagavad-g…t€, the

process of receiving knowledge from the spiritual master entails submission,

inquiry and service. SB 4.13.24]

 

This came up in our Nectar of devotion reading after Mangala arati...

[This first-class devotee is one who has strictly followed the rules and

regulations under the training of a bona fide spiritual master and has

sincerely obeyed him in accord with revealed scriptures. Thus, being fully

trained to preach and become a spiritual master himself, he is considered

first class. The first-class devotee never deviates from the principles of

higher authority, and he attains firm faith in the scriptures by

understanding with all reason and arguments. When we speak of arguments and

reason, it means arguments and reason on the basis of revealed scriptures.

NOD chapter 3]

 

[®€stra... Therefore we have to consult €stra. What is our problem, we have

to consult €stra. And €stra, how we can consult €stra. ®€stra, we have to

go somebody who knows €stra. Therefore the Vedic injunction is

tad-vijñ€n€rthaˆ sa gurum eva abhigacchet, rotriyam [MU 1.2.12]. If you

want to know what is your actual interest, then you have to approach a guru.

And who is guru? ®rotriyam, who knows €stra. Bhagavad Gita Lectures 1974]

 

Where is the posthumous ritvik theory mentioned in Sastra? If what Srila

Prabhupada wrote or spoke is sastra, then who is it that knows sastra that

we can go to to consult?!!!

 

[so Caitanya Mah€prabhu also says the same thing. And we have to make it

confirmed in three ways. What we hear from the s€dhus, we shall have to

consult whether these things are spoken in the €stras. And whether the

statements or €stras are confirmed by guru, by the direct spiritual master.

S€dhu-guru-€stra-v€kya tinete kariy€ aikya. A s€dhu will speak nothing

which is not stated in the €stras...One who is very fortunate, he’s in

meeting, he meets somebody who is a pure devotee and accepts him as his

spiritual master. Therefore here it is stated, mayy €sakta-man€ƒ p€rtha

yogaˆ yuñjan mad-€rayaƒ. One has to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual

master... A spiritual master is always bona fide. And if he cultivates this

KŠa consciousness under the direction of a spiritual master, €raye lañ€

bhaje, kŠa t€re n€hi tyaje.(?) KŠa does not reject him. KŠa accepts

him. ®r…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura says, yasya pras€d€d

bhagavat-pras€do yasy€pras€d€n na gatiƒ kuto ’pi **. That, Vivan€tha

Cakravart… µh€kura says, that “If you can please your spiritual master, then

KŠa is automatically pleased. And if you cannot please your spiritual

master, then there is no way to understand KŠa.” Bhagavad Gita Lectures

1971]

 

Anyone who tries to say that these descriptions do not mean that we should

serve and inquire from a physicaly present guru is certainly guilty of word

jugglery as has been previously suggested. Simpy bogus!

 

Your servant

Samba das