It is not possible to learn major subject simply by purchasing books

[Guest guest]

By chanting and hearing of Kåñëa we can actually associate with Him, for He

is absolute and nondifferent from His names, qualities, forms and pastimes.

As we associate with Kåñëa, He helps us to understand Him and dispels the

darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge. Kåñëa is sitting within

our hearts acting as guru. When we begin hearing topics about Him, the dust

which has accumulated on our minds due to so many years of material

contamination becomes gradually cleaned. Kåñëa is a friend to everyone, but

He is a special friend to His devotees. As soon as we become a little

inclined toward Him, He begins to give favorable instructions from within

our hearts so that we can gradually make progress. Kåñëa is the first

spiritual master, and when we become more interested in Him, we have to go

to a sädhu or holy man who serves as spiritual master from without. This is

enjoined by Çré Kåñëa Himself in the following verse:

tad viddhi praëipätena

paripraçnena sevayä

upadekñyanti te jïänaà

jïäninas tattva-darçinaù

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from

him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can

impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." (Bg. 4.34)

 

tad-vijïänärthaà sa gurum eväbhigacchet

samit-päëiù çrotriyaà brahma-niñöham

"To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with

firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly

devoted to the Absolute Truth."

[Muëòaka Upaniñad 1.2.12]

 

 

It is necessary to select a person to whom we can surrender ourselves. Of

course no one likes to surrender to anyone. We are puffed up with whatever

knowledge we have, and our attitude is, "Oh, who can give me knowledge?"

Some people say that for spiritual realization there is no need for a

spiritual master, but so far as Vedic literature is concerned, and as far as

Bhagavad-gétä, Çrémad-Bhägavatam and the Upaniñads are concerned, there is

need of a spiritual master. Even in the material world if one wants to learn

to be a musician, he has to search out a musician to teach him, or if one

wants to be an engineer, he has to go to a technological college and learn

from those who know the technology. Nor can anyone become a doctor by simply

purchasing a book from the market and reading it at home. One has to be

admitted to a medical college and undergo training under licensed doctors.

It is not possible to learn any major subject simply by purchasing books and

reading them at home. Someone is needed to show us how to apply that

knowledge which is found in the books. As far as the science of God is

concerned, Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, advises us

to go to a person to whom we can surrender. This means that we have to check

to see if a person is capable of giving instructions in Bhagavad-gétä and

other literatures of God realization. It is not that we are to search out a

spiritual master whimsically. We should be very serious to find a person who

is actually in knowledge of the subject.

In the beginning of Bhagavad-gétä Arjuna was talking to Kåñëa just like a

friend, and Kåñëa was questioning how he, as a military man, could give up

fighting. But when Arjuna saw that friendly talks would not make a solution

to his problems, he surrendered unto Kåñëa, saying, çiñyas te 'haà çädhi mäà

tväà prapannam: "Now I am Your disciple and a soul surrendered unto You.

Please instruct me." (Bg. 2.7) This is the process. It is not that we should

blindly surrender, but we should be able to inquire with intelligence.

Without inquiry, we cannot make advancement. In school a student who makes

inquiries from the teacher is usually an intelligent student. It is

generally a sign of intelligence when a small child inquires from his

father, "Oh, what is this? What is that?" We may have a very good spiritual

master, but if we have no power to inquire, we cannot make progress. Nor

should the inquiry be of the nature of a challenge. One should not think,

"Now I will see what kind of spiritual master he is. I will challenge him."

Our inquiries (paripraçnena) should be on the subject of service (sevayä).

Without service, our inquiries will be futile, but even before making

inquiries, we should have some qualification. If we go to a store to

purchase some gold or jewelry and we know nothing about jewels or gold, we

are likely to be cheated. If we go to a jeweler and say, "Can you give me a

diamond?" he will understand that this is a fool. He could charge us any

price for anything. That kind of searching will not do at all. We first have

to become a little intelligent, for it is not possible to make spiritual

progress otherwise.

The beginning injunction of the Vedänta-sütra is: athäto brahma jijïäsä.

"Now is the time to inquire about Brahman." The word atha means that one who

is intelligent, who has come to the point of realizing the basic

frustrations of material life, is capable of making inquiry. In

Çrémad-Bhägavatam it is stated that one should inquire from a spiritual

master about subjects that are "beyond this darkness." This material world

is by nature dark, and it is artificially lighted by fire. Our inquiries

should be about the transcendental worlds which lie beyond this universe. If

one is desirous to find out about these spiritual worlds, he should seek out

a spiritual master; otherwise there is no point in searching. If I want to

study Bhagavad-gétä or Vedänta-sütra in order to make material improvement,

it is not necessary to find a spiritual master. One should first want to

inquire about Brahman and then search out a master who has perfect vision of

the Absolute Truth (jïäninas tattva-darçinaù [bg. 4.34]). Kåñëa is the

supreme tattva, Absolute Truth. In the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gétä Çré

Kåñëa states:

manuñyäëäà sahasreñu

kaçcid yatati siddhaye

yatatäm api siddhänäà

kaçcin mäà vetti tattvataù

"Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of

those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth." (Bg. 7.3)

Thus out of many perfected spiritualists, one man may know what Kåñëa

actually is. As this verse indicates, the subject matter of Kåñëa is not so

easy but is very difficult. Yet Bhagavad-gétä also indicates that it is

easy.

bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti

yävän yaç cäsmi tattvataù

tato mäà tattvato jïätvä

viçate tad-anantaram

"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional

service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such

devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." (Bg. 18.55)

If we accept the process of devotional service, we can understand Kåñëa very

easily. Through it we can understand the science of Kåñëa perfectly and

become eligible for entering into the spiritual kingdom. If, as

Bhagavad-gétä says, after many births we have to eventually surrender to

Kåñëa, why not surrender to Him immediately? Why wait for many, many births?

If surrender is the end of perfection, why not accept perfection

immediately? Of course the answer is that people are generally doubtful.

Kåñëa consciousness can be attained in one second, or it cannot be had even

after a thousand births and deaths. If we choose, we can immediately become

great souls by surrendering to Kåñëa, but because we have doubts whether or

not Kåñëa is actually the Supreme we have to take time to dissipate these

doubts through study of the scriptures. By studying Bhagavad-gétä under the

guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, we can remove these doubts and

make definite progress.

It is the fire of knowledge that burns all doubts and fruitive activities to

ashes. Çré Kåñëa gives the following information of the results of inquiring

of the truth from one who has actually seen the truth.

yaj jïätvä na punar moham

evaà yäsyasi päëòava

yena bhütäny açeñäëi

drakñyasy ätmany atho mayi

api ced asi päpebhyaù

sarvebhyaù päpa-kåttamaù

sarvaà jïäna-plavenaiva

våjinaà santariñyasi

yathaidhäàsi samiddho 'gnir

bhasmasät kurute 'rjuna

jïänägniù sarva-karmäëi

bhasmasät kurute tathä

"And when you have thus learned the truth, you will know that all living

beings are but parts of Me-and that they are in Me, and are Mine. Even if

you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are

situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be able to cross

over the ocean of miseries. As a blazing fire burns firewood to ashes, O

Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all the reactions to

material activities." (Bg. 4.35-37)

The fire of knowledge is ignited by the spiritual master, and when it is

ablaze, all the reactions to our works are turned to ashes.

 

Ac Bhaktivedantha swami Prabhupada