How is the guru and disciple relationship eternal?

[Guest guest]

Dear Nayana Ranjana Prabhu,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and

ISKCON.

 

Thank you very much for finding the quotation. Right now I do not have a copy

of HNC. That is why I wrote what I had heard.

 

> The relationship between the guru & disciple is eternal. As long as both

> remain qualified the relationship is not broken.

> But when the guru falls down if the disciple doesn't reject him and when the

> disciple gets contaminated if the guru dosen't reject him then such a

> disciple and such a guru (resp) are bound to fall down also.

>

> (Note: The Rtviks say that 'janme janme prabhu sei' is only applicable if

> your guru is mahabhagavata and your relationship cannot be eternal if you

> have madhyama guru who may fall down. But here Thakura Bhaktivinoda says

> that the guru-disciple relationship is eternal in all cases as long as both

> of them remain qualified and none of them falls down.)

 

> Any comments?

 

My understanding is:

 

Every living entity is eternally a servant of Sri Krishna. So all devotee

relationships are eternal. That is a godbrother/godsister , devotee father

/devotee son, devotee Guru/devotee disciple, devotee friend/devotee friend,

devotee master/devotee servant etc all relationships are eternal including

Gurudisciple relationship because eternally every living entity is a servant of

Lord Krishna. This relationship is apparantly broken when either Guru or

disciple comes under maya. Again the eternal relationships are revived when

maya is removed.

 

In one sense all devotee relationships are that of eternal servants. Guru also

thinks that he is servant of his disciples and Lord Krishna has send all the

disciples for his service in Krishna this way. A Guru does not lord over the

disciples, but he cares and guides for them. A sincere disciple always thinks

he is a servant of Guru. The principle is once the disciple is fully trained

he has to help the Guru who may fall under illusion.

 

The ritviks are also eternally servants of Krishna. We respect all living

entities. So we have due respect for them. However we disassociate with them

and reject them as long as they are under illusion on the strength of the above

quote from HNC. Otherwise we will fall under illusion like them. If some

fortunate Ritvik corrects himself and comes under the shelter of Parampara with

true repentance, we again worship him.

 

The mercy of Guru is so powerful that the sincere disciple can out perform the

Guru himself. A bonafide Guru is very happy if his sincere disciple can

succeed better than himself. Actually that is the guru's true success.

 

By mercy of Lord Krishna the roles of Guru and disciple are interchanged in

some occasions. It happened in the case of that Buddhist Monk Guru who tried

to serve contaminated food to Lord Caitanya, and the Eagle comes and drops the

plate on his forhead, and he faints. Then Lord Caitanya initiated the

disciples of this Buddhist Guru and then these initiated disciples of Lord

Caitanya initiated their Buddhist Guru by chanting hare Krishna Maha Mantra in

his ears. That way the Buddhist Guru became the disciple of his own disciples

due to Lord's arrangement. Anyway he was very happy to revive his eternal

relationship with the supreme Lord. Every thing happens according to the will

of Lord Caitanya Maha Prabhu.

 

A Vaishnava always thinks he is servant of others including his own disciples.

Otherwise if the Guru thinks he is the master of his disciples then it becomes

a bodily designation. He may teach his disciples that they should treat him

like a master, but internallyt he does this as a service to Lord Caitanya. But

the disciples always thiinks with great gratitude and sings "janme janme prabhu

sei".

 

"Every living entity is eternally a servant of Sri krishna Caitanya, therefore

the spiritual master cannot be other than a servant of Lord Caitanya. The

spiritual master's eternal occupation is to expand the service of the Lord by

training disciples in a service attitude. ..........CC Adi

1.44-------------Jaya Srila Prabhupada.

 

Please correct me if I my this understanding is wrong,

 

Your humble servant,

Bhadra Govinda Das.

(Balaji Prasad.Y.)