From Sri Guru and His Grace p.2

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In good faith, with whatever knowledge we have, we must sincerely help

others. In that spirit one may take up the work of acarya, otherwise he will

be blamed. But we must be careful that whenever a guru of superior quality

is there, we must help others to accept him. We must not be a trespasser. It

is also mentioned in the Hari Bhakti Vilasa that when a greater person is

available, those of a lower type should not venture to make disciples.

Suppose a farmer has fertile land and two kinds of seed. The good seed

should be planted first. If the better seed is not available, then ordinary

seeds may be sown. For the sake of the harvest, the better seed should be

given the first chance. If we are detached, if we are pure in heart, and if

we are selfless, the better seed should always be sown first. The lower kind

of seed should be withdrawn. So, when a higher type of guru is available to

any circle, the lower type of guru should not interfere.

 

***

 

Student: Many devotees cannot understand how it is that someone can have two

gurus.

 

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: That is because they are situated in a formal

position, but when they enter into the substantial spiritual realization,

they will not have such a grievance because they will see what is guru. Guru

means one who has come to give Krsna consciousness. The formal difference

will be reduced when one can catch the very substance of the teachings for

which the guru is respected. When one is intimately connected with the

thread of divine love which the guru comes to impart to us, he will accept

it, wherever it comes from. He will see it as a friendly relation, not

antagonistic, but cooperative.

Although separate in figure, at heart both of the gurus are the same because

they have a common cause. They have not come to fight with one another; they

have come to fight only with the agents of Satan. If we can recognize the

real thing for which we are approaching the guru, then we will understand

how to make the adjustment in our relationship with the siksa guru, diksa

guru, and vartma-pradarsaka guru.

We are infinitely indebted to all our gurus. We are helpless. What can we

do? They are benevolent, they are infinitely gracious, they are my

guardians. I may have many guardians; they are to look after my welfare,

they have not come to destroy me.

 

***

 

Self-effulgent and Self-evident

 

Student: How will we recognize the guru if he appears before us in another

form or in a different body?

 

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya argued that Sri

Caitanyedeva could not have been an incarnation. Gopinatha Acarya told him,

"You do not know the sastra.No, no," Sarvabhauma said, "In the scriptures

it is mentioned that the Lord does not appear in Kali-yuga, but only in

three ages and is therefore known as Triyuga." Gopinatha Acarya replied,

"You think that you know so much about sastra, but in the Srimad-Bhagavatam

and Mahabharata, there is direct mention of the avatara of Kali-yuga. Have

you no knowledge, no recognition of that?" Then Sarvabhauma apparently

defeated, said, "You go and take prasadam, and afterwards come and teach

me." Then Gopinatha said, "Not by the dint of one's study or intelligence

can one understand God, but only through his grace" (athapi te deva

padambhuja-dvaya-prasada lesanugrhita eva hi).

Then Sarvabhauma said, "You say that you have that grace, and I do not? What

is your reasoning behind this? You say that you have the grace of the Lord

because you say that he is an incarnation. And because I can't give

recognition to that, I have no grace? What is the proof of this?" Then

Gopinatha Acarya replied, acarya kahe vastu visaye haya vastu-jnana

vastu-tattva-jnana haya krpate pramana (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 6. 89).

"It is evident that I have the grace of the Lord, because I know him, and

that you have not, because you deny him." The answer to your question is

given here. Our own inner experience, our internal satisfaction, our

connection or acquaintance with reality is the real evidence; nothing

external can give any real proof.

Our guru maharaja gave the example that if one is born in the darkness of a

dungeon, and someone proposes "Let us go see the sun," then the prisoner

will carry a lantern in his hand saying "Oh, you will show me the sun?"

"Yes. Come with me. Leave your lantern behind. No light is necessary to see

the sun."

"Are you trying to fool me? Nothing can be seen without the help of a

light."

His friend will catch him and forcibly take the prisoner into the sunlight.

"Do you see the sun?" And the prisoner will say, "Oh, this is the sun! By

sunlight alone we can see the sun." One will have that sort of experience

when he comes in connection with the truth. Neither calculation, nor

evidence, nor witness, but only direct experience is proof that Krsna is

there, like the sun.

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, atma parijnanamayo: what to speak of

Krsna, even the conscious unit is self-effulgent. A certain section says,

"There is God. Surely He exists." Others say, "No, there is no God, He never

existed." This quarrel is useless; still it will continue. In a particular

section this argument will have no end. Those who have no eyes will be

unable to see the sun. They will say there is no sun (mattah para-nistat

amsa-lokam). This misconception will continue for those who deny the

existence of both the soul and the Supreme soul. For those who have direct

experience, however, there is no question: it exists! But for the owl

section who cannot admit the existence of the sun, the sun does not exist.

It is something like that. Our own realization of a thing will be the

greatest proof of its existence: vastu-tattva-jnana haya krpate.

One may be born blind, but if somehow or other his eyes are opened, he will

be astonished to see the particular aspects of the environment. But if one

has no vision, he can see no color or figure. Those who have vision will

feel, "How can I deny the fact? I have seen it. I am feeling it, it is so

magnanimous, so great and so benevolent, I can't deny all these things. You

are unfortunate; you cannot see." Some see, some cannot see. In the same

place, one can see, another cannot. Those to whom Krsna wishes to reveal

himself can see him; others cannot.

 

***

 

We don't consider the body connection important in the acaryaship. It is a

spiritual current, and not a body current. The disciple of a true devotee

may even be a nondevotee. We admit that, because we see it, and the Lord

Himself says in Bhagavad-gita, sa kaleneha mahata, yogo nastah parantapa:

"The current is damaged by the influence of this material world." In the

line, some are affected, go astray, and may even become nondevotees. So, the

continuation through the physical succession is not a safe criterion to be

accepted. We must trace only the current of spiritual knowledge.

Wherever we can get that, we must accept it, even if it comes from the

Ramanuja, Madhva, or Nimbarka sampradaya. As much as we get from them

substantially, we accept, and we reject the so-called followers of our own

tradition if they are mere imitationists. The son of a political leader may

not be a political leader. A political leader may also have a political

succession, and his own son, although brought up in a favorable environment,

may be rejected. A doctor's son may not be a doctor. In the disciplic order

also, we admit the possibility that they may not all come up to the same

standard. Those who do not, should be rejected.

And if the truth is found in a substantial way somewhere else, that should

be accepted. Wherever there is devotion and the correct consideration about

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, our guru is there. Who is our guru? He is not to be

found in the physical form; our guru is to be traced wherever we find the

embodiment of the pure thought and understanding which Sri Krsna Caitanya

Mahaprabhu imparted to save us.

Baladeva Vidyabhusana was very akin to the Madhva sampradaya. But when he

came in connection with Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, he showed great

interest in Gaudiya Vaisnavism. He has also commented on the

Srimad-Bhagavatam and Jiva Goswami's Sat Sandarbha. And that enlightened

thought is a valuable contribution to our sampradaya. We cannot dismiss him.

He is our guru.

At the same time, if my own relatives do not give recognition to my guru or

to the service of Mahaprabhu, I must eliminate them. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

Prabhupada has explained the siksa guru parampara in this way. Wherever we

find the extraordinary line of the flow of love of God, and support for the

same, we must bow down. That line may appear in a zigzag way, but still,

that is the line of my gurudeva. In this way it is accepted. We want the

substance, not the form.