Caiyta-guru in the heart and the Paramatma

July 9, 2003

Is there any difference between the two or are they both the Sri Guru inside the heart ?

What does it mean that the spiritual master is the external manifestation of Supersoul ?

July 9, 2003

when we are conditioned we see only the material body and not the soul or paramatma....

krsna sends to us a person who lives in the spiritual platform to relink us to the original spiritual master... the paramatma (ksirodakasay vishnu, sri balarama) who is in our heart

he tells us what Supersoul suggest to bring us in the spiritual world, hearing him or supersoul is the same, so, in a sense, guru is an avatara of the supersoul

gHari · July 10, 2003

From a lecture SB 1.8.48 Mayapura 74:<blockquote>So KRSNa, when instructs from within the heart, He is called caitya-guru. And that caitya-guru is expanded by the process, personal presentation of spiritual master. So both ways He is helping us. KRSNa is so kind. Guru-kRSNa-kRpA. KRSNa is helping from within, but sometimes we are so dull, naturally, that we cannot understand. Therefore He sends His representative to instruct externally. So He is helping internally and externally. There is no difference between the internal and external instructor. </blockquote>

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.44P<blockquote>It is here recommended to Dhruva MahArAja that he meditate on the supreme guru, or supreme spiritual master. The supreme spiritual master is KRSNa, who is therefore known as caitya-guru. This refers to the Supersoul, who is sitting in everyone's heart. He helps from within as stated in Bhagavad-gItA, and He sends the spiritual master, who helps from without. The spiritual master is the external manifestation of the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master sitting in everyone's heart.</blockquote>

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.28.41-42:<blockquote><center>sAkSAd bhagavatoktena

guruNA hariNA nRpa

vizuddha-jJAna-dIpena

sphuratA vizvato-mukham

</center>

sAkSAt--directly; bhagavatA--by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; uktena--instructed; guruNA--the spiritual master; hariNA--by Lord Hari; nRpa--O King; vizuddha--pure; jJAna--knowledge; dIpena--by the light of; sphuratA--enlightening; vizvataH-mukham--all angles of vision.

In this way King Malayadhvaja attained perfect knowledge because in his pure state he was directly instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By means of such enlightening transcendental knowledge, he could understand everything from all angles of vision.

PURPORT

In this verse the words sAkSAd bhagavatoktena guruNA hariNA are very significant. The Supreme Personality of Godhead speaks directly to the individual soul when the devotee has completely purified himself by rendering devotional service to the Lord. Lord KRSNa confirms this also in Bhagavad-gItA (10.10):

teSAM satata-yuktAnAM

bhajatAM prIti-pUrvakam

dadAmi buddhi-yogaM taM

yena mAm upayAnti te

</center>

"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me."

The Lord is the Supersoul seated in everyone's heart, and He acts as the caitya-guru, the spiritual master within. However, He gives direct instructions only to the advanced, pure devotees. In the beginning, when a devotee is serious and sincere, the Lord gives him directions from within to approach a bona fide spiritual master. When one is trained by the spiritual master according to the regulative principles of devotional service and is situated on the platform of spontaneous attachment for the Lord (rAga-bhakti), the Lord also gives instructions from within. TeSAM satata-yuktAnAM bhajatAM prIti-pUrvakam [bg. 10.10]. This distinct advantage is obtained by a liberated soul. Having attained this stage, King Malayadhvaja was directly in touch with the Supreme Lord and was receiving instructions from Him directly.

<center>pare brahmaNi cAtmAnaM

paraM brahma tathAtmani

vIkSamANo vihAyekSAm

asmAd upararAma ha

</center>

pare--transcendental; brahmaNi--in the Absolute; ca--and; AtmAnam--the self; param--the supreme; brahma--Absolute; tathA--also; Atmani--in himself; vIkSamANaH--thus observing; vihAya--giving up; IkSAm--reservation; asmAt--from this process; upararAma--retired; ha--certainly.

King Malayadhvaja could thus observe that the Supersoul was sitting by his side, and that he, as the individual soul, was sitting by the side of the Supersoul. Since both were together, there was no need for separate interests; thus he ceased from such activities.

PURPORT

In the advanced stage of devotional service, the devotee does not see anything separate between his own interests and those of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Both interests become one, for the devotee does not act for a separate interest. Whatever he does, he does in the interest of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At that time he sees everything in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Supreme Personality of Godhead in everything. Having attained this stage of understanding, he sees no distinction between the spiritual and material worlds. In perfect vision, the material world becomes the spiritual world due to its being the external energy of the Supreme Lord. For the perfect devotee, the energy and the energetic are nondifferent. Thus the so-called material world becomes spiritual (sarvaM khalv idaM brahma). Everything is intended for the service of the Supreme Lord, and the expert devotee can utilize any so-called material thing for the Lord's service. One cannot serve the Lord without being situated on the spiritual platform. Thus if a so-called material thing is dovetailed in the service of the Lord, it is no longer to be considered material. Thus the pure devotee, in his perfect vision, sees from all angles.</blockquote>

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.28.52:<blockquote><center>brAhmaNa uvAca

kA tvaM kasyAsi ko vAyaM

zayAno yasya zocasi

jAnAsi kiM sakhAyaM mAM

yenAgre vicacartha ha

</center>

brAhmaNaH uvAca--the learned brAhmaNa said; kA--who; tvam--you; kasya--whose; asi--are you; kaH--who; vA--or; ayam--this man; zayAnaH--lying down; yasya--for whom; zocasi--you are lamenting; jAnAsi kim--do you know; sakhAyam--friend; mAm--Me; yena--with whom; agre--formerly; vicacartha--you consulted; ha--certainly.

The brAhmaNa inquired as follows: Who are you? Whose wife or daughter are you? Who is the man lying here? It appears you are lamenting for this dead body. Don't you recognize Me? I am your eternal friend. You may remember that many times in the past you have consulted Me.

PURPORT

When a person's relative dies, renunciation is automatically visible. Consultation with the Supersoul seated within everyone's heart is possible only when one is completely free from the contamination of material attachment. One who is sincere and pure gets an opportunity to consult with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His ParamAtmA feature sitting within everyone's heart. The ParamAtmA is always the caitya-guru, the spiritual master within, and He comes before one externally as the instructor and initiator spiritual master. The Lord can reside within the heart, and He can also come out before a person and give him instructions. Thus the spiritual master is not different from the Supersoul sitting within the heart. An uncontaminated soul or living entity can get a chance to meet the ParamAtmA face to face. Just as one gets a chance to consult with the ParamAtmA within his heart, one also gets a chance to see Him actually situated before him. Then one can take instructions from the Supersoul directly. This is the duty of the pure devotee: to see the bona fide spiritual master and consult with the Supersoul within the heart.

When the brAhmaNa asked the woman who the man lying on the floor was, she answered that he was her spiritual master and that she was perplexed about what to do in his absence. At such a time the Supersoul immediately appears, provided the devotee is purified in heart by following the directions of the spiritual master. A sincere devotee who follows the instructions of the spiritual master certainly gets direct instructions from his heart from the Supersoul. Thus a sincere devotee is always helped directly or indirectly by the spiritual master and the Supersoul. This is confirmed in Caitanya-caritAmRta: guru-kRSNa-prasAde pAya bhakti-latA-bIja. If the devotee serves his spiritual master sincerely, KRSNa automatically becomes pleased. Yasya prasAdAd bhagavad-prasAdaH. By satisfying the spiritual master, one automatically satisfies KRSNa. Thus the devotee becomes enriched by both the spiritual master and KRSNa. The Supersoul is eternally the friend of the living entity and always remains with him. The Supersoul has always been ready to help the living entity, even before the creation of this material world. It is therefore stated here: yenAgre vicacartha. The word agre means "before the creation." Thus the Supersoul has been accompanying the living entity since before the creation.</blockquote>

July 10, 2003

Dear gHari,wonderful quotes.

For my own purification and enlightenment i am respectfully inquiring about the subtleties of the Truth of The Spiritual Master.

Yes,but how is the spiritual master the external manifestation of supersoul and at the same time someone who has descended from Goloka Vrindavana ( the spiritual master is an eternal associate of Srimati Radharani or Sriman Mahaprabhu or both .)

Do I need to be on the liberated spiritual platform (which i am not) before asking such questions ?

gHari · July 10, 2003

I think it is that the spiritual master serves Krsna who accompanies the conditioned living entities as Supersoul/Caitya-guru/God-in-the-Heart by vibrating the sounds He would have you hear, even writing the words He would have you read and relating to you in your natural eternal relationship as would Krsna.

But don't quote me on that. It sounds like a good question for S A N G A.

This is one SANGA answered question that is somewhat similar:<blockquote>QUESTION: When we worship a guru we worship the Lord's potency existing in the jiva-tattva. What kind of expansion of the Lord is this Guru potency?

ANSWER: At first we shall see Sri Guru as 'saksad dharitvena,' representing Krsna in general and in this sense non-different from him. Only after some time as we advance will we begin to see him as representing a particular potency of Krishna, and this will be relative to one's developing innate serving tendency. Different disciples may see the same Gurudeva as representing different potencies. One may see him representing Subala another Sri Radha, etc.

Just as a U.S. senator while coming from a particular state and representing it also represents the entire country when he becomes President. In the same way, when the Vaisnava serves as Sri Gurudeva, while he has his own particular sentiment, he represents the others as well for those whose nature it is to serve in other capacities. Therefore, Krsna says of Sri Gurudeva, 'acaryam mam vijaniyat.' He represents the whole of the Absolute. And at the same time 'kintu prabhur ya priya eva tasya,' he is 'vrajendranandana-prestha.'

Our sampradaya is primarily a madhurya lineage.This means that it represents the full face of rasa, as all sentiments are found within madhurya. However, madhurya is not an independent affair. As all rasas are within it, it is composed to some extent of all of them. Without the other rasas madhurya has no independent standing. The parakiya of madhura rasa requires the clash of vatsalya and the support of sakhya, etc. for it to flourish. All are present where madhurya is the primary representation, and thus Mahaprabhu's sampradaya facilitates all in vraja-prema.

While most of the acaryas in our sampradaya are themselves from the province of madhurya, there are exceptions, and those that find their beatitude and finality in madhurya also represent the entire country of love as Sri Gurudeva. We are the Rupanuga sampradaya, followers of Rupa manjari and Rupa Goswami. As Rupa Goswami our founder represented all of the divine sentiments in Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu. In Ujjvala-nilamani he revealed his own heart, that of Rupa manjari.</blockquote>