Why do I need a guru if I only want to be religious ?

[Guest guest]

I only want to belong to a religious society like ISKCON so that

i get all the benefits of dharma,artha,karma and moksa

so why do I need ta guru for this?

[Govindaram]

 

Hare Krishna

 

Its not just about having a Guru, like a 'in thing at the moment' a Guru is a pure devotee whom you try to please, by serving his instructions, easy way to please krishna is through His devotee, this is the way it always been.

[yasodanandana]

gaudya vaishnava sampradaya is basically a school, not a faith..

 

To belong to a "classic" religion like hinduism, islamism, catholicism etc you have only to "believe" that in the sky there's vishnu, allah, jesus and you are a member

 

but gaudya vaishnava is a school, not a blind faith, so you have to pray krsna to send to you a master, otherwise there's no any meaning in belonging or joining

 

 

(like the ones who put on t-shirts with "yale university", "oxford university" in italy many do it, maybe i have something like that)

 

so if you "feel" that you are an iskcon member everyone is happy because it is a signo of appreciation for srila prabhupada and all the vaishnavas.. but you have to go deeper

 

[Dervish]

CC Madhya Lila 22.54

 

Sadhu sanga sadhu sanga sarva sastra kaya

Lava matra sadhu sanga sarva siddhi haya

 

Even one moment's association with Krsna's pure devotee can give one all success.

 

Institutions come and go. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave us the Gaudiya Saraswat sampradaya. He created the Gaudiya Math for this and while he was on earth, it was very powerful. When he left, it splintered into many pieces.

 

Srila Prabhupad made ISKCON, and while he was here, it became bigger, more locations worldwide -- stronger in every way. After he left the planet, the growth ceased.

 

It is not the institution that empowers an aspiring devotee, it is Sri Guru.

 

Sri Gurvastakam Sloka 8

 

yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado

yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi

dhyayan stuvams tasya yashas trisandhyam

vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

 

"By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Krsna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master."

 

Do not think of the institution so much as the Guru. Find the guru that enthuses you the most, and take shelter of him. The guru is your primary concern in this regard. The institution is merely secondary. Right now you're on a journey for spirituality. Your destination is the Guru. He resides in the institution, the house. After many years, the Guru may leave this world, and people will fight over the house. Who owns this house? This is when you may want to humbly take your leave of the house, the institution.

[Guest guest]

 

I only want to belong to a religious society like ISKCON so that

i get all the benefits of dharma,artha,karma and moksa

so why do I need ta guru for this?

 

 

First, its kama, not karma.

 

So let me see if I have this right.

 

All you want is dharma (regulated religion like church every sunday, etc) and not a life filled from moment to moment with transcendence.

 

Artha ($$$)

 

Kama - sense gratification - the entanglement for repeated birth and death.

 

Moksa - liberation (brahmajyoti or heavenly planet) and not Krishna?

 

Maybe you did not realize what you were going to miss out on.

 

I wouldn't worry about a guru at first. Just read the books and practice daily. The rest will fall into place naturally, no pressure needed.

 

[Guest guest]

yes.. no pressure... but pray