On the matter of rejecting a guru from Bhakti Sandarbha and Krsna Bhajanamritam

krsna · May 20, 2004

The following are some relevant references on the matter of rejecting a guru.

Bhakti Sandarbha (Anuccheda 207)

mantra-gurus tv eka evety Aha –

labdhAnugraha AcAryAt

tena sandarzitAgamaH |

mahA-puruSam abhyarcen

mUrtyAbhimatayAtmanaH || [bhP 11.3.48]

Now it is said that there is only one mantra-guru:

“After receiving the grace of the acharya and having the rules for chanting the mantra explained by him, one should engage in worshiping a particular form of the Lord in accordance with one’s preference.” [bhP 11.3.48]

anugraho mantra-dIkSA-rUpaH | Agamo mantra-vidhi-zAstram | asyaikatvam eka-vacanatvena bodhyate |

“Favour” (anugraha) in the form of mantra-diksa. The Agamas are the scriptures that describe the rules for chanting mantras. Because a singular form [of the word acarya] is used, it is understood that there is only one mantra-guru.

bodhaH kaluSitas tena daurAtmyaM prakaTIkRtam |

gurur yena parityaktas tena tyaktaH purA hariH ||

iti brahma-vaivartAdau tat-tyAga-niSedhAt | tad-aparitoSeNApy anyo guruH kriyate tato’neka-guru-karaNe pUrva-tyAga eva siddhaH | etac cApavAda-vacana-dvArApi zrI-nArada-paJcarAtre bodhitam --

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana confirms this by condemning the rejection of the Guru: "One who rejects his guru contaminates his understanding and reveals himself to be wicked, for he has previously rejected Hari.”

One who takes another guru out of dissatisfaction with this one, in taking a multiplicity of gurus, has in fact rejected the previous guru. This is further confirmed by the exception to the rule, as understood from Sri Narada Pancaratra:

avaiSNavopadiSTena mantreNa nirayaM vrajet |

punaz ca vidhinA samyag grAhayed vaiSNavAd guroH || iti |

“A mantra taken from a non-Vaishnava sends one to hell. [if you have done so] you should again ask a Vaishnava guru to give you the mantra in the proper manner.”

Bhakti Sandarbha (Anuccheda 238)

zrI-gurv-AjJayA tat-sevanAvirodhena cAnyeSAm api vaiSNavAnAM sevanaM zreyaH | anyathA doSaH syAt | yathA zrI-nAradoktau –

It is best to serve other Vaishnavas with the spirtual master's permission and if it does not conflict with service to him. Otherwise [if either of these conditions is not met] one will be at fault. As said by Sri Narada:

gurau sannihite yas tu pUjayed anyam agrataH |

sa durgatim avApnoti pUjanaM tasya niSphalam || iti

“One who worships others in the presence of the guru attains a bad destination. His worship will be fruitless.”

yaH prathamaM "zAbde pare ca niSNAtaM" [bhP 11.3.21] ity Ady ukta-lakSaNaM guruM nAzritavAn, tAdRza-guroz ca matsarAdito mahA-bhAgavata-satkArAdAv anumatiM na labhate, sa prathamata eva tyakta-zAstro na vicAryate | ubhaya-saGkaTa-pAto hi tasmin bhavaty eva |

One who has not taken shelter of a guru who does not embody the qualities earlier noted from the Bhagavatam verse (11.3.21), i.e. "he should be proficient in scripture, fixed up in the Supreme, and dispassionate," and then is not given permission to receive or entertain devotees of the highest order by such a guru out of enviousness and so forth, is not under consideration here, because he did not follow the shastras in the first place. He is in a situation where he is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

evam-AdikAbhiprAyeNaiva –

yo vakti nyAya-rahitam anyAyena zRNoti yaH |

tAv ubhau narakaM ghoraM vrajataH kAlam akSayam ||

iti nArada-paJcarAtre

This is the very intention of the following verse from Narada Pancharatra--“Both one who speaks out of dishonest motives, as well as the person who hears out of such dishonest motives, will go to a terrible hell for time unending.”

ata eva dUrata evArAdhyas tAdRzo guruH | vaiSNava-vidveSI cet parityAjya eva |

guror apy avaliptasya kAryAkAryam ajAnataH |

utpatha-pratipannasya parityAgo vidhIyate || [Mbh 5.178.24] iti smaraNAt

Such a guru should be worshiped from a distance. But if he has actual hatred for the Vaishnavas, he should certainly be rejected.

The Smriti says, “It is ordained that one should reject a guru who is arrogant, who does not know duty from non-duty, and who has taken to erroneous ways.” [Mbh 5.178.24].

tasya vaiSNava-bhAva-rAhityeNAvaiSNavatayA avaiSNavopadiSTenety Adi-vacana-viSayatvAc ca |

yathokta-lakSaNasya guror avidyamAnAyAM tu tasyaiva mahA-bhAgavatasyaikasya nitya-sevanaM parama-zreyaH | sa ca zrI-guruvat sama-vAsanaH svasmin kRpAlu-cittaz ca grAhyaH ||

Since he is devoid of Vaishnava spirit, he is in fact a non-Vaishnava. Therefore the the verse quoted above "The mantra given by a non-Vaishnava" etc., is applicable. If one cannot find a guru who has all the aforementioned characteristics [as in BhP 11.3.21], then it is advisable to serve a devotee of the highest order, but it goes without saying that this devotee should, like the guru, have the same general spiritual goals (sajAtIyAzaya) and have kind feelings toward one (snigdha).

The following passages go into more detail on exactly what is meant by Maha-bhagavata here, and what is meant by their seva.

Krishna Bhajanamritam of Narahari Sarakara

(transl. Bhrigumuni das)

kintu yadi gurur asamaJjasaM karoti, tarhi ykti-siddhaiH siddhAntais tasya rahasi daNDaH karaNIyaH na tu tyAjyaH | gurur daNDaya tarhi cet, tatrApi – “guror apy avaliptasya kAryAkAryam ajAnataH | utpatta-pratipannasya nyAya-daNDo vidhIyate ||” anen sarvaM suzobhanam iti ||

“But if the guru does something improper, then by suitable arguments and conclusions he should be punished in a secluded place, but not given up. If someone says that the guru cannot be punished, the answer is no, for it is said: ‘A guru who is arrogant, who does not know what should be done and what should not, and who is addicted to evils, should be punished by the club of logic.’ By this everything becomes auspicious.”

tatra gurur yadi visadRzakArI, Izvare bhrAntaH, kRSNa-yazovimukhas tad-vilAsa-vinodaM nAGgIkaroti svayaM vA durabhimAnI, lokas vastavaiH kRSNam anukaroti, tarhi tyAjya eva | katham eva gurus tyAjya iti cen na, kRSNa-bhAva-lobhAt kRSNa-prAptaye guror AzrayaNa-kRtam | tad-anantaraM yadi tasmin gurau Asura-bhAvas tarhi kiM kartavyam? asura-guruM tyaktvA zrIkRSNa-bhaktimantaM gurum anyaM bhajet | asya kRSNa-balAd asurasya guror balaM mardanIyam ||

“But if the guru now acts improperly, is confused about the Lord, is opposed to the glories of Krishna, does not take part in delighting in His play, is himself intolerably proud, and imitates Krishna, desiring the praise of the world, then he should be rejected. One should not think, ‘How can the guru be rejected?’ Because of the strong desire for love of Krishna, in order to attain Krishna one takes shelter of a guru. If later a demoniac mentality appears in that guru, what is one to do? Having rejected this demoniac guru, one should worship another guru, who has devotion to Sri Krishna. By his power from Krishna, the power of the demoniac guru is destroyed.”

krsna · May 21, 2004

GURU CAN FALL:

Cc Madhya 24.330 purp

The spiritual master should study the disciple's inquisitiveness for no less than six months or a year. A spiritual master should not be very anxious to accept a disciple because of his material opulences. Sometimes a big businessman or landlord may approach a spiritual master for initiation.

Those who are materially interested are called visayis (karmis), which indicates that they are very fond of sense gratification. Such visayis sometimes approach a famous guru and ask to become a disciple just as a matter of fashion.

Sometimes visayis pose as disciples of a reputed spiritual master just to cover their activities and advertise themselves as advanced in spiritual knowledge. In other words, they want to attain material success. A spiritual master must be very careful in this regard. Such business is going on all over the world.

The spiritual master does not accept a materially opulent disciple just to advertise the fact that he has such a big disciple. He knows that by associating with such visayi disciples, he may fall down. One who accepts a visayi disciple is not a bona fide spiritual master. Even if he is, his position may be damaged due to association with an unscrupulous visayi.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.36,

Tokyo, January 30, 1974

But when one leaves a spiritual master, the spiritual master, there may be some reason. That reason is also given in the sastra, gurur api avaliptasya karyakaryam ajanatah(?). Karya akarya. If the spiritual master does not know what is actually to be done, what is actually not to be done, and he acts against the rules and regulations of the sastra, then such spiritual master may be given up. But so long you do not find the spiritual master is doing against the principles of sastra or guru, then if you give up the company of spiritual master, that is not good for you. That is your downfall.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in The Harmonist,

December 1931, vol. XXIX No.6

"If a preceptor accepts as his disciple one who refuses to be wholly guided by him, or if a disciple submits to a preceptor who is not wholly good, such preceptor and such disciple are, both of them, doomed to fall from their spiritual state."

"The disciple retains the right of renouncing his allegiance to the preceptor the moment he is satisfied that the preceptor is a fallible creature like himself. Nor does a good preceptor accept any one as his disciple unless the latter is prepared to submit to him freely."

From Hari-nama-cintamani

by Thakura Bhaktivinoda

Sastha pariccheda: Gurvavagya Kon sthane guru tyaga korite haibe-

Now I will discuss the situation when one can give up one's spiritual master.

Tave jodi erupa ghatana kabhu haya.

Asatsange gurura jogyata haya ksaya..

It unfortunately happens sometimes that by bad association, the spiritual master looses his qualifications.

Prathame chilena tini sadguru-pradhana.

Pare nama-aparadhe haina hatagyana..

In the beginning when the guru gave initiation to the disciple, he was sadguru-pradhana or a very qualified bona-fide spiritual master but later due to get involved with the ten offenses, his knowledge was diminished.

Vaisnava vidvaya kori' chadi' nama-rasa.

Krame krame hana artha-kaminira basa..

He gave up relishing the chanting of the Holy Names due to his envy towards the Vaisnavas. Due to this he gradually came under the control of the desires for money and women.

Sei guru chadi' sisya Sri Krsnakrpaya.

Sadguru labhiya punah suddhanama gaya..

One should reject such guru and again accept an advanced bonafide spiritual master and thus again relish the pure chanting of the Holy Name.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Jaiva Dharma;

Chapter 20, page 213

He explains the second instance in which one should reject his spiritual master.

dvitiya karana ei ye. guru-varana samaye gurudeva vaisnava o tattvajna chilena, kintu sanga-dose pare mayavadi va vaisnava- vidvesi hoiya jan; erupa guruke partyaga kara kartavya; grhita guru yadi mayavadi va vaisnava-vidvesi va papasakta The second instance in which one may reject the guru is when the guru was at the time of one's initiation a Vaisnava conversant in the Absolute Truth but later due to bad association became a mayavadi or an offender to the Vaisnavas.

That guru should be rejected.

LIBERATED SOULS CAN FALL:

SB 5.188.4 purp

A liberated soul is a person who has sufficient knowledge of this material world and is therefore unattached to the bodily conception of life.

But because of association with the modes of material nature for a very long time, even liberated souls sometimes become captivated by the illusory energy due to inattentiveness in the transcendental position.

MAHA-BHAGAVATA CAN FALL:

Cc Adi 7.110 purp The Mayavadi philosophers have presented their arguments in such attractive, flowery language that hearing Mayavada philosophy may sometimes change the mind of even a maha-bhagavata, or very advanced devotee.

SB 5.7.1 bharatas tu maha-bhagavato SB 5.8 Summary Although Bharata Maharaja was very elevated, he fell down due to his attachment to a young deer.