civilization and transcendence ch. 7

[theist]

 

GETTING SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

Pusta Krsna: May I ask another question, Srila Prabhupäda? "Is a guru essential for one to enter the spiritual path and attain the goal, and how does one recognize one's guru?"

 

Srila Prabhupäda: Yes, a guru is necessary. In the Bhagavad-gétä, when Krsna and Arjuna were talking as friends, there was no conclusion. So Arjuna decided to accept Krsna as his guru. Find this verse in Bhagavad-gétä: kärpaëya-doñopahata svabhävaù.

 

Hari-sauri:

kärpaëya-doñopahata svabhävaù

påcchämi tvaà dharma-sammüòha-cetäù

yac chreyaù syän niçcitaà brühi tan me

çiñyas te 'haà çädhi mäà tväà prapannam

 

"[Arjuna said:] Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me." [bg. 2.7]

 

Srila Prabhupäda: Yes. So a guru is necessary. Like Arjuna, everyone is perplexed about his best course of action. Nobody can decide by himself. Even a physician—when he is sick he does not devise his own treatment. He calls for another physician, because his brain is not in order. How can he prescribe the right medicine for himself?

similarly, when we are perplexed and cannot find any solution, at that time the guru is required. It is therefore essential for everyone to surrender to a guru, since in our present existence we are all perplexed. Arjuna is representing the perplexed position of the materialistic person. So under the circumstances, a guru is required to give us real direction.

Now, Arjuna selected Krsna as his guru. He did not go to anyone else, because he knew, "I can't find any other means to pacify me. You are the only one." The purport is that like Arjuna, we should also accept Krsna as the guru who can intruct us in how to get relief from our perplexed position. So Krsna is the guru not only for Arjuna, but for everyone.

If we take instruction from Krsna and abide by that instruction, then our life is successful. Conveying that fact is our mission. This Krsna consciousness movement teaches, "Accept Krsna as your guru. Don't divert your attention." We don't say, "I am Krsna; follow my order." We never say that. We simply ask people, "Please abide by the order of Krsna." Krsna says, sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja [bg. 18.66], and we say the same thing: "Give up all other ideas of so-called dharma and surrender to Krsna." The same thing. we don't say of ourselves, "I am the authority." No, we say, "Krsna is the authority, and you should surrender to His instruction and try to understand Him." This is the Krsna consciousness movement.

Now, one may say, "Krsna is no longer present, so how can I surrender to Him?" Krsna is no longer present? How can you say that? Krsna's instruction is there—Bhagavad-gétä. How can you say that Krsna is not present? Krsna, being absolute, is not different from His words. The words of Krsna and Krsna Himself—they are the same. That is the meaning of Absolute Truth.

In the relative world, the word water and the substance water are different. When I am thirsty, if I simply chant "Water, water, water," my thirst will not be satisfied. I require the real water. That is the nature of the relative world and relative consciousness. But in the spiritual world or spiritual consciousness, the name is the same as the thing that is named. For instance, we are chanting Hare Krsna. If Krsna were different from the chanting of Hare Krsna, then how could we be satisfied chanting the whole day and night? This is the proof. An ordinary name—if you chant "Mr. John, Mr. John," after chanting three times you'll cease. But this Hare Krsna mahä-mantra—if you go on chanting twenty-four hours a day, you'll never become tired. This is the spiritual nature of the Absolute Truth. This is practical. Anyone can perceive it.

So Krsna is present through His words and through His representative Therefore we advise everyone to accept Krsna's instructions in Bhagavad-gétä and to surrender to His bona fide representative You have to accept a guru, so why go to a pseudo guru, who will mislead you? Why not take instructions from a real guru? Now you are in doubt about whether a guru is needed. Yes, a guru is needed, but you have to go to a real guru. That is the instruction given by Krsna in the Bhagavad-gétä. Just find this

tad viddhi praëipätena

paripraçnena sevayä

upadekñyanti tad-jïänaà

jïäninas tattva-darçinaù

Pusta Krsna: "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." [bhagavad-gétä 4.34]

Çréla Prabhupäda: So this is the real guru—one who has seen the truth, just as Arjuna has seen Krsna. Arjuna heard Krsna's instructions and said, "You are the Absolute Truth." Now, if you take the instruction of Arjuna, then you will understand the Absolute Truth. So what is the instruction of Arjuna? Find out in the tenth chapter.

 

Puñöa Kåñëa:

arjuna uväca

paraà brahma paraà dhäma

pavitraà paramaà bhavän

puruñaà çäçvataà divyam

ädi-devam ajaà vibhum

"Arjuna said, 'You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest.'" [bhagavad-gétä 10.12]

 

Srila Prabhupäda: And the Vedänta-sütra says, athäto brahma jijïäsä: "Now, in the human form of life, is the time to inquire into what is the Supreme Brahman." So here in Bhagavad-gétä Arjuna has realized, "O Krsna, You are the Supreme Brahman," So you should make Arjuna your guru and Krsna your guru. Arjuna is the representative of Krsna, the friend of Krsna. The guru is essential. But why go to a bogus guru? You will be cheated. For instance, when you are diseased, for your treatment you need to go to a physician. But you want to go to a real physician, not a cheater who has no knowledge of medical science and misrepresents himself—"I am a physician, an M.D." Then you'll be cheated. The guru is necessary; that's a fact. But go to the real guru. Who is the real guru? The real guru is Krsna or one who has seen Krsna, such as Arjuna.