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Guru Vandana - Part 1 Guru Vandana - Part 1 Date: 2015-07-31 Author: Kalacakra Krsna das Dear Prabhujis and Matajis, Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva. Today is the most auspicious day of Sri Guru Purnima, celebrated all over the world with different moods. For us, Srila Prabhupada gave us the real meaning of Guru Purnima in his beautiful explanation of the Vaishnava Bhajan 'Sri Guru Carana Padma' written by Srila Narottam Das Thakur. Today is also the day our foremost Acarya Sripad Sanatana Goswami took Samadhi. On the day of his disappearance, almost 500 years ago, all the vrajavasis in Vrindavan, Govardhan and surrounding villages shaved their head as a mark of respect as one would do when their own family member left his body. That is the greatness of Srila Sanatana Goswami. Srila Prabhupada's Explanation of Guru Vandana: So Sanatana Goswami is guru. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is authorizing him to become guru. This is parampara system. Nobody can become guru all of a sudden. Self-made guru, that is not guru. Here, Sanatana Goswami is presented as the disciple, ideal disciple. He is asking, ‘ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya', process how to approach guru, how to ask him question. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg. 4.34]. Paripraśna means question. That is also required. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu is authorizing him. Therefore He says, kṛṣṇa-śakti dhara tumi [Cc. Madhya 20.105]. Here Krishna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is authorizing Sanatana Goswami. Unless he has got the power to receive the instruction, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not going to waste His time. He has the power. He is empowered. Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is that to preach Krishna consciousness all over the world. So He is empowering Sanatana Goswami to take this task and spread Krishna consciousness. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. You'll find in the Caitanya Caritamrta the verse, Kṛṣṇa śakti vinā nahe nāma pracaraṇa. Without being empowered by Krishna, nobody can preach the holy name of the Lord. So without getting the power of attorney... Just like even one is qualified lawyer, he must get the power of attorney from his client, and then he can speak. That is the law. Similarly, without being endowed with the power of attorney from Krishna, it is not possible to preach. So our business is... Because we are preparing ourselves to preach Krishna consciousness, we must be qualified to get the power of attorney. Sometimes we speak that "I'll preach." What you will preach? First of all get the power of attorney; then preach. Preaching is not so easy that anyone and anyone can preach without qualification. Kṛṣṇa śakti vinā nahe nāma pracaraṇa. So to get that power of attorney one has to qualify himself, not that the power of attorney is hanging in the tree and you can take it. No. So how this power of attorney can be achieved? That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. You are singing daily guru vandana. Now, today is guru-purnima. Especially we should understand what is the power of attorney. Anyone can recite this verse, sri-guru-carana? Devotee: śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma, bando muñi sāvadhāna mate. Prabhupada: So this is the beginning, that if you want to be devotee, then you must approach the spiritual master who has got the power. śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma, bando muñi sāvadhāna mate. Savadhana means very carefully, not whimsically. Then? Devotee: Jāhāra prasāde bhāi Prabhupada: Jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā jāi, kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā ha'te. So why one should go to spiritual master? Because Jāhāra prasāde bhāi: "My dear brother, if you get the benediction from the spiritual master..." Jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā jāi,. What is that benediction? The benediction is not that "Cure my disease." They do not know, generally. Therefore they are cheated. The other day in Washington, one lady came with backache. So she came for curing the leg trouble. That is going on. "So why should you approach a spiritual master for this? There is so many doctors, hospital. You go there." "No. Here you show me your miracles." And people are also cheating like that — some miracles and he becomes God. This is going on. But the miracle of spiritual master is yanhara prasade bhai, ei bhava toriya yai. This is miracle: no more material existence. Then e bhava toriyā jāi. So real thing is one can cross over the ocean of nescience. That is real gain. That is the real favor of spiritual master, not that cure your leg and again walk here and again become, break your leg, and again come. Not like that. E bhava toriyā jāi. (contd...) While we sing this prayer everyday, there is a possibility of singing it without understanding or relishing its meaning. Srila Prabhupada, the truly empowered acarya in the disciplic succession of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has given us such a deep meaning that we really are able to relish every word of it. To summarize the salient points so far: 1. Firstly, we have to be authorized (get the power of attorney) by our Guru to preach. 2. The way to get the power of attorney is to humbly (praṇipātena) and carefully (sāvadhāna) approach a bona fide Guru and become a devotee. 3. When we approach the spiritual master with such a mood, he will take us out of this material existence and place us at the lotus feet of Krishna. That is his real miracle. Let us continue to hear from Srila Prabhupada on the transcendental meaning of Guru Vandana in the next few days Krishna willing. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Kalacakra Krsna das. Guru Vandana - Part 2 Date: 2015-08-01 Author: Kalacakra Krsna das Dear Prabhujis and Matajis, Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev. We shall continue with the beautiful explanation of Srila Prabhupada on the Guru Vandana composed by Srila Narottama Das Thakur. Prabhupada: Kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā ha'te. That is spiritual master, one who can give you Krsna. Kṛṣṇa se tomāra, Kṛṣṇa dīte pāra, dhāi tava pāche pāche - Bhaktivinoda Thakura. "I am seeking after Krsna, Vaishnava Thakura, my spiritual master. So Krsna is your property." Krsna is not independent. He is the property of the devotee. Kṛṣṇa se tomāra, Kṛṣṇa dīte pāra, dhāi tava pāche pāche: "I am just following you, sir. Because Krsna is your property, if you like, you can deliver: 'Take it immediately.'"... [Srila Prabhupada quotes the beautiful verse composed by Prabhodananda Sarasvati glorifying the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to impress upon the point that just by the merciful glance Lord Caitanya, Sanatana Goswami was empowered to become a jagad guru and spread His mission all over the world]. yat-kāruṇya-kaṭākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumaḥ. It is possible simply by the merciful glance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If He simply glances over anybody, then the whole thing happens. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving, empowering Sanatana Goswami. So we should follow. Narottama dasa Thakura says, ei chai gosai yar, taro mui das: "I am servant of that person who has followed the six Goswamis." ei chai gosāi yār, tāro mui dās tān sabāra pada-reṇu, mora pañca-grās Narottama dasa says, "The dust of their lotus feet is my subsistence." So today Sanatana Goswami's Disappearance. Disappearance and appearance the same. His disappearance here, appearance somewhere. Just like sunset somewhere is immediately, sunset and sunrise, simultaneously. So for a Vaishnava, because he is under the order of Krsna, he appears somewhere and disappears somewhere because he is order-carrier. He says, "Now go there. Preach Krsna consciousness. Go there." So appearance here, disappearance there. Therefore the same thing. Then what is the next line? Devotee: Guru-mukha-padma-vākya. Prabhupada: Cittete koribo aikya. Now this is the determination. We must approach the real guru, empowered guru, with power of attorney. Then if we take his word... Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koribo aikya, ār nā koriho mane āśā. Don't try to manufacture ideas. Then if you take up his word seriously, then your life is successful. Guru- mukha-padma, cittete, ār nā koriho mane. Don't spoil yourself by manufacturing ideas. Take word from him. You carry it out. Don't bother whether you'll be spiritually advanced or not, but take the word of the spiritual master and carry it. Then everything is guaranteed. Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koribo aikya, ār nā koriho mane āśā. Then? Devotee: Śrī-guru-carane rati... Prabhupada: Śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati. You want advancement in spiritual consciousness, but it is possible only - Śrī-guru-carane rati. If you keep your faith only on the lotus feet of your guru, then you'll make advancement. There is no doubt about it. Then? Devotee: Je prasāde pūre sarva āśā. Prabhupada: Je prasāde pūre... We have got so many desires, but if we have got strong faith at the lotus feet of guru, everything will be fulfilled automatically. Je prasāde pūre sarva āśā. (contd...) Salient points from today: 1. Krishna is not independent, He is the property of the spiritual master. So the spiritual master can give Krishna to the surrendered soul. 2. Just by the merciful glance of Lord Caitanya/Lord Krishna, one can be empowered to become a spiritual master/pure devotee. 3. We should take the words emanating from the lotus mouth of the spiritual master as our heart and soul and execute it with full determination.
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