Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathāmta tapta-jīvanam BBBiiinnndududu Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications Issue No. 27 23 April 2002 Śrī Kāmadā Ekādaśī, 26 Vishnu, 516 Gaurābda

• FOLLOW GURU; DON’T SPECULATE Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

• EKALAVYA’S FAULT Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada Highlights Highlights · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

FOLLOW GURU; DON’T SPECULATE If someone is serious, then what should he do in the face of such a test? He should not leave. He Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja should stay with leech-like tenacity. Whatever the guru has said, one should just In the Mahābhārata there is the story of execute it as it is, with no speculation. Not that, Ekalavya. Dronacharya was teaching archery. “Gurudeva has said this, and that’s all right. But Ekalavya once approached him requesting to I may do like this, or it may be done in another be his disciple. Ekalavya did not belong to a royal way.” No, no, no. Just do exactly what he said, family. He was from a tribal family. When he as it is, with no speculation. There should be no requested, Dronacharya said, “No, no, no. You addition and no subtraction. Execute it as it is, are not allowed. Get out of here.” Ekalavya left, and then you can get the mercy of guru. Other- but he had the desire, “I must learn this thing.” wise you cannot get his mercy. Disciple means Dronacharya´s dear disciple was Arjuna. under strict discipline. There is no slackness. It is Arjuna had received the full mercy of very serious. The guru will inflict very strict dis- Dronacharya. Dronacharya promised that no cipline upon you. He will test you to see if you one would be able to surpass Arjuna in archery. are a real disciple. Just as there are bona fide Arjuna was also a devotee of Lord Krishna. One sadhus and gurus as well as bogus sadhus and who is a devotee of the Lord naturally gets the gurus, similarly there are also bona fide and bo- mercy of guru. And, yasya prasādād bhagavat- gus disciples. Whoever does not strictly follow prasādo — one who gets the mercy of guru also the instructions and directions of the guru, as it gets the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Since is, is a bogus disciple. He is a speculator. No mat- Arjuna was a devotee he had both the mercy ter how strict and severe the discipline inflicted of his guru, Dronacharya, as well as of Krishna. by guru may be, one should ungrudgingly ac- Because of the blessings of guru, it was not cept it, at any cost, even at the cost of your life. possible for anyone to surpass Arjuna. But The guru will put you in such a test: “Let us see Ekalavya thought, “No. I must excel him.” whether he is a bona fide disciple or a bogus dis- So Ekalavya returned to the jungle and made ciple. Is he serious to get the mercy and under- a deity of Dronacharya out of clay. He estab- stand Krishna, or not?” Strict discipline will be lished the deity and said, “This is my guru.” inflicted. The guru tests the disciple. Whenever He knew that without guru one cannot learn, a disciple approaches a guru, the guru will first so he made a deity of Dronacharya. say, “No, no, no. Get out! Get out! I don’t accept Ekalavya was a very expert person. He had disciples.” Or he may say, “No, I cannot accept some good material qualities, but mere mate- you. Go somewhere else.” This is the guru’s test. rial qualities are not qualities at all: Issue Twenty-seven, Page — 2 é[q k* ZKauravas and Pandavas. thumb as dak+i(ā. One may think that this is Ekalavya cleared the trees from the jungle. He enviousness on the part of Arjuna. had such clear eyesight that from eight miles Such thinking is not good. This is the material away he could see what Dronacharya was consideration. But how is it that Ekalavya got teaching and he would follow it. He became a such skill and how is it that a devotee like Arjuna great archer. He achieved such ability that he became jealous? Is this bona fide? Is what’s been even surpassed Arjuna. Once, Dronacharya done correct or incorrect? If Ekalavya had no asked his disciples, the Kauravas and right to learn this skill, then how could he get Pandavas, to go to the forest for hunting. it? That is not the issue. The point is that if Sometimes k+atriyas go hunting. While out in Ekalavya had such guru-bhakti, and if he had the forest there was one dog who was going the mercy of guru, then quite naturally he would ahead of them. The dog disappeared for some also have the mercy of Krishna. But later on time. Suddenly they saw the dog. He had Ekalavya was killed by Krishna. How was it seven arrows simultaneously pierced through that he was killed by Krishna? The demons his mouth. They thought, “Who has done who are killed by Krishna get sāyujya-mukti this?” Then they met Ekalavya. It was he who [impersonal liberation]. Ekalavya got sāyujya- had shot the arrows into the dog’s mouth. mukti. That means that Krishna was not Arjuna could understand, “Oh, he is such a pleased with him and Drona was not pleased. great archer! I could not have done this. He Nobody was pleased with him. has surpassed me! But my guru has said that According to material calculation, one would no one will be able to surpass me!” Then they say there is nothing wrong with Ekalavya. He asked Ekalavya, “Who is your guru?” He told was very devoted to his guru. When them, “Dronacharya is my guru.” Arjuna then Dronacharya asked him to cut off his thumb went back and informed Dronacharya that for dak+i(ā, he immediately gave it. Material- although Ekalavya was refused by you, he istic people cite this example and say, “We will came to the jungle and has made a deity of become like Ekalavya. We will sit at home and you from clay and has learned such expert make a mūrti of guru and get everything. Why archery that he has shot seven arrows into the should we go and get it directly from the guru’s mouth of this dog. Dronacharya went there. lips? Why should we hear? This mentality is Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu Issue Twenty-seven, Page — 3 Krishna so he got sāyujya-mukti. One who wants to surpass a vai+(ava commits an of- fense. Ekalavya had committed an offense and by cutting off his thumb this nirviśe+a- vāda was checked. This is our paramārthika- vicāra [spiritual consideration]. In the mate- rial field, everyone glorifies Ekalavya. How- ever, he could not get the mercy of Dronacharya or Krishna. If you don’t get the mercy of guru, how can you get the mercy of Krishna and how can you overcome māyā? You cannot. Never, never. Therefore one should serve the guru, please him, and get his mercy. Then you can overcome māyā. Then you can understand and approach Krishna. Otherwise you cannot.- — From a class on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.5.30 in Bhubaneswar. 20 April 1991. EKALAVYA’S FAULT Prabhupada Srila Saraswati Thakur In his book of essays entitled Upākhyāne- upadeśa, “Instructions in Stories”, Srila Painting entitled: ekalavyera guru-dak'i(ā, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur gives the fol- from a late 19th century Bengali edition of Mahābhārata. lowing commentary on the story of Ekalavya. The Left to right: Ekalavya, deity of Dronacharya, translation from the original Bengali is by Sri Dronacharya, Arjuna. Srimad Bhakti-caru Swami. developing. Then speculation will develop, To many people, Ekalavya’s devotion to nirviśe+a-vāda, impersonalism, will develop. his guru is ideal, but there is a special con- This is the wrong in Ekalavya’s behavior. How sideration. What was Ekalavya’s fault? That can a speculator become victorious? Ekalavya should be considered. Wearing the mask of had no devotion, therefore Dronacharya told guru-bhakti, devotion to the guru, Ekalavya him, “Cut off your thumb.” Dronacharya did actually revolted against his guru. Whether this so that nirviśe+a-vāda would not develop his guru was actually considering him to and become victorious. be disqualified by birth in a low-class fam- Ekalavya had no devotion. Nobody can sur- ily, or was simply testing him — for what- pass a devotee. Arjuna is a devotee, but ever reason, when his gurudeva refused to Ekalavya was not a devotee at all. When the teach him the art of Dhanur-veda [the scrip- fight took place between the Kauravas and the ture dealing with the science of warfare] it Pandavas, Ekalavya took the side of the was Ekalavya’s duty to accept the instruc- Kauravas. He didn’t take the side of the tion of his spiritual master. But Ekalavya Pandavas, where Krishna was. So although he did not like that. He wanted to become was not a devotee, he was posing as a devotee. great. Externally, without a guru his work Posing as a very devoted disciple. But inside he would not be considered bona fide, or per- had the intention, “I will surpass Arjuna. I´ll be haps it was not possible to become great greater than him. Dronacharya has refused me, without accepting a guru. It was with these but I will show him that I can surpass his dear considerations that Ekalavya formed an disciple Arjuna.” He had this pride, ativā6ī. imaginary or clay material form of the guru. Thinking themselves very great, this is ativā6ī. Actually, his main intention was to learn Therefore the ativā6ī-sampradāya is an apa- Dhanur-veda and become great. In this way sampradāya [a non-bona fide disciplic line]. he wanted to satisfy his own senses. He did Nobody was pleased with Ekalavya. His not want to sacrifice himself to the will of guru was not pleased. He was killed by his guru. That was not his honest desire. Issue Twenty-seven, Page — 4 é[q k* ZBalarama Mandir Devotees are always protected by Him. National Highway No. 5, IRC Village Hiranyakasipu and Prahlada are the proof. Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, 751015 Therefore we should never try to become Phone: (0674) 557026 Email: [email protected] greater than vai+(avas and thus, wearing a mask of guru-bhakti, actually become For more information about Gopal Jiu Publica- impersonalists. That is what we should www.gopaljiu.org tions check out our website: learn from the example of Ekalavya. Pro- To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] ficiency in performing activities is not a with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. (To subscribe put “subscribe” in the subject line.) symptom of devotion to the guru, or guru- Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the International bhakti. Bhakti means to remain subordinate Society for Krishna Consciousness, Founder-Acarya His and submissive to the Lord’s loving ser- Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. vants, the vai+(avas.- Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Bibliography Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. All other mate- — Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Mahābharata. English translation rials, unless specified, © ISKCON Bhubaneswar/Gopal by Sri Srimad Hridayananda Das Goswami. Unpublished manuscript. Jīu Publications. All rights reserved. Blanket permission is — Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Upākhyāne Upadeśa. given to redistribute Bindu in electronic or print form pro- Compiled by Srimad Sundarananda Vidyavinode. Gaudiya Mission. vided no changes are made to the contents. Calcutta. 1936. Bengali.