EDITORIAL
September 11, 2000 VNN6240 Comment on this story
Is Sri Guru To Be Considered "Omniscient"?
BY MURALIDHAR DAS
EDITORIAL, Sep 11 (VNN) Sri Guru has full understanding of how to preach Krishna Consciousness to the fallen souls who are searching for God. Sri Gurudev is a person full of knowledge about Sri Krishna?s Name, Form, Qualities and Pastimes. But while this is so, we must understand that Sri Guru is not omniscient in the way that God is omniscient. We know this to be a fact because this is the conclusion of Guru, sadhu and shastra. Other devotees who have taken an interest in this matter in recent times have discussed the statements of Guru, sadhu and shastra on this topic. I wish to draw attention to another related issue which has surfaced in the discussions that have been taking place. My focus is on the raganuga sentiment that fills the consciousness of a suddha-bhakta (pure devotee). That is, I wish to draw attention to the actual state of personal awareness of a pure devotee who is preaching in the world for the benefit of the fallen souls. A perfect devotee who has full awareness of his own identity within Krishna-lila may come into the mortal world and play the role of a Spiritual Master, but in doing this the perfect devotee does not necessarily become mindful of all the events that are taking place in the mundane world where he is preaching. Let me be perfectly clear on this point: there is no reason to believe that Srila Prabhupada was conscious or aware of the abuse which children were experiencing in the ISKCON gurukula system. It is a quite wrong to suggest that Srila Prabhupada was conscious of the suffering of the gurukulis but that he chose to ignore their suffering. To begin with, there is Srila Prabhupada's statement about omniscience: Jayadvaita: [We read in the sastra that the acaryas] know everything and they?re perfect in everything. But sometimes, from our material viewpoint, we see some discrepancies. Just like we think that... Prabhupada: Because material viewpoint. The viewpoint is wrong; therefore you find discrepancies. Jayadvaita: So we should think that we have the defect. Prabhupada: Yes. Acarya is explained, bhakti-samsanah: ?One who?s preaching the cult of devotional service, he?s acarya.? Then why should you find any discrepancy? Jayadvaita: Because we see... For instance, sometimes the acarya may seem to forget something or not to know something, so from our point of view, if someone has forgotten, that is... Prabhupada: No, no, no. Then... Jayadvaita: ...an imperfection. Prabhupada: That is not the... Then you do not understand. Acarya is not God, Omniscient. He is servant of God. His business is to preach bhakti cult. That is acarya. (morning walk conversation, 8 April 1975) Here is Srila Sridhar Maharaj's statement about omniscience: Madhvacarya, in his conception of how one should see the acarya, the spiritual master, could not harmonize Brahma's bewilderment. After all, he is the sampradaya guru, the foremost guru of the tradition, the Brahma-Madhva-sampradaya. So Madhvacarya omitted these two chapters on the illusion of Brahma from Srimad-Bhagavatam. But Mahaprabhu did not. He accepted Sridhara Swami's edition, which is in accordance with the suddhadvaita philosophy of Visnuswami. The Visnuswami sampradaya are followers of ragamarga, spontaneous devotion. Sridhara Swami included those two chapters with his commentary, and Mahaprabhu accepted that, and it is corroborated in Caitanya-caritamrta. Madhvacarya could not accommodate the idea that guru may be seduced. He could not tolerate that guru may not know everything, may not be omniscient, but Mahaprabhu could. (The Loving Search for the Lost Servant, Chapter 5, final paragraph) The whole point of Chapter 5 of The Loving Search for the Lost Servant is that Brahma entered into a type of illusion when he stole the cows and cowherd boys. Brahma is the sampradaya-acharya of the Gaudiya sampradaya but his "knowledge" of what was going on in Vrindavana was limited and incomplete. In a similar way, Shiva, the sampradaya-guru of the Rudra sampradaya, also went running after Mohini. His "knowledge" and divine realization of Spirit was overwhelmed by other feelings. Yet at the same time we learn from the scriptures that Brahma and Shiva are not to be disrespected in any way. They are Divine Agents who have awakened Krishna-bhakti in the hearts of their disciples who have come to them for spiritual guidance. In the case of Brahma and Shiva, they played roles in some strange pastimes created through the will of God. But there are higher devotees than Brahma and Shiva who enter into pastimes of the Lord which are far more sweet and joyous, and in those pastimes they also exhibit a special kind of "forgetfulness". The gopis of Vrindavana, most specially, are engaged in the perfect pastimes of love. They are completely UNAWARE of all other things. Srila Sridhar Maharaj says that the followers of raga-marga can happily accept that a genuine Guru may not be omniscient. How is this? The answer is that the mind of the pure devotee (suddha-bhakta), in his state of perfection, is filled with visions and consciousness that are revealed to him by Yoga-maya. Thus, the consciousness of the suddha bhakta is not so much to be regarded as the consciousness of an omniscient person with absolute knowledge (jnana), but rather as the consciousness of a person whose heart is filled with the Maya of absolute Love. Srila Sridhar Maharaj often used to say "Progress means elimination and acceptance." A progressive person will have to leave lower stages of consciousness when he enters into higher and higher stages of consciousness. A pure devotee entering Vraja-lila, realizing his own spiritual identity as a resident of Goloka, will become forgetful of the life he lived before. Indeed all memories and thoughts of other things are distractions that act as impediments on the path of exclusive devotion. Eliminating these distracting thoughts the progressive devotee moves further ahead in the stage of jnana-sunya bhakti (knowledge-free devotion). Srila Sridhar Maharaj's commentary to verse 10.11 of Srimad Bhagavad Gita: 10.11 Out of compassion for them, I, situated within the hearts of all living beings, dispel the darkness of ignorance with the radiance of knowledge. or 10.11 Being conquered by the love of those devotees who, in the most elevated position of noncalculative loving devotion (jnana-sunya prema-bhakti), are afflicted by all-devouring darkness born of the pangs of separation from Me, their Lord I, granting them the internal illumination of meeting Me personally, destroy the darkness of their agony of separation. Commentary 10.11 The general interpretation is always given for this verse: "Out of compassion for them, I, situated within their hearts, dispel the darkness of ignorance with the radiance of knowledge." But if we appreciate pure, noncalculative devotion (jnana-sunya bhakti), the Lord's statement here may again appear redundant and inconsistent. When those high devotees are already admitted to be performing continuous and unadulterated service, and even above that, they are situated in the plane of pure love, spontaneous and automatic (raga-marga), how can it be harmonized that the Lord will now in the last stage destroy their ignorance (tamah) which is born from misunderstanding (ajnana-jam), by giving them knowledge (jnana)? Jnana is only a cover a futile, finite conception of the Infinite Absolute (jnana-karmady anavrtam ... bhaktir uttama). When they have achieved devotion devoid of the covering of knowledge (jnana-sunya bhakti), how will they again have to return to that knowledge (jnana)? In his commentary, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has mentioned that this knowledge is extraordinary (vilaksanam), but he did not enter into specific detail. To clarify this point, we have given the following explanation: Lamentation and delusion are generally known to be symptoms of the mode of ignorance (tamo-guna). In jnana-sunya bhakti, the elevated devotees who take Krsna not as the Supreme God, but as a friend, son, husband, or lover, will come to experience lamentation and delusion, but this is only an outward appearance of ignorance. In fact, it is the pain of divine separation. They lament, "Where have You gone?" In this verse, the Lord's statement, tesam evanukampa-artham generally means 'Fortunately for them', or, 'To favor them (I dispel their darkness, etc.)'. But it may also be interpreted, 'I want their favor. I aspire for the favor of those devotees of the highest order.' The Lord also says in the Srimad Bhagavatam: mayi bhaktir hi bhutanam, amrtatvaya kalpate distya yad asin mat-sneho, bhavatina? mad-apanah (Bhag. 10.82.44) "Devotion to Me is the only means for the living beings to attain eternal life. O Gopis, by your fortune, your love and affection for Me is the only reason for your getting My association." This is the general meaning. However, in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami has drawn out the inner meaning, which is just the opposite: "Through devotion, everyone wants Me to help them attain the highest position of eternal benefit, and if they have a connection with Me, they consider themselves fortunate. But I consider Myself fortunate because I have come in touch with the valuable affection that I found in your hearts. By My fortune, I got your association." Therefore here in Sri Gita, the Lord is saying, "Tesam evanukampartham being conquered by the love of those devotees, when I cannot tolerate their pain of separation, I at once come running to satisfy them, and I reveal to them with special light, special consciousness, 'I have returned to you see Me now.' With powerful brilliance (jnana-dipena) I show them My presence when they are very much in need of Me, and I relieve their pain of separation." Atma-bhava-sthah: He reveals Himself according to His devotee's divine relationship with Him (rasa): to a friend, as a friend; to a mother, as a child; to a wife, as a husband; and to the sweethearts, as a paramour. After Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left home and accepted the renounced order of life, sannyasa, mother Saci could not tolerate the deep separation, and she began to cry. Sacidevi was preparing excellent dishes, offering them to the Deity, and weeping, "Where is my Nimai? He's very fond of these curries. His favorite dishes, and Nimai is not here." Suddenly, Lord Caitanya came and began to eat. Sacidevi exclaimed, "Oh, Nimai is eating!" and for the time being her separation was relieved. Moments later, she reconsidered, "Did I see Nimai eating? But He is now a sannyasi in Jagannatha Puri, so how could He have come here? Did I serve Him? There must be a mistake." Then she examined the pots again to see if there was food there. Finding them empty, she began to conjecture whether even a dog or some other animal had come and eaten it. But during that moment, Nimai had actually come, and mother Saci saw Him in broad daylight. That illumination is transcendental, and not the 'knowledge' (jnana) that is generally known in our vocabulary. The acme of theism is parakiya-rasa. Parakiya means 'another's'. In every divine relationship (rasa), the Lord captures all. In the whole of Vrndavana, where everyone follows the path of love (raga-marga), this parakiya-rasa is infused. The friends of Krsna sometimes say, "Some people say that Krsna is a resident of Mathura. They say He's the son of Vasudeva, and He will soon go to Mathura. They say He is not our friend! Will we really lose His company? Then how will we be able to live in this jungle and drive the cows?" They experience this apprehension "We may lose Him at any time." This intensifies their friendly service to Him. Similarly, mother Yasoda says, "Some say that Krsna is not my son, He's Devaki's son. What is this? I won't admit this. He's my child!" This idea enhances Yasoda's affection for Krsna: "I may lose Him? Then how shall I live?" Therefore, the parakiya-rasa stresses the rarity of Krsna's relationship, because the possibility of losing His company is always in the background. But the highest intensity of service is to be found in the madhura-rasa (conjugal) camp. In the other rasas, there is the idea of suspense that He may 'go away', but in the conjugal relationship in the divine abode of Vrndavana, the consorts cross the direction of the scriptures and the society, which guide everyone to remain as husband and wife (svakiya). Parakiya ('another's') has been accepted in the science of devotion as the highest conception above svakiya ('belonging'), because social and scriptural sanction is generally a stale conception. Parakiya or paramour relationship is necessary to deceive those who claim ownership over another, such as a husband over the wife, or a parent over a child. In the normally accepted connection (svakiya) the relationship is very cheap, but to cross the jurisdiction of the scriptures and society, as paramour, means a greater risk as if to commit sin. Thus, this relationship is very rare, and rarity enhances its intensity and value. The idea of deceiving the 'possessor' to favor the 'nonpossessor' is a beautiful ornamental conception. Actually in Krsna's case there cannot be any state of paramourship, because in truth He is the owner of everything. However the divine arrangement is fashioned in this way to enhance the devotee's internal devotion for the Lord, just as food appears more tasteful when hunger is present. In the planets known as Vaikuntha, the nature of worship of the Lord Visnu is gorgeous, majestic, reverential, and awe-inspiring. But above that, the highest conception of Godhead is just like a human form and nature. It is stated in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta in the teachings to Sanatana Goswami: krsnera yateka khela sarvottama nara-lila nara-vapu tahara svarupa gopa-vesa venukara nava-kisora na avara nara-lila haya anurupa krsnera madhura-rupa suna sanatana ye rupera eka ka?a dubaya saba tribhuvana sarva-prani kare akarsana "The most supreme form of Godhead is Krsna, who plays in His eternal divine pastimes just like a human being. An ever-youthful cowherd boy of Vrndavana, He enacts His pastimes, always playing His flute. His beauty is so charming and sweet, that the whole universe is flooded by an atom of it, and all beings are drawn irresistibly to Him." He is approachable by all. We can find God nearest of all in a human feature. It has been explained how Krsna's nature of human feature is the highest nature of the Absolute, according to the calculation of ecstasy (rasa), which is the common standard of measurement of the whole scope of the Infinite. By the development of santa-, dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya-, and madhura-rasa, and then parakiya (peacefulness, servitude, friendship, parenthood, and consorthood, and the paramour relationship), this is scientifically proved, without whimsical or blind faith. If we follow the line of Rupanuga-bhajana (devotion following the standard of Srila Rupa Goswami) which originates from Sri Caitanyadeva, the scientific basis can be appreciated. The previous acaryas have left for us, step by step, how we can follow, conceive, and attain all these things. A perfect student should understand that Gurudev may sometimes do things that are unexpected, but that Gurudev is to always worshipped. Brahma is the Guru of the entire sampradaya but we honour him, even though he did something naughty when he stole the calves and cowherd friends of Sri Krishna. Similarly, we sometimes see that a pure devotee and Spiritual Master will do some things that we feel are questionable; but we should not be so audacious as to think that the pure devotee has some fault or imperfection. We must always be mindful of the instruction given by Sri Krishna in Bhagavad gita: 9:31 O Arjuna, promise to the public that My exclusively devoted servitors will never come to ruin. He who declares this swiftly becomes virtuous, and truly attains eternal divine grace. Muralidhar das
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