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EDITORIAL   Sum And Substance Of All Instruction BY ISA DAS EDITORIAL, May 11 (VNN) — Hare Krsna. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. Dandavat Pranams. Dear Prabhus, I have received many emails asking why I am accepting Srila Narayana Maharaja as my Siksa Guru. To answer this question I would like to provide you with these three quotes. The full text is provided below. For myself, His association has helped me come to a deeper understanding of the rare gift Srila Prabhupada has given us. And Srila Prabhupada's unique position in the Parampara, having fulfilled Lord Caitanya's and our Parampara's desire to spread Krishna Consciousness through out the world. 1. Nectar of Instruction TEXT 8 "In this way, after developing a taste for such things, one should try to live in Vrndavana and pass his time constantly remembering Krsna's name, fame, pastimes and qualities under the direction and protection of an expert devotee. This is the sum and substance of all instruction regarding the cultivation of devotional service." 2. Srila Prabhupada: "The guru has no other business than krsna-bhajana. So that you have to see. You have to learn. You have to appreciate with persons who are actually engaged in krsna-bhajana. Then you'll understand. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. Sadhu means bhajate mam ananya-bhak sadhur eva sa mantavyah. He's sadhu. Who? Who has no other business than Krsna. Mix with such sadhu who are actually executing krsna-bhajana. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah." "Therefore there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru because if he's actually guru, he'll not say anything which Krsna has not spoken."É" These things are there. There is no question of being misled. But if you purposefully mislead yourself, who can check?" (770131rc.bhu) 3. Srila Prabhupada: "The offering of such an homage as has been arranged this evening to the Acaryadeva is not a sectarian concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle of gurudeva, or acaryadeva, we speak of something that is of universal application. There does not arise any question of discriminating my guru from yours or anyone else's. There is only one guru, who appears in an infinity of forms to teach you, me, and all others" There is, of course, no question that Srila Prabhupada will always have a superior position in my heart. Yet, if we are to follow Srila Prabhupada's instruction "The essence of all advice," in His physical absence, for myself, I must "Mix with such sadhu(s) who are actually executing krsna-bhajana." Nectar of Instruction TEXT 8 tan-nama-rupa-caritadi-sukirtananu- smrtyoh kramena rasana-manasi niyojya tisthan vraje tad-anuragi jananugami kalam nayed akhilam ity upadesa-saram TRANSLATION The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one's full time--twenty-four hours a day--in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord's divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one's tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja [Goloka Vrndavana dhama] and serve Krsna under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord's beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service. PURPORT Since the mind may be one's enemy or one's friend, one has to train the mind to become his friend. The Krsna consciousness movement is especially meant for training the mind to be always engaged in Krsna's business... On the other hand, if one can think of Krsna at the time of death, he can be transferred to the spiritual world, Goloka Vrndavana. This process of transmigration is very subtle; therefore Srila Rupa Gosvami advises devotees to train their minds in order that they will be unable to remember anything other than KrsnaÉ Srila Rupa Gosvami further advises, tisthan vraje: one should live in Vrndavana or any part of VrajabhumiÉ When one makes Vrndavana his residence, he should take shelter of an advanced devotee there. In this way one should always think of Krsna and His pastimes. This is further elucidated by Srila Rupa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.294): krsnam smaran janam casya prestham nija-samihitam tat-tat-katha-ratas casau kuryad vasam vraje sada "A devotee should always reside in the transcendental realm of Vraja and always engage in krsnam smaran janam casya prestham, the remembrance of Sri Krsna and His beloved associates. By following in the footsteps of such associates and by entering under their eternal guidance, one can acquire an intense desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Again Srila Rupa Gosvami states in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.295): seva sadhaka-rupena siddha-rupena catra hi tad-bhava-lipsuna karya vraja-lokanusaratah "In the transcendental realm of Vraja [Vraja-dhama] one should serve the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna, with a feeling similar to that of His associates, and one should place himself under the direct guidance of a particular associate of Krsna and should follow in his footsteps. This method is applicable both in the stage of sadhana [spiritual practices executed while in the stage of bondage] and in the stage of sadhya [God realization], when one is a siddha-purusa, or a spiritually perfect soul." Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has commented as follows upon this verse: "One who has not yet developed interest in Krsna consciousness should give up all material motives and train his mind by following the progressive regulative principles, namely chanting and remembering Krsna and His name, form, quality, pastimes and so forth. In this way, after developing a taste for such things, one should try to live in Vrndavana and pass his time constantly remembering Krsna's name, fame, pastimes and qualities under the direction and protection of an expert devotee. This is the sum and substance of all instruction regarding the cultivation of devotional service. When one has developed such attachment, he can spontaneously serve the lotus feet of Krsna even without following the regulative principles. This stage is called raga-bhakti, or devotional service in spontaneous love. At that stage the devotee can follow in the footsteps of one of the eternal associates of Krsna in Vrndavana. This is called raganuga-bhakti. Raganuga-bhakti, or spontaneous devotional service, can be executed in the santa-rasa when one aspires to be like Krsna's cows or the stick or flute in the hand of Krsna, or the flowers around Krsna's neck. In the dasya-rasa one follows in the footsteps of servants like Citraka, Patraka or Raktaka. In the friendly sakhya-rasa one can become a friend like Baladeva, Sridama or Sudama. In the vatsalya-rasa, characterized by parental affection, one can become like Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda, and in the madhurya-rasa, characterized by conjugal love, one can become like Srimati Radharani or Her lady friends such as Lalita and Her serving maids (manjaris) like Rupa and Rati. This is the essence of all instruction in the matter of devotional service." "The guru has no other business than krsna-bhajana. So that you have to see. You have to learn. You have to appreciate with persons who are actually engaged in krsna-bhajana. Then you'll understand. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. Sadhu means bhajate mam ananya-bhak sadhur eva sa mantavyah. He's sadhu. Who? Who has no other business than Krsna. Mix with such sadhu who are actually executing krsna-bhajana. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. This is the description of the sadhu. Bhajate mam ananya-bhak sadhur eva sa mantavyah. These things are there. There is no question of being misled. But if you purposefully mislead yourself, who can check? In the beginning you may commit some mistake, but when you study Bhagavad-gita--who is sadhu, who is mahatma, who is guru--then why shall we make, commit mistake again? If you have done mistake--you have gone to a rascal who is not Krsna conscious--then when you read Bhagavad-gita, you can understand. Why you are misled? Why you should be misled? If it is written on the road, "Keep to the left," why should you be misled and go to the right? Go to the left. Then you are not misled. So here it is said, mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah. A mahatma means who is always engaged in Krsna consciousness. Why do you accept somebody as mahatma who does not speak about Krsna? Then you are misleading yourself. Sa mahatma sudurlabhah. Vasudevah sarvam iti. Everything, direction, is there. Why you create your own mahatma? If you want to be cheated, who can check you? That is your fault." HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (770131rc.bhu) Your Servant Isa das Related VNN Stories Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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