761004SB.VRN                   Lectures                  214033/530501
This is also another Vedic civilization, that if you are benefited by
somebody, you should always remain obliged to him. Siksito
yad-anugrahat. There is one Bengali proverb, guru-mara-vidya. "Guru,
you learn from him first of all, then kill him. Don't care for guru."
This is demonic. By the grace of guru you learn something. Then when
you learn something, then you become greater than him, don't care for
guru. This is demonic. Even if you have learned something, you must
feel always obliged, atah padarsayat(?).... ... So there is nothing especial to be explained. The only
important part of this verse is, that don't learn guru-mara-vidya.
Even if you become more learned that your guru, you should not exhibit
it before your guru. You should always remain a fool number one. Just
like Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed Himself by His example. Guru more
murkha dekhi 'karila sasana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not murkha, but
He has taught us that before guru, we shall always remain a murkha.
That is advancement. Not that "I know more than guru. I don't care for
guru. Now give me blessing that I can find out some better guru." This
nonsense, if you don't find... If your guru is not perfect, then why
you are asking blessing to find out another?
   So anyway, this guru-mara-vidya should be avoided. That is the
instruction in this verse we can get, and that is the Vedic way. It is
not that Draupadi is speaking, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is also
speaking... Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very strict on this point. As soon
Vallabhacarya spoke that "I have written a better comment than
Sridhara Svami," immediately Caitanya Mahaprabhu become offended. He
said, "Oh, you have become more than Sridhara Svami? You don't care
for Svami?" So he remarked immediately, svami yei jana na mane vesyara
bhitare. That is the system. You cannot overrule acarya. Acarya...Acaryopasanam. Acarya should be always worshiped. Even if you, by
ABCD, you have become more learned than the acarya... That is not
possible, but if you foolishly think like that, still, you should not
exhibit your foolishness, that you know more than the acarya. That is
Caitanya Mahaprabhu's... By His life example, He has taught us that
the more we remain ignorant, foolish before the acarya, or before the
guru, that is more we advance. Real success is how one is faithful to
his guru. That is real success. Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve
tatha gurau. It is not by education or grammatical knowledge you can
learn anything. No. It is by the grace of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. And that grace comes down through the grace of guru. That
grace also does not come directly. We should not be neglecting this
point.                        yasya deve para bhaktir
                        yatha deve tatha gurau
                      tasyaite kathita hy arthah
                        prakasante mahatmanah Things become revealed by devotion, not by so-called education. .. Therefore Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says, yasya prasadad
bhagavat-prasadah. Not that bhagavat-prasada is achieved by education
and grammar. No. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. By the mercy of
guru one can achieve. That is just like a common word, "If you love
me, love my dog." So you cannot approach Krsna without loving His dog,
His servant. Satam prasangat. A person who is trying to distribute the
message of Krsna, he is very, very dear dog of Krsna. Na ca tasman
manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah. He is very... It doesn't matter
how far he is advanced in education, how far he has learned grammar.
These are not the things. The things is how far he is working to carry
out the mission of Krsna. Then one has to receive Krsna's mercy
through the bona fide servant. Krsna cannot be bluffed by so-called
education and grammar. Krsna is not so... Bhaktya mam abhijanati. He
never says "By grammar or by education one can understand." Neversays. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah. We should be
educated, we should be very careful, but real thing is bhakti.
Anyabhi... Bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah. Api cet
su-duracarah. Many places it is said. Tad-vag-visargo
janatagha-viplavo yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api. Even a bhakta
writes something which is not very grammatically, rhetorically
correct... Tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavah, namany anantasya yaso
'nkitani yat. But because he has tried to broadcast the glories of the
Lord, even not in perfect language, that is his qualification.                   tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
                 yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
                  namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yat
                  srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah The sadhus, they are not interested about rhetorical or grammatical
adjustment. The sadhu wants to see who has spoken. If he's a Vaisnava,
then his word will be accepted. Caitanya Mahaprabhu strictly prohibits
that is one is not a Vaisnava, don't hear from him.
Avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam, sravanam naivakartavyam. "But he's such a learned man," or "He's writes so nicely,
correctly." But because he's not Vaisnava, one should not hear from
him. "Why? It is so nicely written." No. Sarpocchistam yatha payah.
Milk is very good food, everyone knows. But as soon as it is touched
by the lips of a serpent, it is poison immediately. Therefore it is
forbidden. And one who has no knowledge how to respect guru, how he
can become Vaisnava? Chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba,
Narottama dasa Thakura says. If you don't become a faithful servant of
Vaisnava, there is no possibility of your liberation. Chadiya
vaisnava-seva nistara payecha keba. Tandera carana-sevi-bhakta-sane
vasa, janame janame haya ei abhilasa. This is Narottama dasa
Thakura's... Our determination should be to serve the previous guru
and acarya. Evam parampara-praptam. That is our determination. Tandera
carana-sevi. Our service... Not directly Krsna. Because to serve
Vaisnava is more than serving Krsna directly.
Mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika. Krsna likes that. He doesn't accept anyone's
service directly. That is a gross mistake. Therefore Narottama dasa
Thakura is teaching us... (break) ...trying to become one with Krsna
or one with the gopis. These are all Mayavada philosophy. Tandera
carana-sevi. You have to serve the servant of Krsna...------------------------------- Conclusions-How can Prabhupada put it more clearly? The only way to advance inspiritual life is to serve the Acarya to whom we are indebted, eternally.Not that we go looking for the gopis or Krsna in a bush in Vrndavana or heargopi lila, siddha deha talks from some person who continually contradicts our own guru, Srila Prabhupada, but that we remain, eternally a foolish (humble) personbefore the lotus feet of our spiritual master and have only the desire tosatisfy and serve his desires. We can see from this short class thatPrabhupada was very much intent upon serving the order given him bySrila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaj -only, and nothing else. The gurus orders arethe life force of our chanting also, and when we carry out those orders we willbecome free from the 10 offenses in our chanting. Hare KrsnaDamaghosa das