Approach a Proper Guru
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.04
Bombay, November 4, 1974
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Nitai: "Sri Suta Gosvami said: The
most powerful sage Maitreya was a friend of Vyasadeva. Thus being encouraged,
Maitreya, pleased by Vidura's inquiry about transcendental knowledge, spoke as
follows."
Prabhupada:
dvaipayana-sakhas tv evam
maitreyo bhagavams tatha
prahedam viduram prita
anviksikyam pracoditah
[SB 3.25.4]
So this is the process of getting knowledge, to approach the proper person, guru, and submissively hear from him about transcendental knowledge. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. Don't try to receive spiritual knowledge or transcendental knowledge very cheaply. Although it is very easy, there is no difficulty, but the process must be known. Just like any machine -- we have got experience -- just like sometimes our typewriter machine or this dictaphone does not work. So if we go to the proper person, who knows the work, he immediately tightens one screw or changes something; it works. The process we must know. So if I go to a pan-wala for repairing my machine, that will be not good. He does not know the process. He may know to..., how to make pan, bidi; but doesn't matter, he does not know how to repair a machine.
Therefore the shastric injunction is, Vedic injunction, that tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. If you want to know transcendental knowledge, tad-vijnana... Tad-vijna... It is also vijnana. Actually, human life is meant for understanding tad-vijnana. Tad-vijnana means transcendental knowledge, not material knowledge, bodily. Bodily... Even a medical practitioner, he does not know, he has no knowledge of the spirit soul. He simply studies the mechanical arrangement of the body. The body's a big machine made by nature. It is called yantra. Actually it is a machine. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said,
isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya
[Bg. 18.61]
Yantrarudhani mayaya. This body is machine. The, those who are very much attached to this machine, for them, the yoga system is recommended because... One who is very much in the conception of the body, so they have been taught just to concentrate the mind on some practice, some gymnastic, so that mind may be concentrated and he can focus the mind towards Visnu, Lord Visnu. Real purpose is to understand Visnu, the Supreme. So the yoga system is therefore a mechanical arrangement. But the bhakti system is above the machine, above this mechanical arrangement. That is... Therefore it is called tad-vijnana. The mechanical understanding is material, and above that, tad-vijnana.
So tad-vijnanartham, if you want to understand spiritual knowledge, then you have to approach a guru. Guru. Guru means weighty, I mean to say, one who has got better knowledge. Heavy. Guru means heavy, heavy with knowledge. And what is that knowledge? "I have got so much knowledge." No. Transcendental... Tad-vijnana. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet, samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham [MU 1.2.12]. That heaviness is brahma-nistham, how much one is attached to Brahman, Parabrahman, Bhagavan. That is guru's qualification. Brahmany upasamasrayam. This is the mantra of Kathopanisad, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. Similarly, in the Bhagavata also it is said, tasmad gurum prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21]. Tasmat, "Therefore one must approach guru." The here, in the Upanisad also gives definition who is guru. Guru means srotriyam brahma-nistham [MU 1.2.12], "one who has received knowledge by hearing Vedas," srotriyam. Because Vedas are called sruti.
So those who are in the line of hearing from the preceptorial succession, disciplic succession... As it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, evam parampara-praptam [Bg. 4.2]. Not, I mean to say, upstart knowledge. Standard knowledge. Standard knowledge is received from the parampara system, disciplic succession. Therefore it is said, srotriyam. Srotriyam means "who has heard from the parampara system." Srotriyam... And the result is brahma-nistham: "He is firmly fixed up in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Brahma-nistham. He has no other business. This is two qualifications. He must have heard the Vedic knowledge through the disciplic succession. It does not require that he is very learned scholar. No. Simply he must hear from the authority. Srotriyam. You have... Krsna has given you, God has given you the ear. This is our system. Simply they hear and they become big, big preacher. It doesn't require that he has to pass M.A., C.B.A.C., or Ph.D. examinations. Hearing is sufficient. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. You remain in your position, in your place. You do not require to change it. Sthane sthitah.
Sthane sthitah means the varnasrama, four varnas and four asramas. Brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, and four asramas: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. So this is civilization. Unless the society is divided into these eight divisions, that is animal civilization. That is not human civilization. You must be systematized, regulated system. Just like in this body there are different divisions: the head division, the arm division, the belly division, and the leg division. Similarly, without these four divisions, no society can be conducted very nicely. Then it will be chaos. So sthane sthitah means to remain in these regulative principles of varnasrama. That is called sthane sthitah. You remain in your position. It doesn't require you have to change. It is not that a sudra, without becoming a brahmana... Of course, sudra will become brahmana -- by hearing. Brahmana means brahma janatiti brahmanah. If he hears, even a sudra, he can understand what is Brahman. Then he becomes brahmana. So this is required. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. With great attention, body, mind and words, intelligence -- with everything, one must hear.
So here we see, viduram pritah. Vidura was hearing from Maitreya Rsi, and Maitreya Rsi was very much pleased. Priti. Unless you satisfy your teacher, or guru, very nicely, you cannot get the right knowledge. That is natural. If you receive your guru, give him very nice place, he can sit comfortably, and he's pleased with your behavior, then he can speak very frankly and very freely, which will be very much beneficial for you. Therefore this word is... He was talking. He was preaching. He was giving instruction to Vidura, being pleased, priti. Maitreya Rsi was very much pleased. That is also recommended in the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita: tad viddhi pranipatena. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. Simply going and asking the spiritual master or guru, and not to accept his instructions, then don't waste your time. Don't waste your time. In a challenging spirit, if you go to a spiritual master, without any service, sevaya, and pranipatena... Pranipatena... Prakrsta-rupena nipata. Nipata means fall down, and pra means prakrsta-rupa, sufficiently. No reservation. This knowledge, the transcendental knowledge, is based on this pranipata. Therefore Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "You just surrender unto Me." And similarly we have to surrender to Krsna or His representative.
So guru is representative, external representative. Internal
guru is Krsna Himself. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg.
18.61]. Not that Isvara, Krsna, is in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana. He is
everywhere, even within the atom. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah [Bs.
5.37]. That is Paramatma. Atma is... I am atma, you are atma. We are all
situated locally. You are situated within your body, I am situated within my
body. But Paramatma is situated everywhere. That is the difference between atma
and Paramatma. Atma and Paramatma... Those who are mistaking that "There is no
difference between atma and Paramatma," no, there is difference. They are one in
one sense, that both of them-cognizant. They are living entities. Cetanas
cetananam. Cetanas cetananam, nityo nityanam. But they are different. In the
Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, ksetrah ksetra-jnah. Ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi
sarva-ksetresu bharata [Bg. 13.3]. Ksetra-jna means the proprietor of the
ksetra, this body. Body is called ksetra. So I am proprietor. Not proprietor, I
am occupier. Just like in a house, the tenant and the landlord. The landlord is
the occupier, tenant, and the landlord is the proprietor. Similarly, we atmas,
we are simply occupier of this body. We are not proprietor. The proprietor is
Paramatma. Sarva-ksetresu bharata. So if the proprietor says that "Get out of
this house," or some, by law... Similarly, when the Paramatma says, "Now you
have to leave this body," you have to leave this body. So this is Vedic
knowledge.
So one must approach a proper guru. The guru's qualification is, in every sastra, that... Just like in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, tad viddhi..., er, tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. One does not require to accept a guru unless he is inquisitive to understand the ultimate goal or benefit of life. Ordinary man who is interested with the bodily comforts of life, he doesn't require a guru. But generally, the, at the present moment, guru means who can give you some bodily medicine. Approaches some saintly person, "Mahatmaji, I am suffering from this disease." "Yes, I have mantra. Take this..." That sort of guru is accepted. So same bodily... Or some bodily wealth, bodily... No.
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
[Bg. 4.34]
One should approach guru for seeing the tattva, the Absolute Truth. That is necessary. Not for any material benefit. One should not search out a guru for, I mean to say, curing some material disease. For that, there is medical practitioner. Why should you search out after a guru? But people search out, that "I have got some material disease, and if somebody can cure, some saintly person, then he's guru or he's Bhagavan. I am poor. If he can give me some money, then he's guru." No. The sastra does not say like that. Guru means srotriyam brahma-nistham [MU 1.2.12]. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam, sabde pare ca nisnatam [SB 11.3.21]. Guru means who knows the Vedic sastra, the Vedas. He knows the Vedic conclusion. And the Vedic conclusion is to understand Krsna. That is Vedic conclusion. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15].
Therefore those who are trying to understand Krsna, or partially... We cannot understand fully Krsna. That is not possible. We have not so capacity. Because Krsna is so big. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta. So with our limited knowledge we cannot understand... Even Krsna does not understand Himself, Krsna is so great. Krsna Himself, He does not know why He's so much attractive. Therefore, to understand this knowledge, why Krsna is so attractive, He became Lord Caitanya, taking the ecstatic emotion of Srimati Radharani. Radha-bhava-dyuti. That's a very great science. Krsna is such that Krsna... Of course, it is our calculation that Krsna does not understand Himself. So to understand Krsna, fully Krsna, it is not possible. But as far as our limited knowledge is concerned, if we understand Krsna so much, that is our perfection. That is our perfection. Therefore Krsna says, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9].
So if we understand Krsna as a human being like us, avajananti mam mudhah [Bg. 9.11], then we are mudhas. "Krsna is also... Krsna's body is made of these maya elements, or external elements, like us." Just like our body is made of these material elements. If we think Krsna also made of that elements, of these material elements, ksitir apo 'nalo vayuh, then we are mistaken. Krsna is... Here, in the previous verse, we have learned: atma-mayaya. There are... Of course, this material energy is also atma-maya, Krsna's. Not ours. Mama maya. Krsna says, mama maya. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya [Bg. 7.14]. This material world is Krsna's. We cannot say mama maya. No. We are under the control of this material nature. But Krsna is the controller of the material nature. That is the difference. We are controlled by the material nature, but Krsna is not controlled, but He's controller. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. One who understands this, that this prakrti, this material nature, is working under the direction of Krsna, that is our real knowledge. How the things are going on? That is not possible to understand. But the summary, sum total, if we simply understand... Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Everything is emanated from the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krsna. That much knowledge is sufficient. Then you can increase -- how they are working. How, by Krsna's energies, the material energy is working by the direction of Krsna, that is advanced knowledge. But on the whole, if we... As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. That is perfect knowledge. If we think that this matter is working independently, as modern scientists, they think that chemical evolution... No. No chemical evolution. Life does not produce by chemical evolution. Life is from life. That... Just like Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, that aham sarvatra, aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. The answer is given there. The Vedanta-sutra, the question is "What is Brahman?" And the answer is there... athato brahma jijnasa, janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Indirectly given. The Brahman, Parabrahman, is that from whom everything emanates.
Everything means... There are two things: jada and cetana, living entities and nonliving entiti..., jada. Dull entities. Matter is dull. So everything means including both. Matter is also coming from Krsna, and these cetana, or living entities, they are also coming from... And the whole world is combination of this matter and cetana -- your body, my body. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim param, jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat [Bg. 7.5]. This material energy is inferior, and the spiritual energy is superior. And superior why? Because the superior energy, the living entity, jiva-bhuta, they are controlling. Not controlling. They are trying to utilize. Just like we advanced living entities, human beings, we have created the modern civilization by utilizing the matter, utilizing the matter. That is our superiority. But we are also prakrti. Apareyam viddhi me prakrtim param. We are para-prakrti, spiritual energy. This is the understanding. In this way we have to understand tattva-jnana. The human life is meant for understanding tattva. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa. The Vedanta-sutra: athato brahma jijnasa. Jijnasa, tattva-jijnasa, the same thing.
So explanation of Vedanta-sutra is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam begins that what is that tattva. Janmady asya [SB 1.1.1]. Janmady asya, from whom everything has emanated, or the Supreme, which is the source of everything, so what is the nature of that source? That is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas ca arthesu abhijnah [SB 1.1.1]. That source is abhijnah, cognizant, not matter. Matter is not cognizant. Life. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1], cognizant. So these scientists' theory, modern theory, that life comes from matter, this is wrong. The life comes from life. Because in the Bhagava..., Srimad-Bhagavatam it is explained that janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas ca arthesu abhijnah [SB 1.1.1]. The identity from whom everything emanates, He's abhijnah, cognizant. He can understand. So cognizant means life. Not only that. Tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye. He instructed knowledge to Lord Brahma, about Vedic knowledge. So unless one is living entity, how he can impart knowledge?
So actually, the Absolute Truth is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, or the Vedanta-sutra's explanation, natural explanation,... Actually, Srimad-Bhagavatam was written by Vyasadeva. Here it is said, dvaipayana-sakha. Dvaipayana means Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva compiled this Brahma-sutra, and he explained it, bhasyam brahma-sutranam **, this Srimad-Bhagavatam. If we read some artificial comments on Brahma-sutra, we'll misunderstand. Generally, these Mayavadis give prominence of the comment given by Sankaracarya about Brahma-sutra, Sariraka-bhasya. But that is unnatural. The natural commentation is given by the author himself, Vyasadeva. So we have to understand... Vyasadeva has written Brahma-sutra, and we have to understand the meaning of Brahma... Brahma-sutra means codes only. So codes can be explained by the author himself. So our process is to accept the Brahma-sutra. Brahma-sutra-padais caiva hetumadbhir viniscitaih [Bg. 13.5]. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita. So Brahma-sutra is nyaya-prasthana. Nyaya-prasthana: very logically, transcendental knowledge. So brahma-sutra-padais caiva hetumadbhir viniscitaih [Bg. 13.5]. So we must... Therefore, according to our Vedic system, the acarya must understand Brahma-sutra and explain. Then he'll be accepted as acarya.
Therefore two sampradayas, the Mayavadi sampradaya and the Vaisnava sampradaya, both of them have explained the Brahma-sutra. Otherwise, they are not authorities. Without understanding Brahma-sutra, nobody can understand what is Brahman. Therefore here it is said that Vidura understood the anviksikyam, transcendental knowledge, from Maitreya. Who is Maitreya? Dvaipayana-sakha. He's the friend. That means he has association with Vyasadeva. Just like friend and friend, the one friend knows the other friend, what is his position, what is his knowledge. So Maitreya was friend of Vyasadeva. That means he knows what Vyasadeva knows. So we have to approach such spiritual master or instructor who is in disciplic succession of Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva. Everyone claims that "We are also following Vyasadeva." But not superficially. Actually following Vyasadeva. Just like Vyasadeva accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Arjuna said, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12], he accepted Krsna as the Parabrahman, the Supreme Person. So one may say that "Arjuna was friend of Krsna; he might have accepted like that." No. He gave evidence that "Vyasadeva also accepts You. Vyasadeva also accepts You, 'You are the Parabrahman.' " Vyasadeva begins the comments on Vedanta-sutra: om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. He begins, janmady asya yatah, param satyam dhimahi [SB 1.1.1].
So if we actually are interested to understand spiritual knowledge, we must approach the representative of acarya. Pratijane. And acarya means who follows Vyasadeva. Just like Maitreya, dvaipayana-sakha. Maitreyo bhagavan. He has been addressed as Bhagavan. Of course, the Supreme Bhagavan is Bhaga... Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. But other powerful persons, just like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, or Vyasadeva, Maitreya, very, very big personalities, they are also sometimes addressed as Bhagavan. Naradadeva. They are bhagavan. Actual Bhagavan is Krsna. But they have attained, as far as possible... It is not possible to have the cent percent knowledge of Krsna. Nobody can do that. Even Narayana cannot do that. Even Bhisma cannot do that. But those who are, I mean to say, devotees or followers of Krsna's instructions fully, they are also sometimes called bhagavan. But that bhagavan does not mean artificial bhagavan. Bhagavan means he knows what Krsna has taught. He's also bhagavan. Bhagavams tatha, praha, he said, idam, viduram, unto Vidura, and pritah, being pleased. Not that simply talking between friends and friends. No. Being pritah. Just to... He's also eager. He's also eager, and he's also very much pleased. Vidura was eager to receive the transcendental knowledge, and Maitreya was pleased upon him.
How one can be pleased? That is the process. Pranipatena sevaya. You can please one simply by surrendering to himself and by rendering service, "Sir, I am your most obedient servant. Please accept me and give me instruction." Sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam [Bg. 2.7]. Even Arjuna was a very intimate friend of Krsna, still, while learning Srimad-Bhagavad-gita from Him, he surrendered himself to Krsna and said that "I am no more your friend." Of course, friend is also, a friend of Krsna is also surrendered. That is... But specifically he said, sisyas te 'ham. Sisya means "You can rule over me now." Sas-dhatu. Sas-dhatu. From sas-dhatu, sastra, sisya, sastra, these things have come. So sisyas te 'ham. Sisya means "Now I am under Your full control. You can use me in whatever way You like." So in this way, anviksikyam pracoditah.
So this is the process of asking. Pariprasna is asking question. Of course, one, the sisya, must ask. He must... But not challenge. Just to understand. Jijnasuh sreya uttamam. Not to defeat the spiritual master. But one should be inquisitive, inquire from the spiritual master, being jijnasu, very inquisitive to understand the spiritual science. Not that "I know better than you. Let us talk." No. That is not with guru. You must find out a guru where you can surrender, pranipatena. If you don't find a person where you cannot surrender, don't waste your time and his time. First of all surrender. So this is the process of understanding transcendental... Anviksikyam pracoditah.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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