Chapter 13-Guru-Disciple Relationship
The Guru - Guide to the Spiritual World
On hearing the word guru, we tend to envision a caricature like image: a bizarre-looking old fellow with a
long, stringy beard and flowing robes, meditating on distant, esoteric truths. Or we think of a cosmic con man
cashing in on young seekers' spiritual gullibility. But what really is a guru? What does he know that we don't?
How does he enlighten us? In a talk given in England in 1973, Srila Prabhupada provides some enlightening
answers.
om anjnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah
Translation : "I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my guru, my spiritual master, opened my eyes with the torch of
knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."
The word ajnana means "ignorance" or "darkness". If all the lights in this room immediately went out, we
would not be able to tell where we or others are sitting. Everything would become confused. Similarly, we are
all in darkness in this material world, which is a world of tamas. Tamas or timira means "darkness". This
material world is dark, and therefore it needs sunlight or moonlight for illumination. However, there is another
world, a spiritual world, that is beyond this darkness. That world is described by Sri Krishna in the
Bhagavad-gita(15.6):
na tad bhasayate suryo
na sasanko na pavakah
yad gatva na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama
Trnaslation : "That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns
to this material world."
The guru's business is to bring his disciples from darkness to light. At present everyone is suffering due to
ignorance, just as one contracts a disease out of ignorance. If one does not know hygienic principles, he will
not know what will contaminate him. Therefore, due to ignorance, there is infection, and we suffer from
disease. A criminal may say, "I did not know the law," but he will not be excused if he commits a crime.
Ignorance is no excuse. Similarly, a child, not knowing that fire will burn, will touch the fire. The fire does not
think, "This is a child, and he does not know I will burn." No, there is no excuse. Just as there are state laws,
there are also stringent laws of nature, and these laws will act despite our ignorance of them. If we do
something wrong out of ignorance, we must suffer. This is the law. Whether the law is a state law or a law of
nature, we risk suffering if we break it.
The guru's business is to see that no human being suffers in this material world. No one can claim that he is
not suffering. That is not possible. In this material world, there are three kinds of suffering; adhyatmika,adhibhautika, and adhidaivika. These are miseries arising from the material body and mind, from other living
entities and from the forces of nature. We may suffer mental anguish, or we may suffer from other living
entities-from ants or mosquitoes or flies-or we may suffer due to some superior power. There may be no rain,
or there may be flood. There may be excessive heat or excessive cold. So many types of suffering are imposed
by nature. Thus there are three types of miseries within the material world, and everyone is suffering from one,
two, or three of them. No one can say that he is completely free from suffering.
We may then ask why the living entity is suffering. The answer is: out of ignorance. He does not think, "I am
committing mistakes and am leading a sinful life; that is why I am suffering." Therefore the guru's first
business is to rescue his disciple from this ignorance. We send our children to school to save them from
suffering. If our children do not receive an education, we fear that they will suffer in the future. The guru sees
that the suffering is due to ignorance, which is compared to darkness. How can one in darkness be saved? By
light. The guru takes the torchlight of knowledge and presents it before the living entity enveloped in darkness.
That knowledge relieves him from the sufferings of the darkness of ignorance.
One may ask whether the guru is absolutely necessary. The Vedas inform us that he is:
tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-panih arotriyam brahma-nistha
(Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12)
The Vedas enjoin us to seek out a guru; actually they say to seek out the guru, not just a guru. The guru is one
because he comes in disciplic succession. What Vyasadeva and Krishna taught five thousand years ago is also
being taught now. There is no difference between the two instructions. Although hundred and thousands of
acaryas have come and gone, the message is one. The real guru cannot be two, for the real guru does not speak
differently from his predecessors. Some spiritual teachers say, "In my opinion you should do this," but this is
not a guru. Such so-called gurus are simply rascals. The genuine guru has only one opinion, and that is the
opinion expressed by Krishna, Vyasadeva, Narada, Arjuna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and the Gosvamis. Five
thousand years ago Lord Sri Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita, and Vyasadeva recorded it. Srila Vyasadeva
did not say, "This is my opinion." Rather, he wrote, sri-bhagavan uvaca, that is, "The Supreme Personality of
Godhead says." Whatever Vyasadeva wrote was originally spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Srila Vyasadeva did not give his own opinion. Consequently, Srila Vyasadeva is a guru. He does not
misinterpret the words of Krishna, but transmits them exactly as they were spoken. If we send a telegram, the
person who delivers the telegram does not have to correct it, edit it, or add to it. He simply presents it. That is
the guru's business. The guru may be this person or that, but the message is the same; therefore it is said that
guru is one.
In the disciplic succession we simply find repetition of the same subject. In the Bhagavad-gita(9.34), Sri
Krishna says:
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam-evaisyasi yuktvaivam
atmanam mat-parayanah
Translation : "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances, and worship Me. Being
completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me."
These very instructions were reiterated by all the acaryas, such as Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, and Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. The six Gosvamis also transmitted the same message, and we are simply following in their
footsteps. There is no difference. We do not interpret the words of Krishna by saying, "In my opinion, the
battlefield of Kuruksetra represents the human body." Such interpretations are set forth by rascals. In the worldthere are many rascal gurus who give their own opinion, but we can challenge any rascal. A rascal guru may
say, "I am God," or, "We are all God." That is all right, but we should find out from the dictionary what the
meaning of God is. Generally a dictionary will tell us that the word God indicates the Supreme Being. Thus
we may ask such a guru, "Are you the Supreme Being?" If he cannot understand this, then we should give the
meaning of supreme. Any dictionary will inform us that supreme means "the greatest authority." We may then
ask, "Are you the greatest authority?" Such a rascal guru, even though proclaiming himself to be God, cannot
answer such a question. God is the Supreme Being and the highest authority. No one is equal to Him or greater
than Him. Yet there are many guru-gods, many rascals who claim to be the Supreme. Such rascals cannot help
us escape the darkness of material existence. They cannot illumine our darkness with the torchlight of spiritual
knowledge.
The bona fide guru will simply present what the supreme guru, God, says in bona fide scripture. A guru cannot
change the message of the disciplic succession.
We must understand that we cannot carry out research to find the Absolute Truth. Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Himself said, "My Guru Maharaja, My spiritual master, considered Me a great fool." He who remains a great
fool before his guru is a guru himself. However, if one says, "I am so advanced that I can speak better than my
guru," he is simply a rascal. In the Bhagavad-gita(4.2) Sri Krishna says:
evam parampara-praptam
imam rajarsayo viduh
sa kaleneha mahata
yogo nastah parantapa
Translation : "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings
understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is
appears to be lost."
Taking on a guru is not simply a fashion. One who is serious about understanding spiritual life requires a guru.
A guru is a question of necessity, for one must be very serious to understand spiritual life, God, proper action,
and one's relationship with God. When we are very serious about understanding these subjects, we need a
guru. We shouldn't go to a guru simply because a guru may be fashionable at the moment. Surrender must be
there, for without surrender we cannot learn anything. If we go to a guru simply to challenge him, we will
learn nothing. We must accept the guru just as Arjuna accepted his guru, Sri Krishna Himself:
karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah
yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me
sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam
Translation : "Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am
asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple and a soul surrendered unto You.
Please instruct me."(Bhagavad-gita 2.7)
This is the process for accepting a guru. The guru is Krishna's representative. Krishna says that all acaryas are
His representatives; therefore the guru should be offered the same respect one would offer to God. As
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in his prayers to the spiritual master, yasya prasadad
bhagavat-prasadah:"By the mercy of the spiritual master, one receives the benediction of Krishna." This, if we
surrender to the bona fide guru, we surrender to God. God accepts our surrender to the guru.
Someone may argue, "Where is Krishna? I shall surrender to Him." But no, the process is that we first
surrender to Krishna's representative; then we surrender to Krishna. Therefore it is said, saksad-dharitvena
samasta-sastraih: the guru is as good as God. When we offer respects to the guru, we are offering respects to
God. Because we are trying to be God conscious, it is required that we learn how to offer respects to God
through God's representative. In all the sastras the guru is described to be as good as God, but the guru never
says, "I am God." The disciple's duty is to offer respect to the guru just as he offers respect to God, but the
guru never thinks, "My disciples are offering me the same respect they offer to God; therefore I have become
God." As soon as he thinks like this, he becomes a dog instead of God. Therefore Visvanatha Cakravarti says,
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya. Because he is the most confidential servitor of God, the guru is offered the
same respect that we offer God. God is always God, guru is always guru. As a matter of etiquette, God is the
worshipable God, and guru is the worshiper God (sevaka-bhagavan). Therefore the guru is addressed as
prabhupada. The word prabhu means "lord", and pada means "position". Thus prabhupada means "he who has
taken the position of the Lord." This is the same as saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih.
Only if we are very serious about understanding the science of God is a guru required. We should not try to
keep a guru as a matter of fashion. One who has accepted a guru speaks intelligently. He never speaks
nonsense. That is the sign of having accepted a bona fide guru. We should certainly offer all respect to the
spiritual master, but we should also remember how to carry out his orders. In the Bhagavad-gita(4.34)Sri
Krishna Himself tells us the method of seeking out and approaching the guru:
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti
te jnanam
janainas tattva-darsinah
Translation : "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service
unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth."
The first process is that of surrender. We have to find an exalted person and willingly surrender before him.
The sastras enjoin that before we take a guru we should study him carefully to find out whether we can
surrender to him. We should not accept a guru suddenly, out of fanaticism. That is very dangerous. The guru
should also study the person who wants to become a disciple to see if he is fit. That is the way a relationship is
established between the guru and disciple. Everything is provided, but we must take up the process seriously.
Then we can be trained to become a bona fide disciple. First we must find a bona fide guru, establish our
relationship with him, and act accordingly. Then our life will be successful, for the guru can enlighten the
sincere disciple who is in darkness.
Everyone is born a rascal and a fool. If we are born learned, why do we need to go to school? If we do not
cultivate knowledge, we are no better than animals. An animal may say that there is no need of books and that
he has become a guru, but how can anyone obtain knowledge without the study of authoritative books on
science and philosophy? Rascal gurus try to avoid these things. We must understand that we are all born
rascals and fools and that we have to be enlightened. We have to receive knowledge to make our lives perfect.
If we do not perfect our lives, we are defeated. What is this defeat? The struggle for existence. We are trying
to obtain a better life, to attain a superior position, and for this we are struggling very hard. But we do not
know what a superior position actually is.
Whatever position we have in this material world must be given up. We may have a good position or a bad
position; in any case, we cannot remain here. We may earn millions of dollars and think, "Now I am in a good
position," but a little dysentery or cholera will finish our position. If the bank fails, our position is gone. So
actually there is no good position in this material world. It is a farce. Those who try to attain a better position
in the material world are ultimately defeated, because there is no better position. The Bhagavad-gita (14.26)
says what the better position is:
mam ca you `vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
Translation : "One who engages in the spiritual activities of unalloyed devotional service at once transcends the modes of
material nature and is elevated to the spiritual platform."
Is there any science that gives us the knowledge by which we may become immortal? Yes, we may become
immortal, but not in the material sense. We cannot receive this knowledge in so-called universities. However,
there is knowledge contained in the Vedic scriptures by which we may become immortal. That immortality is
our better position. No more birth, no more death, no more old age, no more disease. Thus the guru takes on a
very great responsibility. He must guide his disciple and enable him to become an eligible candidate for the
perfect position-immortality. The guru must be competent to lead his disciple back home, back to Godhead.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the foremost exponent of Krishna Consciousness in
this age, is the main guru for the modern Hare Krishna movement. It is by his mercy that we are attempting to
engage in devotional service.
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!