Sri Guru's only Pleasure

•Tat t va V i ca r a P u b l i cat i o n s •

Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure

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Śrī Śrīmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahārāja

Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure

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SRI GURU’S ONLY PLEASURE Arrival talk by Çréla Gour Govinda Swami Mahäräja at the Bhaktivedanta Manor in June, 1990, in UK. The exact date is unknown. (If anyone knows the date please contact tvpbooks) Quotes from the books of Çréla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda are copyrighted © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.

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Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure

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Śrī Śrīmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahārāja

TAT T VA V I C A R A P U B L I C AT I O N S

Śrīla Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī

Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī

Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami

Contents

Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure

1

The Spiritual Master Comes

to Deliver the Suffering Souls

3

Everyone Is Related to Kṛṣṇa

4

A Sādhu Is Free from Mundane Duality

5

It Is a Very Difficult Task to Deliver One Soul

5

The Spiritual Master

Comes with the Prema-bhakti-sūtra

6

A Bona Fide Guru Is Established in Prema-bhakti

6

Bind Kṛṣṇa with Love

7

When Kṛṣṇa Comes as Gaura

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Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure

8

What Is Good Fortune?

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• mātā-pitā yuvatayas tanayā vibhūtiḥ sarvaṁ yad eva niyamena mad-anvayānām ādyasya naḥ kalu-pater-bakulābhirāmaṁ śrīmat-tad-aṅghri yugalaṁ praṇamāmi mūrdhnā I bow down most respectfully to the blessed lotus feet, attractive as blossoming bakula flowers, of the predecessor ācāryas of our devotional family. They are eternally united to us and all members of our family with a bond of love and affection, and one should consider their lotus feet to be everything - one’s father, mother, sons, wife and wealth.

— Stotra Ratnam 5, Śrī Yamunācārya

Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure • namo brahmaëya-deväya go-brähmaëa-hitäya ca jagad-dhitäya kåñëäya govindäya namo namaù “My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brähmaëas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and of the world.” (Viñëu Puräëa 1.19.65)

he kåñëa karuëä-sindho déna-bandho jagat-pate gopeça gopikä-känta rädhä-känta namo ‘stu te “O my dear Kåñëa, You are the friend of the distressed and the master of creation. You are the master of the gopés and the lover of Rädhäräëé. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.”

tapta-käïcana-gauräìgi rädhe våndävaneçvari våñabhänu-sute devi praëamämi hari-priye

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“I offer my respects to Rädhäräëé, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Våndävana. You are the daughter of King Våñabhänu, and You are very dear to Lord Kåñëa.”

våndäyai tulasé-devyai priyäyai keçavasya ca kåñëa-bhakti-prade devi satyavatyai namo namaù “I offer my repeated obeisances unto Våndä, Çrématé Tulasé Devé, who is very dear to Lord Keçava [Kåñëa]. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Lord Kåñëa and possess the highest truth.”

väïchä-kalpatarubhyaç ca kåpä-sindhubhya eva ca patitänäà pävanebhyo vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù “I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiñëava devotees of the Lord. They are oceans of mercy that can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.”

çré-kåñëa-caitanya prabhu-nityänanda çré-advaita gadädhara çréväsädi-gaura-bhakta-vånda “I offer my obeisances to Çré Kåñëa Caitanya Mahäprabhu, Prabhu Nityänanda, Çré Advaita, Gadädhara, Çréväsa and all other devotees of Mahäprabhu.”

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hare kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare hare hare räma hare räma räma räma hare hare änanda-lélämaya-vigrahäya hemäbha-divya-cchavi-sundaräya tasmai mahä-prema-rasa-pradäya caitanya-candräya namo namas te “O Lord Caitanyacandra, whose form is full of blissful pastimes, whose complexion is as splendid as gold, and who gives in charity the most glorious mellow of pure love for Lord Kåñëa, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.” (Caitanya Candrämåta 11)

The Spiritual Master Comes to Deliver the Suffering Souls Çré-guru, the spiritual master, comes here to this material world out of causeless mercy to deliver the fallen souls. mahänta-svabhäva ei tärite pämara nija kärya nähi tabu yäna tära ghara “It is the general practice of all saintly people to deliver the fallen. Therefore they go to people’s houses, although they have no personal interest there.”

(Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä 8.39)

This is their nature. It is quite natural for a mahätmä; he comes to deliver the most degraded, suffering souls, otherwise he has no personal purpose to fulfill here. Anugrahäyeha caranti nünaà

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bhütäni bhavyäni janärdanasya1 – out of causeless mercy they come down and are wandering throughout the world to deliver the conditioned and suffering souls. Vaiñëava para-dukha-dukhé, the heart of a Vaiñëava bleeds upon seeing the souls suffering life after life. That is the nature of a Vaiñëava sädhu, because he is established and fixed in one relationship: his relation with Kåñëa. Sei to’ sambandhe, sambandha ämära – we have only one relationship, which is our relationship with Kåñëa. All are related to Kåñëa. The conditioned souls have forgotten this relationship.

The sädhu, mahätmä, the Vaiñëava guru comes just to remind us of this: who we are, what our real identity is, how we are eternally related to Kåñëa, and how to re-establish this relationship. The soul is an eternal part and parcel of the Supersoul, the Supreme Lord - mamaiväàço jéva-loke jéva-bhütaù sanätanaù.2

Everyone Is Related to Kṛṣṇa Thus the sädhu sees that the soul belongs to Kåñëa and is eternally related to Kåñëa, but that he has forgotten his relationship. That pains the sädhu very much. If you can develop this love for Kåñëa, then you can love one and all. Everyone is related to Kåñëa.

Soul means ‘related to Kåñëa’ The sädhu thinks, ‘Oh, he belongs to Kåñëa, who is my beloved and who is very dear to me.’ So a Vaiñëava sädhu loves one and all. Actually, unless you develop 1.

janasya kåñëäd vimukhasya daiväd adharma-çélasya suduùkhitasya anugrahäyeha caranti nünaà bhütäni bhavyäni janärdanasya

“O my lord, great philanthropic souls travel on the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to show compassion to the fallen souls who are averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord.” (Çrémad-Bhägavatam 3.5.3) 2. Bhagavad-gétä 15.7

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love for Kåñëa you cannot love anyone. Your so-called love is not real love; it is only artificial, temporary and conditional love. It is not true love at all.

A Sādhu Is Free from Mundane Duality In this material world there is dvandva, dvaita bhava, duality.

You like someone and you do not like someone else. Someone is your friend and someone else is your enemy. Therefore this duality is there. Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktä,1 one who is free from this duality is a sädhu, a mahätmä. He never sees that someone is dear to him and someone else is not dear, because everyone is related to Kåñëa and Kåñëa is very dear to him; therefore everyone is dear to him. That is what a sädhu practices in his own life and he teaches that by his own example, his behaviour in his practical dealings in life. Mahäprabhu’s motto is: äpani äcari dharma jévere çikhäya – one should practice this bhagavat-dharma in his own life, and then he will be able to teach it. Theoretical teaching only will not be effective.

It Is a Very Difficult Task to Deliver One Soul A sädhu-vaiñëava comes, and when he accepts disciples, it is not an easy task. To release just one soul from the fort of Durga, mäyä, is a very difficult task. He has to spend gallons and gallons of spiritual blood. Therefore very often we say that the relation between guru and disciple is not one sided, but should be reciprocal.

1. Bhagavad-gétä 7.28

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The Spiritual Master Comes with the Prema-bhakti-sūtra The guru comes down to this material world, holding a rope in his hand. One end of the rope is tied to the lotus feet of Kåñëa in Goloka Våndävana, and he comes here with the other end.

It is known as the prema-bhakti-sütra, the rope of prema-bhakti.

We are singing in the Çré Guru-vandana prayer, prema-bhakti jähä hoite, avidyä vinäça jäte. “Prema-bhakti emanates from him and he destroys ignorance. Indeed, unless you have developed premabhakti, some ignorance will still be there. Kåñëa is bound up by that pure love.

A Bona Fide Guru Is Established in Prema-bhakti kåñëa—sürya-sama; mäyä haya andhakära yähäì kåñëa, tähäì nähi mäyära adhikära “Kåñëa is compared to sunshine, and mäyä to darkness.

Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness.”

(Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä 22.31)

As soon as one takes to Kåñëa consciousness, the darkness of illusion will immediately vanish. Kåñëa is the spiritual sun, whereas mäyä is andhakära, darkness. So ignorance is darkness and enlightenment by knowledge is light. So if you can attain Kåñëa then there will be no question of mäyä or ignorance at all. But how can you achieve Kåñëa without prema since He is only bound up by prema?

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A real bona-fide guru is established in prema-bhakti. He has developed that prema and he has bound up Kåñëa with that ‘rope of love’ in his heart.

Bind Kṛṣṇa with Love bhakta ämä preme bändhiyäche hådaya-bhitare yähäì netra paòe tähäì dekhaye ämäre “A highly elevated devotee can bind Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in his heart by love. Wherever he looks, he sees Me and nothing else.”

(Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä 25.127)

This is the Lord’s own statement. And He has no strength to break free from that love. That tie is so strong that even the allmighty, the all-powerful Kåñëa admits, “I cannot break it.” Such is the pure devotee’s love. If you have developed that kind of love then you can achieve Kåñëa. Then there will be no question of ignorance and darkness at all. And if you cannot develop this love and attain and bind Him with this love, how can you be free from ignorance? It is not possible at all.

When Kṛṣṇa Comes as Gaura Mahäprabhu is so wonderfully merciful adbhuta-käruëya, adbhuta-vadänya that He indiscriminately gives this prema freely through chanting the holy name. Gaura is Kåñëa. There is no difference between Them. Kåñëa is Gaura and Gaura is Kåñëa.

But, when Kåñëa comes as Gaura, He comes as a devotee, with bhakta-bhäva. He is the viñaya-vigraha but He comes as the äçraya-

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vigraha with wonderful, excessive mercy. He is wonderfully magnanimous, adbhuta-audärya. This is the only difference. You cannot find in Kåñëa such mercy and magnanimity. Gaura freely gives prema, by which you can attain Kåñëa, and make your life a success as that is the goal of human life.

Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure So the guru accepts disciples and he gives them that end of the rope, expecting that his disciples develop this prema, obtain Kåñëa, and thus make their life successful. When the guru sees that one or two disciples are advancing rapidly on this path of prema-bhakti he becomes very happy and thinks, “my mission is fulfilled, it is successful.” Otherwise the guru becomes very depressed and morose, feeling so much pain in his heart when he sees that some of his disciples are not making any progress but rather are facing downfall. He has so much pain. You cannot imagine how painful it is. You should understand this. You should take it up seriously, not lightly and superficially. This is for serious students. So take it seriously. It is a serious affair. It is not ordinary.

The spiritual master gives his blood. As the father and mother produce a child, they give their blood, their life. Similarly the guru gives his blood. His only pleasure is when he sees his disciples making advancement on this path of prema-bhakti. Then he is so happy. That is his only pleasure. To get prema-bhakti and to get Kåñëa is so great. You have rotated in the cycle of birth and death through different species for hundreds of thousands of lives. This one should be your last birth. You can stop revolving in this cycle.

You should think about this and take it seriously. That will give the guru pleasure.

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What Is Good Fortune?

How can you repay what the sädhu-guru has done for you?

You cannot. You have been suffering and suffering for so many thousands of lives: brahmäëòa bhramite kona bhägyavän jéva guru-kåñëa-prasäde päya bhakti-latä-béja “After having wandered for countless births throughout the whole universe, a soul who is fortunate receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service by the combined mercy of both Kåñëa and the spiritual master.”

(Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä 19.151)

According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kåñëa.

By His and the spiritual master’s mercy, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

‘Bhägyavän’ means fortunate. A soul who meets a guru is a fortunate soul. That is good fortune. To meet the King or Queen of England, or the Prime Minister of some state and fulfill some material desires is not good fortune. Up until now you were unhappy, distressed, but now you will become happy. That is the good fortune that is wanted. What sort of happiness is it? It is not material happiness, which is temporary and has unlimited misery as its outcome. It is eternal happiness. No more misery 9

Śrī Guru’s Only Pleasure

or unhappiness. Meeting one’s spiritual master is completely spiritual. The guru expects that his disciples make advancement in bhakti and thereby give him transcendental pleasure. So I hope you will all make advancement on this path of prema-bhakti. That will make me happy!

10

“W

hen the guru sees that one or two disciples are advancing rapidly on this path of prema-bhakti he becomes very happy and thinks, “My mission is fulfilled, it is successful.” Otherwise the guru becomes very depressed and morose, feeling so much pain in his heart when he sees that some of his disciples are not making any progress but rather are facing downfall. He has so much pain. You cannot imagine how painful it is. You should understand this. You should take it up seriously, not lightly and superficially. This is for serious students. So take it seriously. It is a serious affair. It is not ordinary. The spiritual master gives his blood.

As the father and mother produce a child, they give their blood, their life. Similarly the guru gives his blood. His only pleasure is when he sees his disciples making advancement on this path of prema-bhakti. Then he is so happy. That is his only pleasure.”

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