Śrī Guru is the Light That Leads Us Out of the Dark Tunnel of This Material World
Śrī Ramcharitmanas sings the glories of Gurudev when Lord Śrī Rāmachandra Himself sings glories of Śrī Vasiṣṭha Muni. When the Lord returned victorious from Lanka, He said, Guru Vasiṣṭha kula-pujya hamare, (by his grace, I won the battle on Lanka.) Lord Himself is establishing here that without the mercy of Guru Vasiṣṭha, He could not have won this particular battle.
Also, we recall when Vibhīṣaṇ sees Hanumān in Lanka he says, "Oh Hanumān, today my faith in the Lord has become very strong. It has been proven that although I am staying in Lanka in the midst of all this material sense gratification, I have received the darśan of a sādhu like you and that is nothing but the sheer causeless mercy of the Lord.
Vibhīṣaṇ (Ravana's younger brother) also said, ab mohi bha bharosa Hanumān.. bina hari krpa milenge nahi santa.. Like a wife who is feeling separated from the husband who is far away, until he arrives back home the wife is not happy; her pangs of separation can not be removed by anyone else. Similarly, the pain and separation that the devotees feel from the Lord are removed when Krishna sends His own devotees and makes them connected with Him and that is when they start feeling bliss within.
Our Param Gurudev heartily emphasized enthusiasm as the most important attribute for practicing devotion and we got this enthusiasm from our Gurudev and guru-varga. We do not know from which direction Śrīmati Rādhārani has sent these mahājans, her personal associates. If we follow the path of bhakti at the end of the tunnel of this material world, we will find that all of our guru-varga is standing there with their arms wide open welcoming all of us.
Kṛṣṇa appears in the world by hearing the prayers of the devotees. Mahāprabhu appeared hearing the prayers of Śrī Advaita Ācārya offering Ganga-jala to Śāligrāma. These personalities come to rescue us from this material world. We are completely helpless and completely bewildered in this world, but these personalities come to rescue us.
Our Param Gurudev heartily emphasized enthusiasm as the most important attribute for practicing devotion and we got this enthusiasm from our Gurudev and guru-varga. We do not know from which direction Śrīmati Rādhārani has sent these mahājans, her personal associates. If we follow the path of bhakti at the end of the tunnel of this material world, we will find that all of our guru-varga is standing there with their arms wide open welcoming all of us.
Kṛṣṇa appears in the world by hearing the prayers of the devotees. Mahāprabhu appeared hearing the prayers of Śrī Advaita Ācārya offering Ganga-jala to Śāligrāma. These personalities come to rescue us from this material world. We are completely helpless and completely bewildered in this world, but these personalities come to rescue us.
Pure devotees do not desire anything from the Lord. Material people have so many desires in their hearts but the pure devotees look forward to only the love and affection of the Lord: tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam.
A verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 11th Canto says we should go to Gurudev for the highest, topmost rapture. In front of our Gurudev, many devotees will come, but they will not get the opportunity to disclose the questions within their hearts; yet whenever they would sit in the hari-kathā of Gurudev then the answers to all their questions would automatically be answered. The reason for this is that Śrī Guru is para-darśi, antaryāmī. Gurudev is the seer of the soul, he knows the happenings in the consciousness of all the souls. Śrī Guru and guru-varga about whom we are speaking, discussing now are the eternal associates, nitya-sakhis of Śrīmati Rādhārani and the only thing that they want in this material world is to shower their mercy upon the conditioned souls so that they can develop their relationship with the Lord.
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam.
A verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 11th Canto says we should go to Gurudev for the highest, topmost rapture. In front of our Gurudev, many devotees will come, but they will not get the opportunity to disclose the questions within their hearts; yet whenever they would sit in the hari-kathā of Gurudev then the answers to all their questions would automatically be answered. The reason for this is that Śrī Guru is para-darśi, antaryāmī. Gurudev is the seer of the soul, he knows the happenings in the consciousness of all the souls. Śrī Guru and guru-varga about whom we are speaking, discussing now are the eternal associates, nitya-sakhis of Śrīmati Rādhārani and the only thing that they want in this material world is to shower their mercy upon the conditioned souls so that they can develop their relationship with the Lord.
Jīva comes from the marginal potency and so when jīva moves away from the service of the Lord is bound to come back to this material world over and over again. We are forced to suffer in this material world until we receive a higher taste. Śrīla Narottam Das Thakur sings in his kirtan, prabhu lokanātha kobe sańge loyā jābe śrī rūpera pāda-padme more samarpibe, (when will Śrīla Lokanāth Gosvāmī hold my hand and take me to the group of Śrī Rūpa Sanātana) because that is the only way for us to receive the higher taste.
Many great personalities have left us; we do not have their shelter anymore or their physical presence anymore to live under the shade of their lotus feet all our life. We are bereft of their physical association. However they have given us the books, and if we continue to read the books and we take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmasaṅkīrtana, the yuga-dharma of this Iron age of Kaliyuga, then certainly success is guaranteed for all of us.
The endeavor to give pleasure to Kṛṣṇa is known as prema. If we follow the instructions given by the Vaiṣṇavas, then Śrīla Gurudev will be pleased. And when Guru becomes pleased, the Lord becomes pleased. So, when Hari Guru and Vaiṣṇavas all become pleased then we will be able to achieve pure bhakti.
In Jagannath Puri math, the birthplace of Śrīla Prabhupad, all his disciples of Śrīla Prabhupad said that the responsibility of looking after the math should be given to Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhav Gosvāmī Mahāraj and when Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhav Gosvāmī Mahāraj heard that he said, "Vaiṣṇavas are my worshipable deities and I take the instructions of the Vaiṣṇavas upon my head. So, in this regard, we see how Vaiṣṇavas are our worshipable deities.
One day Śrī Vasiṣṭha came to Śrī Rāmachandra's palace and paid pranams to him. Śrī Rāmachandra says this is not wise, I am your disciple and you are my Guru. Śrī Vasiṣṭha said I have been waiting for this moment. I have been the purohit of the Ikshvaku-vamsa for a very long time and have been waiting for this moment to come to Your lotus feet and today I know that You are Parambrahma, the Supreme Lord. I come at Your lotus feet and I pray for bhakti which is constant and flows like a river. This type of bhakti is being asked for by Śrī Sivaji. I also constantly endeavor and desire that I have pure bhakti towards the lotus feet of You, Śrī Rāmachandra.
So, if we follow the instructions of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas strictly then we will be able to have this pure bhakti for sure. We have two worshipable deities, one is the Lord, and the other is the devotees. Serving the Lord and the devotees is our eternal service.
Many great personalities have left us; we do not have their shelter anymore or their physical presence anymore to live under the shade of their lotus feet all our life. We are bereft of their physical association. However they have given us the books, and if we continue to read the books and we take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmasaṅkīrtana, the yuga-dharma of this Iron age of Kaliyuga, then certainly success is guaranteed for all of us.
The endeavor to give pleasure to Kṛṣṇa is known as prema. If we follow the instructions given by the Vaiṣṇavas, then Śrīla Gurudev will be pleased. And when Guru becomes pleased, the Lord becomes pleased. So, when Hari Guru and Vaiṣṇavas all become pleased then we will be able to achieve pure bhakti.
In Jagannath Puri math, the birthplace of Śrīla Prabhupad, all his disciples of Śrīla Prabhupad said that the responsibility of looking after the math should be given to Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhav Gosvāmī Mahāraj and when Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhav Gosvāmī Mahāraj heard that he said, "Vaiṣṇavas are my worshipable deities and I take the instructions of the Vaiṣṇavas upon my head. So, in this regard, we see how Vaiṣṇavas are our worshipable deities.
One day Śrī Vasiṣṭha came to Śrī Rāmachandra's palace and paid pranams to him. Śrī Rāmachandra says this is not wise, I am your disciple and you are my Guru. Śrī Vasiṣṭha said I have been waiting for this moment. I have been the purohit of the Ikshvaku-vamsa for a very long time and have been waiting for this moment to come to Your lotus feet and today I know that You are Parambrahma, the Supreme Lord. I come at Your lotus feet and I pray for bhakti which is constant and flows like a river. This type of bhakti is being asked for by Śrī Sivaji. I also constantly endeavor and desire that I have pure bhakti towards the lotus feet of You, Śrī Rāmachandra.
So, if we follow the instructions of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas strictly then we will be able to have this pure bhakti for sure. We have two worshipable deities, one is the Lord, and the other is the devotees. Serving the Lord and the devotees is our eternal service.
Today, we pray at the lotus feet of our Gurudev Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahāraj that we stay on this path. We seek their mercy, may they keep on showering their mercy on all of us, make us stay on the path of bhakti, and by that way our life will actually become successful.
—Śrīpad Bhakti Vilas Tridaṇḍī Mahāraj
—Śrīpad Bhakti Vilas Tridaṇḍī Mahāraj
Spoken in Hindi, translated to English on BhaktiZoom, Guru Purnima 2021
Excerpted with editing applied
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