He Has Zero Guru-abhimān

By

One should take complete shelter of Guru's lotus feet just like you have for Bhagavan. Gurudeva is Paramgurudeva's most favorite and loving disciple.  A disciple may have many good qualities, but no śaraṇāgati. Param Gurudeva, Prabhupāda do not see qualities in disciples but see only śaraṇāgati. Unless there is śaraṇāgati, Gurudeva's qualities will not descend into a disciple; just like Ananya-bhakti Bhagavan's qualities descend to a devotee.  If you become a favorite of Gurudeva, then you are a favorite of Bhagavan too.  

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi
dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

Our Gurudeva wherever he does kathā he speaks only His Gurudeva's words. He speaks so much about Param Gurudeva that no other disciple of Param Gurudeva speaks.  In the beginning, he says "I have orders from my Gurudeva that we have to hear and speak about what our Gurudeva has said."  This is his special quality.

Guru is Kṛṣṇa's grace incarnate form.  So through guru-sevā Bhagavan is pleased; there is no other such sevā that pleases Bhagavan so much. So we have to take shelter of Gurudeva and follow the path laid down by him for us and follow his instructions.

Once there was a disciple who was told by Gurudeva to protect his fields from flood waters of the river.  He tried to block an opening to the field, but when it failed, he laid down next to the opening to try and block the water from entering the fields, as per Gurudeva's orders. Gurudeva finally came to search for his disciple and was very pleased. By following one order of his Gurudeva, he pleased him and got sarvasiddhi, the blessing that bestows all attainments.

Gurudeva never says "I am Guru." When giving harināma he says I am not your guru and showing Param Gurudeva's photo, he says "He is your Guru." He never accepts anybody's worship, and says 'Worship my Gurudeva." He has never considered anyone his disciple nor called them or introduced them so to others as such; he has absolutely no guru-abhimān—zero abhimān.  

In the maṭha it is the practice to do praṇāms to Vaiṣṇavas in the mornings and evenings (vancha kalpataru), Param Gurudev would do daṇḍavat-praṇāms to all Vaiṣṇavas.  Once his god-brother told him there are your disciples among the Vaiṣṇavas that you are offer daṇḍavats to, he said, "I do not have any disciples, all are disciples of Prabhupāda and so I do daṇḍavats to them." 

—Śrīla Bhakti Kushal Padmanabh Mahārāj

Translated to English from his talk on 11.10.13 in Mathura



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

He Accepts Every Circumstance With Utmost Humility

By
Image
I heard something very deep and nice from a devotee that I met in Switzerland. He told me about how he had been staying at a temple there while Guru Mahārāja was visiting.  He said that the maṭha-in-charge expressed his desire that Gurudeva speak about Bhāgavatam. But then an order came that he was not allowed to speak there. In the room where the Bhāgavatam reading was, there was a young boy,. He was maybe only three months in the maṭha and recently came out of a completely material life, eating meat, smoking, etc. Anyway, he was the only one who had permission to speak about Bhāgavatam. And what did Guru Mahārāja do? He entered the room, bowed down to this boy and he sat in front of this boy and listened to his Bhāgavatam reading. This is his humbleness. This is always the way; they teach by example, not by punishing or whatever. When this maṭha-in-charge saw this whole situation, he decided in one moment to leave this institution forever. Although he left that organization, he did
Read more

"She Has Gone to Goloka-dhāma "

By
Image
Guru Mahārāja is not an ordinary person; he is sent by the Supreme Lord to rescue all of us. In the office, if we are working in one place, we may be deputed to another place to do some work. Similarly, Gurudeva has been deputed from Goloka-dhāma to help us. Guru Mahārāja has come here to fulfill the desire of Hari-Guru-Vaishnavas. In 1997, I received harināma in Gokula-Mahāvana along with my  dharmapatnī , my wife. Guru Mahārāja asked my wife, "If something bad has happened to you, how do you take this? As if Gurudeva is at fault, or as if other persons are at fault?” My wife replied, “Whatever happens, I think it is good for me, by your arrangement.” In 2013, my wife was detected with breast cancer, and later left this world. Some devotees came to the maṭha and gave the news to Gurudeva. Gurudeva replied, "She has gone to Goloka-dhāma." In the hospital, I remember when my wife was in the ICU, and the doctor came and told me, "Your wife is in the fina
Read more

The Greatness of His Simplicity

By
Image
When Guru Mahārāja visited Ukraine his programs were in a public place such as a camp near the Black Sea, like a tourist camp. So he had his own room there and after harikathā or before harikathā devotees could visit him and speak with him. Generally, it was very free, everyone could come and ask some questions and he was very happy to answer them.  My personal experience was that when I met Guru Mahārāja in his room, he was very open. I was shocked because after association with ISKCON devotees for a long time it was very difficult to meet some Guru or talk with him. It was like an audience with some Prime Minister or President, very difficult to get. But still, when we first entered Guru Mahārāja’s room I was surprised that such a great person was at the same time very humble and he asked us, "How can I serve you?" It was very very sincere, in a very simple way.  He replied to all the questions that we asked and we just talked. It was like a conversation with a family membe
Read more