We saw in the mail "Detachment in Practice" that Parikshit maharaj exhibited the highest quality of renunciation of his kingdom, wealth and everything. In fact, few verses before he graciously accepts the curse of the brahmana as the mercy of the Lord and accepts it without any retaliation. Our nature is that any reverse to our sense gratification we tend to rebel against it and the whole life is wasted on the rebellious plot. This needs to be avoided. As Maharaj says, "A devotee welcomes any situation as long as he is in this material world because his attention is fixed on the lotus feet of the Lord." Since our attention is not fixed we tend to waver and glide down from devotional service and we don’t even realize it. Whereas Parikshit Maharaj was able to accept the curse because his attention is fixed and his objectives are very clear. How was his attention fixed and objectives were clear will be seen from the same verse we discussed yesterday.

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The Spiritual Master and Krishna are two parallel lines. The train, on two tracks, moves forward. The Spiritual Master and Krishna are like these two tracks, they must be served simultaneously. Krishna helps one to find bona fide Spiritual Master, and bona fide Spiritual Master helps one to understand Krishna. If one does not get bona fide Spiritual Master, then how he can ever understand Krishna? You cannot serve Krishna without Spiritual Master, or serve just Spiritual Master without serving Krishna. They must be served simultaneously.

Letter to Mahapurusa, February 12, 1968

As told by HG Devakinandan Prabhu in his recent mail, "The pain of bearing the physical disappearance of our Spiritual Master is very acute. Our hearts are vacant without his smile, his laughter, his humour, his love and his guidance. Who will encourage us even when we performed minute service, who will pat us on our backs to push us further to do more service, who will believe in us when everyone has given up?"

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In Srimad Bhagavatam 4.28, "Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life" – King Puranjana owing to excessive attachment to his wife and being engrossed in thoughts of worrying about her at the time of death, is born as a woman in his next life. He takes birth as the daughter Vaidarbhi of King Vidarbha. Vaidarbhi gets married to King Malayadhvaja and during vanaprastha follows her husband and serves him and performs austerities herself. Her relationship with her husband is compared with the relationship of the disciple with his spiritual master. The example and comparison teaches us at two levels:

a)Vanaprastha duties for wife and husband
b) Relationship of disciple with spiritual master

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This is a humble effort to transcribe the remaining part of the message from lecture of our beloved Guru Maharaj during Initiation of devotees in Singapore.
In B.G. 4.34:

tad viddhi pranipaatena / pariprashnena sevayaa
upadeksyanti te jnaanam / jnaaninas tattva darshinah

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self realised souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."

[granthraj] The Real Meaning of Initiation – Part 1

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I don’t say, Follow me, I say, Follow Krsna. Krsna says, Surrender unto me. I say, Surrender unto Krsna. Is there any difference? My position is simply repeating because Krishna says, Anyone who preaches this confidential subject metter, he is dear to Me.

Allahabad, January 18, 1971

A cheater is taking the place of teacher. Therefore the whole world is degraded. You can cheat others that I am in dress of a devotee, but what is your character? What is your actual value? That has to be judged. That is called bona fide teacher.

Hawaii, January 17, 1974

Swamiji makes reservations to leave for New York and from there to India. He continues to speak of the Indian sun and Ayurvedic physicians.

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"To the extent the heart is polluted with sins, it cannot place its faith in the vedic scriptures or the bonafide spiritual master."

Lord Brahma – Vaivarta Purana

Disclaimer: The daily ‘Vedic thought’ are posted by Deepak Prabhu in the Yahoo Groups – Govindadwipa. All credits goes to him and the groups. Hare Krishna.

The ecstasy of separation from the Spiritual Master is even greater ecstasy than meeting with him.

Letter to Jadurani, January 13, 1968

Sometimes there will be a little misunderstanding between Godbrothers. That is even going on amongst liberated souls. What is important is that everyone must engage in Krishna’s service under the direction of the spiritual master.

Nellore, January 7, 1976

We drive across Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods, home of 3,000-year-old redwoods. Walking down the path under the tall, blue-green canopy, Swamiji reads the little signs before the largest trees, then looks up reflectively at the boughs.

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On the occasion of a wedding in Minneapolis, our beloved spiritual master H.H.Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj gave very valuable instructions for the newly married couple. It applies to one and all and I shall transcribe herewith a few of the points from his instructions.

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Despite being in Swamiji’s presence and daily witnessing his inspiring transcendental activities, I find some difficulty following all the basic rules. When I confess this to Swamiji, he jumps to his feet. "Then chant Hare Krishna!" he says, the force of his gesture sweeping me upward with him, so that I stand up automatically. "Chant Hare Krishna! Krishna! Krishna! Krishna help me! Krishna save me!"

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I was recently listening to a speech by our beloved Spiritual master, on the occasion of a devotee’s wedding in Minneapolis. As part of the speech, Maharaj was wonderfully explaining the way to overcome the miserable conditions in our life. I shall post a few of the points here.

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yad akṣaraḿ veda-vido vadanti
viśanti yad yatayo vīta-rāgāḥ
yad icchanto brahmacaryaḿ caranti
tat te padaḿ sańgraheṇa pravakṣye

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Day in and day out we face so many kinds of problems and challenges in our lives. We might be facing some difficulty now and would be thinking that there is nothing more miserable than this. But after some time we face something more complex and then we realise that our previous misery was comparatively less intense. In such situations we might wonder how to get out of these sufferings and might even start believing that there is no way out. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 7.5.5 Prahlad Maharaj very nicely describes the condition of householders like us.

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While reading thru chapter, "Explanation of Devotional Service by Lord Kapila", the below shloka (SB 3.29.17) inspired us to write few words on our beloved Gurudev HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj, who became a turning point in our life.

mahataam bahu-maanena / deenaanaam anukampayaa
maitryaa caivaatma-tulyeshu / yamena niyamena ca

The pure devotee should execute devotional service by giving the greatest respect to the spiritual master and the acaryas. He should be compassionate to the poor and make friendship with persons who are his equals, but all his activities should be executed under regulation and with control of the senses.

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While singing the prayers for Guru puja, we sing the following lines which carry profound meanings.

cakshu daan dilo re / janme janme prabhu se
divya jnaana hrde prakasheeto
prema bhakti yaha hoite / avidyaa vinaasha jate
vede gaay yahara chariito

These verses indicate that the spiritual master gives us a great charity by giving us spiritual eyes to see the reality. When we perform devotional service under his shelter, the divine knowledge is lighted up from within the heart and we also attain loving devotional service to the Lord by which all the ignorance is destroyed. All the Vedas celebrate the glory of such a spiritual master. There is a beautiful story in the Chandogya Upanishad (which occurs in Sama Veda) glorifying the mercy and qualities of a spiritual master.

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