Date: February 25, 2009
Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.24.13
Speaker: Sivarama Swami

etavaty eva susrusa karya pitari putrakaih
badham ity anumanyeta gauravena guror vacah

TRANSLATION

Sons ought to render service to their father exactly to this extent. One should obey the command of his father or spiritual master with due deference, saying, “Yes, sir.”

PURPORT

Two words in this verse are very important; one word is pitari, and another word is guroh. The son or disciple should accept the words of his spiritual master and father without hesitation. Whatever the father and the spiritual master order should be taken without argument: “Yes.” There should be no instance in which the disciple or the son says, “This is not correct. I cannot carry it out.” When he says that, he is fallen. The father and the spiritual master are on the same platform because a spiritual master is the second father. The higher classes are called dvija, twice-born. Whenever there is a question of birth, there must be a father. The first birth is made possible by the actual father, and the second birth is made possible by the spiritual master. Sometimes the father and the spiritual master may be the same man, and sometimes they are different men. In any case, the order of the father or the order of the spiritual master must be carried out without hesitation, with an immediate yes. There should be no argument. That is real service to the father and to the spiritual master. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has stated that the order of the spiritual master is the life and soul of the disciples. As a man cannot separate his life from his body, a disciple cannot separate the order of the spiritual master from his life. If a disciple follows the instruction of the spiritual master in that way, he is sure to become perfect. This is confirmed in the Upanisads: the import of Vedic instruction is revealed automatically only to one who has implicit faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and in his spiritual master. One may be materially considered an illiterate man, but if he has faith in the spiritual master as well as in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the meaning of scriptural revelation is immediately manifested before him. (End of Srila Prabhupada’s purport.)

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Sivarama Swami

Yesterdays verse was quite similar. There Lord Brahma had said, “My dear son Kardama, since you have completely accepted my instructions without duplicity, showing them proper respect, you have worshiped me properly. Whatever instructions you took from me you have carried out, and thereby you have honored me.”

That verse described how one should accept the order of a superior and the no duplicitous, submissive, non-cheating mood by which one accepts an order. And here what is being emphasized is that it should be done unhesitatingly. Interesting thing to talk about and let’s discuss just that - this relationship between disciple and guru.

Guru here is obviously in the plural since the father here is being referred to Lord Brahma being in such a position that he was the father of Kardama Muni. When I read the purport, if you follow Srila Prabhupada equated it to, the equation was that the guru is good as the father. Not that the father is as good as the guru but that the guru is as good as the father which illuminates the high esteem that a father holds in Vedic culture or in Krishna consciousness. And of course when we are talking about father the same goes for mother. These are all generic terms. In the way we talk about father it actually refers to other senior members of family, superiors, brahmanas, the king, ultimately he is also father, the king’s wife who is considered to be mother. In all of these things, the principle of obedience should be there.

When Kuntidevi made an unevaluated comment Draupadi was in love with Arjuna and Krishna had recommended to her that, “You should marry him.” And of course the Pandavas came, they were incognito at that time. You know that story. He pierced the eye of the fish, won Draupadi’s hand, they came back at night while their mother was cooking and so from behind they said, “Just see what we won.”

Kunti said, “Well whatever it is, you share it amongst you.” Just because she said it, it had to be obeyed. So when we are talking about father or guru the principle was the same for the mother. This is not something that is known or practiced in the present day. When one of our leaders, Srila Prabhupada’s servant was making this point to Srila Prabhupada that, “Srila Prabhupada when it is said that you should treat all women like mother in our present culture it doesn’t mean much to the general person because no one treats their mother respectfully.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Well you learn it.” In other words you learn how to treat your mother with respect and then you learn to treat other women with equal respect as you would treat your own mother.

I remember when I was very young, must have been seven years old my family came from Hungary to Canada and I went to the home of a friend whom I had just met and his mother told him something and he said, “Shut up!” I was so shocked. I never heard of such a thing before. I came from a different culture. You don’t talk back to your mother what to speak of telling her to shut up. That was over fifty years ago, so what is going on in this present day and age, a completely different kind of behavior.

This type of extraordinary respect is what characterizes Vaisnava culture and this type of respect for seniors is one aspect of showing respect to others. And in different ways but also equally intense in their own way is how honor and respect is shown to equals, to inferiors, to sons. Because what to speak of in Vedic culture, Krishna consciousness is a culture of showing love and affection for others and respecting everyone’s position.

taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih (Cc. Adi 17.31)

Lord Caitanya connects the ability to practice Krishna consciousness with the ability to actually relate to others. Srimad also defines a Vaisnava. A Vaisnava is someone who, prema-maitri-krpopeksa yah karoti sa madhyamah (SB 11.2.46) And the other person who is na tad-bhaktesu canyesu, (SB 4.29.1b) who doesn’t really know how to relate to Vaisnavas, he actually falls into the category of Vaisnava-abhasa. He is a shadow devotee. Shadow means you not the real thing. If you are a shadow of the real thing then what you are practicing in the name of Krishna consciousness whether it is chanting Hare Krishna or studying sastra it is all also abhasa.

Respect - Srila Radhanath Maharaj is the acarya training others how to show respect and love for Vaisnavas. This concept of actually showing respect to others is therefore the very foundation of Krishna consciousness; it is the foundation for kirtaniyah sada harih - for chanting Hare Krishna. If you want to chant Hare Krishna without offence then you can’t do so until this whole principle is in place.

Here the guru is placed on same par as father and it is an interesting statement that Srila Prabhupada said. The other thing which is very interesting and I don’t know if it is mentioned anywhere but it is worth taking note of is that Srila Prabhupada said that sometimes the father can be guru. I remember some years back when a devotee asked me this very question, “Can a father initiate his son?”

Thakur Bhaktivinode was actually seen as the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. He saw him in that way. There were different types of relationships by some of the other sons of Bhaktivinode Thakur, who would refer to Bhaktivinode as father. Bhaktisaddhanta Sarasvati Thakur considered him as guru. He had a different approach but still he was not the diksa guru.

Another question that someone asked was, “Can a man initiate his own wife?” Everything is possible but it would require research. Here Srila Prabhupada implies that yes, automatically the father is the guru because he is giving birth. He is giving birth, he is giving education, he is training, and he is taking responsibility. These are all characteristics of guru.

Here when he hear the word guru, that the guru is as good as the father then we should see it in a broader sense, in the broad sense that Vedic culture actually represents. That is would not necessarily refer to just the diksha guru. Anyone who teaches you, who takes responsibility for you, from whom you receive something, very valuable.

yaj jnatva na punar moham evam yasyasi pandava (Bg 4.35)

Someone that you are receiving transcendental knowledge from, divya jnana hrde prakasito. Who is actually illuminating you with real transcendental knowledge? That person should be respected as guru.

Who is guru is an important topic because very often we like to have part definitions of guru and we once again is na tad-bhaktesu canyesu, (SB 4.29.1b) to be able to recognize who the spiritual master is. Spiritual master maybe appointed. Bhaktivinode Thakur, he said, “You should accept Gaurakishore das Babaji as your spiritual master.” This was an appointment. Although Bhaktivinode Thakur himself was in a suitable position to also be the diksha guru of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. But still Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, he was not under the illusion that, “He is my father so he is not my guru.” He respected him as guru equally to Gaurakishore das Babaji and the relationship was in that sense very, very intense.

When they lived here together in Godruma the Bhaktivinode Thakur had his quarters there and there is a small room were Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur would serve his father. And he served him in that capacity.

So guru needs to be recognized and it is to be expected that he should not be minimized in any way.

acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit - (SB.11.17.27)

So this concept of ignoring, minimizing spiritual master that will take place amongst neophyte Vaisnavas who don’t know how to relate and for that reason Srimad Bhagavatam or Srila Prabhupada to his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam very early on instructs Vaisnavas that they should be very careful to come quickly to the platform of an intermediate Vaisnava so that they can cultivate their devotional service properly.

Those devotees who show us the path of Krishna consciousness vartmapradarsaka, they are shedding light on the path of devotional service, those devotees who are giving us advice siksa, those devotees who are training us up or even those devotee from whom we just hear Srimad Bhagavatam sravana guru, they are all in the category of guru. Therefore respect should be offered to them.

The previous verse says how do you offer respect, how do you properly worship the spiritual master, yes we do guru puja but that guru puja is the external formulation of something that takes place here. That we accept, previous verse says, “Completely accept instruction without duplicity.” That means we accept whatever they say without duplicity, that is a very interesting statement. That means that someone maybe accepting instruction with duplicity.

What does it means to be without duplicity when accepting the instruction of your diksha guru or your GBC or your temple president, senior Vaisnava or your father. Taking instruction is something that is taken in context. Senior devotees maybe giving us many different types of instructions at different times. When instructions are selective, when they are meant to fulfill some ulterior purpose that I have then that is called duplicity.

Srimad Bhagavatam says, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ‘tra, (SB 1.1.2) that here in bhagavat dharma we throw out this type of duplicity. There are obviously two types of teachings. Here the teaching or the instruction, vakya, is very specific. “You do this.” Krishna gives both types of teachings in the Bhagavad-gita. He gives general instructions, jnana, karma, yoga, bhakti and then He says, “Now you fight.” So then He is giving also a very specific instruction.

One is the education and the training in Krishna consciousness, the understanding of philosophy or theology or the siddhanta that these things are based upon and then some practical application in life. Arjuna is meant to be surrendering to Krishna. The principle is that you should surrender. But what does surrender mean for Arjuna?

Surrender means you fight. But, yathecchasi tatha kuru (Bg 18.63) you consider what I have said and ultimately I am not going to force you. The decision is up to you. You don’t want to fight, that is all right. By if you want to be perfect, if you want to properly worship the instructions that I have given. And ultimately Arjuna started with this whole foundation.

He says, sisyas te ‘ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam, (Bg 2.7) “Now I am your sisya so You instruct me. You take the position of guru.” So at that point, when one actually submits oneself in this way then there is no backing out.

In this statement here were Srila Prabhupada says, “Yes Sir.” What does it mean? Spiritual master says, “Do this.” And you say, “Yes Sir.” Without thinking!

If we see it in a larger context of Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna said, “Yes Sir.” I will do whatever You say. But he also had a lot of questions. So he posed these questions to Krishna. “Yes Sir,” meant that after you enquire and your reasonable doubts are satisfied then when it is very clear one surrenders.

There is this very nice lecture by Srila Prabhupada when he is talking about Arjuna psychology in hearing Krishna’s instructions and Prabhupada said Arjuna is thinking like this. He says, “My friend is so stubborn. He wants me to fight. No matter what I am telling Him He still keeps wanting me to fight. So I have to do what He wants.” It is very nice illuminating approach to Arjuna’s way of thinking because in one-way Arjuna’s way of thinking is as relevant to us as Krishna’s.

Krishna is the guru. We are trying to follow in Arjuna’s footsteps to become the perfect disciple. So he said “Yes Sir.” But he said “Yes Sir,” after his nasto mohah smrtir labdha, (Bg 18.73) All of his illusion is dispelled. No more doubts! So a Vaisnava does have the right to do this. He has the right to ask with the proper mood and with the proper attitude, with the proper gestures. He has the right to respond and ask his spiritual master, “You please tell me. I don’t understand this.” Ultimately when he says “No. You should do this,” then, “All right.” We don’t necessarily have that prerogative to think, “Oh my guru is very stubborn but I will do whatever he wants.”

With the right attitude we say, “All right whatever you want then I will accept.” Something to be also kept in mind is here the issue is very simple. There is one guru who is also the father, Brahma. So it is very easy for Kardama Muni. He knows what I am supposed to do because it has been verbalized and there is no contradicting instruction.

We find ourselves sometimes in a different situation. We are in a situation when we are in cities. We work in the association of many Vaisnavas. These Vaisnavas give us different levels of instructions; sometimes they give us contradictory instructions and still we have to say, “Yes Sir.” Then as Arjuna we need to be able to also reflect and we need to be able to know how is it that I do justice to the instructions that I am receiving from all of my spiritual masters.

The extreme example of this “Yes Sir,” is that of Parasara Muni. We should not think that we are in a position of accepting instructions from our guru with this type of immediate, “Yes Sir.” You have read the pastime. Parasara Muni’s father told the son, “Cut you mother’s head off.” And he said, “Yes Sir.” He didn’t even think twice. We should ask questions. If our guru gives us this particular instruction or this level of instruction we should take the position of Arjuna. “Could you please clarify what you mean by that.”

When it came to a similar instruction, Arjuna had taken a vow, of course this was not instruction from guru but it was then later confirmed. Arjuna took avow, “I will place the head of Asvattama at Draupadi’s feet.” But the later on Draupadi said, “No.” Yudhisthira Maharaj said, “No.” Krishna first said yes and then He said no. Bhima was very adamant, “You have to do it. He killed our sons.” So then he did it but he did not do it. He did it in a way that he satisfied everyone. That is real intelligence. He took the jewel off Asvattama’s head which was the source of his strength, the source of his prowess and he placed that at Draupadi devis lotus feet.

Here is another instruction. Arjuna had then said, “Yes Sir” but he had to really figure, think about, “How I am going to do justice not just to one instruction not just to Krishna’s instruction, but to Bhima. He is also superior. He is my elder brother. I have to also satisfy him.”

So there is also a methodology to this “Yes Sir.” Ultimately when our authority is adamant then we have to both be obedient and we have to be intelligent. Sometimes being obedient is easier than being intelligent. Being obedient in an intelligent way, kirtaniyah sada harih. It requires chanting Hare Krishna very nicely.

Srila Prabhupada makes reference I don’t know how many hundreds of times Prabhupada makes reference to Visvanath Cakravati’s purport to Bhagavad-gita that this mood, this psychology of obedience is the life and soul of a devotee. He lives by this. What instruction have I received? We all receive direct instructions.

Personally in my relationship with Srila Prabhupada I can’t really say Srila Prabhupada told me some personal instruction, that, “You go here, you open this temple or you do this.” I perhaps fall in the category of perhaps the large majority of devotees who received instruction from Srila Prabhupada to chant sixteen rounds, follow the regulative principles, and co operate with other Vaisnavas, spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. These are generic instructions that everyone’s inherited.

There are other Vaisnavas who instructed some particular instruction, “You build Mayapur. You build this temple over here or you go to this city and you start some preaching. ” Both of these instructions are very important. They fall in the category of vani and by having faith in the generic instructions as is being stated here. If there are any other specific instructions that come in this case from Srila Prabhupada they may be revealed within the heart. The may be revealed through Vaisnavas, through other devotees, through dreams. Everything will manifest as it is stated here, to devotees who are very faithful.

susrusoh sraddadhanasya vasudeva-katha-rucih - (SB.1.2.1)

So Bhagavatam begins by explaining that devotees have to be sraddadhanasya, they have to be very faithful. Without the quality of having this pure faith in the nature of the guru parampara, in our disciplic succession then devotional service doesn’t really work. Vasudeva-katha-rucih - the taste for hearing the pastimes of the Lord, for chanting Hare Krishna won’t really manifest. When the taste doesn’t manifest then the taste for material life continues to dominate the heart. Once again vande guroh, here guru is being referred to as a plural sense.

Often I was not fortunate enough to be here in class yesterday. My apologies. Our meetings have been very demanding physically and on our time but generally when we refer to guru or when we here references to guru in Srila Prabhupada’s purports we tend to be exclusive in that consciousness. This refers to my diksa guru. No. na tad-bhaktesu canyesu - you have to know how to recognize who is your guru.

Krishna was not diksa guru. In many examples in Srimad Bhagavatam the person who is not even called guru. He doesn’t even have the accolation but still he is given that kind of respect. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not diksa guru. Rupa Goswami had only one diksa disciple. We often make reference to our bhagavat parampara, which is not based on diksa but it is based on where transcendental knowledge is coming from. Who has given the greatest contribution to spreading Krishna consciousness and manifesting the teachings of Lord Krishna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu! Who is the greatest receptacle of realization of devotional service!

So recognition of spiritual master is also very important in order to be able to say, “Yes Sir.” So we know how to say, “Yes Sir” to all of the individuals that we receive instructions from. This example with Arjuna and Asvattama is instructive. One has to know how to be able to satisfy multiple personalities, not just one. If I satisfy this one then all the others well I don’t care about them! No. We have to be able to care about them. Sometimes it may take time.

So Arjuna labored over, “How am I going to do this?” First he took the vow then he went of chasing after Asvattama along with Krishna. This was all going on while they were following him. Finally they caught Asvattama. Arjuna was in a dilemma. He was in a dilemma by then. Then he did not kill him. He brought him all the way back. Then who knows, all of the different things took place. Lot of time transpired. It may require time. Ultimately it is not just a matter of saying “Yes Sir” but how do we say “Yes Sir” and to whom are we also saying “Yes Sir.”

We are not just satisfying someone. So Krishna says, “Now you have to satisfy everyone.” And Arjuna was in a bit of a dilemma. “How am I going to satisfy everyone?” But Krishna gave the hint to cut of that jewel from the top of his head and he is as good as dead without that. And on top of that Krishna ended up cursing Asvattama and even now Asvattama is said to be wandering in different parts of the world, sometimes in the Himalayas, sometimes in Vrindavan.

So it requires that type of contemplation, that type of instruction. When we read this we also need to be a little open that it is not meant to be so, black and white. We are not in a position of Parasuram that just without thinking I follow. He was right obviously but he is also the empowered incarnation of the Lord and although his empowerment came from Krishna we can see that even that empowerment, when not kept in balance with other things made him wrong at a certain point.

When Lord Ramacandra was coming back with Sita-devi to Ayodhya Parasuram had heard that here is this Rama who is a great wielder of a bow, a great ksatriya and he was there to chastise the ksatriyas. So he was giving and exclusive attention to my empowerment. My empowerment is to destroy the race of ksatriyas. But this whole idea of saying, “Yes Sir” was not kept in balance.

When he came face to face with Lord Ramacandra who is actually the source of his empowerment, he did not recognize Him. And when he tried to exercise his prowess against Lord Rama then he lost out. He just lost all of his empowerment at that stage. It is not just a matter of being a yes-man one also has to be saying yes but doesn’t mean being a yes man. I don’t know if you know culturally this word yes-man is from the west, north American form of expression. Someone who always just says yes to whatever he is told.

Here the emphasis is yes you say yes but it isn’t just saying it mindlessly. You say yes but there are other considerations that take place. Make sure you understand what you are saying yes to because that will give you the empowerment to then act without being told, without being instructed later on. Those times will come.

Srila Prabhupada gave instructions to his followers. Now Srila Prabhupada is not physically with us. We expect that learning how to follow also imply that you learn how to follow even in the absence of the instructor or when those instructions are coming within the heart. And then also taking into consideration how those instructions balance from other great Vaisnavas to whom we are also equally indebted, such as our father and our mother and the brahmanas and our senior Vaisnavas. All of these things have to be taken into account.

We have a few minutes and I will just stop there.