Sri Guru Awakens the Soul

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
"O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

"The guru comes to awaken what is already in each soul. The soul’s relation with Kṛṣṇa, its name, qualities and all its specialities are already present within. The soul is perfect in itself; its perfection is not brought from outside.

"Unfortunately māyā covers the soul, but when Śrī Guru takes away or removes that māyā, then everything is automatically manifested by the causeless mercy of Śrī Guru. What is already there will come out."

- Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja

Sincerely serve and take shelter of Sri Guru

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance.

Just recently I picked up the book "The Principle of Sri Guru and Service to Sri Guru," by Sripad BV Madhava Maharaja. This book is very wonderful, as is its author, and elucidates so many truths on sri guru.

While reading it, I became very humbled. One part lists the qualities of a disciple who has sraddha, or firm faith, and I realized most definitely that I do not fit in that category. Another part, which I am going to share, I found very encouraging for its simplicity and loving mood. Reading this part answered a question that had been floating in my mind, many questions actually, such as, how to progress? And how to become a strong devotee and disciple?

Here is the excerpt:

"...if the neophyte sevaka is sincere and takes full shelter of Srila Gurudeva and the senior Vaisnavas, he will quickly be able to progress to the intermediate level, at which his determination to serve Gurudeva will be focused and strong. One who reaches the intermediate level is said to be mahabhagyavan, 'greatly fortunate.'" [CC Madhya Lila 22.67]

When I read this, I thought of myself and also of jiva souls in general. I thought how, if only I could realize how Gurudeva is my only shelter, and appreciate what he has given, then I could serve him every moment - heart, mind, body, words. Gurudeva said once that we can never repay him for what he has given, not in a million lifetimes. And yet still we should try, we should serve him, to show our gratefulness. Instead, I am in maya, and my mind is so weak, and I do not make extra effort.

I thought of examples we have where people take shelter of Krsna, and how we should follow these examples and take shelter of Guru. For example, Draupadi, she gave up the idea of independence and control, knowing Krsna as her only shelter (when the Kauravas were trying to disrobe her), so she literally threw up her arms and cried out, "Govinda! Krsna!" Because of her immense affection, because of her begging, Krsna gave her mercy and helped her; and also because he is so merciful.

We want to attract Krsna to us. Guru has already attracted Krsna; he can give us Krsna. If I can just take shelter sincerely at Gurudeva's lotus feet, than my life will be successful.

Today here in New Braj, Kishori Mohan prabhu gave a very nice class that is relevant to this post. He said many good things, but one was, we should be like a dog, and guru is our master. The dog has affection for master, he follows him always, he does not compromise and wander away, he barks when someone ambivalent to his master comes along, and he is controlled by the instructions of the master. So by following guru's instructions and serving, sincerely, then as Sripad BV Madhava Maharaja says, we can become strong! I want to become strong, and focused, and progress.

Jai Srila Gurudeva! Jai Srila Prabhupada! Jai Sripad BV Madhava! All glories to the vaishnavas!

Nectar about vyasa puja and Bilvamangala Thakura

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance.

Here is one quote from Srila Gurudeva, related to vyasa puja, on bonafide guru:

"The guru never thinks that he is making so many disciples. These are all Krsna's wealth. They are all very fragrant, very smooth, and very sweet flowers. Guru takes them and offers them at the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika. Guru only does this. He never thinks, 'Oh, all the disciples are my property.' Never!

"A real guru thinks that all the disciples are very sweet, fragrant, small flowers of Radha and Krsna Conjugal. The guru offers the disciple like a flower at Radhika's lotus feet. She then places that flower in a garland and puts that garland around Krsna's neck."

[Cessnock, Australia, February 1, 2000]

Here is more nectar from Sripad Madhav Maharaja's book "Srila Gurudeva: The Supreme Treasure":

[After blinding himself and arriving in Vrndavana with Krsna's help], Bilvamangala found himself alone. He called out to the boy for a long time, but there was no answer. Finally he thought, "How is it that we have arrived in Vrndavana so quickly? It must be by the influence of that black cheater. That black fellow came to me and said, 'I am also going to Vrndavana', and brought me here very quickly. If He does not give me darsana again, I will not eat or drink; I will fast to death."

If an advanced devotee such as Bilvamangala Thakura has a wish, Krsna is bound to fulfill it, so Krsna felt obliged to give him darsana. He came before him again, but this time He was not alone. He was with his internal potency, His svarupa-sakti, Srimati Radhika.



The sweet young couple came very close to Bilvamanagala, and at a certain point, Krsna said to Radhika, "Don't go any closer."

"Why not? What is the harm? What will he do?" She asked.

"He will catch You."

"How will he be able to catch me? He's a blind fellow."

"Yes," replied Krsna, "he is blind, and blind people have very sharp hearing. They can understand how close a person is by the sound they make, so don't go too close."

"It's all right. I'm still far enough away. He can't catch hold of me."

Through this exchange with Srimati Radhika, Sri Krsna was conveying a message to Bilvamangala. He was moving closer to him, and at the same time telling Radhika, 'No, no! Don't go too close. You're almost within his reach. He'll catch you!' Sri Krsna was actually telling Bilvamangala, "We are very close to you, and you can catch hold of Srimatiji."

Bilvamangala immediately caught hold of Srimati Radhika's lotus feet.

"Thief! Thief! Let me go! Let me go!" She cried.

Krsna said, "What did I tell You? I warned You not to go so close. Blind people are expert at hearing. Now, what can be done?"

"I will not give up Your lotus feet," said Bilvamangala.

"What do you want?" asked Srimati Radhika.

"I want to have darsana of both of You."

Radhika then put Her hand on Bilvamangala's head, and his sight was restored. Seeing the beauty of Sri Radha and Sri Krsna, Bilvamangala wept and continued to hold on to Srimatiji's lotus feet.

She said, "You can let go of My feet now."

"No, I will not."

"Oh! Why not? What more do you want?"

"Please make me blind again."

"Make you blind again? Why do you want that?"

"Now I have seen the beauty of You two. Especially, Srimatiji, I have seen Your lotus feet, and Your beauty. Now I do not wish to see anything else in this world. I want to keep Your lotus feet always in my memory and the beauty of Your beloved in my heart. I do not want anything else."

Srila Gurudeva, the Supreme Treasure

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance.


I LOVE this picture of Gurudeva. It is a very favorite of mine. I look at this picture, and there is Gurudeva looking straight back at me. I feel like he is seeing everything in me, and yet he has such a sweet smile on his face. I am soo foolish, yet he still smiles. And how much love is in that gaze!!

After Gurudeva entered nitya-lila, I attended a very nice program in his honor. This particular picture of Gurudeva was there. When I offered my flower to him, I felt like, yes, his photo is non-different from him, he is right here before me and he is looking right at me. It was a wonderful feeling.

This colored copy I found in Sripad Madhav Maharaja's new book, "Srila Gurudeva: the Supreme Treasure", which has just recently came out. I snagged an early copy from Vasanti didi. I am reading it now, and it is SO nectarean! Madhav Maharaja has so much love for Gurudeva. He has so much knowledge; he even said, Gurudeva would make him give classes on guru-tattva all the time.

I had to stop, even absorbed in my reading as I was, when I came to this picture...it just makes me cry and smile and laugh and cry again...

Here is an excerpt from Sripad Madhav Maharaja's book:

"Service to guru is the backbone of devotional absorption. Whoever wants to enter into the realm of bhajana must first dedicate his lie to the service of a bona fide guru. Such a guru will never consider the disciple to be his own property. Rather, he will consider the disciple to belong to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. The bona fide guru will transfer the disciple's attachment and dedication for himself (for guru) to Them.

Although he is an expansion of Sri Krsna, he never considers himself to be Sri Krsna; he always thinks that he is His eternal servant.

Our beloved Gurudeva, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja, is such a guru. Whoever reads this work will have a clear conception of the subject of Srila Gurudeva and his teachings. This book will be like a lighthouse that guides those aspirants who want to progress in Krsna consciousness to reach spiritual perfection. Just as Srila Vyasadeva got inspiration by hearing the life history of his gurudeva, Sri Narada Rsi, one can get inspiration from hearing the biography of Srila Gurudeva. Without hearing about and serving sri guru, no one can advanced in Krsna consciousness either now, or in the future.

The mercy of sri guru and the vaishnavas is causeless, as it is independent of any material cause or piety. It is only by such causeless mercy that the jiva can obtain the merciful, sidelong glance of the eternally youthful couple of Vraja, Sri Radha and Sri Krsna, and join Them in Their eternal loving pastimes."

Srila Gurudeva ki JAI! Sri sri guru-varga ki JAI!