Departing India

Late this evening we are flying from Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a a brief transit stop and then on to Brisbane, Australia. India has, as usual, been a very enriching and enlivening experience for us. Here in the land of Krishna, even though rampant materialism is manifesting more and more everywhere, there is still a deep seated all-pervading presence of Krishna consciousness, like an underground river, flowing very strongly. One simply has to tap into it by seeking out and taking shelter of the association of realized transcendentalists. Then one can experience that beautiful, timeless culture that is India.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Does Spiritual Master Have Free Will?...

I have read that the Spiritual Master waits in the universe, till the last disciple is delivered and he also states that only if the disciple is following the regulative principles seriously, he will remain as spiritual master for him, otherwise the disciple will not get any protection.

So, how do we understand that Spiritual Master will have to take birth again in this material world? And if it is so, then is it not that the Spiritual Master is bound to our wishes and aspirations without having a free will of his own?

Arun Ramakrishnan

Answer: Free Will Fully Absorbed in Bhakti...

That the spiritual master remains in the material universe until all of his disciples are delivered is confirmed in a letter that Srila Prabhupada wrote to Jayapataka Maharaja in 1969. This special kindness of the spiritual master is reserved for those of his disciples who are strictly following the regulative principles, not for those who have given up following his instructions.

We are to understand his taking birth again as an act of great mercy upon his sincere disciples who are having a hard time. This does not mean the spiritual master no longer has a free will. Any jiva soul has the free will to choose Krishna or Maya at any time. The spiritual master is also a jiva soul, but he is a jiva soul who has fully absorbed himself in devotional service.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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