The Greatest Thrill of All Times
Today, after a few days at our home base in Austin, Texas, we are heading back out on the road to Florida where we have an exhilarating series of lectures lined up. Yesterday I received a comment from someone who dropped out of our course because he felt it was boring. Some people may find this pathway boring, but I don't find it at all boring. This is truly the ultimate adventure, to be reconnecting with the summum bonum, the ultimate source of all energies. This is truly the greatest thrill of all times. You don't have to be traveling with me to experience it. You can fully connect yourself with Krishna in your own home. All you have to do is rise early in the morning and chant:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
If someone wants to sit on the bank without jumping into the soothing crystal-clear waters of Krishna Consciousness, they may find it boring. Krishna Consciousness, after all, is not a spectator sport. It is a participation sport. If you do not participate, you may get bored. So why cheat yourself out of eternity, knowledge, and bliss?
Get off of your comfortable seat on the bank of the lake and join the rest of us who are sporting in the wonderful waters of Krishna bhakti. Come on in. The water's fine. You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain. You will never, ever, ever be bored again in your entire life. I promise.
Is it acceptable to read Bhagavad Gita and follow the teachings through Purports from His Grace Prabhupada? And I guess my main question is: Can I regard His Grace Prabhupada as my Spiritual Master or must I approach someone directly?
Thank you for your time.
Hare Krishna
Pat
His Grace Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is most certainly your spiritual master because through his books he is guiding you how to attain spiritual perfection. He is is your siksha guru, instructing spiritual master, because his instructions are taking you from the darkness into the light.
Through carefully reading Srila Prabhupada's books you will see that he teaches you that you also need a spiritual master whom you can approach with your personal questions and from whom you can receive personal guidance. This type of guru is known as the "initiating guru".
Srila Prabhupada points out the absolute necessity of this type of guru in his Srimad Bhagavatam purport quoted below:
"The real fact is that a bona fide spiritual master knows the nature of a particular man and what sort of duties he can perform in Krishna consciousness, and he instructs him in that way. He instructs him through the ear, not privately, but publicly. 'You are fit for such and such work in Krishna consciousness. You can act in this way.' One person is advised to act in Krishna consciousness by working in the Deities' room, another is advised to act in Krishna consciousness by performing editorial work, another is advised to do preaching work, and another is advised to carry out Krishna consciousness in the cooking department. There are different departments of activity in Krishna consciousness, and a spiritual master, knowing the particular ability of a particular man, trains him in such a way that by his tendency to act he becomes perfect.
"Bhagavad-gita makes it clear that one can attain the highest perfection of spiritual life simply by offering service according to his ability, just as Arjuna served Krishna by his ability in the military art. Arjuna offered his service fully as a military man, and he became perfect. Similarly, an artist can attain perfection simply by performing artistic work under the direction of the spiritual master. If one is a literary man, he can write articles and poetry for the service of the Lord under the direction of the spiritual master. One has to receive the message of the spiritual master regarding how to act in one's capacity, for the spiritual master is expert in giving such instructions. This combination, the instruction of the spiritual master and the faithful execution of the instruction by the disciple, makes the entire process perfect. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura describes in his explanation of the verse in Bhagavad-gita, vyavasayatmika buddhih, that one who wants to be certain to achieve spiritual success must take the instruction from the spiritual master as to what his particular function is. He should faithfully try to execute that particular instruction and should consider that his life and soul. The faithful execution of the instruction which he receives from the spiritual master is the only duty of a disciple, and that will bring him perfection. One should be very careful to receive the message from the spiritual master through the ears and execute it faithfully. That will make one's life successful."
----from the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.22.7
Srila Prabhupada will always remain your instructing guru, but now, as per his instructions quoted above, you must also accept a guru from whom you will receive personal guidance. This type of guru is called the "diksha guru" or the "initiating spiritual master." When you become serious to follow the instructions given by Srila Prabhupada to fully surrender yourself to the guidance of the spiritual master who practically engages you in devotion service to Krishna, you must seek out such a spiritual master who perfectly represents Sri Krishna and Srila Prabhupada and take complete shelter at his lotus feet as his initiated disciple.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
If someone wants to sit on the bank without jumping into the soothing crystal-clear waters of Krishna Consciousness, they may find it boring. Krishna Consciousness, after all, is not a spectator sport. It is a participation sport. If you do not participate, you may get bored. So why cheat yourself out of eternity, knowledge, and bliss?
Get off of your comfortable seat on the bank of the lake and join the rest of us who are sporting in the wonderful waters of Krishna bhakti. Come on in. The water's fine. You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain. You will never, ever, ever be bored again in your entire life. I promise.
Answers According to the Vedic Version
Question: Finding a Spiritual Master...
Much of your teachings require that we approach a bona fide Spiritual Master and take instructions from him!Is it acceptable to read Bhagavad Gita and follow the teachings through Purports from His Grace Prabhupada? And I guess my main question is: Can I regard His Grace Prabhupada as my Spiritual Master or must I approach someone directly?
Thank you for your time.
Hare Krishna
Pat
Answer: Follow His Instructions...
What I present are not my teachings. I am simply a humble messenger presenting the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna as He presents them in the Bhagavad-gita.His Grace Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is most certainly your spiritual master because through his books he is guiding you how to attain spiritual perfection. He is is your siksha guru, instructing spiritual master, because his instructions are taking you from the darkness into the light.
Through carefully reading Srila Prabhupada's books you will see that he teaches you that you also need a spiritual master whom you can approach with your personal questions and from whom you can receive personal guidance. This type of guru is known as the "initiating guru".
Srila Prabhupada points out the absolute necessity of this type of guru in his Srimad Bhagavatam purport quoted below:
"The real fact is that a bona fide spiritual master knows the nature of a particular man and what sort of duties he can perform in Krishna consciousness, and he instructs him in that way. He instructs him through the ear, not privately, but publicly. 'You are fit for such and such work in Krishna consciousness. You can act in this way.' One person is advised to act in Krishna consciousness by working in the Deities' room, another is advised to act in Krishna consciousness by performing editorial work, another is advised to do preaching work, and another is advised to carry out Krishna consciousness in the cooking department. There are different departments of activity in Krishna consciousness, and a spiritual master, knowing the particular ability of a particular man, trains him in such a way that by his tendency to act he becomes perfect.
"Bhagavad-gita makes it clear that one can attain the highest perfection of spiritual life simply by offering service according to his ability, just as Arjuna served Krishna by his ability in the military art. Arjuna offered his service fully as a military man, and he became perfect. Similarly, an artist can attain perfection simply by performing artistic work under the direction of the spiritual master. If one is a literary man, he can write articles and poetry for the service of the Lord under the direction of the spiritual master. One has to receive the message of the spiritual master regarding how to act in one's capacity, for the spiritual master is expert in giving such instructions. This combination, the instruction of the spiritual master and the faithful execution of the instruction by the disciple, makes the entire process perfect. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura describes in his explanation of the verse in Bhagavad-gita, vyavasayatmika buddhih, that one who wants to be certain to achieve spiritual success must take the instruction from the spiritual master as to what his particular function is. He should faithfully try to execute that particular instruction and should consider that his life and soul. The faithful execution of the instruction which he receives from the spiritual master is the only duty of a disciple, and that will bring him perfection. One should be very careful to receive the message from the spiritual master through the ears and execute it faithfully. That will make one's life successful."
----from the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.22.7
Srila Prabhupada will always remain your instructing guru, but now, as per his instructions quoted above, you must also accept a guru from whom you will receive personal guidance. This type of guru is called the "diksha guru" or the "initiating spiritual master." When you become serious to follow the instructions given by Srila Prabhupada to fully surrender yourself to the guidance of the spiritual master who practically engages you in devotion service to Krishna, you must seek out such a spiritual master who perfectly represents Sri Krishna and Srila Prabhupada and take complete shelter at his lotus feet as his initiated disciple.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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