Spreading Krishna Bhakti in Tarnovo, Bulgaria

After traveling all the way from the USA to Sofia, Bulgaria we were greeted by many of my disciples at the airport and we were driven by automobile for another three hour journey to Tarnovo, Bulgaria. Immediately upon arrival in this town, which is famous for being the city of the Tsars, even before unpacking my bags, I was taken to a hall when I led Hare Krishna kirtan and gave a lecture to an audience of non-devotees about the amazing process of Krishna consciousness. When many intelligent and sincere questions were asked during the question and answer session at the conclusion of the lecture, I knew that my lecture had been well received. And then after the questions and answers when I invited everyone to look at our books and quite a few purchased them, I knew that by Srila Prabhupada's mercy our program, although small, had been a grand success.

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Why Do We Need a Spiritual Master?

Dear Gurudeva,
Namaste.

I would like to ask this constantly confusing following question:

For self realization it is imperative to listen and understand words of the Bhagavad-gita and the Upanishads through an appropriate teacher. We must realize whoever or whatever is the form of that teacher. There is only one teacher and that is Krishna, the Isvara or Supreme Controller, who is already in oneself as highest and the best. This is accomplished through reverential contemplations on Krishna. If so, why do we need qualified Teacher /Guru for self realization?

Yours in Yoga
Janardan Mali

Answer: Krishna Orders Us to Accept a Guru

My Dear Janardana,

It is a fact that Krishna is our only teacher. Therefore it is our duty to fully surrender unto Him by doing whatever He says. Since he orders us to accept a spiritual master who is coming in disciplic succession from Him, we must accept this order of Krishna. Because the bona fide spiritual master perfectly represents God he must accepted as non-different from God. If one disobeys Krishna by not accepting a spiritual master, there is no possibility of being absorbed in reverential contemplation upon Krishna. One may contemplate Him, but it will not be reverential. The only way that one can get reverential contemplation upon the Lord is through complete surrender to His instruction to accept His representative as one's spiritual master.

This is confirmed as follows in the Adi Purana where Krishna instructs Arjuna as follows:

ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha
na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ
mad-bhaktānāṁ ca ye bhaktās
te me bhakta-tamā matāh

"The person who claims to be My devotee is not My devotee. Rather it is the devotee of My devotee who is My actual devotee."

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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