Serving the Wife of the Spiritual Master

Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 7.12.8 that the relationship between the disciple and the wife of the spiritual master, the guru-patni, is like that between a son and his mother. Therefore just as we obey and lovingly serve our mother, if our spiritual master has a wife, we should always lovingly serve her and obey her. Krishna teaches us this principle by his example. When he was a brahmacari student in the ashram of his spiritual master, Sandipani Muni, he followed the order of his guru's wife to gather firewood in the forest. Just as a mother lovingly disciplines and corrects her children, the guru-patni also corrects and disciplines the disciples to teach them how to become first-class devotees of Krishna and first-class disciples of her husband. The disciples should thus always honor and respect their Guru Mataji, always welcoming and appreciating the guidance, blessings, and inspiration they receive from her. If they do not so and disrespect her instead, it is great offense known as Vaisnava aparadha, which can wreak great havoc in their spiritual life. By carefully obeying the principle of respecting the Guru Mother and by following the other Vedic principles we can awaken the pure love of God within our hearts.

Vishnupriya Mataji--The Wife of Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Is the Mind Destined to Be a Rascal?

Is the mind destined to be a rascal? The Bhagavad-gita says it can be your best friend and worst enemy. But even when it becomes your best friend, it's momentary until it turns into a rascal again. It's just like a monkey, especially in dreams, very hard to control.

Being in your position, can you say you've conquered the mind, or do you see it being a flickering monkey set against you as well?

K.S.
New Delhi, India

Answer: When You Treat It Like a Rascal It Becomes Your Friend

It is a fact that our mind is our worst enemy, because it has literally dragged us through the cycle of birth and death for millions and billions of lifetimes. It is only when you treat your mind like the rascal that it truly is that it becomes your best friend. In this connection we can study the example of the great Vaisnava acharya, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, who has completely conquered over his mind and prays to it as follows:

duṣṭa mana! tumi kiser vaiṣṇava?
pratiṣṭhār tare, nirjaner ghare,
tava 'hari nāma' kevala 'kaitava'

"O wicked mind! What kind of Vaisnava do you think you are? Your pretentious show of chanting Lord Hari's holy name in a solitary place is only for the sake of attaining the false prestige of a worldly reputation-it is nothing but pure hypocrisy."

From this we can learn the method for bringing the mind under control is to always treat it like a rascal and keep it engaged 24 hours a day in Krishna consciousness. When we can thus keep it under control by always immersing it in the nectarean ocean of Krishna consciousness, it becomes our friend.

Regarding my mind, I follow in the footsteps of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and treat it like a rascal. In this way I am free from slavery to my mind and can thus engage it in the service of Krishna by always thinking how to please my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Lord's dearmost devotee.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari