Spiritual Master - Srila Prabhupada's explanation.

[Bhakti Community]

A very nice explanation on the first verse of "Guruvastakam - Prayers
to one's spiritual master"

This song is offering obeisances particularly to the spiritual master,
and the symptoms of the spiritual master are described in this prayer.
The spiritual master has two kind of symptoms in his activities. One
kind is called constant, and other kind is called temporary. So the
first verse says that the constant symptom of the spiritual master is
that he can deliver his disciples from the blazing fire of this
material existence. That is the eternal qualification of spiritual
master. Trāṇāya means for deliverance, and kāruṇya means
compassionate, very merciful. The spiritual master comes to the
deliverance of the fallen souls out of his causeless mercy. Nobody has
any business for the sufferings of others. The best example is Lord
Jesus Christ, that he suffered for others. And it is the principle in
the Bible that he accepted all the sins of others. This is the sign of
spiritual master, that he voluntarily accepts the sinful activities of
others and delivers them. That is the qualification of spiritual
master. How it is? Just like ghanāghanatvam. Ghanāghanatvam means
dense cloud in the sky. The first example has been said, that this
material existence is just like forest blazing fire. Now, to
extinguish the forest blazing fire, there is no use of sending fire
brigade. The fire brigade cannot approach the forest fire; neither any
man can go there to extinguish the fire. One has to depend completely
on the mercy of nature. That means one has to completely depend on the
cloud in the sky. Otherwise, there is no question of pouring water on
that blazing fire. So the example is very appropriate. As man-made
engine or fire brigade is unable to extinguish the forest blazing
fire, similarly, the material existentional blazing fire cannot be
extinguished by any man-made method.



They are planning to be very comfortable in this material existence,
but they are still more being confused and failure. That peace
movement, that United Nation movement, everything is failure. Why?
These miseries of this material existence cannot be stopped by any
material means. One has to take shelter of spiritual means. Just like
the blazing fire in the forest has to wait for the cloud in the sky,
similarly, one has to wait for the merciful cloud as the spiritual
master. That is described. Trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam, prāptasya
kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya **. So the spiritual master is not self-made. It
is not that if anyone comes before you and bluffs you that "I have
attained spiritual perfection, and I have realized something by some
method.'' No. The spiritual master, bona fide spiritual, means he has
to receive the power from authority. Otherwise it is useless. No It is
not that one can become spiritual master overnight. He has to take the
power from his spiritual master. Therefore it is called prāptasya.
Prāptasya means one who has obtained, one who has got the merciful
blessings of his spiritual master.



We should always remember that the spiritual master is in the
disciplic succession. The original spiritual master is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. He blesses his next disciple, just like
Brahmā. Brahmā blesses his next disciple, just like Nārada. Nārada
blesses his next disciple, just like Vyāsa. Vyāsa blesses his next
disciple, Mādhvācārya. Similarly, the blessing is coming. Just like
royal succession—the throne is inherited by disciplic or hereditary
succession—similarly, this power from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead has to receive. Nobody can preach, nobody can become a
spiritual master, without obtaining power from the right source.
Therefore the very word, it is stated here, prāptasya. Prāptasya means
"one who has obtained." Prāptasya kalyāṇa. What he has obtained?
Kalyāṇa. Kalyāṇa means auspicity. He has received something which is
auspicious for all the human kind. Prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya.
Here is another example. Guṇārnava. Arṇava means ocean, and guṇa means
spiritual qualities. Just like the same example is going on. It is
very nice poetry. There is nice rhethorics and metaphor. The example
is set, blazing fire, and it is to be extinguished with the cloud. And
wherefrom the cloud comes? Similarly, wherefrom the spiritual master
receives the mercy? The cloud receives his potency from the ocean.
Therefore the spiritual master also receives his power from the ocean
of spiritual quality, that is, from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. So prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya. Such kind of spiritual
master, one has to accept, and vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam, and one
has to offer his respectful obeisances to such authorized spiritual
master.

Question: What is the secondary symptom that Srila Prabhupada is
referring to ??

[Raj Addepalli]

Relishing the pastimes of the Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu??
(mahaprabhu kirtana nritya gita....)