Text 13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.37) states:

भयं द्वितीयाभिनिवेशतः स्याद् ईशाद् अपेतस्य विपर्ययो’स्मृतिः
तन्-माययातो बुध आभजेत् तं भक्त्यैकयेशं गुरु-देवतात्मा

bhayaṃ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād apetasya viparyayo’smṛtiḥ
tan-māyayāto budha ābhajet taṃ bhaktyaikayeśaṃ guru-devatātmā

The living entity who is averse to Śrī Bhagavān forgets his own constitutional nature because of his association with māyā. Due to this forgetfulness, he becomes absorbed in the conception that he is the material body and thus thinks, “I am a demigod”, “I am a human being”. In this state of bodily identification, he fears old age, disease and so forth. Therefore, those who know the truth should consider their own guru as īśvara, the Supreme. In other words, they should see him as their master who is non-different from Bhagavān and who is very dear to Him. Through exclusive devotion they should perform one-pointed worship of that īśvara, their guru.

कृष्ण छाडि’ जीव कैल अन्याभिनिवेश
ताइ तार विपर्यय-स्मृति आर क्लेश

kṛṣṇa chāḍi’ jīva kaila anyābhiniveśa
tāi tāra viparyaya-smṛti āra kleśa

सद्-गुरु आश्रय करि’ कृष्ण-कृपा-आशे
अनन्य-भजन करे याय कृष्ण-पाशे

sad-guru āśraya kari’ kṛṣṇa-kṛpā-āśe
ananya-bhajana kare yāya kṛṣṇa-pāśe

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

When the living entities are averse to the Supreme Lord, they become absorbed in māyā and thus become materially conditioned. Māyā-devī, through her two functions of āvaraṇātmikā and vikṣepātmikā, makes the living entities wander in the prison-like material existence, suffering its torment by thinking they are the ‘experiencers’ of happiness and distress. A person who is resolute takes shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide guru and is thus able to cross over this material existence. By accepting the guidance of a guru who has realised Śrī Bhagavān and by being absorbed in intimate service (viśrambha-sevā ) to him, one attains the mercy of the Supreme Lord and material identification goes far away. One will attain knowledge of one’s own svarūpa, Bhagavān’s svarūpa, and the svarūpa of the illusory energy by understanding the spiritual master to be near and dear like his own soul and by serving him. By the guru’s mercy, the living entity will ultimately be engaged in eternal service in Śrī Bhagavān’s abode.