Introduction—ISKCON and Śrīla Gurudeva

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja, Girirāja Mahārāja, Satswarup Mahārāja, Dhanudhar Mahārāja, Sivarama Mahārāja, Ayodyapati Prabhu (Bhakti Bhṛnga Govinda Mahārāja), Pārthasārathi Prabhu (Pārthasārathi dāsa Mahārāja), Yadurani devī, Bhurijan Prabhu, Jagatarini devī, Kartā devī and otherswould often come to see Śrīla Gurudeva in Mathurā.

Śrīla Gurudeva systematically taught them from Jaiva Dharma, Brahma-saṃhitā, Rāsa Pañcādhyāyī to different subject matters like Vaiṣṇava sadācāra, how to observe the āvirbhāva (appearance day) and tirobhāva-tithī (disappearance day) of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas.

Śrīla Gurudeva taught them for many years, and based on some of these teachings, he has now published a book of paramount importance to all future devotees, the Śrī Gopī-gīta.

Her Grace Śyāmarāṇī didi and all of her Vaiṣṇavi crew made a tremendous contribution in the publication of this beautifully illustrated and designed book.

Śrīla Gurudeva’s lectures from this period are now available to all devotees.

At that time, in Mathurā māṭha, Śrīla Gurudeva used to live on the second floor, close to the temple Deities. Nowadays Tīrtha Mahārāja is living in that same room which used to be Śrīla Gurudeva’s bhajana kuṭīra and Śrīla Gurudeva’s bhajana kuṭīra has been shifted for fear for convenience and to maintain his privacy.

When some of the senior ISKCON devotees approached Śrīla Gurudeva for learning, he affectionately agreed to teach them and patiently answered all of their questions. In the recordings which are still available, you can hear how expertly he clarified everything, especially on topics like rasa and tattva-siddhānta.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructs that the duty of every man is to approach a spiritual master, question him about devotional service and listen to him explain the process. It is also stated in Śrī Caitanyacaritāmṛta that there is no difference between śikṣā and dīkṣā guru; śikṣā guru is the svarūpa, the personality of Śrī Kṛṣṇa while dīkṣā guru is the rūpa, the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

In this way, by properly understanding śrī guru-tattva, one carefully worships Śrī Guru; seeing one’s faithful and humble service, Kṛṣṇa becomes most pleased and one quickly attains pure devotional service. Disrespecting Śrī Guru will however, nullify all knowledge given by him.

At that time, Śrīla Gurudeva himself (who at that time was addressed as Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja or sometimes Śrīla Mahārāja) was not giving dīkṣā initiation. Śrīla Gurudeva did give harināmā but not Brahmin initiation to a few devotees, such as Śrīpāda Premānanda Prabhu in 1974, to me (Navīna Kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī) in 1979, and Subala Sakhā Prabhu (now Śrīpāda Vana Mahārāja) around 1980. On the other hand, the ISKCON leaders who visited him for guidance and instructions on spiritual and devotional matters were giving dīkṣā initiation to disciples all over the world. One should take shelter and guidance from Vaiṣṇavas more elevated than oneself. This is what they were doing in approaching Śrīla Gurudeva. One should instruct junior persons who sincerely approach one for spiritual guidance and this is what Śrīla Gurudeva was doing with them.

It is enjoined that one must accept a Guru who has fully realized both śāstra and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, tad-vijñānārthaṃ sa gurum evābhigacchet, for such a Guru has the power to deliver the jīvas from the fire of material existence.

According to Śrīmad-bhāgavatam, a person who is not fully realized but considers himself a guru is called ‘adhenu’, a barren cow that gives no milk.

Śrīla Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura explains in Jaiva Dharma however, that it is not proper to give up a guru whose knowledge is meager, if he is not inimical to the Vaiṣṇavas, if he is not a Māyāvādī, and if he is not attached to sinful activity. In that case, one should still respect him as guru and with his permission, one should go to another Vaiṣṇava who is more knowledgeable and serve and take instructions from that Vaiṣṇava.

In his Bhakti-Sandarbha, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also comments on the verse ‘guror āpi avaliptasya’–one who has accepted the duty of guru but who is envious of pure devotees, who blasphemes them, or behaves māliciously towards them, should certainly be abandoned. Such an envious guru lacks the mood and qualities of a Vaiṣṇava guru.

Some of those who approached Śrīla Gurudeva for understanding and learning the confidential topics of Vaiṣṇava scriptures went back to devotees and temples to give classes, courses and write books on bhakti rasa and many of the things that they had heard from Śrīla Gurudeva, practically never mentioning or acknowledging Śrīla Gurudeva to the others. This is not proper Vaiṣṇava etiquette.

Vedic culture and Vaiṣṇava etiquette teaches that we should always acknowledge and honour the source of our learning, our Vaiṣṇava teachers and the guru-paramparā, for they are giving us everything.

Hari-kathā is meant exclusively for the pleasure of Śrī Guru (the unalloyed servant of the Lord) and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is not the purpose of harikathā to increase one’s own name, fame and adoration or to display one’s own intellect; it is meant for pleasing Vaiṣṇavas, Śrī Guru and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Gurudeva mercifully unlocked the deeper meanings of rasatattva and generously spent so much time helping others understand the deep siddhānta of our ācāryas, which Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Mahārāja asked him to do just before he left his body and entered aprakaṭa-līlā.

In Śrīmad-bhāgavatam, Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells Uddhava that a servant or disciple of the spiritual master should be free from false prestige, never considering oneself to be the doer.

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura cautions that offenses committed at the lotus feet of Śrī Hari, are absolved by harināma. But for offenses against Śrī Guru or a Vaiṣṇava, there is absolutely no means of deliverance other than genuinely repenting, asking forgiveness and serving the Vaiṣṇava one has offended.

Below are some excerpts from early 1990’s conversations between Śrīla Gurudeva and several GBC members on the books Rāga-vartma-candrika by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura and Śrī Vilāpa-kusumāñjali by Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.