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Accepting spiritual master means voluntarily accepting somebody to rule him

Expressions researched:
"Accepting spiritual master means voluntarily accepting somebody to rule him"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Accepting spiritual master means voluntarily accepting somebody to rule him. There is no question... I have no power to rule over you unless you voluntarily surrender.
Morning Walk -- March 8, 1976, Mayapur:

Siddha-svarūpa: How do you know these things? You have never lived with me, nor have you ever heard a lecture I have given.

Madhudviṣa: I have experienced the devotees who have been influenced by you.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, whatever is done is done. Now let us make some adjustment (chuckles) and work combinedly. That is my proposal.

Siddha-svarūpa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, the problem is that to work combinedly, they think that that means that I surrender to them and I do everything as they say; otherwise I am not surrendering. So as far as I am concerned, I cannot work with them. There is no possibility of that, and yet I don't want to make trouble with them, but I have to try to work as best as I can. But there is no way that I'm going to be able to be organized and controlled by them. People who've tried to control me before are now spiritually dead and gone, and I'm not going to put myself under the protection of any of these boys who consider themselves to be great sannyāsīs or whatever, and it's just not possible for me to do it. I've tried it before. So I have to try to work as best as I can, not get in their way, and follow your instructions as best as possible, getting people to chant, following the principles myself.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: May I ask a question? What is your feeling about the GBC?

Siddha-svarūpa: I don't know anything about it, and I don't really care about organizing it. I don't care about...

Prabhupāda: So why don't you become a GBC and...

Siddha-svarūpa: Because I can't work... There's no way.

Prabhupāda: No...

Atreya Ṛṣi: Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is one point, that each of us thinks that our understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the only way. We must realize that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is much bigger, much, much bigger than our only concept that "This is bona fide, and this is the only way Prabhupāda wants it." We must appreciate that Prabhupāda is approving all of these ways, including how Siddha-svarūpa Mahārāja is preaching, and we must be more tolerant and accept each other. This is not un-bona fide. I've read his books.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda...

Atreya Ṛṣi: Yes, this is it. You are bringing in...

Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda, you have said that in the tree, the Caitanya tree, there is many branches, but they all have to have the same taste.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Well, he has the taste.

Madhudviṣa: So therefore the essence of the philosophy must be there. And you have also said that the meaning of disciple means discipline, so the devotees have to be trained certain disciplines in their devotional life.

Prabhupāda: Discipline... Disciple means discipline. The word discipline comes from disciple, or disciple comes from discipline. So unless there is discipline, there is no question of disciple. This discipline must... That should be uniform. Otherwise, śiṣya... Śiṣya, the word śiṣya, it comes from the root, verb, śās-dhātu. Śās. Śās means ruling. From this word, sasana. Sasana means government. Śāstra. Śāstra means weapon, and śāstra, scripture, and sisya... These things have come from the one root śās-dhātu. So śās-dhātu means ruling under discipline. There is another English word, that "Obedience is the first law of discipline," or something. They say, "Obedience is the first law of discipline"? So I am right? "Obedience is..."? That is the...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's more or less what it is.

Prabhupāda: No, what is the word, exact. There is an English word. "Obedience is the first law of discipline." So unless there is obedience, there cannot be any discipline. And unless there is discipline, there is no question of disciple. Disciple means one who follows the discipline. So...

Siddha-svarūpa: So there is no disagreement with that. I have no disagreement.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the point. That is...

Siddha-svarūpa: But I consider that discipline and the person being disciplined must be voluntary. He must voluntarily put himself under someone's discipline.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is... Accepting spiritual master means voluntarily accepting somebody to rule him. There is no question... I have no power to rule over you unless you voluntarily surrender.

Siddha-svarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: I am Indian. Why, you Americans, you should obey me? You have done it voluntarily. Yes. So, (chuckles) in India they appreciate me only on this point, that I am Indian; how I am controlling so many Americans? That is their appreciation. (laughter) So this acceptance of guru means voluntarily surrender. Yes. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). The instruction is there in the... They were friends, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. From material point of view, they are equal. He is also belonging to the royal family, he is also belonging to the royal family, and they are cousin brothers, equal footing, friend. But still, Arjuna said, "Now there is no solution. I become Your disciple." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: "I surrender." And this is sisya, surrender. And then lessons on Bhagavad-gītā began. So we have to surrender voluntarily; otherwise discipline cannot be implemented. That is wanted. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam.

Page Title:Accepting spiritual master means voluntarily accepting somebody to rule him
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:31 of Aug, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1