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Guru means the faithful servant of God. That is guru

Expressions researched:
"Guru means the faithful servant of God. That is guru" |"servant of God"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Guru means the faithful servant of God. That is guru. So you have to first of all test that "Are you faithful servant of God?" If he says, "No, I am God," oh, kick him on his face immediately. (laughter) Kick him immediately, that "You are rascal. You have come to cheat us." Because test is there that guru means faithful servant of God, simple. You don't require large definition, what is guru.
Lecture on SB 6.1.26-27 -- Philadelphia, July 12, 1975:

Therefore we have to take the knowledge from the guru who knows things. Therefore guru is worshiped,

ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

The politician or, what is called, leaders, andha, they will promise you that "You will be happy in this way. You give me vote, and I shall bring heaven for you, and let me become minister. That is... You simply wait, and as soon as I become a minister and president, I will give you such and such benefit." So you select Mr. Nixon, and again you become disappointed. Then we request, "Mr. Nixon, you get out." And we accept another fool. This is going on. This is going... But śāstra says you will not be getting right information in that way. These foolish men, they will promise you something, and he is unable to make you happy. You will be again disappointed, again regret. Then what is..., wherefrom I shall get the right information? That Vedas says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "If you want right information, then go to the guru." And who is guru? That Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). He says, "You just become on My order." Guru means who carries the order of Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa. Or who is Kṛṣṇa's servant, that is guru. Nobody can become guru unless he carries the order of the Supreme. Therefore you will find... Because every one of us is ass, we do not know what is our self-interest, and somebody comes, "I am guru." "How you become guru?" "No, I am self-perfected. I don't require to read any book. I have come to bless you." (laughter) And the foolish rascals, they do not know, "How you can become guru?" If he does not follow the śāstra or the supreme authority Kṛṣṇa, how he can become? But they accept, guru.

So this kind of guru is going on. But you should know, guru means who carries the order of the Supreme Lord. That is guru. Any rascal who manufactures some idea is not guru. Immediately kick him out, immediately, that "This is a rascal. This is not a guru." Guru is here, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā (CC Madhya 7.128). Guru means the faithful servant of God. That is guru. So you have to first of all test that "Are you faithful servant of God?" If he says, "No, I am God," oh, kick him on his face immediately. (laughter) Kick him immediately, that "You are rascal. You have come to cheat us." Because test is there that guru means faithful servant of God, simple. You don't require large definition, what is guru. So Vedic knowledge gives you indication that tad-vijñānārtham. If you want to know the science of spiritual life, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12), you must approach guru. And who is guru? Guru means who is the faithful servant of God. Very simple.

So this is the position. Without guru, if he is manufacturing his way of life, then he is mūḍha, rascal. Therefore it is said, mūḍha. He was thinking, "I am so affectionate father. I am taking care of my son, little son. In all respect I am feeding him, I am patting him, and so many things I am... I am very faithful and very honest father." But śāstra says, "Here is a mūḍha, rascal." You see here. It says, bhojayan pāyayan mūḍhaḥ. Why he is mūḍha? Na vedāgatam antakam. He does not say, does not know, that "Behind me, the death is awaiting. He has come to take me." Now, "How your affection for your so-called son and society and family and nation will save you? Here is death." That he cannot answer. He cannot answer that death is there. So we shall be prepared. That is human life. We must always know that "There is death behind me." At any moment he can capture my neck and take it away. That's a fact. Is there any guarantee that you shall live hundred years? No. Even just after few seconds, if you go to the street, you may immediately meet death. There may be heart failure. There may be motor accident. There may be something, something. So to live is wonderful. To die is not wonderful. Because you are meant for death. As soon as you took your birth, immediately you begin to die. Immediately. If you enquire, "Oh, when the child is born?" you say, say, "One week." That means he has died one week. We are taking that he is living one week, but actually he has died one week. That is wonderful, that still he is living, he has not died. So death is not wonderful because it is sure. It will come—after one week or after one hundred years. That is not wonderful. So long you live, that is wonderful.

So we should utilize this time to make solution of the life that we are repeatedly dying and again accepting another body. So how they will understand unless they come to the proper guru? Therefore śāstra, says tad-vijñānārtham: "If you want to know the real problem of your life and if you want to be enlightened how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, how to become eternal, go back to home, back to Godhead, then you must approach the guru." And who is guru? That is explained, very simple thing. Guru never manufactures idea that "You do this and give me money and you become happy." That is not guru. That is another process of earning money. So here it is said, mūḍha, everyone who is simply living in the fool's paradise, manufacturing his own ideas like Ajāmila... Somebody has taken, "This is my duty," somebody has... He is a fool. You must know what is your duty from guru. You are singing every day, guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya, ār nā koriho mane āśā **. This is life. This is life. Guru-mukha-pad... You accept the bona fide guru, and what he orders you, carry out. Then your life is successful. Ār nā koriho mane āśā. You rascal, you do not desire anything else. Are you not singing daily? But do you understand the meaning? Or you are singing only? What is the meaning? Who will explain? Nobody knows? Yes, what is the meaning?

Devotee: "My only wish is that my mind be purified by the words coming from the mouth of my spiritual master. I have no other desire but this."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the order. Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya **. Now citta means consciousness or heart. "I shall do this only, bas. My Guru Mahārāja told me; I shall do this." Cittete koriyā aikya, ār nā koriho mane āśā. So it is not my pride, but I can say, for your instruction, I did it. Therefore whatever little success you see than my all my Godbrothers, it is due to this. I have no capacity, but I took it, the words of my guru, as life and soul. So this is fact. Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya **. Everyone should do that. But if he makes addition, alteration, then he is finished. No addition, alteration. You have to approach guru—guru means the faithful servant of God, Kṛṣṇa—and take his word how to serve Him. Then you are successful. If you concoct, "I am very intelligent than my guru, and I can make addition or alteration," then you are finished. So that is the only. And now, sing further.

Devotee: Śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati.

Prabhupāda: Śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se, uttama-gati. If you want to make real progress, then you must be firmly faithful at the lotus feet of guru. Then?

Devotee: Je prasāde pūre sarva āśā.

Prabhupāda: Je prasāde pūre sarva āśā. Yasya prasādāt... This is the instruction in the whole Vaiṣṇava philosophy. So unless we do that, we remain mūḍha, and this is explained in this Ajāmila-upākhyāna. So today we are reading this verse, sa evaṁ vartamānaḥ ajñaḥ. Again he says. Again Vyāsadeva says that "This rascal was situated in that, absorbed in the service of his son, Nārāyaṇa, of the name." He did not know... "What is this nonsense Nārāyaṇa?" He knew his son. But Nārāyaṇa is so merciful that because he was constantly calling his son, "Nārāyaṇa, please come here. Nārāyaṇa, please take this," so Kṛṣṇa was taking that "He is chanting 'Nārāyaṇa.' " Kṛṣṇa is so merciful. He never meant that "I am going to Nārāyaṇa." He wanted his son because he was affectionate. But he got the opportunity of chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. This is his good fortune. Therefore, according to this, we change the name. Why? Because every name is meant for becoming a servant of Kṛṣṇa. So just like Upendra. Upendra means Vāmanadeva. So if you call "Upendra, Upendra," or similarly, that name is taken account of. So that will be explained later on.

Page Title:Guru means the faithful servant of God. That is guru
Compiler:Bhaktavasagovinda
Created:20 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1