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If spiritual master says something which is not in the sastra, or scripture, that is not good. Of course, sometimes we cannot understand; but that is the principle. Similarly, a saintly person also, cannot disregard the regulative principles of sastra

Expressions researched:
"If spiritual master says something which is not in the śāstra, or scripture, that is not good. Of course, sometimes we do not . . . we cannot understand; but that is the principle. Similarly, a saintly person also, a mahātmā also, cannot disregard the regulative principles of śāstra"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The saintly person, the spiritual master and the śāstra corroborate if they are abiding one another. Yes. If spiritual master says something which is not in the śāstra, or scripture, that is not good. Of course, sometimes we do not . . . we cannot understand; but that is the principle. Similarly, a saintly person also, a mahātmā also, cannot disregard the regulative principles of śāstra. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya (BG 16.23) "A person who gives up obedience to the ruling of the scriptures," yaḥ śāstra-vidhi . . . vartate kāma-kārataḥ, "and he acts in his own way, by his whims," na siddhiṁ sāvāpnoti, "he cannot attain perfection." These are the versions of Bhagavad-gītā.

Everything is being done by the laws of nature. You cannot change it. There is a plan, God's plan. It will go on. You don't have to bother yourself, that without you, everything will be topsy-turvied. No. You cannot do anything. You are falsely thinking that your leadership is very much needed. No.

I was thinking. When I was householder, several times there was indication given by my Guru Mahārāja that I should give up my family life and become a sannyāsī and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. In several way there was hints from my spiritual master, but still, I was not willing. I was thinking, "If I go away, then my family, my sons, my daughters, they will suffer." But actually, I have left my family connection in 1950.

Actually '54, but introductory in '50, for the last twenty years. But they are living; I am living. They are not dying in my absence, and I am not suffering without being in my family. On the other hand, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, I have got better family members. I have got nice children in a foreign country. They are taking so much care of me, I could not expect such care from my own children.

So this is God's grace. We should depend on Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is kind, wherever we go, everyone will be pleased, everyone will be kind. And if Kṛṣṇa is unpleased, even in your family life you'll not comfortable. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, at a certain age, it is indicated that one should retire from family life.

So this Ṛṣabhadeva Mahārāja, He was retired. Although He had one hundred sons, all obedient sons, He was emperor, anything was at His command—still, He was retire. That is the Vedic system. He had no disadvantage. He was personally the incarnation of Godhead, an emperor, very obedient sons, opulence, everything complete. There are many instances. His son, Bharata Mahārāja, he also retired. You have seen Parīkṣit Mahārāja. After his retirement, this Bhāgavata was recited before him. His grandfather, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, they voluntarily retired.

So that is the system. In the early age, either you become a son of a king or you are son of an ordinary man, you must go to the āśrama of spiritual master and live there as servant. That is called brahmacārī. Brahmacārī's life means to serve the spiritual master as menial servant. Whatever he will ask, the brahmacārī will do. It is so much strict that brahmacārī, whatever he collects, he gives to the spiritual master, the spiritual master's property. It is not his property.

And the spiritual master, if he forgets to call one disciple, "My dear son, come and take your prasādam," then he will not take prasādam even, without being called. He will starve. Of course, spiritual master does not forget, but these are the injunctions, that if he does not ask you, "Come and take your prasādam," then you should not touch, yourself. These are . . . there are so many strictures.

So this is the beginning of life, and these strictures are followed even if he is son of a king or even if He is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also undergone this disciplinary action when He was a brahmacārī for some time. So this is the system. In the beginning of life one should become brahmacārī, and then he marries, lives with wife and children, utmost twenty-five years. Then he retires. The husband and wife goes from one pilgrimage to another, in this way travels. Because the children are grown up. And when the husband is completely free from all family attachment, he takes sannyāsa. This is the process: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa.

So this Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, before retirement it is the duty of the father to give instructions how to look after family affairs, their personal affair, their spiritual advancement, everything. So here Ṛṣabhadeva is instructing, "My dear sons, do not think that this particular body, human body, is equal to the body of the cats and dogs and hogs. Don't consider like that." He has particularly mentioned viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means the stool-eater. As in the human society, the dog-eater human being is considered the lowest of the human society, similarly, in the animal society, the animal which eats stool is considered the lowest.

So the gradation of human being is also calculated according to the eating process. This is . . . modern thinker also says, in your country, Dr. . . . Bernard Shaw? He has written one book. I think it is named You Are What You Eat. So eating is very important thing. If you eat like cats and dogs, then you'll become cats and dogs even in this human form of life. If you behave like cats and dogs, you become cats and dogs even in the human form of life. Similarly, if you work hard, very hard, like cats and dogs or hogs, then what is the value of your human life? Human life should be very sober, peaceful, full of knowledge, full of bliss, peaceful, devotee. These are the good signs of purity. Simply working hard like animal and eating like animal and . . . no.

That particular thing is being instructed by Ṛṣabhadeva to His sons, "My dear sons, this human form of life . . ." Ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. "Everyone has got body, but the body in the human society is to be treated differently. It should not be just like the hogs." The hogs, whole day and night, they are after stool and sense gratification. Similarly, if human being, his whole day and night after eating and sense gratification, then he's missing the opportunity. That is the instruction.

Human life should be regulated. "You should eat this kind of foodstuff," "You should have sex life in this way," "You should sleep in this way," "You should act in this way," "You should think . . ." They're all regulative principle. You cannot do unrestricted things. In the human society there are books of regulation—not for the animal society. The law book is meant for the human society, not for the animal society. So the human society becomes free, without observing any social convenience or social custom or abiding by the laws—no, that is not human body; that is exactly like animal body.

So Ṛṣabhadeva says: "My dear boys, you should not spoil this body, human form of body, like the hogs." He has specifically mentioned the name of the hogs, viḍ-bhujām. Then what it is meant for? He said, tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). This human form of life is meant for austerity, penance. You should voluntarily accept some regulative principles, even they are not very much liking to you. Just like our students: they are, from the very beginning of their life, they are accustomed to certain habits, but we are restricting. We say, "You cannot do this," and they are accepting, following. This is called tapasya. Tapo. Tapasya.

Tapasya means I am habituated to smoking, suppose, and the spiritual master says: "You cannot smoke." So if he gives up smoking, he feels some inconvenience, some uncomfortable position. But because a spiritual master has ordered, he gives it up. This is called tapasya. Even at his inconvenience, he abides by the order of the spiritual master, regulative principle. That is called tapasya. He feels some inconvenience, but what can be done? He has accepted one spiritual master.

A spiritual master means voluntarily accepting a great personality whose rules and regulation he must abide by. This is accepting of spiritual master, voluntarily accepting somebody, "Yes, sir. Whatever you'll say, I'll accept." Śiṣya. Śiṣya means who abides by the rules. That is called śiṣya. Or English, "discipline." From discipline, disciplic, disciplic succession. From the discipline. So either you take English or Sanskrit, the same meaning. Śiṣya means who accepts the ruling of his spiritual master; and disciple means also the same thing: who becomes disciplined by the spiritual master.

So tapasya means even at the inconvenience of my personal comforts, I must abide by the orders of my spiritual master. This is called tapasya. And who is spiritual master? He does not manufacture any rules and regulation. He refers to the śāstra. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, tinete kariyā aikya. If you want to know who is a spiritual master, if you know who is a saintly person, then you should keep in the middle the śāstra, the scriptures, and you will corroborate.

The saintly person, the spiritual master and the śāstra corroborate if they are abiding one another. Yes. If spiritual master says something which is not in the śāstra, or scripture, that is not good. Of course, sometimes we do not . . . we cannot understand; but that is the principle. Similarly, a saintly person also, a mahātmā also, cannot disregard the regulative principles of śāstra. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya (BG 16.23) "A person who gives up obedience to the ruling of the scriptures," yaḥ śāstra-vidhi . . . vartate kāma-kārataḥ, "and he acts in his own way, by his whims," na siddhiṁ sāvāpnoti, "he cannot attain perfection." These are the versions of Bhagavad-gītā. Na siddhiṁ sāvāp . . . na sukham: "And at the same time, he cannot be happy." Na parāṁ gatim: "And what to speak of liberation?"

So therefore this tapasya means voluntarily accepting the rulings of scriptures, spiritual master, saintly person, and mold your life in that way. So He is instructing His sons, "My dear sons, don't spoil your life living like cats and dogs and hogs. Utilize your life by tapasya, by voluntarily accepting the rulings of śāstra, spiritual master, saintly person." The question may be "Why this injunction? Why I shall not live like an animal? And why I have to live under the regulative principles of scriptures and saintly person and spiritual master?" The answer is also there: tapo divyam.

Tapo divyaṁ putrakā (SB 5.5.1), "My dear sons, this form of life should be utilized for tapasya." Why? Yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet: "If you accept these principles of life, then your existential condition will be purified." At the present moment we are contaminated by the material nature, modes, mostly ignorance and passion. So He's advising that if you abide by the rulings of tapasya, then your existential condition will be purified. Yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet.

Then the question may be, "What is the use of purifying?" The answer is also there: yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam (SB 5.5.1). "And when your existential condition will be purified, then you will be situated on the transcendental platform of blissful life." And one may question, "What is that?" . . . na brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are hankering after happiness, pleasure. So when your existential condition will be purified and you will be placed in the transcendental platform, at that time you will enjoy eternal happiness.

Page Title:If spiritual master says something which is not in the sastra, or scripture, that is not good. Of course, sometimes we cannot understand; but that is the principle. Similarly, a saintly person also, cannot disregard the regulative principles of sastra
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2023-03-04, 10:18:16
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1