What is the activities of your spiritual master? He's simply preaching the message of Lord Caitanya. That is his business. What is the message of Lord Caitanya? Lord Caitanya's message is that you go and speak everyone about Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's message. This is called paramparā system. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as disciple of Īśvara Purī, He is preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And similarly, in the disciplic succession of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Gosvāmīs, ṣaḍ-gosvāmī: Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Śrī Jīva, Gopāla-bhaṭṭa, Dāsa Raghunātha. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.
We begin from our first disciplic succession, vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca. Vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalam: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my guru, spiritual master." Vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca. And then his guru, his guru, his guru, they're all Vaiṣṇava. Vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn śrī-vaiṣṇavāṁś ca. Śrī-rūpam. Then we offer respect to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī . . . vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. All the Gosvāmīs, six Gosvāmis.
Vande rūpam . . . vande rūpa-sanātana . . . sāgraja. Sa agraja. Agraja means elder brother. Sanātana Gosvāmī was the elder brother of Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Rūpa Gosvāmī accepted him as his spiritual master. Śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitam: associated by Raghunāthas. There are two Raghunāthas: Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. Sa-jīvam, with Jīva Gosvāmī. This is the process. Vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam.
Then we go to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's status: sa-advaitaṁ sāvadhūtam. That is also . . . first of all, Advaita Gosāñi, then Nityānanda Mahāprabhu, Prabhu. Mahāprabhu is applicable only to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Others, all prabhus. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Kṛṣṇa, and He has got innumerable servant. Kṛṣṇa is Mahāprabhu, and all others, they are prabhus. And the spiritual master who has got many prabhus to abide by his order, he is addressed as Prabhupāda. This is the system.
So sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devam. After offering all these obeisances to Gosvāmīs, to guru and Advaita, Nityānanda, then you come to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then Śrī Rādhā. Not Kṛṣṇa directly. Śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa means They are always associated by the gopīs, of whom Lalitā-Viśākhā are the chief out of the aṣṭa-sakhīs. So this is the paramparā system.
So here also, we see, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We have to accept the path of the authorities. Here is authority, Sūta Gosvāmī. He is offering his respect to his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. As soon as you offer . . . just like we sung this Gurvaṣṭaka. Gurvaṣṭaka, vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam. Vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam. You can say simply, "I offer my respectful obeisances to my spiritual master." No. You must describe his activities. What is the activity of spiritual master?
- saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-
- trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam
- prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya
- vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
This is describing the quality. Otherwise, everyone will become spiritual master. That quality, the activity, will support the bona fide spiritual master. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There must be quality and action. So the spiritual master's action is that he is to deliver his disciple from the blazing fire of this material existence. Saṁsāra-dāvānala.
The dāvānala is used because this material world is always blazing, always problem. Nobody can deny it. Simply problem. Just like fire. Fire is a problem. And especially in America we see in every city, every ten minutes or fifteen minutes there is a fire brigade: dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung. Why? The fire is blazing always. So as we practically see that there is always fire, and the fire brigade is ready . . . nobody goes to set fire. But by accident, by manipulation, fire takes place.
The comparison is therefore with the forest fire. Forest fire takes place without anyone's attempt. Simply by collision of two dry wood, there is friction, electricity is produced, and the dry leaf immediately catch hold of the electricity and it becomes fire. So this material world, everyone is trying to be peaceful, happy, tranquil. No. There must be fire. Exactly like that. The fire brigade is always ready, because they know that at any moment there will be fire.
So as it is statewise fire brigade is ready, similarly, universally this material world is also, there is chance of fire at any moment. We do not want it, but it will take place. Therefore this material existence is called saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka. And the forest fire is compared, especially mentioned, this fire cannot be extinguished by your fire brigade. You cannot send fire brigade to the forest. I've seen in Nainital. From Kathgodam station, about, oh, one mile up in the hill there is fire. So, long ago. So I asked the man, "What is that?" "That is fire."
So nobody went there to set fire, but the fire is blazing. You see? So how this fire can be extinguished? Can you send fire brigade or buckets of water? No. That is not possible. Then it will go on, the fire? No. It will be extinguished. How? Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam. Just like this forest fire can be extinguished only if there is cloud upon it—if there is rain. You cannot send fire brigade.
That means this is the indication that this fire of this material world can be extinguished through the exigency of spiritual master, because he has received the mercy, cloud. Cloud. Just like cloud has taken water from the sea, similarly, the spiritual master takes mercy, receives mercy, from the ocean of mercy, Kṛṣṇa, and he pours it over this saṁsāra-dāvānala.