From Chapter Six of Pariprasna: The Process of Inquiry by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
Devotee: Srila Prabhupada always emphasized that he was eternally present in his books, instructions, tapes, and letters. So when you say we should take association of a sadhu can we do that through Srila Prabhupada’s books?
Srila Gour Govinda Swami: If Prabhupada says he is there, then you try to see him, associate with him and listen from him. Do you see Prabhupada? Is he speaking to you?
Devotee: Through his books.
Srila Gour Govinda Swami: Through his books, yes. All sadhus speak through their books. Jiva Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Srila Prabhupada all say that they speak through books.
This is not a new thing. This is our Vaisnava procedure. But you should see him. Can you see Bhaktivinoda Thakur? Can you see Jiva Goswami? You may say, “Oh I have read their books, I have their association.” That won’t help you. You cannot understand what they have said merely by reading their books. Your consciousness is very low, so you cannot understand their words. They are very, very merciful, but you should follow the proper path. If you are intelligent you will understand how they are still here, not only in the form of their books but also they are here. You should see them. Why are you thinking so foolishly? So many books were already there, so why has Srila Prabhupada said this? You are thinking, “We need only to read books. There is no need of association with a sadhu who is physically present. Is there any sadhu? No, there is no sadhu at all.”
Seeing is Believing
Your motto is, “Seeing is believing.” You cannot see, so you cannot believe. Because you are a conditioned soul your vision is defective. You cannot see a sadhu.
Krsna is there, can you see him? No, you cannot, because you are not endowed with proper vision. First develop the proper vision and then you can see Krsna. Then you can see how a sadhu is there. It is not a fact that sadhus are not present. How is everything going on? How does the sun rise, the wind blow, and Indra give rain? All these things are going on. No sadhu? No Krsna? It’s nonsense, foolishness. We are so proud and puffed up. We are indentifying our self as the body, mind and false ego. We think we are very great. So we say “Oh there is no sadhu.” We are in the category of identification with the body and mind. We have not come to the beginning of the stage of purity. No!
Devotee: So we have to associate with a living sadhu?
Srila Gour Govinda Swami: Definitely. There is always one there. But he is not a cheap person. Such a person is very rare. If you can get his mercy then you can see him. Otherwise, by your own effort and perception you cannot see him. No, no, no.
You always think that you are drasta, the seer, and that the sadhu is drsta, the one to be seen. Everyone is like this. They think they are the seers. But it is just the reverse. You are to be seen and they are the seer! Think this over very deeply. I think you cannot completely understand what I say. We always think that we are the seer and that they are to be seen, but this is not a fact. It is just the reverse. They are the seers and we are to be seen.
Merciful Glance
Devotee: How are we seen by the sadhu, by our service?
Srila Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. The sadhu is the seer. If he showers his mercy upon you, he sees you. If you receive that merciful glance then you are very fortunate. However, you are in the category of bodily consciousness. How can you have it?
Guru is the manifestation of the Supersoul, caitya-guru in the heart. He manifests a body and appears. He knows your heart.
Devotee: I don’t quite understand.
Srila Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, try to understand. As I told you, just hear patiently. A new bhakta cannot understand it because it is a topic of the highest class. You are in pre-primary class, how can you understand? You are not even in the primary class. How can you understand this topic of the highest class? Just accept the bona fide authorities. That will help you. The teacher says, “Two plus two is four.” The primary school student accepts it. If the teacher asks the child, “What is two plus two?” The child will reply, “Two plus two is four.” “Why is two plus two four?” “ My teacher says.” He will answer like this. That means he has accepted authority. This is the only principle in the beginning. How is two plus two four? Why not three or five? That will be explained in a higher mathematics class, not in the beginning. You have to have patience and get a promotion. My Guru Maharaja says in his purport that the beginning is purity of consciousness. First come to this beginning stage, then gradually other things will come up. You are not in the beginning stage so how will the higher topics come up? This is a very, very subtle and very deep philosophy.
Putting full faith in the sadhu you need only submissively hear – sravanam, sravanam, sravanam. In that way you can get the mercy of that sadhu. That will help you. Only one thing is required, nothing else – sravanam, sravanam, sravanam. Just hear. Serve that sadhu, please him, hear submissively, surrender yourself at his lotus feet and submissively ask questions. Out of mercy the sadhu will impart tattva-jnana to you. This is the only process.
Unless you get association with a living sadhu, what can you do? Will you put some question to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada will answer you? This process is a living thing, it is always there, it is always current. It is not that inquiry was done a certain way in the past and now things are done differently. No! It is an eternal process, pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya.
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A question to Contemplate:…
It seems rare for a person, to become inclined towards a spiritual path. It seems rare for a person, to find true knowledge, from either a spiritual book, a spiritual speaker, or benefit from a Holy Place, or benefit from spiritual service, performed knowingly or unknowingly.
It seems that when one has built up enough pious credits, or sukriti, that one becomes eligible to come in contact with a sadhu, a saintly person, or a bona fide guru.
Yet it seems in this day and age, it is “extremely rare”, for a person to be trained on a “one to one”, basis, as it was done previously, when disciples living in the guru’s ashram or temple, had daily instruction and guidance, and correction and chastisement, as well as encouragement.
From my perspective, such guidance as described by Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja, namely the personal one to one guidance from master to disciple, is rarely achieved. The majority of people seeking spiritual guidance these days, are unable to give up everything in life, and find an ashram, temple, or guru to whom they can surrender and take shelter of.
It seems “Book Distribution”, was always stressed by the Spiritual Masters, for the common mass of people, because this link, by way of the written word, was to most people the only association made possible for them.
It seems, that due to either politics, or personal difficulty with others, many persons seeking to walk the spiritual path cannot see themselves in a situation where they can surrender to live under the personal guidance and instruction of a living pure soul, whom they trust.
Sometimes it is a monetary problem, where they just cannot afford to travel to a place where a pure spiritual master is present. Sometimes there is no temple or ashram close to where they are living. Sometimes no travelling preacher comes their way.
My question therefore is:….if the Book Bhagavatam, is the same as the person Bhagavatam, then there must be a way to connect to that mystical approach for guidance and instruction. Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja, touched upon this subject when he stated that if one is mature and intelligent one can : “see how they are still here”!
So what I would like to hear more of, is how this is practically possible. My question to the brahmana’s, sadhu’s, and advanced knowledgable persons present here is :
” how can one connect on a deeper level, to achieve the “holy communion”, of Bhagavan through the transcendental “Word of God”?
Why I ask this is because not all of us will be fortunate enough to find ourselves in an ashram, or temple, or living with, or travelling with a pure devotee, who will pull our ear, when we stray from the path.
Being one of those unfortunate persons, I was forced to find my shelter, my guidance, my solace, and my very spiritual breath of life, from the texts and purports of my spiritual master’s books,,,,especially the SrimadBhagavatam by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Although I understand the principal of direct personal association, I also understand through my own experience, that when such association is not available,or withheld by destiny of unfortunate circumstances, then the “personal instructions from the Holy Texts and purports of a bonafide spiritual master”, may be the only way for a person to sustain their spiritual path. The the written word becomes the saving life line, for the drowning person, in the ocean of material existence.
So in conclusion, I hold the Book Bhagavat, and person Bhagavat to be one and the same, and would like to see more guidance on the attitude of the heart necessary to achieve this connection in a real way.
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i just wanted to say there a nice veus …the rain falls equarly on a field yet diffrent plants rise from diffrent seens in the ground. yet the seeds get the same rain water but grow diffrent because they come from diffrent seeds .. hence we came from diffrent seeds but get subtance from 1 source ..
After the disappearance of His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, many of his disciples took shelter of his books to fill the gap of separation they felt in their hearts. Many disciples also got the opportunity to meet His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, and this was another pure sadhu to have direct darshan from, and to hear from personally, face to face. Also at this delicate time, many are taking shelter more of Srila Narayana Maharaja’s books, video’s, and recorded lectures. As in the above article, it has been stated that a pure devotee is always present.
My question to the learned sadhu’s of this web site is: When Srila Gurudeva decides to leave , having concluded his pastimes here, to who will we be directed to hear from next?
It has been said the next acharya, usually becomes self manifest, due to his purity and spiritual power. Will this mission of Srila Gurdeva’s have an appointed next acharya, or will we wait, pray, and hope to recognize, the next pure devotee Krsna and Radhika will send to us to personally hear from? As Srila Gurudeva has said, he wants that his mission continue, in the way he has personally established it.
In my experience, when Srila Prabhupada left this world, his mission experienced great difficulty afterwards. Who will continue the disciplic succession in Srila Gurudeva’s mission? Is this question, something that cannot be answered, because it is a Divine plan?……
Like the current of a Holy River, it may change it’s course and manifest in a most surprising way. Is this the way of disciplic succession as well?
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