DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART-4
To Read Part 4(A), CLICK HERE
To Read Part 4(B), CLICK HERE
To Read Part 4(C), CLICK HERE
DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART 4(A)
How to please your Guru if he is far away from your Place?
Let us see that today.
In the Old days, or atleast till the start of 19th century, there were Gurukul system everywhere.
The Guru would first scrutinize the disciples and select them to get admitted in his Gurukul.
It was not a mass selection process. The disciples would come one by one. And the number of disciples was very few only.
(Duties of a disciple to his Guru – Part-1! READ HERE!)
No correspondence or online courses in Gurukul. All are direct courses only.
There were no central education ministry to decide the syllabus for schools. The syllabus was decided by the Guru himself.
For every department, different Gurukuls were there.
For military training, some gurus were there;
For Vedic training, some gurus were there;
For Ayurveda, some gurus were there;
Same gurus taught the basic knowledge of mathematics, Science, etc.
Algebra, Calculus, Matrix, Determinants, etc., are not necessary for all the students to lead their life. But, nowadays, most of the students study them.
Thus, unwanted syllabus is fixed for all students nowadays.
I studied Maths, Science, etc. But now, I am doing astrology and devotional service.
(DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART 2! READ HERE!)
One of my sister’s son studied B.E Computer Science, but he joined Indian Army.
This type of studies were not there during those period.
Whatever one requires to lead his life was taught by the gurus.
Those days, a guru was keeping the disciples with him in his gurukul and gave a close follow up in their growth.
The disciples were under the close follow up of the guru.
So, they were able to maintain good relationship with their guru and also serve their guru directly.
If any disciple commits mistakes, the guru corrected them and set them right.
The disciple had a clear idea of how to serve his guru because he was always remaining with his guru.
The disciples spent their brahmacharya period with their gurus and went back to their parents to get married and start grahastha life.
Then, after the age 50, they gradually retire themselves from the family life and then took sanyasa after entrusting their wives to their children.
This was the system those days. In every town or big village, there were gurus who accepted the disciples form the surrounding areas.
(DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART 3! READ HERE!)
So, most of the disciples had their families and parents just a few miles away from the guru’s ashram.
Now, the trend is different.
A Guru has to accept hundreds of disciples from throughout the world because communication facilities are at their peak nowadays.
The world has shrunk into a small village.
We are able to instantly contact anyone in any corner of this world.
Though we have a bank account in an Indian Village, we are able to operate it even from the United States without coming in person. The days of long queue in the bank counters are over.
Thus everything is changing since the world has shrunk into the networks.
Nowadays, the gurus are able to accept disciples from all over the world.
So, it is not possible for all the disciples to take direct guidance of their gurus because they may be in another city or even another country.
How to serve our Guru in such situation if we are thousands of miles away from our guru?
Simple.
Be in touch with your guru through mail, phone, website, Social media, etc.
Explain your skills that can be used in the service of Krishna.
(Why Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati took diksha from the Picture of his guru Gaur Kishore Babaji? READ HERE!)
Your Guru will guide you how to serve Krishna using your skills/ knowledge.
Do those services from your living place and update your guru the progress of your service in every stage.
Let your Guru know your services and their improvements.
Thus make your guru happy. He will bless you from his place.
Once in a year or month (depending on the distance), meet your guru in person.
Thus make your guru happy by living with your family members.
You will get the same spiritual benefits that you get by serving your guru in person.
The purpose is that your guru should be satisfied.
It may be either Vapu or Vani, ie, Direct or Indirect.
You can satisfy your guru in both the ways.
Be relieved.
(Let us continue in the next part)
(Can one get Krishna if he is unable to Go to temple and Get Guru? READ HERE!)
DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART 4(B)
In the series on the Duties of a disciple, in this section, we are going to see multiple topics and the views of Srila Prabhupada about every topic.
A disciple should know who is the right Siksha guru before learning anything from anyone.
Who is Siksha guru? How should we identify and accept a right Siksha Guru?
When will a Siksha guru become a Violator?
What is the Primary offense against the guru?
How to atone for the offenses against our diksha guru?
Let us see one by one:
Srila Prabhupada explains how a Siksha guru can be identified and the primary offense against guru – guror avajñā, defying the authority of guru.
Lecture on BG 17.1-3 — Honolulu, July 4, 1974:
Srila Prabhupāda:
Then so śikṣā and dīkṣā-guru… A śikṣā-guru who instructs against the instruction of spiritual, he is not a śikṣā guru. He is a demon.
Śikṣā-guru, dīkṣā-guru means… Sometimes a dīkṣā-guru is not present always. Therefore, one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the śikṣā-guru.
Śikṣā-guru does not mean he is speaking something against the teachings of the dīkṣā-guru. He is not a śikṣā-guru. He is a rascal.
Woman Devotee: People are instructing with these sessions?
Prabhupāda: (Ignoring question) Because that is offense. Guror avajñā, defying the authority of guru. This is the first offense. So one who is offensive, how he can make advance in chanting? He cannot make. Then everything is finished in the beginning. Guror avajñā. Everything is there. If one is disobeying the spiritual master, he cannot remain in the pure status of life. He cannot be śikṣā-guru or anything else. He is finished, immediately. Guror avajñā śruti-śāstra-nindanam, nāmno balād yasya hi… You do not study all these things. You become initiated. There are ten kinds of offenses. Do you have any regard for these things or not? You must avoid these ten kinds of offenses. The first offense is to disobey the orders of guru. That is first offense. So if you are offensive, how you can become advanced by chanting? That is also not possible.”
(Are the offenses in mind also punishable in kaliyuga too? READ HERE!)
Who is a disciple?
A disciple should consider himself as a fool in front of his spiritual master as said by Lord Caitanya.
Lecture on BG 2.11 (with Spanish translator) — Mexico, February 11, 1975:
A disciple means who voluntarily agrees to be disciplined by the spiritual master. When one becomes disciple, he cannot disobey the order of the spiritual master. Śiṣya. Śiṣya, this word, comes from the root śās-dhātu, means “I accept your ruling.” So previously Arjuna has accepted, śiṣyas te ‘haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) “I am now surrendered to You, and I agree voluntarily to accept Your ruling.” This is the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple.
So we have got ten kinds of offenses in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So the first offense is guror avajna, means to disobey the orders of guru, spiritual master. One cannot disobey the orders of guru.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, he also says, guru more mūrkha dekhi’ karila śāsana: (CC Adi 7.71) “My guru, My spiritual master, saw Me a fool, and therefore he has chastised Me.”
Let us now come to the important Point:
How to atone if a disciple has offended his guru?
Question: If a disciple has committed offences against Guru Maharaj, what is the process of atonement? How can we rise to serving offenselessly?
H.H.JAYAPATAKA SWAMI (14-Aug-2020 SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, INDIA): That is why we offer daily guru puja and on the Vyasa puja we offer the pushpanjali three times. That way we pray that we may be forgiven any knowing or unknowing offences.
(Let us continue in the next part)
(Is Chanting without initiation (diksha) offensive as 10th offense? READ HERE!)
DUTIES OF A DISCIPLE TO HIS GURU – PART-4(C)
RESPECTING THE DISCIPLES OF OTHER GURUS
This is a very important aspect every disciple should always keep in mind.
ISKCON follows Multi Guru System.
This is better for a worldwide organization like ISKCON.
Even in other sampradhayas, there are multiple mutts that have their own gurus who follow any particular Sampradhaya.
Small number of Sampradhayas, but large number of gurus.
For example, in Sri Vaishnavam, there are different acharyas situated in different places associated with different temples.
Even in Advaita Sect, Adhi Shankara established different mutts in different places in India.
In Gaudiya Vaishnavam, there are different gurus running different mutts.
Similarly, ISKCON too gives permission for multiple gurus to function because being a global organization, many gurus are required to spread the network of dedicated devotees.
PRIMARY ETHICS IN A MULTI GURU SYSTEM
The devotees should always keep in mind a major fact:
“The disciples of all the gurus in ISKCON enjoy equal status in the organization. No disciple of a guru is superior than the disciples of other gurus. There is no difference in terms of which guru we accept.”
Next one is still important:
“A disciple of a guru should give equal honour and importance to the disciples of other gurus also. There should be no discrimination based on whose disciple one is.”
Unless the disciples of all gurus cooperate and function together, we can’t serve the mission of Srila Prabhupada.
All the gurus and disciples are working with a single goal of strengthening and expanding the services of ISKCON as per the guidelines stipulated by Srila Prabhupada.
If a disciple considers that he is a special disciple because he is the disciple of a particular guru, that means, he is weakening the organization.
Srila Prabhupada says in CC (25-121, Purport):
“Everyone has an EQUAL RIGHT to execute devotional service. That is the platform of oneness and the basis for a classless society.”
Simple. Platform of Oneness.
All the devotees deserve equal respects.
Though the gurus are in multiple, there should be oneness in the purpose of taking initiation.
What is the common purpose?
Serving and helping the movement of Srila Prabhupada grow.
With this motive, we should see all the disciples of all the gurus in ISKCON as similar in status and the qualification to go back to Krishna.
In the Next part, we will see how a guru should test a devotee before accepting him as his disciple and how a disciple should test a guru before accepting him as per the official recommendation of ISKCON.
(Will accepting a Guru alone elevate a devotee to attain perfection? READ HERE!)