Why gurus allow their disciples to worship them?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna. In vyas puja deciples worship Guru feet and take it as charnamrut. Here question is no doubt guru is very respectable but why to take charnamrut? is it not contaminated? It is not that there is no dust in Guru feet. Then why do it? is it love or ritual or what? why Guru allows to do it with his deciples? Does he feel pleasure? Actually as a neophyte I feel acward in this act”
REPLY:
This is an elementary level thought.
We have no eligibility to get Krishna. We are not qualified.
Our guru is the representative of Krishna. He gives Krishna Himself to us. So, a guru is more important for us to get Krishna.
(Vapu Seva & Vani Seva to Guru- Details! Which is more important? READ HERE!)
Srila Prabhupada says in Bhagavad Gita (2.8):
“A spiritual master who is one hundred percent Krishna conscious is the bona fide spiritual master.”
“The spiritual master is the mercy representative of the Lord.”
Srila Prabhupada says in his Letter to Atreya Rsi, Bombay 15 November, 1974:
“You have also mentioned to repeatedly offer obeisances to your spiritual master. This is very important. A disciple should offer dandabats, not namaskara. The more one becomes fixed up in guru obeisances, the more he advances in spiritual progress. yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau (ŚU 6.23).”
Thus, more obeisances to one’s guru gives more advancement in spiritual progress.
Other explanations:
Offering obeisance to guru means quitting our ego and surrendering to the guru.
This gives us a surrendered mindset. We have given up our ego. This surrendered mindset is very important for a devotee to get Krishna.
Even in our material relations between two persons, one should surrender to the other to have a sustained relationship. Then how perfectly we should surrender to our guru who is going to give Krishna Himself to us!
Srila Prabhupada explains this in Letter to Devananda — Delhi 27 September, 1967:
“Guru and Krishna are two parallel lines on which the spiritual express runs very smoothly. In the Caitanya Caritamrta it is said “Guru Krsna prasade paya bhakti lata bija (CC Madhya 19.151).” By the Grace of Guru one gets Krishna and by the Grace of Krishna one gets a bona fide Guru. Therefore Krishna consciousness means staunch faith both in Guru and Krishna. One minus the other is no good for the devotee. So your faith in the principles of devotion to Guru will certainly help you more and more Krishna. Do not ever try to approach Krishna directly. Anyone who talks of Krishna without service to Guru will not be successful. So your faith in Guru and Krishna simultaneously will help you to become crowned with success in the progressive march in Krishna consciousness.”
(Guru Puja & Worship of Gurus – Importance! READ HERE!)
Thus, one will not be successful without serving a guru as said by Srila Prabhupada above.
Srila Prabhupada said that the body of a pure devotee is comparable with the Ganges, stating it cannot be polluted by material imperfections, urging devotees to accept the spiritual mercy regardless of external appearances.
Srila Prabhupada further says:
“If the acarya, guru, is satisfied, then we must know certainly that Krsna is satisfied.”
Thus, guru worship is very important for a devotee.
Since the Guru gives Krishna, the devotees consider the charanamirth from the feet of guru too similar to Krishna Prasadam. Since there is no chance for material impurity for the feet of guru, accepting the charanamrut is followed by the devotees as a mark of love and respect to their guru.
Once we surrender to a guru, there will be no ego for us. So, the devotee readily accept the charanamrut.
Ok. What the guru does after accepting our pranams and honours? Does he enjoy?
Not at all. He accepts those honours on behalf of Krishna and passes to Krishna thru Guru Parampara.
Srila Prabhupada says in Vyasapuja, New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:
“So this Vyasa Puja means one day in a year, on the birthday of the spiritual master, because he is representative of Vyasa, he is delivering the same knowledge which has come down by disciplic succession without any change, he is offered the respect. This is called Vyasa Puja.
And the spiritual master receives all honor, all contribution, on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not for his person. Just like in our country when there was British rule, there was a viceroy, a king’s representative. So naturally, when viceroy used to go to some meeting, many people used to present valuable jewels, valuable, because just to honor him.”
Therefore, if you accept a guru, your spiritual growth is guaranteed. So, offering worship to the guru becomes essesntial for every devotee. So, don’t see the worship of guru in material perspective. It is a great and ultimate way to get Krishna. It is a spiritual process, not a material process.
Hope you are clear.
(Guru Puja & Worship of Gurus – Importance! READ HERE!)