Why should we approach Krishna through guru in the middle, not directly?
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked:
“Hare Krishna Prabhu. Only middlemen are the cause for all the price increase in economy. If a producer sells to people directly, product cost will be 100% less. Like that, why should guru be worshiped in the middle between the people and Krishna? Krishna is closer than guru as Krishna is in everyone’s heart itself that can be assessed quicker than guru. Please don’t take my question offensive. I am curious to know the answer”
REPLY:
Ha Ha. Interesting.
The so called middlemen in businesses may increase the cost of cheaper goods. But, these Gurus make getting the costliest Krishna easy.
This is the difference between the middlemen in business and devotion.
Even in material example given by you, middlemen are necessary. See, a popular consumer brands are produced in only one place or a few places in a country. For example, a Soap produced in the Utter Pradesh (U.P) is available for purchase in even a small petty shop in Kanyakumari district, that is the South corner of India.
(Why our problems continue even after initiation if guru accepts our karma? READ HERE!)
Can a company directly send the lorries to every petty shop and Kirana/ general stores in India? It is impossible. So, the product is sold by the companies to the Super distributers in every state and money collected. The Super distributor sells it to the district distributors getting around 10% profit. This district distributors sell the product to every nook and corner of that district and get another 10-20% profit. These profits maybe more or less depending on the type of the product and its popularity.
Even in agriculture, the farmer produces grains and vegetables and sells to the government procuring centers or private centers and get some money. These procuring centers distribute them to the people through the shops. These products depend on another middlemen – Lorry operators who carry the goods all over.
Rice or wheat that is grown in Punjab, Tamilnadu, etc., is eaten by you sitting in an air conditioned room in the city of Delhi by ordering thru an app from a store in Delhi. How is it possible?
So, without the middlemen, nothing is possible in this world. Crores of these middlemen live depending on these commission they get in distributing the goods. Other middlemen like Lorry owners, drivers, cleaners, service technicians, etc., etc., are surviving in any country.
Now a days, without middlemen, we can’t even find a bride or groom or a rental house or buy a property.
The school and college teachers are the middlemen between you and your degree you hold now.
(Can one get Krishna’s Mercy if he is unable to Go to temple and Get Guru? READ HERE!)
In cities, keeping cows at home is prohibited. So, we need a middleman of milkman to get milk for us from the villages daily. If they are not available, you may have to travel to the villages to get milk.
So, we have to grow ONLY THROUGH the support of many people. That is why, we are said to be indebted for many persons in our life. And, that is why, I have been preaching that we should not hate any person though they are doing material duties just because we know some slokas and texts in spiritual studies. We should respect everyone irrespective of their spiritual status. There are so many honest people among the materialistic people also. And, there are some bogus spiritual people also. So, why these hatred in life?
Since we are not equipped and hence can’t get a product from the company or source directly, we need middlemen.
Similarly, since we are not that much pure and hence we can’t get Krishna directly, we need a guru in the middle. So, we approach Krishna through guru.
We have no purity to go back to the world of Krishna and we are all conditioned souls. We are contaminated with previous karmic effects. But, Only the purified souls can enter into the Krishna’s world. So, we have to understand that we must get purified first.
So, we need a person who is already self realized and close to Krishna. We need a Bonafide Guru to purify us and guide us in devotional practices. So, we surrender to a guru and get guided, purified and eligible to enter Goloka.
(QUALIFICATIONS TO BE A GURU AND A DISICPLE – FROM THE SCRIPTURES! READ HERE!)
So, we need to surrender to a bonafide guru so that he accepts your contamination and purify you by giving a new birth. So, a guru is needed to purify us and take us to Krishna.
Not only the diksha gurus. Those who help us in devotional service should also be honoured as we honour Krishna. Therefore, we should also honour the siksha gurus, fellow devotees (though junior to us), etc.
By honouring the vaishnavas, we honour Krishna Himself.
That is why, honouring of Vaishnava is recommended.
There are incidents in scriptures about honouring the vaishnavas:
(1) In the Padma Purana, it is said:
aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam
Once, Parvati-devi asked Lord Siva, “Of all kinds of worship, whose worship is best?”
Then, Lord Siva told her plainly, “The worship and devotional service of Lord Narayana, Visnu, is the highest.”
Then Parvati became a little mortified and disappointed, thinking, “But I am serving Siva, so I hold a lower position.”
(How to avoid committing Vaishnava Aparatha repeatedly? READ HERE!)
Then the next line came, “tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarcanam” that means: “But higher than the worship of Narayana is the worship of the devotees of Lord Narayana. That is even greater than the devotion to the Lord Himself.”
Then, Parvati smiled, thinking, “Then I am serving the devotee of the Lord Krishna. Lord Siva is a devotee: Vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh. So, I am doing the best thing.”
(2) An incident in Mahabharatha. Once Yudhishtra came to meet Krishna in the late night. Krishna was in dhyaan (meditation).
Yudhishtra asked Krishna: “Krishna! You yourself is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then on whom you are meditating?”
Krishna replied: “Yudhishtra! My devotees are above me. My devotee Bhishma is suffering on the bed of nails in the war field. I am worried. So, I am meditating for Bhishma”
(3) All of us are aware of Sudhama, whose feet was washed by the Lord Krishna Himself as a mark of true friendship.
(4) Can we deny the Lord driving the chariot for Arjuna who is His best friend and disciple?
(5) When Lord Siva is worshiping the Lord Narayana, the same Narayana as Rama worshiped His devotee Lord Siva in Ramesvaram.
(6) Can we forget the denial of Lord Caitanya to forgive His mother Saci matha for even her thoughts against Advaita acharya who is a great Vaishnava?
(This incident is explained in this Story: LORD GLORIFIES HIS DEVOTEES – STORY! READ HERE!)
Thus, Krishna Himself honours and glorifies His devotees! Then, why can’t we honour the devotees of Lord?
Accepting a guru is the state of surrender to an elevated vaishnava. Unless we surrender our ego, we can’t go closer to Krishna. So, to get Krishna, we should approach Krishna through guru.
Krishna himself showed it by accepting His guru Sandeepani. He also says to Arjuna to surrender to a guru and enquire submissively.
Moreover, Krishna started to speak Bhagavad Gita only after Arjuna surrendered to Him accepting Him as his Guru.
So, do not think like an atheist.
I like to highlight an important fact:
MATERIAL SUCCESS DEPENDS ON MORE USAGE OF OUR EGO. BUT, SPIRITUAL SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE SURRENDER OF OUR EGO TO A GURU.
Think it over!
This should clear your doubts about why we should approach Krishna through guru.
(Why should we worship Guru who has material body instead of Krishna only? READ HERE!)