”It is customary, after being initiated in the Gayatri mantra, for one to live away from home for some time under the care of the acharya in order to be trained in spiritual life. During this period one has to work under the spiritual master as an ordinary menial servant. There are many rules and regulations for a brahmachari living under the care of an acharya, and both Lord Krishna and Balarama strictly followed those regulative principles while living under the instruction of their spiritual master, Sandipani Muni, in his place in northern India. According to scriptural injunctions, a spiritual master should be respected and be regarded on an equal level with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 44)

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“Listen, I grew up in the culture. I am all too familiar with what they refer to as a ‘havan’ conducted within a modern, colonial style residence. Where you need to quickly open every window and door, to let the smoke out. Where you are trying your best to avoid alerting the local fire department, where you would have to later embarrassingly explain the reason for the fire, that you were conducting a religious ritual. Respect is ingrained within the culture. Respect your elders. Pay homage to your ancestors. The teachers are wonderful people, who provide life-changing wisdom.

“This is the area I want to focus on. The Sanskrit word is guru. In general conversation, this refers to the spiritual guide. They are the teacher. The word also conveys importance or heaviness. The mother and father can also be considered guru. The idea is that you are approaching someone who should not be dealt with casually. This is not your friend, with whom you crack jokes or use coarse language.

“When a formal relationship has been established, the guru has another word added to the end: deva. They are gurudeva. They are the teacher who is a god. For the people in the know, the gurudeva is practically identical to God. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the object of worship. The guru is the ideal manifestation of that service being offered. The worshiped God and the worshiping God. Think Shri Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana. Think Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Prabhu Nityananda.

“I am all for showing respect. I am completely in favor of honoring the impact that the spiritual guide can make. At the same time, isn’t there a risk in following blindly? Isn’t it dangerous to be so open about viewing someone as good as God? The lavish receptions. The offerings of flower petals to line their walking path. The washing of the feet and then drinking the water. The eating of food that has been left over. Your average person would be repulsed by such behavior. They wonder what in the world the followers are thinking.

“Where do you draw the line? How much supplication is enough? Is it not also bad for the guru? Won’t their ego swell to new heights? Won’t they lose their humility? Does this not explain their subsequent haughtiness and their general cruelty towards the abused in their very own institutions? Do you see what I am saying?”

Consider for a moment what we take to be signs from God. Instead of speaking to us directly, the Almighty conveys messages through events. The moments are so extraordinary that we fail to find alternate explanations. We try to tell others about what we experienced, but they cannot relate. But we know, for sure. We have seen. We can bear witness.

It can be something as simple as the sun rising in the morning. It was dark, cold and windy yesterday. The sun is like the most welcome sight. Finally, some heat and light. I appreciate the sun so much. I don’t think I could ever sufficiently put my appreciation into words. The Vedic tradition has mantras that I can repeat, in case I am at a loss for words. Even the best of all mantras, the Gayatri, has references to the sun.

“Out of His many religious duties, the first was to offer oblations into the sacrificial fire and silently chant the Gayatri mantra. Lord Krishna, as the ideal householder, executed all the religious functions of a householder without deviation. When the sunrise became visible, the Lord would offer specific prayers to the sun-god. The sun-god and other demigods mentioned in the Vedic scriptures are described as different limbs of the body of Lord Krishna, and it is the duty of the householder to offer respects to the demigods and great sages, as well as the forefathers.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 2, Chapter 15)

In many parts of the world, people pay respect during the time of harvest. They are so thankful for their food. This is indeed the origin of the annual holiday in America known as Thanksgiving. It was the pilgrims giving thanks to God for their abundance of food, which they then shared with their neighbors. Another person sees God in the birth of their child. A tired office worker, while driving on the road on their way home, sees the magnificent horizon, with its breathtaking color. They are immediately reminded of megha-varna and how Vedic teachings use this comparison to describe the complexion on the transcendental body, saguna, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Why, then, is it a stretch for a person to see the presence of God in words of wisdom? If emanating from a well-regarded teacher, then the experience is like being with God directly. Bhagavad-gita carries forward the conversation between the bow-warrior named Arjuna and the charioteer named Krishna. We know the importance of the two characters today because of the context, which is filled in by a respected personality. They are kind enough to elaborate on the meaning to the specific verses, which are originally in the Sanskrit language. Because of this kindness, we feel transported in time. It is like we have front-row seats to the confidential sharing of information between Krishna, who is the greatest well-wisher, and Arjuna, who is the eternally protected devotee.

तद् विद्धि प्रणिपातेन
परिप्रश्नेन सेवया
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं
ज्ञानिनस् तत्त्व-दर्शिनः

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

Of course, in any relationship there is always a risk. If we approach a cheating guru, we will receive false information. This occurred one time with the leader named Pratapabhanu. He did not recognize his former rival, who appeared to be a holy man, living in a remote area. The rival pretended to be a guru and exploited the situation to bring down Pratapabhanu. We can take the approach of trust, but verify. We can see if the words spoken make a positive impact. We can use common sense along with intuition, to see if we are indeed coming closer to Divinity, in what is known as upasana.

In Closing:

With such dedication to live,
Blindly service to give.

But not at risk of cheating?
And guru’s humility defeating?

This path already known,
In ways appreciation shown.

Tendency natural to conceive,
When timeless wisdom to receive.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, dharma, guru, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry