The Lord is like, if you want to meet the Prime Minister, if you just go to Delhi, doesn’t mean you can meet the Prime Minister. Lot of security…lot of difficulty to meet the Prime Minister. But if you know a friend of the Prime Minister, he can say, ‘Come with me..I’ll bring you’. Then it’s easy.

So the Guru is a confidential servant of the servant of the servant…he can can take to his Guru, will take to his Guru and like this it goes to Krishna.

So those people who are very proud, they say they don’t want to go through a Guru, they find very difficult time.

For Indira to be acclaimed as a performer of a hundred Aswamedha Yajnas and to become very famous, he had to do a lot. But Yudhistira with only three Aswamedha Yajnas, he was so famous that it was said Yudhistira is famous as Indira. So it’s a very special feature.

You get automatically fame by rendering pure devotion to the Lord…even without asking. Devotee doesn’t hanker for fame. He doesn’t serve the Lord because he wants to get fame. But the Lord wants to see His devotee get glorified!

Srila Prabhupada never promoted himself. He could have called it the Bhaktivedanta movement, instead of the Krishna Conscious movement. Just like you have you know…this Gurudev movement, and this…all the mission they usually name after the Guru, charismatic Guru movement.. then after ‘this baba…’that mama’…’that ma’…whatever (laughter).

But Prabhupada, he made this International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Hare Krishna Movement, Krishna Consciousness Movement. He didn’t make it a personality cult. Still somehow or the other, because of his service, we want to glorify Prabhupada, we want to make him famous, because we appreciate that he did everything, he’s a real pure devotee and therefore he should…his fame should be spread over the three worlds!

“Preachers who distribute the process of chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra are specifically banned from asking money for mantras. Some yogis sell mantras, and even certain sampradayas in India have basic, fixed price for diksa and mantras.

Here Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura exposes this practice as a disqualification. Actually the Holy Name is priceless – so how can any price be attributed to it? The point is to avoid commercializing the chanting of the holy name. Nama Hatta preaching is a great opportunity for receiving the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and spreading it to others. The reward that a devotee should aspire for is the priceless mercy of Lord Caitanya, not any mundane remuneration.

Having forbidden the asking for money for mantras, Bhaktivinoda Thakura does not restrict the acceptance of voluntary donations given in accordance with the customs of varnashrama society. Sannyasis, vanaprastas, brahmacharis, and brahmana grihastas are authorized to receive donations, which should be given voluntarily and according to the donor’s desire.

Guru-Dakshina is also authorized. Actually Bhaktivinoda Thakura makes the point that is it beneficial for the disciple, at the time of receiving the mantra, to donate to his guru.”

“Jayapataka: I went to Bangladesh, and even the Muhammadans, hearing the philosophy we were preaching, they thought it was so appropriate for the time that they’ve sponsored a program. First they approached some of the Hindus to sponsor a program, the Muhammadans, saying that it is much more in line with their own preaching and what they felt was more needed for the world. And generally over there the young people, both Hindus and even some Muhammadans, they are very receptive to our philosophy as presented by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada said that sometime you can visit there.

“The mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nithyananda decends through Their devotees. Devotees who have received krsna-prema by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are able to distribute this love of Godhead. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura illustrates this process by using the analogy: ‘the transcendental marketplace of the Lord.

In compliance with Lord Caitanya’s order, everyone must accept Krishna consciousness and also share it with others. According to individual capacity, everyone should become a vehicle for spreading the hold name of Krishna. It is not a stereotyped process. Anyone can do it under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, who functions as the representative of Lord Nithyananda, the original spiritual master.“

Human Life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. I was taught by my parents that whenever we go for any social function, we were not to discuss politics, religion, philosophy and a few other things. Basically because people take it down to very theoretical level, it’s very natural that we don’t discuss it on a social level.

The Guru and disciple, the spiritual master and the student relationship is something where the disciple makes an inquiry and tries to eradicate the doubt and listens to the answer. It’s not like a social thing, “What do you think”. But that, “I want to learn that you have to teach me. So I will ask and I will listen. If I have any doubts, I will ask again until my doubts are cleared away.”

A challenging approach or a doubting approach or cynical approach is very difficult for learning. Not that one should blindly accept anything. That is not also recommended. But just as one should ask the question and if you can’t believe it, if you have some doubt, then mention why you are doubting it, put it in a proper way, and then ask again.

So the system mentioned here is to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master, inquire from him submissively and render service unto him.

HH Jayapataka Swami
From the book: Taking Shelter of Krishna
Courtesy: Mathuradesh Publications

Disciple has to use the intelligence, what I should do, what the Guru wants me to do. Then one can properly serve.

I was thinking today after seeing the temple of Vedanta Deshikar, how he served so nicely the Guru Parampara and Ramanujacharya, he did over a hundred works he wrote and did so much preaching, how he trained so many people. He brought Ranganath back to Srirangam, he did so much for the spiritual master.

So actually this is our duty, we should try to do something, to serve the Guru.

We actually go to the Guru, initially we get some help from the Guru, just like we get help from the parents. But in the end we are supposed to do something for the Guru, try to carry on his service, and expand it. We want to please the Guru and do something for his pleasure.

So I was thinking, not done very much yet for my spiritual master. Actually to do something wonderful, need lots of help, want to see many people awaken to Krishna Consciousness. So for that I need lots of help. Who wants to help me?!! Haribol!! Nandri!

Like this if each of you tell others about Krishna, in that way, Krishna Consciousness can spread very quickly.

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