Inside the heart of Gurudev

Svayam Bhagwan is inside

the heart of Sri Gurudev and at the same time devotees are also inside

there. So that is why we have to worship Sri Gurudev we have to respect

Sri Gurudev very carefully.

First be in shape

First you have to be in shape, in figure. If you want to shape something

like from a big stone you can make a very nice idol, dieties but if you

want to do this you need to use a cutter, a hammer. Similarly at the

beginning we will have to do this to ourselves, we will have to shape

ourselves with the hammer, with the cutter. Who will put us to shape? - Sri Gurudev. But we will have to chant, we will have to follow his

instructions. Then only Sri Gurudev can do this otherwise not. Most of

the disciple what they are doing, yes they are getting initiation they are

getting advices from Sri Gurudev after that they stop everything, they

cut all the connection with Gurudev, they stop following the advices of

Gurudev then how will Gurudev shape them as a devotee. Without our

bhakti life, if we do not have Krishna consciousness in our life, if we do

not have any spiritual practice, maybe we look like human beings but

without Krishna consciousness without any spiritual practice we are

animals.

light

To see something we need some light, if

there is no light we cannot see anything. So Sri Gurudev will turn on this

light. What is that light?- Bhakti. So who will open my eyes by this knowledge of Sri krishna?- Sri Gurudev. So this is the first responsibility of Gurudev

Ishopanishad says

Ishopanisad said “yes; you can enjoy, you can accept everthing but you

should not be so much attached with this, it must not control you. You

have to control your senses”. Don’t forget that everthing is covered by him. What we are seeing in

front of our eyes is covered by Bhagavan, Ishwar. Don’t forget this. He

created everything for you but don’t forget him. In this material world

you can enjoy, you can accept everything but at the same time don’t

forget your duty to serve Him. But we always are forgetting this, we are

forgetting our identity that we are His very tiny part, He is our prabhu. And after that what will happen to us? When we have forgotten our real

identity we will be nothing. We will be nothing if we are detached from

him. So when we will forget this then something will appear in our

heart- false ego. After which I will not say that I am the servant of

Krishna. If some asks my identity I will tell my name, I will not tell him my

identity that I am the servant of Him, I will not say that I am anuchit, that

I am a very tiny part of Him. Only one word will come out from my

mouth that is my name. So this false ego is darkness of ignorance. When

we will take shelter on the lotus feet of Sri Gurudev then what he will do

first- he will open our eyes. Its like a disease for our eyes, sometimes in

the material world we get problems in our eyes, we cannot see properly, sometime we are seeing some kind of illusion. Then we have to operate

our eyes, clean our eyes, then only we can see properly. So Gurudev will

treat our disease of eyes, he will clear this darkness and he will give us

new eyes by which we can see our real identity, our Prabhu in front us. You know kajal? Gurudev will put some kajal with a stick, gyananjana..in

ancient time people used this to clean their eyes. So Gurudev will also

use one stick and kajal. What is this stick and kajal?- knowledge of Sri

krishna. Sri Gurudev will use this knowledge as anjan, kajal and the stick. So Gurudev will use this again and again. Not only single day but again

and again he will put this so that our eyes will be cleaned then this

disease will be cured. Then the light will come. If in this room there is no

light we cannot see anything. To see something we need some light, if

there is no light we cannot see anything. So Sri Gurudev will turn on this

light. What is that light?- Bhakti. So who will open my eyes by this knowledge of Sri krishna?- Sri Gurudev. So this is the first responsibility of Gurudev

why do we need blessings of Gurudev

vande gurum ishabhaktan isham ishavatarakan

tatprakashancha tat-saktee krishna chaitanya samijakan

The first phrase is “vande gurum..” I am praising my Guru, before

everything we need the blessings of Sri Gurudev. Why? This is the

important point. Why? Who is Guru? How much power Sri Guru possess?

What he can do for us? Why we have to take shelter on his lotus feet. So

we will start with sloka “ajnana-timirandhasya” . We will take shelter on

his lotus feet. We are here in this material world with so many

contamination; our eyes, our mind, our intelligence, everything is

covered by darkness of ignorance. In Sri Sri Caitanya Caritamrita a very

nice sloka is there that “everything is fake”. What is the darkness of ignorance? Why there is no light? When we are

so much absorbed with this material world, when our mind and heart

are not attached with Svayam Bhagavan Sri Krishna; that means we are

not in light we are in darkness. That means we have forgotten our real

identity, we have forgotten that we are tiny part of Him. We have

forgotten our duty which is to serve Him but we have forgotten

everything and we are enjoying. Enjoying here in this material world is

not bad but what Ishopanisad has said everything is for you, Svayam

Bhagavan Krishna he created everything for His creature, human being;

that’s why everything is so beautiful.

First Guru Puja

ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya

caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

Narottam Das Thakur started this Grantha with Guru pranam, not only

here but in every spiritual activity according to scriptures when we start

we have to meditate or first we have to do Guru puja. First Guru puja

then all other activites. We have to do Guru puja before Bhagavan, before everyone. So thats why everyone do this in every scripture. In Sri

Sri Caitanya Caritamrita also, Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami started Sri Sri

Caitanya Caritamrita with Guru pranam.

Devotee: Very often we use the word “spiritual power”. How could youexplain this?

Prabhu: Spiritual power is sometime Guru blessing, sometime Ishta’s

power. It is very normal that when you properly chant your mantras; Sri

Guru mantra, Gopal mantra; some power will come to you. It is very

normal, it does’nt mean you are siddha mahatma; it is a very normal

thing. But only if you properly chant because mantras are very powerful. The power which you get after chanting mantras, is the spiritual power. JAI NITAI !!!

Devotee: What are the qualities required to seek blessings from SriGurudev in order to properly chant and to attain Prema?

Prabhu: In Viswanath Chakraboty’s gurv-astaka, one verse is there:

Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo

Yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi

Dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ

Vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

When your Guru will be pleased by you, Guru will not say anything. When Gurudev look at you with a smiling face then that will be the

blessings of Gurudev that means Guru is happy with you. And when

Guru is pleased that means Krishna is pleased. So make your mind

attached with Sri Gurudev. … dhyāyan means meditation, stuvaṁs means praising, tri-sandhyaṁ

means starting the day with the meditation, just think about the face of

Gurudev; and end your day meditating his face. Thats enough when you

start and end your day with the meditation of Sri Gurudev. Its enough.