gurus and students forever [from sanga]

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

'gurus and students forever'

 

Tuesday, June 5, Purnima [full moon]. Snana Yatra [bathing] of Sri

Jagannatha Deva.

 

"If you understand what a proper guru is, you will understand there is no

possibility of doing without one. A proper guru is a proper disciple. We

are all students forever, and on some level we are all gurus as well."

 

Q&A discussion with Swami B.V. Tripurari.

 

Q. I don't understand why you put such stress on 'finding a proper guru'

as a major initial prerequisite? Why not emphasize 'finding the proper

teachings?'

 

A. Of course we first emphasize finding the proper teachings, but when

addressing those who have already embraced a tradition like Gaudiya

Vaisnavism, in which the guru is considered essential, we then encourage

such persons to seek within the community of practitioners the guidance of

a sadhu whose words and actions are particularly inspiring and in due

course take initiation from him.

 

Q. On the whole, initiation looks to me like another socio-religious

institution with more outer form than inner content. Isn't it possible this

form could now be in need of re-form?

 

A. I don't think you can do away with initiation in a tradition that holds

high the importance of receiving the mantra from a realized person and

culturing its essence under his or her guidance. If you understand what a

proper guru is, you will understand that there is no possibility of doing

without one. The question is, if there are realized souls in a tradition of

one's choice, should one not become his or her student? Conversely, if

there are not realized souls in a particular tradition, is it a viable

tradition?

 

A proper guru is a proper disciple. Thus we stand to lean a lot form one.

We are all students forever, and on some level we are all gurus as well.

Without a teacher there is no meaning to students and without students

there is no meaning to the idea of a teacher.

 

However, I agree with you that the form in which the guru disciple

relationship manifests is subject to revision over time in order that the

essence of this relationship is understood by practitioners and the public

in general. Over the last 500 years we have seen this happen in the Gaudiya

Vaisnava tradition, and it may very well be time to adjust it once again.

 

Q. Can bad karma can be removed through spiritual practice or must we

suffer our karma?

 

A. Karma can be removed while in the unmanifest or early stages before

fully manifesting. This karma, which has yet to fructify, is cleared by

detached, dutiful action in service to God which gives rise to inner wisdom

about the nature of the self. However, bhakti herself can remove even one's

manifest karma.

 

Q. Can the Guru remove our karma?

 

A. The guru removes our karma by accepting the responsibility for managing

it. It is in this sense that he accepts our karma at the time of

initiation. He sets up parameters within which we are to lead our lives,

much like a court appointed lawyer guides us in filing for bankruptcy. If

we live within these parameters and cultivate love of Krsna, our karmic

debts will be minimized and gradually cleared.

 

Q. In a recent Sanga you wrote, 'Krsna has a chance of experiencing the

bhava of Radha and in his madness to taste this, jivas also get the

opportunity to know about it.' How can a jiva taste the bhava of Sri Radha?

Isn't manjari-bhava the highest a jiva can attain?

 

A. The manjaris of Sri Radha taste her bhava. This is the secret of

Gaudiya Vaisnavism. The very bhava that Krsna himself yearns for and has

difficulty tasting can be experienced by sadhakas following in the line of

Sri Rupa. Manjari bhava is a kind of dasya bhakti within sringara rasa.

Handmaidens of Radha are so identified with her sentiments that they

themselves taste those sentiments vicariously. They are 'Radha snehadhika,'

or more affectionate towards Radha than they are towards Krsna. They

worship the object of Krsna's worship.

 

This is unique in the religious world. Every religion teaches that God is

the most venerable object, but we teach about the worshipable object of

God, Sri Radha. How dear to Krsna must Radha's handmaidens be? And how

magnanimous is Sriman Mahaprabhu for announcing this to the world and thus

opening the door to this opportunity? This is explained in greater detail

in my book, 'Aesthetic Vedanta: The Sacred Path of Passionate Love' [see

URL at the end below].

 

Q. I know true bhakti comes from the heart. I fear my devotion exists

mainly in my mind. How do I know that my service is not just a mental

exercise and that Krsna actually accepts it?

 

A. You will know that your service is accepted by Krsna if it is accepted

by a Vaisnava. Our healthy concern should be that someone of spiritual

consequence is aware of what we are doing and is pleased by it or has

sanctioned it.

 

Q. When the bhakti lata bija pierces through the material shell and reaches

the brahmajyoti, isn't there a danger of becoming attached to the brahma

bhuta state of liberation?

 

A. Liberation offers herself to a devotee, but devotees cultivating Vraja

prema are not interested in any of her forms. A devotee is one who

cultivates devotion to God. How can he or she be attracted to something

devoid of devotion, such as sayujya mukti? Thus her offer is a test as to

the measure of one's devotion. Other forms of mukti are acceptable to

devotees of Vaikuntha, but desiring these forms of liberation is an

impediment to the development of priti, and thus prema bhaktas of Vraja

have no interest in them.

 

Q. Here in South India sannyasis in the Madhva and Sankara line observe

Caturmasya vrata. What is this vrate and why do the Gaudiya Vaisnava

sannyasis not observe it?

 

A. Caturmasya was strictly observed by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura,

a prominent sannyasi in the Gaudiya sampradaya, as it was by Mahaprabhu

himself. However, it pertains more to varnasrama dharma than it odes

directly to the cultivation of Krsna prema. The term itself refers to the

four (catur) months (mas) of the monsoon season, during which sannyasis who

were traveling on foot had to stay in one place. During this time (four

months) they undertook various austerities. Still today some Gaudiya

sannyasis follow this vrata (vow) annually.

 

Q. How can you justify the Gaudiya Vaisnava order of tridandi sannyasa?

Wasn't it Sri Caitanya who ordered, 'no sannyasa in Kali yuga?' Wasn't it

Nityananda's son, Virabhadara, who introduced the Bhek system?

 

A. The system of bhek and the sannyasa asrama are one in essence. Bheka is

a corrupted form of the Sanskrit word 'besha' (dress). Bheka dharana refers

to accepting the dress of a renunciate. Renunciates accept a simple manner

of dress such as kaupin (loin cloth) and an outer garment for their bodily

upkeep. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written, "The name bheka is properly

understood to mean the asrama of biksuka (mendicants). Bheka dharana and

sannyasa are synonymous. The name of the sannyasa asrama is biksu asrama.

The sign of sannyas is kaupin. If they have accepted kaupin or bahir vasa

(outer garment), then they are definitely included in the sannyasa asrama."

 

The Thakura goes on to say that there are two kinds of sannyasa, ordinary

sannyasa and Vaisnava sannyasa. Padma Purana speaks of three types of

sannyasa, karma sannyasa, veda sannyasa, and jnana sannyasa. Karma sannyasa

refers to those whose senses have become weak in old age and thus give up

their karmic duties in the varnasrama. Jnana sannyasa refers to those in

whom the desire for sayujya mukti has arisen along with peacefulness, self

control, renunciation and so on. These two types of sannyasa are not

appropriate for Vaisnavas, who are not bound by the karmic duties of

varnasrama and are not desirous of sayujya mukti.

 

Veda or vidvat sannyasa refers to the bhakti sannyasa of the Vaisnavas,

exemplified by devotees such as Sri Ramanuja, Madhva, Madhavendra Puri,

Isvara Puri, Sriman Mahaprabhu, Prabhodananda Saraswati, Bhaktisiddhanta

Saraswati, and so on. Madhavendra Puri accepted sannyasa after entering the

bhakti marg, as did Mahaprabhu and many others in the Gaudiya sampradaya.

Thus Mahaprabhu did not forbid bhakti or vidvat sannyasa. Indeed, he

accepted it himself and initiated his own sannyasa guru Kesava Bharati into

this conception of sannyasa, in which rati for Krsna, artha pravriti

(positive gain) picks up where anartha nivriti (giving up unwanted things)

of jnana sannyasa leaves off.

 

Mahaprabhu did quote the Brahma Vaivarta Purana verse in which five things

are said to be prohibited in Kali yuga; horse sacrifice, cow sacrifice,

begetting a child in the womb of one's brother's wife, offering oblations

of flesh on behalf of one's deceased relatives, and accepting sannyasa.

However, he cited this verse in a effort to convince Chand Kazi to give up

meat eating, when the Kazi said that animal sacrifice was also recommended

in the Hindu scriptures. Furthermore the sannyasa that is not recommended

in this verse is karma sannyasa, listed as it is along with four other

activities of the karma marg. It does not refer to jnana or bhakti

sannyasa. Indeed the very same Purana also recommends sannyasa thus,

'dandam kamandalum raktavastram mantraca dharayet nityam pravasi naikatra

sa sannyasiti kirttitah' (2.36.9).

 

If we are to understand Gaudiya Vaisnavism properly, we must scrutinize the

siksa of Thakura Bhaktivinoda, the seventh goswami. This was the

preoccupation of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, who fulfilled the

spiritual ambitions of Thakura Bhaktivinoda through his innovative

preaching, including the establishment of the modern order of Gaudiya

Vaisnava tridandi sannyasa.