The Role of Guru in Hinduism

JaneSmith105

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In Vedic culture, the guru is the teacher of spiritual life. He is the guide and agrees to guide the submissive student. So, the guru must be qualified and the disciple must be qualified. Then there can be a proper transfer of knowledge concerning the Absolute Truth. There is no other means of attainment of perfect knowledge. Anyone who is sincere about spiritual life must seek out a bona fide and advanced spiritual master to surrender to. To be successful, the disciple must follow the instructions of the spiritual master without hesitation and worship the guru with as much reverence as one would offer God Himself. If one is sincere, Krishna or God will send him a bona fide guru. Proper worship of the spiritual master will help one to rapidly advance on the path of Love of God. The instructions of the spiritual master and those of God are identical. Guru says to surrender to God and Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that the ultimate purpose of knowledge can best be served by surrender unto Him. Then one may ask what is the need of the guru is their message is the same? Is it not enough if one just reads Bhagavad Gita and surrenders to Krishna directly?

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the most recent incarnation of God, stated that the aim of devotional life is not to try and directly serve Krishna but to serve those who are directly serving Krishna. If we support those who are confidential servitors of the Lord, then we can gain access to Krishna. This is the method.

One must therefore become the disciple before he can become the guru. One must learn the art of menial service to the guru, without personal motive. Then, by the blessings of the guru, one can gain entrance into the mysteries of eternal spiritual life. Even God Himself taught this principle by accepting a spiritual master, even though He is the original spiritual master. Sometimes the disciple is more advanced then the guru, but still one must show reverence and submission.

It is therefore not possible to understand the Absolute Truth without becoming a qualified disciple. Neither should one be very eager to become a guru unless he is properly authorized. An authorized guru is someone who simply presents the message of his spiritual master without adulteration. This means that the authorized guru has no personal motive other then to please his spiritual master. This is the requirement for a real guru. If there is any personal motive, such as fame, adoration or distinction, then such an individual is not an authorized person. Authorization comes from the transcendental platform. When one has received authorization from his guru, then he becomes empowered with all the devotional qualities necessary to carry out the mission of his guru. In other words, if the guru is pleased with the sincerity of the student, then he may empower him to carry out his mission, knowing that such a student is mature enough for the higher duties of spiritual hood. It is a most sobering task to accept the duties of an authorized guru because he accepts responsibility for the life of his disciples. Upon formal initiation into the practice of Bhakti yoga, the disciple vows to follow the regulative principles of spiritual life. Conversely , the guru agrees to give the disciple shelter and daily instruction. The guru is the via media between the disciple and the Lord. Both student and teacher are eternally bound. It is a serious relationship. It is as though they have become one body. If the disciple gives up his vows, he can cause illness to his guru. The only remedy for the sins of the disciple is the fire of devotional service to Lord Krishna. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that he who preaches His message is most dear to Him. Therefore, Krishna wants His message spread, even if it is personally inconvenient. Krishna assures such a sincere preacher that he will never meet with defeat and he is always under Divine protection. If there is no preaching going on, then there is no chance for the conditioned soul to become reclaimed. Lord Chaitanya declares that anyone who is conversant with the science of God can become guru. It is not limited to caste or creed. But still one must follow the eternal process as outlined above and receive the mercy of his spiritual master. Without such mercy, there is no question of spiritual authorization. Once one has received proper transcendental authorization from God and guru, there is no other authorization required to carry out His mission. A fully empowered guru is the embodiment of his guru's mercy and Krishna's mercy. This is what is known as transparent via media.

One should not be eager to become guru as much as one should be eager to serve his spiritual master's mission. This is the secret of Vaishnavism or disciplic succession. How can a guru instruct if he is not surrendered since surrender to Krishna is the only message to relate? How can one surrender if he has not loyally served the mission of his guru and accepted personal inconvenience? How does one know if he is authorized unless Krishna within his heart reveals Himself? The Lord is always eager to reveal Himself to his disciple when the devotee is ready to accept His causeless mercy. Krishna's mercy requires a heart that is free from any material contamination, namely material motives, material desires and material identification. Only if the heart is completely clean can Krishna reveal His true nature. How does one become clean of any material contamination? By sincerely following the orders of his spiritual master. To the degree that one sacrifices his own sense pleasure in order to please his spiritual master is the degree to which one will receive and understand Krishna, the Absolute Truth. So first there is faith in the guru, then there is commitment to the process he recommends. The process is Krishna Consciousness and the guru's instructions are the practical activities to keep our mind fixed on the Lord. His highest instructions concern helping others less fortunate who are totally bereft of Krishna Consciousness. The guru wants to give every soul a chance to become Krishna Conscious. He requests all his disciples to preach Krishna Consciousness and distribute both the Holy Names and Vedic literatures to non-devotees. Even if one is not very advanced, just by sincerely trying to spread Krishna Consciousness one will automatically become advanced. The guru is always looking for help in spreading the mission of his guru. A sincere disciple is someone who is able to assist his guru in his mission. When the guru is pleased with the help he is receiving from his disciple, the Lord bestows his causeless mercy on that disciple. Then he becomes authorized. While the guru is physically present, such a disciple renders confidential service to his guru and brings other qualified candidates for initiation and training. When the guru is no longer physically present, such a disciple become authorized to accept his own disciples on behalf of his guru. In this way, the eternal process of guru-disciple relationship is kept in tact. This system is divine in nature and zealously protected by Lord Krishna Himself. When there are no qualified persons to teach the science of self realization, Krishna either comes Himself as an incarnation or He sends His confidential servant. Generally, an absence of Krishna Consciousness is cause for human degradation. Without proper instruction, the society becomes burdensome. Fruitive efforts predominate and sinful activities proliferate. Non-qualified persons become leaders and the masses are mislead and cheated. The rare purpose of human life is lost. Krishna does not want to see this happen and who other then the Lord and His devotee are empowered enough to offer a life jacket among the drowning?

source: krsnaconsciousness.org
 

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