A Guru Only Sees Gurus – France 28 June 1997
A Guru Only Sees Gurus – France 28 June 1997
Srila Gurudeva: I came only to take your darsana. Our Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur would say, “Those who have assembled here and are hearing me are all my gurus. I respect them. If they were not here, then to whom would I have told all this hari-katha to, these pastimes of Krsna? By seeing them, inspirations come in my heart to speak on the glories of Krsna and the glories of the pastimes of Krsna. So, you are all my gurus.” A guru thinks like that. If he does not think like that then he is not a real guru. Does he make disciples? Never. He always makes gurus. The disciples of a bonafide guru are really gurus. Like Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:
Jara dekha tare kaha krsna upadesa
“Go be a guru. You should preach everywhere. You should chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Maya cannot touch you now because you are a guru.”
And they became like so. A guru never makes a disciple, but to whomever he touches that person becomes like a guru. I honor you like pure devotees, that is why I came. Before sleeping I should take darsana and then I will go from here. I am requesting Navadvipa Prabhu that he should tell us the sum and substance of whether a person is rich or poor, old or young, whether he is sick or not, whether he is pure or impure, whether he is characterless or character full, can he receive bhakti. Bhakti does not depend on this. If there is sraddha, then the entire world, even creepers, animals, wretched persons, high persons—all are qualified for bhakti and bhakti makes them so pure.
In the night, you can chant lying on the bed, keeping your feet there, no harm. [Audience laughs] If you are lying down and if you are sleeping and a fire comes, then the fire will have some effect and it will burn whether you are willingly praying to him or not praying to him, whatever you are doing, or whether you are rich, or pure or impure. Similarly, krsna-nama and krsna-bhakti can come to all. We are all qualified to do bhakti. This is the aim and object.
[Navadvipa Dasa speaks]
Tomorrow we will again come to class. We should hear all these things and try to cultivate them in our heart so that very soon we will be very qualified devotees. Don’t take it here and give it here. [indicating to not listen in one ear and let it out the other]. Try to take it in your hearts and thus become qualified devotees.
