Gurudeva KathaAcarya LecturesThe 8 Symptoms of Sri Guru - 25 Feb 1997 Bali

The 8 Symptoms of Sri Guru – 25 Feb 1997 Bali

Srila Gurudeva:

Visvanatha Cakravati Thakur has written the glories of Gurudeva in the eight slokas of Gurvastakam, and by reading we can understand what is the symptom of a bona-fide guru.

He is praying to his Gurudeva that his and all Gurus are the manifestation of Nityananda Prabhu or Baladeva Prabhu, and all bona fide gurus have the symptoms found in the eight slokas. They are the mercy of the original guru-tattva, Krsna, Mahaprabhu. All mercy combined becomes the manifestation of Gurudeva. So Gurudeva should be so merciful to all, causelessly merciful.

Secondly, he should always chant 64 rounds and, mahāprabhoh kīrtana-nrtya-gīta-vāditra-mādyan manso rasena—He is expert in serving Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu and engaging in kirtana. If he is not expert in this, he cannot do arcana or do anything, cannot serve Her, cannot dance or sing, then how will he do this? All symptoms should be there—mahaprabhu kīrtana-nrtya-gīta-vāditra-mādyan manaso-rasena, and also by chanting and remembering the pastimes of Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śrngāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau—he will himself do śrngāra of Thakurji. He will be so expert in doing śrngāra. To whom? Caitanya Mahaprabhu will take only renounced dress, one here and one here, it is nothing to śrngāra Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but to śrngāra Krsna and especially to Radha, Oh! he is so expert. So he (Gurudeva) should be a she, otherwise he can not decorate, understand? Any male form will not go there, to decorate Srimati Radhika. So he has two forms, one like gopis and another for Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in male form. So he is expert.

Catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda—he can prepare delicious preparations of the four main varieties [like those that are chewed, or sucked] for offering to Krsna and Radha. Caitanya Mahaprabhu requires only one sakh and laphra [mixed sabji]. Sakh you know? Spinach. He is a renounced person, nothing, maybe fasting even. But Radha and Krsna, Krsna is so much tasteful, lakhs and lakhs kinds of rasa He can taste, so one gopi cannot quench His thirst, thus lakhs and lakhs of different gopis are there of different moods under the guidance of Srimati Radhika. Radhika Herself is cooking all these things—catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda.

He should also be expert, you know that Bhaktivedanta Svami was very fond of taking very tasteful maha-prasada and he used to also cook. Our Gurudeva also, and myself too, in my Gurudeva’s service I used to cook so many delicious things. So if anyone cannot cook like this, cannot do śrngāra, then how he will be guru? He should be expert in all.

He should be expert in cheating also, Krsna is biggest cheater and Srimati Radhika can cheat Krsna in a moment, so these two are cheaters. So he (Gurudeva) should also be like that, expert. Those that are not willing to be a sincere devotee, Gurudeva will cheat them. If they want money, he will give them money. If they want name and fame, they can have, but if their guru is bona fide, then they cannot cheat him. So a bona fide guru is needed.

Catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda-svādv-anna-trptān, he will not take anything without offering to his holy master and Radha-Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Without offering, water or anything, then it is impure.

Śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra-mādhurya-lilā-guna-rūpa-nāmnām prati-ksanāsvādana-lolupasya. He is always tasting the pastimes of Radha and Krsna, always remembering Them. He has no problem, nothing to manage, he is beyond all problems, no meeting and sitting, nothing. Only remembering the pastimes and always engaging all his disciples in the service of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Krsna.

He is spiritually greedy, very greedy and especially serving in the groves of Vraja—nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai yā yālibhir yuktir apeksanīyā tatrāti-dāksyād ati-vallabhasya vande guroh śrī-caranāravindam. Nikuñja-yūno. In Vrindavan there are so many beautiful groves in which Krsna plays with all the gopis, so many pastimes are there. So he (Gurudeva) is expert in all things, decorating there, everything, and also how to make Them meet, he is so expert in all these things. If our guruji is not expert in that, then how can he serve?

Sāksād-dhaitvena samasta-śāstrair. All sastra have told that Gurudeva is none other than Krsna Himself, but not himself Krsna, he is the sevak of Krsna, the sevak of Bhagavan, understand this? Gurudeva is not Visaya Bhagavan, he is servant Bhagavan, Asraya Bhagavan, but he is himself a manifestation of Krsna. He is Vyasa, always like Krsna.

We should do pranams and arcana of Gurudeva first. Please him first and then Krsna will be satisfied and give blessings Himself. So Gurudeva’s mercy is Krsna’s mercy and if Gurudeva is not happy then Krsna is not happy. So we see the glories of Gurudeva and our Gurudeva should be like that, expert, like in the eight slokas as has been told. He should never fall down, he should always be above maya, no worldly desires, no worldly problems.

Visvanatha Chakravati is glorifying his Gurudeva and also giving the symptoms of Guru. If anyone is fortunate to have a guru like this then in a moment he will have Krsna, he can please all.

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