Just now we have finished singing the kirtana, 'sri guru-carana-padma, kevala bhakati-sadma vando mui savadhana mate'. What is the meaning? We should try to understand the meaning and realize what Srila Narottama dasa Thakura is telling here - how he is giving honor and how he is presenting his mood to his Gurudeva. 'Sri guru-carana-padma, kevala bhakati-sadma.'
You should understand who is a real guru. He is the abode of bhakti, and he has all kinds of serving moods towards Radha-Krishna Conjugal or Mahaprabhu. He can give sadhana-bhakti, and he can also give rati - a high class of rati. If he is qualified to even give prema-bhakti in Goloka Vrindavana, and the love and affection of Conjugal Radha-Krishna, can he fall down? Never. How much qualified must that guru be, that he can take all ignorant persons to Krishna? If he himself is falling down, then he is actually not guru. You are intelligent enough to reconcile all these things, and to understand who is the real guru.
The scriptures, especially Srimad Bhagavatam, have told, 'tasmad gurun prapadyeta…' What is the meaning? The bona fide guru can give conjugal love to Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. He will be expert and realized in the moods of all the Vedas, Upanisads, Srimad Bhagavatam, Gita, and all Puranas - everything. He will be expert in all kinds of knowledge, and he will have realized all that knowledge. In addition, he will be detached from worldly desires and sense gratification. He will only be engaged in serving Krishna with all his senses - with body, mind, soul, mood, and everything. He is the abode of bhakti and he has no doubts. No doubts at all. Also, he will never go to all these atheistic universities. Never. Why? He has full confidence in his Guru's words, and therefore he will join Srila Haridasa Thakura's University - by always chanting and remembering.
A person like this has full faith in the Name, full faith in his guru's words, and he has full faith in the words of scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam. How can he join these universities? What would be the use? These universities are nonsense and, in the words of your Gurudeva, their teachers are rascals. Why should we join them? These universities are like slaughter-houses and they are full of mayavadis. Srila Svami Maharaja came and cut down all the arguments of the mayavadis and nirvesesavadis. Why should his disciples join all these things? It is because they have no faith in their Guru's words, and because they themselves are not guru at all. They are fallen from the beginning. There is no position from which they would fall down. Those who cannot chant the Name day and night, those who cannot realize what is the mood of the gopis, the Vrajavasis and Krishna, and those who are not engaging all their senses in the pastimes of Krishna, are actually not guru. They have no qualification to be guru. They cannot help us. They cannot take us to Krishna - never, never and never.
Moscow, July 30, 2000