Topic: Guru-tattva

The following is a lecture by Srila Narasingha Maharaja on the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

The following lecture was given by Srila Narasingha Maharaja on Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s appearance day in Vrndavana, 1993.

Sripada Narasingha Maharaja once mentioned that everything that Srila Sridhara Deva Gosvami Maharaja spoke was like a sutra. There was so much essential substance in each word.

The meaning of the phrase, ‘Guru is one’ is derived from the Sanskrit statement akhanda-guru-tattva. This means the undivided (akhanda) principle of the guru-tattva. This undivided guru-tattva manifests in three aspects, namely caitya-guru, diksa-guru, and siksa-guru respectively.

It is said in the revealed scriptures that to understand the very meaning of religion, self-realization and to know God, one has to approach a bona-fide spiritual master through the proper process. A guru or acarya heads a certain sampradaya and brings down the knowledge of the revealed scriptures from the previous acaryas. He practices according to his spiritual master’s instructions and distributes those instructions through his disciples to deliver the fallen souls in this material world.

I received hari-nama from Srila B.P. Puri Maharaja, gayatri from Srila B.R. Sridhara Maharaja and sannyasa from Srila Prabhupada

So many instructions are there from Srila Prabhupada and amongst those, the paramount instruction is to preach vigorously. To become a pure devotee and to preach vigorously.

It has been said that the disciple should see his guru as a direct manifestation of Srimati Radharani. Is such actually appropriate?

Recently our attention was drawn to a small pamphlet entitled 'Guru Nirnaya Dipika' written by Mahant Krsna Balarama Svami, who considers himself to be a disciple of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada. In 'Guru Nirnaya Dipika' the author has strongly advocated that only a Vaisnava born in a brahmana family has the right to initiate disciples and confer diksa-mantras to them. Coincidentally, the author just happens to be born in a brahmana family.

Being an admirer of Srila Sridhara Maharaja, how do you harmonize your opinion about the rasa of your Guru Maharaja with that indicated by Srila Sridhara Maharaja?