Hare Krsna
Below-5 short statements–
1. Unless one is humble, he or she cannot accept and follow a spiritual master
2. The value of accepting a Spiritual Master- cannot be calculated
3. If one does not find a bona-fide Spiritual Master then either Krsna is not pleased or you are not serious
4. Once one does accept a SM, his business is not finished with 16 rounds Hare Krsna mantra /day
5. The requirements necessary for going to the spiritual world.
1.) “You have inquired why Caitanya Mahaprabhu has not mentioned anything about accepting a Spiritual Master in His Siksastaka. But perhaps you have missed the point that He says amanina manadena kirtaniya sada hari. This means one has to chant the Holy Names of Krishna, becoming humbler than the straw, and more tolerant than the tree. So who can become humbler than the straw unless he accepts a Spiritual Master? The whole world is puffed up. Everyone wants to become the Lord of everything. Ultimately, the Mayavadi philosopher wants to become one with the Supreme Lord. This means that when one fails to become Lord of everything, he wants to mix up with the Supreme Lord and tries in that way to automatically become Lord of everything. What he can’t perform by his own capacity he wants to have done by being merged into the Supreme Lord. That is the mentality of the general people. But if anyone becomes humbler than the grass and more tolerant than the tree, it is understood that he has accepted a Spiritual Master. Besides that, if we accept Sikshastak as authority given by Lord Caitanya, this means we accept Lord Caitanya as Spiritual Master. In the Bhagavad-gita it is openly mentioned that Arjuna accepted Krishna as the Spiritual Master. There is another mention in the Sikshastak, Lord Caitanya says ‘I do not want any wealth of this world, I do not want any following, neither do I want a beautiful wife. Simply I want to become a servant of the Lord.’ To become the servant of the Lord means to accept a Spiritual Master. Without accepting somebody as master, how can one become an expert servant? It is not that in every literature you will find the words that everyone has to accept a Spiritual Master, but we have to study things scrutinizingly. In the Caitanya Caritamrta there is mention guru krsna krpaya paya bhakti lata bija. By the mercy of the Spiritual Master and Krishna one can get the seeds of bhakti lata, the plant of devotional service..”
(Srila Prabhupada letter, July 4, 1969)
2.) Letters : Vrindaban 12 February, 1974
I am very glad to hear you are following my instructions by chanting 16 rounds daily. In order to chant offenselessly, so that the chanting will have the greatest effect, one must avoid the four sinful activities. You have asked “How serious would it be for me if I should miss the golden opportunity to become your initiated disciple?” You should know that the value of accepting a bona fide spiritual master is more than we can calculate. It is not a mere formality. Of course everyone is encouraged to chant Hare Krishna, but until one gives up sinful activities and becomes determined to serve Krishna through His representative then the firm fixing up of devotional service will not take hold, and there is every chance that one will fall prey to all sorts of material desires and have to come back again in the next life—and one cannot guarantee that he will be born in the form of life he may desire. 3.) Conversations : 720911rc.arl :
Prabhupāda: Dhruva Mahārāja. He was advised by his motherthat “If you go to the forest you can see God.” So he went there. But when he was very serious, then Kṛṣṇa sent him Nārada Muni. So if you are actually serious about Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will send you some of His representative and he will take charge of you. That is the process. If you do not find a guru, that means Kṛṣṇa is not yet pleased, either you are not serious
4.) Mayapur, April 3, 1975 : 750403CC.MAY :
Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. Satata means always, twenty-four hours, not that five minutes I meditate and rest of the time I live like cats and dogs. No. This kind of meditation will not help you. Kṛṣṇa says, satata. Satata means twenty-four hours. You have to mold your life in such a way that twenty-four hours you’ll think of Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you think, “Now I have chanted my sixteen rounds. Now I’vefinished my business. Now I can do whatever nonsense I like,” no. Kṛṣṇa says no. Satata. Therefore we have to plan our life in such a way that we haven’t got any other engagement than service of Kṛṣṇa. This is required.
5.) Bhagavad gita 18.55 : TRANSLATION :
One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into thekingdom of God
