761101SB.VRN                    Lectures

So for that there are so many practices, regulative principles, mentioned  here. The first thing is hamse gurau mayi bhaktyanuvrtya. This is  religion. Adau gurvasrayam. If you do not get a  qualified guru, then everything is bogus. If you, by good fortune, if you  get the association of a guru, qualified hamsa, paramahamsa… Paramahamsa guru means sannyasi’s last stage is  paramahamsa. Kuticaka, bahudaka, parivrajakacarya, and  paramahamsa, these are the different stages. When one takes sannyasa, he  lives outside the village in a kuti, in a cottage, and the family members  goes and delivers him the food, because he is not practiced. So in the  beginning, he keeps up this association of neighborhood or family, but he is  not practiced. He therefore lives outside the village, and if somebody gives  some food, he eats.

Then when he becomes experienced, then he does not  accept food from one, either his own home or one home. He takes  foodstuff from many homes: “Give me a little piece of capati.” So somebody gives half, because they are also not overburdened. If they have to  deliver, so many sannyasis come, and sumptuous food, then how the  grhastha will provide? Therefore though… They do not overburden. There may  be other sannyasis, therefore little only. Madhupuri.  The Gosvamis practiced this madhupuri in Vrndavana.

They lived, but they  would take little only from the house. This is called bahudaka. Then when he  has practiced more, he travels all over the world, parivrajakacarya.  And when he is fully experienced, then, in spiritual life and  everything, then he is paramahamsa. So one must find out a guru who  is paramahamsa. Neither kuticaka, nor bahudaka, nor  parivrajakacarya. Paramahamsa. So in the Caitanya-caritamrta  also, Lord Caitanya says, guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija. This  bhakti-lata-bija can be obtained through the mercy of guru and Krsna. Here  Rsabhadeva, who is incarnation of Krsna, therefore He says mayi, hamse gurau  mayi. You cannot jump over Krsna.

“Well, I know Krsna. I shall go to  Krsna directly, without guru.” There are many rascals, they say like  that. No, that is not possible. First of all guru, then Krsna. Hamse  gurau mayi, bhaktyanuvrtya.    So these are description, this is  the beginning. If we actually practice the description of the prescription  given in the sastra, then it will be possible that, as it is said,  karmanubaddho drdha aslatheta. Then our strong desire to enjoy this  material world in different way, that will be slackened. That is  wanted.    Thank you very much. Devotees: Jaya! (end)