Sharanagati

Collected words from talks of Swami Tirtha




Prabhupad in laugh

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, May 2013, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Friday) 

That is the function of the chaitya-guru – God, inner guidance, antaryami, living in your heart and guiding you. What other types of guru do you have?

Kripadham: Sannyas-guru.

Swami Tirtha: Correct. Sannyas-guru is also there – who will introduce us to the renounced order of life. In general sense it is not necessary for everyone to become a sannyasi, but considering the mood of total dependence on the divine guidance and no second objective, everybody should become a sannyasi. So, not formally, but essentially. Sannyas doesn’t mean that you have the best computers and everybody is giving the flower garland to you. This is not the definition of sannyas order. But the inner mood of developing a total dependence on God – this is sannyas. So, this is the sannyas-guru – who will introduce us either formally or essentially to this mood of focusing our attention completely on Krishna. Other type of guru?

Hayagriva: Param-guru.

Swami Tirtha: Param-guru! Correct! You see, we have a collection of gurus. Param-guru is always very important. You know something! Because what happens? Our spiritual master has to take full responsibility for us. Therefore he will chastise us: “Hey, my dear son, my dear daughter! Don’t be lazy, go, do!” And sometimes this is a burden. Just like a father. The fathers are always busy instructing their children. But what about the grandfather? The param-guru is always smiling, always very gentle: ”Oh, my dear son, my dear daughter, don’t worry! Maybe your father is little upset today, but just come to me!” Have you met in your dreams Shrila Prabhupada?

 Hayagriva: I don’t remember.

Swami Tirtha: Oh, then you didn’t. What is the feeling? Just like your real grandfather who is ready to embrace you when your heart is broken. So, param-guru is very important. Because when we cannot tolerate our spiritual master, then the superior can enter and can solve the problem. Param-guru is a very important function. If there is anything missing in the guru, then the param-guru can enter, can compensate. Next?

Answer: Adi-guru.

Swami Tirtha: Oh, very good! Who is adi-guru?

Answer: Krishna.

Hayagriva: Lord Balaram.

Other: Radharani.

Swami Tirtha: Balaram, yes. Radharani. And sometimes even Ananga Manjari. So, it’s a new horizon of spiritual masters and mistresses, so to say. Adi means first, first guru. Who is the first guru? It’s God. It’s a divine function. ‘I am the source, I am the goal and I am the leader. I will help you to come back to Me.’ This is the adi, the original, the primordial guru function. And this divine invitation function is dedicated to certain personalities. So, adi guru I think represents the guru-tattva in the most complete, most profound manner.

Question: Like Shri guru?

Swami Tirtha: Shri guru is little different, because adi guru is absolutely a divine function – there is no human interference there. Shri guru means that I see my master, but I see the Shri, the divine function in him, through him. There is a set of mantras for the brahmanas and actually there are two versions of one mantra. One is aim gurave namaha, and the other is aim shri gurave namaha. I am in favor of the second version, because that combines the guru-person and the guru-tattva conception. In this way this is not a personality cult, but a divine culture. It’s a big difference. So, that is the adi guru and Shri guru function. Other types of guru?

(to be continued)

 

 



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